another day another bombshell. the nation is understanding new details around president trump's request to fbi director james comey to end the mike flynn investigation. the white house tells a different story. major senators whispering watergate and impeachment. this morning new details and global reaction. parts of the country are facing severe weather later today after separate deadly tornadoes struck on tuesday. wednesday could prove more dangerous with active weather patterns headed for millions. >> while you slept another symbol of the confederate era removed in the dark of the night. for those who can't sleep, a new device that may help 18 million of you. "early today" starts right now. good to be with you.

i'm frances rivera. of watergate size and scale, that's what republican senator john mccain calls the developing story regarding a bombshell report dogging the white house. nbc news confirming a "new york times" report that president trump asked then fbi director james comey to halt his probe of mike flynn, mr. trump's former national security adviser who was forced out after weeks on the job. trump apparently asked comb tee ease off the investigation in to flynn according to a memo the former fbi chief wrote himself shortly after speaking with the president. a source close to comey confirms the existence and contents of the memo with trump telling comey, quote, i hope you can see your way to letting this go, to letting flynn go, according to the memo. the source confirmed that comey wrote a memo about nearly ever interaction with trump. the white house denies the report releasing a statement that reads quote the president has never asked mr. comey or any one else to end any investigation including any investigation involving general

flynn. this is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the president and mr. comey. but members of congress are up in arms over the ordeal. >> if true this is yet another disturbing allegation that the president may have engaged in some interference or obstruction of the investigation. enough is enough. congress needs to get to the bottom of this. >> if it did happen, is it obstruction of justice plainly? >> well, it's as close as one can get to have the president of the united states contact the lead in an investigation by the federal government into criminal activity. >> in a week full of revelation after revelation, on a day when we thought things couldn't get any worse, they have. >> i think it would be helpful to have less drama from the white house. >> this morning the republican chair of the house oversight committee, jason chaffetz is

demanding comey's memo. the number 4 republican calling on comey to testify publicly. the case adds to a number of headaches for the white house with veteran operatives including a former watergate prosecutor now openly speculating the president is inching closer to impeachment. >> after watching the clinton impeachment, i thought i'd never see another one. i think we're in impeachment territory. >> we are well on our way to impeachment because i think there's a clear set of facts that show obstruction of justice. >> this bombshell news trump urged comey to ease his investigation into flynn comes just 24 hours after another report rocked the white house. claiming the president revealed code word intelligence to russian officials during a meeting. a meeting the press was controversially blocked from. cia director mike pompeo briefed members of congress at the capitol overnight. it was israel that provided the

classified material the president divulged to the russians. it's putting the relationship between the us and key ally in jeopardy. hallie jackson brings us more. >> reporter: the white house dodging, deflecting but not denying the president shared classified information with russia, and neither is he. >> we had a great meeting with the foreign minister, so we're going to have a lot of great success over the next coming years. >> reporter: nbc news learned the intelligence he talked about came from israel, according to three government officials familiar with the matter, naming that country as the key partner who provided the isis-related information, diplomatic dynamite six days before the president is set to visit jerusalem. the israeli ambassador says his country has full confidence in our intelligence sharing relationship with the united states. >> i'm obviously pleased to see the ambassador's comment, we appreciate the relationship with israel and appreciate the exchange of information we have with them. >> reporter: president trump acknowledged he did discuss with

the russians facts pertaining to terrorism and airline safety. "the washington post" says it went further, with the president describing elements of a specific plot by isis, naming the city in the islamic state's territory where the u.s. intelligence partner detected the threat. officials warning the paper revealing that would jeopardize important intelligence capabilities. the national security adviser wouldn't confirm specifics, but argues the president did nothing illegal. which is true. and he says nothing improper either. >> what the president discussed with the foreign minister was wholly appropriate. that conversation was holy appropriate, howholly appropria. the flood of news from the white house days ahead of the president's first foreign trip and it's casting a shadow on an itinerary that starts with saudi arabia, israel, and rome and nato and brussels and a g7 summit in italy. lucy cavanaugh is tracking the

for foreign reaction to the controversies for us. >> president trump spoke by phone yesterday. israeli media reports indicate the call lasted about 20 minutes. the israeli intelligence on isis that mr. trump shared with the russians was considered so sensitive that the u.s. reportedly haven't even shared it with its closest allies, like the uk and canada. it does appear israel at the moment at least is down playing the scandal. the defense minister tweeting this morning the security relationship is deep, meaningful and unprecedented. world leaders publicly this morning expressing confidence in their relationship with the u.s. and that includes britain's prime minister theresa may as well as malcolm turnbull. i think it's safe to say there is shock and disbelief behind closed doors. one of the biggest concerns is that foreign intelligence services will somehow hold back on sharing critical, sensitive information with the u.s. in the future because they don't trust the president to keep a secret. certainly not a good way to kick

off donald trump's first foreign trip abroad as president next week. frances? >> possibly jeopardizing how we're viewed on the world stage when it comes to that. thank you so much, nbc's lucy cavanaugh. 27 tornadoes ripped through the middle of the country. one person dead and 25 injured after one tornado tore through a trailer park destroying dozen of homes. nearby in oklahoma other chasers witnessed what looks like a massive funnel cloud and their front windshield cracks under the raging fury of the storm. there's another driver capturing this stunning near miss, a pickup truck spins out of control in the left and launches across the median of a highway towards upcoming traffic. fortunately no one was hurt in the incident. once the storm moved out, emergency workers and residents came out to assess the damage. fire officials in elk city said at least one person was killed and 40 homes destroyed. nbc meteorologist bill karins

has more on these storms in just a few moments here on "early today." private chelsea manning is set to be released from prison today after the transgender soldier was convicted in 2013 forgiving classified government materials to wikileaks. she spent just a fraction of her 35-year sentence behind bars. nbc's blake mccoy is at fort leavenworth military prison with more. >> reporter: good morning. chelsea manning set to be released from a military prison in fort leavenworth, kansas, accused of leaking a trove of classified military documents to wikileaks. she served just seven of a 35-year sentence, president obama in one of his final and more controversial acts in office commuted the remainder of the sentence saying 35 years was disproportionate to what other leakers received and he felt justice had been served. manning's legal team has been hished about what her next moves are.

she is still appealing that conviction. we're told that appeal could take several years still. she will remain a member of the military eligible to receive benefits but not pay while that appeal is seen through. $140,000 has been raised online to help manning reacclimate. new orleans removed a third confederate monument, this a statue of beauregard. opponents of the statue say the monuments pay honor to slavery and do not represent the city's values. monument supporters gathered around the site, arguing the memorials are a way to honor part of american history. the beauregard memorial is one of four set to be removed. a memorial to general robert e.

lee is also slated for removal. let's check back in with nbc meteorologist bill karins who is here with what's ahead for today, a threat of more severe weather. >> two fatalities yesterday, frances, now a dangerous day today and even worse tomorrow. storms diminished in intensity. no longer any thunderstorm or tornado watches. this is the risk area for thursday, not today. this is the big concern as we go to thursday. a moderate risk for western kansas, oklahoma and texas, a very dangerous day on thursday. the day is not quite as bad. an enhanced risk of isolated tornadoes in areas of iowa. we'll watch it over the nt twoen seattle. only the 50s in boise. >> even some snow in the rockies

with the storm going through right now, frances. a lot of interesting weather across the country. a lot of extremes. >> bill, how about this for your dad envy, i'm sure you've got it when you see this. this awesome creation from an arizona family. they were wanting to do this, inspired by a movie. they created their own pirate ship in the back yard, inspired by the black pearl from pirates of the caribbean. it stands three stories high, taller than their town's city hall building, by some vantage points even bigger than their own house. just ahead, details of the largest cockfighting raid ever recorded by law enforcement. what led to chaos in washington, d.c. at the turkish ambassador's residen residence? (vo) more "doing chores for mom"

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over turkish president rhee separate erdogan's presidency. the violence broke out hours after he met with president trump at the white house. nine people were hurt, two seriously. two people were arrested. one was charged with assaulting a police officer. california authorities seized about 7,000 birds in what they say was the largest raid of illegal cockfighting in u.s. history. the operation which involved about 100 personnel also led to the seizure of firearms, illegal narcotics and syringes and steroids for the birds. about 10 people were detained. law enforcement expects several more arrestion. cockfighting is illegal in every state in the united states. if you are constantly tired, there's new hope for anyone who battles to get a good night's sleep. jimmy kimmel's personal update on school house rocks, i'm just a bill. ♪ i'm just a lie, just a sweet little lie and i'm too believable to deny ♪

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fast forwarding today, president trump will give his second commencement address in a week, when he speaks to graduates at the u.s. coast guard academy. closing arguments in the 2016 shooting involving oklahoma police officer betty shelby after the defense rested its case, the officer pleaded not guilty first-degree manslaughter in the deaths of a 40-year-old. prosecutors say she overreacted when she shot him on a highway. the boston celtics getting the number one draft pick for the first time in a half century. rounding out the top five, the lakers, 6ers suns and kings. the draft set to kick off on june 22nd. some 18 million americans suffer from sleep apnea, that disorder that causes sufferers to stop breathing while they sleep. this morning details of a new device that might help people

get better rest. nbc's dr. john torres explains. >> andre turner says for the last five years she couldn't get a good night's sleep. >> i was exhausted all the time. how can i make it through the day because i'm so tired. >> the 69-year-old underwent a sleep study where doctors measured everything from brain waves to breathing. she was diagnosed with sleep apnea and what doctors found was shocking. >> significant drops in oxygen. >> while she slept, she would stop breathing. it was happening as much as 41 times every hour. >> this can lead to three or four times more chance of having heart attacks or throw. >> sleep apnea cuts off breathing, the gold standard of treatment is a c pap machine. she tried it but like almost half of patients, she couldn't tolerate it. now, a new option, a revolutionary device called inspire.

it's implanted under the skin and turned on every night with a remote control. it senses when breathing slows and sends a pulse to the tongue which then stimulates the airway to open. >> looks like a pacemaker. >> it's the same technology. adapted to stimulate a nerve in the neck. >> the main side effect people can wake up with a sore tongue. and insurance doesn't always pay for the device which can cost $20,000. but andrea says for her a good night's sleep is priceless. >> it's changed my life. >> a new solution for a common problem that could help millions of people rest easier. dr. john torres, nbc news, berkeley, california. >> pretty good if you can afford it. beats what i call the darth vader masks. the search continues for a missing aircraft that disappeared in the bermuda triangle. you're watching "early today." o. i never joined in. that wasn't fair to any of us.

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friend 40-year-old jennifer blooman and her children 4 and 3 years old. >> a successful ceo from new york city and her family featured in the show ""open house nyc."" according to flight records, their plane left puerto rico at 11:08 monday, destination, titusville, florida. at an altitude of 24,000 feet the plane disappeared are radar, falling in the area of the famed bermuda triangle. now discounted as myth. it was long believed navigational instruments would not engage properly leading to crashes and sinkings. >> as of now we've covered almost 100 square miles. that search is on going right now. >> that was nbc's kerry sanders. just ahead, the morning's top stories and a look at some wicked weather. that's next. hey, honey. dad, where's the car?

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these folks in wisconsin are picking up the pieces after multiple tornadoes tore apart dozens of homes and left one person dead. it's the first fatal fatality there since 2011. national weather service is surveying the extent of the damage. parts of the state are dealing with flood water. nasty storm there yesterday late afternoon. we're split across the country. very chilly, even snowing in areas from the northern rockies to the central rockies, very warm in areas of the east. today 60 in portland, billings at 54. that cold air coming into denver area, areas like washington, d.c. will be 92 degrees today and still very warm. the pattern continues like this. notice we're not bad as we go to thursday in seattle where the temperature is 64. this is typical spring weather,

frances, extremes with the temperatures and often severe weather in the middle. >> bill, thanks for watching it for us. lawmakers are reacting with a frenzy after a bombshell report from "the new york times" and confirmed by nbc found the president urged then fbi director james comey to drop his investigation into former national security adviser and trum confidant mike flynn. the white house denies the report. no word yet from the president himself on the matter. he is expected to make a public commencement address later today. the eagles band is getting back together and found their replacement for the late great glenn frey. it's none other than fry's son. don henley announced he's performing in july and saying deacon is enthusiastic and has been working real hard and it just felt right with him there. d.c. is making way for ducklings. two ramped installed to help duck families get in and out. this gaggle of ducklings got

enough of it. their fluffy cuteness wasn't enough to bring smiles to gop lawmaker. mark walker tweeted a photo calling the ramps government waste. rom pepers are super on tre but a group called ace design created the romp-him just in time for summer. the one-piece outfit comes in a variety of colors and patterns. ace defined has competed their original goal of $10,000. >> i don't get it. taking it on, taking it off. >> it's a essentially a onesie. >> i'm all in favor of having just one item on. >> good look out there with the bathroom. i'm frances rivera, thanks for

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looking at a beautiful day ahead. good wednesday morning to you. we are looking for a beautiful day ahead. a live look outside san francisco right now. it is nice, mike inouye. pretty mild to start off, but on the cusp of major changes as we creep closer to our work week. today in the bay starts now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> that was a really nice welcome. i'm sam brock. doesn't mike have a way with words? you can really sum it up in one word. >> nice. >> a little more verbose. kari really has a lock at the forecast. >> it is going to be nice today. and so comfortable. yesterday, a little on the cool side. we had clouds. we could not shake. and also the breezy winds. here's a look at what you're seeing as you step out the d