as classmates we don't seean cor sex as much as the rest of the world might see it that w breaking news overnight. for the eighth day, deadly tornadoes pummeled parts of the south including oklahoma and w missouh major flooding devastating areas and washing entire homes away. we believe that no one is above the law, including the president of the united states, and we believe tha the president of the united stas is engaged in a cover-up >> i walk in to look at people that just said i was doing a cover-up i don't do cover-ups. >> the battle lines are drawn with the nation's buness held hostage in the balance will the president bend, or is the road timpeachmenint be paved before our eyes.

john walker lindh, the man dubbed the american taliban in 2001 is set to be released from prison today some fear he remains a major security rk. the two grandmothers arrested for carrying cbd oil. what you need to know if you and the sty of the day involving a friendship that will have you smiling all day "early today" starts right now good thursday morning. i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news. massivs e tornadoeve wreaked havoc in missouri, and the damage is being described as devastating. officials have confirmed at and we're hearing reports of firefighters stopping to people trapped in collapsed buildings for more let's get to nbc's morgan chesky, who is near jefferson city for us. morgan, what are you r seeing? orter: frances, good morning. we are in jefferson city, missouri, right now, drying through one of the strands of that storm that hit just before midnight today we do kn r theorts are confirmed of a violent tornae that mads way through the

capital city of missouri at around that time we have checked in with the local sheriff's partment, and we heard from lieutenant david williams, who said that at this point in time ere are rescue efforts under waply in multie buildings in jefferson city. theye working hard to i.d. the gy injured people and they're calling all hands on deck. we know firefighters have called all crews in hospitals ha also called in all crews to address the injured as they come in. right now 're still waiting to see more damage from the city, but at this point in time, from the earlury pi that we've received, it does look to be rather extensive we do know that they are again describing this as a violent tornado with serious damagroe thughout the city. at this point in time there has not been any confirmed deaths in jefferson city however, there ati mulple people injured we'vtiseen mulple reports of a hotel that was hitith glass flying inside the hotel

after it was struck. we do know there are numerous vehicles that are flipped ov throughout the city and that emergencypersonnel are having ti difficult getting around town due to the damage there in jefferson city we've asked authorities to say do you know how many people area injured, they say at this point it is still too early to tell as they're making rounds through damaged neighborhoods.fr ces? >> all right thank you. morgan chesky for us near jefferson city we appreciate the update. nbc meteorologist janessa webb is here tracking that severe weather morgan was just talking about. >> good morning. we have this squall line it's moving fairly quickly here. yothe problem is that u can see behind this, across jefferson city into joplin right now, we to lift to the north here and cause torrential rain. so 27 reports of tornadoes herh in t last 24 hours, and i do expect that to increase throughout the overnight here. the problem is that we're seeing these nocturnal tornadoes. you're not able to get prepared,

it's dark and we still have that severe risk throughout the midwest into the northeast this afternoon with 42 million under that severe weather risk. >> janessa, thanks for tracking that for us. the standoff between iran and the u.s. is showing no signs of letting up this morning later today the pentagon will reportedly present a plan to the white house that could send up totr 10,000 ps to the middle east nbc's craig boswell has more it's important to note the timing of all this, the meeting coming just before memorial day. >> reporter: yeah, phillip good mororng goning, everyone yeah, that timing duly noted it also comes during a spike in tensions betwe the u.s. and iran u.s. officials say the pentagon drawing up plans to deploy up to 10,000 troop the middle east this plan could be presented to the white house as early as tomorr the plan is intended to counter threats posed by iran. the administration has been citing unspecified intelligence reports of threats by iran to

u.s. forces in the region. now, lawmakers werd e briefe these unspecified reports on tuesday by acting secretary and the secretary of state mike pompeo there are lawmakers, phillip, that want to take some measures to make sure the president has to consult congress before taking any military action so there is a lot more information still -- they still want more information abt this, and we'll find out todayll whether that plan wi be presented today. phillip? >> we will be following that craig boswell joining us from d.c. this morning. thank yo noto the man dubbed the american taliban, who will walk out of jail a free man today john walker lindh served 17 years of his 20-year prison as sentence he w arrested in afghanistan for providing support to the taliban. officials say he will live in northern virginia. wnbc's peteilliams has the latest >> reporter: john walker lindh't immineelease has law enforcement officials neconcer nbc news has learned that an internal memo circulated this week warns that he remains a

committed jihadist after serving 17 years of a 20-year prison sentence he was called the american taliban, a shocking arrest in afghanistan just two months after the 9/11 attacks >> what is your name >> reporter: he fought with the taliban and met al qaeda leade bin laden. lindh was questioned ian afghan prison byer cia offic johnny michael span, who was killed in an uprising there several hours later. lirnd pleaded guiltyn 2002 but these u.s. intelligence assessments say he continued to advocate global jihad while in pron in this letter to nbc4 los angeles in 2015, seen for the first time, lindpph expressed suort for isis and said, quote, they are doing a spectacular job. span's parents say lindh should never be let out of prison. >> he's not been rehabilitated, and he's probably going to go backnto the same islamic terrorist activities that he's been doing because evidently he

ppsn't sto. >> reporter: under the terms of his release, lindh's use of the internet must be monitored and he won't be allowed to travel even though he wanted to move to democrats a few steps closer to seeing president trump's tax returns this morning. a federal judge ruled that the white house cannot block subpoenas for his financial records. proved a bill that will allow congress to obtain his state records. it comes after an explosive ntshowdown between presiderump and top democrats. our kristen welker has the details. blowing up a meeting with afte democratic leaders on infrastructure, president trump marching into the rosearden, dramatically declaring he can no longer work with them. >> i told senator schumer, speaker pelosi i want to do frurgt infrastruc but you know what? you can't do it under these circumstances. so get these phony investigations over with. >> reporter: that surprise move

sparked the presidt says by an earlier meeting of democrats to discuss impeaching him, and this shot from house speaker nancy pelosi. >> we believe that the president of the united states is engaged in a cover-up. >> i walk in to look at people thatju hav said that i was doing a cover-up i don't do cover-ups there was no collusion between russia and the trump campaign. that's it. but they want to make this a big deal whether or not they carry the big "i" word out, i can't imagine that, but they probably would. >> reporter: two democratic sources with knowledge of the white house meeting tell nbc news the president accused pelosi of saying horrible thingm beforer. trump walked out after just three minutes >> he just took a pass, and it m just makese wonder why -- why he did that. in any event, i pray for the president of the united states, and i pray for the united states of america >> reporter: but pelosi is also under growing pressure from her

own rty to green light impeachment, which she has resisted nbc's kasie hunt with one of the democrats calling for it, alexandria ocasio-cortez. >> will you satisfied with what leadership had to say? >> ni think i was satisfied with the openness of the conversation and the discourse we're ving as a caucus. >> reporter: the bitter back and forth betwprn the ident and pelosi escalating throughout the day. >> this president is obstructing justice, and he's engaged in a cover-up and that could be anmpeachable offense. >> i respect the courts. i respect congress i respect right here whe we're standing but what they've done is abuse >> reporter:no it't just infrastructure there are a lot of critical agenda items like the budget that require bipartisanship. a senior administration official signaling there may be some room for must-do deals. phillip? >> kristen, thank you. now we turn to a wild police chase caught on camera a new jersey police officer is

now facing charges after opening fire repeatedly on the driver. nbc's gabe gutierrez has the story, and a warning some may find the video disturbing [ siren [ gunfire >> shots fired >> reporter: the dramatic video that captures how a police chase in newark, new jersey, turned deadly and led to a rare indictmentf a police officer 26-year-old giovanni crespo now facing charges including aggravated manslaughte aggravated assault, and official misconduct. >> the officer's conduct was not consistent with the training that he rreceived orter: the shooting happened back in january when prosecutors say the driver, 46-year-old gregory griffin, fled aft a traffic stop. crespo then repeatedly fired at griffin's caat three locations, even as it pulled away at one point crespo telling his >> hinted the gun at me. >> reporter: the gunfire killed griffin and injured his passenger, andrew dixon. inside the vehicle police say they recovered a handgun with

hollow point bullets dixois charged with possession of an illegal handgun. prosecutors say no other officers opened fire crespo, whose attorney declined to comment tnbc news, joined the newark police forcss than two years ago >> he showed a reckless disregard for human life by shooting into a moving vehicle >> reporter: the says it fully supports him and looks forward to his day in court. if cvicted on all counts, he could face life in prison. ga gutierrez, nbc news let's check back in with nbc meteorologist janessa webb tracking that storm affecting millions tay. >> thesembedded storms are moving fairly quickly, already making their way into the midwest here so it's going to be a longt. overnigh we are far from done from these storms as this squall line continues to make its way into illinois now, flashg looding goin be a concern with flash flood watches and warnings in place throughout your overnight into your eveningee we could s one to two inches per hour of torrential rain. th's a look at the big weather story for today.

here's a closer look at your day ahead. very warm air across texas near 100 degrees across southern texas, so warm air and the storms going to continue to fire up here. we are following this squall line making its way to the northeast for your evening commute. so this storm is making its wa east very quickly here, makes its way into new york by your eving commute unfortunately. >> wow going to be a long day and long night for a lot ofeople. janessa, thank you. a new jersey truck driver is lucky to be alive after crashing through two levels of a parking garage it happened just 20 feet from a chuck e. cheese restaurant filled with kids the truck weighed 80,000ounds, which was 13 times over the garage's weight limit. police say thet truck driver go into a fender bender just prior to the incident and entered the garage to turn around to meet the other driver involved. >> incredible imagesjuhere ahead here on "early today," port potty fleet week hits harbors across the cotry, and high crimes

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at kohl's. ♪ so the u.s. navy band has kicked off fleet week celebrations in new york city. crowds gathered as a parade ofip s sailed through the hudson river. today there is a navy band onncert in u scare park and also free ship tours will be offered to the public. >> a lot of those uniforms walking around new york yesterday. wildfi a ihead-turningmage video of a great grandmother being arrested after officials found her with cbd oil nbc's miguel almaguer explains >> reporter: hester burkehalter was arrested at disney world on a family vacation. >> i'm going to have to put cuffs on you. >> reporter: officers stopped the 69-year-old grt-grandmother at a security checkpoint after discovering a small bottlef cbd oiin her purse. >> i tell you, i don't know if i can get in m--

>> reporter: this after lena, a 71-year-old grandmother, was arrested at dallas forworth airport. security officers also discovering cbd oil in her bag u.s. customs and border protection officers have seen a dramatic uptick in cbd oil >> within the last six months, the increase in our interception rate for thahas skyrocketed. >> reporter: both women were taken to jail and faced felony drug charges >> they made me take pictures, put on a jumpsuit, take clothes off. >> reporter: charges were dropped inoth cases, but the lawful arrests highlight confusion over the popular product. while many states have legislation regarding recreational or medical marijuana, cbd is complicated. it's considered a controlled substance, so if it's discovered in your bag atai an rport or border crossing, you could be arrestede thmen say cbd was recommend by doctors to ease ailments like arthritis, though the only fda-approved use of cbd

is for epilepsy. the drug used for treating ailments causing headaches of its own. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> wow, it's good to know, especially when you travel it's so popular now in everything, food and products. >> like he said, tugh, it's very complicated you have to check the rules everywhere you go. >>eastill ahd, iced out of the office a new streveals a cold truth for women. and why bring a towel to the beach when you can actually wear one. the bizarre new bikini taking the internet by storm. we'll show it to you next. ♪ ♪ right now, when you buy a red ose at you can help a child live a healthier life. right now, walgreens.tr ted since 1901.

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blankets, my coat over here, because i'm always freezing in the office now it's our turn to feel like, hey, it's not just us. there's a new study that says women are more productive when they're warm researchers at the university of southern california and the berlin social science center observed 543 students. they performed tests at varying temperatures and found that as temperatures increased, so did women's performance. meanwhile, men performed better at lower temperatures, and it seems like at least in the studio, men alwaysin w, although you're fanning yourself. >> i'm always hot too. summer is right around the corner which means it's almost me to hit the beach. now instead of having to pack a bathing suit and a towel, you can have the best of both worlds it's a towelkini this fun alternative isn't exactly a cheap one. it costs about $200. you cafind it online at specialspecial.com we'll be right back.

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ready, set, travel. millions plan on hitting the operoads ahead of the holiday weekend. we have the tips and routes you'll want to keep in mind to avoid a traffic nightmare. a disturbing story still

developing. a young man arrested and accused of hiding micro cameras in the women's restroom at the department of veterans affairs. what head to say when he was confronted. and back yard grilling can be delicious, but it can also be dangerous. our summer safety series continues. the four things to know befor firing up the grill. it is 4:00 a.m. good morning, everyone, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm molette green in for eun yang. the skies are clear, but there is a threat for severe weather later this afternoon. m >> melissalet is standing by with the first 4 traffic. let's talk about the weather first. storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell is here. it's a weather alert day,ck chu >> sure is. the storm prediction center at norman, oklahoma, the folks that issued the severe weather watch boxes, they have upgraded our chances for severe weather today from the slight category to enhanced. that's thethird rung up on the ladder out of five. right now,