breaking news. devastation after another round of deadly tornadoes. at least 18 are dead

across the central u.s., with tornado watches and warnings continuing overnight. michelle grossman is tracking the latest. and at least 35 are dead in rafah after an israeli strike that hit civilian tents. this hours after hamas launched rockets that headed towards tel aviv, setting off sirens for the first time in months. the world of golf in shock this morning after the suicide death of grayson murray. how fellow golfers are renning him this morning. a new legacy at the indy 500. the race revving off after a weather delay, with everything coming down to an instant classic last lap. and on this memorial day, how one maryland farm is supporting veterans with therapeutic care. it's monday, may 27th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad you're with me on this holiday. i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news. at least 18 people have been killed and dozens more injured across texas, oklahoma, arkansas,

and kentucky. after devastating storms unleashed their wrath op the central u.s. over the weekend. the severe storms and tornadoes leveling entire neighborhoods. according to the national weather service, a possible ef-2 strength tornado struck valley view, texas. officials say as many as 80 people were trapped in this rubble when the gas station they were sheltering in crumbled. overnight, kentucky's governor issuesing a state of emergency after wind damage and tornadoes. this morning hundreds of thousands remain without power from texas to pennsylvania, and the threat continues today. let's bring in nbc meteorologist michelle grossman who is up tracking this system for us. hi, michelle. good morning. >> good morning, frances. it was tough weather weekend. we're waking up to very stormy conditions, and we're going to see the storms continuing throughout this memorial day. so take a look at radar right now. you can see lots of lightning. heavy storms this morning from arkansas through tennessee, up through the ohio valley. and then we're going target the east coast as we go throughout the day for the risk of severe storms.

look how far this stretch is, from portions of new england, all the way down to portions along the southeast and to the gulf coast states. places like new york city, d.c., philadelphia, down to charleston, under the gun for some strong storms. could see winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. some really heavy rainfall as well as we're going to see some training rain. and then we're looking at the chance of a few tornadoes as well. there is that cold front as it moves into really warm air. that's another big story today. we're looking at record warmth in the gulf coast, along the southeast as well. chance of rain from texas to new england on this holiday. primary risks will be damaging winds. but we could see some tornadoes. and we're going to see some really heavy rainfall as well. speaking of that rainfall we do have floodwaters. we have flood watch in green. flash flood warning, 9 million people impacted. we'll talk about the heat in a few minutes. >> thank you. >> sure. a dozen people were injured when a plane encountered severe turbulence on a long haul flight. it's the second such high profile incident in less than a week. scientists say that

climate change and increasingly unpredictable weather means this could be happening more often now. here is dana griffin. >> reporter: ambulances racing across the tarmac after severe turbulence rocked this qatar airways flight from doha to dublin. one passenger sharing these photos of the cabin in disarray, food splattered on the season. >> panic, panic everywhere. >> you felt the plane dip for about five seconds. and next we saw the flight attendant go up in the air and come straight back down. >> reporter: dublin airport says the boeing b 787-9 was over turkey when it hit turbulence, injuring six passengers and six crew members. >> some of the flight attendants i saw, they had scratches on their face. they had ice to their face. there was one girl that had a sling on her arm. >> reporter: the airport also says emergency crews evaluated passengers on the plane in dublin. eight people were taken to the hospital. >> it was so scary at the time. you just don't know is this it or not. >> reporter: the airline says the matter is now subject to an internal investigation. the incident comes just days after a

singapore airlines flight hit severe turbulence. dozens remain hospitalized, and one passenger died of a suspected heart attack. while turbulence is common, this level of severity is extremely rare. but scientist says climate change could cause the number of incidents to increase as heat makes the jet stream more volatile. how crucial would it be for pilots to have advanced technology so that they can get a warning when something like this about to happen? >> oh, it would be. it would be a game-changer. >> reporter: another game changer, seat belts. >> it will keep you in your seat and not in the ceiling. >> reporter: and if you happen to be out of your seat during an unexpected dip, try to brace yourself to avoid injuries. dana griffin, nbc news. there are horrific pictures coming out of gaza this morning as an israeli air strike on rafah killed dozens, according to the local health ministry. the barrage hit a tent encampment for internally displaced gazans, setting off a raging fire. the massacre comes just days after the

international court of justice in the hague ordered israel to halt its current attack on the city for fear of mass civilian death. for the latest, let's go to claudio lavanga. claudio, good morning. bring us up to date on the latest. >> good morning, frances. authorities in gaza now say that as many as 50 people are now in the attack. but the fear is the death toll may rise even further. now the authorities there are calling this a massacre, saying that there are many amputations, severe burns, and, again, they say that many women and children were among the victims. now the israelis acknowledge the attack. they say they were targeting a compound full of hamas terrorists, but palestinian authorities are saying that that is just a tent camp where many palestinians were finding shelter, displaced palestinians were finding shelter after having to move from other parts of gaza. now hamas issued a statement saying that the u.s. and

especially president biden bears full responsibility for this attack because it said that israel will not have carried it out if it didn't get the green light from the u.s. but as a matter of fact, president biden, as well as other world leaders, as well as international court of justice asked israel not to do that, not to attack rafah because of that reason, because it's full of palestinians, displaced palestinians finding shelter there. but it look likes that israel once again crossed that red line with those devastating effects. it has to be said on the same day hamas fired the barrage of rockets towards israel for the first time in four months. it was eight rockets, but only one landed, and nobody was killed or injured. frances? >> claudio, thank you. president biden will travel to arlington national cemetery where he will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier before delivering a memorial day address. meanwhile, former president trump faced a tough crowd over the weekend when he tried to win over support at the libertarian

convention. here is nbc's julie serkin. president trump is hitting the gas pedal according to speed racers at the coca-cola 600. >> are you going to win north carolina? >> i do believe so. >> reporter: a big nascar contest in a key battleground state, north carolina. but last night, a far less friendly reception than trump typically sees at his own rallies. the crowd at the libertarian national convention booing the former president. >> combine with us. you have to combine with us. we cannot give crooked joe biden four more years. [ booing ] >> reporter: in 2016, trump was able to reach voters outside traditional party lines. but this year -- >> the libertarian party should nominate trump for president of the united states. whoa! maybe you don't want to win. maybe you don't want to win. >> reporter: libertarian voters seem hesitant to support the former president.

>> i would rather eat my own foot out of a bear trap. >> reporter: independent robert f. kennedy jr. who spoke to the same audience on friday -- >> no more propaganda. >> was briefly considered today to be the party's 2024 nominee, but was quickly voted out by libertarian delegates. >> robert f. kennedy jr., 2.07%. >> reporter: it hasn't stopped rfk, trump or even president biden trying to make inroads with third party voters. biden skipped the libertarian convention, speaking to military cadets instead at west point's commencement, a white house tradition. >> nothing is guaranteed about our democracy in america. every generation has an obligation to defend it. >> the former president's supporters lining up since saturday outside of that new york city courtroom. closing arguments, by the way, don't begin until tuesday. but we do expect a verdict as soon as this week. back to you. >> julie, thank you.

a man is in custody in massachusetts this morning after allegedly stabbing four girls at a movie theater. police say the man entered an amc theater without paying and attacked the girls ages 9 to 17. they were taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. the attack appears to be random. police arrested the suspect after a car chase to cape cod. they say he is also a suspect in a similar assault in another part of the state. the tsa said on friday it recorded the highest number of travellers screened on a single day, 2.59 million air passengers were screened which breaks november's record of nearly 2.19 million air passengers. this comes as airlines for america say u.s. carriers plan to fly more than 26,000 daily flights this summer. all right. let's get an update now on the threat of strong holiday storms for the east coast. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking that for us, and she back. hi, michelle. >> hi there, frances.

it's going to be stormy along the east coast. a chance for hail, really heavy rains, also gusty winds and a chance of a few tornadoes extending from new england down to the southeast. in addition to that, we're look at really steamy conditions that's eating some of the storms as we go throughout this monday. 18 million people impacted by heat alerts. we have heat advisories in the orange. heat warnings are in the pink. throughout texas. >> a long the gulf coast states is where we're looking at the highest heat. we could breck a lot of records today. we're looking at nearly 30 record highs are possible. and we're into the triple-digit territories in many spots. san angelo 103, 13 degrees above normal for this time of year. into the 90s in little rock, dallas, houston 97. 9 degrees above normal for this time of year. 90s too in 1y68. 93 in miami. today will be the peak of this heat. but still warm tomorrow. we're looking at temperatures into the upper 80s in raleigh. 92 in pensacola. bato

temperatures into the triple-digits in many spots. san angelo 103. 104 in san antonio. all right. that's your monday forecast. >> thank you, michelle. >> sure. a four-hour rain delay didn't do much to dampen sunday's thrilling and historic indy 500. >> njosef newgarden, this is mind-blowing! >> on the final run around the indianapolis motor speedway, josef newgarden overtook pato o'ward to ride to victory. newgarden becomes the first driver in over two decades to win the race in back-to-back years. "early today" is back in one minute with a devastating loss in the sports world. touching tributes on the greefon r pro golfer grayson murray, and a message from his

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"early today" is back now with a shocking loss for fans of golf. the family of one of the world's best golfers sharing that grayson murray died by suicide at the age of 30. here is nbc's erin mclaughlin. >> our hearts go out to grayson's family. >> reporter: at the charles schwab in texas, players wearing red and black ribbons in honor of grayson murray, hours after his family revealed in a statement the two-time pga tour winner took his own life, writing "we have so many questions that have no answers but one. was grayson loved? the answer is yes, he was loved and he will be missed." on friday, murray suddenly withdrew from the tournament at colonial, his death stunning the world of golf. >> this is a really -- this is just a really real -- this is a really hard

day. >> reporter: over the years, murray was open about his battle with alcoholism, anxiety and depression. >> i wanted to give up lot of times, give up on myself, give up on the game of golf. >> wow. >> grayson murray has done it again! >> reporter: but in january, a comeback, winning the sony open, announcing he'd been sober for eight months, and celebrating his engagement. golf channel's rich lerner has been following murray's career. >> he was so open about his struggles. why was that important to him? >> he wanted to find purpose. he wanted to have a reason to go forward. you look at the highlights from that sony open. you see a young athlete in the prime of his career. >> reporter: a rising star gone too soon. erin mclaughlin, nbc news. >> certainly our condolences go out to grayson's family and loved ones.

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where are you going? there is no hard! >> if you find him, he's mine. >> with that kind of action you can see was a neck-and-neck race at the memorial day box office. but furiosa was the first to pass the finish line, the action prequel debuted with $25.5 million. it barely beat out the other major release of the weekend, the garfield movie, which brought in 24.8 million. the full total from the four-day holiday weekend will come in later today, of course, because, hey, a lot of you guys

aren't going to school and work. so hopefully you'll get to sleep in, number one. and go ahead and watch the movies. >> summertime, the movies. good time to watch a movie. now turning to lizzo finding out the only thing that hurt morse than the truth is eric cartman. >> i've been referenced in a "south park" episode. >> i controlled all my cravings to be thin were lizzo. >> on saturday, the r&b singer gave tiktok a live reaction to being referenced on the latest "south park special" "the end of obesity" and the characters talking about taking a weight loss drug named after lizzo, said to be cheaper than ozempic. she was rendered speechless and said it was because she showed the world how to love yourself. >> she's had some bumps along the way recently too. >> she has. >> hopefully this will help a little bit when it comes to getting back on track. >> i think so. when we come back, how apple may be

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bounce, it's the sheet. here's what's making headlines this memorial day morning. the iconic house from "home alone" is on the market for the first time in 12 years. the more than 9,000-square-foot home even features a basketball court and a movie theater where you of course can watch kevin mccallister keep the bandits at bay. selling for over $5.2 million. bruce springsteen and the e street band have postponed three shows in prague and milan due to vocal issues. the boss postponed in marseille, france for the same reason. apple is expected to unveil its ai plans with its upcoming ios 18 at the worldwide developers conference that begins june 10th. people familiar with the matter tell bloomberg that the new operating system is expected to be the

most ambitious overhaul yet of the iphone software. according to a new study, a potentially habitable xo planet has been discovered 40 light years away. the planet is about the size of venus and may be the right temperature for water to pool on its surface. it's still unknown if it has an atmosphere, though. "early today" will be right back. camilla tried the new scent of gain relax flings and it changed everything. (♪♪) (silence) (♪♪) (♪♪) hey dave, don't knock it till you smell it. try the new luxurious scent of gain relax flings. try new gain relax scent beads too... for twice the vibes . when your gut is out of balance, your body gives you signs.

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which serves as a final resting place for one of america's unidentified world war i service members. the public was invited to place a flower at the tomb ahead of today's 156th memorial day observance commemorating fallen service members. in maryland, one nonprofit is being recognized for making a difference in the lives of veterans with their therapeutic farm. our baltimore affiliate has more. >> this is tranquil, peaceful place. in this crazy world we live in, all that goes away. >> reporter: on 72 acres in moncton, this baltimore county farm provides comfort to all who come here, with scenic views, its four-legged residents have a job to do, be it dog, horse or even goat, they provide therapeutic care. >> i could come out here and sit and watch the horse, and just get into a different frame of mind. >> oh, good girl. >> reporter: dawn is the owner and executive director of wellspring life farm.

the animals help kids of all ages with mobility and mental health issues. from a military family and a veteran herself, dawn and her husband offer free services to service members, veterans and first responders. >> what we do is we create situation, problem-solving activities. so you have somebody perhaps with traumatic brain injury that's in a wheelchair, their activities are going to happen in our big spacious aisle. >> walk on. >> reporter: brian silva was a thunderbird pilot with the air force when he was hit by a drunk driver, and says working with the horses has been life changing. >> he does help me. emotionally, physically. he does it all. an incredible blessing. >> over a period of several months, brian went from not being able to do hardly anything to be able to use his left hand almost independently to groom the horse. >> they go out and take these skills that they learn here at the farm, and they apply them to their everyday life.

>> my dad used to have pictures of my sister and i on his wall, and the grandkids. now there is more pictures of horses. >> reporter: andy now volunteers a the farm where his dad, jack works with amy. the bond they've created is helping with his ptsd. >> amy is a very special spiritual horse, and really get along great with her. can't wait to see her. she can't wait to see us. >> i had a veteran tell me of everything i've been through, the fact that i can be here and not think about anything else is priceless. >> even more reason to appreciate their service and that farm. our thanks to jennifer fra

breaking overnight, tornadoes touching down again, leaving new paths of destruction. at least 19 people killed over the weekend.