stunning rebuke. the acting of the drug enforcement agencies tells thousands of agents to disregard messages from the president. fake news controversy. a new lawsuit claims a false fox news story. zs forced to close early. bill karins with the details. "early today" starts right now. i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. breaking news, early out of afghanistan, a suicide bomb attack on a nato convoy near the city of kandahar has happened. casualties but no word yet of

how many. so far no claim of responsibility. keep it here on nbc news. and on nbc news.com for any developments on this. a developing story overnight has universities on edge after "new york times" and other outlets reported president trump is expected his department of justice to take on affirmative action in college admissions. the paper of record will redirect resources from doj civil rights department to investigate and ultimately sue universities. it's a dramatic and unforeseen move and to get a sense of it all, we're joined now by nbc's tracie potts. >> reporter: the trump administration wants to go after discrimination against white students applying to colleges and universities. "the new york times" got an internal memo saying they want lawyers for a new project,

targeting schools that admiss n admissions policies are deemed discriminatory against white applicants because they use race as a factor. now the justice department wants to not only investigate but in some cases sue these colleges and universities. the supreme court weighed in on this. allowing schools to use race as factor to promote diversity. in this case, though, we're starting to get some reaction. some find this deeply disturbing and also worth noting the particular unit that would handle this is for trump political appointees not the silver servants who are nonpolitical who usually handle these education cases inside the justice department. phillip. >> all right, tracie potts for us.

the dea condoning police violence. take a listen to it. >> when you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you see them thrown in rough. i said please don't be too nice. like when you guys put somebody in the car and you're protecting their head, you know, when you put your hand -- like don't hit their head and they just killed somebody. don't hit their head. i said you can take the hand away, okay. officials across the country became increasingly concerned following years of police shootings and protests making news coast to coast. officials claiming mr. trump was encouraging police brutality. press secretary sarah huckabee sanders claiming the president was just kidding. >> i think you guys are jumpingn and trying to make something out of nothing. he was simply making a comment, making a joke. it was nothing more than that.

>> well now the acting head of the dea not only concedes the president's remarks condone police misconduct but he's warning his over 10,000 officers not to heed the president's words. writing in a memo, agents must always acts honorably by maintaining the highest standards in the treatment of criminal suspects. the international community is showing its support while venezuela continues its violent dissent into political chaos. the ambassadors of spain, mexico, france and the united kingdom met with the opposition controlled legislature and in a speech broadcast on venezuelan independent tv, u.s. senator marco rubio warned the country's president saying nicolas maduro the current path you're on will not end well for you. nbc's kerry sanders has more on the crisis. >> reporter: good morning. venezuela has a population of more than 31 million residents. because of its oil reserves food, medicine and other staples should be in plentiful supply,

but there's a shortage for all of that except for opinions on who and what to blame. this morning, venezuela is a country in crisis. state security swarmed the former mayor of caracas' home. shouts of dictator by his wife as the outspoken critic of venezuela president nicolas maduro was dragged away. also grabbed under the cover of darkness, lopez who was released from jail almost a month ago. the venezuelan supreme court said both men violated their house arrests by criticizing the government on social media. lopez recorded this video telling his wife make it public if re-arrested. he says i'm in prison for my ideas, i'm imprisoned because i want a better venezuela. >> with the re-arrest of opposition leaders last night is very alarming. >> reporter: sunday's controversial vote in venezuela seen as a move towards the consolidation of power in just one man, president maduro.

the u.s. already targeting maduro with financial sanctions, now threatening to limit some oil import from the cash-strapped country. president maduro, like his predecessor hugo chavez, blaming problems like poverty and crime in part on u.s. aggression. this morning venezuela, with the world's largest oil reserve, is a country in economic and political chaos. philip? >> all right, thank you. president trump may have revealed why he spends so much time away from washington. golf cot come reports that he told members of his new jersey golf club that the white house is a quote a real dump. the golf article was later updated that a white house spokesperson denied that the president said that. in the meantime, a former white house resident chelsea clinton tweeted this, thank you to all the white house, ushers, butler, maids, chefs, florists for all

you do every day. we're seeing some extreme temperatures especially if northwest where they had animals in the oregon zoo doing wafr they could to stay close. the zoo will close early today where temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees. >> let's check in with bill karins. >> it's dangerous. check on the elderly and people with medical conditions. california to nevada, a prolonged heat warning. northern california all the way up to areas of eastern washington and oregon state. the pacific northwest, potential for all-time record highs. today, we'll be watching a few spots. tomorrow, the peak in salem, oregon. 108, the hottest temp ever recorded. today, 110 degrees. that's phoenix-type temperatures.

thursday, is when we hit our highest in portland. that'se from boise to central p of washington easily above 100. here's your video of the day. shark researchers got a wild look at this great white. here it comes. the shark swam up to the gopro in the water. the 12-footer was taking a nibble to see if the camera was food. sharks typically leave cameras alone and the gopro survived. >> that's what frances does. just a little nibble to test you out. then you wait and see.

>> scaring the new guy. still ahead -- the new lawsuit involving fox news, the death of the dnc staffer and the president. incredible details coming up. can we do this tomorrow? (grunts of effort) can we do this tomorrow? if you have heart failure symptoms, your risk of hospitalization could increase, making tomorrow uncertain. but entresto is a medicine that was proven, in the largest heart failure study ever, to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪

when can we do this again, grandpa? well, how about tomorrow? ask your doctor about entresto and help make tomorrow possible. the bathroom. when things go wrong here, you remember. quilted northern is designed to work so well, you can forget your bathroom trips. but little miss puffytail can never forget. "the only thing worse than having such large ears, is having such large eyes." so find a venus smooth that contours to curves, the smoother the skin, the more comfortable you are in it. flexes for comfort, and has a disposable made for you. skin smoothing venus razors.

dash cam video captured that horrific moment last month when a driver slammed into a police officer in ft. worth, texas knocking him off his feet and throwing him on the road. >> the next thing i knew was i was flying through the air. it was like i was spinning in a washing machine. >> the driver was arrested and charged. fox news is facing new controversy today, being dubbed as the fake news channel by one major newspaper, after a lawsuit was filed

against the cable giants for pushing a false story centered on the death of a dnc staffer in an attempt to distract attention from the russian investigation. new layers on this story are being slowly uncovered and ron allen has more with just how this suit goes all the way to the white house. >> the lawsuit makes some dramatic allegations and some of those allegations could go all the way to the house. the man filing the lawsuit is named rod wheeler, fox news contributor, former washington d.c. detective who is now a private investigator. he was looking into the murder of a young man named seth rich. 27-year-old staffer at the democratic national committee. he was shot and killed in july of 2016 during the height of the campaign and a couple of weeks before those damaging e-mails about hillary clinton hacked from the dnc began pouring out into the public. wheeler's lawsuit claims that a fox news reporter made up quotes from him for a story that essentially said that seth rich, not russia, was responsible for releasing those controversial dnc e-mails and that somehow his murder was connected to all that.

according to the suit, it was a fake news story conjured up to quote, help put to bed speculation that president trump colluded with russia in an attempt to fix the outcome of the election. here's where the white house and president trump allegedly get involved. wheeler the investigator was being paid by a trump supporter and fellow fox news contributor named ed bufowsky. to investigate the seth rich murder. he said he wanted to help the young man's parents solve the case. wheeler's lawsuit claims the president knew about the article and butowski urged wheeler to go on air and talk about the murdered staffer was behind the leaks and not the russians. quote, not to add any more pressure but the president just read the article, he wants the article out immediately. it's now all up to you but don't feel the pressure. >> another fox news alert a huge bombshell in the murder of this dnc staffer. >> an investigator now says seth rich was in contact with

wikileaks before he was murdered. >> butowski has not returned a call for comment. but denied sharing the fox news article with the white house. here's firsthand reaction from rod wheeler, the man suing fox news. >> first of all, i'm thinking why would the president have to review a story pertaining to a death of a guy in d.c. why would the president even be involved in this? but at that point, ari, it was obvious to me that they actually lured me into this investigation. they meaning this fox news reporter to substantiate this russian narrative thing or to debunk that when, in fact, they told me i was really getting involved just to solve a murder. >> fox news retracted the story a week after it ran. a statement from fox news president says in part the accusation that fox news published the story to help detract from coverage of the russian collusion issue is erroneous.

now, the white house claims the president was not involved. >> the president had no knowledge of this story and it's completely untrue that white house had involvement in this story and beyond that, this is ongoing litigation and i would refer you to the actual parties involved, which aren't the white house. >> pretty complicated but bottom line wheeler's lawsuit goes forward and so does russia's investigation into the interference in the election. and the family of the murdered dnc staffer seth rich saying they hope the lawsuit ends the conspiracy theories about their son's death. d.c. police say he was the victim of a botched armed robbery. >> many dimensions. ron allen, thank you. just ahead -- why obamacare may take another hit. the dow at another record. what's driving investors. that's next. like this will happen. so let the geico insurance agency help you with homeowners insurance and protect yourself from things like fire,

theft, or in this case, water damage. cannonball! now if i had to guess, i'd say somewhere upstairs there's a broken pipe. let the geico insurance agency help you with homeowners insurance. call today to see how much you could save. ♪ ♪ the best way to get together is with a treat you make together. ♪ ♪ so find a venus smooth that contours to curves, the smoother the skin, the more comfortable you are in it. flexes for comfort, and has a disposable made for you.

skin smoothing venus razors. hitting the mid-morning wall? with up to 24 grams of hearty protein jimmy dean bowls help you avoid it. shine on. the energy conscious whopeople among usle? say small actions can add up to something... humongous. a little thing here. a little thing there.

starts to feel like a badge maybe millions can wear. who are all these caretakers, advocates too? turns out, it's californians it's me and it's you. don't stop now, it's easy to add to the routine. join energy upgrade california and do your thing. the stock market just hit a new record with the dow jones industrial average reaching at an all-time high. president trump has been quick to tap the markets' performance via twitter. the dow has increased 7.8%. however, analysts say the market has less to do with the president and more effective from healthy performances from american companies. >> what's moving the markets

today, good morning landin. >> good morning wednesday morning. wall street is poise to rise at the opening bell this morning. stocks gained yesterday on the backs of more positive earnings report. the dow will try to top 22,000. investors will get a key report today on jobs in the private sector as well. meanwhile, watch shares of apple they could trade at a record high today after the company reported better than expected sales on iphones. there has been speculation production issues would delay the b launch of the next iphone until last this year, next year. increases of at least 30% for obamacare premiums in 2018. the wall street journal cites rate requests. they're looking for more limited

premium increases for the products in individual states. the data reflects uncertainty as states try to make decisions for next year. back over to you. >> thank you for that look. still ahead -- gene simmons' unexpected doppelganger that you have to see. triple absorption... it supports your heart, joints, brain, and eyes. and is absorbed by your body three times better. so one megared has more omega-3 power than three standard fish oil pills. new megared advanced triple absorption.

the ultra-fine mist startstoms working instantly to deliver up to 12 hours of ahhhhh get fast relief with vicks sinex. listerine® total care strengthens teeth, after brushing, helps prevent cavities and restores tooth enamel. it's an easy way to give listerine® total care to the total family. listerine® total care. one bottle, six benefits. power to your mouth™. so find a venus smooth that contours to curves, the smoother the skin, the more comfortable you are in it. flexes for comfort, and has a disposable made for you. skin smoothing venus razors.

the bathroom. when things go wrong here, you remember. quilted northern is designed to work so well, you can forget your bathroom trips. but sir froggy can never forget. "i used to be a prince. but no princess would kiss me now." "i used to be a prince. ♪ ouch! new band-aid® brand skin-flex™ bandages. our best bandage yet! it dries almost instantly. better? yeah. good thing because stopping never crosses your mind. band-aid® brand. stick with it™ ltry align probiotic.n your digestive system? for a non-stop, sweet treat goodness, hold on to your tiara kind of day. get 24/7 digestive support, with align. the #1 doctor recommended probiotic brand. also in kids chewables.

♪ ♪ ♪ there were russians in the cradle. three or four russians was a long time ago tell them i didn't collude, dad ♪ ♪ tell them i didn't collude >> he really hitting his stride colbert. a few women are channeling beyonce in hopes of saving their beloved bowling club. watch ♪ all the bowling ladies all the bowling ladies all the bowling ladies ♪ >> a loul council threatened to destroy their club grounds they teamed up to create this parody.

the clip has pulled in over 1 million views. all right, gene simmons is utterly thrilled by this calf that was born on texas ranch. he's being called little genie. that look like the stripes on his face. he tweeted, this is real, folks. another animal with a star, paul stanley. we got half the band right there. still ahead -- what's hadder, finding true love or financial success, plus the top party schools in 2017. new ones on the list and who dropped. who's happy about it? students. >> are they there? we'll see. protect from uv rays and harmful blue light. both indoors... and out.

they seamlessly adapt. so you can live the good light™. find an eyecare professional at transitions.com. now, finance your glasses with no interest if paid in full within six months, and get up to $30 back when you combine select essilor® brand lenses. visit transitions.com for more details. so find a venus smooth that contours to curves, the smoother the skin, the more comfortable you are in it. flexes for comfort, and has a disposable made for you. skin smoothing venus razors.

this the is ft. myers, florida, look at that worker, the nose of the airplane, lightning strikes right near the plane or the wing. then, he gets shot backwards. he was touching the plane, it appears. he survived. he's not dead. lot of recovering to do from the severe burns across his body. dangerous stuff. scary. all right, let's talk about the heat wave, 94 today. salt lake city, 100 degrees today. you'll still on track for this incredibly hot summer. thursday, 97, seattle. 100, boise. thursday is when we'll be the hottest in portland. 20 miles inland from those cities it's get up into the

100s, too. >> bill, thank you. fast towarding into the wednesday, the u.s. military said it has successfully tested an unarmed icbm this morning. this comes amid escalating tensions with north korea. days after pyongyang conducted its own launch. prince philip will carry out his final engagement today before he retires from royal duties. he'll meet service members who have taken part in 1,660 mile trek for charity. amazon is holding job fairs at ten shipping centers across the u.s. all right, the princeton review is out with 2018's top party schools based on surveys from college students across this country. new orleans has tulane university, took the number one spot for the first time since 1982. coming in two and three were

west virginia and bucknell. followed by syracuse. university of wisconsin dropped to fifth place this year. >> i went to arizona state. they used to always be in there. now they're not there anymore. all right, they say money can't buy love, a new survey finds 58% of americans think it's harder to find true love than financial success, though big cities seem they have many fish in the city, most respondents from boston, new york and philly have more control over financial security over a long-term relationship. i agree with that. with the single friends now, i think i have seen that pretty much. >> lot of times you're focusing so much on job other things, your personal life tend to suffer. we see it here. thanks for being with us.

>> have a great wednesday. food. water. internet. we need it to live. but what we don't need are surprises, like extra monthly fees. i see you, fee, played by legendary actress anjelica huston. you got me, mark. we just want fast internet for one, simple rate. for all the streaming and the shopping and the newsing, but most of all... for the this. internet for one everyday simple price and no extra monthly fees.

and a very happy wednesday to you as we take a live look out in san jose. it is humid out there. good morning, everyone. let's get straight to accident this morning. >> this is going to be a problem later on in the morning commute but it is a major problem if you are traveling to this area. let's get you located. easy drive for moefrt of your speed sense sores. this affects the on and off rampz. i saw a lot of slowing as more crews arrive. this is at 14th or mission, depending on which state route you're talking about. 14th north of 238 or mission or state highway