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. od

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

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 d

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

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 popu

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 ft

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

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

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 i

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 today. that's a look at the big water story of the day. now here's a closer look at thedy ahead. much colder temperatures in the northern tier of the country. look what's ahead. 70s. more record highs are likely. philadelphia, 73 degrees. nice and warm. that warm weather in the east is not going to stick around forever. we're going to see a return to cooler temperatures next week. >> looks like great week end, bonnie, thank you. we have

snowboarder safe and sound after spending a frigid night lost on the mountain. a rescue crew spotting the 32-year-old the day earlier. the crew hoisted him out of the snow and took him to the hospital for cold-related injuries. just ahead, the pope has strong words for hypocritical catholics. and a wild rise for a police officer in china. you're watching "early today." stay with us. ♪ minutes old. ♪ a baby's skin is never more delicate. ♪ what do hospitals use to wash and protect it? ♪ johnson's® the number 1 choices in hospitals.

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thankfully, the officer is not 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.

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

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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 jackpo

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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

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district this morning where two d.c. police officers are in the hospital and a suspected gunman is dead. good morning, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> the details are still unfolding but we do want to let you know that both officers are okay. both are listed as stable. >> we have several crews working the story this morning. we'll get to them in just a mpt. >> but first we want to get you up to date on how this happened. just after 10:30 officers responded to a call for shots fired in the 1200 block of morse street or

well as the suspect who later died. but first we know a lot of you are getting ready to head out the door so let's get you up to date on weather and traffic. >> we'll start with chuck and sheena. >> how nice was that yesterday? >> it was gorgeous. i did break out the flip flops. >> you almost had to. >> i don't own a pair but the dog and i put the miles on and it was such a nice day to be outside yesterday and today is a fantastic friday today. temperatures way up into the 70s again. we broke a record at dulles yesterday. 77 degrees and we should be every bit that warm again later on this afternoon. still watching a good chance of some showers. maybe some rumbles of thunder on saturday afternoon. a shock to the system as it feels like february returning on sunday and some much needed rain coming later next week. let's go over

>> yes, today is going to be fantastic. this morning is already mild enough to where you don't need a jacket at least for most of the area. there are spots in the mid-40s. in the district we're at 57. dulles coming in at 58 degrees so another day we expect to get into the 70s. as we go into the morning hours 60s quickly and closer to lunchtime, already near 70 degrees. another very warm day today. we'll be back with a closer look at your weekend forecast. >> so right now, inner loop at bw parkway, a crash that is still blocking the right lane. you can see the west of the beltway looks good. southbound bw parkway at 197, a crash there and taking a look inbound at 66, fairfax county parkway to the beltway, no major worries, inbound/outbound looking quite good.

breaking news all night long. we want to get you up to date. two d.c. police officers have been shot and the suspect is dead. >> the shooting happened near the intersection of holobrook and morse streets in northeast d.c. we have team coverage of this scene. more on how this all unfolded but we'll begin with justin finch and the officerofficers' condition. >> reporter: they're in good spirits, a relief for them. both suffered wound to their lower bodies and are now on track to recover. meantime, moments after those officers were shot, they were rushed here to med star. at least one may have been brought here in the back of a police cruiser. one officer was treated hoar for what we hear may have been a

another was raced into surgery for what may have been to dislodge a bullet. they'll be asked to recount the event leading up to the moments before they were shot. >> the two best witnesses that we have -- that we know of right now are the two officers and they're at the hospital being treated. >> reporter: now, acting police chief did show up here and spend time with both officers. again, both are stable and are on track to recover. aaron, eun, back in to you. >> you mentioned that other officers were showing up overnight. were you able to make any observations about those other officers? >> reporter: they were not able to say much. we got lots of thumbs up, hand shakes and high fives over the fence. most of all, you felt a sense of relief. you hear two officers down, you