president trump in rome this morning for an audience with one of his most high-profile critics, pope francis. details on the man suspected carrying out the bombing in manchester and alleged ties to al qae. president trump retains a private attorney in the russia investigation while subpoenas are issued for companies owned by mike flynn. a mudslide buries a stretch of california's drives. and remembering roger moore, a look back at the life of a beloved james bond. "early today" starts right now. good morning. good morning. good to be with you. i'm frances rivera.

president trump is on the fifth day of his first foreign trip and this morning he met with pope francis for the first time in person. the two leaders went behind closed doors at the vatican for a private conversation. nbc's claudio he vong go is at the vatican this morning. >> reporter: it's not often you see president trump humbled by another world leader. that's exactly what happened in the vatican. now the pope and president trump have a bit of a history. when trump was a candidate, the pope said those who build walls instead of bridges are not christians. candidate trump back then, replied that the pope could not question his faith. this morning they seem to have bridged their differences, and they were all smiles when they met, and the pope even let out a bit of a joke that could have caused a diplomatic row there, but they took it nicely when they asked melania what do you

eat him, a slof vinnian dessert. in all seriousness, they met about half an hour in private behind closed doors. the vatican is telling us they spoke about several issues including health care, immigration and the persecution of christians, especially, of course, in the middle east. no mention, surprisingly, about climate change. they have diverse views there. the pope strongly backs widespread scientific opinion that climate change is caused mainly by human activity, while trump has called it in the past an expensive hoax. he hasn't decided whether the rectify the paris agreement on climate. you can see a veiled message in a gift given by the pope to the president. the gift the encyclical, a book written by the pope that talks specifically about the protection of the environment. back to you, frances. >> claudio, thank you.

this morning britain is under the highest possible terror threat level meaning another attack could be imminent. this after suicide bomber killed 22 people outside an ariana grande concert. he's identified as 22-year-old salman abedi born in manchester of libyan descent. isis claimed responsibility for the attack but a connection has not been confirmed. the investigation into whether abedi acted alone is on going. as of this morning, at least four men have been arrested. for more we turn to nbc's bill neely in manchester. bill, how is the british government responding to this attack. >> reporter: good morning, frances. as manchester continues to mourn after this massacre without mercy, the british government has taken action. it has raised the threat level in this country to its highest level, to critical which actually means an attack is imminent.

it will mean that thousands of troops will be on the streets of britain guarding key installations and key buildings, freeing up the police to continue their job of protecting the public. meanwhile, a fuller picture is emerging of the bomber, salman abedi. it's become clear that not only was he on the radar of intelligence services here, but he was known to the french, the interior minister there, saying he had proven links to isis. the british home secretary saying it seems likely that he was not acting alone. let's be clear, frances, this is a manhunt. it's not clear that he was, in fact, the bomb maker. he was certainly the bomber, but if he wasn't the bomb maker, then that person is still out there, and according to the threat level presenting an imminent threat. meanwhile, three more arrests here in manchester this morning. salman abedi's brother is also in custody and being questioned by police. the death toll still stands at

22, but you know this goes way beyond those 22 grieving families, beyond the 21,000 people at that arena, beyond even the city of manchester. i think we can all put ourselves in the shoes of those parents who were waiting for their children after this event, but some are still waiting by the phone for news on their missing children, a really heartbreaking picture here in manchester. but the key thing, the british government believing an attack here may be imminent. frances. >> even more gut-wrenching for the people there. thank you bill neely for that report. the tributes being paid around the world to honor the victims of the tragedy. in rome, the coliseum went dark as did the eiffel tower in paris and the empire state building in new york city. attendees at the cans fines fil festival. at yankee stadium, players and fans paused for a moment of

silence. the yankees also played britain's national anthem, "god save the queen." new developments this morning in the russia investigation. president trump expected to retain marc kasowitz as a private attorney on matters related to the probe according to sources familiar with the decision. kasowitz has represented donald trump in past cases including his divorce records, real estate transactions and allegations of fraud at trump university. this comes as some of the nation's top, current and former intelligence officials testify on capitol hill about the on going investigation. nbc's peter alexander has more. >> reporter: with multiple investigations ramping up former cia director john brennan testifying. >> i felt as though the fbi investigation was certainly well founded. >> reporter: for the first time publicly acknowledging his concerns that trump campaign associates wittingly or unwittingly were cooperating with russian operatives.

>> i encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between russian officials and u.s. persons involved in the trump campaign. >> reporter: still brennan who left the cia in january says he never saw proof of collusion. the white house pouncing in a statement arguing despite a year of investigation there is still no evidence of any collusion. brennan also detailing how he personally warned the head of russia's intelligence agency how its brazen interference would backfire. i said american voters would be outraged by any russian attempt to i want fear in the election. >> reporter: the director of national intelligence refuse to confirm or deny whether president trump pressured him and the head of the national security agency to publicly push back on suggestions president trump's campaign concluded with

russia. >> i don't feel it's appropriate to character ides discussions and conversations with the 79. >> reporter: also the committee skrog in on michael flynn. ruling out immunity and threatening to hold him in contempt of congress if he refuses to turn over subpoenaed documents. >> i said that everything is on the table. that's not our preference today. we would like to hear from general flynn. we'd like to see his documents. >> thanks to peter alexander for that report. in new jersey new york liberty airport is up and running again after an airplane fire forced a temporary shutdown. passengers were evacuated from san francisco-bound united flight when flames were seen coming from one of the engines. officials say the crew deployed emergency slides and everyone got out. five people suffered minor injuries. the fire shut down the entire airport for about two hours. passengers were told to expect delays for the remainder of the night. the faa is investigating the incident. a severe weather watch continues as storms slam parts of texas. you can see here fast moving

mass that brought raging winds and hail to austin. now more severe weather is expected in the southeast. nbc meteorologist bill karins is tracking it all. good morning. >> good morning to you, frances. 11 tornadoes reported yesterday, some in north carolina and georgia, did some damage. a new tornado watch issued for north florida. a lot of gulf moisture coming in here. as the storm system kicks through in the middle of the day, peak heating, 38 million people under severe weather risk from the miami area back up through the carolinas. a big section of the southern half of the country. also a chance of flooding. numerous storms over the past couple days. the wet weather in florida is welcome because we still have those fires burning in north florida and southern georgia. otherwise looking pretty calm everywhere the wesrntehen you g

yuma, phoenix, all the way to vegas, feels like the middle of summer. >> this is the big story yesterday in the west, massive mudslide buried a stretch of california's iconic route 1. these are the aerial photos giving you a closer look, the slide covering about a quarter mile of the roadway near big sur. it's still unstable. the highway has already been closed for repairs from an earlier landslide this winter. that's the famous road above the ocean that you see in hundreds of car commercials. no one driving that section any time soon. >> the pacific coast highway, really iconic. such a shame. >> on my bucket list. they've got to fix that. just ahead, the shocking death of an nfl hall of famer at just 48 years of age. plus, remembering one of the most beloved james bonds of all time. much more ahead on this busy news day on "early today." ecome

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new this morning a grim discovery in the highest peak, the associated press reports sherpa rescuers found the bodies of four climbers inside a tent at mount everest's highest camp. it raises this season's death toll to 10. leading the news the jury is nearly full for bill cosby's trial but his lawyers accuse prosecutors of keeping black jurors off the panel. of the 11 chosen, all but one are white. defense lawyers made the accusation after prosecutors used a challenge to remove a black woman. they say a diverse jury is quote paramount importance in the trial of a black man. prosecutors say they removed the woman over a previous scandal as a police officer. cosby is standing trial on charges he drugged and molested a woman in 2004. he has repeatedly denied all accusations. reaction pouring in about

the death of a beloved bond, james bond, sir roger moore known for playing the spy 007. he passed away after a short battle with cancer. nbc's anne thompson takes a look at his life and legacy. ♪ >> reporter: the word suave was his bond. >> my name is bond, james bond. >> reporter: in seven films roger moore made james bond deb nair. a portrayal he acknowledged was marked by humor more than acting skill. >> would you like me to drive? >> his version of the british spy with the license to kill always compared to the original bond. >> martini, shaken, not stirred. >> sean connery. >> sean physically is a much tougher individual than i am. i cannot say i'm going to kill you and mean it. >> the persona first on the small screen as the saint, a

gentleman thief. bond would not be much after stretch. so good looking one critic said of moore he was often prettier than his leading ladies. and while critics didn't love him, the fans did. moore is the actor who played the secret agent the longest. off screen he worked for years as unicef good will ambassador advocating for children around the world. for his work moore was knighted in 2003. born a london policeman's son now forever a master spy. anne thompson, nbc news. sir roger moore dead at the age of 89. football hall of famer cortez kennedy has died. the cause of death hasn't been announced. but orlando police say they found nothing suspicious. the star defensive lineman was an eight-time pro bowler, five-time all pro and among the most dominant members of the seattle seahawks during his 11 yoors on the team from 1990 to

2000. he played in every game during the first seven years of his career. cortez kennedy was 48 years old. just ahead, the trump budget revealed, but what does it mean for your bottom line? we'll bring that to you next. per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper

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new reports from the associated press show the average pay raise for american ceos was 8.5%, bringing median salaries to over $11 million.

over the last five years, pay growth jumped by 20%, nearly double that of a typical weekly paycheck for full-time workers. for your bottom line? this morning the trump administration's first budget proposal is getting pushback from both sides with some republicans calling it dead on arrival. the plan would slash federal spending $3.6 trillion over 10 years, with deep cuts to medicaid and assistance programs. nbc's kasey hunt has details. >> reporter: on his campaign's first day -- >> save medicare, medicaid and social security without cuts. have to do it. >> reporter: -- president trump promised to protect the safety net. his first budget released wouldn't do that, instead making deep cuts over the next decade, $72 billion from social security disability insurance and at least $610 billion from medicaid. the cuts could devastate americans like adrian gunter who has multiple sclerosis. >> my medicaid coverage takes the burden away from endless

medical bills. >> reporter: the administration's defense. >> we're not going to measure compassion by the amount of money we spend or the number of people we help. >> reporter: president trump's $4.12 trillion plan would make good on a series of other promises, infrastructure, paid parental lead, defense and border security including $1.6 billion down payment for the border wall. he says he could do all that, cut taxes and balance the budget in ten years. that assumes the economy will grow even faster than the booming 1990s. the plan landed congress with a thud. some in the gop echoing the number two senate republican leader, john cornyn who worried it could be dead on arrival. >> is it dead on arrival. >> yes. >> i don't think i've ever served in congress where someone didn't say that. >> the president's budget will set the contours for republicans to consider. at the end of the day it's the republicans in congress that will write the heart and guts of

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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 in today's quick hits, just one alcoholic drink per day increases a woman's risk for breast cancer. a new report finds consuming ten grams or one beer, small glass

of wine or week cocktail raises risks by 5% to 9%. a pouch containing sprinkles of moon dufst is up for auction. after neil armstrong returned, the pouch was brought to the lab. it was lost and has turned up. the south by's action expects the item to fetch as much as $4 million. tom cruise is going back to the danger zone. the actor confirmed "top gun 2" is happening. cruise says filming could start as early as next year. >> i can give you the script. maverick will return as trainers. >> it's about the volleyball scene, aviators. >> they need a new group. no way tom is not going to be the star. >> we'll argue in the commercial. for now this is ert effort. we can't stay here!

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we have turned down the heat a little bit. after record highs yesterday in sacramento. temperatures about 40 degrees cooler this morning. san francisco is at 68. 63 for high today in seattle. still pretty nice weather. once you get out of the heat zone here in the desert southwest, southern portions of arizona and california. as far as the weather pattern, all the cool air will remain in areas of the east. widespread warmth will continue as we go throughout today. the temperature is not bad, salt lake city at 86. the desert areas is where it's really hot. the cool breeze from canada will make for enjoyable weather into the holiday weekend for salt lake city, billings. even sacramento looks fantastic. 81 on saturday and sunday. turning back to the tragedy

in manchester, this morning we're learning more about the victims. many were young men and women, the youngest just 8 years old. nbc's lester holt has more. >> reporter: what started as a fun night for thousands of young people excited to see their pop idol in concert turned into a nightmare for so many innocent families. when it was over, 22 dead. among them 8-year-old saf fi rose roussos. she was at the show with her mother and sister. her school teacher said saffie wu a warm and kind girl with a creative flare. also killed, 18-year-old georgina callander. she was studying health and hoped to dedicate her life to caring for people. and 26-year-old john atkinson, also among the dead. friends say he was a beautiful soul. others got lost in the mayhem

sparking this hashtag, missing in manchester. zach hannah was at the show and described the pandemonium. >> everyone was screaming and there was blood. that's when you heard the words like bomb explosion. that's when everybody started panicking and it became real. >> reporter: manchester in mourning. families flocking to this memorial trying to make sense of the tragedy. >> your teacher was there? a little girl who stopped in the square wanted to tell me about her teacher who escaped the explosion and she summoned the words that capture the mood of this wounded city. >> i just feel sad for all the people who did die and who are sick or ill or have got hurt. >> we're all very sad. >> something we all echo. i'm frances rivera, thank you for being with us on "early today." follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram. have a great morning. we hope you join us again on

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and do your thing. of south san francisco...wher e we )re following an breaking news this morning out of south san francisco where we're following an officer-involved shooting. here's a look at the scene so far, live. obviously, a very active police presence. good morning to you. thanks for joining us on this wednesday morning. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. we'll get to that story momentarily. first, the weather story for your wednesday. kari hall joining us. >> our temperatures will be cooler, especially inland, as we start out with mild weather this morning and a few more clouds rolling across the bay area. we are cloudy in the south bay. it's 58 degrees in the tri-valley. a mild start. mostly clear there. peninsula, 57, and east bay up to 56 degrees today. then as you head to the north bay, you see more clouds and a