2019 >> youan pull it off. illions getting ready to hit the road today to celebrate the 4th of july, facing higher fuel prices. and a warning from the secret service about getting scammed at the gas pumps. a busy trump white house as the president narrows his choic for supreme court justice while also reversing an obama era licy on colleges use racial factors in admissions. fanatic search for a missing man fou alive thanks to the use of gh-tech thermal imaging. catching up with one of america's most generous public servants. bob dole at the world war ii memorial. plus the skies over philly already lig up ahead of tonight's fireworks. "early today" on this 4th of july starts right now. good morning. i'm millisa rehberger in for phillip. >> great being with us. hope you're having a great start

to your 4th of july. frances rivera. as amethcans prepare their of july celebrations the heat is not letting up. excessive heat warnings and heat advisories remain in effect in parts of the northeast and midwest. the nation's heat wave is being linked to at least three deaths. in new jersey congressman bill pascrell had to be helped from a press conference suffering from heat exhaustion. whileern philadelphia a w main break left 2,000 people without water. that means no water, no ac, and the temperature there felt like 107. >> wow. but the oppressive heat doesn't seem to be changing many travel plans. aaa predicts a record 47 million people will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday. gas prices now slowly creeping up as well to an average of $2.86 a gallon. that is up two cents from this time last week. and a warning as you head to the pumpt the sec service is urging drivers to look out for skimmers on creditard readers. the agency says there's been a surge in the devices used by fraudsters to steal credit card information. agents across 21 states are

taking part in an initiative to locate and recover the devic over the holiday. now to some breaking fuse overnight. an explosionks at a firew warehouse in missouri sent one person to the hospital withte modeinjuries. nearly 100 firefighters battled the alazet the a.m. pyrotech the fireworks wholesaler provides pyrotechnics for major fireworks shows. the cause of the explosion is now underat investn. >> dry and windy conditions continue to fuel dozens of wildfires in thewe , with some showing no signs of slowing down at all. in california the massive wildfire in yolo and napa counties has now grown to more than 72,000 acres according to fireicials there. and in colorado one inferno has now burned about 80,000 acres with the threat still lingering through the holiday. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: torching more than 100 homes in the mountains three hours oside denver, colorado's

spring fire quickly becoming one of the most destructive in state history. security cameras capturing the moment a wall of flames becomes are ll, devouring everything in its path. >> we don't have fires now. we have mega fires. >> reporter: the inferno is exploding so quickly the extent of the damage is unknow expected to spike when smoke clears. across color and utah thousands have been driven their homes. outside salt lake city the dollar ridge fir closed in on jenny taylor's house. now.t's probably gone by a lot of money. a lot of time. all gone. reporter: facing a fire season that could rival last year's epic destruction, crews will soon face a new threat, scorching heat later this week. >>e saw rates o spread that normally weou w only see in the early and late fall. >> reporte acrosshe west crews bracing for a firefight in what will be no holiday on the ont lines.

miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. the trump white house has reversed yet another obama-era policy, garnering outcries from civil rights advocates and education groups they announced a reversal on affirmative action, the policy that encouraged colleges to consider race a factor in admissions. and while the change flies in the face of what the president said on the campaign trail in 2016, those on the right cheered on the decision. nbc's hallie jacksonas more from washington. >> reporter: on affirmative action a new move back to old eguidelines. rump administration now says colleges and universities should not consider race during the admissions proc reversal of what former president obama recommended. in a newemo the department of justice called that guidance unnecessary, outdated, inconsistent with existing law, or otherwise improper. for months top trump administration officials have targeted affirmative action policies that they argue are unfair. even though t president

himself seemed to have no issue during the campaign. >> but i'm fine with affirmative action. we've lived with it for a long time and i've lived with it for a long >> reporter: civil rights adsxroekts others now furious. the american couedil ons ation points to the need for diversity in classrooms, say the federal government should not threaten schools trying to be inclusive. it sets up a potential political ttle for a president w promised to fight for african- sericans. >> iaid to them, what the hell do you have to lose? vote forme. what do you have to lose? >> reporter: the new guidelines do not change the law. but schools tha keep their current admissions policies could face a lawsuit from the justice department. the supreme court may hear a critical case on t soon. a group of asian-americanud stts suing harvard university accusing the school of unfairly giving preference to other racial minorities. the last big affirmative action case in front of the court was decided on a slim 4-3 margin. the swing vote?

justice anthony kennedy, now retiring. and that sets up the stakes to replace justinnedy, with the white house telling us president trump interviewed for thate candidates job yesterday. his announcement, frances, is now expected to come just five days from now. back to you. >> okay, hallie thank you. and overnight the president spoke out on those new supreme court interviews as nbc newshe confirms top seven candidates he's met with. the commander in chief telling a west virginia crowd his pic will be a slam dunk. >> i think you'll be very impressed. these are very talented people, brilliant people. and i think you're going to really love it. ke justice gorsuch. we hit a home run there, and we're goingo hit a home run here. and step by stepe e making america greatagain. this morning we're remembering the photographer, bcuse me,ind perhaps the most iconic image of the elian gonzalez saga. retired associated press photojournalist alan diaz has died. diaz won the pulitzer prize for his photo of a terrified elian

taken in april of 2000 as arm a federants stormed his uncle's home in miami. the moment captured the ee of months-long custody battle between the u.s. and cuba over the littleboy. alan diaz was 71. nebraska state patrol is celebrating the technology that hecued safely rese an elderly man lost in aaze of thick crops. a thermal imaging helicopter allowed state troopers to precisely pinpoint the man'slo tion during that difficult search. he had wandered into a dense 180-acre field of corn more than six feet high. nearly impossible to see with bird's eye view. the man went missing after a fire alarm activated in the locked unit of his nursing home. you can see the heat in the area was approaching 90 degrees and the thermal imaging right there and how they found him. credible.s the 2018 world cup continues to rewrite history because a third round of 16nd match in a shootout. at the end of regulation england and colombia had fans at the edge of their seats. england's aves from jordan pickford made room for

eric dyer to doth . england wins, breaking their shootout curse. >> theyon move n play. the winner of an earlier match between sxweend switzerland. this was a defensive showdown between the two clubs, but eeden would strikely and hold on to win 1-0. so here's a look at the final eight teams. play resumes on friday at rn:00 a.m. eas here is meteorologist bonnie schneider with our forecast. our holiday forecast. ng>> loo very hot for this 4th of july. we have unfortunately a lot ofl peffected by heat advisories. 82.9 million americans under some sort of heat advisory. and that does include excessive heat warnings. now, the east will be facing the muggy conditions as well, makg it feeike it's in the triple digits for many locations. not much s relief inht immediately for thursday, but by the time we get to th gweekend we ang to see those improvements in the forecast. eventually this heat will break as a cold front pushesto furthe he east. the temperatures could still be above normal but not as hot asv what ween experiencing. for this 4th of july look for

plenty of sun to the west, some storms poppi up in the southeast. that includes florida and a little bit of downpour activity toward a of the great lakes. well, that's a look at the big weather story of the day. now here's aloser look at the day ahead. it's a little coolerd if you h further west. temperatures are in the 70s through the northern plains. but in theacidwest and ss the ohio valley and certainly in the east we are looking at those hot a sticky muggy conditions that will persist through the 4th. we're also watching out for the threat of storms in minneapolis for this 4th of july. >> all right, bonnie, thank you. >> thank you so much., we sometimes the smallest gestures can spark the biggest smiles, like in this sweet moment that's between a police officernd a 6-year-old girl in a wheelchair. the girl passed a few timnd wavingaughing sew went over and asked her to dance. now the video recorded by the dj has gone viral with tens of

thousands of online views. >> above and beyond. something you love to see. still ahead former senator bob dole embarks on a new mission in the name of public service. d a daring rescue effort to save the thai soccer team trapped in that flooded cave. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ahoy! gotcha! nooooo... noooooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and is 2x more absorbent. bounty, the quicker picker upper. gives you lasting protection from tooth sensitivity. new listerine® sensitivity

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leading the news, 13 was the lucky number when rescuers found the dozen missing boys and their soccer coach alive in a flooded cave in thailand. but more obstacles still lie ea ahd. officials are now trying to evaluate the quickest and the safest way to extract the trapped group as heavy rains threaten even more flooding. so with the limited options the boys could face a harrowing 1.2-mile dive toeach freedom. nbc's janice mackey frayer has the latest. >> reporter: after that miraculous discovery -- >> how many of u? 13? brilliant. >> reporter: thai officials say the 12 boys, ages 11 to 16, and their coach are all in stable

conditiit con. the huge challenge, getting them out. one option, starting the rescue now. oxygen tanks have now been placed along the exit route.on but of the boys knows how to swim. so they're scrambling toeach them diving skills to navigate tight tunnels that are tricky even morers experienced di two rescue divers would be assigned to help eac a boy on dangerous 2.5-mile trip at some points too narrow toea scuba gear, other parts needing a steep hive. >> of looking through a glass coffee cup. where there's no visibility. then on top of that there's very narrow passageways. so the divers needed toun nes in order to be able to get in and get out. >> reporter: the group appearing thin. they're now getting high proteid liquid foo that's easily digestible. this official tells us a team of medics is there too .

only four people can be in the cave with the boys tone sure there's enough air to breathe. te british diving group that discovered soccer team is warning a rescue now is risky, especially if the kids panic. >> they talk about teaching them to dive and then sdo, it that' bit of a long shot to bene ho. >> reporter: another option, keeping the kids underground and sending them supplies until the waters recede. authoritie have been trying for days to pump the flood water out, and there's more rain in the forecast, meaning it could be weeks, even months before they're safely out. >> thr to four months. two thai navy doctors have volunteered to be locked up inside the a huge sacrifice. >> reporter: teams have been trying to establish a phone line inside the cave so the boys can talk to their families and know they are ant loan n't alone as wait. divers are trying to reassure the boys that more than 1,000

people are doing everything they can to get them home. >> many people are coming. many, many people. we are the first. many people coming. >> reporter: there is a real change in momentum for the rescue workers, who now realize what's at stake. theryare just no e options. another possibility they're looking at is drilling new entries into the cave to pull them out. for the filies this is a different vigil now, while people everyere remain captivated by these boys, their coach and this remarkable turn of events. janis mackey frayer, nbc news, chiang rai, thailand. just ahead, the immigration battle heats up on. capitol hill plus the powerful silent protest from one church against immigration policy.

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no justice, no peace. no juice, no peace! >> more tha two dozen protesters were arrested aft clashing with police outside philadelphia's immigration and customs enforcement office. demonstrators amassed there for a second straight day, blocking ding,ntrance to the bu demanding the agency be dismantled over president trum ts zeroerance policy. in another silent but very powerful act of protest, o indianapolis church placed a statue of jesus, mary and joseph on their lawn, detained behind a barbed wire cage. despitell the immigration fallout many may feel a deeper sense of patriotism today, though. feor say m than 14,000 new

citizens will be sworn in to celebrate the naon's birthday in some 175 naturalizatiomo cees. and while they're celebrating their newfound citizenshi today as the company rings in its 242nd independence day, for thoseds thousf undocumented immigrants in federal custody without their children the trump administration has this new demand. leave with or without your kids. let's go to nbc's chris polone h on capitl for more on that new directive. chris, good morning. reporter: yeah, frances, good morning. this comes from a copy of an immigrion and customs enforcement form obtained by nbc news. on it the trump administration gives parho were separated from their kids in may and june two options -- leave the country with your kids or leave the country without them. that despite a new court order to reunite more than 2,000 migrant children with their parents. with the new instructions n even allowing parents to reunite with their children while they await a decision on asylum. immigration advocates say even those who have alrdy passed

their first asylum screenings are being presented with this new di and it all comes as the trump administration no longer says how ma children are still separated from their parents and more democraticlawmakers are calling for immigrations and customs enforcemento be abolished. now, an i.c.e. spokesman tells nbc news the form is only for parents who have been given a final order of removal but that spokespers did not clarify are her these parents rb bei g being allowed to make a claim of asylum in court. live in washingn chris poll lone, frances, back to you. just ahead deals for military families and veterans on this independence day. plus a spectacular show for phillies fans courtesy of mother nature. you're watching "early today." like it... you've gotta get in there. okay. careful not to get it in her eyes. i know, i know what a bath is... smile honey. this thing is like... first kid. here we go. second kid. you coming in mommy? ahh not a chance!

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didn't start on time. >> wait till you see -- ben franklin would have been proud of that one. wow. oesn't alwaysure go by the playbook. a severe thunderstorm with intensightning delayed the start of the phillies' home game against the baltimore orioles by close to 90 minutes. these impressive image captured by nbc sports philadelphia sho heavy bolts at citizen's bank park in downtown philly as fans waited for skies to clear up. it almost doesn't even look real. >> no, it doesn't. but more power to those fans. can you imagine? hopefully our weather's going to cooperate so people don't have for their minutes fireworks shows tonight.

>> that's true. i think there is that chance for storms in a lot of plaut for the most part we should see good weather for the fireworks. particularly out to the west, lots of sun. there are some storms, though, in parts of the upper midwest. and in the south. but it's really the heat that we'll be facing for thisth o july. if you are heading across the country for this evening's festivities you'lur see temper are going to be warm even at the time of the fireworks display. so be prepared for a hot evening ahead. >> all right, bonnie, thank you very much. still to come, we've got a lot going on because it is the 4th of july, america's birthday here. and we're going to celebrate one of america's bravest and most generous public serva s at the world war ii memorial. >> and he looks amazing. >> doesn't he? he's still got his wit and everything. his comedic sen of timing. especially when it comes to these guys. >> and always generous. >> that next here on "early today." it's funny really, nobody ever does it and yet it happens.

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it is the fourth of july. we've also got warm temperatures. 81 degrees right now. we're going to talk about a rain c

"news4 today" starts now. 3:59 now. i'm aaron gilchrist. i'm in for eun

sheena parveen and lauryn ricketts are keeping an eye on how hot things are going to get. >> it's pretty warm already. >> well on the way. a little bit ofgi mss on the way. >> a little bit of -- a lot of humidity. >> the humidity is still here. here's the thing. the heat is eventually going to break and the humidity with it. >> theest of this week, we saw high temperatures. this morning, we havearair here still. 78 degrees. dulles 81. quantico right now and annapolis at 81 degrees. here's a look at radar. we have clouds around. we'll be in the 90s. through the morning and closer to lunchtim we'll be climbing to near 90 degrees. but for your fou