making news in america this morning -- president trump talks about his decision to fire former fbi director james comey. >> he's a show boat. he's a grand stander. >> hear what the president says about asking comey if he's under investigation and the controversy that's now causing. and the possible security breach in the oval office. questions raised about the photographer taking these pictures showing president trump with these officials. a plane evacuated because of a potentially dangerous animal on board. and who caused damage to air force one that cost there are 4 million to fix. and could have caused a mid flight fire.

a good friday morning to you all. i'm diane macedo. >> and i'm kenneth moton in for kendis gibson. in an sbrir with nbc news, the president offered up his account of how and why comey was fired. >> he's a show boat. he's a grand stander. the fbi has been in turmoil. you know that. i know that. everybody knows that. you take a look at the fbi a year ago. it was in virtual turmoil. less than a year ago. it hasn't recovered from that. >> while the white house pinned the decision on the justice department, the the president made it clear that it all started and ended with him. abc's gentleman nae norman has the latest from washington. >> reporter: the white house clearing up conflicting messages. saying for days, the president's decision to fire fbi director james comey was

recommendation of rod ros rosenstein. >> regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey. >> reporter: andrew mccabe testifying before congress, offering more contra dixs. >> director comey enjoyed broad support. within the fbi. and still does to this day. >> reporter: and white house dlams fbi investigation into russian meddles and possible collusion with the trump campaign was quote one of the smallest things the fbi was doing. >> we consider it to be a highly significant investigation. >> reporter: he says the investigation is going forward. >> this is in the best interests of the president. >> reporter: and during mccabe's testimony, he agreed to notify the senate intelligence committee if the white house makes any moves to try to i

russia-related investigation. >> thank you, janae norman, live in washington. the white house is denying a new report that the president demanded james comey's loyalty. >> sources close to comey say he was summoned to the white house weeks after the inauguration. >> trump asked for his loyalty. >> i said, if it's possible, would you let me know am i under investigation? he said, you're not under investigation. i know that i'm not under investigation, me, personally. i'm not talking about campaigns. or anything else. i'm not under investigation. >> abc's jon karl pressed the white house. >> one of these conversations, the president said happened at dinner where the fbi director according to the president was asking to

dprerngt don't you see how that's a conflict of interest. the fbi director is saying he wants to keep his job and the president is asked whether or not he's under investigation. >> i don't see that as a conflict of interest. and neither do the other scholars who have been commenting on it in the last hour. so no, i don't see that as an issue. >> act ek director mccabe would not confirm whether comey told president trump he was not under investigation. a possible security breach. these photos of the meeting were taken by a russian photographer. now, intelligence officials have raised concerns over that photographer and his equipment being allowed into the oval office. given russia's history of sneaking surveillance devices into u.s. facilities. meanwhile, the president is defending his decision to go through with that meeting a day after firing comey. >> did you worry at all when you

when you did, the the day before lavrov was in the oval office, did you think through the optics of the way this would look? >> i never thought about it. it was set up awhile ago. frankly, i could have waited. but what difference does it make? >> the president said vladimir putin asked him to meet with the foreign minister when they spoke by phone. and "the new yorker" is getting attention for its new cover. it shows the fbi director being dragged off a plane by a security officer who looks a lotly jeff sessions and a pilot who looks like president trump. breaking overnight, iraqi officials are close to taking over major city. within days, it's said mosul will no longer be under control of the terror group. there is still thousands of civilians trapped in the section

isis. now for a look at the weather. ♪ a severe storm system is now moving out of the plains into the deep south. but this weekend it will reach the northeast. the system brought strong winds, heavy rain, and lots of hail to texas, oklahoma, and here in arkansas. by this evening, the storms will reach the virginia coast. saturday will be pretty much a washout for the mid-atlantic region. mother's day will be soggy for new england. plan some indoor celebration ifs you're in that area. unless mom really likes rain. then party outside. >> right. ♪ a young man who had a public audience with duchess kate wasn't exactly crying tears of joy. >> this happened when kate arrived in lux m bourg. the little guy in the little hoodie had just given him

flowers. when she tried to thank him, he burt out crying. >> his mom said the little guy was just shy. >> i think a know a lot of grown men who would cry if she came near them. still ahead, the change all the big candymakers agreed to. and what mechanics did that put air force one at risk of catching fire mid flight. and rare look at the white house after hours. the president's new tv and how he's adding his own personal touch.

breaking overnight, a united flight had to be delayed for hours for a rather unusual

that flight to ecuador had to return to the gate in houston last night after a scorpion climbed out of a passenger's clothing. the plane was evacuated. but they didn't find a scorpion. someone said they had seen it, though. passengers boarded a backup plane and arrived in the country three hours late. and recent damage to a plane used as air force one could have caused a fire. a report says three mechanics contaminated the plane's oxygen system last month, doing $4 million damage. charges are still possible in the deadly amtrak derailment in philadelphia. the crash two years ago killed eight people and injured nearly 200 others when it was going twice the speed limit. the train's engineer was to blame. philadelphia's district attorney declined to file charges against him. now, a judge has approved the filing of a private criminal compla

is back up and running this morning after a nationwide outsanl lasting about three hours. during that time, customers were unable to make online payments or mobile payments. no word on what triggered the outage. >> new word that department stores are struggling to compete with online retail prps macy's saw a drop for the ninth straight quarter. for kohl's, the fifth straight loss. high-end dermt stores are reporting losses, too. jc penney releases its earnings today. the powers that be in the world of candy are having a meeting of the minds focusing on making sweets better for you. executives from mars, nestle, and others are joining forces to provide more choices for consumers, including smaller portions. they plan to have calorie information on 90% of their most popular products within five years. >> but will you pay attention. >> i'm not sure i w

pip don't think i'll flip over the candy bar. >> right. when we come back, people in one american community told to stay inside. the massive manhunt for an accused killer. and the delicate rescue after a horse falls into a 300-foot ravine. love is what inspires me. love is being awakened by a kiss. love is finding calm in your partner's arms. love is intimate. love is everlasting. love is a diamond. if there's one thing i know, it's couples in love. from the runway to the wedding aisle, to the most romantic day of their lives, i'm there. each piece of my jewelry collection is designed with lovers in mind. the vera wang love collection, at zales. the diamond store. fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. got any ideas?ting you? not all products work the same. my owner gives me k9 advantix ii. it kills all three through contact.

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doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate, and is also available in a once-daily pill. ask about xeljanz xr. rescuing a horseback rider from a 300-foot ravine was relatively easy. getting the the horse out, a bit more difficult. it had to be sedated and air lifted out. now for a look at morning road conditions. drivers are likely to find wet road not practically all of the south. the ohio valley, and a lot of the east. there may also with be puddles in the pacific northwest and northern rockies. if you're flying, airport delays are most likely i

memphis, atlanta, charlotte, and new orleans. well marngshunt is under way in northern massachusetts for a shooting suspect police describe as armed and extremely dangerous. >> s.w.a.t. teams are swarming the streets of lowell, where ross elliott could be hiding. he's suspected of shooting and killing an ex-girlfriend and they say he has a long history of violence. an arkansas sheriff's deputy and two women are dead after what possibly started as a dmesic dispute. officer kevin mainhart was killed. the suspect barricaded himself in the house for five hours. after he surrendered, the bodies of two women were found inside. another deadly standoff is over. u.s. marshals tried to serve a war want on man. the suspect opened fire, killing one of his neighbors. s.w.a.t.

neighborhood into lockdown, trying to convince the man the to surrender. that took more than a day. more than two dozen great white sharks have been spotted off california beaches just in week. some paddle boarders were surrounded by more than a dozen sharks but didn't know it. they found out when they gt a call from above. >> you are paddle boarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks. >> there were advisories poed on the beach. authorities say the sharks were not aggressive. los angeles officials are showi ining the olympic committ around town. l.a. and paris are battling to host the games for a third time. the winner will be announced in september. >> go usa. another team

the nba playoffs. >> let's go to our friends from espn. good morning, america. i'm sweating profusely. >> starting off with tmi. and spurs and rockets. game six. the spurs up, 3-2. houston was at home. james harden, just wasn't ready. if he was, that's worse. six turnovers in the game to go with just seven assist. didn't take his first shot until 6:19 of the second quarter. 10 points, 2 for 11 shooting. lamarcus aldridge, 12 rebounds for the spurs. murray, kyle anderson. murray with the dunk. spurs win it. they win the series. they take on the warriors next. this is houston's baseball team. man, they better be better than the basketball team. >> that wasn't hard. >> walk off this good morning. carlos correia. off michael

"sportscenter" with stan and neal, carlos did an impression. bottom nine, yankees are down two. they get one. ellsbury not getting the flyers. jake throws him out. houston, 3-2 winner. >> anything else? chlt that's all we got. up next in "the pulse," doctors are sending out a warning over the rising number of injuries called avocado hand. and the best mother's day present. what a football coach told this mom right here about her son that received this reaction. and check out our face book page in this story getting a lot of shares. baby, nearly 14 pounds at birth. that's on atmfans.com. ♪ the sun'll come out tomorrow... ♪

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time to check "the pulse" beginning with a rare, afterhours look at the trump white house. behind the sxeens. >> yes, the president escorted a "time" magazine crew, showing off an enormous flat screen tv where he catches up on

news clips on tivo, what he called one of the best invegetables of all time. >> they checked out his favorite meal. chicken with sauce. two scoop of ice cream. and chocolate cream pie. i'll take some of that. >> i wonder if that screen is as large as the one behind us. doctors are warning about a surge in the injury they call avocado hand. >> this is what happens when people cut an avenocado in thei hand. instead of cutting the avocado only, they slis their hand. it may sound funny. apparently, it can cause serious nerve and tendon damage. >> doctors are not calling for safety labels. they recommend cutting avocados on a cutting board like you see there and using common sense. >> it always come down to tha

>> especially with naives. >> no sledge hammer. college football coach has found a very special mother's day gift for the mom of one of his players. >> east carolina head coach scotty montgomery paid a visit to this mom. >> watch as the coach hands her an envelope. he tells her it's a nice mother's day gift. when she opens it, she finds out it's a full scholarship for her son. >> her son didn't know. she told him over the phone. >> thank you so much, wow. i'm here with coach mo and, some cameras and people. i just got presented with the best mother's day gift ever. you're on a full scholarship for ecu and your name is number son this letter. >> it's like two gifts in one. not only does she get this amazing news, she gets to be the

>> he thanked his coach over the the phone and took to twitter. >> he said thank you for the blessings you have xwichb me. he also says he'll continue to be the best player he can be. he says, i will continue to grind. >> on the football field in the classroom. kiante anderson, congratulations on that scholarship. mom, she hugged him tight, didn't she? >> i have a feeling mom is going rememberup with good morning washington. it's may 12th, and it's finally friday! but before tou finalize those weekend plans, you will want to see meteorologist eileen whelan's weekend forecast. thats coming up in just a moment.. but first here are some quick headlines. president trump-- contradicting the white house regarding the firing of fbi director james comey. in an interview with nbc nightly news-- the president said it was his idea to fire comey. days ago-- the white house told reporters that the firing was recommended by the deputy attorney general! the president went

turmoil. breaking overnight. fire fighters are on the scene of a 2 alarm fire in lorton. the blaze broke out just after one-thirty this morning, near south-run road and golden ridge road. we have a crew on the way to the scene and will have a live update coming up a little later. good morning washington. toss to eileen - cloudy & cool today (stray shower) - heaviest rain tonight & through 2pm tomorrow - warmer & breezy sunday - hot & humid coming today: cloudy and cool. isolated shower/drizzle. highs: 52-56 winds: e 5-10 mph tonight: rain likely. lows: 48-52 winds: e 5 mph saturday: rain through 3pm. cloudy and cool. highs: 52-56 winds: ne 5-10 mph developing right now..

for more details about an f-b-i raid in annapolis thursday. here's what we know. agents raided a republican consulting firm. this is in connection to the 2013 virginia governor's race. it relates to work the consultanting firm did for then-candidate ken cuccinelli. cuccinelli says he hasn't been interviewed by law enforcement. we're told there was also a raid in arlington - connected to the case. also happening now- two fires under investigation. both happened at jehovah's witness halls. both- belived to be arson. investigators believe someone set fire to kingdom hall of jehovah's witnesses in arlington. a similar

underway in falls church. if you have any information- you are asked to call police. right now- in california. people in long beach will have a sunnier weekend than here. but they may not want to get in the water. thats becuase a shark advisory is now in place- all becuase of these guys. great white sharks, spotted in shallow waters off the coast. so far they haven't shown any aggressive behavior, but officials don't want to take any chances. officials believe these are young sharks -- coming in closer to feed on a thriving fish population. that advisory will stay in place until lifeguards go a full day without seeing a shark near shore. it's xx and we're just getting started.

the way.. your complete stormwatch weather forecast is coming right up. good morning washington. - cloudy & cool today (stray shower) - heaviest rain tonight & through 2pm tomorrow - warmer & breezy sunday - hot & humid coming today: cloudy and cool. isolated shower/drizzle. highs: 52-56 winds: e 5-10 mph tonight: rain likely. lows: 48-52 winds: e 5 mph saturday: rain through 3pm. cloudy and cool. highs: 52-56 winds: ne 5-10 mph this morning the white house is