a protest against i.c.e. at the statue of liberty prompted arrests. plus a four-hour standoff with one demonstrator that ended with police special forces. >> president trump's list of seven candidates to replace retiring justice anthony kennedy is believed now to be down to these two. >> high temperares are helping to fuel 60 large wildfires across 11 states with little relief in the forecast. >> new images from inside the cave of the trapped soccer players and their coach as everyone awaits a solution to their rescue. >> and meet mia tisdale. what she managed to accomplish will have you smiling. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm melissa rehberger in for frances. >> and i'm phillip mena.

as americans celebrated the 4th of july, a surprising security breach here in new york city. ngwoman s statue of liberty after an abolish i.c.e. protest all while the city was under heightened security for the holiday. police evacuated liberty island as a precaution. they say it took about three hours to coax this woman down under some very dangerous circumstances. >> the angles that we had to go on, it was difficult to stand there. there was nothing for us to grab. it was covered on the copper. we really couldn't anchor to that. >> the protester was later identified at 44-year-old teresa patricia okumo of staten island. earlier in the day authorities are arrested seven protests with a group rise and resister readig abolish i.c.e. at the statue. one member confirmed to nbc new york that okuma was part of their group but saidaso planni statue. okumo now faces seveeral expect

today. >> the president spent his second independence day as commander in chief greeting men and women of the armed forces at the white house. he hosted a picnic for the military families. he thanked them for their service and their willingness to put their lives on the line in defense of the country. >> to every service member here today and stationed around the world -- they're all watching -- and to your incredible families, these are truly unbelievable people. thank you for keeping america safe, strong, proud, mighty and free. >> and while it was a celebratory affair in the nation's capital, the work behind the scenes continued closer to his monday as the self-imposed clock ticks announcement, nbc's peter alexander has more from the white house. >> happy 4th of july. >> reporter: president trump celebrating america's independence with service members and their families. >> thank you for keeping america safe, strong, proud, mighty and free.

>> reporter: building suspense around his supreme court pick that could spark more fireworks. >> these are very talented people, brilliant people. i think you're going to really love it. >> reporter: the president relishing a second opportunity to put his stamp on a more conservative court narrowing his list to seven candidates with tua peels court judges as leading contend erders, kavanagd amy barrett. kavanagh clerked for retiring justice anthony kennedy, drawing support from establishment republicans. opposed to government regulation. >> has a real mastery of administrative law, so i think anyone should view his experience as a huge plus. >> reporter: barrett at 46 would be the youngest justice, a catholic who became a shero to social conservatives during her last confirmation hearing. senator dianne feinstein questioned whether her faith would affect her legal judgment. >> the dogma lives loudly within you. >> reporter: ultimately, the senate will have to confirm any nominee with maine republican

susan collins now targeted by new ads from an abortion rights group, trying to guarantee that she'll block any pick who would overturn roe v. wade. >> if a nominee has demonstrated hostility to roe v. wade and has said that they're not going to abide by that long-standing precedent, that i could not support that nominee. >> reporter: on the 4th of july, the president spent his afternoon at his virginia golf club and aides tell me he also spoke by phone to advisors about his supreme court pick. after watching the fireworks last night, the political pyrotechnics will heat up. the president today heads to montana where there is a contentious senate race. phillip? >> all right, peter, thank you. >> massive wildfires burning in the western united states are prompting new dangers. the fires rage through the 4th of july forcing several cities to cancel celebrations. and today authorities warn of a deadly heat wave cascading westward, stirring fire

conditions. and colorado the most destructive blaze this year has incinerated more than 100 homes. the spring fire is responsible for charring nearly 95,000 acres in one week. and outside of salt lake city, new evacuations have been ordered overnight. a reported 58 wildfires are currently ablaze in ten states out west. tearing through land and property, putting thousands at risk. over on the east coast, there may be relief in sight from the soaring heat, but along the west the temperatures into the 90s could threaten even more unstable conditions. >> hot dog eating legend joey jaws chestnut is going to have to make a little room in his st becoming coney island champion again. he won his 11th prize. nathan's 4th of july hot dog eating contest, he beat out 20 other contest ants. not only setting a new record for the competition, but he broke his own world record, too, by stuffing 74 hot dogs in his

face in ten minutes. in the women's division las vegas native miki suto taking home the belt two years in a row. she ate 7 hot dogs in ten minutes beating out 19 people. >> probably has heartburn. >> at least. >> turning to tyler whehailand e soccer team and their coach has been in the cave, they are coming with different ways to get this many out. janice mackie frayer has more from thailand. >> reporter: the boys and soccer coach appear in good spirits. new video shows them smiling and laughing with thai navy divers. the doctor treats their cuts and then one by one they send messages to their families. i'm in good health, he says. another flashes a victory sign. but the boys are also at risk. heavy rains could push water

levels higher inside the cave. that threat is forcing thai officials to consider an evacuation soon. the province, the governor said, if there is a risk we will not move them out. rescue workers are doing drills preparing for the moment the boys are brought to the surface, while officials say they are getting a crash course in diving and wearing full-face masks. none of them can even swim. we spoke to a diver advising the rescue team who has been inside the cave about the mission. you're not confident they can do it? >> i think they can. i think it's possible. v make and it's very easy to --. >> reporter: he says a safer option may be drilling a hole a half mile down right to the cave so the boys can avoid risky swim and trek. that's at least 2 1/2 miles to the cave's entrance.

some passage way is too narrow for scuba gear. round the clock pumping has reduced water levels, but rain could increase water levels that could cut off access for divers. families watching the new video of the boys are anxious to be reunited. this mother is saying, i'm dying to see him. i miss my son. when rescuers do make the move here, the governor now says they may not bring all the boys out at the same time. that it will depend on conditions, how strong they are, and whether rescuers believe they can pull it off. a story g of england where an urgent investigation is underway after britain's top counterterrorism official announced two people are in critical condition after they were poisoned by the very same nerve agent that hit an ex-russian spy and his daughter four months ago. while police say no one else in the area have come down with the same symptoms that left the

couple critically injured and unconscious, they are unable to discover where they came in contact with that deadly nerve agent. with the police now retracing the couple's steps and cordoning off one place after another before someone else gets hurt. nbc's matt bradley has more from london. >> reporter: espionage and intrigue, once again striking the sleepy corn earn of england. investigators say british nationals don sturgis and charlie rattly who fell ill last saturday were poisoned. >> following the detailed analysis of those samples, we can confirm that the man and woman have been exposed to the nerve agent. >> reporter: the victims of the same deadly nerve agent believed to have been used four months ago in the attempted assassination of former russian double agent sergey skripal and his daughter. seven miles away from the town of salisbury. british counterterrorism officials say there is no evidence theere specifically targeted, but they couldn't say how the pair were poisoned. but the couple did visit a park in salisbury the day before. the pair remain in critical

condition as police cordon off place they visited. sam hob son was with the couple when they fell ill. >> they got up and started acting weird. he said he thought he'd been poisoned. >> reporter: he said he was sweating profusely, rocking back and forth and had pinpoint pupils before he collapsed. all symptoms of nova chock poisoning the same russian nerve agent that killed the skripals in march. it set off a huge diplomatic incident with the u.s., u.k. and other countriesssia denied any n the poisoning and now a deepening news,on forecast with bill karins. >> i'd love to stop talking about the heat advisory numbers. heat advisory from areas of montana throughout the ohio valleyr new england. we've shrunk it a little bit. but this cold front coming down from the north will eliminate

the northern half from our summer heat wave. temperatures today will begin to drop already. so some of the heat numbers today kansas city will feel like 99, chicago will feel like 100. columbus, ohio will feel like 100. memphis today feeling like 100. here's the good news as we head towards the weekend. that cold front makes it all the way to charlotte. it will be in the low 80s this weekend. new york city looks perfect, detroit, too, very enjoyable days ahead. that's a look at the big wther story eaof canadian air into bismarck and fargo and duluth with highs in upper 70s. mh wait and much hoped for. >> thank you. >> no world cup action on wednesday, but it was day three at wimbledon. the williams sisters had a strong showing in their win in

three sets while serena cruised to the next round. federer looking to add another grand slam to his vast collection. he rolled into the next round winning easily in straight sets. wozniak i was plagued by tons of unforced errors and was upset in three sets. >> just ahead, a twist in the tupac shakur and a stolen dog found his way home. olay regenerist whip. olay whips absorbs faster than the $100, $200, and even $400 cream. i really really love this. i will 100% swap up my moisturizer. can i have it? olay whips. try whips with spf 25. finally, sun protection that feels light as air. are so thick... so fluffy... so delicious... (whisper) karen, karen you've got to try this

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leading the news this morning, oil prices dropped overnight after president trump blasted opec, tweeting at the oil organization to do more to stabilize the market and, quote, reduce pricing now. the commander in chief adding, the opec monopoly must remember that gas prices are up and they are doing little to help. if anything, they are driving prices higher. as the united states defends many of their members for very little money. >> las vegas police are shutting down new reports surrounding rapponfession from a former gan m in a new netflix documentary series. duane keith davis claims it was his nephew orlando anderson who

killed tupac in a drive by shooting. he was a prime suspect but always denied his involvement. the revelation triggered fans to create an online petition your honoring the police to clear the rapper's murder case. it's reached 2,500 signatures. >> university preparatory charter school for young men is under investigation after the school's first black valedictorian jaisaan lovett was denied a chance to speak at graduation like past recipients had done. when asked why they wouldn't let him speak, they told the rochester democrat and chronicle he didn't want to see the speech, what it said, nothing. he just said no. when it got to the mayor, lovett him platform to give his ely speech on the city's youtube page. >> i'm here as the u prep 2018 valedictorian to tell you that you couldn't break me and i'm still here.

i'm still here strong. and after all these years -- >> level et will ovett will be clark this fall. they are reviewing circumstances and related guidelines and school policies. a florida dog is back home this morning with quite the tale. guido the pug was reunited with his owner tuesday. a thief stole murry's car with his pup still in it. the thief later abandon the the dog behind a grocery store and he wandered into a nearby laundry business where an employee took him in and detectives were able to get him back home. >> they look very happy. well, just ahead this ltl girl named mia had the "early today" team smiling. her story is up next. simpari-what? simparica is what kills tick and fleas, like us. kills? kills! studies show at the end of the month, it kills more ticks in less time than frontline plus and nexgard. guess we should mosey on.

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fast forwarding into your thursday, the man charged in the deadly car attack in charlottesville, virginia, is set to appear in court. james fields, jr. has been d wh a hate crime in the death of heather heyer and faces the death penalty if convicted. >> rhonda rousy will become the first woman ever inductsed into the ufc hall of fame. she defended her times between 2013 and 2015 and has a 12 and 2 fight record. >> today is the day lawyers for michael cohen and trump organization must wrap up their review of files of documents

seized in a raid earlier this year. a judge says anything not deemed privileged will be turned over to prosecutors. >> this morning there is a trending video out there you just have to see. it is a video going viral for all the right reasons. check it out. >> just a little one. >> i'm walking, yes! >> yes! that is 4-year-old mia tisdale in michigan. those were her joyful first steps ever on her own. mia who has cerebral palsy had an operation two months ago aimed at helping her walk. it seems to have worked wonderfully. >> that is precious. just ahead, party like it is 1776 from fireworks to parades. we'll look at how america celebrated its 242nd birthday. ♪ ♪

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...they're just too good not to share l'eggo your eggo ♪ ♪ the nation capped off its 242nd birthday celebration with a bang. this massive fireworks display lit up the nation's capital. part of the country's longest running national july 4th tv tradition, wrapping up a day packed with performances from music icons including the temptations and the beach boys among others. in boston, the uss constitution, the world's oldest commissioned war ship fiefred a 21 gun salut in the boston harbor. in full swing america's pass time, mlb players showed photos dressed to the 9s dressed in

red, white and blue. these furry creatures donned their best july 4th outfits. 40 dogs participated in the parade competing for awards, most patriotic dog. all time honored traditions, it held a deeper meaning for more than 100 immigrants who were sworn in at mt. vernon, home of the nation's first president. >> coming up, a slam dunk for diplomacy between north and south korea. it's funny really, nobody ever does it and yet it happens.

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including nbc report that kim regime has increased its nuclear production at secret sites despite that historic handshake and summit between kim and the president. pompeo's visit will come a day after north and south korea took steps to restore their diplomatic ties in a different way, taking part in two days of tournament. it's the first such game between the two countries in 15 years. >> in seattle a large blaze is under control after it broke out in an a warehouse in the city's industrial area. seattle firefighters responded to reports of a 3-alarm fire near the space needle. it is the second large fire in that area in under a week. the blaze sent thick black smoke high in the air and could be seen throughout the city. no injuries are reported. fire officials tweeted late last night they were surrounding the warehouse with water from the outside to contain the fire. crews remained on the scene all night. the cause of the fire is not known. >> most of us love the sights and sounds of fireworks. of course the 4th of july tradition can be terrifying,

though, for pets. according to the aspca, the holiday is the third most disruptive day of the year for emergency veterinary offices after christmas andday. during the fireworks, pets can often become disoriented and frightened by the sudden loud noises and causes unnecessary stress for them. with more celebrations on the way this weekend, the humane society is suggesting you should maybe leave your pet safely indoors with a radio or tv turned on to mask those jarring noises. >> here's a truly heroicverse h the 20-year mark and to celebrate usa today ranked them all. ironman 2 brought out the bottom of the l sequel to ant man tookbe14, thr original. the one that started it all came in at number 10, the original iron-man avengers affinity war was ranked 6. "black panther," avengers, captain america civil war were top five. guardians of the galaxy, top spot 2014 captain america, the winter soldier.

>> just wait until the summer soldier, the weather man comes out. that will be a good series. >> number 21 on that list. all right. the heat is over the middle of the country. s to bino th west. that will give relief this weekend to areas of the great lakes, ohio valley and northeast. the heat will really crank here in areas of the west. look at today 114 in phoenix. still very warm and humid in other areas ich melissa rehberg. >> i'm phillip mena. thanks for watching "early today". the newsontinues here on nbc. c . ad lib live picture-- san

francisco and good thursday morning to you, july 5th for you as we take a lye look at san francisco where last night, through the fog, you could see the fireworks and a different site this morning. thank you for starting your thursd thursday morning with us. >> i'm in for laura garcia who is off this week. we want to get a look at the forecast, because holiday is behind us, and we are looking forward to the weekend. >> it is goi to be hot and this heatup is going to start today. we will have a wide range of temperatures from san cupertino to morgan hills and inland in

the 90s and oakland 73 and 61 in half moon bay while pal loe