break overnight, tens of thousands in california are evacuated as wildfires spread in multiple parts of the state. homes destroyed, high winds fueling the flames, and much of it is still out of control >> a top executive from the world series ctending houston astros has been fired for an offen offensive outburst at female reporters. the team is apologizing. >> a conservative republican compares trump's pullout from syria appeasement of adolf hitler years ago >> the most downloaded app tick tock and why u.s. senators are worried the chinese-owned app may pose a national security

risk it's friday, and "early today" starts right now good friday morning. i'm phillip mena >> good to be with you i'm frances rivera we begin with breaking news from california where fast-spreading wildfires are forcing people to flee from their homes. >> currently family screaming and dozens and dozens of families being told to evacuate. because the fire has crested the hill here. >> 50,000 people have been ordered to evacuate there in southern california. where the tick fire has burned nearly 4,000 acres more than 500 firefighters have been battling the inferno overnight. officials say about 10,000 structures have been affected. all of the public schools in the san fernando valley area are closed today, in part, because of the air quality danger caused by the billowing smoke >> along with that tick fire in the south, fire crews are alsot fire in wine country this fire in sonoma county has been burning since early

yesterday morning. it spread to 60,000 acres and is only 5% contained. for more on both of these dangerous situations, here's nbc's jennifer >> reporter: so many battles underway in california's war against fire to the south, infernos in rural los angeles county are burning homes, sending thousands running for shelters and some trying to save their own homes >> i come across a half hour ago. apparently it missed us, so we're good hopefully we're good >> there was nobody up there putting water on it or anything. the houses were just there and on fire. i think it came up the hill ry fernando valley and into downtown >> i didn't realize nd >> reporter: and to the north, wine country again is under a shroud of smoke and sare milesd some coming to shelters for masks and information, waiting

for word on whether they should plan to stay >> we saw it coming over the hill a little bit. we were a little concerned and just packed the bags just in case because we wanted to leave. >> reporter: utilities cut power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses across the state as a preventive move, but if a fire starts anyway, it makes evacuation harder. >> the power is off here so there is inability to -- >> reporter: while the wind is expected to die down in the next day or two, it won't change direction, which is the break firefighters need. jennifer bjork land, nbc news, los angeles. >> the fighting continues in syria despite a permanent cease-fire turkish forces and their allies attacked syrian government troops, killing some of them as they clash with kurdish fighters outside of tamir president trump dropped a series of tweets saying the u.s. is committed to protecting syria's oil fields adding perhaps it's time for the kurds to start heading to the oil region that oil region is a desert wasteland hundreds of miles fro conservative pat robertson

ch in one year from the time of munich, germany invaded poland and world war ii was underway. the kurds, we have abandoned them they're being slaughtered by the turks. and we have given a major port of syria i promise you as i'm sitting here right now, russia is going to come against us turkey is going to come against us china is going to come against us north korea is going to come against us >> robertson has been a long-time supporter of mr. trump, but an outspoken critic of his decision to withdraw u.s. troops from syria. >> the department of justice announcings it is investigating itself it is now turning the russia probe into a criminal investigation. it was closely overseen by attorney general williambarr, but now prosecutor john durham

will have the power to subpoena wigts, impanel a grand jury and file charges against some of his own officials who investigated whether russia interfered in the u.s. election in 2016. "the new york times" first reported it, noting the investigation is likely to raise alarms that mr. trump is using the justice department to go after his perceived enemies. joining us now from d.c. is tracie potts tracie, good morning >> reporter: phillip, good morning. so nbc confirmed overnight as this news developed that this review by the justice department of how the russia investigation began has now itself turned into a full-blown criminal investigation. and in the last few hours, we have already started to see reaction to that from the democrats who are heading the committees in the impeachment inquiry. they released a statement, a joint statement overnight, saying that these reports, if true, raise profound new concerns that the department of justice under attorney general william barr has lost its independence and become a

vehicle for president trump's political revenge. they go on to say that this criminal investigation of how the russia probe got started could be an attempt to try to help the president win reelection here on capitol hill there is thoughts it could be an attempt to distract from the ongoing impeachment inquiry. that continues tomorrow. on the weekend, with testimony from another career diplomat, as republicans continue to push and now senate republicans are formally trying to get a vote, a resolution on whether or not this inquiry is being conducted fairly phillip? >> all right, tracie potts joining us from d.c. this morning. thank you, tracie. >> there is an urgent and rescue underway in texas this morning a male fell over board on a carnival cruise ship according to the company, the incident happened aboard the carnival dream ship in

galveston. it appears the guest jumped from his state room balcony the ship had just departed on a four-day cruise. >> two people confront harvey weinstein in new york city the disgraced hollywood producer was at an after hours event in the lower east side of manhattan when one person spoke out. >> nobody is going to say anything nobody is really going to say anything i'll get out of here that's fine. i am happy to leave when nobody is going to say anything >> that is performer and playwright zoe stuckless who identifies as binary they say they have no remorse for what they did. stuckless was kicked out of the bar after the outburst a female comedian was also kicked out they called the scene uncalled for and downright rude it is unclear ifbar itself knewn would show up. he is wanted for multiple cases

of rape. he pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence. >> now to an update with an incredible video we brought you yesterday. an alleged drunk driver is now facing several felony charges after running a red light and almost hitting a family pushing their infant in a crosswalk. but fate intervened and a car hits him first, turning that scary collision into a miraculous close call. here's nbc's miguel almaguer >> reporter: it unfolded in seconds as a family crosses the street, the car side swiped by another car. >> it's terrifying >> it's hard to believe we're looking -- >> at us >> reporter: the couple had the right-of-way, pushing their one-year-old son damian in a stroller when police say a drunk driver nearly plowed into them, inches between life and death. >> the chevy hit the jeep righ one milliseconds from what would have been us >> reporter: police say 28-year-old erthe red

light. that's when you see shannon t-bone him saving the family >> i'm kind of thinking it was meant to happen. >> reporter: the mother and 3-year-old son were in the car remarkably, no one was injured >> me being able to be there i guess like at the right time, it kind of makes me feel good, even though, like, i'm in a situation i'm in right now >> i'm so sorry that that happened to you. but thank you. >> reporter: police say the drunk driver made a run for it, but was soon arrested and is now facing several felonies. one family grateful for this crash after nearly becoming the victim of another. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> incredible video there. now to your thursday night football highlights. let's go to minnesota where the happless washington redskins g rusherten by their former kirk cousins passed for 235 yards and cook had total 171 yards.

they scored the game's only touchdown. there it is. minnesota improves 6-2 washington is 1-7. vikings 19, redskins 9 >> bill karins is tracking a tropical disturbance that may affect our weather plans this weekend. >> this could become a tropical depression later today it will combine with a storm in texas. we'll have a lot of travel impacts and even the possibility of flash flooding, especially areas of louisiana, up through mississippi. new orleans airport today could have major delays. memphis later on as the rain arrives, along with areas like nashville. some of the worst drives interstate 20, dallas to atlanta. also 55, new orleans to memphis. then wep take it into saturday airport delays possible and maybe even significant delays. st. louis, chicago, late in the day. since senate i and cleveland anyone driving interstate 70 especially, of course, you'll be in the rain much of the day from kansas city to pittsburgh. by the time we get to sunday, all that heavy rain shifts to the northeast. major airport delays are possible philadelphia, washington, d.c., new york, and boston and again, anyone driving i-95 it would be

a very slow drive, especially sundaythundersnow reported at one time we'll talk more about that california fire threat and sunday looks like it could be a bad windy day >> they cannot get a break and they need it thank you, bill. fast forwarding into the weekend, felicity huffmatences the former desperate "desperate housewives" start is set to be released sunday after serving time for pleading guilty in the college admissions scandal >> russian agent maria butina will be escorted back to moscow. she served 18 months for working as an undeclared agent of a foreign government without registering in the united states >> new york city is getting covered in slime a hands-on museum with a violent

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we are back with two consumer a lertlerts. the first johnson & johnson baby powder walmart, cvs and rite aid are pulling 22 ounce bottles as a precautionary measure. they recalled 33,000 bottles after trace amounts of asbestos were found in a test sample. and subaru is issuing two recalls for more than 400,000 vehicles the first covers the late model imprezas from 2017 to 2019, and 2018 to 2019 cross trek. it is over issues with engine computers and the second covers 2017 to 2019 imprezas. the cars have issued with a valve that can fall apart. dealers will replace the valves or the engine if needed. >> leading the news, new drama

off the field for the world series contenders houston astros the team has fired a top executive for an offensive outburst to female reporters here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: in the middle of the world series, already down two games, the houston astros making a surprise announcement assistant general manager brandon taubman has been fired for what he did during a clubhouse celebration on saturday after thet victory. sports illustrated stephanie epstein reported at the time that taubman turned to a group of three female reporters and yelled, half a dozen times, thank god we got osuna i'm so glad we got osuna osuna, a relief pitcher acquired from the blue jays while still serving a 75 game suspension for domestic violence. criminal charges against him were dropped when his girlfriend refused to testify at first the team criticized the sports illustrated report. taubman apologized, calling his comments unprofessional and

inappropriate while major league baseball launched an investigation. in a spokesman writes, in part, our initial investigation led us to believe brandon taubman's inappropriate comments were not directed toward any reporter we werpologize to stephanie epstein, sports illustrated, and to all individuals who witnessed this incident or were offended by 9 inappropriate condt was stephank reporting. nbc news has reached out to brandon taubman for comments but has not heard back >> still to come, whoopi goldberg is about to pick up an old habit of hers. can you guess what it is i gave you a hint right there. and the instagram age, iths is the first of many things to come we'll be right back. 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.

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♪ i will follow him, follow him wherever he may go ♪ ♪ >> it is a classic award-winning actress and tv host whoopi goldberg will be back in a habit next summer. she will be priming the role as dolores in a new live stage production of the movie musical "sister act. if you want to catch her in action, you'll have to travel to london the show kicks off in july it will have 39 performances who knows, maybe they'll it back to broadway. >> you forget how talented she is she got an oscar she had an emmy.

you think of her lately as being on the view. you forget about that. >> we see this when we talk about whoopi goldberg. >> we have to go to london to check it out all right. if you're planning a party for the weekend, you can pick up some tequila through instagram petron has become the first liquor brand you can order by swiping up on an instagram story. users choose one of three-party services to get it delivered customers are asked their age at check-out. they have to show an i.d. once the alcohol finally arrives. this is one example of how instagram is becoming a shopping platform we're all scrolling through instagram and you see ads for shoes and shirts and clothes, w you can buy booze. >> how about the lime and salt and margarita mix? >> i'm sure that's coming, too it's smart instagram is the most influential platform or one of that we have >> for now for now. making it easier for those shots. cheers to that students at an elementary school in tennessee had a year's worth of food thanks to jennifer

lopez and alex rodriguez a teacher's viral post is what caught the couple's attention. brook from jacksboro elementary shared on facebook one of her students often goes hungry she and her teachers pooled their money to buy him food. when j-lo and a-rod heard about the effort, they contacted the food pantry and contributed a year's worth of meals from their company tiller and hatch great to do something to help one kid, helping out the whole school >> kudos to them if we're all in a position to do something like that, you'd think we'd make that decision. good call on them. they came through. just ahead, there is a new security warning out about the worls stowoad p. u' watching "early today." ou cl, does your house still smell stuffy? that's because your home isfi so, try febreze fabric refresher febreze finds odors trapped in fabrics (bubbles popping) and cleans them away as it dries. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean.

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it is 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 guests are chip and joanna gains. i went down to waco texas to talk about their meteoric rise from design business to the fixer upper empire and their latest project, turning a largely abandoned old building into a boutique hotel. our sunday sit-down with chip and joanna gains plus the latest news and politics this weekend onrning or set the dvr and watch us any time you like. for now i'll send it back to you, frances and morning >> all right, willie, see you then >> tiktok is the hottest social media craze with over 110 million down loads in one thing alone. lip syncing songs may be

harmless, the chinese-owned app may pose national security risks. here's nbc's blayne alexander. >> reporter: it's the app popping up on phones everywhere. from teens to some of the biggest celebrities. tiktok, but now new concerns that information gathered on the app used to post fun videos could one day be used against americans. tiktok allows users to create short 15-second videos, often set to music and known for lighter content and edit it is now the most downloaded social media app with more than 500 million active users worldwide, a growing chorus of senators are calling for an immediate investigation, warning the app owned by a chinese tech company could pose a national security threat. >> there are hundreds to millions of americans who have information with tiktok and the chinese government could be grabbing every one of them >> reporter: tiktok's privacy policy explicitly states that it

collects data, including user content, and communications. location and sensitive personal information. the chinese government is already known for monitoring its citizens through facial recognition and censoring. tiktok says it does not censor content based on sensitivities related to china adding it stores u.s. user data in the united states and singapore. >> there are questions about, regardless of where it is stored, can it be monitored and evaluated by tiktok personnel within those countries >> reporter: fears those sharing 15 seconds of video could be sharing a lot more blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. >> seeing it everywhere. all right. politicians and members of the public gathered to honor elijah cummings congressman john lewis was one of the many democrats and republicans who paid their respects to cummings, who was the first african-american lawmaker to lie in state at the capital. a funeral service will be held in baltimore former the van gogh.

to harrison, the wine collection. to craig, this rock. i leave these things to my heirs, all 39 million of you, on one condition. that you do everything to preserve and protect them. with love, california.

it's just a scary time and i wonder if i'll have a house to come home to. fast-moving flames, evacuation, and a path of destruction. our "today in the bay" team is live across sonoma county, tracking the fire fight. we're also keeping an eye on the smoke set to move into the rest of the boo bay area today. this morning we're certainly keeping a close eye on the fire, the weather conditions. good friday morning to you. thank you for joining us. i'm laura garcia, and i'm marcus washington. kari, how is it looking?