therefore, i have recused myself in the matters that deal with the trump campaign. >> the attorney general faces the fire. but can the white house withstand the mounting pressure? police are searching for the suspects involved in this brazen daylight drive-by shooting. a dui stop on the side of the road lands one officer bathed in beer following an unrelated accident. one mexican leader has a message for president trump and the wall he wants to build across the border. and two young boys remind us that true friendship really is color blind. "early today" starts right now. good morning, happy friday to you. i'm frances rivera.

a total witch hunt. that's how the president of the united states is describing it this morning. attorney general jeff sessions recusing himself of any federal probe of the trump campaign which could include an investigation of russian meddling. there was a conversation with the russian ambassador in july. while speaking to a group of ambassadors at the republican convention and again in september, a one-on-one conversation in sessions' senate office, at a time when allegations of russian influence were in the headlines. overnight, questions of another discussion with russia's ambassador during an interview with fox news. >> i don't recall any discussion of the campaign in any significant way. it was in no way some sort of coordinating of an effort or doing anything improper. >> according to a news report, you met twice with the russian ambassador in person and one phone conversation. is that the extent of the contact?

>> i don't remember whether i had a phone call conversation or not. >> we just received a call from your office. we're hearing that there was not a phone call. was there? >> i don't recall any such phone call. >> you don't recall any such phone call. >> lashing out at democrats, president trump said they have lost their grip on reality and that the real story is all the illegal leaks of classified and other information. part of a series of late-night tweets defending sessions. the president conceded sessions could have stated his response more accurately when asked about his past communication with russian officials. it was a controversy that grew at rapid-fire pace. this morning, at least 86 lawmakers are calling for sessions to resign from office. for more, we go to nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: the commander in chief touring "the u.s.s. gerald ford" aircraft carrier, standing by his attorney general.

asked whether he had confidence in jeff sessions, his answer? >> total. >> reporter: and whether he thought he testified truthfully. >> i think he probably did. >> reporter: mr. trump adding he wasn't aware that sessions had spoken to the russian ambassador. the white house says it only learned about sessions contact with sergey kislyak shortly before the story broke. helping manage the sessions fallout. reverberating on capitol hill, even among republicans. >> i think it's best if, in this case, he recuse himself. >> i think the attorney general should further clarify. i do think he'll need to recuse himself as this point. >> reporter: top democrats going a step further. >> the fact that the attorney general, the top cop in our country, lied under oath to the american people is grounds for him to resign. >> for the good of the country, attorney general sessions should resign. >> reporter: democrats raising

questions about the timing of his september meeting with the ambassador. just three days after president obama said sanctions on russia shouldn't be rolled back. dianne feinstein cast doubt on his claim. most recently seen here in the president's address to congress tuesday night. >> this particular ambassador is hard to forget. so, to say that he couldn't remember is just simply not believable. >> that was peter alexander reporting. while the white house was dealing with the sessions controversy in full force, two new cabinet members joined their ranks. dr. ben carson, the neurosurgeon and once gop presidential hopeful was confirmed and sworn in as the new secretary of housing and urban development. and texas governor rick perry is now on board as head of the energy department. the news comes as we get word the white house says the president's modified travel ban won't be released until next week at the earliest. it's one of a handful of delays

the executive order has seen since it was suspended last month. the u.s. military is escalating involvement in war-torn yemen. the pentagon announced more than 20 air strikes were launched. targeting al qaeda militants and equipment. officials say the strikes were conducted by drone and manned aircraft. one senior intelligence source says the strikes demonstrate a, quote, new gloves off approach to defeating al qaeda in the region. this morning, kansas city police are searching for suspects in a disturbing drive-by shooting. look at this video. watch as this suv pulls up to the right and suddenly, a gunman opens fire. listen to that. it shoots off at least a dozen bullets. the suspect speeds right off. police say they believe the suspects were targeting his parked car on the other side of the road. amazingly, no one was hurt. two people are dead after an uprising at a nebraska prison.

officials say that the disturbance started when about 40 inmates refused to return to cells after a small courtyard fire. the prison was put on lockdown. several fights broke out between the inmates, leading to two deaths and several injuries. no staff was injured. no other details were given. the incident happened where two others died in a 2015 riot. it caused millions of dollars in damage. it's the hottest stock on wall street. snap, the parent company of snapchat, now valued at over $35 billion after a hugely successful ipo. and a newly minted 26-year-old millionaire. we have the story. >> reporter: the app known for its disappearing messages, making a permanent mark on wall street. snap, the parent company of snapchat went public on the new york stock exchange. shares soared 44%. investors are banking on the app's use appeal. how many times are you snapping a day? >> sometimes in conversation. upwards of 20.

>> i send them tloost at least a couple times a day. >> reporter: founded by now 26-year-old evan spiegel, it's a mobile messaging app that allows users to send and receive videos and photos that can disappear within ten seconds. 158 million people use snapchat daily, the majority between 18 and 34, checking the app more than 18 times a day. spending about 30 minutes a day snapping. spiegel is compared often to mark zuckerberg. zuckerberg tried to buy snap for $3 billion in cash a few years ago. spiegel declined. nbc universal, the parent company of nbc news has a business interest with snap. now, the investors are cashing in. >> evan is an amazing product visionary. he understands what users want. >> reporter: spiegel made $5.4 billion. the company now worth about $35 billion. impressive numbers for a company

that has yet to turn a profit. an amazing coincidence caught on this officer's dashcam. he pulled over this car for speeding. >> you guys have anything to drink tonight? no? >> he asks if the driver has been drinking. the officer hears the squealing of a beer truck barrelling down the road. watch here, it loses control. sending beer bottles and cans flying, right at the officer and the other car. >> well over 1,000 pounds of beer bottles shattering and a tidal wave of beer coming at me. >> he left the first driver off with a warning. and the beer shower and saying it with a chuckle. new revelations on sexual abuse from jane fonda. we'll have the details ahead. first, bill karins has the

weekend forecast. how are we looking? >> not the best. won't see the sun anytime soon. continue with the moist flow off the pacific. look at the clouds coming in. that's the next storm system moving in. this is going to be cold with low level snow. not a lot of accumulations, but the possibility of seeing snow. the frontal system works to the south. northern california, you are okay and get into the mix. the blue is the snow and the rain in valleys, a gloomy, cool and chilly weekend in many areas in the west. the rainfall totals are heavy as we head sunshine in central california, enjoy it. likely you won't see much over the weekend.

i'll give you the complete forecast for the weekend coming up. >> bill, thank you. a pair of best buddies in kentucky went viral proving true friendship is color blind. he asked for a buzz like his friend on the right because they thought it would make them seem identical. their photo was posted on social media. they had a master plan making the preschoolteacher unable to tell them apart. the funniest bit from late night tv and a first from the first lady. we'll bring that to you next on "early today." per roll more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent,

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all along with my friends who i love so much. i'm going to [ bleep ] the hell out of you when the feeling reenters my body. >> if you like these, put these in your [ bleep ]. sagging a little bit. too many beads in it. >> what the american people saw is the president i serve with every day. broad shoulders. a big [ bleep ], and he laid out a specific agenda. >> in another surprising change of character, mr. trump sent only one tweet, two words, [ bleep ] you. >> how funny is that with the clean beeps there. all right, very funny, jimmy kimmel. leading the news, melania trump stepped out in her first solo appearance as first lady. she took a moment out of her day to visit sick kids at the presbyterian hospital. she did what every first lady has done before her. all they have done and all before her, she read. >> congratulations. today is your day.

you're off to great places. you're off and away. >> you may recognize it. the book was dr. seuss', "oh, the places you will go." a mexican lawmaker is sticking it to president trump's proposed border wall by climbing the border wall that already exists. he tweeted these photos along a 30-foot wall. he said the fact that he could easily scale it shows any wall is unnecessary and totally absurd. he said a border wall would damage relations between the two countries. you won't be able to get enough of this. just watch. as taj gibson makes one of the craziest shots you will ever see in an nba game. >> off the deflection, taj, oh, he got it! >> that's the real deal. the once-in-a-lifetime shot put the thunder three points ahead of the blazers heading into halftime. now for an unbelievable catch

during spring training. watch this. it wasn't the ball that was caught, but, you'll see. not the ball, the bat. the bat slid out of his hands mid swing and into the mets dugout. it was caught as everyone around him runs for cover. one of the hottest singers on the planet dropped her latest single. you are looking at a new pick-up truck that even the richest among us may not be able to buy. ! uh, excuse me, waiter. i ordered the soup... of course, ma'am. my apologies. c'mon, caesar. let's go. caesar on a caesar salad? surprising. excuse me, pardon me. what's not surprising? how much money matt saved by switching to geico. could i get my parking validated? fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

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now for today's quick hits. newly sworn in interior department secretary ryan zinke proves he knows now make an entrance. riding in on a horse for his first day on the job. a police escort wasn't far behind. a series of letters from former first lady jackie kennedy is going on the auction block in england. the letters document a relationship with kennedy and a british aristocrat following the assassination of president kennedy. and lorde has a new hit on her hands after a three-year wait. the new zealand star is out with her single, "green light". you can see her there dancing in an unexpectedly upbeat song that has critics raving. snapchat lit up the markets yesterday. today, all eyes are on janet yellen. americans can't get this pickup

truck. good morning. >> good friday morning. wall street could end on a down note after stocks st. pete times forumabled following the rally on wednesday. the dow is having the worst day since january, falling more than 100 points, but still closing above the 21,000 level. fed chair janet yellin and vice chairman and the timing of the next rate hike. there's a high chance this month. shares of nintendo, the shares launch. fans lining up outside stores in tokyo to get their hands on the switch that can be played as a traditional council. success of the switch is key to nintendo. mercedes-benz is unveiling a concept version of the pick-up truck at the geneva show in

switzerland. it seats five, has an electric wench to pull you out of tight spots. don't expect it to be at your dealer anytime soon. they have no plans to sell the truck in the u.s. >> i like that. thank you. just ahead, journalists are thanking tom hanks for their caffeine fix. plus, two 90-year-old runners and the race of their lifetime. did they finish? we'll tell you on "early today." per roll

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so you went to the inauguration. the poncho was a problem. it seems, i just -- have you put a poncho -- there's -- there's -- have you put one on? is that the first time? >> um, yeah, it looks like it, doesn't it? >> i want to make sure that doesn't happen again. so, hey, will you bring out the gift? what you do -- [ cheers and applause ] here. and all you do is -- this end up. and you can put it on. yeah. all right. >> you have your critics, the press core and ellen calling you out. now at least he knows. >> a basic skill. tom hanks wants to keep your journalists caffeinated. the white house press corps arrived to work yesterday to find a special gift left by the

actor himself. >> it's a nice one, too. >> tom hanks left that. that brand-new espresso machine. peter alexander tweeted the news. keep up the fight, the truth, justice and the american way, especially the truth part. tom hanks did that. he did it earlier for the past, i think since 2005, he's done it. >> the journalist with the black coffee. two 90-year-old runners. they raced in the 60-meter dash. the 99-year-old is in the right lane. the 92-year-old is in the top lane. look at the late surge by the 99-year-old. he finishes and wins. >> that is the way to celebrate. this is "early today." per roll

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time for your weekend forecast. we are going to see more rainy weather spreading from washington state southward. by the time we get to saturday, the storms move into northern california. the snow levels are dropping. not a great day in san francisco and sacramento. the snow moves to the west. maybe late day improvement. it's a bummer of a weekend. >> all right, it is still winter, thank you. an urgent manhunt for a dangerous killer. this man stabbed a 23-year-old nurse during an early morning robbery. tiffany ferguson identified him. her roommate heard the screams and called 911. >> we felt safe.

we never felt like this could happen. >> officials are unaware why the killer chose their apartment. >> this does appear to be a random act, a very rare, random act of violence in this particular area. >> police say the suspect entered through an unlocked door and brought items outside at least once before the murder. famed actor jane fonda is speaking out in an interview for the "edit" magazine. she opens up about her experience with abuse. she's been raped, sexually abused and fired because she wouldn't sleep with her boss. i felt it was my fault i didn't do the right thing. woman's movement made us realize rape and abuse is not our fault. it took years before she woke up to the idea of developing women.

a multimillion dollar 200,000 square foot expansion of the complex just opened. a new hotel, restaurants and memorabilia. as graceland gets a makeover, neverland ranch is back on the . according to the associated press, it is listed at $67 million, a nay jor decrease from the $100 million last year. an adorable animal is part of a breakthrough. the nashville zoo announced the birth of this clouded leopard. look at this guy. the first to be born by artificial insemination. the zoo teamed up with the smithsonian to accomplish it. it could help preserve the rare species and future animals of its kind. where did he get the little red nose. >> bow zoe, rudolph, what are we going name him? >> adorable is what we can agree on. happy friday to you and happy weekend as well. i'm frances rivera, thanks for

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