embroiled in controversy. new reports the white house sought the fbi's help in refuting a story link the trump campaign to russia. while the president vows to increase the country's nuclear arsenal in a show of strength, putting the u.s., quote, at the top of the pack. details on the pope calling out what he calls hypocritical catholics. why indiana may be the luckiest state of all. inside the once scandalous mansion. and ellen degeneres gives an entire high school senior class the gift of a lifetime. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm gigi stone

woods. a new controversy is embroiling the trump administration this morning. it alleged campaign associates for the trump team had contact with russian operatives during the campaign. the exchange happened between a white house official and fbi deputy director andrew mccabe in a west wing hallway and mccabe declined to discuss the situation outright. the associated press reports the person in question is reince priebus, not confirmed by nbc news. the president doubles down on his desire to beef up the nation's nuclear arsenal. he wants to expand the country's nukes and make clear the u.s. is quote the top of the pack. u.s. officials were dispatched to mexico. they met with officials.

peter alexander has all that and more. >> reporter: the president flecking america's muscles on foreign policy, telling reuters he wants to fortify the u.s.'s nuclear arsenal. >> it would be wonderful. a dream would be that though country would have nux. if countries are going to have nux, we're going to be at the top of the pack. >> reporter: president trump who has come under fire for potential ties to russia, now vowing he'll confront vladimir putin over the launch of a missile. that as the trump administration tries to defuse a standoff with mexico. demonstrators torching a fake wall overnight. latest flash point, mr. trump's new deportation policies. >> we're getting gang members, out, drug lords out. getting really bad dudes out of this country. it's a military operation.

>> reporter: that comment quickly con stra dikted in mexico. >> there will be no, repeat no mass deportation. no, repeat, no use of military force. in immigration operations. none. >> reporter: the white house later clarifying the meaning of military operation. >> the president was using that as an adjective. it's happening with precision. >> reporter: among mexico's complaints, the u.s. is planning to deport anyone who illegally crosses, even if they're not mexican. >> i said, that's going to be a tough trip, because we have to be treated fairly by mexico. >> reporter: tillerson, trying to translate president trump's tough talk into diplomacy. >> two strong sovereign countries from time to time will have differences. >> a difficult task. nbc's peter alexander reporting. later this morning, president trump is expected to address his supporters head on.

his remarks will cap off a week of angry town halls that had at least one senator running for cover. another is m.i.a. one member of congress appearing on milk cartons. another as a cardboard cutout. now, a new admission. former house speaker john boehner saying obamacare may not be replaced au ed at all. >> well, i think they'll do, i think they'll fix obama care. i shouldn't have called it repeal and replace. that's not what's going to happen. basically, we're going to fix the flaws and put a more conservative box around it. >> previewing mr. trump's speech, vice president mike pence had a different reaction. while knocking down angry voters. >> let me assure you, america's obamacare nightmare is about to end.

[ cheers and applause ] you know, despite the best efforts of liberal activists at town halls around the country, the american people know better. obamacare has failed. and it must go. >> pence wasn't the only one who took the cpac stage. chief strategist and former breitbart chief steve bannon was there. bringing his fighting words with him. >> reporter: a trump team takeover at a conservative conference. stepping out of the shadows of the west wing, one of the president's most trusted advisors in a rare public appearance. >> i want to thank you for finally invite megato cpac. >> reporter: that's controversial chief strategist steve bannon. the power behind the populist brand that got trump elect zblpd

hold us accountable. if you think they're going to give you your country back without a fight, you're sadly mistaken. every day it's going to be a fight. >> reporter: side by side with reince priebus. >> reince is indefatigable. it's low key. but it's determination. >> if the party and the conservative movement are together, similar to steve and i, it can't be stopped. >> reporter: despite the president's no-show a year ago at the conference as a candidate, his advisers argue it's his party now. like kellyanne conway. >> i would tell my three daughters, your daughters, or you. the job for the first female president of the united states is open, so go for it. this presumptive negativity about women and power is unfortunate. >> reporter: for all the talk onstage no tolerance for a different kind of nationalism off fipt white nationalism.

who has kicked out people. >> they are anti-semimites. they are racists. they are sexists. they are not an extension of conservati conserve 'tis m. new details in the death of kim jong-nam. swabs from his face test positive for vx nerve agents. it's a chemical weapon banned by most countries. matt, what can you tell us? >> reporter: hi, good morning, gigi. another fresh revelation coming out of the global dragnet to find kim jong-nam's killers. investigators say they believe he was killed by vx nerve agent. it's classified as a weapon of war and a weapon of mass destructions. it would have been a dangerous

weapon. it only takes a drop the kill someone. one of the women arrested in the case came down with flu-like symptoms after she poisoned him. these are the latest details. four people have been arrested. one of them a north korean national. malaysian authorities are serging for seven more north koreans. at least one of the detained women said she thought she was part of a reality television prank when she bumped into name and smeared his face with an unknown substance. malaysian police say her behavior shows otherwise. she immediately went to the restroom to wash her hands. authorities say that shows she knew she was handling a toxic chemical. while north korea is furious at the refusal to release the body,

they're still saying it's not his body. >> it's a larger than life spy thriller. very frightening. matt bradley, thank you. now the latest on the officer-involved altercation. authorities are saying the offduty lapd officer did not try to shoot any teenagers when he fired his gun into the ground on tuz. the altercation is not fully shown. according to police, the officer felt in danger after a 13-year-old boy allegedly threatened to shoot him. authorities say two of the teens and the off-duty officer could face charges. meanwhile, wyoming is getting buried with snow. drifts could reach up to three feet in places likes casper mountain. motorists are being warned to stay off the roads as low visibility is making dangerous

conditions. we havee schneider here. >> we're seeing lightning. thunder snow happening in northern iowa. a rare occurrence. showing the bensty of this system. this is the area where we're looking at the heaviest snow, nine inches or more through saturday. we're watching for severe weather. where it's too warm for snow. 30 million people turned risk of severe weather for in china.

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hurt. leading the news this morning, overnight, washington state governor jay insley laid down the gauntlet on the trump administration. he signed a law ordering his state not the make arrest es over immigration status. washington is not the only state openly rejecting the the white house. the democratic governors new york, connecticut, and massachusetts each signed rules protecting transgender studentsess' rights. late in the evening, one of the most well known icons of trans in the doesn't had this message. >> i have a message for president trump from one republican to another. this is a disaster. and you can still fix it. you made a promise to protect the lgbtq community. call me. >> caitlyn jenner to donald trump. meanwhile, pope francis is

calling out so called hypocritical catholics. the pope said many catholics lead double lives by expressing religious devotion and exploining people or running dirty businesses in their private life. he said catholics like that quote scandalize others. he's called on lay people and priests to practice what they preach. definitely a unique pontiff. just ahead chrks start is luckiest when it comes to winning powerball jackpots. plus, ruth bader ginsburg offering insight to her future on the supreme court. stay with us. you're watching "early today." what sinus headache? what stiff joints? what time of the month cramps? what nighttime pain? make all your pains a distant memory with advil the world's #1 choice

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in today's quick hits, a big milestone in major offensive against isis. after a day of fierce fighting, iraqi forces have recaptured a part of mosul. an estimated 750,000 people remain trapped in isis-held western mosul. ruth bader ginsburg says she plans to remain a justice for as long as she can. and little tykes is recalling snug and secure

toddler swings. the morning, lottery officials in indiana are waiting for someone to claim the first powerball jackpot of the year. a single winning ticket was sold in indiana, a state with an amazing win streak. gabe gutierrez explains. >> reporter: a mystery in the land of hoosiers. >> this is powerball. >> reporter: the search is on for the latest power ball winner in what may be the luckiest state in the nation. >> so exciting. so superexciting. >> reporter: melinda is the manager at a supertest in lafayette and may have sold the winning ticket. the jackpot about $435 million before taxes. taken in one lump sum, more than $263 million. >> a phone call that our store was the winning ticket. that's where it was sold. so, and it's been crazy ever since. >> reporter: over the years, indiana has had 39 powerball jackpot winners. what sit about indiana that

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it comes with ten bedrooms, 7 1/2 baths, and a history of scandals and guests. the gray gardens home is going up for sale. anne thompson takes us inside. >> reporter: behind east hampton's hedges, where the rich celebrate summer, sits the once famous and infamous house. grey bard gardens now for sale. >> this is the best thing to wear. >> reporter: a broadway musical. all based on the the cult documentary. ♪ capturing the mother-daughter duo whose squall lid lifestyle amid ferl cats created a scandal in the '70s. the biels, big edie and little

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pipeline project could get approval. not without protest. good friday morning. this is tracey davidson. >> i'm vai sikahema. we're in for a warm one today. records could be in danger. let's get right to bill henley. the most accurate forecast in town. starting off warm. look at the temperatures right now. in 50s. new jersey. 512. 54 in the suburbs.

53 in philadelphia. starting point. we'll see a big warmup today with sunshine too. not seeing the fog we had yesterday morning. that's still a possibility and a few areas most will be fog free today. clouds at 54 degrees at 7:00. some breaks of sunshine. then as we get more sunshine during the day, temperatures take off. 62 degrees in easton at 10:00 this morning. for philadelphia, just a light wind right now at five miles an hour. southwesterly wind start the warming process at 7:00. 60s at 10:00 this morning. 70s this afternoon. heading to 74 for philadelphia. tie the record. 70s all around. at the shore, just a little bit cooler on the beach. go inland, find 70s there too. break it down hour by hour to tell you how quickly it will warm up in your neighborhood. first, francesca has your traffic. good morning. startsing off with road closure because of building fire.

specifically picking up both directions on route 56 between route 55 and orchid road. good alternate would be almond road to route 55. if you're going to be locally commuting r have important to know. vine street opening up morning construction. and should be lifting around 5:00 this morning. another accident in upper when ed. firefighters trying to get control of these flames that ripped through this hotel. crews battling the fire for the past threw hours how. matt delucia lye on scene in vineland. what's happening right now. there's dwiebt of ♪ ♪ and flames here. step out of the w