. >> mr. simpson i do vote to grant parole when eligible and that will conclude this hearing. >> thank you. >> the taste of freedom after nine years behind bars o.j. simpson is granted parole. a firsthand account from inside his parole hearing. i beg your pardon? a new bombshell finds the president is looking at how to pardon his aids his family members and even himself. >> he'll be back. a down but not out john mccain vows to return as he battles an aggressive brain tu mour. >> plus we remember the life of linkin park singer.

champion shi championships get underway rolling us into the weekend. early today starts now. o.j. simpson could be months away from freedom. nevada officials granted parole to the former football star that spent nearly 9 years in prison for a 2008 armed robbery in las vegas. the earliest he can be released is october 1st but no specific date has been set. while he says he would like to live in florida the state must agree to have him. joe fryer has more on the dramatic parole hearing. >> mr. simpson i do vote to grant parole when eligible and that will conclude this hearing. >> thank you. >> relief washed over o.j. simpson as a nevada parole board voted to set him free. the decision reached after the former football star made his case. >> i've done my time. i've done it as well and as respectfully as i thi

can. >> at times combative. i wasn't there to steal from anybody and i would never ever pull a weapon on anybody. >> at times contrite. >> nine years away from your family just not worth it. >> appearing in front of cameras simpson looked thinner. >> i basically spent a conflict free life. >> he has served as commissioner of the soft ball league and started a baptist church service and took classes like alternative to violence. >> it gave me so many tools how to use to try to walk these guys through. not throwing punches at one another. >> supporters including his sister shirley baker and daughter arnell that testified. >> we just want him to come home so that we can move forward for us quitely. but to move forward. >> simpson is serving time for the armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers.

released. >> he's a good man and made a mistake. even offering to pick him up from prison. >> juice i'll be here tomorrow. i mean that, brother. >> friend tom scott met with simpson after the hearing. >> came out yelling i'm going home. i'm coming home. coming home. making plans. >> it's the latest legal twist for simpson who in the 90s was accused and acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend ron goldman. those cases were mentioned in the opposition letters from the public. >> these items will not be considered in this case. >> author of the book in contempt was one of the prosecutors in the murder trial. >> he's the same o.j. i saw in 1994. he's still a manipulative person

other people for his conduct. >> but state assessment named him a low risk to reoffend paving the way for his release. >> there's nothing normal about o.j. simpson but this is a normal decision and that's a good thing for the justice department. >> we'll take a look at america's fast nation coming up later in the show. this morning a new bombshell report from the washington post is shining another light on the trump administration. the paper reports trump and his legal team are looking into his pardoning powers in relation to the russia investigation. the paper writing trump asked his advisers about his power to pardon aids, family members and himself. observers point out the appearance of guilt that comes with that including the vice chair that released a statement saying the possibility that the president is discussing pardons is disturbing and would cross a

fundamental line. one aid told the post the president simply expressed curiosity telling the paper this is not in the context of i can't wait to pardon myself. the inquiry comes as the new york times reports the team is investigating the very people car rig out the russia probe looking for ways to quash the investigation by scouring the professional and political backgrounds of the investigators hired by special council mueller looking for conflicts of interest to discredit the investigation. >> i think this looks like walking up to the line of obstruction of justice. we should call it for what it s. it's an effort to undermine, to intimidate, to try to get the investigators to stand back and i don't think they're going to do it. >> multiple u.s. officials tell nbc news mueller is gathering documents involving the financial records and business dealings of those close to the trump campaign. something the president referred to as a red line just

press secretary. >> i think that the president, the point he's trying to make is that the clear purpose of the russia investigation is to review the meddling in the investigation and that should be the focus of the investigation. >> if that wasn't enough we learned the president's personal lawyer is taking a significantly reduced role in his russian defense. just as one from the legal team abruptly re-signed. >> i'll be back. that's john mccain this morning as he fights an aggressive brain tumor back home. he was in good spirits as he called his colleagues and friends while making sure the world knows he intends to be back at work. tweeting unfortunately for my sparring partners in congress i'll be back soon so stand by. and lindsey graham talk

them and the entire senate. >> i came here as an intern in the senate in 1987 and john mccain was here then. that's all i know. >> i can't think of anything i've done since 1999 politically in many ways personally that was worth doing without john. >> now that the music industry more in the sudden death of clinton park front man. the singer was found dead of an apparent suicide. police responded to a call from his home thursday morning. the incident is under investigation and no other details were released. his band mate confirmed the news. shocked and heart broken but it's true. the news caused and outpouring of brief on twitter with many expressing condolences including the band one republic that says this breaks our heart. jimmy kimmel said chester was one of the kindest men i had on my show

the fire has scorched over 70,000 acres and destroyed at least 50 homes and dozens of other structures. hot and dry conditions fuel the fires growth forcing residence denlts -- residents to evacuate the area. 4,000 firefighters are battling the blaze but it's only 10% contained. the cause of the fire sunday investigation. all right. how does getting from new york to d.c. in under 30 minutes sound? too good to be true? well, elon musk says he has gotten the go ahead to make it happen. he tweeted thursday just received verbal government approval to build an underground new york to d.c. hyper loop. he estimates the trump would take 29 minutes. that's nearly 3 hours faster than amtrak. he didn't say which agency gave him verbal approval leave manage to wonder if it's premature. he later clarified still a lot of work

approval but optimistic that will occur rapidly. residents in iowa are cleaning up after a powerful ef-1 tornado tore through a small town wednesday night. several buildings sustained serious structural damage. a wildfire burned more than 1,000 acres of new jersey forest. the blaze is 30% contained and continues to spread. but the big story on this friday is the heat wave. bill is here with that update. good morning, bill. is that going to continue through the weekend? >> it ends mostly on sunday. 78 million people under excessive heat warnings and advisories. and hundreds from san antonio, oklahoma city, right up through nebraska, 103 in st. louis. 95 in d.c. the mid-atlantic is going to be humid too so the heat indices will be very high. we continue the heat here, look at st. louis, 104. that's very impressive. d.c. at 96. we'll start to cool thingff

highs in the 80s and 90s as we drop from the 100s into the 90s. now here's a closer look at your day ahead. you can see where some of the hottest stuff will be today. wichita kansas 103. omaha at 101. thunderstorms could cool you off in denver. northern portions of new england looking gorgeous. mid 80s sounds good compared to how hot the rest of the country here. heres a good one, the lumber jack world championships are underway in wisconsin. some of the 21 events include the log rolling. that's one of the most popular events, the standing chop and over 130 competitors from around the world. that looks like fun. we'll see what they had to take to be the best lumber jack or lumber jack woman. they have been held ever since 1960. she makes it look easy. >> that would be a lumber jill. all right, bill, thank you. just ahead new fall

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>> chaos broke out in the mediterranean after a earthquake struck off of turkey. it hit the coast hard where two people were killed and a building collapsed. the two victims were from turkey and sweden. more than 100 others were injured and now with power outages and buildings damaged many have been forced to camp outside. the washington post reports several white house aids were stunned after jeff sessions announced he would stay on at the doj. >> we love this job and we love this department and i plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate. i'm totally confident that we can continue to run this office in an effective way. >> sessions decision to stay on

rare public rebuke of his attorney general. mr. trump told the new york times he regrets hiring sessions after he recused himself from the probe. the fbi says americans lost $1.3 billion to cyber crime last year alone. criminals grow suspicious of e-mails and they're targeting victims with scams that go straight to your text messages. joe explains what you should watch out for. >> as americans get smarter at robocall fraud and phony e-mails cyber criminals are stepping up their game. they're sending sms texts to your mobile phone in an increasingly popular scam. >> you'll take your phone out and you'll say oh no and you'll actively respond to it and then they have got you. >> consumers report thousands of dollars lost from just one text.

attention alleging your bank account has been compromised like this one claiming to show a suspicious withdrawal from an atm. >> they usually include a link or phone number urging you to click or call. if you do hackers could steal your personal information or infect your phone with malware. >> you are looking at the website on a very tiny screen as well as the notification. that makes it harder to notice the qs that we usually use to tell apart a fraudulent site from a real one. >> there's no foolproof way to block messages but security specialists recommend do not reply, call back or click on the link. instead look up your bank and called a verify number. always delete suspicious texts and never share your phone number on social media. protecting yourself as hackers deploy new tactics to win your trust. nbc news, los angeles. >> just ahead a look at the publics

with o.j. simpson. plus what jeff besos has up his sleeves for his next big venture. you're watching "early today." on stage. ee i wanted to be clear. i wanted it to last. so i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. and keeps on working. now? they see me. see me. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you- cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. never give up. see me. see me. clear skin can last. don't hold back... ...ask your dermatologist if cosentyx can help you

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breaking into the box office this weekend the scifi thriller of the city of a thousand planets. and chris for nolan's war drama recounts a world war ii

and jada pinkett smith teams up for a reunion in girls trip. well, sears has cut a deal with one of the retail giants responsible for its decline. details on that and story on this friday. good morning. >> francis, very good day to you. really interest as good that the retailers are under so much pressure because of amazon sears said we have to go with it so they'll be selling their kenmore branded products on amazon and all of those will be integrated into the alexa as well. rival shares fell aggressively on the back of this announcement. elsewhere the homeland security band on bringing in your laptops in the cabin from ten muslim majority countries. that's been lifted now. it's been in place since march. airports and airlines have taken action. and elsewhere jeff besos made his debut instagram post showing him sitting on the factory pof

with #reusable rockets, #launch land and repeat. and latin for ferociously step by step. have a good weekend. >> good to be jeff besos. says it all. thank you so much. just ahead the new dating app that helps you find your favorite celebrity look alike. plus when is it okay to touch the queen? the breech in royal protocol that has people talking. your trending stories are next. as moms, we send our kids out into the world, full of hope. and we don't want something like meningitis b getting in their way. meningococcal group b disease, or meningitis b, is real. bexsero is a vaccine to help prevent meningitis b in 10 to 25 year olds. even if meningitis b is uncommon, that's not a chance we're willing to take. meningitis b is different from the meningitis most teens were probably vaccinated against when younger. we're getting the word out against meningitis b. our teens are getting bexsero. bexsero should not be given

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oh, sorry. >> one, two, three. >> double kayak. how do you do that? ♪ >> for somebody that didn't know how to do that, they did it well, right? >> i mean i've been in a double kayak. >> usually you're not that close in a double kayak. >> some people are into charlize theron. have you ever thought about delivering a celebrity? it's the next best thing. a look alike feature that sorts through millions of users to find people that resemble your favorite star. >> how did you choose

celebrity. >> look at the selena gomez look alikes and beyonce and kevin durant and chris pratt. you can say chris pratt is my type and you can see all the people that look like it. >> i don't know how you explain it. >> i'm into chris pratt and i like people that look like chris pratt. >> is there any circumstance where it's okay to touch the queen? that's a dilema faced when he decided to help queen elizabeth downstairs. it's generally accepted. royal protocol the public doesn't touch the queen at all. he was worried because the carpet was slippery. >> i'm certainly conscious of the protocol i was just anxious to be sure that there was no stumbling on the steps. >> it's okay. it's not horrible. >> he was worried about her. i think you'd be too. this is "early today." for 70 years.

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"news4 today" begins with breaking news. that breaking news, a deadly accident on a popular roadway that could impact your commute. good morning, i'm aaron gilchrist. i'm eun yang. two people have died we just found out. we want to get to erika gonzalez at the live desk. good morning guys. the morning commute starts with a nasty crash on indian head highway. prince george's county police said it involves two -- it's a double fatal crash as they've put it. ind yand head highway between palmer road and lifvingston roa. megan mcgrath is headed to the

a number of police vehicles. but we need to know how this impact your commute. for that, we go over to melissa mollet who is keeping a watchful eye. >> this is a situation where there is no great work arounds. you have to know early and make a plan now. this is something with the investigation piece of this that is going to last for some time through the morning. we're talking about indian head highway between kerr by hill and palmer road. not too much of a slow down because it's early in the morning. no doubt it will be a major issue. good morning right now. nasty one. unfortunately, we are weather alert mode right now mainly because the heat and humidity. so you thought yesterday was hot. wait as we slide through today and into the weekend because we've got this heat that is not going

not breaking yet. let me show you the surprising temperatures out there right now. 86 here incompetent side the beltway. you can see once you get outside the beltway, temperatures are in the 70s. it gets a little cooler once you're outside the beltway once you factor in the humidity. it feels like 90 degrees. not even 5:00 a.m. not even 4:30 in the morning. feels like 90 in the district. we have a heat advisory mainly for areas east of the blue ridge mountains. we'll have more updates in a minute and let you know when the humidity will break. >> lauren, thank you. 4:28 now. a parent should never have to bury their child. that's the painful reality facing a silver spring mother. >> this morning she has a strong message for the killer still on the loose. >> you did something

who was innocent so now you're going to have to come after me and may god get you. >> 20-year-old john christian webster, also known as jc was shot and killed wednesday night. his family and friends gathered to remember him last night. the shooting happened inside his family's home on belvidere boulevard. she sought killer come into her home and shoot her son. >> i saw what you did. i chased you to your car so you know that i recognize you and the car. >> detectives believe jc knew the shooter much sources close to the investigation say montgomery county police are looking for three possible suspects in a dark colored honda. today, a former school security guard will be in court. he's accused of having a s

student. they met while he worked at a middle school school. he's charged with sexual abuse of a minor. court dock unlts show that he worked part-time between september of 2015 and february of 2016 at rockville high school also police released new information on a crash that we reported as breaking news yesterday morning. we know that hagans of falls church was killed when the dump truck she was driving crashed in upper marlboro. live power lines wrapped around the truck as asphalt spilled out on to the road. police say it appears she lost control while on a curve. hagans was 28 years old. those of you waking up in the columbia forest section of arlington may not have water right now. crews had to shut down water lines to make emergency repairs. those are happening at columbia pike and south frederick street. traffic is being impacted in