breaking news. tensions at peak levels in the middle east after iran launched its first direct attack on israel. how the u.s. is responding this

morning. also, breaking overnight, authorities in oklahoma recover two bodies as the search for two missing mothers continues. police say four people are now charged with murder in the case. donald trump now facing the first of four criminal trials. jury selection begins today in the hush money case against him. what we can expect in the presumptive gop nominee's trial. taking a bite into the future. how fast food restaurants are experimenting with having robots cook up their orders. but could the technology eliminate jobs? and five years after the devastating fire at the notre dame cathedral, the paris icon is on track to reopen later this year. we introduce you to one american carpenter who is helping with the restoration. it's tax day, monday, april 15th. earl early today starts right now. good morning. glad you're with me. i'm frances rivera.

all eyes are on israel this morning after iran carried out its first ever direct military assault on the country after years of hostility. iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards the country in response to israel's deadly air strike on the iranian embassy in damascus, syria, two weeks ago. israel says it destroyed 99% of the incoming fire before it entered its airspace. nbc's claudio lavanga joins us from rome how. is israel responding so far? good morning, claudio. what can question we expect next? >> good morning, frances. well, now that the alert is over, israel appears to have gone back to its normal life. children are returning to school and a ban on public gatherings which was introduced as a precaution ahead of iran's attack has been lifted. now the only question that remains of course will israel retaliate. according to an israeli official we spoke to, it's not a matter of if but when, and how, even

though the retaliation doesn't appear to be backed by either the u.s. or the united nations. now during or after an emergency meeting of the security council of the united nations, the u.n.'s secretary general antonio guterres said it is vital that we avoid any action that could lead to a military confrontation on multiple fronts in the middle east, even during that same meeting, israel's representative to the united nations said it is in israel's legal rights to retaliate. and used some colorful language to emphasize that message as well. he said that israel is not a frog in boiling water, but it is a nation of liars. back to you, frances. >> okay, claudio. starting us off, thank you. the tension between iran and israel is having an impact on congress. house speaker mike johnson says he will push for more aid for israel in ukraine this week. johnson said sunday that the details of the package are being

finalized, but did not give any details of what may look like. for more on the response, sheer nbc's monica alba. >> reporter: president biden urging restraint. as concern grows among senior officials that the u.s. could be dragged into a broader conflict in the middle east. depending on how israel responds to iran's attack. >> we don't seek an escalation. we don't seek a wider war in the region. >> reporter: the president meeting virtually with g7 leaders, with all members writing they unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms iran's unprecedented actions, demanding that iran and its proxies cease their attacks, and vowing to take further measures now and in response to future moves that would destabilize the already fraught situation. a senior administration official says the u.s. and tehran had contact through swiss intermediaries both before and after the attack. the president conveyed to prime minister netanyahu by phone that

while u.s. support for israel is iron-clad, it will not participate in any retaliatory counteroffensive by israel, according to senior administration officials. >> whether and how the israelis will respond, that's going to be up to them. >> reporter: the white house also applauding israel's defense capability, aided by the u.s., which shot down dozens of missiles and drones launched from iran, syria, and yemen. the president calling members of several fighter squadrons to commend their airmenship and skill. while some republican critics argue the biden administration hasn't done enough to contain the threat. >> i think they've emboldened iran. this administration is failing to say there is a red line there should be a red line. >> and our thanks to monica for that report. breaking overnight, oklahoma authorities recovered two bodies in the search for a pair of missing moms from kansas. the bodies have not yet been identified. veronica butler and jilian kelley vanished 16 days ago

while going to pick up their children. their car was found abandoned near the kansas-oklahoma border. on saturday, authorities arrested four people in connection to their disappearance. they are charged on counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy. >> we're still looking for these women. we cannot confirm that they are dead, however, based on the evidence, we did believe that it is necessary and appropriate to charge all four suspects with first-degree murder. >> authorities are expected to give an update on the case later this morning. a pair of mass shootings left communities reeling over the weekend. in dallas, a shooting at a party on sunday killed a 21-year-old woman and injured eight others. investigators have not yet made any arrests in the case. and a tragic end to a family gathering in chicago. a mass shooting on saturday night killed an 8-year-old girl and injured 10 other people, including several more children. investigators believe it was a targeted act of gang violence. police are still searching for the gunmen.

today marks a new phase in the trials of donald trump. the former president's first criminal trial is set to begin today in new york. jury selection will get under way in his hush money case. melissa russo with our new york station is following the preparations. >> reporter: coming to lower manhattan monday under a spotlight and tight security, the first ever criminal trial of a former president, not to mention presumptive nominee. court officers say they're being redeployed by the dozens from every other courthouse in the city. if the scene at trump's arraignment last year is any sign, the trial could be a spectacle for weeks and months to come. trump is charged with 34 low-level felony accounts of falsifying business records to cover up to hide scandalous secrets from voters during the 2016 campaign, including the stormy daniels situation.

at the center of the case, a $130,000 hush money payment mislabeled as legal services. the plan is to withhold the identities of jurors from the public because of security concerns. in this case, former president trump does not have the option to skip court. he's expected to be in the room for the trial, estimated to last around six to eight weeks. >> our thanks to melissa russo for that report. the supreme court is set the hear a january 6th case that could have implications for the federal election interference case against donald trump. defendant joseph fisher is asking the justices to dismiss one of the seven charges he faces, obstruction of an official proceeding. his lawyers argue the charge is limited to evidence tampering, and therefore should not apply to fisher's other alleged actions. mr. trump faces the same obstruction charge in his separate criminal case. his legal team has cited the fisher case in their presidential immunity arguments

before the court. special prosecutor jack smith, however, noted in a legal filing that fishes's case seeks a narrow reading of the law and the obstruction charge would still apply to trump regardless of the justices' ruling. the justices will hear fisher's case tomorrow. typical executor for o.j. simpson says the notorious football star will be cremated in the coming days, and he says requests to study simpson's brain for possible cte are, quote, a hard no. cte is a brain degenerative disease often seen in football players. it's linked to behavioral and cognitive issues. the executor says there has been at least one request to study simpson's brain after he died of cancer last week. a massive brushfire shut down traffic and shows up on weather radar just outside of miami. fire crews are still working to get the blaze under control. as of last night, the fire stretched across 150 acres.

the florida forest service is expected to monitor the fire overnight. residents will urged to avoid the area and stay indoors. millions of americans are facing severe weather threats this morning. let's turn to nbc meteorologist michelle grossman. >> great to see you. we're looking at 14 million people under the risk. we'll see million .

it's warm too in the midatlantic, parts of the northeast. temperatures in the 70s in philly. 80s in d.c. that's your forecast. >> looking forward to it. thank you. as we get closer to the start of the olympic games, the olympic torch will be lit tuesday at the site of the first olympic games. a high priestess will light the olympic flame kept in an urn before being used to spark the torch. after that, the olympic torch

relay is officially under way, and the symbolic flame will make its way from olympia, greece to paris for theopening ceremony. coming up, the world's top golfer tease up. a masters class at the masters, and robots get cooking at a california burger chain. but will the fast food of the future taka teute bi o of the job market? that story in 60 seconds. only when i see flakes. then i switch back to my regular shampoo. you should use it every wash, otherwise the flakes will come back. tiny troy: he's right, you know. is that tiny troy? the ingredients in head and shoulders keep the microbes that cause flakes at bay. microbes, really? they're always on your scalp... little rascals... but good news, there's no itchiness, dryness or flakes down here! i love tiny troy. and his tiny gorgeous hair. he's the best. - make every wash count! - little help please. ( ♪♪ ) feel the power of osteo bi-flex®. taken every day, it's clinically shown to improve joint comfort in 7 days, with significant improvement over time.

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from facial recognition. >> put in your order. >> so we'll do the burger with everything and some raw onion, of course. >> reporter: to the robot chefs behind the counter almost everything here is made by machines. the fries by a robot called flippy. >> flippy is using his robot arm to grab a basket. he is going to bring it over here to this freezer and it will dispense an order of fries into it. a robot arm is just a robot arm. but the secret sauce is the ai that powers it. >> reporter: and for the main course, there is a burger bot, grinding the meat frisch, forming patties and grilling. >> as it gets to the end, it will scoop it up and get to this bucket. >> reporter: major chains are already starting to buy into ai in automation. wendy's is experimenting with ai-powered drive threws. >> what would you like? >> reporter:salad chains sweet green has salads rotating through automation.

chipotle even has robots building its burrito bowls. >> what would you say this is taking away jobs? >> restaurants have a hard time finding workers. and it costs them a lot to have the workers. you want to be very thoughtful about where you put the workers because working the fry station is a pretty undesirable job. it's dangerous. you burn your arm. >> automation will likely eliminate some jobs that may be inevitable. >> reporter: but brian giusti who researches labor practices at l.a. warns an all robot kitchen may not be on the menu any time soon. i think there is a kind of significant smoke and mirrors claim where you get claims of full automation. >> reporter: because even at what they call the world's first fully autonomous restaurant. >> the robot helps me out a lot and i help the robot in turn. >> reporter: she makes the burgers hole, adding toppings and the bun, something these robots haven't quite mastered yet. >> let's try this.

not bad. >> a bite inside the future whether we're ready or not. alwyn lopez, nbc news, los angeles. still to come, scottie doesn't know what it's like to lose at the masters. iv itop golfer on the planet dresn an iconic final round at augusta. it's coming up right after this. tardive dyskinesia, or td. so his doctor prescribed austedo xr— a once-daily td treatment for adults. ♪as you go with austedo♪ austedo xr significantly reduced dan's td movements. some people saw a response as early as 2 weeks. with austedo xr, dan can stay on his mental health meds- (dan) cool hair! (vo) austedo xr can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, or have suicidal thoughts. don't take if you have liver problems, are taking reserpine, tetrabenazine, or valbenazine. austedo xr may cause irregular or fast heartbeat,

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stardom confirmed. >> the world's number one golfer cemented his status and made things look easy at augusta. scottie scheffler took home his second green jacket on sunday after finish with a dominant 11 under at the 88th masters. scheffler came in four strokes ahead of l ludvig to become cro

champion more than once. a frantic sunday. the league-leading celtics have held control of the east for some time. the oklahoma city thunder solidifies dominance of the west. okc officially claimed the top seed with their win over the fifth seeded mavericks. the knicks clinched control of the second seed in the east with their overtime win over the bulls. new york's win pushed the bucks down to the third seed. those bowls aren't out of it yet as they'll join the hawk, heat, and 76ers in the east in a play-in tournament to determine the final postseason spots. the play-in tournament begins in the west tuesday as the pelicans play the lakers and the kings face the warriors. and just a week after her historic college career ended, caitlin clark is gearing up for one of the biggest nights of her

life. she sat down with stephanie gosk to talk about the impact she has made on the next generation of players. >> the people idlize were professional soccer players or women players. how big an impact can have on a young's girl's life is super important. i always try to make as much time as i can for them, or to hear them scream your name or have your jersey on, that never gets old. >> catch the full interview with clark on the "today" show right here on nbc. when we come back, we've got some sweet deals to help you destress on this tax monday. and whatew a n eye-opening study shows about the link between vision and dementia.

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>> reporter: five years since a fire ravaged notre dame cathedral, hank silva, a carpenter from new england, helped rebuild the roof made by medieval craftsmen. >> it still doesn't feel real if i'm honest. it's still a bit -- a bit of a dream really. >> reporter: hank belongs to carpenters without borders, who restore historical structures the world over. and last year, he watched overwhelmed as the trusses he crafted were transported and lifted into position. >> what was it like to watch that? >> to see a truss of that scale, hand-hewn, pegged together, flying through space, it's a really out-of-time kind of experience. >> reporter: a journey that took him to the top of the cathedral, following in the footsteps of carpenters from 800 years past. for five years, only a select

group have been allowed inside notre dame, as nbc news was last december. so this is the spire that went crashing down. >> exactly. we all watched it all around the world. we first met hank last summer at a workshop in northern france, painstakingly crafting the roof beams. >> in the u.s., we have a build tradition that's much newer, but that is derived from these european methods. being able to work on this building, which is the birth of this technique, is particularly meaningful. >> reporter: using replicas of medieval tools like these axes, hank and his colleagues reconstructed each truss exactly as they were made in the 13th century -- well, almost. >> we've had to recreate all these inconsistencies, all these deformations that have accrued over the centuries. >> reporter: for hank, helping transform notre dame has changed

his life. >> for the rest of your life, you can come here -- >> yeah. >> -- and look at this and know that you had a part in it. >> i'll be dining out on this for a long time, yes. >> reporter: and five years on, clear signs the medieval landmark is now nearing the finish line. keir simmons, nbc news, paris. >> fascinating look as he rebuilds history, or helps to. thanks for watching "early today." i'm frances rivera. have a great monday. see you back here early tuesday morning.

a new escalation in the middle east. israel pledging to respond after ir