/s the white house reeling. president trump grapples with the political fallout from his ex-lawyer's guilty plea and ex-campaign chair's conviction. >> tracking hurricane lane, the last-minute preparations as hawaii braces for the monster category 4 storm. >> bestowing the tion's highest honor inside the story of john chapman's incredible val er honor posthumously. >> one last bazinga. when the show big bang theory will "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm marlie hall. a dark cloud hanging over the white house this morning. now implicated in campaign finance violations, president

trump is looking to distance h lawyer and former fixer michael cohen. in an interview, he down played his relationship with cohen while praising former campaign manager paul manafort who was convicted this week on tax and bank fraud charges. >> democrats are seizing the opportunity by bringing the corruption scandals front and center in the midterm elections. but party leaders have stopped short of calls for impeachment. nbc's susan mcennis joining us live from capital hill. susan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, phillip and nar lmarlie. it is full denial mode. sarah sanders spokesman for the president said it is question after question, the president did nothing wrong. he hasn't been charged with any. the president is responding to this by distancing himself from cohen and by disparaging cohen. >> he was a lawyer for me for one of many, you know, they always say the lawyer, and then

they like to add "the fixer." i don't know if he was a fixer. i don't know where that term came from. but he's been a lawyer for me, didn't do big deals, did small deals. not somebody that was with me that much. you know, they make it sound like i didn't live without him. i understood michael cohen very well. it turned out he wasn't a very good lawyer frankly. but he was somebody that was probably with me for about ten years and i would see him sometimes. >> reporter: now, reaction among lawmakers here on capitol hill varies largely along party lines. we have some gop senators basically ignoring cohen developments focusing on russia, saying none of this has anythin to do with russia collusion or election meddling. democrats taking this a little more dramatically saying we are on the threshold of a constitutional crisis and that the president is definitely potentially indictable. some democrats are calling on -- calling for a delay on the hearings of supreme court nominee brett kavanagh because

of this. question left now, phillip and marlie, will the special counsel speak with cohen and what else might he reveal. >> we will all find out soon enough. thank you, susan. >> while president trump maintains there was no collusion between his campaign and russia, there is mounting legal trouble in his inner circle. five of his officials have now either pled guilty or been convicted of various crimes. nbc's kristen welker takes a look at all the president's men in trouble. >> reporter: president trump's memorable mantra on the campaign trail, alive and thriving in west virginia. >> lock her up. >> reporter: that infamous "lock her up" chant, candidate trump's attack on hillary clinton's controversial use of a private e-mail server. >> this is worse than watergate. >> reporter: he also promised to hire only the very best once in office. >> i want the best people. >> reporter: while clinton was never locked up, five of the president's former confidant and top campaign aides could face

prison time. former national security advisor michael flynn pleaded guilty of lying to the fbi. one-time foreign policy advisor george papadopoulos pleaded guilty of lying to federal authorities. deputy campaign chairman rick gates pleaded guilty to financial fraud. his former personal lawyer michael cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations. while his former campaign chairman paul manafort was found guilty of fraud and financial crimes. the press secretary on defense about that vow to hire only the top tier. >> he failed to live up to that promise? >> the president has employed thousands of people in his lifetime and had incredible successes both in business and in the public service. >> reporter: but could the optics of all the president's men impact the president's ability to govern? >> he always thinks he can survive. why? because he's been houdini in the past. the question is this time is bob mueller and michael cohen and paul manafort enough to trump his houdini ways?

>> reporter: the president's support among his base is still strong. he's planning to campaign in at least 15 states after labor day. >> our thanks to kristen for that report. >> hundreds of classmates and loved ones gathered at the university of iowa to remember mollie tibbetts. the suspect charged with kidnapping and killing the 21-year-old made his first court appearance is being held on $5 million bond. this as controversy swirls over whether the mexican immigrant was in the country legally. nbc's ron mott has more from brooklyn, iowa where it all unfolded. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. the small town of brooklyn, iowa is coming together to remember the life of 20-year-old mollie tibbetts. this is a community still reeling at the news, but the accused killer in this case was one of their neighbors. >> do you have anything to say for yourself? >> reporter: 24-year-old immigrant cristhian bahena rivera in court facing a first degree murder charge in the death of mollie tibbetts, both living in the same rural community.r in he first degree.

>> reporter: authorities say rivera is from mexico and was in the country illegally. he worked at a small-run dairy firm run by a prominent republican. they checked his documentation in a government verification system but learned he had given them a false name. >> what we learned in the last 24 hours is that our employee was not who he said he was. >> reporter: lane said he noticed no changes in ba her a's behavior and said he continued to show up for work on time after mollie's disappearance. >> this guy stayed around 35 days after he did this. nobody noticed anything different. >> reporter: rivera's attorney says his client was working in the country legally and criticized president trump for weighing in. >> you heard about today with the coming in very sadly from mexico. and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman. should have never happened. >> reporter: in a facebook post,

mollie's aunt wrote, please remember evil comes in every color. in mollie's hometown people debated whether rivera's immigration status was important. >> he could be in his own country. >> i don't think him being an illegal immigrant had anything to do with what he did. >> reporter: along with this prayer service there was a vigil held at the university of iowa where mollie was to begin her sophomore year at this time. sadly, she obviously is not here. her family again as we said thanking the world for remembering her in their prayers. phillip? >> all right, ron mott for us. ron, thank you. >> hawaii is on alert bracing to get lashed by a major hurricane. lane now a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 145 miles an hour. hurricane hte forecasters now say the islands are set to get socked with torrential r storm skirts by up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. officials are preparing for a

major flooding and rescue operations. all hawaii public schools will be closed today and tomorrow. the storm is not expected to make land fall as it slides by. >> all right. let's turn it over to nbc meteorologist bill karins who is now tracking that monster storm. good morning. >> good morning. slow-moving hurricane, mountainous terrain, recipe for catastrophe. the storm is still approaching, 200 miles from the southernmost tip of hawaii. that's 240 from kona. they still have a beast of a storm. it will slowly weaken from here on out but it is still going to have a huge rain shield with it. when we get the enhancement with the topography, that's why going to have such problems with the rainfall. you can see how it goes and weakens the next 72 hours just to the south and especially just to the southwest of all the island chain. here is the story of lane. 10 to 20 inches of rain. widespread for each and every island. so it's like it's not like it's going to be one island that will that for hail andof the all st

damaging winds. dallas looks like 100 easily in san antonio today. take a look at that weekend forecast coming up. >> that's what we like to hear, bill. thank you. you know what they say, right? whatever you put out into the world always comes back. in this case braves second base man ozzie fouled off the pitch at the top of the 7th. after a brief pause, it bounced off the netting and falls back down. gravity got him, hilts him on the head. he ended up laughing it off. he didn't see it coming. he ended up striking though. you could probably blame it on being dazed afterwards. there you go. >> that's why they wear helmets. just ahead, did verizon try to cut the cordon california firefighters? plus punishment for the ohio state coaching scandal.

"early today," you're watching it. and, at his age, he's at greater risk for lows. tresiba® releases slow and steady and works all day and night li t used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. don't use tresiba® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood su 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® may cause serious side effects like heart failure. your insulin dose shouldn't be changed without asking your prescriber. get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing, fast heartbeat, extreme drowsiness, swelling of your face, tongue or throat, dizziness or confusion. (woman) we found our tresiba® reason. find yours. (vo) ask your health care provider about tresiba®.

but one blows them all out of the water. hydro boost from neutrogena®. neutrogena® so it bounces back. so it bounces back. your digestive system has billions of bacteria but life can throw them off balance. re-align yourself with align probiotic. and try new align gummies with prebiotics and probiotics to help support digestive health. jimmy's gotten used to his whole yup, he's gone noseblind. odors. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the frece ...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresistible freshness. febreze unstopables. breathe happy.

new this morning, ohio state head football coach urban meyer is keeping his job, but he will miss the first three games of the season over his handling of domestic abuse allegations against a former assistant. osu's board of trustees met for 12 hours to discuss ane matter. the report found that although meyer and athletic director gene smith failed to adhere to the precise requirements of the contracts, they did so based upon a good faith belief that they did not have sufficient information to trigger a reporting obligation. meyer had been on paid administrative leave during the investigation and will now be suspended without pay for those three games. smith will also serve an unpaid suspension. meyer spoke to reporters after the announcement. >> i want to apologize to buckeye nation. i followed my heart and not my head. i fell short in pursuing full information because at each juncture i gave zack smith the benefit of the doubt. i wish i could go back and make the different decisions but i

can't. >> urban meyer will be eligible to return to the side lines on september>> vizon admits to thr the wireless speeds. at first reported by oz tech any ka, the santa clara county chief said haver slowed down his department's data plan significantly impacting their ability to provide emergency services. this even despite being informed of the emergency. the claims filed this week are part of a federal lawsuit seeking to block the fcc's overhaul of an obama-era net neutrality rule. verizon admits it made a mistake but claims it had nothing do do with the robot, calling it a customer support mistake. a spokesman for santa clara county rejects that and says it had everything to do with netanyanet nera about that, do i?

actually, you do. harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. crest gum ..um le 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. try eucerin advanced repair. for dry, itchy rough skin. for immediate relief and 48-hour moisture. now try eucerin advanced cleanser in the shower. for immediate relief and 48-hour moisture. happy anniversary dinner, darlin'. can this much love be cleaned by a little bit of dawn ultra?

oh yeah one bottle has the grease cleaning power of three bottles of this other liquid. a drop of dawn and grease is gone. i wish i could tell ya how i feel about a mornin' like this. and that includes a good hearty breakfast. you need somethin' to kinda warm the whole body up and gets it going. it's a great way to kick off your day.

the nation's highest award for valor was given out wednesday in a white house ceremony president trump presented the award to widow of technical air force serviceman. he was left on the battle field. nbc's lester holt sat down with his wife to talk about chapman's heroism. >> in his 36 years, john chapman

lived by the creed, god, family, country. >> this is when he decided to join the airteamortes i could ty on. >> on march 4, 2002, chapman was part of a joint special ops team on a mission to establish a mountain-top observation post in enemy territory. salgt chapman's job call in air strikes as needed. but little did his team know they were landing in a hornet's nest. >> they were ambushed and they were in a pitch battle. >> their aircraft was hit. navy seal kneel roberts was thrown from the chopper which was driven away. regrouping, the remaining team including sergeant chapman flew back to the mountain to rescue their teammate. chapman charged uphill through deep snow, attacking not one, but two enemy bunkers, killing a pair of fighters before he wasc. >> it's not a surprise that john

chapman was leading the charge with a single purpose to defeat the enemy, to try to rescue his comrade. >> valerie nestle, chapman's wife, was at home. what do you remember about that day in march? >> put the girls to bed about 8:30, 8:45, someone rang my doorbell. i looked outside, there were three men, you know, champe lan and two dressed in blues. >> i remember her asking me, please tell me that he's just hurt. i said john had gave himself courageously saving others in battle. >> but what no one knew at the time was just how courageous chapman was. his team driven off the mountain by heavy fire, unable to retrieve chapman who they believe was dead. now years later, advance technology reveals chapman was, in fact, still alive. enhancement of predator drone video and other data from the

battle allowed experts to go back and identify chapman and track his movements. the wounded air man killing tewetwo more enemy fighters and a chopper carrying reinforcements including major gabriel brown. as long as he had breath in him he was still fighting. >> absolutely. he's thinking at any moment, how can i impact this battle. >> but before the team could come to his rescue, this time chapman was fatally wounded. >> i knew he would sacrifice himself for the betterment of the team. >> he was left with the thought he was dead and he was alive and continued to fight. that's a lot to process. >> three plus feet of snow. getting shot at in every direction. i never in my heart felt like he was left behind, per se. they did what they had to do, that's what i believe. >> seven americans died that day, and now from the fog of

of duty and honor. ♪ ♪ ohh... top, top, ♪ squeeze it on top ♪ squeeze it on it's chobani ♪ squeeze it on ♪ squeeze it on top, top ♪ squeeze it on top ♪ squeeze it on it's chobani ♪ squeeze it on top ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ around here, nobody evreally? it 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 it's got to be tide for over 100 years. forougr dry,skin.

for immediate relief and 48-hour moisture. now try eucerin advanced cleanser in the shower. for immediate relief and 48-hour moisture. your digestive system has billions of bacteria but life can throw them off balance. re-align yourself with align probiotic. and try new align gummies with prebiotics and probiotics to help support digestive health. you'll make my morning, buty the price ruin my day.ou? complicated relationship with milk? pour on the lactaid, 100% real milk, just without that annoying lactose. but really it's just i mean, ias much for me.r her... [ girl screams ]

buy one pillow and get one 50% off, everyday, to treat the entertainer in you. pier 1, this is me. ♪ when you need a hand ♪ lean on me, when you're not strong ♪ ♪ and i'll be your friend ♪ i'll help you carry on ♪ lean on me ♪ mmm... ♪ lean on me... ♪ mmm... ♪ lean on me... ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, we love to see you every day now's the time we get to

say ♪ ♪ you don't get chemo any more >> just heard the doctors and nurses singing the special song for hadley gray who is now cancer gray. at 3 years old hadley battled acute leukemia. she was finally given the all-clear to go back to her home in tennessee. it sounds like the oscar meyer song, but -- >> it's better. >> that is the best sounding song to hadley and her family they could ever imagine. >> so happy for them. aiken ken police department is welcoming some new recruits. they shared af so. firefighters in glenn pool, oklahoma with their seven newborns. the cops message, we got you beat. must be something in the water at those police departments. >> we reproduce more frnly than

you. we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but all good things have to come to an end. cbs announced their big comedy big bang theory will run until 2019. the show focuses on scientists and friends. more than 52 emmy nods. joint statement between cbs and warner brothers television, they thanked fans for the support while also promising an epic creative close. the final season will premiere on september 24th. but that show will go on and live on in syndication and netflix and everywhere else. >> that's right. the end of an era. >> just ahead, "america's got talent." talent." judge high monday cosico and, at his age, he's at greater risk for lows. tresiba® releases slow and steady and works all day and night like the body's insulin. (vo) tresiba® is a long-acting insulin 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® may cause serious side effects like heart failure. your insulin dose shouldn't be changed without asking your prescriber. get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing, fast heartbeat, extreme drowsiness, swelling of your face, tongue or throat, dizziness or confusion. (woman) we found our tresiba® reason. find yours. (vo) ask your health care provider about tresiba®.

welcome back. let's take a look at the weekend. not many summer weekends left. we are going to watch for strong storms on friday afternoon. heading for the area of iowa and also possibly minnesota be and wisconsin. couple monsoonal storms in arizona. of course on friday is when we're getting our heaviest rainfall also many of the hawaiian islands and oahu and honolulu. by saturday, storms in the ohio valley. heat building through the middle of the country. by the time we get to sunday, warm up through the ohio valley. nice in many areas of the northeast and the west. not a bad weekend coming up. >> sounds good, thank you, bill. the young actor who accused asia argento of sexually assaulting him when he was 17 is now speaking about those allegations for the first time. in a statement issued by his lawyer, he was initially afraid and ashamed to go public with his story, instead choosing to handle it privately. he writes, at the time i believed there was still a

stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. i didn't think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy. he added today, i choose to move forward. no longer in silence. this week "the new york times" reported an anonymously received legal documents showing argento agreed to pay bennett $380,000 over the alleged assault. argento denies having a sexual relationship with bennett and calls the report false. the times issued a statement saying it is confident in the accuracy of its reporting. >> a tennessee judge has ruled the suspect in april's deadly waffle house shooting is not competent to stand trial. the judge says 29-year-old travis reinking poses a substantial threat of harm to the public if not himself. he has been ordered to enter a mental facility until he is deemed fit to stand trial. he opened fire at a waffle house restaurant in nashville killing four people. >> one of the busiest streets in georgia will now bear the name of a civil rights icon.

freedom parkway in atlanta has been renamed to honor congressman john lewis. at the time of construction lewis fought against building the road because it would displace many families. but after being a strong voice behind the compromise, lewis now says it's like coming back home. >> simon cowell once dubbed mr. nasty was all smiles as he was honored with a star on the hollywood walk of fame. the music mogul was first introduced to us after the launch of the singing competition of "american idol". the season one grammy winner kelly clarkson was there to congratulate her friend. i one direction, little mix and 5th harmony. good to see you him smiling. >> doesn't do much of that. love him or hate him, he has had an impact on television. >> thanks for watching, i'm marlie hall. >> i'm phillip mena. don't go anywhere. the news conti nustories.

an arson investigation at a san jose restaurant.

right now at 4:30, two breaking news stories. an arson investigation at a san jose restaurant and a stabbing at a fremont b.a.r.t. station. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. thank you for joining first, we want to go to the stabbing investigation near the fremont warm springs b.a.r.t. station. >> bob redell live at the scene. what have you learned so far, bob? >> well, good morning to you. a couple hours ago, around 2lic 30 this morning, there was an adult man stabbed on an access road or in the parking lot here at the warm springs b.a.r.t. station. b.a.r.t. police have taped off a section of warm springs boulevard in front of the station. there's some objects in the middle of the road, like a white plastic bag. don't know if that's