explosive and detailed descriptions of encounters just revealed by fired fbi director james comey in his no-holds-barred book about donald trump and hillary clinton. the republic kansas national committee is all but declaring war. >> now we have to make some further decisions so they'll be made fairly soon. >> president trump on syria holding his power for now. deciding among several military options while russia is standing in strong opposition. >> today teachers in oklahoma finally end a walk-out over funding and pay while in kentucky a statewide teacher sick out closed many school districts. >> following this yanks and sox melee. >> the team getting paid to play

video games. "early today" starts right now. good friday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin with those bombshell allegations hurled at president trump from former fbi director james comey, the very man he fired last year. comey's forthcoming new book leaked to the press overnight effectively slams the president's character. painting mr. trump as a man akin to a mobster who cares very little about the truth and is obsessed with disproving specific lewd details from that infamous russia dossier. >> here's how a.p. reporter jonathan lemire described parts of the tell-all. >> in his epilogue he says, donald trump's presidency threatens much of what is good about this nation. he holds little back. >> the book hits store shelves on tuesday, but nbc news was able to obtain a copy. >> when it comes to those lewd details in the steele dossier, trump is reportedly fixated on shooting them down. comey writing, he again strongly denied the allegations, asking rhetorically, i assume, whether

he seemed like a guy who needed the services of prostitutes. he brought up what he called the golden showers thing, repeating much of what he had said to me previously adding that it bothered him if there was even a 1% chance that his wife melania thought it was true. >> on trump's character comey writes, his leadership, his transactions, ego driven and about personal loyalty adding, ethical leaders never ask for loyalty. those leading through fear like cosa nostra boss require loyalty. >> when it came to the clinton e-mail investigation, he defended his actions. if i could do it all again, i would do it again. >> he manages to take a couple cheap shots at trump. he appeared slightly orange when they first met. as he extended his hand, he made a note to check his hand. it was smaller than mine. the rnc will defend the president amid the continuing council probe.

nbc's kristen welker brings us up to date. >> reporter: in his explosive soon to be released book, former fbi director james comey calls the president untethered to the truth, unethical, ego driven and even compared him to famed mob hit man sammy the bull. the book, a higher loyalty, gives new details about interactions comey had with the president, including that now infamous dinner where comey says mr. trump demanded his loyalty. comey writing, the president said, quote, i need loyalty. i expect loyalty. comey was pressed on capitol hill about the dinner. >> because i was playing in my mind because i remember every word he said. i was playing in my mind, what should my response be? that's why i very carefully chose the words. look, i've seen the tweet about tapes. lordy, i hope there are tapes. >> reporter: comey also reportedly writes that he regrets some of the wording he used in the press conference in which he announced his decision not to prosecute hillary clinton for her use of a private e-mail server. the president fired comey last may which led to the appointment of the special counsel robert mueller.

this week mr. trump musing about firing mueller, infuriated by the fbi raid of his personal lawyer, looking for documents about pay outs between a porn star and play mate. >> we'll see what happens. >> reporter: turning down the heat, tweeting, i have agreed with the historically cooperative disciplined approach that we have engaged in with robert mueller. even as his allies work to undermine the entire investigation, focusing their fire at deputy attorney general rod rosenstein who is overseeing mueller. rosenstein was at the white house meeting with the president over routine business, according to an official. hours after lawyer joe digenova, who almost joined the president's legal team, said this. >> rod rosenstein is so incompetent, compromised and conflicted that he can no longer serve as the deputy attorney general. >> reporter: former chief strategist steve bannon telling the washington post, the president should fire rosenstein, but establishment republicans warning. >> bannon ought to stay out of this, and certainly rosenstein has a reputation of honor and integrity.

>> reporter: as for comey and his regrets about some of the language used during the investigation into hillary clinton, comey says ultimately he believes he did the right thing. and the excerpts show comey describes president trump as obsessed with that russia dossier full of unfounded, but salacious claims. frances? >> a lot to delve in that book. kristen, thank you. >> we have exclusive developments when robert mueller's russia probe with our white house unit reporting the president is no longer expected to sit for an interview with special counsel robert mueller. and it could have a dramatic impact on that obstruction case that mueller has been working on. let's now bring in nbc's tracie potts for more. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: hi there. we can tell you this may be coming to an end at this point with the white house team reporting that the chances of the president doing an interview with the mueller team dropped after that raid on his attorney's office. it looked like now the mueller team, without that interview, may be able to finalize their

report sometime between may and late july. two sources telling our team that they can close this more quickly now without doing the president's interview and without the follow-up that would be required for that. three sources telling our white house team what this mueller investigation is focusing on. the comey firing, a misleading statement on the president's son, donald trump, jr. and his meeting with the russian lawyer, whether the president dangled pardons to grand jury witnesses who testified against himming and pressure on attorney jeff sessions not to recuse himself from the russia investigation. so, the question this morning, what's next. they wrap up the investigation. that confidential report would go to deputy attorney general rod rosenstein who, of course, is overseeing this investigation. rosenstein would then decide whether or not to make it public, whether to send it to congress, and congress could decide whether impeachment proceedings are in order.

phillip? >> so many possibilities. tracie, thank you. >> meantime president trump is still weighing his options on syria, meeting with advisors to determine the best course of action after last weekend's suspected chemical attack. u.s. officials say those options range from targeted tomahawk strikes on syria sites similar to last year's, to something wide ranging to a sustained campaign affecting military operation ands multiple targets. the president promising a decision fairly soon. this is compelling new evidence emerges chemical attacks were indeed used in the attack. american allies now say they are prepared to act as well. nbc's ali is live in tehran. ali, good morning. >> reporter: that's right, frances. president trump and prime minister may of britain who spoke yesterday on the phone agreed to find an international response to deter the use of chemical weapons in syria. british cabinet members agreed it was highly likely the assad

regime was responsible for the attack. and chemical weapons mustn't go unchallenged. giving the prime minister the green light to go ahead with military action. while french president emmanuel macron said he had proof they used chemical weapons. russia's american ambassador warning a strike on syria could spark a war. it is hard not to believe russia wouldn't strike. the timing of the strike seems opaque. with the president's mix the messages and russia calling for another meeting at the u.n. security council today to discuss the possibility of a western coalition military action. also, the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons, the opcw, the main chemical weapons watch dog says their experts are traveling to syria and will start an investigation tomorrow. that could delay the possibility of any actions in syria while

the opwc carry out their examination and submit a report. back to you guys. >> a lot of moving parts there that would affect the timing. ali, thank you. >> check out this scene in france. it is a wall of snow that wooshed down an alpine hill without warning. workers there were trying to clear a previous avalanche when they were surprised by that burst of snow. you see the video here capturing several people running for cover as the avalanche closed in on them, submerging a road. no casualties are reported. >> as far as our weather here, seems like a mix for everybody in the country from snow to summer-like temperatures and severe weather in between? >> you got it. it is busy today. typical spring set up. we have the snow, severe weather. in the northeast we're looking really nice, a summer like day. very summer like in the central plains, though. that is going to be the price to pay with the severe storms. we're looking for the chance for tornadoes, hail, flash flooding in some spots. on the cold side of the storm we're looking at the potential for heavy storms, blizzard conditions and high winds near

70 miles per hour. some spots could see over 20 inches of rain. now, back to the southwest we're looking at extreme fire threat with vy dryertemperatures chill england, but the mid-atlantic finally feeling summer like with temperatures right in the low 80s in some spots. so, here in new york, we can't complain it's going to be a beautiful week at least friday a and saturday. but we're look for storms. >> michelle, thank you. baseball league announced punishments for their roles in this bench clearing brawl that happened in fenway park on wednesday. kelly will get a six-game suspension while austin will only get five. both are fined but they won't tell us how much yet. red sox manager alex, yankees coach, were all punished for their roles in that brawl.

>> still ahead, the hearings for our next secretary of state got pretty heated and then students in kentucky may be getting a long weekend due to a planned teacher sick-out. people would s. psoriasis does that. it was tough getting out there on stage. i wanted to be clear. i wanted it to last. so i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. and keeps on working. now? they see me. see me. 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. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. never give up. see me. see me. clear skin can last.

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advantage ii monthly topical kills fleas through contact so they don't have to bite your cat to die. advantage ii. fight the misery of biting fleas. new this morning, lawmakers are caving to pressure from the recent wave of teacher walk outs. in arizona governor doug doucey proposed to increase teacher salaries by 20%, a 9% bump this year. meanwhile in oklahoma the teacher walk out came to an end after nine days after teachers secured $479 million in funding for the next school year, but some say the fight isn't over yet. >> we are in this for the long haul. and now it's time to shift our focus. in addition to making our case at the steps of the capital, we have the opportunity to make our voices heard at the ballot box. >> and the fight continues in kentucky today where hundreds of teachers are calling in sick to rally for more funding at the

state capital. nearly 50 schools will remain closed. >> it looks like a bumpy confirmation road ahead for president trump's nominee for secretary of state. current cia director mike pompeo facing a barrage of questions and a range of hot button issues from iran and north korea to the war in syria. but it was the russia investigation that was front and center, even more than foreign policy. pompeo is refusing to say whether the president had asked him to block the investigation of former national security advisor michael flynn. the leading democrat on the panel jumping on the dodge. >> i'm not going to talk about the conversations the president and i had. >> did he ask you to do anything as it relates to that investigation? >> senator, i don't recall. i have to tell you, i'm with the president an awful lot. he has never asked me to do anything that i considered remotely improper. >> officials in cincinnati are launching an investigation into the tragic death of a teen found pinned under a folding chair in a mini van. police say 16-year-old kyle's father found his body more than

six hours after he called 911 twice to report that a folding seat in his van had somehow flipped over and trapped him. >> 12 seconds. >> probably don't have much time left. to tell my mom i love her if i die. >> police say the dispatcher who received that second call may have thought it was a prank and never gave detailed information to officers. that dispatcher is now on leave as police continue to investigate. >> now to an nbc news exclusive, nbc's lester holt spoke with philadelphia rap superstar meek mill from prison about his struggle for freedom after he was given a stiff sentence behind bars at a judge's discretion for violating probation. the case has garnered national attention and calls for criminal justice reform. >> it was always a thought in the back of my mind that probation would bring me back to

prison. >> you can watch lester's full interview with meek mill at facebook.com/nbc "early today." >> just ahead, a troubling revelation for green bay packers great brett favre. and every teen's dream is to play video games. more on that coming up on "early today." when your v-neck looks more like a u-neck... that's when you know, it's half-washed. add downy to keep your collars from stretching. unlike detergent alone, downy conditions to smooth and strengthen fibers. so, next time don't half-wash it. downy and it's done. (al♪rm beeps) hey pops!

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ears, seeing stars, that's a concussion. and if that is a concussion, i've had hundreds, probably thousands. if i had a son myself, i suppose i could make him not play, but i would really, really strongly discourage him. >> strong words from brett favre. the nfl ironman who threw 508 touchdowns in his 302 game career speaking out on megyn kelly today, the crunch of football suppliers smashi football players smashing together helmet to helmet, they are igniting to fight the danger. >> kids are playing too much time playing video games? you might change your mind when all that time in front of the screen could mean big money. joe fryer takes us into the competitive frontier of gaming. >> reporter: it feels like a big-time sporting event. the gladiators inside this

packed arena play video games. this is a professional league devoted to a teen-based action game called over watch. >> it's only natural when millions of people have a hobby they want to know who is the best in the world. >> reporter: on this night all eyes are on a teenage rookie making his debut, jay juan, nickname sinatra. >> it's been my dream since i was 12 basically. >> reporter: his mom tolerated his obsession with video games as long as he got bs in school. so you never threw the xbox away? >> i did once. he did something bad in school so i threw it away. >> reporter: with the dexterity of a champion speed typist, sinatra became the e sport version of a top draft kid. >> it gives you an ego which you kind of want. you want to be like cocky a little bit, but not too cocky. >> reporter: after a bidding war he just signed with the san francisco shock for $150,000 a season. >> he makes way more money than me, you know what i mean?

>> reporter: but he couldn't start playing until he turned 18. his first game a hard fought battle that ended with a tough loss. but leave it to mom to remind him it's not game over. it's just the beginning. >> you're awesome. >> reporter: joe fryer, nbc news, burbank, california. why g, when you can stay home, with neulasta onpro? strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection, which could lead to hospitalizations. in a key study, neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17% to 1%, a 94% decrease. applied the day of chemo, neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the next day, so you can stay home. neulasta is for certain cancer patients receiving strong chemotherapy. do not take neulasta if you're allergic to neulasta or neupogen (filgrastim). ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries, and capillary leak syndrome have occurred. report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away.

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able to finally twist his head through. cute little thing. it is unclear how the puppy got stuck in the first place but it was able to be reunited with its mama once it was free. now you have happy pictures on the after which is the most important part. >> so cute. let's check back in with meteorologist michelle grossman. michelle? >> hi there. we have all sorlts of weather today. we have snow. we have wind. we have rain. we have summer like conditions for some spots. but i want to point out the risk for severe storms in parts of the southern and central plains. we have the risk for hail and heavy rain producing flash flooding and also potential for a few tornadoes. places like kansas city, springfield, little rock and shreveport are looking at that today. on the backside of this system we are looking at some very cold air. we are looking at the potential for blizzard condition forz some and summer like in the northeast. at least we have good weather. >> that's right. >> for once. >> yeah, for once. >> thanks, michelle. coming up, a substitute teacher is in hot water for a fight club. got more. more?

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it's time now to check in with willie geist to see what's coming up on sunday today. >> good morning, guys. good to see you this week on a special second anniversary edition of sunday today. my guest sr. bill murry. i sat down with the eccentric film and tv star. we talked about his early days. in this building on snl, his roles in some of the most quotable comedies of all time, caddy shack, ghost busters to name a couple. and what it's like to work with wess anderson who directed his latest film, isle of dogs. i asked about his mythology, he's famous for interrupting people's everyday lives in wild and hilarious ways. our two-part sunday sit down with the great bill murray plus the news and politics this

weekend on sunday today. catch us in the morning or set the dvr and watch us any time. for now we'll send it back to you, frances and phillip and we will see you on sunday morning. >> all right, bill murry, we'll be watching. >> nbc news has confirmed president trump is planning a controversial move, pardoning louis scooter libby according to administration official. you will remember libby was the former chief of staff to vice-president dick cheney. he was convicted in 2007 of like to the fbi and obstruction of justice in covert cia operative valerie plame. >> at the time george w. bush commuted libby's sentence. the president signing off on the pardon. here's nicolle wallace who served as bush's communication director during bush's conviction. >> he thought the crimes of obstruction of justice and lying to the fbi was serious enough he wasn't going to pardon him.

there are kinds of crimes, rick gates, people around donald trump have been charged with, pleadsed guilty to or are vulnerable of being charged with. what happens next could be nothing because i think that fox news is conditioning the country to accept a pardon for someone like scooter libby to prepare them for the pardoning of everybody in donald trump's seemingly corrupt criminal enterprise. >> now to the former substitute teacher who is under arrest after allegedly running a fight club at a connecticut school, 23-year-old ryan fish was caught on cell phone video encouraging students to fight during class. he denies facilitating the fight saying he didn't know how to handle the situation. fish was fired in october after school officials first learned about the fight club. he faces multiple charges including reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor. >> being a cool teacher goes way too far. >> what happens in fight club stays in fight club. play is a good thing, too. we hope your friday is off to a great start. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. we leave you images with this

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