overnight a deadly blast in kabul killing and injuring hundreds. on defense t russia investigation reaches closer to home for the trump white house. tv host kathy griffin begs for forgiveness after a trump photo shoot gone wrong. asleep at the wheel. details behind tiger woods's arrest. the british get rolling as only the british can. a kiss worth being banned from a championship? and how one word broke the internet overnight. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm frances rivera.

news after a massive explosion went off in the afghan capital of kabul injuring and killing scores. the explosion sent clouds of smoke in the sky. it happened in the city center, the diplomatic quarter there. it may be very well the deadliest bombing in kabul this year the casualty number continuing to climb. the health ministry says up to 80 people have been killed and over 300 wounded. no group has taken responsibility. updates as we get them. back in the united states the russia trump investigation getting closer to the president's inner circle. we get word it now includes two more associates, attorney michael cohen and press aide boris epstein. after saying he would not respond coh

testify before congress if a subpoena comes his way. epstein's lawyer confirms he has been contacted by the intel committee. new reporting on michael flynn. he will now provide some personal documents to the commit after a subpoena to do so. it's the revelations regarding president trump's son-in-law jared kushners that white house on edge. peter alexander has more. >> reporter: the white house struggling to fend off questions about son-in-law jared kushner's contact during the transition after a wave of headlines that blind sided west wing staff. >> i'm not going to get into it but your question presupposes facts not confirmed. >> reporter: sean spicer did not deny "washington post" report that during kushner's meeting in december with michael flynn an kiss lee yak the 36-year-old proposed back cham communications with russia

facilities for the talks. >> i think that it assumes a lot. i would say mr. kushner's attorney said that mr. kushner volunteered to share what he knows. >> it's not inappropriate for officials to begin to speak with foreign counterparts. what is unusual is for there to be the preparation for a back channel outside the bounds of u.s. intelligence or diplomatic channels. >> reporter: also under scrutiny whether kushner was looking for daybreak line to vladamir putin. the search that kengted him with a russian banker with ties to putin. the president defending his trusted adviser saying jared is doing a great job for the country. i have total confidence in him. the white house saying kushner was acting as a transition official. mr. trump again venting on twitter. russian officials must be laughing at the u.s. and how a lame excuse for why the democrats lost the election. explanation echoed by putin in

interference fiction invented by trump political to explain the loss. now it seems one of the first major administration players is out. communications director mike dubke resigned. his last day has yet to be determined. the president has managed to shift the conversation away from the resignation via twitter as he often has done, only this time it may have not gone as planned. mr. trump tweeted his tweet overnight saying quote despite the constant negative press kovefefe likely intending to say coverage, the tweet remained up since it was posted and sent twitter in a frenzy. and as of this morning covfefe remains a top trending topic. the u.s. conducted a missile defense test launching a

from california's vandenberg air force base. it hit and destroyed an incoming mock warhead fired from out in the pacific. it was a simulation of a potential attack from north korea. and marked an important milestone for u.s. defense. nbc's richard engel has details. >> reporter: u.s. military practiced defending the united states from a north korean attack, firing a missile killing interceptor, this is it, speeding over the pacific on its way to its target, another missile, the u.s. launch from the marshall islands and aimed at the waters off san diego. if a north korean missile really was inbound this had better hit it. the test comes two days after the latest north korean missile launch supervised by a smiling kim jong-un. he has nine missile test this is year and quoted saying the u.s. has a bigger gift package coming. the u.s. is now

it can deal with that threat. but firing the so-called ground-based mid course defense system has risks. it has what can generously be described as a mixed record, successful in nine of its last 17 attempts. and today, was the first time it tried to shoot down an actual intercontinental ballistic missile traveling three to four times the speed of sound. >> our tests will underline our seriousness about stopping their program but i don't think it will actually stop their program. they will see it as yet another challenge to overcome. >> missile defense systems aren't only about defense. having one shows an enemy you can attack it first. and not have to worry too much about retaliation. but only if it works. >> thanks to nbc easy richard eng engel. a man appeared in court for the first time defiant from the time he

>> free speech or die portland. you got no safe place. this is america. get out if you don't like spree speech. >> he was arraigned on murder charges. the men intervened when christian went on a hateful tirade against two young women. the surviving victim sat in court during the arraignment. federal authorities have not decided whether to charge christian with a hate crime. some called his actions terrorism but christian calls it something else. >> you call it terrorism i call it patriotism. you hear me. >> christian did not enter a plea. he is due back in court next week. begging for forgiveness. a plea from kathy griffin this morning after a photo shoot she posed for went viral for all the wrong reasons. the shoot showed her holding a blood i donald trump mask. the image was obtained by

image across party lines and professions from anderson cooper her frequent co-host to chelsea clinton and donald trump jr. she issued this on-camera apology following the backlash. >> i sincerely apologize. i'm just now seeing the reaction of these images, i'm a comic, i crossed the line, i moved the line, then i crossed it. i went way too far. the image is too disturbing. i understand how it offends people. it wasn't funny, i get it. i made a lot of mistakes in my career. i will continue. i ask your forgiveness taking down the image. going to ask the photographer to take down the image. i went too far. i made a mistake and i was wrong. >> taking a turn to the weather now. 5 million people at risk for severe thunderstorms today. let's check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins who is tracking it for us. >> good morning. unfortunately it's in new england again. this region this will be day

we got showers rolling through the region of upstate new york, one or two showers trying to make it through the chesapeake, as far as today here is the severe weather threat. we could have a isolated storm around d.c., baltimore, even new york city. but this area of yellow where the slight risk is where the best chance is of damaging wind and small hail. albany to across the mass pike to springfield and southern portions of vermont and new hampshire. now here is a closer look at your day ahead. as we look at northern new england that's the greatest chance and coverage of showers and storms today. isolated storms south of new york city, and how about beautiful weather for you today, indianapolis, chicago, through the quad cities, des moines and omaha. enjoy that. it's a tradition we show you every year, english tradition, racers tumble down cooper's hill in the cheese rolling race. thousands of spectators brave wet and muddy conditions to watch the ev

from 1826. it's believed to date back even further. this year's winner was chris anderson tied the mark for the most cheeses won. i didn't realize they do it in multiple times. >> i didn't see that. it veered off to the side. good to know there is a winner. bill, thank you. ahead new details on tiger woods' dui arrest. caught on camera, a massive underground explosion. you're watching "early today."

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timothy loehmann violated the rules giving false information on his job application. according to nbc loehmann allegedly did not disclose he was fired from his last police job and did not explain the circumstances. tamir rice's mother is relieved but wishes he was fired for killing his son instead of lying. new details what led to tiger woodses arrest. the report give as dramatic account of the moment police came across the famous golfer behind the wheel but allegedly in no condition to drive. nbc's kerry sanders has the story. >> reporter: according to the affidavit florida police say when they approached woods mercedes monday 9 miles from his home woods was asleep at the wheel, and the vehicle was running. a fully cooperative tiger woods first told officers that he was coming back from golfing in california but according to police he changed his story and stated he did not know where he

although his speech was slow, sluggish and very slurred he registered .000 on two breath tests. and police say woods identified four medications he used including vicodin, that could support his claim in a statement that alcohol was not involved. what happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. tiger woods recent health problems including multiple surgeries are no secret. his public image took a hit when he wrecked his suv in 2009. the subsequent revelation of extra marit extramarital affairs led to a high profile divorce. >> tiger is a friend. he has been great for the game of golf and i think he needs all our help and we wish him well. >> reporter: tiger woods is set to be arraigned on the dui charges in july. kerry sanders, nbc news, jupiter, florida. >> a milestone for the largest online retailer. plus, the new

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switch now at fiosgigabit.com. me to listen carefully. i'm ralph northam,aught and when survivors of the virginia tech shooting asked me to support an assault weapons ban and close the gun show loophole, i took on the fight. i saw what those weapons can do as an army doctor during the gulf war. now, i'm listening carefully to donald trump, and i think he's a narcissistic maniac. whatever you call him, we're not letting him bring his hate into virginia. in business quick hits a milestone for amazon. shares of stock briefly crossed the 1,000 mark tuesday for the first time. the company's reportedly worth double its rival walmart. uber's board will get

general eric holder investigating an alleged culture of sexual harassment at the company. and more trouble for united airlines, the faa proposing a half million dollar fine for not inspecting a fuel pump switch on one of its 787 dreamliners after it was repaired. the plane was flown 23 times before the inspection was complete. >> a growing scam during the american dream of owning a home into a nightmare. cyber thieves targeting by intercepting e-mails and stealing payments. what to look out for. >> reporter: from the fbi office in minneapolis, a new warning for home buyers about con artists out to steal payments. >> someone could lose their life savings. >> reporter: reports of these scams increased 480% nation wide, costing would-be home buyers hundreds of thousands. >> they are watching everything

are deciding the right time, the right place, that they are going to skrik. >> reporter: here is how it works when buying a home the e-mail of the title company or broker is hacked, cyber criminals intercept messages and at the right moment insert fraudulent account information that looks official. buyers unknowingly wire money for a payment to an account under the hacker's control. it happened to steve and claudia who moved to minnesota to help care for their six grand children. >> how much did you lose in this transaction? >> the exact amount was $205,742. >> gone. >> yes. >> to protect yourself cyber security experts recommend any time you receive financial instructions via e-mail call your personal contact to verify the details. and don't transfer money before double-checking. because in our digital age your money could be gone in a key stroke.

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one. >> now the doors are closing. if sean spicer gets the boot that's the guy trump should look at. >> love it. that's great. >> so genuine. >> the reporter from fresno, now big shot, big moment. i want to tell you about this boy. he thought he would be celebrating his birthday alone not too many friends since he is new there. so some responders stepped in to make it one to remember. when the police department heard that no one showed up to his party, a dozen officers and several firefighters arrived with lights and sirens flashing. it was special because he wants to be a police officer when he grows up. >> what would you say to the police officers and the firefighters who came over? >> i want to say thank you for

coming because all really genius to come. >> look at that. totally made his eighth birthday. tough to top for his ninth. >> maybe some day when he is an officer he will pay someone back. after 20 years locked in the water tower a class iic cartoon might make a comeback. ♪ >> that's going to be in your head all morning. warn eer brothers and looking t reboot the hit. the show gained popularity in the last year since netflix. it's in the early stages of development and i will force that on my children. i want to see their reaction. >> i don't know if my kids can happenedle more. you're watching "early today."

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now at 4:26, she thought she was doing the safe thing after a night of drinking. this morning, the cab driver facing kidnapping and rape charges and the good samaritan who came to the rescue. it's probably filling up your feed this morning. how do you spell champion, the famous scripps spelling bee gets underway and includes several local spellers. >> announcer: "news4 today" starts now. first, it is the sound a lot of people may hear this morning, as cleanup continues fro

night's storm. >> rain and thunder went well into the early morning. and people in our area saw a little bit of everything from hail to downed trees and possibility a tornado. >> take a look outside right now. now, you that don't need to adjust your tv here. that is our tower right here looking down on the front yard. can't really see much because of the fog. >> nope. that's could be anywhere. >> it could be. i believe it's outside. 4:47. good morning, everybody, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. what about the wet today? >> melissa mollet will have the commute but first let's check in with chuck and sheena parveen back from a little time away. >> they're all here. >> yes, that and i ran into fog on my way here, too. not a fun drive. you might run into areas of dense fog. >> absolutely right. reduced visibility for many. visibility under a

and warrington, one mile visibility at the airport. most in the low 60s right now. we're not quite done with rain showers. a few nor sure around hagerstown. they'll be grazing over the shenandoah valley. everybody has at least a chance of getting hit by a rain drop or two. here's your day planner then. some clouds and fog this morning. more than enough sunshine to get temperatures in the low 80s. again, a chance for afternoon thunderstorms. i'll show you future weather peeking up. melissa mollet now returning back from days away. >> yes, good morning, everybody. taking a look, one problem we have northbound here, we do have an issue before bryantown road. the crash wasn't bad but it brought wires down. the southbound lanes a

carrying two-way traffic. you can see that slowdown this morning. taking a big look at the beltway. inner loop and outer loop, we're okay here. that, of course is nice here on wednesday. 66 and 95 moving along just fine 270 at montrose, northbound and southbound no worries, eun. >> thank you, melissa. it's 4:29. breaking news in a horrific attack in afghanistan. >> a deadly bombing there. angie goff with the latest. >> in the heart of the city what's considered the safest part of the city. and you can see there response is still heavy right now after that suicide bomb explosion that killed at least 80 people, wounding hundreds of others. this was near afghanistan's presidential palace. this is a new video -- new video of what the powl

there's a huge cloud of smoke still above the palace. what you don't see, but we're seeing images on social media, cafes, shops, buildings completely gutted and shattered. about a half a mile from where the bomb went off. it's a highly secured area. and also it's believed to be nearby the embassies lining the row. france coming out saying part of its embassies was damaged. but as far as the victims are concerned they're not releasing the nationalities of those dozens of victims. as soon as we get word we'll bring that to you. >> angie goff with that breaking news out of kabul, afghanistan. if you live if virginia, you may have seen and heard all of that hail last night. this is