in the firing line, robert mueller was the target of an order by president trump to be fired back in june. but his white house counsel said no. where does it lead this morning? a live report ahead. >> that as the president appears to back a plan that would give a path of citizenship to 1.8 million dreamers in exchange for a $30 billion and his campaign promised wall. >> in the wake of 156 survivors, the united states olympic committee is coming down like a ton of bricks on usa gymnastics demanding they clean house or else. >> and ellen stages one of the most heart warming reunions you would love to see. >> and we get to the bottom of the three legged reese wither spoon controversy. yep, "early today" starts right now. >> great being with you on a

friday. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin this morning with overnight breaking news. nbc now confirms president trump last june ordered his white house counsel to fire the special prosecutor overseeing the russia investigation, robert mueller. with "the new york times" first reporting, ultimately backed down after donald mcgahn threaten today resign rather than carry out the firing. mueller remains as special counsel. the times writing, mr. mueller learned about the episode in recent months as his investigators interviewed current and former senior white house officials in his inquiry into whether the president obstructed justice. it continued, the president began to argue that mr. mueller had three conflicts of interest that disqualified him from overseeing the investigation. >> those three conflicts, according to the times, a dispute years ago over fees at trump's virginia golf club. the fact that mr. mueller had most recently worked for a law firm that previously counted jared kushner as a client, and finally mr. mueller had

interviewed the president for the position of fbi director just days before being announced as special prosecutor. in response to the report, democratic senator mark warner, the co-chair of the senate intel committee, said any attempt by the president to dismiss mueller would be a, quote, red line and a gross abuse of power. warner and other members of congress are calling for legislation to protect mueller from being fired. certainly a fast moving story that could have wide reaching implications into the mueller investigation. for more we are joined by nbc's kelly o'donnell in davos where president trump is set to speak. kelly, good morning. what does the white house have to say about this bombshell report? >> reporter: well, good morning, frances. this is another indication of the frustration that existed inside the white house over the scope and direction of the special counsel probe. officially the white house is saying that it won't comment out of respect for the special counsel. there is a top official inside the white house who is in charge of working with any contacts between the white house and robert mueller and his team and

so they are trying on a public face to show respect for that office and also to turn down the heat here. but the window inside what the president was thinking last summer is important. we get a sense of that from listening to what one of his friends and a conservative media ceo said, chris ruddy. he talked about it last year on pbs and then hear how the president answered a question about his intentions regarding mueller. listen to chris ruddy and the president. >> i think he's considering perhaps terminating the special counsel. i think he's weighing that option. i think it's pretty clear by what one of his lawyers said on television recently. >> mr. president, have you sought or thought about or considered leading the dismissal of the special counsel, anything bob mueller could do that would send you in that direction? >> i haven't given it any thought. i mean, i've been reading it about it from you people you say i'm going to dismiss him. i'm not dismissing anybody. i want them to get on with the task. >> reporter: and the president has repeatedly said he would not

replace or dismiss robert mueller. now we understand through this reporting first by "the new york times" and nbc news now, that there was consideration. perhaps it was the president's anger or frustration hitting a boiling point, but don mcgahn, the white house counsel saying he would quit over such a move is significant and it seemed to be sufficient to turn down the heat for the president and to cause him to take a different turn. now we hear the president being asked even in recent days if he would submit to questioning with the special counsel and the president says he would be open to that, pending the views of his outside personal attorneys. frances, phillip? >> kelly o'donnell for us. kelly, thank you. >> and as kelly mentioned, the president is set to deliver remarks before the world economic forum in just a few hours. and this is what greeted him when he arrived. a giant banner displayed by a swiss nongovernmental group on the side of a mountain, declaring in no uncertain terms that he was not welcome there. the banner comes from the same group that set up a petition demanding trump stay out of davos.

a petition that garnered over 17,000 signatures. still the president will take to the lectern today on his second day in switzerland where he is sure to trumpet his america first policies. but it's developments here at home, a possible about face on dreamers that's grabbing attention this morning. nbc's hallie jackson has that report. >> reporter: instead of deals in davos, it's a deal back home at the center of attention with new immigration details ahead of a deadline to protect those so-called dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought to the u.s. when they were young. nbc news has learned from senior white house officials the president would back a plan that gives a path to citizenship to 1.8 milli 1.8 million of those dreamers. not just people protected under the current program daca, but also those who are eligible but never registered. that's a shift and one the white house frames as a concession. the president also wants roughly $25 billion for a border wall, another 5 billion for more border security. and end to the visa lottery system, and a limit on

family-based migration so immigrants could only sponsor spouses and children for citizenship, not parents or siblings. president trump talking with cnbc. >> i will consider that a great achievement to solve the daca problem. it's been out there for a long time. these are good people. these are people that should be able to stay in this country. >> usa. >> reporter: it's that possibility of a path to citizenship in particular that may anger the president's conservative base. but it might help broker a deal in congress with the white house hoping for a vote the week of february 6th. chief of staff john kelly managing negotiations back in washington with the president overseas in this swiss ski town more posh than populist. >> today has been a great day, exciting day, great for our country. >> reporter: the president who ran railing against the global elite is now surrounding himself with them. at his davos debut, rubbing elbows and throwing some, alongside israel's prime minister, president trump threatening to strip palestinians of tens of millions of dollars in u.s. aid.

>> that money is not going to them unless they sit down and negotiate peace. >> reporter: and in a speech later on today here in switzerland, a senior white house official tells me the president will hammer home the metsage he's been working to deliver in davos, that the u.s. is open for business. phillip, back to you. >> hallee, thank you. >> breaking news overnight, the fallout for usa gymnastics continues after the sentencing of ex-team doctor larry nassar. the u.s. olympic committee now requiring the entire board resign in the next six days or face de-certification. in a letter the usoc says it is clear usa gymnastics culture needs fundamental rebuilding. and will require all-new board members to undergo harassment and ethics training. in response, usa gymnastics says it embraces the requirements and appreciates the opportunity to better the organization. >> in bold the usa gymnastics and michigan state university are taking heat for how they handled complaints against nassar. with victims saying nassar could

have been stopped decades earlier. independent investigations are now being launched into usag and msu as new information is revealed about how the institutions are defending themselves. nbc's senior national correspondent kate snow has more. >> they were zetsche irg. >> reporter: for lyndsay who was captain of the jicgymnastics te and he abused her hundreds of time, the sentencing is just beginning. >> people who need to be held accountable get what they deserve for not speaking up when they should have. >> reporter: usa gymnastics now says it supports an independent investigation to figure out what went wrong. michigan state university says, we are committed to continue supporting those in our community affected by these terrible crimes. >> you do not deserve to walk outside of a prison ever again. >> reporter: but just as larry nassar was being sentenced, nbc news has learned in another michigan courtroom, lawyers for both institutions were saying something quite different.

usa gymnastics argues in a court filing it had no legal duty to protect the young women from nassar's criminal conduct. and michigan state university argues complaints made prior to 2014 don't count because the young women didn't complain to the appropriate person. >> this is bigger than larry nassar. >> reporter: two-time olympian aly raisman says the institutions have an incentive to keep things quiet. >> for so long they put medals, reputation and money over the safety of athletes. >> reporter: investigators will be looking closely at the time line, a gymnastics coach learned about nassar's abuse in june 2015 and called usa gymnastics. usag waited 42 days before telling the fbi. but they never called msu where nassar also worked. usag says nassar was relieved of his duties, but he continued to see hundreds of patients at msu until he was arrested. in her statement, president lieu anna simons said there is no cover up, but on campus many

welcomed her resignation. >> the university needs to really make some strides in a different direction. >> reporter: simon will still get perks like tickets to home games and if she returns to the faculty, a year leave and then her full three quarter of a million dollar salary. >> that was kate snow reporting. >> it is friday so we've all got weekend plans. let's check in with meteorologist bill karins to see if we need to change at all. >> it's going to be wet in a few spots as we head into the upcoming weekend. the coldest air is in northern new england. negative numbers, wind chill, and boston is colder than new york at 7. so, it will moderate a little bit again today. lots of sunshine in areas in new england. the temperatures, about 10 to 25 degrees above average through the ohio valley. enjoy this. chicago, 50, des moines 54. much colder air coming after this weekend. especially next week. and d.c. could be 60 on saturday, boston up to 51. but then as i mentioned, towards next week it does get a little cooler. cleveland down into the 20s and even northern new england again back into the teens. so, a little brief ú÷pñpç faster game and

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harvard's hasty pudding theater troop honored mila kunis as their woman of the year marking the parade through cambridge. the troupe founded in the late 1700s is known for featuring men dressed in drag per traying female characters. the troupe usually only casts men in their plays while allowing women to work behind the scenes. kunis took the time to clear the air to explain why she decided to accept the award. they said they will include women in the future productions. >> this tradition has been around 100 plus years. it's changed. putting women higher in the workplace will change the world. >> kunis says she was proud to accept the award, especially this year. hasty pudding will have its first fully open casting call in 2019. >> trail blazing there, too. leading the news this morning the questions continue to follow oprah winfrey, rumors of a

behind the scenes taken off after the frenzy following her golden globes acceptance speech. now we are hearing from oprah herself on the matter the first time. nbc's kristen welker has more from washington. >> reporter: oprah winfrey all but closing the door on a presidential bid. the famed star telling in style magazine it's not something that interests me. i don't have the dna for it. and acknowledging she's getting a lot of pressure to take on president trump, speaking to in style three weeks before this moment at the golden globes. >> the new day is on the horizon! >> reporter: calls for an oprah candidacy have only grown louder. #oprah 2020 trending for days. the president himself weighing in. >> oprah would be a lot of fun. >> reporter: a recent poll shows the president trailing oprah 51 to 42%. a tv titan who many democrats believe could be a strong challenger to take on the former reality tv president, but publicly oprah has been clear,

she's not interested. telling stephen colbert last year. >> is there any chance you'll run for office? >> never! >> really? >> never, no. >> reporter: still in the world of politics, there is always time to change your mind. >> so, you will not run for president or vice-president in 2008? >> i will not. >> will you ever run for president again, yes or no? >> no. >> reporter: and it was oprah who asked donald trump back in 1998 whether he would ever throw his hat into the ring. >> probably not. >> reporter: so, will oprah keep the door closed? i met with someone the other day who said that they would help me with a campaign, she told in style. that's not for me. at least not for now. kristen welker, nbc news, washington. >> we'll see. pop quiz for you. do you know the difference between a cold and the flu? this year it is a pretty serious question. that's next. see ya. -take care. ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions,

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the dow popping off to new highs along with the s&p thanks in part to some big earnings from the likes of caterpillar and 3 m and positive gdp news ahead today. >> the nation's deadly flu epidemic appears to have claimed the life of yet another child. this time in florida. some schools there are closed this morning to try to stop the spread. >> this latest tragedy is raising the question so many parents are asking. does your child have a cold or the potentially deadly flu? and how do you tell the

difference? here's nbc medical correspondent dr. john torres. >> reporter: in the growing number of young people dying this flu season, there is now another. florida seventh grader dylan winik. >> we used to walk home every day. my little brother, i'm never going to see him again, it's unexplainable. >> reporter: his heartbroken family stunned by just how quickly he died at home. >> his temperature was 98 degrees and then within just a couple of hours they found him. he had already passed. that's why we don't -- you can't understand how that happened. >> reporter: his parents thought his sniffles and exhaustion meant he had a cold. but now they believe it was the flu. so, how can you tell the difference between a bad cold and the flu? stuffy nose and cough, could be either. severe body aches that come on quickly and nausea, a sign of the flu. as are vomiting and diarrhea, though mostly in children. a high fever above 101 degrees, usually means the flu.

but not always. >> she's had the flu, okay. >> reporter: this brutal flu season has a lot of people on edge. >> we do have an ambulance on the way. >> reporter: near dallas at med star mobile health, ambulance calls for flu decembsymptoms ar times higher than usual. what kind of symptoms were you having? >> nausea, body aches, hot body, but chills. >> reporter: one more warning for parents. if your child seems to get better but then suddenly gets worse -- >> do you mind if i it take a listen? >> reporter: take them to the right away. dr. john torres, nbc news, dallas. >> still ahead, how this weekend's grammys will address the me too movement. plus the emotional surprise ellen had for one very lucky member of her audience. you're watching "early today." bye grandpa. and if you have heart failure, entrusting your heart to entresto may help. entresto is a heart failure medicine that helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body.

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quilted northern is designed to work so well, you can forget your bathroom trips. but little miss puffytail can never forget. "the only thing worse than having such large ears, is having such large eyes." welcome back. let's track the rain as we head through the upcoming weekend. help you with your planning. we're fine today. no issues whatsoever. there may be a few sprinkles throughout areas of texas into arkansas. overnight tonight the rain does forma long that front by the time you go through your saturday, a brief period of wet weather through the ohio valley. the heaviest rains will be in louisiana. watch out in new orleans. the southeast, guys, it looks like it's going to be on sunday for the coastal area. >> thanks, bill. just ahead, can you tell what is wrong with this vanity fair cover? we'll tell you when we come back. i knew they weren't perfect, but, ugh. oh well, all hope is lost! oh thanks! clearly my whitening toothpaste is not cutting it.

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reversing course. congressman pat meehan decides not to ran for re-election in the wake of a sexual harassment claim. we're taking you behind the scenes at the philadelphia auto show as the hottest not cars roll into town. the eagles return to practice yesterday as the festivities kick off in minneapolis. good morning this is nbc news today first look at 4. i'm rosemary conners. >> and let's get right to bell henry with the most accurate first alert forecast. >> it is even colder than

yesterday. teens in some neighborhood in new jersey. low 20s for the lee high valley and delaware and about the same in the suburbs, too. philadelphia is about 26 degrees. the wind has really come down. it's commin new jersey, just a 5 mile an hour breeze in the suburbs and 3 miles an hour in philadelphia. we don't have the wind-chill factor we had yesterday, but we do have a lots of sunshine. today into the 40s this afternoon. a pretty nice day ahead after a cold morning. i'll break it down hour by hour for you, but first katey zachary has your first alert traffic. >> we're going to take a look at the schuylkill expressway, and there's a closure up ahead. closed for drivers from the vine street expressway to south street because of overnight construction. westbound looks pretty good. intermitment spots of

construction. also at last check there was some fire department activity on route one southbound right after you get off of 76 southbound. so expect some delays until that's cleared. speak of route 73 we'll take a look at the tacoma bridge and let you know if there's any scheduled bridge openings that could affect your drive. if you go northbound between 295 and 495 that's an 11 minute drive, 10 minutes in the opposite direction. congressman pat meehan will not run for releection following revelations he settled a sex ua harassment claim. >> in that interview meehan also denied any romantic involvement with one of his former staff