breaking news overnight. about president trump reportedly ordering military strikes against iran and then calling them off last minute. the missi said to be already under way, sps and planes in position. why the abrupt change in course? and theec urgesttor from the faa prohibiting american flights from entering iranian air space at all. we're live with the latest. >> courtroom shocker. inst the navy s.e.l.theta wssrneitga a a tells the stunned courtroom hek ed the victim, not the on trial. >> summer storms. flash flooding, relentless rain not letting up.

al's weekend forecast straight ahead. >> thoses, stor plus massive fire and ininrno at the biggest nrefinery o the east coast. >> the disturbing new evidence that cell phone usean change the human body. is c textingsing teens to grow horns. >> and an emional night f zion williamson, picked first in the nba draft, today friday, june 21st, 2019. >> from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. from studio 1a ie li rockefeller plaza. >> hi, everybody. good morning. welcome to "today." it's officially the first day of summer. long day. >> long day. hopefully we have a pretty good weekend as well. >> yes, actly. >> let's start with breaking news overnight. tensions with iran escalating nearly to the brink ofy militar action. overnight, reports that

president trump approved strikes to retaliate against iran but ff called them o at the very last minute. top administration officials split on whether to go forward response, litary according to the paper. this morning, we're hearing it's still all on the table. we'll go to the white house in a nute to gethe back story and speak with former defense secretary leon panetta. first, richard engel in doha, qatar, for us. richard, good rning. >> good morning, savannah. some relief where i am this morning that the u.s. may have been on the brink of war with iran, but then pulled back. but also might not be over, and that the operation was just postponed. arisal attack against iran for shooting dn a ersin gul af was under way overnight.k "the new yormes" reports, planes in the air, warships in position to attack. ns and radar installat

missile batteries. as late as 7:00 p.m., u.s. officials were expecting a strike unt it was called off s"th no shots fired. "the new york time reported citing multiple senior officials involved in or briefed on the deliberations. nbc has not independently confirmed the report. the white house and defenseav department he not commented. it's unclear why president trump changed course, holding his cards close to his chest after first hring iran shot down the drone. >> i think probably iran made a mistake. i would imagine it was a general or someby that made a mistake in shooting that drone down. >> iran a the u.s. dispute where t drone was when it was shot down. e pentagon releasing these distant images it says of the drone falling toward the sea, insists the unmanned aircraft was ininternational waters, 20 miles from the iranian coast.

wirch,hi shootdown, insists the drone was in iranian air space, a this morning began presenting its evidence to internatiol diplomats. iranian tv showing what it says are pieces of the downed drone. nbc could not verify this independently. fear of future military escalation remains. the faa overnight banning commercial aircraft fm flying over or near iranian air space in the persian gulf. there are also reports that this military action was cal d off at the last minute because of diplomatic activity. reuters is reporting, citing iranian government officials, that there was a message sent from the white house, from president trump to the most seniorea lrs in iran saying that the u.s. does not want war, wants talks, but this morning, iranian officials are telling nbc news that exchange never happened. >> all right, ritual engle i qatar for us, thank you very ch. >> forore on what we kw

abt the plan, the last-minute ange of course and what comes next, let's go to the white ouse where we find kristen welker. good morning to you. >> good morning to both of you. washington is on edge this morning, waiting for any decision by the president. now, i can tell you there was late activity here at the white house overnight with some top officials in their offices well into the evening. that's, of course, a possible indication that deliberations were ongoing. today, i'm told to expect more meetings here as the president weighs his next steps. craig and savannah. >> you have been up late and up early. do you have any info, the president's mind set this morning on all of this? >> i have been talking to white house officials who essentially point to what the president said yesterday in the oval woffice. notable. he left the door open to a military response, but he also tried to lower the temperature. the predent highlighted that he campaigned on a promise to get out of what he called, quote, these endless wars. that wasampaign promise, remember. now, one factor he's grappling

with, the presidens national curity adviser, is more hawkish than the president when it comes to iran. something that has been widely acknowledged. all of this comes as president trump met with his national security team and congressional leaders here at the white hse on thursday. and now some democrats are demanding the president get congressional approval before any military action. for his part, president trump will meetta with his of state later today and also host a congressional picnic h the white house. it is another chance for him to speak with lawmakers about this intensifying showdown,h savan and craig. >> all right, kristen, thanks. >> we're joined by former secretary of defense and former cia director leon panetta. good morning to you, sir. >> good morning. >> i'm sure you're aware of this report ine new york times" about the president ordering military strikes against iran and then cling them off. what are the reasons that might happen besides a change of

heart. are there logistical rsons mething might be called off at the la minute? >> it sounds like this was put together pretty quickly. normally when you're thinking of a strike, you have the time to kind of look at all of the target carefully and look at the consequences of what a strike might prode. and obviously, here for some reason, there were questions raised or the preside changed his mind. it's hard to tell. but frankly, if you're going to make a strike, at least in my experience, you ought to proceed with the strike as opposed toen sudd having your plane in the air and having to pull them ack because that couesult in even greater ldmiscalculatio. >> secretary panetta, the oil tankers, the massive drones shot down, the ramping up of uranium productiou. what do y think the iranians are trying to do with these most recent provocations? wh messagere they trying to send? >> well, it's a good question

because i think one of the concerns about this whole crisis is that i'm not sure either side has an end game here as to what ey want to achieve. iran obviously is producing these attacks, i t assumey're trying to get the world to pressure the united states to back down. at the same time, the united states is trying to pressure iran into going to the negotiating table. but it's not clear what the end game is from both sides. that makes it even more dangerous because as it ratchets up on both sides, the danger of a seriousmiscalculation, bad judgment, could really produce a military confrontation. >> secretary panetta, whenou were at the pentagon on these facts, would you have orderedry milistrike? >> i don't think with a drone that it warrants a direct military strike. i do think that we need to

strengthen our position in the middle east. i would probably bring a second carrier into tn middle east i order to increase our firepower. secondly, make very clear to the irians that we will defend our forces there. thirdly, make sure that the straits of hormuz remain open. i think that is a red line that we cannot afford the straits to be closed. and lastly, we have got to establish some kind of diplomatic strategy to try to at least begin the process of negotiations. ultimately that's the only way to try to resolve this issue. >> all right, secretary leon g panetta,ood to have you here appreciate it very much. >> good to be with you. >> let's get to the massiveire that erupted in philadelphia overnight. it's at the largest refinery on the east coast. roads are closed, residents have been told to shelter in place.

ron, what's the scene now? >> well, craig, this is a massive sprawling refinery that sits right on the city, philadelphia, also surrounded by some neighbors where there's a lot of concern about the thicklume of black smoke billowing out for now several hours. it's a massive fire that's said to be contained to the refinery but still not under control. residents report about 4:30 in the morning, being jold from their beds, hearingou whated like thunder. houses shaking and windows rattling. there's a shelter in place order in some neighborhoods, there have been no evacuations, no injuries reported. e big concern is about the smoke. over the years, there have been concerned about safety in the and nowout air quality, all the issues are renewed. it's unclear what caused this. the refinery makes lots of products, it's unclear how anyone would have been there overnight and now they'reccrying to ant for everyone.

unclear how long it's going to take to get this thing completely extinguished, but the big concern is the smoke billowing out over the city because it's unclear exactly what's burning. a lot of concern in the neighborhood about air quality, and again, the massive, just ae massivre. some kind of jet fuel product, oil product, unclear what's llt ing and how lo iwi ta firefighters try to get it under control. ron, in philadelphia, thank you. 9/11 have an update on first responder who just last week sat beside jon stewart and gave an emotional testimony bere congress, pleading with omwmakers to replenish the 9/11 victims cpensation fund. lewis alvarez has entered hospice care and has given what heiealled his final interv yesterday. cathy park is here with the story. good morning. >> good morning to you. after his powerful remarks before lawmakers, alvarez was supposed to under go his 69th chemotherapy treatment, but ea

inst he received news his health had taken a turn for the worse. with all treatment stopped, he made one last emotional lea on behalf of his fellow first responders. in what could behe final days of his life, lewis alvuvarez is choosing to fight for his fellow 9/11 first responders. >> there's going to be more and more first responders getting sick, and the government has to take care of them. >> the retired nypd detective received national attention last week, joining comeenian jon fstewart to push extending funding for those suffering fro 9/11-related illnesses. >> your indifference costmehese n and women their most valuable commodity, time. >> alvarez also found the strength to testifou >> y made me come down here the day before my

chemo. and i'm going to make sure that you never forget to takef care o the 9/11 responders. >> the 53-year-old is also running out of time. sharing this facebtok phof how he looks before fighting stage 4cancer. cancer he believes was a direct result of his work down at ground zero for three months. today, he says there's nothing else doctors can do. >> i'm doing well. i'm comfortable. i'm not in a lot of pain. i have my family surrounding me. and i'm at peace. >> in a fox newsinterview, while in hospice care, alvez felt compelled to speak out again for what will likely be the last time. >> i'll do whatever i haveo do to see my brothers and sisters who aren't covered get the coverage that they need and the help they need.

>> a final message from alvarez making gd on his promise to fight until ty ver end. >> i have no regrets. no regrets whatsoev. >> boy,e is a fighter. the house judiciary committee voted unanimouslyexo nd the compensation fund. it still needs approval by the full house before it o can move to the senate. >> we'll continue to watch it. thank yoet l us switch gears on this friday morning to the nba draft. last night, inbrooklyn, all eyes at the barclay's center were on 18-year-old zion williamson, and as expected, the young college phem washe number one overall pick. >> with the first pick in the 2019 nba draft, the new orleans pelicans select zion omlliamson fr duke university. >> theoo prized hp star primed and ready for the pros. >> he has star written all over him, really all over him.tten

>> zion williamson taking his skills to the big easy. with his family by his side and tears in his eyes, the 18-year-old paying tribute to his biggest supporter. >> i wouldn't be here without my mom. she did everything for me. i just want to thank >>her. fans in new orleans thrled after snagging the nba's most since lebpect james was drafted in 2003. he's been getting so much attention, other top players taken ite literally been out of the picture, as you can see in this predraft photo that quickly went viral. >> i don't really see it as pressure. i'm doing what i love to do, and that's play basketball. >> other future stars were also night.ed last rounding out the top three, murray state's ja morant, headed to the grizzlies, and zion's teammate, r.j. barrett, selected by the knicks. both players sharing emotional moments with their proud fathers. >> he made me who i am today. and i'm just thankful for it

all. >> i'm proud of you, son. >> thank you, dad. >> but the night's biggest winner was williamson, the 6'7" stand out played just one year at duke. his jaw-dropping ability and thfreakish atic skill making him a highlight reel regular. zion, so big and strong, even contain ker couldn't him. blowing apart during a college game last season and knocking him out for five games. >> brokeitis shoe w his own foot. >> so how much money can zion exct to ke? his first contract will likely be worth about $45 million. and that doesn't include a sneaker dealor that repts say could earn him another $100 million. >> i dreamed about it since i was born. for it to actually happen, i just thank god for it. >> how about that? somethin else, by the way, that he has in common with lebron james -- check this out. payingage to draft night 16 years aago,lso decked out in white, jt like lebron. >> they both wear it well.

>> very well. the draft itself, i don't know if you guys caught any of it last night, it's a huge spectacle right now, complete side show. in 1984 when jordan wasdr ted, first of all, he was the number three pick, and he was -- >> i heard he wasn't even there. >> wasn't inhe building. >> things have changed. people really get into it. it used to be right here at radio city and they would line i would think, is it the madonna concert? no, the nba draft. let's get to the weather from al. >> a lot going on. good morning. let's look at this. watch what happens with these winds. boom. ng guess you're goi to be calling your insurance. we know a thing of two because we have seen a thing or two. that tree isou knocked this is currently in columbia, south carolina. now let's go to franklin lakes, new jersey. the driway of the president of breen industries, pete breen. flooding in their home. news n tap, but the good it's getting out of here. t's show glow what we've got going on right now. we have wet weather in the northeast,ut strong storms

firing up in the central plains where we have severe thunderstorm watches going on, and for day, a severe storm threat. 14 states, 23 million people from the plains all the way down to t southeast,nd then for tomorrow, we have an enhanced risk, especially from texas all the way into kansas. 9 million people at risk. sunday, again in the plains, five states, 17 million people at risk forhese strong storms. here's what we're looking at. first day of summer, coming in 8:50 this morning. look at those storms pushing through. best chance of storms from the dakotas to alabama. tomorrow, the risk is from texas on into iowa. the heavy rain leading into flooding. as this continu to pus on sunday, more showers and thunderstorms with a flood threat from the great lakes into northern texas. you can see the pins into the midwest. locally, upwards of five inches of rain. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. ♪

♪ capital one knows lifeoesn't update you about your credit card. so, meet eno, the capital one assistant that catches things that might look wrong, and helps you fix them. another way capital one is watching o for your money, when you're not. what's in your wallet? ♪ good morning. m i'meorologist chuck bell. 75 degrees here in washington. here's the most important part. northwest winds at 16 miles per hour. it wil be blustery to breezy, windy kind of afternoon today. to 30est winds will be 20 miles per hour this afternoon. temperature wise, i the mid 70s around the area now, but theren wo be a bigp today. wternoon highs only in thear l 80s this afternoon and even better weather for the weekend. suburbs down in the 50s tomorrow morning and again on sunday morning. >> that's your latest weather. >> i think i speak for all of

america. what is happening? >> what do you mean? >> what's going on here? >> first day of summer. >> al, you know i love you. and i have supported youon, but this m jht bet one step too far. >> who knows? >> you're like our little ray of sunshine. >> i am. >> we're going to have a intervention. >> you are really sweating. >> oh, my gosh. >> is that t whaty do to you? >> maybe it's the heat from the glasses. wow. al, thank you very much. >> when you come bk on this friday morning, we're going to take a turn here. courtroom drama. shocking development in the trial of that decorated s.e.a.l. accused of war crimes. 7 t his fellow s.e.a.l. team member said that left the courtroom flat out stunned. >> this is for everybody who is looking down at their cell ones right now. is all that hunching over actually causing horns to grow on your body? actually, it's young kids this is happening to.rc

there's resea that backs it up. >> that happened before phones. >> it's very disturbing. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, dylan takes us inside the pomp and ceremony at the royal ascot, one of the biggest events in the uk every year. >> also, a crowd getting pumped up for the concert this morning, the chainsmokers. first, the local news. [sfx: roller coaster sounds] [sfx: bottle opening] ahhhh! [sfx: owd cheering] [sfx: bottlepening] ahhhh! so kim, you going for our big drive safe & save discount? yup, using the app. i've been quite vigilant.

sharon says step on it. themeet. ok, write her back 'dear sha dn, don't mess with mycount!' thro.ld t for moy's discount. easy, easy! but you're in labor? undon't mess with my discot! uh hem. get a discount up to 30% with drive safe & save from state farm. but we're also a company that controls hiv, fights cancer, repairshattered bones, relieves depression, restores heart rhythms, helps you back from strokes, y and keeps you health your wh.

from the dou're born we never stop taking care of you. from the dou're born what do you want to be i going to be an astronaut! ♪ you can put your mind to do whatever you wanna do ♪ ♪ just tell yourself that you capable, too ♪ ♪ you gon' be something, you're glorious ♪ ♪ we well-known, notorious ♪ they can't stop you or block you or mock you ♪ ♪ you fall down, but get up and skip and hop through ♪ ♪ kick down doors for others to walk thugh ♪ we have much more power than we gicredit for. to make you say, ♪ ove ♪ now we callin' reality ♪ virtual 3,2,1, ignition! ♪ look out 'cause here i come ♪ and i'm marching on to the beat i drum ♪ ♪ look out 'cause here i come i'm not scared to be seen ♪ to the beat i drum ♪ ♪ i make no apolo

♪ this is brave, this is bruised ♪ ♪ this is who i'm meant to be, this is me ♪ this is a news 4 today news break. >> good morning, everybody. it's 7:26 on this friday, june 21st. i'm aaron gilchrist. in the news thismo ing, we're working to learn more about a tour bus fire. this happened in the northbou lanes of the bw parkway near 197. this all happened about an hour and a half ago. an a heads-up for drivers in fairfax county, as well. a portion of leesburg pike is closed near evans court where crews are in the area trying to fix a water main br k. let's go to jack taylor with a look at our first 4 traffic. >> hey, aaron. we'll start in the man ylard oin two lanes to the left are getting by, causing an early ow

slwn. 66 eastbound, not good. we had a garbage truck that broke down and fluids spilled across the roadway. antwo left are now getting by. in maryland, still cleaning up the tour bus fire. northbound bw parkway. the left lane still gets by but the bus has been removed. >> thank you. we'll have a look at our .recast when we come back

good morning. over the last hour, the wind has really picked up around the washington area. clouds are racing on by now. northwest winds are already over miles per hour. it will be a rather windy afternoon today, but it will not be hot, and it will not be humid. only a quick chance for a passing showing or two. most of us won't need toorry about rain. over the weekend, no rain at all. saturday will be gorgeous. low humidity. temperatures cooler than average r the weekend, but we go back to the 90s on monday with storm chances and likely to be in the

90s all next week.so enjoy today and the weekend. >> all right, chuck, thank you. another local news update in about 25 minutes. for now, back to the "today" show after a short break.

back at 7:30 on this friday morning. a live look there at the royal ascot. it's where horses and hats get top billing. across the pond to the festivities and we'll check in in just a few moments. >> we're going to see dylan riding in a carriage. >> she would love that. >> let's get to the headlines of the morning. we'll start with escalating tensions in the middle east. the president reportedly ordering and then calling off a military strike against iran last night. according to "the new york times," the operation was in its early stages with planes already in the air and ships in position, but it was called off at the last minute. nbcas news h not independently confirmed that report. this all happened, of course, just hft aerunmanned u.s. drone

strait of hormuz. president trump tweeted yesterday, irane a very big mistake. it'sclear why the president did not go through with those strikes. >> the democratic governor of oregon has sent state police to round up republican lawmakers and bring them back to the state capitol. 11 republicans walked out yesterday to derail a vote on a climate change bill. byat left the mmu ninight, state police said that several b senators haven contacted and that officers would go to great lengths to avoid physically arresting and ndcuffing them. >> now to the world cup. the unided states is hea to the knockout round after a big win over arch rival sweden. >> sends it in low. and the u.s. is on top. she'll get her second of this world cup. >> the americans getting revenge for that loss to sweden in the 2016 olympic games. the final score, 2-0.

the u.s. has not given up a single goal in the tournament so far. credit to the goalkeeper and the defense. the u.s. wins its group, group f, and they're moving on to face spain on monday. >> so far, our women look unstoppable. >> yeah. >> now to the bombshell in the trial of the decorated navy s.e.a.l.ccused of willing a wounded prisoner in iraq. a witness called t by prosecution now testifying he was the one who did it. steve patterso has the latest on this twist and what it means, stev good morning. >> good morning, craig and savannah. this was truly shocking testimony that stunned everyone in that courtroom, sparking outrage from the prosecution and an early cebration from the defense. decorated navy s.e.a.l. chief edward gallagher outside the courthouse thursday showing no emotion after an explosive day of testimony. his wife not holding back. >> every one of these wssincons. it'ses li half truths, and cover-ups.

>> earlier in the day, fellow s.e.a.l. team 7 member corey scott on the stand telling a stunned courtroom that he, not allagher, killed young isis prisoner cqtured in ira in 2017. scott, a and navy s.e.a.l. medic, says he and gallagher were treating the injured prisoner when gallagh abbed the boy. scott says the prisoner was unconscious butvertebrae? one study is making that sma curved out bone at the base of the skull is typically seen developing in the elderly. it's linked to posture problems, sand now it' increasingly showing up in adults of all ages. according to this study fm australian researchers who looked at hundreds of x-rays, o 40% people between the ages of 18 and 30 who spent more than 4.5 hours on their phones every day developed the growth. it can grow big enough to actually stick out. and while it doesn't hurt, it may be a sign of other problems. a recent study showed the stress

the spine from the head, ten pounds with good posture, bent down 20 degrees, that goes up to 30 pounds. at agr 60 angle, 60 pounds. it can lead to something called text neck. e strms can include sharp pain and possibly headaches. >> we have to keep our heads up. we have eyeballs, we can look down a bit, but certainly don't do this. >> perhaps it's time to start considering using smartphones just a little smarter. >> we're all sitting up. hone like to read my this throughout the day. >> i keep my phone in my back pocket. am i going to grow a tail? ea>> you can r a text like that? >> scary thought, though.re >> the are a few things you can do to maybe help out when it comes to your posture at least.o can strengthen your back muscles. you can also change the angle of your screen. if you use a tablet, put it on a pillow, and holding your phone, instead of like this, up like this can make a big difference,

and the tiffeste, on just put it down. >> the study was really about young people and the horns was more likely to show up on them because their skeletal systems are still developing? >> it's important tos say this something that can grow on people anyway over the course of life, and it's i normally seen the elderly because they had a long life and maybe they had bad posture. the alarming thing was it was seeing this young group of peop, and you know, they think that it is likely caused byis but more study needs to be done. >> are there exercises you can do? >> yeah, the things you do, and we all sit here like this, theo things you d to normally strengthen your back like push-ups and planks and all that kind of stuff, youan >> that doesn'tmeans. thank you very much. >> just ahead, a british tradition with the royal ascot

like nobody else. f we'lld out why from dylan who has a report. nice hat, d. (meg vo) i can see if my endometriosis pain gets bett... or i can...ju (me(sherry vo) i ci ca suck it up...etriosis pain gets bett... or i can... (diane vo) i can tell myself tomorrowwill . or i can talk to my gynecologist today! (avo) you didn't choose to have endometriosis... but you can choose to ask if orilissa is right for you. orilissa is specifically developed for women with moderate to severe endometriosis pain.

in clinical trials, orilissa was proven to reduce 3 common types of endometriosis pain, painful periods,et pelvic pain in bween periods, and pain with sex.n' douse orilissa if you are or may be pregnant, have osteoporosis, severe liver disease, or are taking drugs like cyclosporine or gemfibrozil. it may cause abnormal liver tests. orilissa may change your periods, making hard to know if you are pregnant. it does not prevent pregnancy. use birth control that does not contain hormones. orilissa may cause suicidal thoughts or actions. it may also cause bone loss. ask your gynecologist if orilissas right for you. orilissa. made for endo pain. my name is taylor, and i'm a tv producer.to this surface lapp is amazing. it's very powerful and just speeds up your whole day. this is the type of laptop that i've always needed. it feelsthis side of the camera. ♪n [zara la♪son - "wow"] ♪ baby i'm not even in a gohe ♪ and tnly thing u have to say is wow ♪

♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪ ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ev ♪ and you ner felt this type of emotion ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ev ♪ make u say oh my god my dro drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ [sfx: bottle opening] [sfx: roller coaster sounds]

[sfx: bottle opening] ahhhh! [sfx: crowd chee] [sfx: bottle opening] ahhhh! ♪ to do whatever you wanna do ♪ just tell yourself that you capable, too ♪ ♪ look out 'cause here i come ♪ i make no apologies, this is me ♪ cold brew coffee packs. dunkin' donuts premium craft coffee, as easy as 1-2-3.bl ave where you buy groceries. yot allstate actually help drive safely... with drivewise. it lets you know when you go too fast...

...and brake too hard. with feedback to help you drive safer. giving you the power to actually lower your cost. unfortunately, it can't do anything about that. now that you know the truth... are you in good hands? breaking out the royal music. clouds, ponies. that's what you'll find at the royal ascot. i said ascot, bs it' ascot. >> five days of horse racing. more than 300,000 visitors, all dressed up in their finest clothes and hats and the queen traditionally attes the entire meet, but guess who else is there this year? yes,an dylreyer traveled over the pond to join t revelers. that's a good look. we like that a lot here. good afternoon to you.

>> thank you. it's good morning or good afternoon. i hav w no ideat time it is, but yes, this is a little more british of a look than i typically go for. i'm waiting for keir simmons to pop out of the bushes at any moment now. this is royal ascot. this is my second time re. it's the queen's 74th time. she has been at this event every year since 1945. she used to ride around the track before the races, but now she comes out on horse-drain carriage promptly at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. t it's start of the royal procession, which is the most popular tradition here at royal ascot and the public's cnce to see the queen and the royals up close. many will bet on the color of will wear. queen so far, she's worn cornflower blue, duck egg blue, and gunmetal gray. it's caused a loton of csion because many folks are claiming those colors are more lavender or lilac. last year, when she was in her

lime green, i managed to get close enough to her to snap a selfie with hern the background and i quickly got in trouble as soon as that happened. fashion and the hats are a hu draw here, and not adjust for the ladies. the men have to follow strict guidelines depending on where yey are on the track. one of my highlighterday of watching my husband brian try on his first morning hat and top coat. this is a horse race, and 500 horses race over the course of five days. nine of those a american horses, and american pharaoh's son was supposed to race ut yesterday, the ground was too wet. the weather is fantastic now. it's going to stay that way from here o out. between the fashion and the parties and the horses, and of course, the, royals this is one of my favorite events. guys, i have to askyou, what would you bet on that the queen's hat will be today?

>> we'll have to come back to that one. >> we would ask you another question, but we can't. so we're back after your local news. ohhhh man. took my hat off. [ "to love somebody" by bee gees playing ] [ crowd cheering ] [ scs!aming ] let's go met ♪ [ cheering ] it! what's this? oh, ok. there's a heart in my honey nut cheerios. fine. i get it. you're delicious and can help lower cholesterol. you don't have to be so obvious about it, cereal.

withhe capital one savor car ♪ you grn 4% cash back on dinin and 4% on enteainment. so when you go out, you cash in. what's in your wallet? ♪ cold brew coffee packs dunkin' donuts premium craft coffee, as easy as 1-2-3. available where you buy groceries. of a lifetime. it's "progressive on ice." everything you love

about car insuranc-- the discounts... the rate comparisons... and flo in a boat. ♪ insurance adventure awaits at "progressive on ice." ticks not available now ever. hi, it's real milk, just00% farmwithout the lactose, id. so you can enjoy it even if you're sensitive. delicious. now, i've heard people say lactaid isn't real milk.t ok, well, if in't real then, i guess those things over there can't actually be cows. must be some kind of really big dogs, then. si bad dog. his is a news 4 today news

break. >> 7:56 is your time now on this friday, june 21st, 2019. good morning, everyone. i'm eun yang. let's geto jack taylor and your first four traffic. good morning. >> good morning. we'll start inyl marand on 95 northbound, dealing with a crash just after the i.c.c. exit 31. two left lanes areow getting by. 66 eastbound, we had troubles rying to move to manassas in centreville. two left lanes are now getting by. also, a reminder i falls church. leesburg pike, directing attention to the water main break.ck >> we'll cheour forecast next. stay wh

good morning, everybody. that northwest wind is blowing. the branches are flying all oveh e place in northwest washington. it will be a breezy to windy day today, and a m of clouds and sunshine. they even have a passing shower two during the course of the

afternoon. not a big rain threat today, but i can't completely rule it out. day time highs will t only get the low 80s. for tomorrow, 100% sunshine start to finish. the suburbs will be in the 50s tomorrow morning. highs on saturday only in the low 80 another great day coming up on sunday. heat and humidity with afternoon storm chances comes back on monday. >> chuck, thank you. another local news uate for you in 25 minutes. now, back to the "today" show after this short break.

it's it's 8:00 on "today." comingup, on the brink. president trump rortedly ordering a strike against iran overnight before abruptly calling it off. why the a face and where does it go from here? we're live in the region. >> plus, gender role models. >> i l don't feele a boy. and i don't feel like a girl. >> this morning, we're kicking off a specialie ser called pride 50 with a look ar gende fluidity. >> it's pretty normal because there's multiple ks are gender fluid. and that's fine. >> how the teens of gen z are changing the rules and educating their parents. >> and off the cha the chainsmokers are here live for our summer concert series. the hit makers bringing along big names to get your weekend

started right.itude is friday, 2019. >> staoring our mning -- >> on tood. >> celebrating taylor's 11th birthday. >> with the chainsmokers. >> here with my s.coworker >> with my sister. >> and my friends. >> for the chainsmokers. >> here for the concert series. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today." that's a great crowd on our plaza. yes, a few umbrellas. maybe a few sprinkles out there, but the chainsmokers will be alongn just a few for a great summer concert. >> i saw the guys in the green. room they're amped up. why not celebrate the first day of summer with a my "today" plaza message. take a short video, teg us where you're watching from, post the message on twitter or instagram, use the t #at bottom of the

screen, and we'll put you in our virtual open. >> we will. let's get to the news at 8:00. the president reportedly ordering and abruptly canceling military strikes against iran overnight. we'll have tlaetest from the white house, but let's go to che chieforrespondent in the region, richard, good morning. >> good morning,savannah. here in the persian gulf, there are still considerable concerns after this report from "the new york times" overnight that a military action was not only ordered, was under way. that the u.s. was going to carry out strikes against iran, that planes wer warships were inposition. that ty were going to strike a limited number of iranian targets, including radars installationnd missile batteries. under the cover of darkness in order t to limit possibility of iraniansu ties. this in response to iran shooting down an american drone. buthat in the last minute, theer

ion was called off by president trump. ill, a spute about where that drone was. the u.s. insists that it international air space. iran this morning making its case that the drone was in iranian air space. savannah. >> all right, richard engel leading us off. thank you. >> kristen welker is at the white house with what's been table.g behind the scenes ahe wh kristen, what do we know? >> good morning. a tense morning here at the white house as washington and the world wait for a decision by president trump. i can tell you there was late activity here at the white house heernight with some top officials in offices well into the eveng. a possible indication deliberations were ongoing. today, i'm told to expect more meetings here as the president weighs next steps, keeping all of his options on the table.re the pdent thursday did leave the door open to a milita ory response, but also tried to lower thetemperature. notably, the president highlighted he campaigned on a

promise to get out of what he called these, quote, endless wars. all of this comes as president trump met with his national security team and congressional leaders at t white house thursday. now, as for today, the president will meet with his secretary of state and then lat today, he hosts a congressional picnic here at the white house. hat's another chance to discuts aker >> ksten wkert thehi eouse. tion in iran will undoubtedly be one of the topics covered at the first presidential debate. five days from now here on nbc, msnbc, and telemundo, featuring the top 20 hopefuls. savannah one of the moderators along with lester holt, chuck todd, rachel maddow, and jose diaz balart. that's, again, wednesday and thursday, june 26th and 27th. >> breaking overnight, a massive fire erupted at a crude oil refinery in philadelphia. residents throughout the region could hear and feel a series of huge explosions that happened shortly after 4:00.

some say the impact knocked things off their walls. a thick plume o smoke blan no reports of injuries this erning. >> fiv tsa officers needed medical attention after a ild and frightening scene at the sky haofor airport. ficials released a surveillance video of a manng chargi through the metal detector and throwin a punches tsa screeners. knocked some of the screeners to the ground. the suspect, a -yr-old man from texas, was eventually subdued and arrested. police suspect he was under theo influence drugs or alcohol. >> 8:05, let's get a morning nost. when he's playing baseball, albert pujols dedicates a lot of his time to helping people with downs syndrome. in toronto, he noticed a young fan named niko wearing his jersey. >> oh, my god. >> he gives himhe shirt off his back and signs it, too.

he autographed his own jersey as well. pujols has a daughter with downs syndrome, and he started a foundation i 2005 to raise awareness for downs syndrome. that's so sweet to see him do that. >> albert pujols, class act. >> coming up on this friday, it's almost time. chainsmokers are going to getst arted with their live performance on the plaza, along with some special guests. >> and this concert on the first day of summer has us feeling nostalgic. we'll talk about the first concerts all of us went to back in t day. well it finally happened, zachary.

somebody burned down my she shed. nobody burned down your she shed, cheryl. well my she shed's on fire. your she shed was struck by lightning. zachary, is my she shed covered by state farm? your she shed's covered, cheryl. you hear that victor? i'm getting a new she shi-er she shed. she shi-er? mhhm. that's wonderful news. home insurance trusted by more people than any other. state farm. home insurance trusted by more people than any other. a perfect coination...nd of sweet a salty. what's not to love about that. nature valley sweet and salty bars. ♪ you can put ♪ just tell yourself that you capable, too ♪ ♪ look ouvet 'cause here i come ♪ i make no apologies, this is ♪

i looked for realed ingredients for real taste. absolutely no artificial flors or preservatives. knorr selects real ingredients for real taste.

co stev could only imagine24hr to trenjoying a spicy taco.burnn now, his world explodes with flavor. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day all-night protection. can you imagine 24-hours without artburn? that's a csehevy blazer?her aea w, this is dope. this thing is beautiful. i love the lights. oh man, t.'s got a mean face on it looks like a piece of candy. look at the interior. this is nice. this is my sexy mom ca i would feel like a cool dad. it's just really chic. i love this thing. of e.t's gorgeous.puinthhea i d wo thatul is sharp.e al. speaks for itself. i don't know who they got to design this but give them a coie and a star. you've tried so many moisturizers...e blowsl out of the water. hydro boost with hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back... neutrogena® and try our hydrating makeup.

♪ [sfx: bottle opening] [sfx: tires screec] ahhhh! ♪ [sfx: bottle opening] {sfx:eighing] [sfx: splash] ahhhh! [sfx: bottle ope] ahhhh! [zara larsson - "wow"] ♪ baby i'm not even in a gown ♪ ♪ and the only thing u have to say is wow ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪ ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ ♪ and you never felt this type of emotion ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪

this morning, we're launching a specialie ser called pride 50, one week before the 50th anniversary of the stonewall riots that led to the lgbtq moment. >> mor teens are embracing new definitions of what it means to be male, female, or something in betw it's impacting everything from fashion to ee even driver's licenses. kate snow is here with more. >> good morning, guys. from the moment we're born, we're defined by our gender. think about the first thing people ask, is it a boy or a girl? most of us were raised according to those stereotypes.no generation z, the new geneintion, they're cha all that, from the clothes they buy to the pronouns they use, teens it used to be p gender wastty straightforward. ther was just hend she. but today, gender lines are blurring with the teens of gen z

embracing gender fluidity. morehan half of teens shop outside their gender and know someone who goes by a gender neutral pronoun, and more tn a third of gen z believes gender doesn't define a person as much as t usedto. >> young people are saying ien believe gr is fluid, it's a spectrum. there's no such thing as boy or gi >> and it's impacting nearly every part of our culture. mainstream clothing brands like m and zaraav h introduced gender neutral clothing brands. stars are wearing gender fluid fashions on the red carpet. >> if you're going to do it, do it because you want to. >> popular tv shows feature gender fluid characters and ten states in washington, d.c. now offer a gender neutral x option on their driver's licenses. welcome news for pangender teens like lion who lives in new york

tity. >> what does i mean to be pa ender? >> i don't foal like a boy and i don't feel like a girl. i can relate with both and the parts in between. >> laso fall, t celebrate his coming of ages, his parents skipped a traditional bar mitzvah and held a gende mitzva heynelhebb araeast theyd. it w idteeravs, we asked for a it to as colorful as possible. >> a rainbow of colors. >> what does the florist say, anything? >> i have never done that. and they brought the flowers and said i have never seen one that looks better. this is such a great idea. >> isn't it just a phenomenon on e liber we went to katy, texas, where we gathered this group of teens. >> i'mnd leila a i'm 13. >> i'm gideon, and i'm 15. >> and their parents. >> i work in oil and gas. >> i'm a teaching procter at a

local church. >> to see what they thought about gender fluidity. what we heard was e opening. >> it's pretty normal because there's multiple kids who, you know, are gender fluid, and that's fine. they're who they want to be.ou >> yer kids and a lot of gen z has been exposed to this a lot more. >> their parts say all this gender fluidity can leave them feeling a bit shocked and confused. >> to be real honest, the first thing i had to do was google . it's different from what we grewwith. >> our family were is utians and there are a lot of christians that come back and forth on this issue. the way that i hope my kids will alwayshink is that our bible says that we're not to judge, and our ble says that we're supposed to love everyone. >> they say when it comes to these new definitions of gender, kids are educating tm foranhe t either as i age, i can close my mind and be stuck wherey mind.

i mean, you guys are going to be old and you can't syt ng. so there's nothing stopping us anymore. and we can pass it on down to our kids, and it keeps going like a rolling ball, not stopping. and it will just become regular. we'l be proud toembrace it. >> kate, you have teens at home. how do they talk about these issues? ? absolutely loue those kids y just saw. we were talking during the piece. this is the things among thi generation when they get old enough to kind of appreciate it, they see things much more fluidly than i ever saw it. >> it certainly isn't that as big of a deal to us as it is to them. >> it's totally normal. it's not a big deel. >> we're sg it everywhere, even pop stars like taylor swift. >> she has a new video out just thee week, you n to calm down. in the video, there's a lot of people in gender fluid fashions.

a lot of celebrities have talked about gender nutrit parenting styles with their kidsth words, not re-enforcing those boxes of male/female, but letting things be more fluid. >> thank you, kate. appreciate it very much. al, let's get a check of the weather. >> let's see what we got for you.nd heavy thustorms right now firing up in the mid-plains. we'll watch that closely today. in fact, we have a risk of severe weather, 14 states. 23 million people. tornado low, but hail, damaging nds, and heavy rain stretches into tomorrow, especially an enhanced risk. texas, oklahoma,into kansas. sunday, 5 states, talking about 17 million people, just about the same area. we're watching this all w the w. >> good morning, everybody. it is the summer solstice. the longest day of theyear. 14 daylight today. afternoon temperatures are only going to g back t the low 80s.

it will be rather windy and breein. northwest around 15 to 20 miles per hour. your forecast for the weekend, at the beach, temperatures in the low 80s. both saturday and sunday, and great weather right here at home, too. have a great weekend. >> betty joeeselvin lik the mo. she likes them. >> they're growing, on me too. >> i like them. >> thank you, al. let's do pop start. >> fst frup her digital series, through moms eyes,owur n sheinelle jones had a chance to sit down with matthew mcconaughey's mom, she shared stories from his childhood and how hed stumbleinto acting, butr it was h memory room that had sheinelle in awe. >> this is a memory room? >> this is all the movies he's been in. >> do you ever come in here? >> i do and i look at his picture. i say boy, what a life you had. >> how about this one?

sexiest man alive? that's what hesays. they can have other men that are that, but he said he's still alive. ans long as he's alive, that he still is the sexiest man alive. >> there you go. you can watch more of the interview with matthew mcconaughey's mom. tune in to the third hour. >> tom hanks, the third installment of toy story is out. hanks stepping back into the iconic role of woody. while on the granm norto show, he explains the exhaustion that comes along with playing the character. >> i had never begun a recording session without wishing it was already over, because understand, woody is clenched all the time. he's clenched. there is something he's got to explain or, come on guys, or no, no, look out. this way. it's all that. and then they save the last thing for you, use me at the end of a very lon i work day the grunts. they'll show you woody climbing

up a bunch of books obt a chilimbing up. okay, all right. >> you see how that could get tiring. >> he's good at it. >> he went on to give youngest actor on the couch, tom holland, spider-man, a lesson in acting, making him deliver the same lines over and over and putting him on the spot. >> do you say,oydo i want coffee, boy do i need more coffee. you're going to say it every conceivable way i can. and are i say is would more coffee? would you like more coffee? >> coffee, coffee, boy, do i need more coffee. >> good. >> would you like more coff? >> coffee, coffee, boy, do i need morecoffee. >> could you try it with a little something to it. king kong is out there andin he go to smash theng buildi. would you like coffee.

>> coffee, coffee, sir, i need coffee. >> coffee, coffee, ple i need coffee.d come on, i neeore coffee. >> would you like more coe,ee. >> coffeplease, tom hanks, i need coffee. >> put him through the wringer. a great sport. >> gwyneth paltrow is sitting there like she's watching tennis match. >> all right. here's a question. do you remember the first concert you ever attended? >> summer concert mode with a great one coming up from the chainsmokers, we decided to take a walk down memory lane, back to our own first concerts. take a look. >> i think my first concerteas th thompson twins in the '80s. unless it was simple minds, which would have also been in the '80s. >> mv hammer,il vanla ice, en vogue. a comedian that opened for them by the name of sinbad.

carolina coliseum. i wasclton. heit>> t sales at singer bowl in spy 1965. t >> my firstas concert w ziggy marley and the melody makers in 1989 >> definitely an '80s band. could have been howard jones. actuallyst conce stands the test of time. it was paul simon on his graceland tour in dallas, te ts. my momook us. grade. in first it must have been a school nit, but barbara and i remember being there with our mom, listening to this mus that i actually still listen to. love thegraceland album. >> soupy sales will give you a sense at the time that he was his kids show, but he had a huge hit record called the mouse. ♪ do the mouse yeah ♪ you can do it in your house on the rug or on the wall ♪ ♪ if your folks get bugged do it in the hall ♪

i was wearing a white, red, and black nike jumpsuits. had air jordans my grandma had given me for my birthday. that was part of the night, debuting my signature fifth grade outfit. >> all of those songs. diamonds on the >> blowing my mind that this person i had always seen in magazines. on fday nightas right there. >> the lights went down, the asic started. then all of sudden, plumes of oke popped upll over the place. i turned to my friend's dad, is everything okay. he said don't worry about it. that's happy smoke. >> mc h smer was ther that night. he had can't touch this. planet.gest hit on the the second biggest hit, ice ice baby. >> let's do the mouse. do the mouse with me. >> collaborate and listen, ice is back wit a brand-new

invention. something grabs ahold of me tighy. >>ll itver stop, yo, i don't know. hold your head and shout. it falls out. >> i mean -- >> that was from at least we have seolks who can actually sing here. ladies and gentlemen, the chainsmokers. >> good to see you guys. >> hi, guys. remember your first concerts? >> yeah, i think i was, like, 7, and i went to see this band called 311. >> great brand. >>?ou remember th >> of course. >> and huba stank. >> a horrible name. >> right? yeah. just says a lot about it, too. >> that's cool. >> that's a great one. >> they have all the cool weone. figured some of your fans might be seeing you as their first concert. >> anyone here in the rain is a true fan. we thank them for coming out. >> did it feel like a

homecoming. i saw you recognize a lot of fans from new york. >> my family comes out that i haven't seen in 20 years. >> have you ever played in this much rain that we're currently experiencing? >> this would be a first. >>ood that you're not too technological. >> and no dance routines, right? >> that necklace, what does that say? >> sick boy. t >> what'she back story? >> our las album is called sick boy, so we always buy these chains to commemorate different chapters. so everyone in our team has them. >> you have extra? >> we couldring them. >> we'll have to have you back now. >> you are so ege. you hav blown up so much over the past five years. they have bebe rexha today who is going to perform with them. every artist wants to work with these guys they're also two of the nicest guys and have great sense of humors. so we'uc very l to have them. >> now they're going to be singing in the rain. we're so excited to have you. >> the crowd isready,e're

ready. chainsmokers taking the stage. first, your local news and some weather. regretted the day that i called you mine ♪ ♪ so i call you mine

♪ can i call you mine ♪ and you said i never regretted the day that i called you mine ♪ ♪ think about what you believe in now ♪ ♪ am i someone you cannot live without ♪ ♪ because i know i don't wanna live without you yeah ♪ ♪ come on's let turn this all around bring it all bk ♪ ♪ you wouldn't let me walk out on you yeah ♪ ♪ you said hey watcha doing for the rest of your lif ♪ ♪ and i said i don't even know what i'm doing tonight ♪ ♪ went from one your lips on mine ♪ ♪ and you said i never regretted the day that i couled y mine ♪ ♪ so i call you mine ♪ you said i never regretted the day that i called you mine ♪

♪ can i call you mine analu e, two, one, two, three ♪ ♪ and you said i never regretted the day that i called you mine ♪ ♪ can i call you mine >> the chainsmokers are back wi morthe after this. first, on a rainy friday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ i can't stop thinking about you ♪ we're in the mide of a great concert. aainy one.

chainsmokers are great sports. bebe rexha, amazing. their album hit number one on the top electronic billboards chart. >> they're headed out on tour this fall. thrilled you're with us. >> thank you. >> thank you. nyone can do a concert on the plaza, but to do it in the rain like this. so you guys are releasin like e song at a time on this album. what is the thinking there? why do it thatause i think that nowadays so muchere, we wa people to enjoy the song o ounde ♪ let's show them we are better ♪ >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much. the nschaimokers, the new album is world war joy. this is "today" on nbc.