developing overnight, as allegations mount against veterans affairs nominee admiral ronny jackson, two sources with knowledge of the conversations tell nbc news that he may be trying to withdraw from consideration. golden state serial killer. is this the man responsible for a decades-long reign of terror involving at least 12 murders, 50 rapes and 100 home invasions? president trump's long-time personal attorney is preparing to assert his fifth amendment rights in a lawsuit involving porn star stormy daniels. the kanye west controversy involving president trump that's blowing up social media. heart-stopping pool rescue of a boy trapped underwater for eight minutes. and have you heard the incredible story about the all-female mercury 13

astronauts? "early today" starts right now. good thursday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin with breaking news this morning surrounding the president's now embattled pick to lead the va. the two sources telling nbc news that dr. ronny jackson is talking with senior white house officials about taking his name out of the nomination process. with one source saying that decision on jackson's future could come as early as today. >> this all coming of course after a number of serious allegations came to light, including on-the-job drinking and the mishandling of opioids. it is upending jackson's prospect of leading the va. and while the white house is doing damage control to save jackson, at least one news outlet is reporting the doctor's support among republicans on capitol hill is faltering fast. for more let's go to nbc's tracee potts in washington. >> reporter: despite what we're hearing from dr. jackson saying this process is moving forward we are getting indications from sources inside the white house

close to that process that he's getting frustrated and may withdraw his name. this from the "washington post." that dr. jackson has grown frustrated with the process, telling colleagues he might remove his name from consideration. that according to two white house officials with knowledge of those deliberations according to the post. now democrats on the va committee have released a new summary of what they say are concerning allegations against dr. jackson. they include that he has dispensed drugs without prescriptions. that he has kept questionable records about controlled substances, and that he once wrecked a car while intoxicated. democrats defending why they released that information. >> these aren't my accusations. these are accusations by active and retired military personnel that have come to us. we're just trying to follow up to make sure what's true and what's not.

>> reporter: and it is still questionable if or when that confirmation hearing will be rescheduled. again, sources telling us that a withdrawal of his name could happen as early as today with dr. jackson telling nbc directly that for now the process continues. frances? >> those are the key words. for now. tracie, thanks. former new york city mayor rudy giuliani could be brokering a deal for president trump to sit down with the special counsel. the "washington post" is reporting the long-time trump supporter had a face to face with robert mueller this week. giuliani joined the president's legal team just six days ago, touting that he could bring a quick close to the investigation into russian interference. he's reportedly reopening negotiations about a presidential interview. president trump has flip-flopped on whether he would speak directly to the special counsel. advisers have warned the commander in chief has become resistant to the idea following that raid that target the his long-time personal attorney michael cohen. now to some news in the lawsuit dogging mr. cohen. the president's long-time

confidant declaring in federal court wednesday that he will plead the fifth in the lawsuit filed against him by porn star stormy daniels. she is accusing cohen of defamation. cohen said he will assert his fifth amendment rights against self-incrimination with all proceedings in the case. he cited the ongoing criminal investigation by the fbi and u.s. attorney as his reasons for pleading the fifth. cohen's office, home and hotel room were raided by the fbi earlier this month. authorities are looking for information about that $130,000 payment cohen facilitated to daniels right before the 2016 election. michael avenatti, the attorney to stormy daniels, responded to the news overnight. >> that same individual that the president pointed, you, other members of the media, and the american people to for answers, is now refusing to provide those answers and claiming that he can't answer the questions because the answers will incriminate him. this is a staggering development. it cannot be exaggerated,

overexaggerated. it cannot be overstated. this is a big deal. a decades-old cold case surrounding an infamous killing spree that terrorized californians may have finally been solved. police arrested a man they believe is the so-called golden state killer responsible for a slew of murders and rapes in the 1970s and '80s. the suspect is a former cop, and they discovered him by using dna. nbc's steve patterson has more. >> reporter: a four-decade-old search for one of history's most infamous serial killers may be over. >> we found the needle in the haystack. >> reporter: police announcing the capture of 72-year-old joseph james deangelo, a man they say is the elusive golden state killer. deangelo was arrested in sacramento. it's believed the crimes were being committed while deangelo was a police officer at two california police departments. investigators say discarded dna evidence led to the capture. >> we are committed. we are determined. and we will god willing hold

this man fully accountable for his crimes. >> reporter: the killer, also called the original night stalker or east area rapist, is believed to have planned and carried out at least 12 murders, 50 rapes, and over 100 home invasions during a reign of terror in the 1970s and '80s spanning california. >> just growing up with being the daughter of a murder victim. >> reporter: debbie domingo was just 15 when her mother sherry and her mother's boyfriend gregory sanchez became victims. in 1981 the killer snuck into debbie's home and bludgeoned both to death. we spoke to debbie two years ago when the fbi reopened the case. >> i'd never lost anyone close to me before, and she was probably the closest person to me. >> reporter: the case's profile had risen in recent years, thanks in part to the book "i'll be gone in the dark," penned by michelle mcnamara, late wife to comedian patton oswalt, who helped her finish her work when she died in 2016. >> this is insane. looks like they've caught the east area rapist. if that's true, they've caught

the golden state killer. so thank you, god and michelle. >> reporter: a day countless families have been waiting decades to see finally here. >> that was steve patterson reporting. the korean peninsula is preparing for a historic moment not seen in over a decade. north korean leader kim jong un and south korean president moon jae-in are set to meet tomorrow with kim expected to cross the border into his southern neighbor. it will be the first meeting between korean leaders since 2007. for more on this historic summit let's go to nbc's janice frayer. she joins us from seoul. good morning. >> reporter: in less than 24 hours, kim jong un will walk across the demilitarized zone, shake hands with south korean president moon jae-in, and together they'll proceed to what is expected to be a historic summit. it will all be broadcast on live television. every single detail is being considered and everything is very tightly controlled. from the menu they'll eat to the size of the table they'll sit

at, which is exactly 2018 millimeters. even the type of tree they'll plant together in the dmz. as far as the agenda goes, there will be three key issues. first of all, what they call a peace regime. they will also discuss the boosting of inter-korean ties. much of that has already been decided on. it will be that third issue of denuclearization that will be the thorniest. what it looks like, what it could mean, and what it will take to get there. the summit of course is an important litmus for the eventual summit that kim jong un will have with president trump. the date and location of that is still being decided. tomorrow's summit will be an important intelligence-gathering opportunity for the u.s. side to make those preparations. frances? >> we'll be watching for the outcome of that. rapper kanye west is taking yet another defiant stance, this one in defense of president trump, and it is lighting up the internet. in return to twitter west doubled down on his praise of the president, calling him his brother. the fashion designer and entrepreneur went on to tweet

that the two share, quote, dragon energy and that the mob can't make me not love him. west continued his twitter storm, taking a shot at former president barack obama, saying obama was in office for eight years and nothing in chicago changed. president trump returned the love by tweeting "thank you, kanye. she cool very cool." later he tweeted a trump hat signed maga. even the white house has now responded. >> i'm curious whether the president has reached out to kanye west and whether he'd be willing to meet with him at the white house. >> i don't know of any conversation that they've had over the last week or so. i'll keep you posted if that changes anytime. matthew. sorry. i know they met during the transition. that's the only meeting i'm aware of that's taken place or conversation. before everybody has a meltdown and thinks that we had a meeting last week. >> this bizarre exchange gave plenty of fodder to the late-night comics.

the late show's stephen colbert even offered some advice for the pair. >> i think kanye's lobbying for a job as trump's new communications director. he could just change his name to kellyanne kanye. trump is your brother. it is true. i am your brother too. and brother to brother, i just want to say, put the phone down. >> that would mean there would be a line between the administration and now the kardashians as well. >> so much dragon energy between them. >> dragon energy that's there. let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins to see what's in store for us. >> tracking the storm the last five, six days, now we're g getting rid of it in northern new england. still raining pretty good in maine and areas of massachusetts. areas of mississippi, also tennessee's getting wet. wet morning in memphis to nashville. as we go throughout the day we'll track this through the southeast. atlanta looks like you're starting your day dry. as we go throughout the day sometime throughout noon to 3:00

or 4:00 p.m. that's your best chance of getting a line of showers. it's not very impressive late today. by about 5:00 there are still some showers in northern alabama. then tomorrow morning some of these showers around richmond, eastern north carolina, even washington, d.c. and a brief period of rain even moves through philadelphia, new york, and into southern new england as we go throughout your friday afternoon. it's not a huge storm. just going to bring a little nuisance rain to areas for about two to three hours as it makes its trek today from tennessee w our little ll theay to new rainstorm moving from areas of memphis this morning to atlanta this afternoon. we just have a little bit of rain to track over the weekend but predominantly you're going to like what you see. >> great weekend all the way around. >> make those plans now. >> thank you, bill.

here's a sneak peek at the newest world record-breaking roller coaster. just debuted at cedar points theme park in ohio. it's called steel vengeance. a 205-foot-high hypercoaster features a 90 degree initial drop and it shatters ten world records. it opens to the public tomorrow with all the proceeds going to the lebron james educational charity right there in akron. >> nothing like that sound of a roller coaster right before you go over the big hill. still ahead a miraculous rescue caught on camera plus an update on a hospitalization of former president h.w. bush. what jeb bush is saying about his dad. especially when you're in accounts receivable. only one detergent can give you a sniff like this... try gain botanicals laundry detergent. one of the many irresistible scents from gain.

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and but the guy's stronger than an ox. back oust icu and hopefully will be leaving the hospital on friday. so for those that believe in faith i hope you'll pray for my d dad. i am not objective about this. i am totally biased about is it. but i believe he's the greatest man alive and i want him to stay alive a little bit longer. >> at 93 years old. george h.w. bush is the longest living former president. leading the news, a 12-year-old boy trapped underwater in a south carolina resort swimming pool is alive tonight thanks to some quick thinking from one of the hotel guests. video shows two boys swimming around a pool and then they remove a metal grate and one of the boys gets stuck. that's the metal grate. rescue efforts then began. it was not easy, though. it took eight minutes before they were finally able to get him out. here's nbc news's gabe gutierrez with more on this life-saving ordeal. >> reporter: the surveillance video shows two boys playing in a resort pool last month in

north myrtle beach, south carolina. police say one of the boys appears to pry open a safety grate. the 12-year-old is seen diving into the pool to get a closer look at the suction pipe. but then his leg gets stuck. >> he's drowning right now. we need somebody now. >> reporter: his friend frantically tries to free him 37 when he can't, he calls nearby adults for help. >> the only thing i thought of was this little boy's been underwater too long. >> reporter: shawn skursky, an off-duty corrections officer, races in. >> you i just figured he needed some kind of oxygen at the time. so i just went underwater and i started to breathe into his mouth for him until i got extra help. >> reporter: the boy submerged for about eight minutes before first responders pulled him out. he's rushed to the hospital and survives. >> he's out of the water. is he breathing or not? >> just stand by. >> reporter: the vista resort tells nbc news evidence confirms that the boy and his companion dislodged the grate before he caught his foot. this past summer more than 160

kids in the u.s. drowned in pools and spas, but this boy is out of the hospital. >> i felt i had to do, and i'm glad i did it. >> reporter: and shawn skursky is among those being credited with saving his life. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >> wow. he's out of the hospital. so many things could have gone wrong even if he had lived. >> eight minutes. i can't wrap my head around that. still ahead here, double dare and a doppelganger. plus it's not quite the royal wedding yet, but here's a preview what meghan markle may look like when she marries prince harry. my bargain detergent couldn't keep up. it was mostly water. so, i switched to tide pods. they're super concentrated, so i get a better clean. i mean, i give away water for free. i'm not about to pay for it in my detergent. #1 trusted. #1 awarded it's got to be tide. and for a plant-based clean,

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melania trump's wax figure was revealed at madam tussaud's today, and they put it right next to the wax figure of donald. take a look at the big moment. there it is. yeah. it is so realistic even the wax melania refuses to hold hands with donald. that's how -- that is so realistic. >> wow. that's realism. >> they talk to each other the same amount, though. they talk to each other -- >> a little pinkie. >> nickelodeon has a splash of exciting news. it's bringing back the kids' game show favorite "double dare." remember that? pitted two teams of kids against each other in trivia, physical challenges. it was an often messy obstacle course involved too. and we can't forget the green slime. the original series ran from 1986 to 1993, and it briefly returned in 2000. well, now it is coming back with

40 all new episodes. it's going to start this summer. they're going to pick a new host to replace mark summers. that will be announced in the next few weeks. but this is something that when i was growing up all i wanted was to be on that show. >> we all did. it's going to be fun to see what kind of challenges they have this time around. i'm sure they're going to up their game. >> i'm excited. turns out president trump has an unexpected doppelganger. in spain. take a look at his doppelganger. this is dolores lease from northern spain. her photo went viral for her resemblance to the leader of the free world. she told a local paper she thinks it's -- oh, my gosh. >> oh, man. >> i see it. >> i don't know. what do you think? let's chime in. oh, cannot wait to read the comments below this. just ahead, it is a family affair. why you could see some fresh faces at the office today. you're watching "early today."

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now the story of what could have been. alan sheppard may have been the first american to travel to sfas, but a new netflix documentary "mercury 13" is shedding light on those qualified few who could have reached the stars first if it weren't for their gender. >> those bright female pilots from almost 60 years ago who passed the same tests as the male nasa-selected astronauts but they never got the chance to rocket up to space. nbc's lester holt has that story. >> why do you think there's a need for women in space? >> well, it's the same thing as is there a need for men in space. >> reporter: almost 60 years ago a doctor hired by nasa to screen the all-male astronaut candidates decided to give the same intense exams to women

pilots with big dreams. >> i really wanted to be in space to see -- to get an idea of what the universe looked like. >> reporter: sarah ratley and so did 12 others known as the mercury 13. when president lyndon johnson found out, he wrote in a memo, "let's stop this now." but the mercury 13 were determined to prove women had the right stuff. >> do you think it will be difficult for a woman astronaut to also have a family? >> i've accomplished the production of eight children and in the process of raising them, and i've still been able to acquire 2,000 hours of flying time and considerable aeronautic experience. >> reporter: their dreams were grounded but their fight lay the groundwork for future women. >> this was a frontier for women to go on to do things, that we were going to get through that glass ceiling. >> reporter: three decades later they watched eileen collins, the

first female space shuttle pilot, at the home. >> go! for all of us. >> felt like we've made it, finally. >> reporter: 13 women who reached for the stars but were ahead of their time. >> glad their contributions are finally being recognized. that was lester holt reporting. meghan markle has said her tv good-bye to acting last night, in the two-hour season finale of the hit legal drama "suits" that made her a household name. markle's character got married. a fictional look ahead to what's in store for the bride-to-be in reality. no spoilers but her character was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. after seven seasons markle has decided to depart from acting and focus on her royal duties after she ties the note with prince harry on may 19th, in just 23 days. >> whole world waits. fast-forwarding into thursday, the jury in the bill cosby sexual assault case will resume deliberations after its first full day yesterday ended without a verdict. epa chief scott pruitt will find himself in front of congress blasted with questions

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yep, this is my third one today. the new cholula buttery jack. part of the buttery jack family. only at jack in the box. so hang on, friday is nearly here. welcome to thursday morning. almost to the weekend. we're all just hanging on. at least we get a beautiful vista as we look outside by the bay san francisco. good morning to you and thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. we'll get to traffic in a moment. right now we turn to meteorologist kari hall with the weather. >> it will be a little cooler today but we begin with the clouds again this morning. a nice start. not as cool as temperatures in the 50s as we take a live look outside in san jose. mostly cloudy as we go to santa teresa, cloud mixture. nothing but bright sunshine in the afternoon.