president trump ramps up his attacks on democrats the impeachment inquiry and also opponent joe biden >> he was never considered a good -- he was only a good vice-president because he understood how to kiss barack obama's as >> as two associates of the president's personal attorney are busted in a major conspiracy also involving joe biden >> overnight, fires spread in california while the state is battling power shutdowns as high winds begin picking up >> the washington mystics are

the champions of the wnba. >> and simone biles did it again, making history while reinforcing that she is the greatest gymnast of all time "early today" starts right now >> good friday morning i'm phillip mena >> good to be with you i'm frances rivera breaking news out of northern syria, tens of thousands of people are fleeing a growing war zone turkey has escalated its invasion into syria. turkish military have been shelling pounds and villages in air-strikes and ground attacks the scenes at local hospitals just devastating and civilians get caught in the cross fire the death toll continues to spike. so far over 100 kurdish fighters have been killed and nine civilians. joining us from iraq is bill neely. bill, the humanitarian crisis is exploding there in the region. >> reporter: yeah, francis, the latest figures from the u.n. are that 70,000 people have now fled remember, they said 60,000 had

fled in the first day alone. we're now on day three there is heavy fighting so i think you can expect that to continue as you say, distressing scenes in hospitals i saw one image of a girl who had lost her leg, her 12-year-old brother had been killed so civilians are certainly suffering. the latest figures from the turkish defense ministry are that they say they've killed 228 militants and the fds kurdish alliance say they have lost up to 30 fighters so heavy fighting. turkish jets in action up to 18 miles into what president erdogan is hoping will be a safe zone so he is winning ground, but diplomatically he's not winning friends. the u.n. actually failed to pass any kind of resolution censuring this attack. but the u.s. is increasily

indicating that it has red lines. red lines that would include ethnic cleansing and the indiscriminate killing of civilians. after that president trump has indicated that there may be an economic and a financial penalty such as sanctions to pay but at the minute, nothing seems to be stopping the turkish offensive and two towns in the north are surround thed so heavy fighting. >> a large loss of civilians bill neely thank you, bill. >> here at home the impeachment firestorm rages on on capitol hill president trump is take his defense on the road. he's holding a rally in lake charles, louisiana, tonight. if there is anything like last night, minneapolis, buckle up. the president unloaded on democrats, especially joe biden. a warning some may find his language offensive >> he was only a good vice-president because he understood how to kiss barack obama's as

>> biden fired back saying the president spent his night showing how little respect he has for anyone else. and outside the rally, protesters scorched a pile of maga hats and police tried to control the chaos. back in d.c., the former u.s. ambassador to ukraine is scheduled to testify as part of the house impeachment inquiry. marie i can marie ivanovich was abruptly called from her post in kiev it comes amid the arrest of two of the president's associate attorney hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: inside the court, giuliani's inside men in ukraine who had been helping him dig up dirt on joe biden there, now in a separate case the pair is being charged with breaking campaign finance laws here, by allegedly trying to funnel foreign money into elections to buy potential influence with the candidate, campaigns and the candidate's government the two arrested at dulles airport after buying a one-way ticket out of the country,

prosecutors say. >> this investigation is about corrupt behavior deliberate law breaking. >> reporter: in one example, they donated more than they were allowed to to now former congressman pete sessions, according to the indictment. and asked for help getting rid of the u.s. ambassador to ukraine maria ivanovich. a letter obtained by nbc news showed sessions in 2018 asked the secretary of state to consider terminating her ambassadorship, citing concrete evidence from two close companions that ambassador ivanovich had spoken privately and repeatedly about her disdain for the current administration sessions in a statement says his motivation for that letter was that political appointees should not be disparaging the president. adding he will vigorously defend himself against any allegations of wrongdoing. the indictment reveals they disgies disgidi disguised the source of $325,000 to a pro trump super pac

the legal battle unfolds the maypair's attorney is not commenting what conversations have you had with par man and igor? >> i have a picture with everybody here but somebody said there may be a picture or something at a fund-raiser or somewhere >> reporter: giuliani, the president's personal attorney, telling nbc news he can't comment yet but told "the new york times" last month, i referred the men to a campaign finance expert who pretty much resolved it. house democrats have subpoenaed parnes and fru man as part of the impeachment inquiry but the formal national security advisor making clear where he stands >> do you think it is appropriate for the president of the united states to solicit foreign interference in our political process? >> of course no. no, absolutely not >> reporter: and, phillip, energy secretary rick perry has also been subpoenaed by house

democrats, looking for documents about his interactions with ukraine. that brings the total to nine subpoenas against the trump administration during this impeachment inquiry so far phillip, back to you >> hallie jackson, keeping count for us >> we turn now to a dangerous situation developing in southern california evacuations have been ordered north of los angeles high winds are causing the saddle ridge fire to spark quickly. it jumped across the freeway and started to burn in an industrial area the state has been on high alert for fire risk. much of northern california experienced a planned black out. pg&e has restored service to more than half of the customers after facing a lot of backlash here's nbc's miguel almaguer >> reporter: with an estimated 2 million people now plunged into darkness across california, pacific gas & electric is coming under fire after trying to prevent one. >> that's right. pg&e did this to us. >> reporter: worried whipping winds could knock downfall at

this power lines parking sfierz li fires like this one, pg&e pulled the plug on homes and buildings. hundreds of thousands of locations are off line >> i can't help think it's an overreaction and pay back for people criticizing pg&e for every fire that starts >> reporter: the unprecedented move that may have diminished fire risk is fueling anger some estimate a prolonged five-day blackout could cost the region $1 billion. businesses and homeowners paying the price. >> this is an economic hit job when the wind is blowing, turn the power off. but when it's not blowing, keep it on. >> reporter: with red flag warnings also issued in a fire prone hills of southern california, socal edison also cut the cord to thousands of customers near los angeles officials say cutting the power wasn't an easy decision and turning it back on won't be easy either in some areas, it could take days across california, power companies are flipping the

switch while critics say they are creating the disaster by trying to stop one miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> in china an nba exhibition game between the nets and lakers went on as scheduled despite nearly a week of tensions between the country and the league and now another major u.s. company, apple, is being accused of caving to china nbc's janice mackie frayer is in shanghai >> reporter: some empty seats, no national anthem, but it was game on for the nba in china in a week that pitted the league against china's government, turning basketball into a geopolitical storm that the game even went ahead is a sign there could be a truce. what isn't clear is who makes the next move. triggered by a team executive's tweet supporting protests in hong kong, the backlash in china has been fierce. events canceled. broadcast plans scrapped the nba stoking anger even

further by holding firm in its position on free speech, risking a $4 billion empire in china >> we will have to live with those consequence. >> reporter: the team at the center of the controversy was asked about it >> this isn't a question, this event happened this week during the nba. >> reporter: normally talkative players were silent. >> any oer question? >> reporter: the nba later apologized saying that was inconsistent with how the nba conducts media events. the chinese market is lucrative. >> they call it the great wall of china where they sensor all kind of content. if they don't like what they see, they pull it. >> reporter: apple the latest to be criticized for dropping an app for hot spots. defending the move saying the app has been used to target and ambush police. as for the game, it was the nets over the lakers by 3, with chinese nba fans scoring a win,

too. janice mackie frayer, nbc news, shanghai >> now to a roller coaster season ending with the washington mystics claiming their first wnba titlethey trailed connecticut but dominated in the final quarter putting up 22 points and earning finals mvp the season mvp added 21. washington wizards 89 to 78. >> the new england patriots remain undefeated after steam rolling the giants thursday night. new york stated in the fst half lorenzo carter got to tom brady, forcing the fumble and marcus golden capitalized. but in the second half, that was all patriots brady would air one out a little later here to julian edelman that would be for 36 yards and that would be his 91st 300ard game patriots win 28-14 >> different story in the new york a historic winter storm sweeping

across the northern plains and rocky mountains. colorado and the dakotas had been blanketed in snow, and temperatures fell from the 70s, dropped all the way to the 20s more than warnings were issued for some of the areas there. >> we're talking a blizzard of historic proportions here. let's bring in bill karins good morning >> yes, some areas had 2 feet of snow blowing and drifting, we'll have enter states closed through north dakota that's where the worst of the snowy weather is a lot of rain moved through the dallas area overnight. now through little rock. have the umbrella handy in many areas of illinois and missouri as you go through your morning as far as the snow goes, bismarck the heaviest snow now they already have 4 to 5 inches on the ground. they'll get a couple more. president area that could get 2 feet is between bismarck there and devil's lake the fierce winds and the saddle ridge fire that's burning just to the area -- just to the south of santa clarita, and again, the winds will be gusty throughout the night and into tomorrow. so we'll have to wait and see if n y other fires form because

through cape cod, martha's vineyard and nantucket and cold air settling in the middle of the country. weekend forecast is coming up >> all right make some plans. thanks, bill >> in dallas, a grisly crash for a champion boxer surveillance cameras captured the moment welter weight boxer's car veered off the median into a cloud of dust before crashing down he was not wearing a seat belt he didn't surf any broken bones, just scratches to his face after all that he is expect the to make a full recovery police say he was speeding >> lucky is an understatement. >> to come out with scratches is unbelievable >> sure is tempers flare as the gm strike

nears the one month mark nasa launches a rocket mid-air next you smell them later ew. right? that's why febreze created new small spaces. press firmly and watch it get to work... unlike the leading cone, small spaces continuously eliminates odors in the air and on surfaces-so they don't come back for 45 days. now that's one flushin' fresh bathroom. breathe happy febreze... la la la la la. you sure you don't want me to come with you? i'm very sure. because i can. (laughs) make good choices. you make good choices. i am. fiber is good for digestive health. good choices never tasted so good. kellogg's raisin bran. super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it's gentle on her skin, and dermatologist recommended. tide free & gentle. safe for skin with psoriasis and eczema.

to severe plaque psoriasis get clearer. and tremfya® was proven superior to humira® in providing significantly clearer skin. don't use if you're allergic to tremfya®. tremfya® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya®. get clearer. janssen can help you explore cost support options. janssen can help you explore ok i'll admit. i didn't keep my place as clean as i would like 'cuz i'm way too busy. who's got the time to chase around down dirt, dust and hair? so now, i use heavy duty swiffer sweeper and dusters. for hard-to-reach places, duster makes it easy to clean. it captures dust in one swipe. ha! gotcha! and sweeper heavy duty cloths lock away twice as much dirt and dust. it gets stuff deep in the grooves other tools can miss. y'know what? my place... is a lot cleaner now.

stop cleaning. start swiffering. in today's quick hits, general motors c.e.o. has reportedly met with uaw officials for the first time since the strike began last month. gm is urging the uaw to participate in round the clock talks to end the strike. >> nasa successfully launched the satellite mid-air from a carrier plane. icon will orbit the earth on a mission to study the edge of space where it meets our atmosphere >> the 21-year-old man charged with killing 22 people at a walmart in el paso in august has pleaded not guilty despite police saying patrick confessed to the shooting and told investigators he was targeting mexicans >> still ahead, an '80s, wine, scrunchies making a comeback there is a story behind it d e adams family lurches

back in theaters we'll have a preview on "early today. so dad extinguished the problem, with new puffs plus lotion. puffs now have more lotion to soothe through the blows... and more pillowy softness, to cushion your nose. don't get burned by ordinary tissues. a nose in need, deserves puffs, indeed. the hazelnut spread m&m'sve all been wspokescandy! (clapping) (audience gasps) oh my what did you do?? (giggles) we ate him. you wanna see something thatamazing?ing. go to hilton instead of a travel site and you'll experience a whole new range of emotions like... the relaxing feeling of knowing you're getting the best price. these'll work. the utter delight of free wi-fi... . oh man this is the best part. isn't that you? yeah.

and the magic power of unlocking your room with your phone. i can read minds too. really? book at hilton.com. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. expect better. expect hilton. struggling to clean tough messes with wipes? try mr. clean magic eraser sheets. just wet, squeeze and erase icky messes in microwaves and on stovetops for an amazing clean, get the power of mr. clean magic eraser in disposable sheets. thanks to move free ultra i keep up with this little one.

see the world with this guy. and hit the town with these girls. in a clinical study, 4 out of 5 users felt better joint comfort. take the ultra challenge. try move free today. alright, here's another tough one. keep or toss? ♪ ♪ sometimes, humans are boring. long-lasting,rawhide free gnawbones are not. new from milk-bone. thank you so much for joining us we are going to begin with breaking news. in a city which leaks like a [ bleep ] faucet >> he has somehow found the fountain of youth. i think he gets out of [ bleep ]. he loves the [ bleep ], he really does. >> the value of an american [ bleep ], the value of [ bleep ] from the president is depreciating by the week

>> that despite the president saying that the economy is better than ever >> true. you have to love those bleeps there. >> go figure just in time for the release of the animated adams family movie. you can now stay in a real-life version of the home. booking.com has transformed a brooklyn town house for fans of the movie. each bedroom is themed around a different character. it sleeps up to four guests for a little over 100 bucks a night. it's available october 29th through november 1st >> man, that is a deal a little over 100 bucks for something like that? >> brooklyn. yes. >> right there the scrunchies are making a comeback, but girl moms, watch, they are going to start to disappear. and boy moms, you'll start to he see them around them em limb covington said her middle school son let her in on a secret the scrunchies are a new sign much affection and this netflix movie may be the reason why >> give me this.

>> no. give me that >> i am taking it. >> you can't >> the teen romcom star markispg that entire trend. now you know >> it's a thing now. looking ahead to the weekend, college football, big game there dallas, texas, at the cotton bowl the red river showdown between number 6 oklahoma and number 11 texas. the longhorns upset the sooners last year before getting their revenge in the championship game both teams have title hosts this year kickoff noon eastern another huge game in the lone star state down in college station. texas a&m hosting the top ranked alabama clemson tide another match up, usc notre dame the irish number 9 in the country. on sunday the best match up will be kansas city, a shootout between the chiefs and the texans the game features two of the best quarterbacks in the league, patrick mahomes and deshaun

watson as always you can end your weekend right here on sunday night football this week it is the steelers and the chargers in los angeles. >> still ahead, the can't-miss triumph of simone biles capturing another world record i didn't have to call 911. and i didn't have to come get you. because you didn't have another heart attack. not today. you took our conversation about your chronic coronary artery disease to heart. even with a stent procedure, your condition can get worse over time, and keep you at risk of blood clots. so you added xarelto®, to help keep you protected. xarelto®, when taken with low-dose aspirin, is proven to further reduce the risk of blood clots that can cause heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death in people with chronic cad. that's because while aspirin can help, it may not be enough to manage your risk of blood clots. in a clinical trial, almost 96% of people taking xarelto® did not have a cardiovascular event. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death. while taking, a spinal injection increases the risk of blood clots

which may cause paralysis- the inability to move. you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. before starting, tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures and any kidney or liver problems. enjoy every moment-and help protect yourself from an unexpected one, like a cardiovascular event. are you doing enough? ask your doctor if it's time for xarelto®. to learn more about cost and how janssen can help, visit xarelto.com. there's so much scent in new gain scent blast detergent... ...you'll either love it or... mmm... i guess not. new gain scent blast. love it or hate it. it's intense. you sure you don't want me to come with you? i'm very sure. because i can. (laughs)

make good choices. you make good choices. i am. fiber is good for digestive health. good choices never tasted so good. kellogg's raisin bran. sstop struggling to clean tough messes with sprays. try clean freak! it has three times the cleaning power of the leading spray to dissolve kitchen grease on contact. and it's great for bathrooms! just keep pumping the power nozzle to release a continuous burst of mist and make quick work of big jobs. it even works on stainless steel. it cuts through 100% of dirt, grease and grime. available with easy-to-swap refills. to get three times the cleaning power, try clean freak from mr. clean. welcome back here's your weekend outlook. and, of course, the northern portions of north dakota will get the worst of this heavy snow event. also northern minnesota. still warm and dry in the west it won't be as windy on saturday hopefully that will help the firefighters we stmsipout or in the southeast. we'll be back with more news

anything! at the end of a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. it's an all-in-one so it's ready to go when i am. the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. so, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee for that many calories you could have 9 veggie chips. these are more chip than veggie. while v8 is a snack you can veg out on. v8 the original plant powered drink. veg up. ♪upbeat musieverything was so fresh in the beginning. [sniff] ♪ dramatic music♪ but that plug quickly faded. ♪upbeat music luckily there's febreze plug. it cleans away odors and freshens for 1200 hours. [deep inhale] breathe happy with febreze plug.

time to check in with willie geist to see what's coming up on "sunday today. good morning, willie >> good morning, guys. good to see you. this week on "sunday today," my guest is paul rudd paul and i got together to talk about his 25 years in the movies, from the break-out role in "clueless" to classics like anchorman, the 40-year-old virgin, and this is 40 and now his new netflix series where he plays opposite himself. yes, a welcome double dose of rudd our sunday sit-down with paul rudd plus the latest news and politics as always this weekend on "sunday today." you can catch us in the morning or set the dvr and watch us any time you like.

for now i'll send it back to you, frances and phillip, and i'll see you on sunday morning >> all right, willie, we will see you then paul rudd, one of the most likeable actors. >> yes, timeless, too. he looks exactly the same. now to the stories over and over again this week in germany simone biles has made, yes, history and even more history -- >> wow >> -- becoming the first woman to win five all around titles. and one step away from a bigger record nbc's aaron mclauchlin is there. >> reporter: the stage long for simone biles simone biles once again in a league of her own. already considered the greatest of all time, she nabbed her 5th all around world title ♪ ♪ two more medals here in germany and she'll become the most decorated gymnast at the world championships ever >> i feel good after today put out good performances, wasn't too crazy

didn't do anything too crazy >> reporter: biles admitting she had a double, double dismount off the balance beam known as the biles. unprecedented for its difficulty, last week the international gymnastics federation assigned it lower value than it's worth. do you feel like they're being valued appropriately >> the dismount a little bit, disappointed with that but at the end of the day we can only control what we do, not what they do >> reporter: the only competition is it herself. how do you compete against yourself you only try to get better so that's what she's doing with these skills, yet they're not awarding them. >> reporter: there was only one way for simone biles to finish her performance. she dropped the mic. nbc news, stuttgart, germany >> incredible. it is all downhill from here athletes in austria battled rain and mud while running the world's downhill race. the course is a ski slope during

the winter as things got wetter and wetter they did more falling than running. a personification of all of us trying to get to the weekend >> here we are at the weekend. thanks for watching. thanks for watching. this is "early today." if your dishwasher doesn't get dishes completely dry... try finish jet-dry's new stronger formula. it dries 100% better than detergent alone - even plastics. get dishes drier than you ever thought possible. try finish jet-dry.

a fire storm in southern california right now. these are live pictures from granada hills, sylmar and porto ranch area in the san fernando valley. >>over night homes destroyed, evacuations and thousands of people watching and waiting to see if they need toetout. not a good start for their morning. good morning to you here in the bay area. we're dealing with our own power outages here. power is coming back on in some spots. thank you so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm scott mcgrew. we're going to get a start with weather and traffic, get you out the door. the winds in southern california same things we were fearing up here. >> theystem ca