breaking overnight. the just revealed comey memos, what's in them, how are they relevant, and immediate reaction from james comey himself. >> given the nature of the person, as i understood the president-elect, he might not tell the truth about those if it ever became an issue and so i needed a written record. >> then to florida where two sheriffs deputies were shot to death through a restaurant window in an apparent ambush. two years almost to the day since prince's death, no charges but just revealed counterfeit vicodin laced with a powerful painkiller fentanyl. what role did they play that fateful day?

and you'll meehe artist behind this newly beloved cartoon about barbara sh. and this 52 mickey mantle baseball card just sold for almost 3 million bucks. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm phillip mena. the comey memos are out. the justice department releasing to congress redacted unclassified memos written by the former fbi director. the details some of his private conversations with president trump and those close to him. and within minutes of the memo's leaking to the press, comey sat down with msnbc's rachel maddow telling her why he felt compelled to record his dealings with the president. >> i also was worried that i was meeting alone with the president to talk about things that were relating to him and to the fbi's core responsibilities and given the nature of the person, as i understood the president-elect, he might not tell the truth about those if it ever became an issue and so i needed a written record. >> the material in the memos is already public record or in

comey's new book like trump's demands for loyalty which trump denies doing, but there is some new information, including the president's thoughts on former national security advisor michael flynn. in the memo dated january 28, 2017, comey writes, trump said of flynn, the guy has some serious judgment issues, after a phone call between flynn and the leader of a redacted country. days later comey says then chief of staff reince priebus asked him if flynn was under federal surveillance. comey's answer was redacted, but he went on to tell priebus such questions should be handled through official channels to, quote, protect the white house from any accusation of improper influence. for more on what is in these memos let's go to nbc's tracie pots who is in washington this morning. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: phillip, good morning. what's in these memos was already in the public record or revealed in the book or the interviews he's done thus far. but we did learn a few new things as you pointed out, that there was an intense focus in this white house on the russia

investigation, on michael flynn, and also on some of those salacious claims in the russian dossier on president trump. and some of those issues came up again in the oval office. >> the president said, the hookers thing is nonsense, but that putin had told him, we have some of the most beautiful hookers in the world. he told you he had a personal conversation with president putin about hookers? >> yes. >> did you believe him or did you think he was speaking hyper bolically? >> he didn't seem to be speaking hyper bolically. >> reporter: so we have reaction this morning beginning with the president himself, president trump tweeting that these memos released that were written by james comey clearly show there was no collusion and no obstruction. they also show that he leaked classified information. three republican chairs who have been involved in this in

intelligence, oversight and other committees say that it points out that comey never said that he felt obstructed or threatened and that these memos could be defense exhibit a if an obstruction charge or criminal case were made. we also heard from one of the top democrats here on capitol hill, elijah cummings. he said the memo showed the president interfered in a blatant effort to deny justice. phillip? >>ll righttracie, thank you so much, in washington for us this morning. a florida tow is mourning the loss of two florida deputies shot to death through a restaurant window. officials say 29-year-old sergeant noel ramirez and 25-year-old deputy sheriff taylor lyndsay were sharing a meal at the ace china restaurant in trenton when a man shot them through the window. authorities say deputies found the alleged shooter dead from a gunshot wound outside in a car. the slain deputies were the best of the best. >> they were men of integrity. they were men of loyalty.

they were god fearing and they loved what they did. >> president donald trump also called the deceased deputies heroes and tweeted that his thoughts and prayers were with their families. in a statement, florida governor rick scott said, quote, it is true evil for anyone to hurt a law enforcement officer and in florida we have zero tolerance for violence. and florida senator marco rubio also called for prayers for all law enforcement officials who risk their lives every day. the florida department of law enforcement is investigating the shooting. >> well, you hear it before every flight, right? instructions on how to put on those oxygen masks in case of a flight emergency. well, images were released from inside the plane show many passengers on tuesday's fatal southwest flight wore their masks the wrong way. new riveting video shows the terror also unfolding inside the plane's harrowing emergency descent. flight attend abts rushing to calm and secure distraught passengers. this as we are learning new details about the inspections leading up to the disaster.

nbc news's tom costello has more. >> reporter: new video of the terror on board flight 1380 as flight attendants wearing oxygen masks shouted for everybody to breathes. >> everybody breathe. everybody breathe. >> reporter: the plane in a fast emergency descent after losing an engine and sucking passenger jennifer reardon partially out of a shattered window. as fellow passengers desperately performed cpr, the crew scrambled for a defibrillator, an a.e.d. >> the a.e.d. is in the front cabinet. >> reporter: on the ground investigators found a broken engine fan blade and signs of metal fatigue. in 2015 a fan blade broke off an engine. the ordered airlines to inspect certain fan blades within 12 months because the metal fatigue is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design. but citing the number of planes affected, southwest was among

several airlines to request more time. now the faa says it will issue an urgent air worthiness directive for airlines to conduct ultrasonic tests like this one. victor aviation conducts similar tests in california looking for metal fatigue. >> we're looking for a specific area of interest, a very small pinhole or a crackdown to the size that could be less than a human air. >> reporter: southwest and other airlines say they have already started inspecting their fan blades. meanwhile the photos of southwest passengers improperly wearing their oxygen masks not covering their noses have veteran flight attendants issuing a warning. >> put those cell phones away. listen to the safety briefings and in an emergency listen to the flight attendant instructions. this is life or death. >> reporter: flight attendants say the mask should cover both our nose and our mouth and we should have a clear line for the oxygen. and we should put our mask on before a child's because, they say, if we lose cabin pressure you could be unconscious in a

matter of seconds. finally, they say, forget the selfies in an emergency. focus on staying alive. phillip? >> a lot more people would be paying a lot closer attention. thanks, tom. rock star bono has been presented with a first george w. bush medal for distinguished leadership. it honors people who have had a global impact in some way. the 43rd president presented the u2 frontman for his humanitarian work fighting poverty and aids in african countries. rns out the unlikely duo g way back. bush recalled howheir unique and treasured friendship began after a meeting was arranged by his advisors while he was still in office. >> josh on the way out of the oval office turns and he looks at me and says, you do know who bono is, don't you? i said, of course. he married to cher. >> don't think this was good for either of our bases. let's put it that way. you don't have to agree on

everything. just one thing, if that thing is important enough. if you want to get -- done. >> and that one thing they're talking about is their shared passion for fighting aids. while noting there is still an uncertain future, bono thanked the former president and the american people for the progress that has been made in that battle. nbc meteorologist bill karins is joining us. hey, bill, good morning. what's going on on this friday? >> no snow this weekend. we are going to track a rainstorm. currently that storm is over the inter mountain west. yes there is a little snow in the high elevations of the rockies. that's typical in may. we're talking about the storm being a rain maker primarily the next couple days. nothing too bad today, but by the time we get into saturday we take these storms through oklahoma, kansas, we're not dealing severe weather. usually this time of year you expect a lot of severe weather. this is mostly a rain maker. into saturday night the rain goes into arkansas and a sunday soaker, mississippi and eventually pushing into alabama by minneapolis, sue

falls, areas of wisconsin, we'll get into the 50s and 60s this weekend, and you deserve it. a new york mother couldn't hold back the tears as a surprise guest visited her at the elementary school where she teaches. regina was leading an assembly in long island. wait for it. all of a sudden she saw a familiar name on the paper. it's her 20-year-old son air man eric stationed for the past eight months in germany. the school had been planning his visit as a special surprise and they got her and gave us that special reunion. >> i love seeing those. >> well done. the creative ones. >> well done. thanks a lot, bill. just ahead, no charges were filed, but a new twist on just exactly what killed rock star prince two years ago tomorrow.

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let's get a check of what's coming up this weekend on sunday today with willie geist. hey,e. good morning, philli good to see you. this weekend on sunday today, my guest i the star of one of the hottest shows on tv, billions, damien lewis. he plays a ruthless hedge fund manager named bobby axelrod. damien and i talk about the show and about his break out roles in band of brothers and homeland where he of course played double agent nicolas brodie. our sunday sit down with damien lewis plus all the latest news and politics this weekend on sunday today. you can catch us live in the morning on nbc or set the dvr and watch us any time. phillip, i will see you on sunday, my friend. >> all right. willie, we will see you then. leading the news, philadelphia's police commissioner has issued a public apology to two men arrested at a starbucks after asking to use the bathroom and refusing to leave. the video sparked protests and calls for a boycott. starbucks is now doing some major damage control saying it

will close its stores for part of a day coming up to train employees so this never happens again. police commissioner richard ross says he made the situation even worse by initially saying the officers did nothing wrong. meantime, fake starbucks coupons are out there that are being circulated on social media. they promise free cough owe to african-american customers. starbucks says the coupons are completely false and in no way associated with the company. now to state your naming revelations in the death of music superstar prince, authorities have revealed prince might not have even been aware he was taking the extremely powerful drug fentanyl that kill him. a tragic turn in a high profile case in the opioid crisis, highlighting the question, how many addicts might not know what's really in the drugs they're taking? here's nbc's blake mccoy. >> reporter: prosecutors announcing no criminal charges in music superstar prince's death. after revealing he died from counterfeit vicodin, unknowingly laced with one of the most powerful painkillers fentanyl.

>> in all likelihood, prince had no idea he was taking a counterfeit pill that could kill him. >> reporter: after a two-year investigation, prosecutors unable to determine where it came from. >> we have no direct evidence that a specific person provided the fentanyl to prince. >> reporter: prince's doctor has denied any wrongdoing, but agreed to a $30,000 fine and two years of monitoring for prescribing percocet to prince's long-time friend and body guard allegedly for prince's use. the famously private purple rain singer had been battling a secret opioid addiction after being treated for back pain. newly released evidence shows his lifeless body by an elevator in his paisley park home. >> prce's case is tragic but not unique. >> this is not unique whatsoever. we see this every day. >> reporter: hazelle ton betty ford says more and more people are taking counterfeit drugs and don't know what's in them. >> fentanyl is fairly easy to produce and it's fairly cheap. also because of the increased strength it gets put into

substances to increase the addiction potential. >> reporter: details of prince's death have been hard on his family. >> i just was pissed at the fact that my cousin died like that and then he's projected as some drugged out, you know, junky rich rock star. he was at the top of his game. >> reporter: a sad reminder that addiction does not discriminate. blake mccoy, nbc news, chaska, minnesota. child: bye, grandpa! and if you have heart failure, entrusting your heart to entresto may help. entresto is a heart failure medicine that helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital compared to a leading heart failure medicine. don't take entresto if pregnant. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb.

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you demonstrated that you do have a bias against the president. >> that was going to be pretty obvious to begin with. he [ bleep ] me. >> your book, jim, isn't about leadership. it's about but [ bleep ]ing. >> let's start with arthur chen who tells us about an organization in new jersey [ bleep ] horses. >> months back when the president was [ bleep ] you. did that hurt? >> oh,xecuted. >> none is being executed. >> just shut up and let me [ bleep ] you. >> never fails, right? my favorite part, though, stoic, a stoic mitch mcconnell there when asked the question. >> no blink. >> if you're one of those baseball card collectors that are still holding on -- >> i don't know what happened to my card. they're somewhere. >> there's still people out there holding onto them, shoe box full of cards hoping to strike it rich. one day, there is still hope out there. exhibit a, this rare 1952 mickey

mantle card was just sold for $2.88 million. sold by evan mathis. he said the reason he sold it, he wanted to buy a dream home for his family. this is the second highest price ever paid for a baseball card and falls just behind the 1909 t 206 wagner card. that one sold for $3.12 million a couple years ago. >> it's good to know the value is still going on. kids could be collecting them. we used to put them in the spokes of our bikes. >> i collected them. i thought that ken griffy card was going to put me through college. >> it's still worth something. >> i did. looked it up, it's worth 5 bucks. >> well, a cartoon that swept the nation this week, former first lady barbara bush who passed away on tuesday comes to see heaven is a place to reunite with family. the bush family says the imagery is comforting them and moving others. mrs. bush is seen with 3-year-old daughter robin who died of leukemia in 1953. the cartoon which appeared in mississippi's claire i don't know ledger was reposted on

jenna bush-hager's instagram. the artist marcia ramsey has sent to offer the bush family the original artwork. his vision of the stars in mrs. bush. >> there on the e-mail was an e-mail from the office of president bush. okay, so i click on it and they said, can we buy some copies? said, no, you cannot. i willd you the original and i willive you pyore. >> nice gesture. mrs. bush will be buried tomorrow next to her daughter robin at the george h.w. bush presidential library museum in college station, texas following a funeral in houston. >> looking forward to celebrating the great life of mrs. barbara bush all weekend. >> you wonder if that was on had her mind in the last moments. her chance to see her daughter. >> that's true. she said she'd get a chance to ryu fight. just ahead, a teen gives his mom the prom night she never had. you're watching "early today." l) ♪

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the justice department has recommended a criminal investigation into former fbi deputy director an draw mccabe. the investigation focusing on whether he lied to federal officials about a leak to a newspaper reporter. in a report last week the inspector general concluded mccabe repeatedly lied when asked about whether he was the source of a leak and about the fbi's investigation into the finances of the clinton foundation in 2016. mccabe was fired just two days before he was set to retir ahead of this report. mccabe's lawyer called the referral unjustified, saying in a statement, we are confident that unless there is inappropriate pressure from high levels of the administration, the u.s. attorney's office will conclude that it should decline

to prosecute. now it's up to the u.s. attorney in d.c. to decide if criminal charges are warranted. the justice department has declined to comment. a pair of drug experts offered conflicting testimonies as actor bill cosby's sexual assault retrial continues. two toxicologists presented differe different interpretations of what type of drug andrea constand claims cosby gave her that left her incapacitated and unable to resist his advances. the drug expert for cosby's defense team testified that the symptoms constand described are consistent with the effects of benadryl, the over the counter cold and allergy medicine mr. cosby insists he gave her. well, the drug expert for the prosecution, however, fired back in his testimony denying that constand would have experienced the symptoms she described after taking the amount of benadryl that has come up in the case. the prosecutors have formally wrapped up their case against cosby and the judge anticipates the 80-year-old comedian's face could rest in the hands of a jury as early as next monday.

cosby continues to deny all accusation ands maintains the encounters with constand were consensual. we have unbelievable helmet kamm footage that shows the moment a virginia firefighter shaved a man from a burning building. firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after the fire broke out at this home in stocmanaged to rcue a man who had fainted inside and not a moment too soon. authorities believe the man could have died if he remained inside another 90 seconds. the victim has been released from the hospital while the cause of the fire is still under investigation. and one student in texas gave his mom a second chance on a night that she never had. joe moreno became an internet sensation after he took his mom vanessa to his senior prom. in a tweet he said, my mom had me at the age of 17. she dropped out of high school to focus on giving me her all. well, last night i gave her the prom night she never had. that is exactly what he did. his post has gone viral and causing the twitter verse to fall in love with this dynamic

duo. how can you not love that? >> she raised a good son. >> that's right. >> did a good job. >> absolutely, well done, mom. cholula hot sauce is teaming up with jack in the box for the cholula buttery jack. a little hot sauce there... woah. what's happening? jack i'm trying to film this commercial! oh my gosh, sorry. with delicious cholula hot sauce and crispy jalapenos on a signature bun. the new cholula buttery jack. part of the buttery jack family. made with delicious cholula hot sauce,ack.

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