breaking overnight. the russian military claims it may have killed the leader of isis. partisan politics put aside as baseball takes center stage following wednesday's horrific shooting as members of congress come together and honor wounded member steve scalise. developing overnight, the trump administration revokes an obama-era immigration program intended to protect parties. captured. >> calling all bats fans, honoring the late adam west. "early today" starts right now. good to be with you.

i'm frances rivera. the leader of isis may be dead as the russian defense ministry issued a statement saying they have information that abu bakr al baghdadi was killed in one of their air strikes. nbc's lucy kafanov is in london for us. lucy, what more do we know? >> reporter: good morning. the russians claim on may 28th, 30 high-level isis commanders and about 300 fighters gathered to plot their escape from raqqa, the group's de facto capitol in syria, also a city currently under assault by the u.s. and its allies. the russian defense ministry claims baghdadi was at this meeting, and dispatched a group of bombers and fighter jets to strike the gathering. in a statement the russian defense ministry said, quote, isis leader abu bakr al baghdadi also attended the meeting and was killed in this air strikes. the ministry adds that it had warned the u.s. of the strike in advance. there's been no confirmation from the americans. a spokesman for the u.s. dough ligs fighting isis could not

confirm whether baghdadi had been killed. there were numerous reports of his death including last weekend when syrian state television announced he was killed by an american strike. he was only seen publicly once, back in june 2014 in mosul when his fighters captured the city. this would be a significant blow to the group if the info proves to be true. it's not something we can confirm at this stage, frances. >> lucy kafanov, thank you. the pentagon is sending more troops to afghanistan, putting another 4,000 americans in harm's way. that would push the total number of u.s. service members there to around 12,000. this will be the largest deployment under president trump so far. an administration officials says these additional troops are being sent in in order to break the stalemate in this nearly 16-year-long warn. house majority whip steve

scalise remains in critical condition after being shot in the hip in a congressional baseball practice. yesterday he had multiple surgeries to address internal injuries and a broken bone in his leg. the hospital said he was improving but he would require further operations and will be in the hospital for some time. matt mika t tyson food lobbyist who was shot multiple times, remains hospitalized. his family says he's alert and communicating through notes. despite the shooting, the lawmakers proceeded with the bipartisan baseball game. nbc's blaine alexander is in d.c. what more can you tell us about the game? >> this game is a long-standing tradition in washington, dates back to 1909. for more than 100 years it's been bringing republicans and democrats together on the baseball field. so many people will say that unity was never more necessary than last night.

>> reporter: throwing out the first pitch, off sr david bailey, one of the two capitol police officers who returned fire. and a video message by president trump. >> by playing tonight, you're showing the world we will not be intimidated by threats. >> reporter: before the cheers, a moment of silence. the position that would have been played by congressman steve scalise and where he was standing thursday at practice when a bullet ripped through his hip. he remains in critical condition. >> america give in, when we get punched, we punch back. >> reporter: the colors at night, purple and gold, a nod to the congressman's alma mater, lsu. >> i think it's a distraction a lot of people on capitol hill need right now. >> reporter: the final score, 11-2, a win for democrats who then gave the trophy to republicans to go in congressman

scalise's office. last night's game raised more than a million dollars for charity. >> blayne, thank you. a new development into the alleged ties between the trump campaign and russians. "the washington post" reports that mueller is looking into the finances and business dealings of president trump's son-in-law, jared kushner. the fbi also has reportedly been examining the finances of former trump campaign chairman paul manafort, also carter page listed as a foreign policy adviser for the campaign. nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker has more on the investigation. >> reporter: a major bombshell in the russia probe. special counsel robert mueller is launching a criminal investigation into president trump for possible obstruction of justice according to a former senior intelligence official. the president ignoring shouted questions. >> do you believe you are under investigation now? >> reporter: but not holding back on twitter, calling it the single greatest witch hunt in american political history. in a rare afternoon tweet storm

trying to shift the focus to his formal rival, hillary clinton. hooked h, destroyed phones with hammer, bleached e-mails and had husband meet with ag days before she was cleared, and they talk about obstruction. but the fbi cleared clinton of any wrongdoing. last week ousted fbi director james comey was asked whether he believed the president's request to back off the investigation into national security adviser michael flynn amounted to obstruction. >> that's a conclusion i'm special the special counsel will work towards to try to understand what the intention was there and whether that's an offense. >> reporter: the former intelligence source tells nbc news mueller has requested interviews with top intelligence officials including director of national intelligence daniel coats who appeared on capitol hill in a closed session. >> there's really a smoking gun. so a prosecutor tries to string together a pattern of conduct, to paint a picture of someone who is trying to stop an investigation. >> trump surrogate newt gingrich tweeting, should be clear,

mueller is the anti-trump special counsel, but other republicans defending the probe. >> it's not a witch hunt, no. i think he's got a job to do. >> reporter: the criminal inquiry coming 146 days into mr. trump's presidency, starting earlier than any other modern day president, including richard nixon and bill clinton. >> nbc's kristen welker reporting. vice president mike pence has retained an outside counsel to represent him. while responding to special counsel mueller's inquiries, his private attorney is richard cullen whose experience includes working for lawmakers during both the watergate and iran contra scandals. today is day five of jury deliberations in the bill cosby sexual assault trial. on thursday jurors told the judge they were deadlocked and couldn't agree on a unanimous verdict. cosby's legal team made a motion for mistrial which the judge denied. andrea constand accuses cosby of drugging and assaulting her in his pennsylvania home in 2004.

he has repeatedly denied the allegations and says what happened that night was consensu consensual. a gut-wrenching update on the condition of the american student released this week after being held by north korea for 16 months. on thursday we learned otto warmbier has severe brain damage and is in a state of unresponsive wakefulness. now his father is speaking out. here is nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: 22-year-old otto warmbier lying in a cincinnati hospital as his father spoke to reporters in the same jacket otto wore when he begged for his life. >> otto, i love you, i'm so crazy about you, i'm so glad you're home. >> reporter: doctors treating warmbier says he has extensive loss of brain function from his heart stopping depriving oxygen. >> his condition can be best described as a state of unresponsive wakefulness. he has spontaneous eye opening and blinking.

>> reporter: doctors don't know what caused his heart to stop saying it appears to have happened over a year ago. there are no signs of broken bones. the family has asked not to discuss his prognosis. >> he has not spoken. he has not engaged in any purposeful movements or behaviors. >> reporter: north korea claims he suffered botulism and then slipped into an unconscious state after taking a sleeping pill. >> even if you believe their explanation of botulism and a sleeping pill causing the coma, we don't, there's no excuse for any civilized nation to have kept his condition secret. >> reporter: the u.s. sent a team to north korea to negotiate the release of otto and three other americans still held there. last night president trump called fred warmbier who suggested a change at the white house helped free his son. >> the question is do i think the past administration could have done more, i think the results speak for themselves. >> reporter: what was supposed to be a venture with other

students seen here in north korea has ended in a tragic mystery. ron mott, nbc news. a historic heat wave as we head into father's day. nbc meteorologist bill karins has the forecast. >> dangerous, frances. this is a heat wave that will probably go down as one of the warmest we've seen in the desert southwest. some 30 million people either under heat advisories or warnings. the ridge intensifies towards the end of this weekend. peaks monday or tuesday of next week. for today, we're still building up the heat. san diego 91. phoenix at 108, vegas 107. those are typical warm periods for the summer. as we go into saturday, fresno 101, redding 108, yuma 110. factor's day, record highs 102 sacramento, we're expected to smash that, 108. as mentioned, we're going to continue with this right into monday and tuesday. phoenix 119 on monday and the

forecast for tuesday looks to be close to that 122 all-time record in the valley of the sta to get scorching, not too cool either. look at san angelo today, 105. >> who doesn't like a good stunt as we head into the weekend. the wallenda family at it again. erendira wallenda was tangling from her teeth, 300 feet above the rushing water. she broke the record set by her husband when he was suspended 250 feet in the air. she says take that. this was the fifth anniversary of her husband's tightrope walk across the falls. >> i could barely get a bag of chips open sometimes with my teeth. never mind that. that is impressive.

thank you. just ahead, a tribute to adam west. plus president trump made a move that every immigrant will want to hear about. you're watching "early today." if you've got a life, you gotta swiffer watching this breath savers protect mint neutralize the plaque acids in my mouth. i can't see anything!

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last night los angeles was transformed into gotham city, at least for a few minutes. the city paid tribute to adam west by showing the bat signal. west died last friday at the age of 88. the first victim named in london's deadly high-rise apartment fire. families confirm mohammed alhaj ali was a refugee studying civil engineering. his brother says they became separated trying to escape the burning tower.

>> he said why you left me. i didn't leave you. they took him outside with me. they didn't. they left him. >> this morning queen elizabeth and prince william visited a centerer in the blaze. they spoke with survivors and relief volunteers. at least 17 people killed in the fire with the number expected to rise. the trump administration just revoked an obama-era program for immigrant parents. homeland security secretary john kelly formally canceled the deferred action for president's campaign or dapa. it was meant to protect the parents of parents providing a work permit for two years. president obama released dapa in 2040 but it never fully got off the ground. 22 states sued over the program and it was blocked by a federal judge. scary moments at the u.s.

open golf tournament when a blimp crashed right into an open feel. the commercial blimp exploded after it hit the ground sending smoke into the air. the pilot was able to escape before it crash landed. officials say he suffered serious injuries and burns. cell phone footage captured the moments before the crash. no one on the ground was hurt and the faa and national transportation safety board are investigating. busy day ahead for the president who is about to enact a major reversal of america's cuba policy. plus, if barbecuing isn't your thing, lots of choices at the movies on this father's day weekend. you're watching "early today." whimper yap yap yap yip is your dog trying to tell you something? allergic itch in dogs is a medical condition that's more common and treatable than you think. that's why there's prescription apoquel: the revolutionary medicine that's giving millions of dogs the relief they deserve. apoquel goes to the source of the itch to provide relief in as little as 4 hours. woof and apoquel is safe

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fast forward to friday president trump will be in miami to announce a revised cuba policy. the president wants to stop the flow of u.s. cash to the country's military and security services while maintaining diplomatic relations and allowing u.s. airlines and cruise ships to continue service to the island. meanwhile we're learning cuba will hold municipal elections on october 22nd. it's seen as the first step in the process of raul castro stepping down as president. the 86-year-old says he will not seek a third team. at the box office this weekend "cars 3" is expected to knock "wonder woman" from the number one spot. debuting, "all eyez on me". scarlet johansson and kate mckinnon star in a comedy "rough

night." and it's divers versus sharks in the under water thriller "47 meters down". just ahead, bizarre gifts that dennis rodman gave to north korea's leader kim jong-un. and the surprising number of adults in america who really think that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. they really think that. that's next. that wasn't fair to any of us. i was covered. i tried lots of things over the years. but i didn't give up. i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. that still works. now? see me. see me. i found clear skin that lasts. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you- cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms.

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unnecessary censorship." >> this morning a close friend of president trump says he is considering [ bleep ] robert mueller. >> are you familiar with what spies call trade craft. >> [ bleep ] you, senator. >> ooh. >> they always came out. >> the president, i know because he and i have [ bleep ]. >> when is the last time you [ bleep ]? >> last night. wait a minute. last night? >> one comment word they were pretending to bleep out. >> i like to get a group of people together and know which words. this week we've been covering dennis rodman and his trip to north korea. he arrived bearing gifts. yesterday rodman showed what he was giving to the country's authoritarian leader, signed basketball jersey. bath soaps and two "where's

waldo" books. >> is that like a special request? >> i don't know. what happens the most bizarre besides the mermaid puzzle -- i think he should give one of those mermaid fish tail blankets. >> the other thing was president trump's book "art of the deal." i think that has symbolic meeting. no word on which was his favorite. >> no language barrier, you've got to find the hat. >> check out a startling number of americans, as frances teased earlier who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows. believe it or not, 7% of respondents say chocolate milk comes from brown cows. my next question, where does strawberry milk come from. >> if you really believe that, i want to meet you. this is "early today." there's some great golf here in. whether you golf or not, geico could help score you some great savings on car insurance.

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let's get into the weekend and father's day forecast. obviously the story is the heat. not much in the way of wet weather although we did get soaked in the pacific northwest. seattle with over an inch in june. very strange. heat starting to build on saturday in the desert southwest. if you're right by the oceans, you'll miss a lot of this. it's interior sections that will get hot on father's day. 114 in phoenix. interior california will be 100 to 110. head to the beaches in california. almost 25,000 people bought tickets to the bipartisan congressional baseball game last night raising $1.5 million for charity. while 80 of these games have been played since 1909, this surely was an emotional one. here is a kbit of the

overwhelming patriotism on display last night. >> in washington we have our disagreements, but we all agree we are here to serve this nation we love, and the people who call it home. ♪ god bless america land that i love ♪ ♪ stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above ♪ ♪ from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam ♪ ♪ god bless america, my home sweet home ♪ ♪ god bless america, my home

sweet home ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> ladies, let's play ball. >> a nice gesture, too. you had the democrats who ended up winning there, but they gave the trophy to the republicans so they could give that to steve scalise to put in his office when he gets better. >> what a thing to bring your kids, too. the scary stuff in the news, but to bring them to that to show unity and everything else. >> great way to kick off father's day weekend. with that in mind, we thank you for being with us on this friday. we want to share the images of the dads who have helped shape the lives both in front of the camera and behind the scenes here on "early today." we want to wish all the father figures out there a happy and safe father's day. have a great friday and an even better weekend. we'll see you back here on monday morning. friday morning...and the feel

around the bay area is about to change. the heais friday morning and the feel around the bay is about to change and not just because of the weekend coming in, it's the heat. a live look at san francisco right now, one of the few places where you won't be swept up in that heat wave. thanks for joining us. i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock and that's a good thing for san franciscans. most people do not have air conditioning so at least that's one of the places protected. >> right. you'll have your natural air conditioning and maybe even starting out with fog this morning. we are seeing some fog along the coastline and that will keep you nice and comfortable over the next several days, but no help whatsoever for the inland valleys. we start out this morning with some mild temperatures. look at fairfield, it's already