michael cohen in the crosshairs. the new fraud allegations against president trump's former lawyer. totaling over $20 million. california in flames. crews fight to get a handle on a new fast-moving wildfire scorching a trail of destruction in that fire-ravaged states. cool off with a pupcicle, the new trend going viral this morning. "early today" a report of president trump's former personal lawyer and fixer. michael cohen is reportedly under investigation for more than $20 million in bank and tax fraud. according to "the new york

times" report, federal authorities are honing in on loans taken out by taxi businesses that cohen and his family own. they are also looking into how he handled income from his taxing giants. the paper sources say prosecutors are considering filing charges at the end of the month. if the charges aren't finalized by then, they'll likely wait until after the midterm elections. >> cohen is also facing investigation into whether he violated campaign finance laws when he arranged payoffs to two women, including stormy daniels. neither woman came forward in the weeks leading up to the election. "the times" reports cohen could still plead guilty or strike a deal withpeounsel robert mueller. we could get a verdict today in the trial of paul manafort. jurors are heading into a third day of deliberations. weighing the fate of president trump's former campaign chairman. manafort is facing a slew of tax and bank fraud charges that predate his time with the campaign.

the case has courtroom on edge. the judge says he's already received threats and jurors are scared what a verdict will mean for them. nbc'san minnis joins us from d.c. on more what we can expect. susan? >> that's right. the jury reconvenes in three hours from now in alexandria, virginia. a verdict could come today and ahead of that the president made some comments. this whole manafort trial, the president said, is very sad. sad day for our country, and the president says, he worked for me for a very short period of time, he happens to be a very good person. many people believe with comments like that out there, they are shocked this jury was not sequestered over the weekend. some believe manafort is holding out from a pardon t president. the president is not addressing that in particular. manafort's attorney says mr. manafort is appreciative of any support the president gives. this is the first case that special counsel mueller has brought as part of the russia election interference probe. back to you guys. >> all right, susan, thank you.

president trump's battle with his critics and the intelligence community is heating up this morning. former cia director and nbc news national security analyst john brennan said he's considering legal action. meanwhile, mr. trump launching a new attack on the media via twitter, lashing out over a "new york times" report that revealed don mcgann is cooperating with the special counsel's investigation into russian election meddling. jennifer johnson is in washington to help break it all down for us. >> reporter: former cia director john brennan firing back after president trump revoked his security clearance last week. the president is threaten ping to do the same to nine other high profile critics. >> i am going to do whatever i can personally to try to prevent these abuses in the future. and if it means going to court, i will do that. >> reporter: over 75 intelligence officials have denounced the president's decision. even members of his own party think he's gone too far. >> you don't have to yank the

security clearance. just don't give them access to classified material. it's pretty simple. >> reporter: president trump went on a twitter attack after reports don mcgann is cooperating with special counsel robert mueller's russia election meddling investigation. dean, the white house counsel for president nixon during watergate. mueller and his investigations, he said, have nothing on the president. >> this whole mcgann thing leaked from them. if they had some kind of evidence that there was collusion or there was obctio don't you think it would have been leaked? they leak everything else. >> reporter: giuliani believes mcgann is a strong witness for the president, despite not knowing everything mcgann said to mueller, but the presida he n and others to testify, since he has nothing to hide. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. breaking overnight, a u.s. military helicopter conducting a joint counterterrorism mission has crashed in iraq, leaving one

coalition service member dead and multiple others injured. no specifics yet on their nationalities or where the chopper went down. the military says there is no indication the crash was caused by hostile fire. an investigation is under way. also breaking overnight out of turkey, authorities say six shots were fired from a moving car at a security booth outside the u.s. embassy in ankara. fortunately, no one was injured. the attack comes amid strained ties between ankara and the u.s. the embassy is closed this week as turkey celebrates a religious holiday. continuing the search for two, quote, cold-bloodied killers who gunned down two people celebrating a birthday friday. that's just the latest in a rash of shootings leaving residents on edge. the crimes appear to be random, but similarities in the cases have police wondering if they may be connected. we'll get the latest from nbc's

maya rodriguez. >> reporter: a rash of fatal shootings and armed robberies rattling the music city. >> definitely scary. it struck a lot of fear. makes me scared to be home after dark. >> reporter: nashville police say it's possible the crimes are connected. >> officers throughout the city are on the lookout for two cold-bloodied killers, who, obviously, have no respect whatsoever for the sangtty of human life. >> reporter: the suspects last struck on friday night, attempting to rob and gunning down and killing two friends celebrating a birthday. >> out of all people, we would have never thought something like this would have happened to brandon. just didn't deserve it. >> reporter: that shooting shares similarities with other recent cases, including four attempted robberies andle o witnesses describing a dark-colored sedan and two men with a rifle. oneng her dogs on this street when she was shot in the back. she is now paralyzed. she's the w member

for the band one republic. they are raising funds for her care. >> she's now in a wheelchair and going through multiple surgeries and has a long, long road for recovery. >> reporter: a violent trail left behind, leaving loved ones and a city grasping for answers. maya rodriguez, nbc news. california fire crews are now taking on a new blaze. officials say the so-called front fire exploded to 300 acres with 0% containment as it burns through parts of a national park in santa barbara county. according to authorities, the main issues are high temperatures and low humidity, as that fire burns out of control, firefighters have successfully contained the deadly ferguson fire that scorched over 96,000 acres near yosemite national park. fire crews say the smoke could still linger. the pono raceway. on the seventh lap of the abc hd wiggins bumped into each other on the fastest

track. both drivers spun out, but wiggins went airborne into the fence. after being pulled from his car and immediately air lifted to the hospital, where he's being treated for injuries to spine and lower extremities. back in march, the nfl ruled out a new policy aimed at promoting player safety, but players are clapping back against the change. after the first targeting ejection was called during the seahawks/colts game, social media erupted in frustration, and that included richard sherman, who wrote, "the people will soon realize it's impossible to run fast and not lead with your head." he went on to call the rule idiotic and thinks it should be immediately dismissed. now to bill karins with a look at our mday forecast. kind of a break some of us have been needing, right? >> yeah, pattern change going on, severe wea of the country, almost like a spriik with cool air behind it. could be severe weather with isolated large hail and damagin.

memphis, 14 million people at risk from erie, pittsburgh, to washington, d.c., on tuesday. also may see a stray shower or thunderstorm around salt lake city. nice day in seattle, warm, too, at 86. l.a., no still well above avera another 90-degree summer day in the books today in portland. highun 92. e waiting to hear that for plow into a crowd last week is scheduled to appear in court. he's been charged with two counts of attempted murder. president trump is expected to unveil a new proposal tuesday that would empower states to set their own coal or mission standards, upending obama era restrictions.

melania trump plans to address a cyberbullying in rockville, maryland. and we want to wish a very happy birthday to nbc's al roker. he turns 64 today. other dilemma. am i willing to pay the price for loving you? you'll make my morning, but ruin my day. complicated relationship with milk? pour on the lactaid. it's delicious 100% real milk, just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good. lactaid. the real milk that doesn't mess with you. and for chocolate lovers, try rich, creamy lactaid chocolate milk. (vo) ovewhelming air fresheners can send you running. so try febreze one. perfumes. so you can spray and stay. febreze one.

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of three bottles of this other liquid. a drop of dawn and grease is gone. a violent robbery caught on tape. a suspect attacks a woman in a vicious hold-up moments after she withdrew money from her bank in houston. both of them refused to of the purse. the violence escalates. a second suspect throws his car into reverse and runs over the woman and herba hospitalized in critical condition. the other suspect is still on the run. leading the news this voic too movement ande first women to accuse harvey weinstein of sexual assault is herself being accused of sexual misconduct. "the new york times" reports asia argento agreed to pay money to an actor/musician who claims she assaulted him in a hotel when he was 17 and she was 37. california's age of consent is

18. the payment was allegedly arranged through lawyers of both actors. months after argento accused weinstein. documents were sent to "the times" by an unknown party. neither argento or her lawyers responded to "the times" multiple requests for comment.n shock this morning after a long-time priest is nowhere to be found amid allegations of sexual abuse were found to be credible. bishop edward burns informed parishioners about the accusations made against their now former pastor. according to the diocese, three adult men came forward with allegations of sexual abuse by perez. they say the incidents occurred more than a decade ago when they were in their mid teens. though his whereabouts are

currently unknown, parish officials believe he mayf the philippines. a british woman survived a ten-hour ordeal at sea, after she fell off a cruise ship in the adriatic sea. norwegian cruise line says the woman went overboard as the ship was headed to venice. she was found by the coast guard about 60 miles offshore. authorities credit warm waters for her survival. she spoke briefly to r in croatia. >> i fell off the back of the norwegian star, and i was in the water for ten hours. so these wonderful guys rescued me. >> your name is? >> kay. i am very lucky to be alive. >> after speaking there, the 46 year old was rushed away to a waiting ambulance. norwegian says she is in stable condition, they are very happy she is safe. the incident is under investigation. >> wow, warm waters help, but how about her ability to stay afloat? >> everything else. >> my goodness.

well, if you were in a big office, not too uncommon to have more than one coworker pregnant at the same time, but what are the odds that 16, 16 would be expecting? and all within a few months of each other? nbc's lucy kafano a special announcement from a hospital in mesa, arizona. >> reporter: in arizona, the joke is there must be something in the water. not one, not hospital's intensive care nurses are pregnant. all of them due between september and february. the moms to be holding their very own gender reveal moment with the media. >> boy. >> girl. >> boy. >> >> reporter: ashley atkins expecting a girl was among the first to announce. >> it was me, found out one other girl, two of us, this is so exciting. suddenly, another one and another one. >> ended up being a sad story. >> reporter: page packard cllos

an infant son three years ago. this pregnancy special news. the nurses say there are cravings to contend with. >> he could make the salad bar a little more pregnancy friendly. like add pickles. >> reporter: for these women for whom nursing careers have been labors of love, the countdown to another kind of labor is on. lucy kafanov, nbc news. >> wow. >> never heard anything like that. >> no. >> maternity leave is going to be really, really empty. >> active new years and spring incredible. apparently. still to come, why more high schools are stacking their football teams. plus, soda stream shakeups. details on the deal to buy the drink machine maker. ld and mildew next week. thanks to this. did you know lysol disinfectant spray can actually prevent mold and mildew growth? spray it every week to break the cycle. lysol. what it takes to protect.®

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highly anticipated debut of "crazy rich asians" made history with an all-asian cast and highest grossing romantic comedy of the year. also topping the charts is shark thriller "the meg" and mark wahlberg's "mile 22" opened below estimates, while "alpha" debuted with $10.5 million. a multibillion dollar shakeup for the soda industry and relief for drivers at the

pump. hi, landon, good morning. >> good morning to you. open higher this monday morning and markets opened in the green on friday following a report president trump and president xi hope to discuss trade issues in november. delegations are set to meet this week in washington. you also want to look for reports on new and existing home sales, durable goods and minutes from last month's fed meeting. pepsi co. buying soda stream. it could help pepsi gain an edge in health conscious drinks. soda stream turns tap water into carbonated water. the company lags in the u.s., where it has less than 2% of market share. pepsi comes days after coke bought a sports make drinker backed by kobe bryant. and there may soon be some relief at the gas pump. forecasts show the cost of gas is trending down. prices are already easing slightly with the national

average down two cents from a month ago. experts say prices will continue to decline through summer as we switch back to making cheaper blends of gas. frances and phillip, time to take one last summer road trip. >> you said it, you. th an tdo iust ahead, why some schools are abandoning their football programs. plus, the new ice cream craze in taiwan that's looking . you're watching "early today". t. i don't have to worry about that, do i? actually, you do. harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. crest gum detoxify... ...works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. and, now there's new crest gum & enamel repair... it gives you clinically proven healthier gums and helps repair and strengthen weakened enamel. gum detoxify and gum & enamel repair. from crest. look for a one-dollar coupon in this sunday's paper. y to be.

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celebrated in movies and tv shows, the varsity football team may be going away with slide rules and overhead projectors. >> i just sat and cried, to be honest. doesn't sound very manly, but i sat and cried. weighs a lot. >> reporter: dozen schools across the country are folding their teams after struggling to fill all their positions. >> at the end of the day, we didn't have enough players to safely fill the team. it was a >> reporter: the trend quarterbacks like ryan murphy with fewer routes to college glory. >> it's in a way disheartening, because you want to play varsity your senior year, but that was kind of taken away from my two other co-captains as seniors. it's been real frustrating. >> reporter: why are more students stepping away? some link high impact sports and long-term health problems, high costs and demographic shifts

that make football less popular, driving students to pick up other sports with participation surging in soccer and outdoor track and field. football players are on the decline with 1.1 million players in 2008 down to 1.06 million last year. but for the teens who feel invincible, who crave that grid iron glory, these decisions could feel the turf got pulled right from under them. brian murphy still hopes to play college ball with the help of a scholarship. now will have to rely on summer training camps. >> it's been tough with college coming up, i could have potentially gotten into a very good reach school for me with the help of football. >> reporter: a hail mary pass to the future that could leave brian's education on the sidelines. matt bradley, nbc news, new york. >> wow, right? >> yeah. we saw this coming, but some of us saw it coming, but not this quickly. >> my husband played football, high school, college, with all the injuries that came along with. he says for our son, not going to play. >> something to consider.

all right, puppies on the table in one restaurant in taiwan. a special ice cream treat. the company in southern taiwan was recently starting to get the chocolate ice creams to look like the sharpai puppies. one ice cream takes about fiveu the eivof $ >> that math doesn't add up. that's a work of art, that's impressive. >> thanks for starting your monday with us, i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. be sure to follow us on facebook, twitter, and

when you tell me that, you know, he should testify because he's going to tell the truth and he shouldn't worry, that's silly because it's somebody's version of the truth. not the truth. >> truth is truth. i don't mean to go -- >> no, it isn't truth. truth isn't trh. >> president trump's attorney

offers a new explanation why he shouldn't to special counsel robert mueller in the russia probe. a woman who fell from a cruise ship rescued after 10 hours in the water. nashville on edge after three people are gunned down in less than a week. could the similarities between these crimes and others help police track down the killers. how one of the most