embroiled in controversy. new reports the white house sought the fbi's help in refuting a story linking the trump campaign to russia. while the president vows to increase the country's nuclear arsenal in a show of strength, putting the u.s., quote, at the top of the pack. details on the pope calling out what he calls hypocritical catholics. plus, inside the once scandalous mansion with ties to the kennedys. and ellen degeneres gives an entire high school senior class the gift of a lifetime. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm gigi stone woods. a new controversy is engulfing the trump administration this morning. we are learning of report as white house official asked the

fbi to knock down details of a new york times article. it alleged campaign associates for the trump team had contact with russian operatives during the presidential campaign. a government source tells nbc news the exchange happened between a white house official and fbi deputy director andrew mccabe in a west wing hallway and mccabe declined to discuss the matter outright. the associated press reports the person in question is chief of staff reince priebus, not confirmed by nbc news. the white house has yet to comment. the president doubles down on his desire to beef up the nation's nuclear arsenal. he wants to expand the country's nukes and make clear the u.s. is quote the top of the pack. the secretaries of state and homeland security were dispatched to mexico. they were met with resistance. peter alexander has all that and more. >> reporter: the president flexing america's muscles on

foreign policy, telling reuters he wants to fortify the u.s.'s nuclear arsenal. >> it would be wonderful. a dream would be that no country would have nukes. if countries are going to have nukes, we're going to be at the top of the pack. >> reporter: president trump who has come under fire for potential ties to russia, now vowing he'll confront russian president vladimir putin over the launch of a cruise missile. a move that violated a decades old arms treaty. that potential showdown as the trump administration tries to defuse a standoff with mexico. demonstrators torching a fake wall overnight. highlighting real tensions. the latest flashpoint, mr. trump's new deportation policies. >> we're getting gang members, out, drug lords out. getting really bad dudes out of this country. it's a military operation. >> reporter: that comment quickly contradicted by the president's head of homeland security, john kelly, in mexico.

>> there will be no, repeat no mass deportation. no, repeat, no use of military force in immigration operations. none. >> reporter: the white house later clarifying the meaning of military operation. >> the president was using that as an adjective. it's happening with precision. >> reporter: among mexico's complaints, the u.s. is planning to deport anyone who illegally crosses the border back to mexico, even if they're not mexican. secretary of state, rex tillerson dispatched with kelly to deal with the difficulties. >> i said, that's going to be a tough trip, because we have to be treated fairly by mexico. >> reporter: tillerson, trying to translate president trump's tough talk into diplomacy. >> two strong sovereign countries from time to time will have differences. >> nbc's peter alexander reporting. later this morning, president trump is expected to address his supporters head on. when he looks to mobilize his base at cpac. his remarks will cap off a week of angry town halls that had at least one senator running for

cover. others were m.i.a. one member of congress appearing on milk cartons. another as a cardboard cutout. constituents are holding lawmakers feet to the fire regarding the health care act. now, a new admission. former house speaker john boehner saying obamacare may not be replaced at all. >> well, i think they'll do, they'll fix obamacare. i shouldn't have called it repeal and replace. that's not what's going to happen. basically, we're going to fix the flaws and put a more conservative box around it. >> previewing mr. trump's speech, vice president mike pence had a very different reaction about replacing obamacare while knocking down angry voters. >> let me assure you, america's obamacare nightmare is about to end. [ cheers and applause ] you know, despite the best efforts of liberal activists at

town halls around the country, the american people know better. obamacare has failed. and obamacare must go. >> pence wasn't the only one who took the cpac stage. chief strategist and former breitbart chief steve bannon made a rare public appearance, bringing his fighting words with him. hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: a trump team takeover at a conservative conference. stepping out of the shadows of the west wing, one of the president's most trusted advisors in a rare public appearance. >> i want to thank you for finally inviting me to cpac. >> reporter: that's controversial chief strategist steve bannon. the power behind the populist brand that propelled donald trump to victory. >> hold us accountable to what we promised, hold us accountable for delivering what we promised. if you think they're going to give you your country back without a fight, you're sadly mistaken. every day it's going to be a fight. >> reporter: side by side with

reince priebus, both batting down reports of rifts. >> reince is indefatigable. it's low key. but it's determination. >> if the party and the conservative movement are together, similar to steve and i, it can't be stopped. >> reporter: despite the president's no-show a year ago at the conference as a candidate, his advisers argue it's his party now. like kellyanne conway, also facing questions about feminism. >> i would tell my three daughters, your daughters, or you, the job for the first female president of the united states remains open, so go for it. this presumptive negativity about women and power is very unfortunate. >> reporter: for all the talk of economic nationalism on stage, no tolerance for a different kind of nationalism off it -- white nationalism. richard spencer has kicked out cpac organizers denouncing the movement he leads. >> they are anti-semites. they are racists. they are sexists.

they are not an extension of conservatism. there are new details in the murder of kim jong-nam. malaysian police say swabs from his face test positive for vx nerve agents. it's a chemical weapon banned by most countries. nbc's matt bradley is live in london. matt, this story has us on the edge of our seats, what can you tell us? >> reporter: hi, good morning, gigi. the latest revelation is bizarre and startling. malaysian authorities saying vx nerve agent was the poison that killed kim jong-nam. malaysian authorities say, based on the swabs you mentioned, this vx nerve agent was taken from his face and killed him within minutes of the original dose.

this is startling, indeed. it is one of the most potent poisons used worldwide. actually, the united nations categorizes it as a weapon of mass destruction. this is the latest to come out of the saga of the death of kim jong-nam. they are looking for seven more north koreans. one of the women who was thought to administer the poison thought she was participating in a prank for a reality television show. malaysian authorities say that's not true. video shows she is holding her hands away from her face and she immediately went and washed her hands after administering the fatal dose. >> seems too outlandish for a hollywood movie. thank you for telling us that. we have the latest on the officer involved altercation.

authorities saying the off-duty lapd officer did not try to shoot teenagers when he fired his gun into the ground on tuesday. the altercation is not fully captured on this video. according to police, the officer felt in danger after a 13-year-old boy allegedly threatened to shoot him. authorities say two of the teens and the off-duty officer could face charges as police conduct a review. meanwhile, wyoming is getting buried with snow. drifts could reach up to three feet in places likes casper mountain. motorists are being warned to stay off the roads as low visibility could create dangerous conditions. we have bonnie schneider here with an update on storms hitting the center of the country. what's happening. >> we have plenty of snow and thunderstorms in parts of wisconsin right now. another place we have seen a lot of rain is california. in august, 2013, we had the extreme drought and exceptional

in 2014. with all the rain we have had, does it make a difference? january, the drought ended. finally, this month, really good news, extreme drought ended. we just have droug comfortable in palm springs with a high of 66. phoenix, the high is 63. >> we are actually moving into a drier period over the next few weeks. hopefully we can stay where we are. >> thanks for the update. we have a california snowboarder safe and sound after spending a frigid night lost on a mountain. a rescue crew spotting the stranded 32-year-old early thursday morning. he went missing the day before. the crew hoisted him out of the snow and took him to the

hospital for cold-related injuries. just ahead, the pope has strong words for hypocritical catholics. and a wild ride for a police officer in china. you're watching "early today." n) ♪ minutes old. ♪ a baby's skin is never more delicate. ♪ what do hospitals use to wash and protect it? ♪ johnson's® the number 1 choices in hospitals. bounty is more absorbent,mom" per roll so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper hershey's miniatures. we pour 'em! we pass 'em!

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openly rejecting the white house. the democratic governors new york, connecticut, and massachusetts each signed rules protecting transgender students' rights against the trump administration rollback on those protections. late in the evening, one of the most well known trans icons in this country had this message. >> i have a message for president trump from one republican to another. this is a disaster. and you can still fix it. you made a promise to protect the lgbtq community. call me. pope francis is calling out so-called hypercritical catholics, suggesting it's better to be an atheist. the pope said many catholics lead double lives by expressing religious devotion and exploiting people or running dirty businesses in their private life. he said catholics like that quote scandalize others. pope francis consistently called

on both lay people and priests to practice what they preach. if you have tickets to see beyonce at coachella, we have bad news, she won't be there. she pulled out of the music festival to maintain a less rigorous schedule. she is expecting twins later this year. the announcement caused a dive in ticket prices dropping 12%. never fear, queen b says she plans to headline coachella in 2018. i'm glad she's taking a break, babies are more important. facebook and the way you are going to be bombarded by ads. plus, an aging ruth bader ginsburg and her role in the supreme court. you are watching "early today." ? what stiff joints? what time of the month cramps?

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in today's "quick hits," a big milestone in a major offensive against isis. after a day of fierce fighting, u.s.-backed iraqi forces have recaptured the airport in mosul. an estimated 750,000 people remain trapped in isis-held western mosul. ruth bader ginsburg says she plans to remain a justice for as long as she can. the 83-year-old tells the bbc justice john paul stephens was 90 when he retired so she has a

ways to go. and little tykes is recalling snug and secure pink toddler swings after reports of them breaking and injuring children. they were sold from 2009-2014. facebook finds a new place for ads and is nordstrom facing a backlash? we have the stories, plus where the markets are heading this morning. we want to know. good morning. >> good morning to you. the markets started the trading day in the red following a mixed session on thursday. the uncertainty of president trump's plan to boost the economy. nasdaq fell for a second day. the dow closed at a record high for the tenth straight session. it's the first time it's done that since 1987. look for data on new home sales and consumer sentiment. nordstrom hasn't seen impact from president trump sticking up for his daughter on twitter. he said they were treating

ivanka unfairly by dropping her product. they reported positive earnings with with sales rising 2%. facebook is ready to make more money from videos in your news feed. they will put ads in the middle of videos and split revenue with publishers. facebook says the ads can't run until the video has played 20 seconds and spaced two minutes apart. >> only a matter of time. thanks. just ahead, a famous house that's up for sale, complete with ten bedrooms and a scandalous past. you are watching "early today." d bounce back like... ...it used to? neutrogena® hydro boost water gel. instantly quenches skin to keep it... ...supple and hydrated... ...day... ...after day. with hydrating hyaluronic acid, which retains up to 1000 times its weight... ...in water. this refreshing water gel... plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin that bounces back. hydro boost...

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geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. it comes with ten bedrooms, 7 1/2 baths, and a history of scandals and celebrity guests. the infamous grey gardens home is going up for sale for the first time in nearly 40 years. anne thompson takes us inside. >> reporter: behind east hampton's hedges, where the rich celebrate summer, sits its most famous and infamous house. grey gardens now for sale. it inspired an hbo movie. >> this is the best thing to wear. you understand. >> reporter: a broadway musical. all based on the cult documentary. ♪ capturing the mother-daughter duo whose squalid lifestyle amid feral cats created a scandal in the '70s. the beales, big edie and little edie, were the eccentric relatives of jacqueline kennedy

onassis. author and journalist sally quinn bought the house. >> she gave this pirouette and said, yes, all it needs is a coat of paint. >> reporter: hardly. her $220,000 investment in 1979 after republican novation -- renovations is now offered at $20 million. she and her husband filled the house with family and famous friends. >> i felt magic in that house. >> reporter: magic interwoven with american popular culture. oh, if these walls could talk. anne thompson, nbc news, east hampton, new york. per roll

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severe weather today. we have about 30 million people under the risk from ft. wayne to cincinnati, including indianapolis and kentucky. the storms could produce damaging winds as well as hair. looking at temperatures in advance of the system, spring-like, record highs possible again. temperatures are going to turn cooler behind the system. highs upper 70s in the southeast. notice the highs turning to the 30s and 40s as the colder air rushes in. >> a lot of important news, thanks. the white house signaling a policy shift. press secretary sean spicer says the justice department will be stepping up enforcement against recreational marijuana. washington, d.c. and eight states legalized weed for recreational use and the obama

administration was not enforcing the ban. now it is at the discretion of new attorney general, jeff sessions who consistently opposed legal marijuana. a new york zoo has people awaiting the birth of a injugir. on facebook, the zoo blamed a handful of extreme animal activists for the interruption. they said it takes away an educational tool. youtube said it was removed by mistake and restored the live stream on their site. ellen degeneres is always finding a way to make dreams come true. she outdid herself surprising an entire senior class. very exciting, listen. >> we have done something that we have never, never done anything this big before. we reach out to the people at

walmart and they want to give each one of you a four-year scholarship. >> unbelievable. ellen brought two educators from brooklyn on the show. they dreamed of sending all their school graduates to college in a community where 4% of adults have higher education. ellen made it happen, teaming up with walmart, they gave audiotape 41 seniors a four-year scholarship to any new york university. >> so joyful. i can imagine how great their parents feel, too. >> and how great ellen feels to be able to do that for them. sometimes all a panda wants is love, of course. why not? who doesn't. check this out. the little panda bear can't bear to be separated from the handler, clinging to his leg. the handler can't escape that tiny ball of fluff. he just wants a bear hug.

very swe.et a massive "clean up" afterhe

flds. as mo and more sanjose reg thr situati liveable--- just a massive cleanup after the flo flood. mandatory evacuations still in effect for some families. the map of who can come back is changing. >> plus, putting this into perspective. fewer riders on bart they are looking to your wallet for help. today in the bay starts right now. a very good friday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> it is is friday. >> yes. >> i'm sam brock. that was really quick. >> the longest week ever. we are happy it's coming t