/ a hopkinsville police officer was shot where he did succumb to his injuries. the suspect fled on foot. the suspect is james k. de coursy. >> breaking news, this expected cop killer is taken down just moments ago after killing a 38-year-old kentucky police officer. >> a new russian missile test as a war of words and the expulsion of diplomats grows between russia and 29 nations. pressure now building in the region. >> a fox news host goes after one of the parkland, florida shooting survivors. now there is growing backlash among the advertisers of her program. >> a rare public good-bye from the president to one of his most trusted advisors and confidants. >> just hours ago, the weekend dropped a track that is burning up the charts.

>> then to rome where a humble pope francis washes the feet of inmates as part of the holy week ritual leading up to today's good friday services. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. after an intense manhunt overnight, authorities say the suspect who fatally shot a kentucky police officer is dead. the suspect, 34-year-old james de coursy, was shot and killed by police in clarksville, tennessee hours after he pretended to be a police officer and pulled over a 38-year-old hopkinsville officer, philip mitchell who was in his personal vehicle. he shot the officer and fled the scene first by foot, and then in a stolen pickup truck. officer meecham was transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries. he was with the county sheriff department 12 years before joining the hopkins ville police force just ten months ago. the sheriff's department asked for prayers tweeting, our community has been rocked by the unspeakable. the 38-year-old officer leaves behind a wife and two young

children. >> a california judge has ruled that coffee must come with a warning label. this after a finding that a cancer diagnosis may be ri yong ho lated to the morning cup. the coffee industry denies any major risk to customers and starbucks is the lead defendant in the legal case which has the potential to end with startling warnings across california. many coffee companies already posting signs warning of the presence of the chemical acrilomide a carcinogen produced in the roasting process. >> the nation's defense ministry has launched a second test of a new heavy inter-continental ballistic missile, posting footage of the missile launch online. nbc news has not independently verified the video, however, if authentic, the launch would come just one day after russia announced it would shutter the u.s. consulate in st. petersburg and expel some 60 americans. that follows the united states's move to send is away 60 russian diplomats and close russia's consulate in seattle just days

ago. it is all part of the escalating fallout from that nerve agent attack on a fornler russian spy and his daughter in the u.k. that is strongly linked back to moscow. and now we are hearing reports president trump wants to get tougher on russia as the rest of the western world finds itself on the receiving end of putin's retaliation. for more we go to nbc's tracie potts in washington. >> what is up with the american diplomats expelled from russia, and not only american. russia is striking back at all the countries that blame russia for this chemical attack. 29 nations in all, 153 diplomats expelled, including our own, and including shutting down our oldest mission there. again, all in retaliation for the nerve attack -- the nerve gas attack on a former russian spy and his daughter in great britain. and the state department says it may not be over. >> we reserve the right to

respond further. we are reviewing our options. we don't see this as a diplomatic tit for tat. russia is responsible for that horrific attack on the british citizen and his daughter. russia should not be acting like a victim. the only victims in this situation are the two victims in the hospital in the u.k. right now. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview with the today show's savannah guthrie, the russian ambassador here is defending kicking out all those diplomats. >> if anybody slit your cheek, your face, what will be reaction from your side? you will try to do and you will retaliate. >> reporter: and exclusive new reporting by nbc from the west wing that the president, despite his friendly phone call with russian president vladimir putin last week, now plans to take a much sharper tone with putin and that he's instructed aides not to talk publicly about any

policy changes. frances? >> all right, tracie, thank you. don't miss savannah guthrie's interview with russia's ambassador to the united states on the today show. >> and this morning there are new developments in that poisoning case that set off this entire chain of events. for more on this we go to nbc's richa richard enget in london. what more can you tell us about this? >> reporter: the tit for tat continues. investigators are getting closer to determining when and how the poisoning took place. new clues that could solve what's been a week's long mystery, just how were former russian spy sergey skripal and his daughter poisoned with a nerve agent that left them critically ill? we reconstructed their last-known movements on march 4 in salisbury, england. at 1:30 they set out from home for drinks at this pub, followed for lunch around the corner. at 3:35 they left the restaurant and soon collapsed on a nearby

park bench. chemical weapons expert walked us through the crime scene. >> heading toward the center of town -- >> reporter: he thinks the fast-acting poison was likely smeared on something they touched. >> if breathed in, can kill you instantaneously. if absorbed through the skin, which i think is the case in this particular attack, then within minutes, if not hours. >> reporter: british authorities now say they think the poison was left on skripal's front door. the kremlin strongly denies it was involved. but boris, another russian spy turned double agent, has no doubt his former bosses were responsible. >> this is your kgb i.d. -- >> reporter: he says just last month he got a call from a friend still on the inside. >> he told me, looks, be careful. look around. >> reporter: his source told him he was one of eight on a hit list.

it includes skripal and christopher steele, author of the infamous trump/russia dossier. well, we have no way of verifying that claim of a hit list. a former british intelligence official familiar with russia tells us it certainly is plausible. and there are reports that skripal's daughter's health is now improving. she's reportedly conscious and talking. philip? >> great to hear, thank you. >> the country is now hearing from shulkin himself for the first time as he takes on the white house. and just listen to what he had to say about an exchange he had with the president just hours before he was dismissed from his post via twitter. >> i spoke to the president yesterday. we spoke about the progress that i was making, what i needed to do from a policy perspective. >> that's before you were fired? >> that's correct. >> you spoke to him, he made no mention of the fact that he was about to terminate you? >> that's correct.

>> and then you found out via tweet? >> right before that, the chief of staff kelly gave me a call, which i appreciated he gave me a heads up. and so -- but that was much after the phone call. >> shulkin went on to say in a "the new york times" op-ed quote, it should not be this hard to serve your country. >> and as one trump officials is getting ready to leave his post, another one was getting reacquainted with the executive branch. the incoming national security advisor and former u.n. ambassador john bolton venturing over to the department of defense to meet with the personnel there and pentagon chief james mattis. just take a listen on how the encounter between bolton and mattis played out before the cameras. >> good to see you. >> thank you very much. thanks for coming and good to finally meet you. i've heard you're absolutely -- >> secretary mattis who was we believe joking says he expected

there to be a partnership between himself and bolton despite their policy differences. >> hundreds gathered in sacramento to remember the life of stephon clark the unarmed black man gunned down by police last week. family and friends wiped away tears as they walked by the casket. sharpton rejected the white house assertions that the shooting was a local matter and demanded justice. >> they've been killing young black men all over the country. it's time for preachers to come out the pulpit. it's time for politicians to come out the office. it's time for us to go down and stop this madness. >> protests against clark's death continued after the funeral with about 100 people blocking local streets for a third straight day. clark was shot by police who miss took his cell phone for a gun. no weapon was found. the sacramento police department says it is investigating.

>> now to an incredible close call caught on camera. just watch as this driver nearly hits a state trooper head on in arkansas. the woman behind the wheel here, she was driving on the wrong side of the road, narrowly missed the officer in that vehicle, and all because she was looking at her cell phone. police are releasing the dashcam video of this as a dire warning. >> what were you doing? looking at something? >> yes. >> i'm shaking as bad as you are. >> i am so sorry. i don't think i'll ever, ever look at a cell phone again. >> no. >> wow, at least she was honest. >> yeah. >> frank with her reaction. >> and i believe her. she's probably never going to do that again. >> hopefully it will be a lesson to all of us, too. let's turn to bonnie snyder for our weekend forecast. >> a lot of people are on the roads today heading out for easter, pass over beginning tonight. tallahassee to buffalo in new york, it's not cold enough for

snow in the east, but it's cold enough for snow in the northern plains and parts of the upper midwest. we'll see snow in minneapolis all the way across as we work our way towards green bay. i think by the time the storm system gets to the great lakes further east it will be cooler parts of the great lakes. as i mentioned in the 40s, that's why i don't think the snow will accumulate in that part of the country. we'll look for colder weather, though, as we approach the easter holiday. some big changes ahead. >> all right, bonnie, thank you very much. how about the weekend to kickoff your weekend? he just dropped some serious heat on social media. the singer's label teased this photo, album cover sending the internet into a frenzy, when is he going to release it? he tweeted out this video

indicating the album has arrived. it's been viewed 500,000 times. this is the first record since the grammy winning album. >> a judge has issued a ruling in a stormy daniels legal request to depose president trump under oath. new details next on "early today." (clucking noises) everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny because only he brings delicious cadbury creme eggs. while others may keep trying, nobunny knows easter better than cadbury.

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for 100% conditioning, with 0% weight. strong is beautiful. new pantene. foam conditioner. stormy daniels's lawsuit against the president and his attorney michael cohen has suffered a legal set back. a judge denied their motion to depose president trump and his lawyer under oath calling the request premature. daniels and her attorney michael avenatti seek to ask trump and cohen about that $130,000 hush agreement paid out to daniels just before the 2016 election. daniels is suing the president in an effort to invalidate that 2016 agreement that was meant to keep her quiet about her alleged affair. president trump and the white house deny daniels' accusation several times. and while it's not the outcome he would have wanted, daniels' attorney says it's temporary. they will eventually refile their motion to depose trump and

cohen. >> a gofundme page set up as a legal defense fund for former deputy fbi director andrew mccabe is blowing past its six-figure goal and racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars just hours after being launched. mccabe is in the legal battle with the trump administration after he was fired by attorney general jeff sessions just hours before his planned retirement. >> and yesterday marked the final day of white house communications director hope hicks and while the president has yet to name a replacement to his longest-serving aide, he did take a moment to bid her farewell before departing himself yesterday, bringing hicks out before the cameras, shaking her hand and thanking her for her service. >> today is good friday. one of the holiest days in the christian calendar and preparations are underway in rome where pope francis is expected to preside over a procession of the stations of the cross later today at the coliseum. but first he'll deliver a good friday service at the vatican. that's where nbc's claudio joins us live. claudio, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, philip. well, yes, the vatican and pope

francis are gearing up for a very busy easter weekend. he was washing the feet of 12-inch mates in a prison that is literally a stone's throw from the vatican. now, this is a tradition that happens every holy wednesday of course, but pope francis is taking it one step ahead because he does that all the time. he goes to prison and wash the feet of inmate. this time 12 men from different countries, different continents, different religions. most of them were catholic, two muslims, one was an orthodox christian, one was a buddhist. later on as i said he is going to hold a mass behind me at st. peter's basilica, and the way of the cross. the way of the cross is a tradition, reenactment that takes place all over the world while about half an hour from now one will take place in jerusalem on the villa de la rosa that is believed where christ walked on the way to the crucifixion. the most colorful one will come from the philippines where christians allow themselves to be really nailed on wooden crosses with real nails.

watch or look away. >> not for those faint. thank you. >> ahead, steven spielberg's play one. are you game? actually, you do. harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line, and if you're not taking care of your gums, you're not taking care of your mouth. so now i use this. crest gum detoxify. introducing new crest gum detoxify... it works below the gum line and is clinically proven to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. new gum detoxify, from crest. gums are good. so is my check up! crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. right. in. your. stomach! watch this!... >>yikes, that ice cream was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real ice cream, without that annoying lactose. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you. fortified.tored. replenished. emerge everyday with emergen-c

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on this feel good friday, get ready for steven spielberg's sci-fi film ready player one. >> in 2045 there's nowhere left to go. nowhere. except the oasis.

>> ready player one has a 78% on rotten tomatoes and it's expected to debut in first place with $41 million. >> i would do anything for you. and i did. >> also debuting is taraji p. henson as a woman skorned in tyler perry's acrimony. it is expected to bring in 15 1/2 million dollars over the weekend. >> that ready player one, it is amazing steven spielberg, his last movie was the post. a drama. now this -- >> a 2040 something. >> i have to check that out. remember that old john hughes classic movie ferris buller's day off? this scene when the ferrari falls off a jack and goes crashing down a ravine, man, fortunately that was just a replica. starting today and through the weekend, one of the three ferraris used in the film is going on display in a glass structure at the national mall in washington, d.c. it's all part of the fourth annual cars at the capital event where historic cars are displayed and that is an

historic car. >> and that is an historic classic movie, too. >> very iconic. >> in l.a. you put your car in the garage after seeing the movie in the car. still ahead, a major consumer alert as under armour announces a massive data breach. are you affected? you're watching "early today." s? for long-lasting, continuous freshness, try febreze plug. febreze plug provides 45 days of freshness, with a unique dual chamber design that alternates between harmonized scents for a continuous renewal of fragrance. plus, febreze plug is formulated with odorclear technology, which cleans away odors instead of just masking them. for freshness you'll notice week after week, try febreze plug. [sfx: mouse click] advil liqui-gels minis. breakthrough in pain relief. a mighty small pill with concentrated power that works at liquid speed. you'll ask... what pain? advil liqui-gels minis.

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has affected 150 million users of its my fitness pal app. the news is ending the stock down about 4%. the company says hackers may have stolen users' e-mail and passwords, but credit card information and social security numbers are not affected. the breach happened earlier this year, although under armour only became aware of it this week. it is now investigating the cause and they are also alerting users by e-mail and in app messaging. experts say if you use the same pass word for my fitness pal and other apps, their best advice is to go on and change every single pass word right now. >> yeah, all of that we're seeing over and over and hearing about again, big companies getting information they shouldn't, you know? >> makes you want to go off the grid, right? overall of it. >> you love it, hate it. ahead saying good-bye to a fan favorite. and incredibly generous man. ♪ hey allergy muddlers:

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- sometimes it's nice to see all the good that's out there. bringing folks out, we have seen it in community after community. this morning the backlash against fox news anchor laura ingraham is gaining steam. now major companies like hulu, johnson and johnson, way fair, speed i can't and others are pulling their ads from the controversial host's primetime show after ingraham mocked a parkland school shooting survivor for being rejected by colleges he applied to. and while ingraham is now apologizing for her initial comment, the student she targeted and his supporters say the apology just isn't enough. nbc's gabe gutierrez has that report. >> reporter: the war of words began after 17-year-old parkland shooting survivor david hogg told tmz he'd been rejected by four university of california campuses. >> so it's been kind of annoying having to deal with that and everything else that's been going on.

at this point i was, you know, we're changing the world. >> reporter: fox news host laura ingraham slamming him for whining about it. hogg then posted a list of what he said were ingraham's top sponsors, calling for them to boycott her show. companies have bailed. rachel ray's pet flood brand says it is pulling its ads because her comments are not consistent with how we feel people should be treated. hogg is one of the most outspoken student activists for tighter gun laws. >> the fact so many children are dying in mass shootings it's unacceptable. >> reporter: ingraham is no stranger to controversy. >> shut up and dribble. >> reporter: she blasted nba star lebron james for talking politics. a rare apologize on reflection of holy week, i apologize. hogg not satisfied. an apology and effort to save your advertisers is not enough. he says his calls for a boycott will continue.

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >> tributes have been pouring in from major league baseball great cuss at this staub. his career spanned 23 seasons in houston, montreal, detroit and the mets. he had 500 hits with four teams. he died of a heart attack at a hospital in west palm beach, florida. rusty staub was 73 years old. >> it's not just kids getting in on the easter fun. animals were treat today an easter egg hunt also. a zoo in london set out treats for animals to feast on so you can see squirrels, monkeys, lemurs and kimono dragons getting tasty snacks. it taught the animals to use skills they would need in the wild. i doubt you would see a bright pepto bismal pink egg. >> they would crush it and eat

it. >> this is no good. at least here eat it. >> fun for us to watch. >> thanks foreing w bit

hey, guess what, it is finally friday. we are looking live at a gorgeous picture of the bay bridge on this friday morning. clear as a bell. the temperatures, though, they're changing just a little bit. thanks so much for joining us, i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. talking about those temperatures right now, going outside today starting out a little cool. >> not too bad, though. >> a little bit of a repeat of yesterday. it's still going to start out cool, it's going to be nice and sunny and then it warms up a lot for the afternoon. as we get a live look outside in san jose we once again see all the clear skies and no issues with fog and we will be in the mid 50s and then by early afternoon we are already starting out in the mid 70s there. i wanted to show