breaking overnight, a rescue diver is killed during the cave rescue of the trapped soccer team. new details just ahead. >> this morning u.s. exports are frozen overseas as a trade war with china begins. amid a multi billion dollar tariffs and the high stakes at this time ftit for tat. >> a f including massive fires, record high temperatures and even a giant haboob. >> a real-life mom who pulled a gun on a high jacker threatening to take her kids. >> a very close call for one wedding day couple. heads up. "early today" starts right now.

>> good friday morning to you. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. breaking overnight, a former thai navy seal has made the ultimate sacrifice trying to rescue the young soccer team trapped in a flooded cave nearly two weeks now. >> authorities in thailand say suman kunan ran out of oxygen placing tanks throughout the cave for a potential rescue mission. this as rescuers race against time before monsoon rains bring even more flooding. nbc's bill neely brimgsz us the latest from the cave. >> reporter: the world is watching them, but they want out. a dozen boys with brave faces, their rescuers with one huge problem, flood water. divers struggling to fight it. the boys still too weak to cross it. they can't swim, a to the cave . but getting a crash course on diving, but the risks are deadly. the narrow passage ways a trap even for the experts.

>> it's quite challenging obviously. zero visible, it's confined space, so it's a challenge. it' desperate because it's a race against time. getting rid of water before the monsoon rains fill the caves again. they are pumping millions of gallons of water out of the caves every day. meanwhile up on the hills, up to 30 teams are looking for holes or shafts they could use to winch the boys out. with no rain for three days, commanders are now tempted to try a fast rescue. i there's 90% safety, says the governor, we're ready to bring the boys out. two of them had birthdays this week. no celebrations here. just preparations for a rescue that can't come soon enough. and the rescuers know the clock is against forecast this weeke. so little time to strengthen

those boys, train them in under water masks, and then take the rithe risk. and doctors are clear those boys aren't up to it yet. philip, frances? >> bill, thank you. >> the epa head is out. scott pruitt resigned from his post amid ethics scandals the last few months. pruitt faces more than a dozen separate ethics investigations. it wasn't just environmental activists and democrats calling for his ouster. it was republican members of congress as well. even as president trump continuously defended him. the agency will now be led by interim chief and former coal industry wheeler. >> reporter: for epa administrator scott pruitt, eths scandals, pruitt, one of the most controversial original trump cabinet level picks president trump aboard one tweeting, i've accepted the resignation of scott pruitt. adding, scott has done an outstanding job. a relaxed pruitt spotted here at

the white house at the president apartments 4th of july picnic. but under siege from 15 federal ethics in inquiries many zeroing in on spending including unprecedented security detail, frequent first class air travel and a $43,000 soundproof phone booth installed in his office. >> much of what has been targeted towards me and my team has been half truths or at best stories that have been so twisted they do not resemble reality. >> reporter: just this week a school teacher confronting pruitt at a d.c. restaurant. >> so, i would urge you to resign before your scandals push you out. >> reporter: in his resignation letter pruitt acknowledges the unrelenting attacks on me personally, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a sizeable toll on all os f aggr rolling back obama-era environmental protections undercutting the cleern water act, and stalling tougher fuel economy standards. the president praising him just

last month. >> scott pruitt is doing a great job within the walls of the epa. we're setting records. >> reporter: this morning the president says there was no final straw that scott pruitt first came to him a couple of days ago and chose to resign. still, his departure will not change the agency's direction. pruitt's replacement, his deputy andrew wheeler, a former lobbyist for the coal industry. phillip? >> all right, peter, thank you. >> president trump is waking up in bedminster, new jersey this morning after riling up his base at a make america great again rally in great falls, montana. in a wide ranging speech he spoke about the supreme court pick and his relationship with russia. he also railed against hiscrics elizabeth warren, reviving the name to apologize i'll use tonight, pocahontas, i apologize to you. i apologize. to you i oge.

to the fake pocahontas, i won't apologize. i will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity paid for by trump if you take the test and it shows you're an indian. >> senator warren fired back on twitter saying, you obsess over my jooergenes, your admin is te dna of kids you ripped from their mama. just after five journalists were killed at the "capital gazette" newspaper in maryland, president trump was once again attacking the media. >> fake news, bad people. they say, a source within thead. they make the sources up. they don't exist in many cases these are really bad people. >> and fox business correspondent charles gasparino,

just heard potus claimed anonymous sources. this is complete b.s. he knows it. >> simmering tensions over tariffs erupting in a full-blown trade war between the u.s. and china overnight. the trump administration slapped tariffs on $34 billion worth of chinese exports at midnight eastern. china's commerce ministry slammed the decision issuing a statement that accuses the u.s. of launching the largest trade war in economic history to date and it appears china is already taking counter a. the port of shanghai has reportedly put a hold on clearing u.s. imports through customs. nbc's chris pollone has more. good morning, chris. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. this trade war is on and as you said, it started at 12:1 eastern expand these tariffs to another $16 billion worth of goods soon. chinese media reports say the country has already responded

imposing tariffs on $34 billion worth of u.s. goods. poultry, corn, soybeans, pork, things that hit the american bread basket hard. now, people even in the president's own party feared that the trade battle could raise prices for u.s. consumers and for businesses and slow down economic growth. but the president says that this is necessary to level the playing field for u.s. businesses. live in washington, i'm chris pollone, philip, let's go back to you. >> chris, thank you. >> the clock is ticking as the president narrows down the list for the supreme court seat. a source familiar with the washington, amy michigan. andaymond kethledge. pete williams tells us more. >> reporter: president trump has apparently narrowed the list to three federal appeals court judges. a source familiar with the news it's brett kavanagh of washington and

raymond kethledge of michigan, both former anthony kennedy clerks and amy coney barrett a former antonin scalia clerk. >> we can't under estimate how important the second amendment is to the president's base. judge kethledge is an avid outdoors man and hunter. >> reporter: kavanagh faces some conservative opposition over his time serving in the bush white house. he says that's a plus. >> be i believe my white house experience made me a more knowledgeable judge essential and also a more independent judge. >> reporter: and barrett a mike lee despite an endorsement from senator ted cruz of texas who says lee'sm would be a sure thing. democrats are still smarting over the senate's refusal two years ago to even consider president obama's final nominee merrick garland. senator chuck schumer says

nominating garland now would unify the country. the choice will be revealed monday night, 9:00 p.m., at the white house. pete williams, nbc news, washington. >> unrelenting weather is assaulting much of the united states with heavy flooding on the east coast, ravaging wildfires in the west and the first major dust storm of the monsoon season rolling through the phoenix area. experts are calling the massive blazes out west the worst in decades during an unusually active season. in colorado the spring creek fire, the largest in the state, burned 16 acres every minute. in wine country, the county fire is jeopardizing over 1500 homes and structures and in pittsburgh people there are suffering the onslaught as are stranded as th head out in the rains and doors extreme record flooding. the dust whippin across the state. temperatures shattered a record 115 degrees. >> wow. for some of us we're going to

get a good drenching. let's check in with meteorologist bill karins. it's going to get wet. >> ending the heat wave in areas of the northeast. we took d.c. out of the flash flood watch. good news for you. still new york city, philadelphia, boston, providence, everyone has a chance with storms dumping rain in a short period of time. between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. new york to boston to providence and hartford by about 2:00 or 3:00 p.m., that is gone and shifts further to the south. later this evening we have evening plans around nashville, ashville, raleigh, charlotte, memphis, you wille dodging b the enjoyable air that will be coming down even to the mid-at and over the weekend, people are going to see some of the best summer-like conditions they've had in a while.

>> we've been waiting for this. definitely been hot. bill, thanks. >> a world war ii veteran is going viral after throwing the opening pitch before a minor league baseball game. 104-year-old frank anderson invited to toss out the ceremonial first pitch for the memphis red birds on 4th of july. here comes the pitch. winding her up. that throw is trending this morning. 104, my goodness. >> still ahead, a citizenship set back for immigrants in the u.s. army. keep it right here. this is nbc "early today." >> on a friday. ♪ ♪

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two rhino poachers were eaten by lions after they were sneaking around a south african gserv ea. police and an anti-poaching unit found an axe, three pairs of shoes, gloves and human remains near a pride of lions when they arrived on the scene. south africa is home to more than 80% of the world's rhino population, but that number is

quickly declining thanks to poachers coming from vietnam and china where rhino horns are used for traditional medicine. a police forensic team continues to investigate the area for more clues. >> sad news this morning about one much our former colleagues here at nbc. the host of the ed show on msnbc for six years has died. ed schultz's son told the associated press his father died of natural causes thursday in washington. scfargo, north dakota. he worked in radio as a conservative talk show host before changing h msnbcrica in . ed schultz was 64 years. roadblock in the path to citizenship for u.s. military members. the associated press is reporting that th army is recruits. immigration attorneys say in more than 40 minutes and women who enlisted through a special recruitment program have been kicked out of thethe program al with legal status to enlist and earn citizenship after receiving

an honorable service designation. a pentagon spokesperson told the a.p. they couldn't explain the discharges because of pending litigation. >> the deepening mystery behind the poisoning of a british couple. and of course it's the really tough stains that nobody ever does ready? really? i didn't do it so when i heard they added ultra oxi to the cleaning power of tide, i knew it was just what we needed so now we can undo all the tough stains that nobody did dad? i didn't do it huh, he didn't do it introducing new tide ultra oxi; it's got to be tide ♪ ♪ the best way to get together is with a treat you make together. ♪ ♪ another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen.

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in today's quick hits, the red hen in lexington, virginia is reopened for business. the restaurant came under fire for refusing to serve white house press secretary sarah huckabee sanders last month. the reopening day drew both protesters and a house full of customers.

>> two weeks after its birth, the dallas zoo's newest baby gorilla finally made its debut. it is spending time with its parents. we're saying he or she because the animal's gender and name will be announced in the coming weeks. the first gorilla born in the n madrid, years. dozens strutted their stuff or tried to at least in the high-heel race. you see the large crowds there. some competitors are required to wear heels a minimum of 6 inches. one of the events celebrating pride week. >> new at nbc.com, the mystery is deepening over the couple in the u.k.. the same powerful nerve agent that almost killed a former russian spy and his daughter, investigators now believe they now how the toxin was transmitted in the most recent case. but u.k. officials suspect it is more than just a coincidence and are calling for an explanation from russia. nbc's matt bradley has the latest on the investigation from london. matt, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, frances and phillip. it seems that the question here

that everybody had was just answered by britain's counterterrorism force. they're housed here at new scotland yard behind me. they said this their hypothesis that they're working on is that these tua tacks were linked. the novichok attack that a stacked the skripals, the former russian double agent in march and his daughter, and this one that was just recently this past weekend in the salisbury area that afflicted this couple, those two, they now believe, were linked. they believe that this couple in salisbury might have infected themselves somehow by picking up some object that was smeared with residue from the substance that afflicted the skripals back in march. now, this could bring up a new round of diplomatic recriminations between britain and russia, but it could also lead to a lot of questions from among the british public because back in march, british medical officers and police said that that whole area in salisbury where the skripals had been infected was completely clear

and everything was fine. they said the same thing just in the past couple of days. so it's a big question. can the british public trust that the area around salisbury is, in fact, clear and safe? that's a question that's going to have a lot of political implications in the coming weeks. frances? il>>matt, thank you. >> just ahead, billas ter a carjacker threatens to take her kids. i need to shave m. weekends are my time. i need an insulin that fits my schedule. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ (announcer) tresiba® is used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. don't use tresiba® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. don't share needles or insulin pens. don't reuse needles. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause dizziness, sweating, confusion, and headache. check your blood sugar. low blood sugar can be serious and may be life-threatening. injection site reactions may occur. tell your prescriber about all medicines you take and all your medical conditions. taking tzds with insulins, like tresiba®,

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how about a g sunday in some spots? >> sounds good, thank you, bill. a mom rjinker. when your blanket's freshness fades before the binge-watching begins... that's when you know, it's half-washed. next time, add downy fabric conditioner. downy conditions fibers with a long-lasting fresh scent.

so your blanket will stay fresh through next week's finale.s do. coming up on "sunday today," willie geist sits down with one of the pga's fastest growing stars. here he is with a sneak peek. hey, willie, good morning. >> good morning, guys. good to see you as always. this week my guest on "sunday today" is golf phenom jordan spieth. i sat down with him in dallas ahead of the british open where he'll be defending his title in a couple of weeks. we talked about his meteoric rise winning the masters at just 21 years old, how his family has kept him grounded as the star has risen and his thoughts on g with jordan spieth plus the latest news and

politics this weekend on "sunday today." you can catch us in the morning or set your dvr and watch any time. now i'll send it back to you, frances and phillip and i'llood. thanks. >> one texas mother's trip to the gas staifying fight to save children. the woman opened fire on a carjacker who tried to steal her suv with her kids still inside. the mom said she feels she did what was necessary to protect her young toddlers. nbc's catie beck has more on the family's harrowing ordeal. >> nothing but five minutes. >> reporter: still shaken, michelle asked us not to reveal her identity. >> everyone wants to do anything to my kids, you know, i would do what i need to do to protect them. by any means necessary. >> reporter: around 10:00 wednesday night, michelle stepped inside a shell station, leaving her two toddlers waiting in the car. she says she returned finding a man she didn't know in the driver's seat of her car, attempting to drive away with her children inside.

>> i don't know what he was coming after. i don't know what was his intentions, so you know, for it to happen to me a woman, he problemably thought he was going to get away with it. >> reporter: police identify that man as 36-year-old ricky wright. smith quickly managed to get inside the moving suv, demanding that wright stop the car. when he refused, she pulled a gun from her glove compartment, shooting him, forcing the vehicle to crash into a telephone pole. michelle and her children were not hurt. wright was taken to the hospital, now facing charges. catie beck, nbc news. >> that is a mama bear right there taking care of her kids. >> that was a prime opportunity. nope. as many people know weddings can be very unpredictable. look what happened in western new york. everything fine taking this video. looking up, woops, what is that? crashing from the sky, a large branch. that could have done some major damage. thankfully they escaped. they also escaped with their drinks in hand. not a spill to be had. everyone was okay.

getting those drinks, cheersing to them and life as well. right? >> yep, they're going to be skirting all sorts of things throughout that marriage. what a way to start off. >> i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. thanks for watching "early today." be sure to follow us, face books, twitter instagram,east b

a health alert. i )m kris sanchez -- in for laura. and i )m marcus washington. let )s get straight to it. a health advisory for people living in martinez and pacheco. officials say there )s been an (incident at the shell refinery in martinez. this is the alert that )s going out right now. it says people with respiratory sensitivities could be affected. there )s apparently an issue wih a unit at the refinery. and a potential for odors to leave the refinery. however most will not be affected. no word yet on what the incident is. our sharon katsuda is heading to the refinery. we )ll have no word on what the incident is.

we are heading to the refinery right now. we'll have a live report as soon as she