Five michigan teenagers charged with seconddegree murder for allegedly dropping a rock from a highway overpass, striking and killing a young father. You took away a childs father and the love of my life. This morning, how their alleged actions could land them behind bars for the rest of their lives. Hollywood remembers robert guillaume. The halloween display that could have gone too far. And sizzling start. The dodgers take the opener of the world series in the hottest postseason game ever. The astros hoping to keep their cool in game two. Today, wednesday, october 25th, 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 this wednesday morning. We thank you for joining us. We want to get right to our top story. The aftershocks are being felt by republicans with two republicans senators, announcing theyve reached their breaking point with the president. Jeff flake did it on the senate floor. Well talk to him in a moment. First, we begin with our team at the white house. Starting with peter alexander. Reporter we may be witnessing the rupturing, a reshaping of the republican party, after what felt like a significant moment here in washington. Two Top Republican senators, sounding the alarm about the state of our politics and more specifically by President Trump. Jeff flake with a simple message to his colleagues, enough. This morning, the republican consist danc resistance. We must be unafraid to speak up as if our country depends on it. You would think he would aspire to be the president of the United States and act like a president of the United States. But you know, thats not going to be the case. Reporter a pair of prominent republican senators, including on President Trump, in a series of scathing critiques. Jeff flake facing a tough realex, resigned rather than serving a leader of undecency. Reckless and undignified behavior and recused of untelling it like it is. It is outrageous and undignified. When such behavior resonates from the top of our government, it is something else. It is dangerous to a democracy. Reporter that emotional address, following the president s visit with republican senators on capitol hill. Bob corker, now a fierce critic. I dont know why he lowers himself to a low, low standard and debases his country in the way he does. Reporter the chairman of the Foreign Relations committee, saying he wouldnt support mr. Trump if he had to do it again. Heated words. President trump calling corker incompetent, a lightweight. Saying he couldnt be elected a doug catcher in his own state. Corker responded, alertthedaycarestaff. When he gets hit, hes going to hit back. Reporter breitbart with the headline, winning, flake out. Steve bannon saying, another day, another scalp. Its the latest in a pack of Party Heavyweights taking on the president in blunt terms. When the next generation asks us, why department you do something . Why didnt you speak up . What are you going to say . Its obvious his political model and governing model is to divide. Halfbaked spurious nationalism cooked up by people that would rather find scapegoats than solve problems. Bigotry seems emboldened. All of. Reporter all of it as republicans try to jumpstart their stalled agenda with 25 days left this year. So, whats key here, whether this escalating war among republicans will threaten the president s party or agenda. This has much less to do with policy than style and tone. Flake has one of the most consistent records in the senate right now. Will any senators follow flake and corkers lead . That brings us to senator jeff flake, who joins us live. Senator, good morning to you. Thanks for having me on. One of the parts of your speech that caught my eye, when you talked about your colleagues in the senate. And you said, if youre waiting for President Trump to turn a corner and grow up and become more responsible and start to get things done, your wait will last forever. Thats not going to happen. My question to you, when you stepped off the senate floor, what did you hear from your colleagues . Did they whisper in your ear and say, i feel that way, too . Or did they say, i disagree and cant stand with you . If we are waiting for the pivot, we have to quit waiting. After nine months, they know its not coming. And from my colleagues, i do hear that. I hope more of us will speak out. The longer we wait, this behavior and politics becomes normalized. We cant afford that. We cant. Is there a difference in your mind, between a president who, undermines our democratic ideals and has a flagrant disregard for the truth and decency, and a president that is unfit to hold office . Well, in terms of unfit to hold the office, the voters made their choice. He was elected fair and square. I dont think some of the remedies that are being talked about, impeachment, high crimes and misdemeanors. I dont think that applies. Nor do i think that article 25, for the cabinet to force the president out. I dont think that is the right way to go. I think elected officials have a responsibility to stand up. And if the president is pursuing policies, if he carries forward on the threats hes made, for example, against news organizations, to pull their licenses, if they have news he doesnt like. Or if he continues with a kind of tweeting and behavior thats just unbecoming of the president , we ought to at least stand up and say so. Does it bother you that your moment, your sacrifice, is being seen as a victory by the white house. And steve bannon came out and said, another day, another scalp. By quitting, theyre saying, they win and you lose. Ill let them describe it that way. I know for me, i couldnt continue and run a campaign as if this is a normal campaign. Its not. Were at a different time now. And to go and run a campaign as if the president s actions are normal and can becountenanced. Thats a difficult position to take. The president and these people can claim any victory they want. Any colleagues and i have to stand up and say this is not normal. We have to change course. I have to say. There will be plenty of people that say, amen, i agree with you. And there will be a significant number of people that will think, thats just more talk by an established senator. The audience you need to reach, are the people who believe in President Trump. They believe in him. If you have 30 seconds to make that pitch, what would you say to them to try to persuade . There is a Tipping Point that comes. In the 1950s, during the mccarthy hearings, members of the senate had remained pretty silent for quite a while, until the famous hearing when joseph welch, the chief counsel for the army, came out and gave the famous rebuttal, have you no decency, sir . And said, weve had enough. At that point, things changed. I hope that were reaching the Tipping Point, where my colleagues and every elected official will say, we cant go on this way. These politics, you know, how can we explain to our kids that we are countenancing this kind of behavior from the top . I hope we reached that Tipping Point. Time will tell. Senator, let me test your newfound freedom. I know you disagree with her in every policy facing this country. But in terms of protecting democracy, protecting respect of the office of the presidency and protecting our image abroad, is it possible in your mind to consider that it would have been better had Hillary Clinton won in election . I talk in the book that i wrote earlier this year, that we made a Faustian Bargain with this president. We could excuse the behavior and everything, simply because we could get some conservative judges. Would it be better if she had won the election . No president , democrat or republican, in recent memory, has exhibited the behavior this president has. So, i am a republican. Im a conservative. I would love to have a republican president. But not at any cost. I didnt vote for this president last november. I didnt vote for secretary clinton, either. Second thoughts on that . I can tell you, im not happy with the direction were going. Senator jeff flake, good to have you here, sir. Thank you for sharing your perspective. Also this morning, an infamous dossier from the president ial campaign, full of salacious allegations against then. Candidate trump, back in the head lionellin headlines. A course confirming that Hillary Clintons committee helped fund it. Reporter President Trump himself was asking who paid for that controversial dossier. We have some new answers this morning, a couple of Big Questions still remain. Thank you. Reporter Hillary Clinton out on her book tour, is now a private citizen. But as a president ial candidate, were learning her campaign helped pay for research, leading to a nowfamous dossier, looking into Donald Trumps potential ties to russia. A lawyer working for the clinton camp and the Democratic National committee, hired fusion gps, for research services, thatten colluded before the election in early november. That was turned into the explosive document of unverified and sometimes salacious claims about the president. It was one of the big mysteries during the campaign and transition. Who paid for the dossier, put together by a british exspy, Christopher Steele. It is all fake news. A group of opponents that got together. Sick people. T reporter the Washington Post said an unknown republican paid for the research. It was picked up by democrats. Once President Trump looked like he had become the gop nominee. Republicans have long insisted the real russia scandal involves who is behind that dossier, which claims that moscow was compiling information about candidate trump. The press secretary tweeting, Clinton Campaign paid for the fake russian dossier and lied about it and covered it up. The president tweeted, Justice Department and or fbi should immediately release who paid for the information. A former spokesman for the Clinton Campaign tells the Washington Post, the first i learned of christopher sfooel or saw any dossier, was after the election. But if i had gotten ahand hand it, i would have urged people to look into it. The dnc tells nbc, the leadership was not in decisionmaking regarding fusion gps. Democrats say its not about who funded the dossier. Its the allegations in it that need attention. If what Christopher Steele found proved to be true, we need to know it. Reporter as for where this all goes from here, look for the legal battle brewing. Fusion gps, the firm that engaged with that british exspy, is fighting a southboub issued by the head of the Republican Intelligence Committee on capitol hill. Who was the Republican Group or person who initiated this dossier research . This morning, its still not clear. Matt . Savannah . Hallie jackson on capitol hill. Thank you. A lot more in the headlines, including a Court Appearance for five michigan teenagers charged with murder, in a highway rock throwing incident that killed a young father. Blake mccoy has more on this story. Reporter instead of going back to high school this morning, the five teenagers will remain in jail. A judge denying them bond, after one poor decision that ended with a man dead. Kenneth white, a man killed in a teenage prank that took a deadly turn. They took away a childs father and the love of my life. His stupid act, took away a life. Reporter whites family wiped away tears in court tuesday, as they watched five High School Students plead not guilty to seconddegree murder. Investigators say the teens hurled rocks from this overpass, on to i75 near flint, michigan, last week. Leaving drivers little time to react. Something came from the windshield and hit her friend. Hes now unconscious. Its not a prank when youre throwing sixpound rocks at vehicles. Reporter this is the baseballsized rock that struck white in the head and chest. As he was dying in the hospital, investigators say the teens went to mcdonalds. Kyle anger, who police say threw the deadly rock, turns himself in. The others were arrested. All will be trialed as adults. Attorneys for two of the boys spoke after tuesdays Court Appearance. Although the charges are the same, the kids are all different. The actions that the kids may have become involved in are all different. Theres going to be different levels. The culpability of the friends. The family hopes the charges stick. You have taken his life for nothing. Senseless. A big joke to you. This is not a joke. And i hope that justice is brought to the fullest extent to him. Reporter the prosecutor doesnt believe these teens set out to kill anyone. Thats why theyre charged with seconddegree murder, instead of first. Blake, thank you. Lets turn to mr. Roker with a check of the weather. Were looking at a tropical investigation area thats bringing moisture all the way up into the northeast and new england. This is 93l. Its along the nicaraguan coast. It has a 50 chance of developing. It brings moisture across southern florida, up into boston and new england. Thats firing up more moisture and more storms, as a frontal system pushes through. It will bring heavy rain, flo flooding rain, from boston into bangor. Upwards of five to six inches of rain in parts of maine. Rain in parts of maine. One to two inches of rainfall here comes the man, rain in parts of maine. One to two inches of rainfall here comes the man, here comes the man, here comes the man, here comes the man, here comes the man, good morning. Happy wednesday. A pictureperfect morning with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. That bodes well for our forecast today. High temperatures, 67 degrees here in philadelphia today. Through the suburbs, mid to upper 60s with mostly sunny skies. 65 later this afternoon. Jersey shore, a few degrees of 70. Tomorrow, a cooldown. Temperatures tomorrow afternoon in the mid to upper 50s to around 60 with the cool breeze out of the north and east. Thats your latest weather. Coming up, new accusers coming forward against Harvey Weinstein, as his former Company Faces a new investigation and lawsuit. And propaganda problem. Why youtube is under scrutiny in the russia investigation. First, this is today on nbc. Hes a husband, father, veteran. But most of all, hes a fighter. Chris brown has never been afraid to take on the big fights. 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