Mega merger. Kwsk buys the Home Shopping network for more than 2 billion. Will these two giants combined be able to stop amazons quest to corner the market . All that, plus drama at wimbledon. Throwing shade at the tour de france. And savannah marks five years on today as we celebrate her big savannahanniversary. Today, friday, july 7th, 2017. From nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie. Live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. And good morning, everyone. Welcome to today on a friday morning. 7 00 out on the west coast. We thank you for joining us on your fifth anniversary, which, congratulations in order. Thank you very much. More on that later. But a lot of news this morning. A lot to goat to. Starting with this highly anticipated highstakes meeting between President Trump and russian president , Vladimir Putin. Thats happening at the g20 summit in hamburg. Earlier this morning, they did meet and shake hands for the first time. Their sitdown is expected to take place momentarily. Now all of this coming just 24 hours after President Trump acknowledged that the kremlin mettled in the 2016 election, but added nobody really knows for sure. And today on the streets of hamburg, clashes between protesters and police are getting worse. Weve got it covered, starting with nbcs keir simmons. Good morning to you. Reporter matt and savannah, we have just witnessed running battles between police and protesters here on the streets, where the g20 is happening. Let me just step away from the camera so that our cameraman, miguel, can give you a better shot. What you can see now, water cannon lined up in the streets here, and riot police waiting to move on protesters who have been pouring down from another protest. Im going to take you across the bridge, where we have managed to get a vantage point. Excuse me, do you mind if we just use our camera for a second . Thank you. This gentleman isnt getting out of the way. Miguel is just going to move in there and show this shot of the protesters gathered now in this area in front of the hamburg ports. Now, what happened was, that they were surrounded by German Riot Police at a junction further, a few streets away, a few blocks away. And then they suddenly ran. There appeared to be smoke bombs being thrown by protesters, and then they came into these clashes with the riot police some blocks away. So far, German Police say 159 Police Officers have been injured. There have been 35 arrests. But as you can see, and we have seen cars through the morning. We have even seen the first lady unable to leave her residence to get to the g20. I think from what were seeing here, those numbers are likely to increase as the day continues. Back to you guys. All right, thanks very much. It seems to be almost common place now. World leaders together with the world media and the protests seem to follow. We have seen these protests over and over again at these meetings but they have turned violent in the last couple days. Peter alexander has more on the substance of whats about to get under way between president putin and President Trump. Peter, good morning to you. Reporter hey, savannah and matt, good morning to you. That meeting between president attention trump and putin expected to happen any minute now. They are running a few minutes late, were told. They did get a few minutes to greet each other earlier on this day, shaking hands. But the real substance takes place when the two finally sit down together. The president on twirtter this morning saying hes looking forward to the meeting, adding, much to discuss. This new video, our first glimpse at president greeting Vladimir Putin. The brief, casual exchange, including a handshake and pat on the back, all behind the scenes in hamburg where Angela Merkel hosts 20 World Leaders. Likely to steal the show, President Trump and putins highly anticipated halfhour closeddoor session pitting the dealmaker against the spymaster, now on his fourth american president. Telling nbc news, there will likely only be six people in the room. The president s, secretary of state Rex Tillerson, Sergey Lavrov and a pair of translators. The u. S. russia relationship at an alltime low, accusations of collusion and investigations of russian interference in the election. With President Trump refuse to go fully admit russias role i think it was russia, but i think it was probably other people and or countries and i see nothing wrong with that stamth. Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure. Reporter a growing number of democrats are pressing the president to confront putin about moscows meddling, sending this letter, arguing not doing so would be a dereliction of duty. Likely on the agenda, possible areas of cooperation, Like Fighting isis. But also more fraught pressure points, including ukraine, syria, and in the wake of this longrange missile test, north korea. Just days after dismissing beijings willingness to help, here sounding more optimistic when asked if he was giving up on chinas president. Never give up. Reporter this group of 20 already marred by chaos and violence. Anti capitalist protesters clashing with police in riot gear. Smoke bombs, pepper spray and water cannons, all used to disperse the crowd. Im standing against g20. Reporter earlier, a longawaited visit with enrique nieto, amid tensions renegotiating over nafta and the proposed border wall. Mr. Trump asked about it today. If you can make it out, the president there looking at the u. S. Delegation saying the answer was, simply, absolutely. As for those protests, you saw him marching. Melania trump said, thinking of those hurt in hamburg protests. Hope everyone stays safe. We are now hearing from our reporters who are on the site of that meeting between Vladimir Putin and donald trump, that the russian president is in the room. The u. S. President expected to arrive any moment now. Matt, back to you. Okay. Were keeping our eyes on that situation. Peter alexander, thank you. We want to bring in michael mcfaul, served as ambassador to russia during the obama administration. Nice to see you. Thanks for having me. For President Trump to call this meeting with Vladimir Putin a success, is essential for people here in this country and our allies around the world that he confront directly Vladimir Putin on meddling in the u. S. Election . I think so. I mean, after all, the russians violated our sovereignty during the 2016 president ial elections. For him to not push back will make him look weak in the eyes of Vladimir Putin. I think its easy to do, by the way. I dont think it needs to be a big, dramatic thing. But he just needs to say, i know what you did, youre not going to do it again while im president. How does he do that, though, given what he said just as recently as yesterday where he said i think the kremlin was involved, but nobody really knows, contradicting the u. S. Intelligence committee. How does he go into the meeting now and say i know it was you. That was a mistake. We know. Vladimir putin knows. Lets be clear about that. He knows what he did. So to garble it by saying maybe it was somebody else, and to put doubt, i think that was a tactical mistake. He can clean it up today in his meeting with putin. There are a few people who can say, ive been in the room with Vladimir Putin. Youre one of them. Yes. What is likely to be the dynamic there . And how will putin approach a meeting like this . I mean, is he a chess player . Is he a poker player . Does he like to intimidate . Whats his angle . Well, first of all, remember, hes been doing this for 17 years. This is President Trumps first meeting with putin. Second, he prepares. He comes with an agenda. Hes got things he wants to get done. President trump needs to think about that as he goes into this meeting. He needs to react to things that putin will say. The third, in this meeting, its clear to me, putin wants a good meeting. He wants to come out, they want the press to say, we had a good meeting. By the way, its scheduled for 30 minutes. Thats a joke. I think thats deliberate, so it will be 45 minutes or 60 minutes so they can both say it was such a good meeting that it went on for a long period of time. And if he gets that, then it means that u. S. Russian relations are back on track. Thats what he wants out of this meeting. I want to go back to something you kind of snuck in there for a second. You said that Vladimir Putin probably wants donald trump, President Trump, to confront him on this, because if he doesnt, hell see him as weak. Correct. Is that right . Is that the way of course. I mean, think about just think about the counter factual. What if the United States had hacked russias election, had interfered in their election . How do you think putin would react to that . Would he say, oh, we dont really know . Maybe it was the chinese, maybe it was somebody in birmingham . Of course, he wouldnt do that. He would be very confrontational and say you cannot do that again. And if you do, there will be repercussions. Thats what he expects from a strong leader. And ive heard that putin likes to study the brief. He wants to know the psychology. Of course. Of the person sitting across from him. He does. Im sure he has done his homework. He always does. And i think hes going to try to bond with President Trump about some things that they think alike. Youve heard about fake news socalled fake news. Thats something putin likes to talk about. The deep state. Ive heard Vladimir Putin. Ive been in the room with him this close where hes gone on and on about the american deep state. I want i think he wants to bond with trump over those kinds of issues. All right. Ambassador mcfaul, hang with us. Stay tuned. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. We want to come on the air right now this is an nbc news special report. Heres matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie. And good morning, everyone. As we come on the air, were looking live at hamburg, germany, where President Trump and russian president Vladimir Putin are getting set to meet in a highly anticipated facetoface sitdown. They met for the first time at the g20 a little earlier. I think we hear the president talking. I dont know if we can pull the sound up. There is the hand shake that will be seen round the world. This is their first facetoface sitdown. This is the beginning of the meeting. This is the photo op, for lack of a better way to say it. And there is an agenda on both sides, for sure. There are going to be six people in the room, according to what we have been told. President trump and president putin. The Foreign Ministers or secretary of state, Rex Tillerson and foreign minister lavrov of russia and translators for each side. Thats right. Peter alexander is in hamburg, watching all of this along with us. Peter, good morning. What are we learning . Reporter so, savannah, right now, as you are watching with us, President Trump and president putin finally getting to sit down together. You indicated that this is going to be an intimate setting, in fact. Only six individuals inside this room today. Its expected to last, were told, not much more than 30 minutes. Among the likely topics, some places where there are areas for possible cooperation. Like the effort to fight isis. An issue that Vladimir Putin and his team has brought up in recent days. But there are also some areas for potential pressure points. Conflict in the way the two president s view the world right now. Most notably, that includes ukraine. The president just yesterday talking about russias destabilizing activities in ukraine. Also calling the president President Trump calling on russia to stop its support of as described them hostile regimes in countries like syria and iran. But what a lot of americans will be focused on is whether or not President Trump raises the issue of moscows meddling in the 2016 election. Again, as you watch right now, these live pictures from the two president s meeting, this is what we describe as the pool spray. Where a team of reporters is allowed in briefly to get a quick glimpse before the two men go behind closed doors and the real meeting begins. We are hoping to hear this afternoon from Senior Administration officials to get better information, a readout, as its described, of what happens inside. For now, most of the world making its best guest as to the relationship between these two based on that brief visit they had and the handshake. Matt and savannah, back to you. So unusual to have so few. Usually a bigger cast of characters in an important meeting like that. But you have the two president s, foreign minister of russia, Sergey Lavrov and Rex Tillerson and translators. President trump said it was an honor to meet Vladimir Putin. As we said, six people in that room. Were joined now by nbc news Russian Affairs analyst, michael mcfaul, who served as ambassador to russia during the obama administration. Good morning. Good to see you. What would it be to be a fly on the wall in that room. You have been in the room with Vladimir Putin. Yes. What kind of dynamic will exist in that room . Well, i think to are this particular meeting, not unlike the first meeting i was in with president obama and Prime Minister putin back in july 2009, both sides want to have a good meeting. I dont think there will be a big substantive breakthrough. Ill be surprised by that. 30 minutes is not a long time. But both leaders want to come out saying, we had a constructive talk. We are now moving u. S. Russia relations in a positive direction. We heard, of course, matt just mentioned, the president has said he was honored to meet putin. Putin returned the pleasantry. A lot of times people look at a picture like that and see body language. We remember a meeting with Vladimir Putin and people said putin looked bored or was slumped over. Yes, 2012. Bodygate, we called it. Yes. Everybody is going to be reading the tea leaves. What does the president need to know walking into this . What do you hope his staff has told him . The most important thing is he has to be careful not to be too chummy with president putin. To not react too easily to some of the accusations he might make about our own country. About our quote, unquote, deep state or about our fake news. That to me would be a complete disaster on the part of President Trump. Famously, president george w. Bush said he had a meeting with putin one time and looked in his eyes and was able to get a sense of his soul. President trump considers himself a negotiator. He considers himself to be a good reader of people. Do you think Vladimir Putin is easy to read . Hes complicated to read. Hes he knows his brief better than anybody. Hes been around for 17 years. He knows the issues well. Hes good at kind of negotiating the argument. So, for instance, sanctions. I predict that putin is going to talk to President Trump in this way about sanctions. Obama illegally seized our compounds in maryland and new york. Thats what we did. Thats what the administration did just a few months ago in response to their interference on our elections. Hes going to see, thats illegal, President Trump. You need to know the law. You need to give this back, because these are russian properties. And President Trump better be prepared for an answer, because he cant just say, well have our staffs look into it. Puti to expect him to respond. And, of course, we may have dueling readouts and reports from each side. The fact there is that few of people, i used to do the readouts when i worked for president obama. Who is going to do the readout . Is secretary tillerson . Savannah says what if the meeting is over and both sides tell a different story . That can happen. And we should be prepared for that, and our side should be prepared for that. Because most sirncertainly, the kremlin will read it out in the way they think is in their interest. Ambassador mcfaul, thank you very much. Outside the meeting, between the two president s, protesters taking to the streets. Demonstrations have escalated quickly this afternoon. Richard engel is there in hamburg. He has a look at that. Hi, richard. Good morning to you. Reporter good morning, savannah. Thousands of demonstrators have poured into the streets in downtown hamburg. There is not one specific location for these demonstrations. Instead, there are Little Pockets all across the city right now, and there have been running clashes with riot police. There are thousands of demonstrates. There also seem to be thousands of riot police. The demonstrates dont have one particular agenda. Theyre not from one particular group. There are anti capitalists, there are environmentalists, there are people who generally want to disrupt the g20. And this year, a lot of their anger is focused at president donald trump. We have seen placards here against donald trump. We have had demonstrators tell us this is the welcome mat. Richard engel in hamburg as we continue to watch the prot