did you at any time urge former fbi director james comey in any way, shape or form to close or back down the investigation into michael flynn. >> no. no. next question. >> president trump facing tough questions about russia, the election and the firing of fbi director james comey. today the so-called leader of the free world begins a nine-day five-city tour that takes him deep in the middle east and allows him to temporarily escape washington controversies. he told police he was hearing voices. we're learning more about the man accused of killing a tourist and injuring 20 more in

times square. and an incredible weather day that saw over 300 severe weather reports and at least 20 reports of tornados in multiple states. and take a look at what $110 million buys today. "early today" starts right now. so good being with you on this friday morning. i'm frances rivera. in hours the president will depart on his first overseas excursion. it is a whirlwind trip and complex itinerary that starts with a visit to saudi arabia, then israel, the vatican, nato, brussels and a g-7 summit in italy. but multiple crises at home will serve as mr. trump's baggage with an almost constant string of revelations coming each and every day. this morning is no different. "the daily beast" reporting the president had to persuade mike flynn to take the nsa job in the first place. the online news outlet claims mr. trump remains hopeful flynn will return to the white house. yahoo! is reporting that flynn received a message from the president telling him to ask the stay strong."

that as new questions swirl about how much vice president mike pence who ran the trump transition new about flynn's controversies. one source tells nbc news the veep knew nothing about the issues plaguing flynn. that same source saying amerged white house in which staffers failed to inform pence of necessary information. those developments as the new york times publishes new details concerning former fbi director james comey and the detailed memos he kept about his meetings with the president. those are currently being sought by congress. among the reporting this key passage, quote, president trump called the fbi director weeks after he took office and asked him when federal authorities were going to put out word that mr. trump was not personally under investigation. mr. comey told the president that if he wanted to know details about the bureau's investigations he should not contact him directly. comey, the article claims, felt the fbi's independence had been

jeopardized and purposely took steps to distance himself. it is clear the president wanted what he saw as a sham investigation to be put to an end blasting it on twirt twitter calling it the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in american history. it's a sentiment not lost on those who recall this from "the washington post" during nixon's watergate scandal. still the president's press conference failed to put issues to rest. hallie jackson has the details. >> reporter: new reaction to the special counsel taking over the russia investigation. >> i respect the move but the entire thing has been a witch hunt. there is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign but i can always speak for myself and the russians, zero. i think it divides the country. >> at his first press conference after a series of bombshell reports presidential pushback. >> did you at any time urge former fbi director, james comey in any way to close or back down the investigation into

michael flynn. also -- >> no. no. next question. >> on defense and on the record president trump denying james comey's version of what happened before he was fired, according to sources who saw a memo comey wrote about a meeting with the president. president trump again revisiting why he fired comey in the first place. the night it happened, he pointed to a recommendation from his deputy attorney general. later he told lester -- >> i was going to fire regardless of recommendation. >> now. >> director comey was very unpopular with most people. i actually thought when i made that decision and i also got a very, very strong recommendation as you know from the deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein. >> on capitol hill, rod rosenstein acknowledging his role. >> he knew that comey was going to be removed, prior to him writing his memo. >> for the president, his public venting about the so-called witch hunt undercutting the message from his own aides about the special counsel, nbc news has learned that chief of staff

reince reince in the oval office urged team trump to turn the page and focus on the agenda according to a senior administration source. still speculations swirling about a possible shakeup, the spotlight on embattled press secretary sean spicer. two top aides tell nbc news the president is considering having his deputy play a larger role in briefings. >> this morning politico is reporting on that communications shakeup saying that sean spicer will no longer be expected to do a daily oncamera briefing after trump's foreign trip. it would be a dramatically diminished role for spicer who had become a household name. due to his combative press conferences lampooned almost weekly by "snl." mr. trump could name his choice for fbi director as early as today. the front-runner, former connecticut senator joe lieberman, who was last seen meeting with the president on wednesday. lieberman a former democrat turned independent previously served as connecticut's attorney general before being elected to

the senate. when asked if lieberman is his top choice, the president responded, yes he is. >> to breaking news. police charged richard rojas, for plowing his car into a group of pedestrians killing a young woman at times square. the suspect faces one count of second-degree murder, 20 counts of attempted murder and five counts of vehicular homicide. rojas allegedly steered his car on to a sidewalk running through three blocks of times square then mowing down 23 pedestrians. the car eventually smashed into a row of steel security barriers and came to rest with its two right wheels in the air. rojas was arrested at the scene. two sources say rojas claims he was hearing voices. they are investigating whether it was a deliberate act and are conducting detailed drug tests. rojas tested negative for alcohol but he has a history of arrests for driving while intoxicated as well as other infractions. police identified his alleged

victim as 18-year-old alyss alyssa elseman of michigan. she was at times square with her 13-year-old sister who was among the injured and taken to a hospital. four of the hospitalized have serious injuries. iranians are lining up at the polls today as the country holds its 12th presidential election. incumbent president, hassan rouhani is seeking a second term. the moderate candidates was mobbed by photographers this morning. it's a minute opponent is ebrahim raisi. some iranian women fear any gains made could be rolled back. in a vote could signal inward looking iran, could find itself at odds with the united states. for the first time ever the united states launched an air strike directly against pro assad forces in syria. there was no word of casualties from the strike which hit northwest of the itself-led

coalition base near al nstanf, near the border of iraq and jordan. officials say the pro assad forces were advancing into deconflicted zone posing a direct threat to u.s. and allied rebel forces. the syrians made this advance despite russian warnings against it as well as warning shots from coalition aircraft. the united states fired tomahawk missiles at a syrian airfield in april, this is the first publicly known direct confrontation between u.s. forces and pro assad fighters. violent clashes that broke out in greece as thousands took to the streets to protest new austerity measures. crowds filled the square in front of greece's parliament in athens on thursday. a small group began throwing firebombs at police and tried beating them with wooden bats. officers used tear gas to disperse the crowd. the protests came as parliament voted for more pension cuts and tax hikes on citizens already reeling from a poor economy. the vote was part of a requirement for the country to continue receiving a bailout from its european creditors.

24 million people are at risk today as severe weather slams the center of the country. tornados ripped through oklahoma, leaving it in a state of emergency as stunning bolts of lightning rocketed from the ground lyinging up the sky over the state's capital. heavy rain and hail and some streets were flooded. the winds knocking down trees causing damage and in iowa, over 70 miles per hour winds knocked over that semitrailer killing the driver inside. in colorado a late spring storm dumped heavy snow in the mile high city shutting down highways and many schools ahead of their summer recess. time to turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins who is watching more severe weather threats. >> doesn't look like summer. >> it doesn't. how are we looking today? >> still dangerous. we saw some of those cool pictures. i will try to one up your lightning this was captured yesterday. it is upwards lightning. it comes off of tall structures. kind of rare.

sometimes they meet in the middle this came from the ground to the clouds. today, 24 million people are at risk of severe storms. the area of greatest concerns, wichita falls towards abilene if we get tornados, that's likely where they would be. st. louis through missouri, and additional snowfall, not much more. some areas like colorado springs pis picked u a foot of snpowvery co conditions. that looks like a gorgeous weekend coming up. the complete forecast coming up. ahead william and harry speak out about their mother princess diana. then why is toby keith holding a

men-only concert? and reaction from the president and bill o'reilly, and what caused the death of fox news' roger ailes. wake up skin. neutrogena® hydro boost hydrating tint. the first water gel foundation with hyaluronic acid it plumps, quenches... delivers a natural, flawless look. this is what makeup's been missing. neutrogena®

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skin smoothing venus razors. venus it's thursday night which means time to bleep and blur the moments of the week whether they need it or not. it is this week in unnecessary censorship. >> i'm thrilled to be back at liberty university. i have been here this is my third time and we love [ bleep ] right. they always [ bleep ]. we have [ bleep ]. we have no choice. >> the president have loose lips and [ bleep ]. what do you think is going on? >> the president needs to [ bleep ] off here and let the investigation go forward. >> that last one was obvious. just a sampling of this week's "unnecessary censorship." toby keith is slated to

perform in saudi arabia this weekend. here's the problem, keith will be performing for a men-only crowd. the concert, a free event which has no connection to the president, has been marketed as on a event limited to men over 21 years old. it's causing an uproar at home. saudi arabia bides by a strict islamic law that bans alcohol and prohibits men and women from congregating in public. toby keith's spokeswoman offered nocontroversy. england's princes william and harry are marking the 20th anniversary of their mother's tragic death by awarding 20 young people with the diana charity's legacy award. at the ceremony the princes opened up about their mom. >> summer marks 20 years since our mother died. she achieved so much in her life.

from helping to shelter the sick, to fighting to ban land mines and supporting the homeless she touched the lives of millions. >> one of the things our mother taught william and i was the value of doing good when no one is watching. she achieved a lot by shining a spotlight but she worked just as hard when the cameras were gone. >> meanwhile prince william's sister-in-law, pippa middleton, is set to tie the knot in a lavish wedding tomorrow. you may recall pippa stole the show at her sister kate's wedding in 2011 with a form-fitting gown. an american painting broke an auction record selling for $110 million. the untitled work is by jean michel basquiat it set an american record and sold for the sixth highest price for any painting in history in 1984 it sold for $19,000. the lucky winner of the auction is a chinese billionaire in japan. he plans to lend the piece to

public exhibitions before displaying it in his own museum in japan. still ahead, roger ailes helped three politicians reach the white house and changed the face of cable news. that's not all. you're watching "early today." why do people put why does your tummy go "grumbily, grumbily, grumbily"? no more questions for you! ouph, that milk in your cereal was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real milk without that annoying lactose. good, right? -mmm, yeah. lactaid. the milk that doesn't mess with you. it can seem like triggers pop up everywhere.

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this morning we're learning more about what caused the sudden death of fox news founder roger ailes. the coroner says he died from

complications related to a head injury he suffered after a fall at home in florida. his death at 77 comes less than a year after he was ousted from the empire he built following a sexual harassment scandal. former fox news host, bill o'reilly who recently parted ways with the network writing to say that roger ailes led a full life is a massive understatement. a force of nature with agenda, ra, was a man on a mission. nbc's anne thompson has more. >> reporter: the news traveled on the ticker outside headquarters. and from the studios within. >> roger ailes, one of the founders of the fox news channel, has died. >> reporter: a polarizing figure to the end roger ailes combined his passions, politics and television to build fox news. allegedly abusing his power for his own pleasure. >> women who worked for ailes told me over and over again in interviews that they felt pressured to succumb to

his sexual advances. >> reporter: ailes always denyid that he made the advances. he began on "the mike douglas show" goistarting as producer ul a meeting with richard nixon led him to a career in republican politics. ailes was steed have two speeds, attack and destroy. >> i predicted in 1968 that nobody would ever be elected to high office again without learning how to communicate effectively on television. >> his media savvy helped elect nixon, ronald reagan and george h.w. bush. >> politics is america's favorite indoor sport. >> he would make his mark creating fox news, a platform for conservative voices. what is ailes' legacy? >> i think it's transforming american poll sicks into a contact sport where there's no rules. >> his biographer calls it a world wrestling style of politics that led to the election of donald trump. a controversial republican king

maker undone by scandal. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. just ahead, late breaking news on the rape case against julian julianne assange. that's why you'll stay in this drawer forever. i can't live without you, and that's why i'll never ever wash you. protect your clothes from stretching, fading and fuzz with downy fabric conditioner. fading and fuzz with downy fabric conditioner. it smooths and strengthens fibers to protect clothes from the damage of the wash. so your favorite clothes stay your favorite clothes. downy fabric conditioner. heare you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® it's starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec® and muddle no more®. flea bites can mean misery for your cat.

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ecuadorian embassy in london since 2012 in an effort to avoid extradition. sweden says the case could be reopened if he returns to the country before the statute of limitations runs out in 2020. a dramatic show of force in mexico as one of the most active volcanos spew eed lava and ash. the volcano has been active since the 1990s. and robin wright is not getting paid the same as her co-producer. she threatened to go public if she wasn't paid the same as her male co-stars. >> she's important on that show. she's just as important. >> yeah. >> hopefully they'll maybe everybody happy. just ahead, bill will be back with more of your weekend forecast and a new warning about sunscreens you may not be getting what it says on the bottle. alcohol™. it delivers a whole mouth clean with a less intense taste. so it has the bad breath germ-killing power of this...

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welcome back. time for the weekend forecast. you can't do much better than what you're experiencing in all areas of the west. we get rid of the snow in colorado. saturday looks great. 74 in boise. sunny. fantastic. bottle that up. 87 in l.a. we're starting to sneak up the heat in the desert southwest. by sunday, we jump into the 100s around phoenix. getting warmer in southern california. can't complain. it's looking really nice. almost a 10 out of 10 weekend for everyone in the west. >> i'll take it what we had. a san antonio fire fighter who was killed overnight battling a massive warehouse fire that fwhoours flaburst int

after an explosion happened, according to one shop owner. more than 60 firefighters were brought to extinguish the blaze. at least three others were injured and transported to a local hospital. seattle-born chris cornell's native city honored the late rocker turning out the lights of its space needle for an hour. this comes after new details meernled about the soundgarden man's death. according to the medical examiner cornell killed himself by hanging. it happened after his final concert in detroit on wednesday night. cornell had admitted in interviews to struggling with drug use throughout his life. a new study is trying to avoid people getting burned, by saying some sunscreens fail to deliver the level of protection promised on the package. of the 58 lotions, sprays and sticks evaluated 20 tested at less than half the labeled spf number. five labeled 50 or higher had a level between 0 and 9.

you can find more information on our facebook page at nbcearlytoday. how about that, a proposal was the scenic place, kind of in a twisted way. a storm chaser proposed to his girlfriend, britney fox, in front of that tornado in texas. he said he had the ring since march but wanted to pop the question in front of a funnel. she did say yes. lots of screams, too. she said she forgot there was even a storm there. so, congrats to them. like all good and fun, hugs there. but there's a twister behind you. >> they must like each other. storm chasers go out for seven hours in a row next to someone. if they can endure that together, their marriage will be fine. >> it's the chase. >> the thrill of the chase. if they can storm through that, all will be good. >> thanks for "early today." we want to leave you with this video of this month-old white

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is on heading into the weekend. a live friday morning. the heat is on. heading into the weekend right now. live look at san jose. you'll notice it is very clear outside right now and comfortable to start out your day. today in the bay starts right now. probably our two favorite words put together, friday. >> good mood friday. thank you for joining us. i'm sam brock. >> and it's 4:30. i'm laura garcia-cannon. let's get to the forecast. going to get hot. >> you could fry some fries on the sidewalk today. it's going to get toasty inland. we have been talking about this all week long, so it's here. it's good that it cools down nicely at night. that's what we're feeling as you get ready to head out in san