good morning. breaking overnight, president trump's longtime lawyer ready to deliveowthe goods, n claiming the president knew and approved of the trump tower meeting with his top campaign aides and russians promising dirt on hillary clintont something the preside has long denied. >> did you kw that -- [ inaudible ] >> no, i didn't know anything aboutinhe meetg. >> straight ahead, what michael sohen, trump's once most loyal adviser, i saying what really happened, and what it could mean for the case against the president. wall of flames. an out-of-control wildfire explodes in northern california overnight. at least one person killed, homes destroyed, mass evacuations under way, as a local t station covering the

disast is forced to flee live on the air. >> right now we're being evacuated. that's why we are kind of heosing out right now. >> we're live withery latest. worst day ever. all eyes on mark zuckerberg after facebook's historic wall street nosedive, losing nearly $120 billion in one day. this morning, the plan just launched to fire the embattled ceo. thoseie s, plus, emergency call. the pe911 from demi lovato's apparent drug overdose. >> no sirens, right? >> no, no, this is a medical emergency. don't have any control over that. roseanne unplugged. >> i made a mistake, obviously. it cost me everything, my life's irth, everything. ade a mistake and i paid the pric for it. s>> what roseanne barr i saying in her firstel tevision interview since being fired from her sitcom. and the great escape!

a california neighborhood gets the surprere of a lifetime aft a bear emerges from a storm drain in broad daylight. the story behind his big adventure today, friday, july 27th, 2018. a >>nnouncer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." it is a friday morning. feels good. >> it certainly is. we're glad you're back. you were off shooting a big interview yesterday. >> yes. i had an interview, it's really important. i can't wait to tell everybody about it next half hour. we'll get right to the breaking news tied to the investigation. >> it appears the president's former attorney and confidante is ready to talk, and what michael cohen could say may have major implications on special probe.l robert mueller's nbc national correspondent peter alexander's at the white house with our top story. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you. so, we've been trying to answer

these key questions for moreea than a now. what did president trump know about that016 trump tower meeting with a russian lawyer promising dirt on hillary clinton, and as importantle when did know it? this morning, the president's former fixer may know the answ, and it's onehat a source tells nbc news challenges the president's story. new overnight, a source with knowledge of the matter telling nbc news the president's former protector, longtime lawyer michael cohen, asserts the president knew about that 2016 trump tower meeting in advance, that he was told by his son, don junior, before it took place. th i sourcensisting cohen is willing to make that assertion to special counsel robert mueller. cohen's claim would contradict repeated denials from president trump, his son, and their lawyers, w have said the president knew nothing about the meeting until nearly a year later. president trump last july delivering his denial tone "the york times." >> did you know at the time that they had the meeting? >> no,w i didn't knything

about the meeting. but it must have been a very important meeting because i never even heard about it. >> reporter: trump junior on fox newse saying never told his father about the meeting. >> it was such a nothing. there was nothing to tell. i wouldn'em have evenbered it until you start scouring through the stuff. it was literally justas ad 20 minutes, which was a shame. >> reporter: last fall, don nior telling theenate judiciary committee the same thing. overnight, his lawyer expressing confidence inhe accuracy and o reliabilitthe information. that controversial trump tower meeting involving trump junior and other top trump aides -- son-in-law jared kushner and paul manaf at as wells russians promising dirt on hillary clinton. cohen's lawyer, lanny davis, declining to comment, his client under federal vestigation, agents raiding his homes and office earlier this year. overnight, the president's lawyer,udy giuliani, dismissing the new report and attacking cohen's credibility. >> i expected something like this from cohen. he's bee lying all week, or for two -- he's been lying for

years! there's nobody that i know that knows him that's warned me, if his back's up against the wall, he'll lie like crazy because he's lied all his life. >> reporter: as you hear giuliani saying he's lied all of his life, of course, working for donald trump most of that time. the question is whether heoas evidenceack up the claim. for now, it's his word against the president's a don junior's. when we asked michael cohen's lawyer if he would flip, he said cohen is commi to telling the truth. >> peter alexander at the white house. thank you. >> why don't we bring in nbc news legal analyst ari melber? good morning. morning. >> how significant is this news? >> this is very big. it deals with three number one, was donald trump in on any kind of international consracy regarding the election? two, was he covering something up that he knew about? is that why he made that fateful

phone call from air force one about is? and ree, were any other aides involved in lying about this, now that the it's interesting b somebody's putting out this information tt cohen knows this and is willing to tell the special counsel this, but cohes being looked at by prosecutors in new york city that have nothing to do with the mueller pre. if you're robert mueller and you're waking up and you read do you doine, what with this? >> this is hot information. prosecutors would always rather get it secretly rather than watch it on the "today" show, so someone is pushing something.t the leaks t we are hearing about have not been totally identified.el either mic cohen is desperately, again, waving a flag because he wants to get something back fro mueller or others, or it's always possible that the trump folks have determined thi ais now hostile witness, this is a former lawyer who's going to hurt them, and they want this o in public so nobody continues lying about a story that they're no longer going to defend. >> ari, is very interesting. another piece of the puzzle. thank you very much. >> thanks, ari. also breaking overnight,

the raging wildfires out west growing larger and more dangerous. the biggest concern right now, a destructive blaze in california that's prompting mass evacuations. nbc's miguel almaguer has the very latest on this. hey, miguel. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. unfortunately, conditis are ripe for disaster. across the west, scorching temperatures are bakingens of millions and turning safe flight, califoia, into a tinder box. there are three major fires burning in this state alone -- southern, central, and northern california are all ablaze. overnigh the carr fire turned deadly as it exploded. overnight, an explosive wall of ough s tearing t communities in northern california. killing a bulldoze operatorhe working on fire lines, injuring several firefighters, and destroying dozens of homes. the 45-squarmile carr fire that began monday, tripling ize

hursday night amid high temperatures, low humidity, and windy conditions. raging out of control in redding, a community of 92,000 people. >> wow. >> reporter: the fire creating ferocious, rapidly moving wind vacuums with little warning. california highway patrol tellin residents, "this fire is out of control! don't wait for evacuation calls." forcing thousands of terrified residents to suddenly flee. >> this fse extremelyda ngerous and moving with no regard for what's in its path. >> reporter: that path scorching schoolhouses. >> this is where people are evacuating. >> reporter: even threatening television stations, a live broadcast of a l al news station abruptly going off the air as the sta scrambled to get out of the building. >> and right now we are being evacuated. that's why we are kind ofut closingight now. we are going to leave the

station because it is now unsafe to be re. >> reporter: onoth ends of the state, firefighters losing the battle to save homes. this dangero fire in california threatening 5,300 structures and a national landmark. the ferguson fire, just a few miles from yosemite national park. the rugged terrain so dangerous, a firefighter has been killedhe . how quickly can this fire spread? >> very rapidly. we'veeen rates of spread, which means the movement of fire, that are unprecedented, that are record-breaking. >> reporter: back in redding, as the fires burn their belongings to the ground, residents here battling nature's fury, struggli to save their lives. while crews continue to loseth ground in nn california, here in southern california, authorities say a destructive fire that wiped out a neighborhood was intentionally set. a suspect has been arrested. it's the last thing firefighters need as they are stretched thin all across the state

hoda? >> all right, miguel almaguer in l.a., thanks. now to the fallout over what's being called facebook's day of reckoning. the company's stock taking a recordbreakingth beating. acing a media giant mid serious s privacy concerns. nbc's business correspondent jo ling kent has the jo, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. it's the biggest loss in the history of the stock market here in the u.s. noompany has ever lost $100 billion in market value inon ju day. it's just the latest hit for the company's billionaire founder, mark zuckerberg. inis morn a social network at a crossroads. >> facebook absolutely tanking. >> reporter: facebook reeling from its worst day ever on wall street. >> shas posting their biggest decline ever. > reporter: giving up $119 billion in market value, a stunning u-turn after years of rapid growth. on wednesday, facebook revealed its user base and revenue grew more slowly thant expected as i

wrestles with ongoing privacy and security issues. zuckerberg personally losing a staggering $17 billion. that's equivalent to the entire value of companies like millercoors or ralph lauren. facebook's downward spiralra acced when zuckerberg andhi his cef financial officer said this week the losseson't stop any time soon. >> we're investing so much in security that it will significantly impt our profitability. we're starting to see that this quarter. >> reporter: we're also learning from an s.e.c. filing that facebook is shelling out big bucks, nearly $10 million to increase personal security for zuckerberg and his family, due to specific threats.bo faceok has been grappling with cto years of massive scandals, from russian elen meddling to the aftermath of the cambridge analytica privacy scandal that compromised the ma private infortion of 87 million facebook users in 2013 and 2014. zuckerberg attempting to own the problems on capitol hill earlier this year.

>> you as a company welcome regulation? >> i think if it's the right regulation, then yes. >> reporter: this is not the first time facebook shares haved tank the stock previously plummeted as much as 14% after the cambridge analytica scandal brokma in h, but it recovered. as facebook struggled with its past, the question now may bech how its users and investors will still like them in the future. now, there are reports that an investment company filed a proposal to oust zuckerberg as ceo, but of course, that's highly unlikely, as he controls the majority of votes on the board of directres. and theure is also on facebook to make money in new news. given all this one route the company is pursuing is potentially putting mo ads into whatsapp and squeezing more money out of instagram. so, be onhe lookoutor that, guys. >> facebook owns both of those, rse. jo, thank you so much. for more on what's next for that tech giant, kara swisher, the executive etor ofrecode. she's interviewed mark

zuckerberg about a billion kara, good morning to you. >> hi. >> so, i guess the bigher they are,arder they fall. is this the chicken finally coming home to roost for bo fa, and what does it mean long term? >> i don't know about that. it's based on this reporthere thes revenues were falling. now, let's remember, it's still growing quite a bit, just not as much. and wall street expects trts ular company and a lot of tech companies to grow like gangbusters, and it's not doing that. d it was warning that it was going to see lack of heavy growth over next couple of quarters, there's going to be more spexpenses,ially around dealing with the content issues, the priva issues all of the various things around safety, which is what mark calls it, bui lly, what happened in the election with the russians, what happened with cambridge analytica, so there's a lot of things sort ofoming together at once. and then there's a general sense among a lot of people that e facebook has m lot of mistakes, and so, there's a lot of anger towards the company. so, i think it all coalesced in one terrible day for them on wall street.

we did see facebook stocks tank before, after the cambridge scandal. and it rebounded after that, so do you think we'll s abound here, too, kara? >> well, i think the problem is it's so big. mark was showing off some number 2.5 billion people use its apps every day. it's an enormous part oacthe human uses things owned by facebook, including whatsapp ana inst along with facebook. and so, you know, to keep up thes high numbers is ry, very hard. very few companies can do that. apple has done tha pretty successfully, but it's not easy. and there's only so much money they can get that's new, and so, they've got to squeeze more money out of their current users. and there's some signs that people aren't using faceboo as much, so they're moving to instagram toet try to advertising revenue out of there, and that's a problem if you start to overthat. so, who knows. i mean, who knows. >> in a word, and really, inly have a second or two, do you think zuckerberg's job issafe, or is it possible he could step down?

>> no. no, of course not. he controls everything. so,no, i doubt it. >> you did it, in a word, no. he's fine! >> kara swisher, thank you. >> thank you. in the meantime, that overnight court-imposed dsdline come and gone for the trump administration to reunite separated f children from their parents at the border. texasgabe gutierrez is in for us. he's got the latest on this deadline. nnbe, good morning. >> reporter: sa, good morning. the government said that it expected to reunite all eligible wildren with their parents by midnight, but we't find out if it actually met that goal until later today.wh mee, immigration advocates here at the border say the scramble to reunite tmise falies has been an absolute mess. this morning, more migrant parents likefr omar dominguez honduras, are finally together with their children after being separated at the border. [ crowd chanting ] but hundreds of other samilies arll in limbo, sparking international outrage. among ahildrens 5 to 17, the government says it's reunited

1,442 out of 2,551. >> we are o track to reunite all eligible parents within i.c.e. custod >> reporter: but 711 others had not been reunited, many because their parents failed background checks or had other red flags. 431 children hav parents who have been deported. director.ing i.c.e. >> there's a good chance they're going to be permanently separated. >> reporter: this woman from guatemala was separated from her son, jeremy, for 45 days. "i was desperate," she says. "i spent every day crying and crying. i thought i would never get him back." her son tells us he was bullied by other children while they were apart. "they took me to the detention center and took my mom away in chains. she was crying," he ys. >> this must end now! >> reponter: immigrati advocates say the grueling process has been confusing and chaotic, and in a court filing, the lu says at least 27 parents were misled into signing

away theirreunification rights. >> it's terrible. the immigration case itself is really confusing and very difficult. add on top of that weeks or in some cases months of having being separated from your child. >> reporter: united airlines is donating hundreds of free tickets to reunify families and fly them to places where they will await immigration hearings. now, savannah,nm the govt is expected to provide more details about whether it, in fact,et that deadline to a federal judge later today. >> all right, gabe. thank you very much. we'll switch gears now,a ge heck of our weather. dylan is in for al this morning. y, dylan. >> hey, good morning. we are going to see more rain up and down the east coast. we have a cold front moving in from the west. and while r it willuce the humidity, it's still going to produce some stronger storms, especially later on ts afternoon and into the overnight hours. so, this includes weste massachusetts, up into parts of central and southern new engld. it extends down through philadelphia, includes new york city, and also back through

washington, d.c. and we are looking at the threat of damaging winds and large hail. those would be our biggest threats, but keep in mind, because of all the recent rain we've had lately, especially back through pennsylvania ind doo maryland and delaware, the ground is already saturated, so you get tho gustywinds, and we could see downed trees and power lines pretty easily aw thds pick up to about 50, perhaps 60 miles per hour. this cold front will thenlear the area, and we will start to see some improvements going into the weekend. so we' not lookit a whole lot of rain. i'd say about an inch or two with locally higher amounts. if you're stuck in the heavier downpours. but again, the gusty winds will be the biggest threat going into this evening. that's a look at the weather across the country. we'll get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds.

good morning, everybody. we have a partly cloudy sky over washington onri ay morning and thunderstorms out here across parts of southwestern pennsylvania. that will be our chance for some strong to severe storms later on in the day. we are under a slight risk for severe weather, most likely timing between about 3:00 and 9:00, so keep a weather eye to the sky. current temperatures in the 60s and low 70s. 's going to be a hot one today, high temperature 92. 60% chance of storms today and more rain likely next week. that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up, roseanne barr's n first televisinterview since she was fired. >> if it wasn't for my fans, i probably wouldn't even be walking around. it was just devastatin >> this morning, her direct message to critics who call her

a racist. plus the just-released 911 call from demi lovato's apparent drug overdose and what the road ahead looks like for the troubled star. but first, this is "todayon nbc. the troubled star. but rst, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, how this new york's elite police unit behind daring rescues actually pullf. those we are showing our "rossen reports" team exclusively. and the refreshing reason why poptar andew mom cardi b is pulling out of a headline-making tour. we'll tell youbout it after a check of your local news, your weather, and these mess. l you a check of your local news, at carmax, we buy all the cars. uh, all the cars? all the cars. old cars? yes. new cars? oh, yeah. sports cars? indeed. a big ol' boat-like car? permission to come aboard! what about a car that's all (makes awkward car noises) hgnnnn-nn-nn-nnnn-ayy-ayyy i don't see why not. what about, let's say... oh, i don't know, a purple van with a painting of a wizard just shooting lightning out of his fingers riding a unicorn sneezing rainbows?

definitely. just asking for a friend. yea, i figured. (whispered to camera) wow.

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may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can do more. octourask our dabt lyrica you could pay as little as $25 a month. it is 7:26. hope your friday morning is off to a great start. i'm chris lawrence. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. s i it abell. s>> all right, thanks, you guy. temperatures now mid-60s to mid-70s across tregion. we do have a slight risk for severe weather coming our way later on in the it will be a hot and humid day. afternoon highs in the upper 80s and low 90s and a 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms between about 4:00 and 9:00 p.m. today. if you are beach-bound for the weekend, storms arrive late tonight at the coastline, but most of the weekend at thebe hes should be nice. sheena will have a closer look at our weekend forecast, coming up snw up. fairfax county school board approved millions worth of newt

secumeasures. they include things like training for students and staff, new locks, and more mental health professionals, but t plan does not include extra school resource officers. a concert tomorrow in annapolis will raise money for th victims of lasmonth's shooting at theit "c gazette." tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of. only 3,so0 will be . we'll get a check of your traffic coming up next. stay with us.

good morning. starting in prince george's county here, outer loop beltway ramp to ritchie marlboro road, have a crash. stay left t get by. outer loop connecticut avenue, still about a four-mile backuph . the icc probably a good option for a lot of you instead. and gaithersburg, northbound 355 ounear educationvard right in front of ncps there, crash

reported. >> anks, melissa. we have another local news update coming up in 25 minutes. >> butt'or now, back to the "today" show after this short break.

welcome back, everybody. 7:30 on a friday morning, the 27th day of july. we welcome craig melvin in. and as we said at the top of the show, savannah, yesterday you were off doing a big intervw. >> yeah we sat down with olympic skier bode miller and his wife, morgan, speaking out for first time since their darling 19-month-old daughter drowned about five ago. and they are speaking out because they have a powerful message for all parents. >> i can attest from experience now that it's unbelievable quick ands i unbelievable sneaky. you'd think it'd be like some weird circumstance or some strange thing, and it's not. it just happens in the blink of an eye. >> it's af handful seconds.

>> and it is literally a child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds, a i just keep counting the 30 in my head. that was all i needed. and so, it's one of those things where as parent now, when you go to someone else's house, survey the home to see if it's a safe place for your child to be. >> oh, my gosh. >> i have to say, i hope every person watches this interview on monday, espially anyone wit kids or around kids, if you've got a pool. they're saking out in the depths of their grief, and they're doing it because they want to get the wordo out other parents. and i have to say, sitting down with morgan and bode changed me, changed my thinking about swimming and drowning safety, and i just, i can't say how important i think this is, and i hope people will watch. >> it sounds like a fascinating interview. and listening to her talk about 30 seconds really hit home. rewow. >> howthey? >> you know, they are just in grief.

>> yeah. >> tsty're deed. they're absolutely devastated. their darling little girl, 19 months old. they are very careful parents, and every parent who thinks -- and we all think, oh, but it wouldn't happen to me, orhere's the reason why it wouldn't happen to me -- they are an peexample of it could h to anyone. >> yeah, anyone. >> and we need to change our thinking around this. as i, sa it's just a really important conversation. we're going to air it on moilay, boder and his wife, morgan, who, by the way, is expecting a newab in october. so, we'll have that omonday. let's get a check of today's headlines, starting with that bombshell claim out of washington this morning. michael cohen, president trump's former personalattorney, now saying thatr mr. ump knew in advance about that meeting between his son, donald trump jr and the russian lawyer back in june of 2016. that contradicts repeated denials by president trump, his son, and other administration officials who have said the president knew nothing about it until 2017. a source telling nbc news that cohen is willing to share that information with special counsel

robertmueller, who's investigating alleged russian interference in the 2016 . electi north korea turned over what are believed to be the remains of 55 u.s. service members whod were kiln the korean war. a u.s. military plane flew to north korea tay to pick up the remains and returned to an air base in south korea. the transfer is meant to fulfill a commitment made by kim jong-un ri iseng rduains h wiluml bet s hoa ceremony next wednesday. then they are expected to be transferred to a base in hawaii forg. test an explosive wildfire in northe california has killed the driver of aze bulldo also injured three firefighters. the carr fire in shasta county has grown to morehan 28,000 acres now. the flames spread into the city of redding on thursday night and forced thousands of evacuations. dozens of homes have been burned. and one fire official said that blaze is taking everything down in its path. california's governor, jerry brown, has declared a state of emergency. and some colorado wild liar officers were called on thursday to help with a bear trapped like

they've never seen before. check thisout. you can see the bear there holding his head up through a manhole. checks o its surroundings. >> bearhole. >> before running away. turn out,he bear managed to get stuck in a storm drain somehow, looking for food, apparently. officers opened up the mangole, hopi it would climb out. the plan, as you can see, worked. they chased it off intos the wood and back to freedom. if al oker werehere, he'd have some joke. >>at whoever's rolling on tape is glad they ran the other direction. >> exactly. >> not toward him. meantime, in t o wake demi lovato's apparent drug overdose, officials have now released parts of the emergency call made from her hollywood home earlier this week. natalieles in los an has been following this story. natalie, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morng to you guys. lovato is still in a los angeles area hospital receiving treatment. now, her overdosecare coming just months after she celebrated six years of sobriety. and now for the firsts time, you mentioned, we're hear the excerpts from that 911 call made

after lovato was found s. unconsci at 11:22 a.m. tuesday morning, a 911 call. >> paramedic operator 65. what's the address of the emergency? >> reporter: the caller calmly asking for urgent help at the home of demi lovato. >> we just need to get somebody out here. >> do you know what happened to her? okay, we have the paramedics responding now, okay? right nowe need to help out, okay? we are going to send lights and sirens. if you can get someone to flag usdown. >> we'll flag you down. >> okay, excellent. >> reporter: first responders were dispatched two minutes later. >> we just need someone to flag him down, right? >> please, yeah. and if you can gather any medicaons, if she's on any, that would be helpful. you should be hearing the sirens real soon. >> no sirens, please, right? >> no, no, no, this is a medical emergency. i don't have control over that. that.rry about this is definitely a medical emergency for her. we need to get there as fast as possible. >> reporter: paramedics rushing to the singer's home in the hollywood hills where she was

fod unconscious. >> all right. they're here now with us. >> reporter: law enforcement sources telling nbc news there was drug paraphernalia and remnants of drugs inside the home. before she was rushed to the hospital,ovato was begin narcan, which is often used to reverse the effects of a narcotic overdose. lovato has bee open about abusing drugs in the past. >> i was using while i had a sober companion. i went through about 20 different sober companions. ♪ do when the shakes are gone >> reporter: publicl celebrating six years sober with a tweet this past march. but morentrecely, as lovato hit the road on the tell me you love me world tour, there have beenu numeeports of her drinking and partying, some signs seemingly out in the open, fro her new song about falling off the wagon -- ♪ i'm not sober anymore -- tong stumb over the lyrics during a live performance. [ bleep ] >> i forgot the words.

>> reporter: and while it's still not known what caused this latest apparent overdose, new signs ofhat's to come, reports that lovato will once again seek treatment for addiction. >> hey, nat, do we expect police to press charges after all of this? >> well, officers on the scene reportedly took photographers of drug faraphernalia theynd and remnants of what looked to be illegal drugs in the home.y however, t do not plan to press any charges against lovato since they were responding to a medical call, not a criminal report. guys? >> good to hear she's going ton go back i treatment as well. >> yes, absolutely. >> all right, natalie, thank you so ch. dylan's in for al this morning, get a check of the weather. good morning, guys, again. and it is very, very hot i the southwest. and yesterday, death valley hit 127 tdegrees. that warmest it's been all season. and now still 22 million are under some s of heat warning, heat watch, or heat advisory across the southwest and even up into the portland area. highemperatures today will once again be about 5 to 15 degrees above serage. we'll some scattered

record-high temps. redding 111 degrs. bakersfield, california, 105, las vegas 113 today. th as we g through the weekend, it stays hot with temperatures mostly above 100 degrees. los angeles slightly cooler, about 88,ut you go inland a bit, andrehat's whe temperatures will be above 100. it's also hot in the pacific northwest, where temperatures again are running 5 to 15 degrees above erage. we'r looking for high temperatures up across portland, 92 toly. it wtay hot through the weekend, although we should finally start to g t some relief time we go into tuesday. but in the temperatures well up into the 90s through the weekend. that's a look at the weather across the country. nore a peek out your window. good morning. 76 degrees right now in in waon. we have some clouds out there, but the big threat is going to be thunderstorms later today. o there is a lin to our west. it will look more impressive later this afternoon.ou risk area includes the d.c. metro area. that's shown in yellow. we could see damaging winds, heavy rain, lightning andhail. that's mostly going to come after about 4:00 p.m. today. ill be inres, though,

the low 90s, hot and humid. tomorrow looks pretty good, showers on partf sundaynd a rainy week next week. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thanks so much. coming up, just how did that elite police unit behind the risky rescue at thebe statue of y pull it off? our "rossen reports" team gets a firsthand, exclusive look ate hw thesolks do the seemingly impossible. then, the absolute unhealthiest restaurant meals in all of america. we a going to reveal that new list that you need to have before placing your next order., plus you have to see what happens when tom cruise forces late-night host james corden to try skydivin but first, roseanne barr's first interview since being show. from her hit what does she have to say? we'll tell you right after this. know what? no, what? i just switched to geico and got more.

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♪ come on. this summer, add a new member to the family. at the mercedes-benz summer event. lease the glc300 for $429 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. we're back a friday morning, and carson joins the table. and roseanne barr is going i depth. she is returning to television for an interview. >> yeah, she spoke out overnight an she got very candid about the scandal that brought her career and that popular reboot a screechinhow to halt. this morning, disgraced comediao anne barr offering a new apology in her first tv interview since she was fired from her hit sitcom revivalst obviously. it cost m everything -- my life's work, everything.

iade a mistake, and i've paid the price for it. >> her comments in an interview with fox news host sean hannity coming two weeks after tweeting a racial slur, comparing former obama white house adviser valerie jarrett to an ape. barr addressing jarrett directly. >> valerie, let's discuss this. don't assume that you know what i meant, because i think youha don't know i meant, and i would like to make it clearer to you what i did mean. >> the former sitcom star insisting the tweet was misunderstood. >> her skin tone is like mine, i didn't know she was african-american. if she's watching, i'm so sorry that you thought i was racist and that you thought that my eet was racist, because it wasn't. it was political. i'm sorry thatou feel harmed

and hurt. i never mea that. and for that, i apologize. could the comedian also not resist taking a jab at jarrett. >> plus, i'd tell her, she's got to get a new haircut. i mean, seriously, she nee new haircut. >> barr saying she hid in her mother's basement following the public backlash. >> i was so scared to go outside. everyone thinks i'm a racist. >> but adding, her fans have helped her cope. >> if it wasn't for my fans, i .robably wouldn't even be walking arou it was just devastating. to be misunderstood is the worst thing. >> jarrett on wednesday revealing on abc's "the view" she would not be watching the osterview. >>nne who?il >> barr says she has not personally reached out to jarrett. >> i haven't called her, because i was like inking, what woul be the right thing to say. >> would you like to? >> call her? >> yeah. >> i'm afraid she'd start screaming and throw the phone.

well, i already have said i'm sorry for twomonths. >> i know that, but you would want to say it directly to her, i'm asking. >> oh, yeah, if she was on the phone? >> barr also talked about her history of mental health issues as well. nce canceling the "roseanne" series, abc has announced plans for a new spinoff featuring the cast without its star. abc saying that that show is probably going to hit the airwaves in tober. >> yeah, "the connors" will be . spin >> all right. >> interesting. all right, guys, coming up, we've got your go-to order is yours. on the list, we're going to announce this year's extremewa eatings from the country's least healthy resta >> enchilada. know what that is. >> looks like an enchilada. >> after these messages.oo >> something welcome! hi there. so, what do you look for in a vehicle? sleek designs. performance. dependability is top on my list. well then, here's some vehicles that deliver on that. woah! wow. oh jeez! that's our truck! it's our truck! and they're our cars! that's my chevy! chevy's the only brand to earn j.d. power

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just ahead, do you want to take your day from good to great? the ultimate list of things that will boost your mood. and you sawhe crowd. we're going to head outside for a great, fun friday concert from one of the most sought-afterwr songers in the road. re.ia michaels is she's going to perform for us after your local news and weather. so, dave here is taking the family up to the lake for the weekend. but without the white knuckles this time. 'cuz his new 2018 ford f-150 has blis with trailer coverage. it's brainiac smart. not only does it watch your f-150's blind spots, it's got your trailer covered too. just another reason why ford f-series is america's best-selling truck for 41 straight years. ♪ this is the new 2018 ford f-150. it doesn't just raise the bar, pal.

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good morning. 7:56 i your time on this friday, july 27th of 2018. i'm e it is a storm team 4 weather alert day, so let's get right to sheena parveen. >> well, good morning, erika. we're dry this morning, but off to our west, we're going to see that line of thunderstoms continueevelop as it gets closer, so later on today. we have aeisk for sev storms. the yellow shaded area,cl ing the d.c. metro area with heavy rain, lightning and hail. 92 for highs mainly after 3:00 p.m. and into the evening hours. good news, though, tomorrow is lookin dry, but some showers on sunday, erika. >> thank you, sheena. and what aboutte that com we'll check traffic next.

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good morning.em new pro west friendship here, eastbound 70 being pushed off at 32. we a t shut downre because of an overturned truck and crash. t backup that t is building as you're headed eastbound on 70. southbound 270, hyattstown, crash with the left side blocked there. and fairfax, eastbound 66 at 123, right lane blocked for a crash. erika? >> all right, thank you, melissa. we'll have another update for you in about 25minutes. but for now, it's back to the "today" show after this short break.

it's it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, trump tower bombshell. overnight, the former attorney saying then candidate trump knew in advance about that controversi meeting between top campaign aids and a russia lawyer, conflicting with months of denials from the administration. so, what does it meanor the russia investigation going forward? we'rlive at the white house. plus, how do they do it? >> there is a person in that stretcher literallyng hangi at a 90-degree angle, dangling off the bridge. it's hard to even stand here and look at this. >> reporter:fter that risky rescue at the statue of liberty, a never-before-seen look at the daring rescues pulled off by the nypd. jeff rossen with the exclusive access. and no issues here.

♪ said i got issues, but you got them too ♪ >> pop sensation julia michaels is here and ready to take over the plaza for a live summer concert, getting you ready toju mp into the weekend, today, friday, july 27th, 2018. >> celebrating sweet 16! >> with a concert on "today"! >> from florida! the bay area! >> we're ready for julia michaels! ♪ >> here with our two daughters! >> my beautiful wife! >> with my cousin! >> with my twin sister! >> to seeulia michaels! >> we're ready for julia michaels! hey, everybody, good in mo we're waving right back to the friday morning packed plaza. >> we cannot wait to get out

there and enjoy it. th morning ouriti summer concert series is from ms. julia michaels. if you don't know her name, you will soon. carson's o there wither already. hi, carson. >> hi, guys! what do you think?sh >> oh, my this is amazing! i can't believe it? > like my heart's beating so fast! you're pumped up. you're going to perform. so happy to have you. >> i'm so happy! to be he this is amazing! >> and your fans are awesome. we're going to have a great concert from julian michael, not only anncredible performer, but one of the best songwriters. everybodtten for a great performance coming up.ng >> loo forward to it. we'll get to that concert in the next half hour, but now the news and this bombshell allegation breaking overnight about what president trump knew and when he knew it about that trump tower meeting. it could have major implications on the investigasson into n meddling in the 2016 election. nbc national corspondent peter alexander at his post at the white house with the latest.rn peter, good g. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. literally within the last couple

minutes,resident responding on twitter, dismissing reports that his former lawyer, michael cohen, is willing to inform robert mueller that he was a candidate, donald trump knew about that trump tower meeting ahead of time. the president writes, "i did not know of theeeting with my son, don junior. sounds to me like someone is m trying toe up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam." this morning, here's where things stnid. new ovt, a source with knowledge of the matter telling nbc news the president's former protector, longtime lawyer miheael asserts the president knew about that 2016 trump tower meeting in advance, that he was told by his son, don junior, before it took place. theourcensisting cohen is willing to make that assertion to special counsel robert mueller. cohen's claim would contrad t repeated denials from the president, his sohe and t lawyers, who have said president trump knew nng about the meeting until a year later. president trump last julyng deliveis denial to "the

new york times." >> did you know at the time that they had the meeting? >> no, i didn't know anything about the meeting. but it must have been a very unimportant meeting because i never even heard about it. >> reporter: trump junior on fox news saying he never told his father about the weting. >> i such a nothing. there was nothing to tell. >> reporter:ll last don junior telling the senate judiciary committee the same ling. overnight, hisyer expressing confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the information. that controversi trump tower meeting involving trump junior and other top trump aides -- son-in-law jared kushner and campaign chairman paul manafort, as well a russian promising dirt on hillary clinton. cohen's lawyer, lanny davis, decling to mment, his client under federal investigation, agents raiding his homes and office earlier this year. overnight, the president's lawyer, rudy giuliani, dismissing the new report and attacking cohen's credibily. >> i expected something like this from cohen. he's been lying all week, or for two -- hs been lying for years! >> reporter: rudy giuliani says

that cohen haseen lying for years, but just two months ago, heescribed cohen as a "honest, honorable lawyer." what we don't know, does michael cohen have any evidence to back up this story? for the moment, it's his word versus the president and donals. trump jr earlier when we asked cohen's lawyer if cohen would cooperate prosecutors or flip against his former boss, his lawyer declined to use the word flip but said that michael cohen is committed to telling the trutnn sa and hoda? >> peter alexander, thank you. a court-imposed deadline to ite more than 2,500 children separated from their parents at the border has come and gone. the government says it expected to reuniterell eligible childn by midnight, but we won't fin out whether that goal was reached until later officials say about 700 migrant hildren remain in limbo, many because their parents failed background checks or showed other red flags. re than 400 of their parents have been deported. the federal judge who ordered thereunifications must now decide how to address that

crisis. wildfire in northern california's spreading out of control and has now turned deadly. the explosive blaze killing a bulldozer driver in redding overnight and injuring firefighters and civilians. a local tv station covering the disaster was actually forced to flee while on theair. dozens of homes have been destroyed with officials calling the suation chaotic, as residents with little warning of the fire scrambled to evacuate. california's governor has declared a state of emergency. >> are you all ready for a little boost? it's that time of the morning, the news is done and we're going to boost you. sometimes when you're a kidoo wh a tooth, you have to get creative to pull it out. you had one of those when you were younger. so, for one little girl in ertexas, she called brother on. he tied one end -- >> no! >> the dart nerf gun. check it out. >> no! >> three, two,ne -- >> go! >> oh, my gosh. she doesn even know. >> oh, my gosh! >> did it work? >> it came out

it worked like a charm. >> oh, my gosh! >> yes! >> she's soha ppy! she was a little anxious. >> do you think? the 5-year-old realized it was over in a flash. look it, there's the tooth, evidence. >> and the brother -- >> by the way, this is so much . bett the wiggling -- >> the slow pain. just boom. >> i know, but big brothers. i mean, come on, the nerf gun? >> get 25% of the tooth fairy -- what does the tooth fairy give these days? >> i think like 2 bucks. >> is that it? >> 25 cents in my day. >> i remember it was a quarter. coming up, eating to the extreme. we are going to i reveal --m so excited for this -- the unhealthiest meals in america. first, though, a heart-racing newos n reports." >> reporter: hi, good morning. i'm jeff rossen.s dangerescues caught on camera, like this one that just played out at the statue of libey. now the elite team that pulled this off is going to show us exactly how you do it. exclive, full acces as they save someone here at the top of the brooklyn bridge, next. yours

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♪ we're back. new "rossen reports" this morng and an exclusive look inside some daring rescue operations. >> just this month, we all watched lives a protester scaled the statue of liberty. it was the nypd's elite emergency services unit thatet managed to her down, and it left a lot of folks wondering, how did they do it? >> well, "today" national investigative correspondent jeff rossen got a look dea firsthand look. hey, jeff. >> did you scale the statue? >> of course. i mean, i do that every weekend. but in general, i was watching this live a well. it was pretty crazy. i was entranced. i've lived in new york f 17 years, never seen anything like it. one minute, that woman was high atop the statue of liberty, no way to reach her.

th t next, thism of nypd officers suddenly appears, climbing the statue, hanging oth side, lots of ropes. so, yeah, how'd they do it? we called the nypd andsaid, can we watch? can we get full access up closed they yes, surprisingly. for the first time ever, they agreed to bring our cam along in a real-world scenario, how it all goes down. it was july 4th. the big fireworks show just hours away. >> one female on the back side of the statue of liberty. >> reporter: and this protester got atop one of the country's most recognizable landmarks, refusing to come down. a team of rescuers saving the day with live news choppers buzzing above. they scaled the statue of liberty and get her. that team, the nypd's elite emergency services unit. i had no idll, but a the time, police are train mg ator andmarks when we're not looking, just in case something happens. they're mapping it out, making sure they know what to do.

today we're here at the iconic brooklyn bridge in new york city, and the nypd is giving us rare, exclusive access into a real-world scenario where they're actuallyo going rescue somebody off the top of the bridge. d you can see they're already mounting up on the bridge right now and getting up onto the span there. lieutenant mike mcginnis is here from the nypd. how are you? >> good morning. >> reporter: you helped touaead the a statue of liberty rescue. >> correct. >> reporter: i was wondering, how do you know what to dothe minute tomes in and get up there where you're not supposed to be? >> there's 200 hours of confined space and rope rescue training, 100 hours of emergency psychological first aid training in order tho deal with people are in crisis. in addition to o200 hoursf emergency medical technician training. >> reporter: for this scenario,i a victi atop the bridge, no way down. the esu team suits up, climbing onto the bridge. >> next up. one at a time. >> reporter: specially traed to keep their balance on that

thin, circular span, scaling it slowly. what's to stop them frompi slip right now and literally falling off the bridge? >> all of our officers are ised harnesses, and these extender straps that the clip intore using to the bridge basically provide us with two points of contact at all time. so always two points on the bridge and six-point -- >> always two points. >> reporter: this can hold an adult male? >> this can support two adult males. t >> reporter:hey need it. they're high, hundreds of feet up. worrying traffic and the water below. >> going up through a tight space here. >> r forter: when theyinally reach the top -- >>ne o, two, tethree. >> rep -- they restrain the victim, strapping him into a stretcher. >> just pull all the slack out of this. [ inaudible ] >> ten-four. >> reporter: the victim lowered over the platform. there is a person in that stretcher literally hanging at a -degree angle, dangling off the bridge. it's hard to even stand here and look at hethis. by way, the victim doesn't

come down alone. ran esuescuer is strapped to them, face-to-face. >> all right, ready to go. >> reporter: look at that view. one mistake, one faulty piece of equipment could spell. disast >> kind of kicking off the structure a here little bit, try not to smack into anything. >> reporter: the scene such a spectacle,estrians on the bridge are stopping in their tracks. as they get closer, you get a sense othe pressure on that harness, on that rope, holding all of that weight. that rope graded for 9,000 pounds. the only thing stopping them from plummeting to the ground. even just standing here, this is crazy. it takes less tha m fiveinutes until they make ito the bottom, safe. life-and-death moves, dangling midair. yeah, i had to ask them, do you guys get scared up there? what do you think they were going to say? but they said no. they're ow-offs. by tway, not all cities have emergency service units like this, but the head of this unit says m and more police departments across the country

are trying to launch them, because if you tnk about it, every city, every town has a tall building, has a bridge, has a landmark where all this can >> fascinating. >> you should have gone. >> the original -- the pd said hey, do you want to be the victim hanging in that basket? for the first time in my life, id, uh, no. >> because? >> i'm afraid of heights! >> definitely. >> and you didn't send your assistant? you should be like, my prodnder, y -- >> lindsey was the one urging me to do it. wish.th >> thank you, jeff. dylan, how about a check of the weather? >> yes, and we have thunderstorms up and down the east coast again today. now, this is going to be a different setup than the rain we had earlier this week. this is not going to p that much rain. we could see about 1 to maybe up to 3 inches of rain, but really the gusty winds. as they start to kick in later this afternoon and into thisin ev the ground is saturated, so with the leaves on the trees, the wind cou topple those trees very easily, so that's going to be an issue. we could also dealom with brief flash flooding with the

heavier downpours as we look down into maryland and pennsylvania and new jersey later on today. 37 million people are at risk atfor some stronger storms today. and back behind it, temperatures will certainly cool off. in fact, back through the northe plains andpper midwest, temperatures are running about 5 to 15 degrees below average. that's w look at thether across the country. now here's a peek out your window. good morning, erybody. it's a mostly blue sky over washington this morning, but we do have increasin chances for some stronger thunderstorms coming our way later on this afternoon and this evening. so, be weather alert as you go through your friday. thunderstorms already acros parts of pennsylvania. that's the threat for severe weather. we're under that slight risk th dylan was just mentioning. temperaturewis low to mid-70s across the area. now, it will be a hot one to be outside today.pe 80s to low 90s for highs today,nd before tstorms bubble up this afternoon. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan,hank you. ne> looky looky who's here! hi, she. >> good morning. >> she's got a great story coming up that you'll definitely

want to see if you enjoy dining out. first, there's the hoda morning booth, but what f else is good a pick-me-up during your day? carson's in the orange room with mood boosters. >> on friday, that's a good mood-booster. a recen study was looking for mood boosters to take your day from good to great, and it turns out it's often the most trivi activities that make us feel good. let's go through the list, some of the things we found out that are rewarding for people. finding money in you pocket, right? >> totally. >> sleeping in with no alarm set. >> oh, yeah. >> listeningo the rain in bed. here's a few other mood boosters making our list. petting a dog. a long, hot shower, and listening to your favorite album. the study dug deeper into music, by the way, and found out that the most mood-boosting bands -- here are the top yothree. ve got the beatles, the eagles, and michael jackson. ig michael jackson. >> top three there. gh wal media userseig intheir imonod. lucy says "getting lots of sleep and when my husband makes blueberry sounds good. diane adds, "any day i'm at the beach with a sea breeze is my

idea oa perfect day." the sdy found out that the average person would be happiest waking up at 8:15 in the morning -- >> okay. >> spending four hours a day with their family and another four hours watching television. maybe without their family. i don't know. >> it's 8:15 now! good morning, hpy person! >> what's your mood booster? >> i like to look at pictures of kids on m phone. like if they're doing something, because that makes you smile. >> that is e ctly what i was going to say. >> you are lying! >> no, i'm not! i look at videos and it makes me happy. >> that's nice. >> i like looking forward to something. li i'm thinking about the weekend and i feel like i'm in such a great mood thinking i've got two great days. >> i like going into a nice bathroom and theve, you know, the soap and the creams, the lotion. >> smells nice. >> thank you. i like it. >> the little things. >> i like one chocolate munchkin every morning. >> there you go. >> just one? >> just one. >> nice. >> a cup of coffee. >> carson, you got some "pop start"? >> i do. cardi b was scheduled to hit the

road with bruno mars in decided that has that is no longer in her or her daughter's best interests. she released a statement on instag om saying "as today, i've decided i will not be joining bruno mars on tour this fall. i thoht that after giving birth to my daughter that six weeks would be enough time for me to recover mentally and physically, but i think i underestimated this whole mommy thing."said this was a hard dec for her to make and hopes her fans will understand. i'm sure the do. cardi b and husband offset welcomed a baby t girls month. up next, britney spears. the crowd went nuts when she made a surprise appearance on "the tonight show" last nigh joining jimmy fallon for his recurring "ew" sketch. the two pretended to be young campers. >> do you think that you'll go back to camp next >>summer? 'm not sure. i mean, we'd be the oldest campers there, you know? >> but we're still too young to be counselors. we're stuck between two worlds. it's like i'm not a girl -- ♪ not yet a woman

>> a b classictney spears song "i'm not a girl, not yet a woman." britney's touring and isdi reportedly h back to las vegas for her second residency in 2019. finall tom cruise h been on a press tour to promote "missione: impossifallout." wednesday night, james corden questioned the difficulty of , skydiving doesn't really seem so hard. cruise then invited cordon to go skydiving with himnd he followed through. >> i'll be honest, i'm terrified. [ laughter ] this feels like a mistake. >> you're going to do it right? >> okay. >> are you ready? >> here we go. all right. see you later, bye!ve >> do w hand signals when we're in the air? >> yeah. are you okay? like are you okay? >> and i'll be like, yes, okay. >> and this is like, hmm. >> not great. what's the hand signal for i've just soiled myself? um -- >> thi >> oh [ bleep ]!

oh, my god! >> whoa! watch my gosh, i t want this! what a great movie he's going tl make, s himself. well, the you go cordon -- i don't know if he used the hands al or not, but look at his landing. >> t whoa. om's landing was perfect. [ laughter ] >> oh, my gosh! >> i'm sure the hand signal w used immediately upon hitting the ground. oh, that isoo funny. >> you made it! >> that was awesome. >> great stuff. >> really good. >> celebriti there. anyway, that's your "pop start." we're going to turn now to your health. did you know the average american family spends around $3,000 a yr eating out? >> but beside our wallets, how affecting asty meals our health? sheinelle, i know it's not going >> there's hope in this one, so just stand by. okay, we have just released a ok inside popular dishes from some of america's favorite restaurant chains. the cenr for science in the public interest revealing the meals loaded with saturated fat,

sugar, or sky-high calorie counts. here's what you need to know before placing your next order. delicious but not so 01tritious. th8 extreme eating awards are out. topping the list, the cheesecake factory's breakfast burrito, filled wit scr eggs, bacon, chicken treeceo and all the fixing, totally 2,730 calories and two days' worth of sodium. and americans are eatt up with the average household spending about $3,000 a year on dining out. >> extreme eatin award-winners have oftentimes 2,000 calories more. and for these winners, restaurants are piling massive ingredients, unhealthy ingredients, onto a plate. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, the cheesecake factory said in part, "with more than 250 menu items, these chke factory has always been about choices. many of our guests come in and want to celebrate and not benc ned with calories. for our calorie-conscious guests, we have our d-

awwinning skinnilicious menu." also on the list, chili's honey chipotle crispers and waffles, servin up nearly 4,500 milligrams of sodium and an estimated 105 grams of added sugar, equal to five krispy kreme glazed doughnuts with 30 chicken mcnuggets and fe packets of barbecue sauce. at amc theaters one snack with a plot twist. the bavarian legend softlm pretl withost a day's worth of calories and more than three days' worth of sodium. and at uno pizzeria and grill, a deep-dish buffalo chicken mac and cheese totaling nearly four days' worth of saturated fa in statement to nbc news, uno pizzeria and grill said in parte "for t looking for lighter fare, we have a smaller version of this award-winning mac and cheese at less than half the calories. we offer over 100 menu options, from indulgent treats to more healthful choices, so ourues can have whatever they're in the

mood for." but experts say you can have tur cake and eat it, too, so to speak, just not whole thing. >> portion sizes at america's restaurant chains are out of control. think about taking hom half or splitting the dish with a friend. if the calories aren'ted li look for dishes that are heavy on the vegetables and light on the carbs, the meat, and the cheese. >> reporter: in other words, treat yourself but in moderati >> and that is the key, moderation. we have some treats here. here's the thing, just share it. just have a bite or two. order light fare -- >> when the pretzels are that big, you have to share. >> i would never at this whole thing. >> by the way, it's so good. i know that's not the point. >> the calorie counts are on the menu now -- >> i don't like it on the menu. it's awful. >> the calorie thing. >> if i'm going out to eat something indulgent, i don't want to know how bad it is. >> if you want to seehe calories, you pull it open like a kid's book, and en it reveal >> i will say, we reached out to chilis and amc fornt com but haven't received a respond.

but i think that's the sentiment, in ideration. >>that carb-free? >> the whole thing. still ead, julia michaels live on our plaza. can't wait to introduce you to your local news and weather. >> get in there. it is 8:26 on this friday morning. i'm chris lawrence. let's see how your morning commute is shaping up. meliss has your "first 4 traffic." >> good morning, chris. taking a look at the roads here right now, eastbound i-70. they are right now shut down at, overturned truck. so we have those lanes blocked and these delays have justte st to really build quite a bit in the past 30 minutes or so. right now you're being pushed f onto 32. eastbound 66 at 123. right lane still blocked there. and the beltway looks okay right now.ly actu pretty light. the exception, of course, up top there, outer loop at connecticut with our e crash, still slow. >> all right, thanks, melissa. it's another weather alert day. e rain on its way back. we'll get a check on the forecast when we come back. wow. look at jim go. man, that guy works hard.

courtside seats? multitasking isn't for the faint of heart . i'm in! it takes experience, skill,

hey babe. do you have my credit card? i can't find it. nope. i haven't seen it. i'll keep looking. and a bank that helps you take care of business from anywhere. you know, we could use more guys like jim around here. bb&t. all we see is you. good morning, everybody. plenty of sunshine, temperatures warming up quickly now mid and upper 70s. we're headed for a high of 92

degrees this afternoon, but a 60% chance of stormser l today, some of which could pack quite a punch to the strong to se,re si so stay weather alert for today and stay right here with nbc washington on our app.

♪ >> hi! nice to meet you. it's30 8: now. it is a friday morning. getting to the end of the month here, and we are so excitedve because we great concert coming up. here with ichaels i us! in the flesh. >> julia michaels is the best. she said her heart is pounding, t i've got to tellyou, a lot of people's hearts are pounding here. we can't wait to hear you. you are an awesome person. >> look at you! >> i'm so crazy!

>> this is so exciting! >> this is so azing. >> all right, i've got some little girls here. their names are katherine, taylor, lula, marissa and corrine. they're from birminam, alabama. they're right here? >> hi! >> first of all, they love you. >> oh, hi! >> they are 11 and 12 years old, and they l e todance. you know what song they like to dance to? >> which one? >> >>"jump." yes! >> will you all do it for julia? >> oh, mygod, please! ♪ because all i do is jump >> wait for it. >> you can go ahead. let it go. . there we >> give it up for them! >> yeah! >> here we go. >> yes! ♪

>> that was awesome! >> that was amazing! >> that was awesome. that was sweet. >> oh, my god! >> that was adorable! >> oh,oy gosh, this is cool! >> so cute. >> wait until you see carson and i do it. >> oh, yeah,e've got it. >> you've got some moves, carson? >> five, six, seven, eight -- >> oh, hey! >> no. okay. >> julia's coming up in just a few minutes. we can't wait, but let's get a check of our weather. >> yes, and it's going to be a nice start to the day on this friday heres we head into the weekend, and there's something really cool happening tonight. it is a total lunar eclipse. here's the th going to see it in the northern hemisphere. you've got to go to the southern hemisphere, but we are streaming it live on nbews.com/space. that starts today at 4:00 p.m. a really cool sight in the sky, so you want to check that out. as for the weekend, much cooler tempatures are starting to work into the great lakes, back behind a cold front that will still linger some showers and storms around saturday morning. then on sunday morning, our best chance of rain w back through the plains, through the midwest and also across the

southeast.id much less humn the northeast but still staying very hot in the southwest. that's a look at the weather across the country. now here's a peeou out window. good friday morning. we do have some clouds around, but it is starting to warm up. 76 degrees right now in shington. we do have rain and thunderstorms off to our west. this is part of a cold front that's going to get closer later today.er we'll see thuorms move through. some of those storms could be strong to severe, so we could sewi damagings, heavy rain, lightning, hail. that yellow shaded area, including the d.c. metro, that is the higherisk for some severe storms. so, that's mostly going to be after 4:00 p.m., after nttemperatures get the low 90s, lasting through this evening, dry tomorrow. ♪ >> announcer: the citi concert series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. >> a right, julia mooikles is about to perform live here on the plaza. you may know her from her grammy-nominated song "issues." >> what you may not know is julia has written a number of hits for other artists, so wet o sit down ahead of this morning's concert to talk about your wesome journey and

journey from becoming behind the spotlight to in front of it.♪ ♪ uh huh, i think you're moving too close ♪ >> with catchy hooks and a knack for turning catchy thoughts into intimate tunes, julia michaels artists.f music's breakout new ♪ i miss you but long before you knew her name, you heard her music. ♪ i'm sorry ♪ myself ♪p my hands t from pop to country to r&b, she has co-written hits from some of today's biggest musicians. you are an incredible writer, but to an incredible writer, you have to feel what people feel. yeah >> is that just you? 've always think sort of had like a very inviting presence. i think i get that from my dad. >> michaels, a self-described shy kid growing up aays had a passion for songwriting. you know you're creative. you know you like writing songs. you're akid, it's poetry. >> yes. >> i'm sure your parents were

like, that's a cute hobby. >> yeah. good for you! >> yeah. actually, i had that exact response fm my mom once. >> yeah? tey wanted youo eventually get like a real job?ah >> ye. my dad wanted me to go to college. >> but all that changed when she got her first big break at 17, writing the theme song for the disney channelhow "austin and ally." >> that was sort of the pivotal moment for me. i was like, oh, it's not just a hobby or something that i ve, it's something that i think i could actually do and that i'm kind of good at. >> i love you going kind of good at. >> yeah. ha you're kind of more good at it. is it hard to say out loud? >> yeah, i don'tnow why. yeah. like, if i say i'm good at it, th the passion kind of stops, so i have to just keep pushing myself and pushing myself. >> that led to writing songs with artists like justin bieber, selena gomez, and gwen stefani. how do you help that song come out of her?

>>ngwen was g through a lot of, a lot at that time. she actually had lot of notes written down on her computer. in the middle was sandwiched "i don't know why i cry, but i thin it's because i remembered for the first time since i hated you that i used to love you" and then kept talking. i was like, mm. and i just was like punched in rie heart we motions, and i was like, we need to w that. ♪ i got issues, but you got them too ♪ >> but she had no intention of singing her own music until she wrote ""issue inspired after a fight with an ex-boyfriend. >> when i wrote "issues," i just had this feeling that i just couldn't give it up. >> michaels writes what she fengs, recently openi up her longtime struggle with panic attacks caused by anxiety, even suffering from one on stager' a last ybillboard awards. ♪ >> i think the reason why i get so anxious is because these songs are so personal to me,

that if somebody doesn't like it, they're almost saydog they t like me, and that gets a little scary. but most of the time, a majority of the time, there is usually a lot of love in the crowd. ♪ because all i do is jump >> now aeasoned performer, she displays a tattoo on her hand saying "i love you," a reminder to herself of strength and the message to her fans. th's for you. >> yeah. yeah. sometimes when i'm on stage, i put itup, though. >> so that people know it' for them, to >> so they know it's for them, too. >> and julia's fans are readyo show her their love as she hits our stage. ladies and gentlemen, julia michaels! ♪

♪ i know you're in caboanging with your brother ♪ ♪ wishing that i was your bottle so i could be close to you lips again ♪ ♪ i know you didn't call your parents and tell them that we ended ♪ ♪ 'cause you know they'd be offended, did you not wanna tell them it's the end ♪ ♪ and i know we'ot supposed to talk but i'm getting ahead of myself ♪ ♪ i get scared when we're not 'cause i'm scared you're with somebody else ♪ ♪ so i guess that it is gone and i just keep lying to myself♪ ♪ i can't believe it ♪ i, i miss you, yeah, i miss you ♪ ♪ m iiss you, yeah, i miss you, oh, i do ♪ ♪ i miss you, yeah, i miss you ♪ though i'm trying not to right now ♪ let's go, new york! whoo! ♪ you weren't a fre of pictu so i hardly ever took them ♪

♪ got them saved in my mind from the bedroom ♪ ♪ so that way i can't forget your skin ♪ ♪ s a i saved the texts, all of the best over the years ♪ ♪ just to remind myself of how wgood it is or ♪ ♪ and i know we're not supposed to talk ♪ ♪ but i'm getting ahead ofmy lf ♪ ♪ i get scared when we're not ♪ 'cause i'm scared you're with somebody else ♪ ♪ so i guess that it's gone and i just keep lying to myself ♪ ♪ i can't believe it ♪ i, i miss you, yeah, i miss you ♪ ♪ i miss you, yeah, i miss you, oh, i do ♪ ♪ i miss u, yeah, i miss you ♪ though i'm ting not to right w, i can't help it ♪ ♪

♪ though i'm trying notig to r now ♪ ♪ so i saved all of the texts, all of the best over the years ♪ ♪ to remind myself ofow good it is ♪ ♪ yeah, i saved all the texts off of my ex minus theears ♪ ♪ to remind myself of how good it is or was ♪ ♪ iiss you, yeah, i miss you ♪ i miss you, yeah, i miss you, oh, i do ♪ ♪ i miss you, yeah, iiss you ♪ though i'm trying not to right now, i can't hel it, i just ♪ ♪ oh, no, i can't help it, i just ♪

♪ though i'm trying not to right now, c i't help it, i just ♪ ♪ >> the fun isust getting started on the plaza! we have more of julia michaels coming up. but first, this "today" on nbc. ♪

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comcast, building america's largest gig-speed network. welcome back to "today" and our citi summer concert is under wa julia michaels is wowing this crowd. >> you're amazing! >> getting ready tisgo on tour all. hard at work on her debut aalb. if that's not enough, she's out with a new single. a we heardittle bit of it when the girls were dancing, called "jump." and t she's about perform it. have you done this one on television yet? >> once. >> maybe one other time? >> yes. >> debut on morning television. >> there you go. >> and this is actually the first time she's performed a

conct for herfans, so y'all are the first! >> wow. >> all right, julia, take it away. >> thank you. ♪ ♪ mm, stay right there, get away, i need space ♪ ♪ i y told youterday slow the pace down ♪ ♪ but then i see your face, can we do that tomorrow ♪ ♪ 'cause now you're moving in on my skin ♪ ♪ i move back with my lips, it goes against my better judgment ♪ e♪ 'cai, 'cause i want it, ah ♪ ♪ and i'm gonna be c fche a minute ♪ ♪ and tell you that i've been hurt before ♪ ♪ s i think i'm gonna need another minute to not hurt no re ♪ ♪ 'cause all i do is jump right

into your arms ♪ ♪ every time i see you, i just wrap myself around yh, ♪ ♪ yump into something real, even though i'm cautious ♪ ♪ i just like the way it feels when it's us, baby, when it's♪ us ♪ you make me forget that i'm not ready for love ♪ ♪ i jump, oh, i jump, hey ♪ look at me being soft, cut it all, my mind is getting lost from your touch ♪ i can't afford the cost of me sing myself to you ♪ ♪ and ian didn't wt these feelings when i brought 'em ♪ xactly know you know en i caught 'em ♪ ♪ and i'm trying not to think about i often, but ooh ♪ 'cause all i do is jump right your arms ♪ ♪ every time i see you, iust wrap myself around you, yeah ♪ ♪ jump into something real, even though i'mcautious, i like the way it feels when it's us ♪ ♪ baby, when it's us, you make me forget that i'm not readyor love ♪ ♪ i jump, oh, i jump

♪ jump, jump in this foreign, used to sleep on couches, now the boy is really ♪uring ♪f they sleep on me, i tell them haters go i and sleep away ♪ ♪ yeah, fell in lo, but it ain't no trust ♪ ♪ if it ain't no trus then that girl can't be my love ♪ ♪ supposed to put my love above but instead you're going to sleep it away, hey, uh ♪ ♪ yeah,ike an earthquake, yeah, i'm w dealingh another little heartbreak ♪ ♪ man, i wish i never met you in the first place ♪ ♪ and that karma gonna getou in the worst way ♪ ♪ don't throw your love away, don't throw your trust awa ♪ ♪ you always run away, i wish you would stay but i guess we need another break ♪ ♪ 'cause all i do is jump right in you arms, every time i see you ♪ ♪ i wrap myself around you, i yeah, jump, into something real ♪ ♪ even though i'm cautious, i

just like the way it feels ♪ ♪ whe it's us, baby, when it's us, you make me forget that i'm not ready for love ♪ ♪ i jump, oh,jump, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, jump ♪ ♪ 'cause all i do is, all i do is, jump, all i do is ♪ ♪ jump, 'cause all i do is jump ♪ >> that is julia michaeu,! thank yo julia. and up next, she's going to perform the hit that earned her a grammy nomination. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

♪ and we are back with music from singer-songwriter julia michaels.

she's going to perform the smash hit "issues" off her mini album "nervous system." once again,julia, take it away! ♪ i'm jealous, i'm overzealous ♪ when i'm down, i get real down ♪ ♪ when i'm high, i don't come down ♪ ♪ and i getangry, baby, believe me ♪ ♪ i could love you just like that, and i could leave you just as fast ♪ ♪ but you don't what? ♪ judge me, if u did,baby, i would judge you, too ♪ one more time! ♪ you don't judge me, if you did, baby, i wou judge you, too ♪ beautiful. ♪ 'cause i got issues, you got 'em too ♪ ♪ you give 'em all to me and

i'll give mine to you ♪ ♪ask in the glory of all our problems♪ ♪ 'cause we got the kind of love it takes to solve 'em ♪ ♪ yeah, i've got issues and one of them is how bad i need you ♪ ♪ you do it all on purpose et ♪ you g mad and you break things, feel bad, tryo fix things ♪ ♪ but you're perfect, poorld wireircuit ♪ ♪ and got hands like an ocean, push you out, pullou back in ♪ ♪ but you don't what? ♪ judge me, 'cause if you did, baby, i would judge you, too ♪ last time, everybody! ♪ you don't what? ♪ judge me, 'cause you see it from the same point of view ♪ ♪ 'cause i got ouissues, ye got 'em too ♪ ♪ so give them all to me and i'll give mine to you ♪ ♪ bask in the glory of all our problems ♪

♪ 'cause we have got the kind of love it takes to solve 'em ♪ ♪ yeah, i've got issues, and one of them is how bad i need you ♪ ♪ i've got issues i love you guys so much ♪ you've got them too ♪ and one of them is how bad i need you ♪ this is our last chorus together. will yh sing it super loud wit me? ♪ i've got issues, you've got 'emoo ♪ ♪ so give them all to me, i'll give mine to you ♪ ♪ bask in glory of all our problems, 'cause we've got the kind of l te ites to solve 'em ♪ ♪ yeah, i've got issues, and one of them is how bad i neeyou ♪ ♪ yeah, i've got issues, and one of them is how bad i need you ♪

♪yeah, i've got issues, and one of them is how bai need you ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> julia michaels! great job. thank you so much. o're back in a moment. this is "today"nbc. ♪ yeah, i've got issues ♪

a great friday concert. julia michaels. >> wow. >> really good. >> uh huh. >> well, you know what comes after friday. >> what? >> saturday 'vweekend! heard of that. >> no rest for the weary, right, tomorrow morning? what's a tourist destination without the tourists? wh some popular overseas destinations are now telling foreign visitors, incding americans, to stay away. we'll look at that tomorrow. then on "sunday today," sitting down with claire danes.in tag about her big break on "my so-called life" to "homeland" and how she tried to hide her pregnancy while

shooting "homeland." that's "sunday today." >> he has not had an awesome guest ever. so great. >> sunday morning. >> thawill wrapt up for us. we hope you have an awesome weekend. lming up next on "megyn kelly today," a remarkabtle boy who owes his life to a facebook isst by mom. we'll explain all that. but first, your cal news. his mom. we'll explain all that but first your local news. hi, good morning, everybody. it's 8: on this friday, july 27th. km erika gonzalez. melissa mollet iping an eye on your commute this morning. melissa, how's it looking? >> good morning. still have this problem here on i-70. so, a look here right now. west friendship, eastbound 70 right now pushed off to 32 this morning. overturned truck with those lanes blocked rightnow. southbound 270 near urbana.

right now we have a crash on the left side and southbound connecticut avenue at tilden street in northwest, we stillha have crash there blocking the right side. >> all right, thanks, melissa. it's weather alert day, so we'll get a check of your forecast next. you know when you're at ross shopping for backpacks... ...and mom also gets a back-to-school bag? you find them for less. f n at ross. yes for less.

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good friday morning. it is a weather alert day. we have a severe risk of storms as we go through the day today. mainly this afternoon and evening. any ltormser on could contain damaging winds, heavy rain, lightning,hail. fit's all comingm this line of storms off to our west. that will get a little more impressive as it g.s clos 92 for a daytime high. storms mainly after 3:00 p.m. and into the evening hours, but clearing overnight. tomorrow we're dry. chance of showers sunday and next week.

state of emergency. another wildfire erupts in california. this one is already deadlyro deng homes. >>