the stars on the lining for

president biden, george clooney calling for him to exit the race. how he will try to rally his candidacy today against the backdrop of a key nato summit. comparisons to george floyd. a man dies after being pinned down by hotel security guards. a mystery haunting a college town. the allegationins of lahazing. two astronauts speaking out after getting stranded in space longer than anyone expected. why their return home is still up in the air. costco bulking uppity its bm line. and picking up the pieces. how legos became the building blocks for a toy bust.

"early today" starts right now. hi there, and welcome to thursday. i'm frances rivera. today will be another critical test for president biden, as the nato summit wraps up. the president is set to hold a rare, solo press conference this evening. this could be a make or break moment for his campaign, as he faces growing questions about his health. brie jackson joins us now from d.c. good morning. w one of the president's most high-profile supporters very publicly asked him to step aside. >> reporter: that's right. just a few weeks after hosting a star-studded fundraiser for the president, george clooney is calling for a new nominee. the actor wrote an essay for the new yor"new york times," saying, we are not going to win in november with this president. clooney says he has spoken to lawmakers in private that have this same opinion. former house speaker nancy pelosi is now the highest-ranking democrat to publicly question president

biden's political future. pelosi says the president has her support, but, instead of saying whether or not he should stay in the race, she said, time is running out for that choice. >> it's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. we're all encouraging him to, to make that decision, because time is running short. i want him to do whatever he decides to do. and that's, that's the way it is. whatever he decides, we go with. >> reporter: nbc news reached out to the biden campaign about these comments from pelosi and the letter from george clooney. the campaign pointed to the president's previous comments, saying, he's fully committed to staying in the race. the biden campaign is also pushing back against the notion that their fund raising numbers are down. two sources close to the reelection effort told nbc news donations may be down by half this month, but the campaign pushed back saying grassroots fund raising in july has been

very strong. now the president will get another chance to get his campaign back on track at that high-stakes press conference tonight. frances? >> brie, thank you. coming up on monday, lester holt sits down with the president in an exclusive one-on-one interview. can you catch a preview on nbc nightly news and watch the full, unedited interview on a prime time special at 9:00 p.m. eastern. nato is accusing china of being an enabler of russia in the war against ukraine. the member states sounded the alarm on their programs. >> china is propping up russia's war economy. this is not just a temporary coalition of convenience. it is a major strategic shift. >> for the latest, let's bring in claudio lavanga. why is nato going after china?

>> reporter: good morning, frances. leaders of nato are formally accusing china of playing a bigger role in the war in ukraine that is previously claimed. now china so far has claimed that it has never given direct military assistance to russia when it comes to the war in ukraine. but nato is saying that it is supplying components for military equipment in russia and also chemicals for explosives, therefore increasing dramatically the threats that russia poses to its neighbors, including of course, ukraine and nato allies. as a consequence, nato leaders in that declaration also urged china to stop, to cease any material or political support to russia in its war efforts in ukraine and also, as you mentioned. it is warning that china has increased its nuclear, expanded its nuclear arsenal, and it is

accusing china of being behind increased cyber activity, including misinformation. china has reacted to that statement, final declaration by nato. they called that declaration full of cold war mentality and rhetoric, and also said it is filled with obvious lies and smears. they also say the crisis in ukraine was not created by china and that on the contrary, china is promoting peace in ukraine. frances? >> okay, claudio, thank you. now to congress, where an effort has been launched to reshape the supreme court. new york's alexandria ocasio-cortez has introduced articles of impeachment against justices, samuel alito and clarence thomas, over their refusal to recuse themselves from certain cases. the resolutions were co-sponsored by seven democrats. it's unlikely the effort will gain traction in the house where

republicans have the majority. the supreme court has not responded to request for comment. now to a disturbing story out of milwaukee, where an unarmed man died after being subdued by hotel security guards. the incident was captured on cell phone video and is sparking outrage. our maggie vespa has the story. and a word of warning, the footage is disturbing. >> to see them beat him, repeatedly, over and over and over again. they didn't stop. they could have stopped. they could have let him go, and they didn't. >> reporter: in wisconsin, a distraught wife, demanding justice in the death of devonte' mitchell, after family says they reviewed surveillance video from milwaukee's hyatt regency hotel showing the husband and father running scared through the lobby, at one point ducking into a women's restroom being detained by hotel security, leading to this moment. >> stay down! stop fighting!

stay down! >> reporter: cell phone video recorded by a witness shows mitchell, who family says may have been suffering from a mental health episode, crying out as he's held face down by people identified by police as hotel security, one appearing to notice the witness. milwaukee police saying mitchell had fought with security guards who detained him until police arrived. they say officers found mitchell unresponsive, and he later died. civil rights attorney ben crump says one who held him down, a front desk employee, told security guards mitchell couldn't breathe but was ordered to keep holding him. >> to the district attorney, we don't know what else we need to present to you! to bring charges. >> reporter: more than a week after mitchell's death, they're still awaiting autopsy results, but they're investigating this case as a homicide. hyatt says the group that manages the hotel has suspended the employees involved.

back to you. >> maggie, thank you. opening arguments got under way in the alec baldwin "rust" trial in santa fe, new mexico. he is charged with manslaughter. a key issue is whether he pulled the trigger or if the gun malfunctioned. both the prosecution and defense made their case. >> you will see him put his finger on the trigger when his finger's not supposed to be on the trigger. >> even if he intentionally pulled the trigger like the prosecutor just demonstrated, that doesn't make him guilty of homicide. >> baldwin could face up to a year and a half in prison if convicted. police are investigating after a dartmouth student was found dead. officials are looking into whether hazing played a role in this tragedy. nbc's emilie ikeda has more of the community's search for answers. >> reporter: juan jang dreamt of

winning a nobel prize, a student mentor and guitar player in a band. something he started with girlfriend lydia jenn. >> he was the brightest soul on this campus, and he did not deserve what happened to him. >> reporter: on sunday, jang's body was found 65 feet offshore in the connecticut river. the 20-year-old was last seen the night before at a social gathering near the dartmouth boathouse, according to authorities. jenn, who was not there, says he didn't know how to swim. >> when we found out, it was horrible. all those stages of grief, and they all kind of happened all at the same time, except for the acceptance part. >> reporter: while hannover police say there was no sign of foul play, they're looking into the potential of hazing and involvement of alcohol, though haven't released any evidence. now, the two greek organizations that attended the party, according to a source familiar with the investigation, have been suspended.

including the fraternity jang was a member of, which was already on alcohol probation. the organization has not commented. as investigators seek answers, jenn hopes for change. >> hopefully, there will be measures taken at some point so that this will never happen again to anyone. and no one will have to suffer like he did or like we are right now. >> reporter: emilie ikeda, nbc news. hurricane beryl did not go quietly. its remnants tearing across the midwest and northeast, spawning tornados, relentless rain and flooding. at least one twister touched down in upstate new york, wreaking havoc south of buffalo. this, as more than 1.3 million are still without power in southeast texas with temperatures climbing into the 90s. houston's largest utility, centerpoint energy under scrutiny as they race to restore power. let's turn to angie lassman on these stifling temperatures.

>> you see the alerts you just mentioned across parts of texas. we've got a whole lot of them across the west coast as well. 50 million people under these heat alerts as we gear up for another really oppressive day. temperatures over 100 degrees and record setting in some spots. las vegas set to break a record of 116 today with a high of 118 expected. fresno likely will tie that record with 114 this afternoon. salt lake city expected to break today's record with a high of 106. and no relief, unfortunately, if you're looking for cooler air out west you won't get it, at least not this weekend. we've got rain working through parts of the northeast and new england. the big batch of moisture is going to work its way to the northeast. we've got alerts for people in maine to new york as we get through the morning hours. we'll finally start to see nicer conditions across the mid section of the country as we get through the, as we get through friday. we've got some of those showers and thunderstorms hanging out across parts of the east coast

with a 2 degrees. 94 for jacksonville. thunderstorms in the forecast for tampa to orlando. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. >> ready for a break from the heat and the storms. "early today" is back in a moment for what to expect from a key inflation report today. and costco is bulking up the price of its membership. g up th price of its membership. tic fru. with a delicious apple and blueberry-flavored fruit center and yogurt coating, each bite is infused with added probiotics, to help promote a healthy digestive system every day. plus, they're packaged in individually-wrapped pouches, for daily digestive support on the go. look for new align yogurt coated probiotic fruit bites

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details, good morning charlotte. >> indeed, costco will increase the membership fee by $5 in the u.s. and canada from september 1st. it is the first increase since june 2017. this means the annual membership will go from $60 to 65 per year and the executive membership will go from $120 to $130. costco said the fee increase will affect 52 million memberships, half of those being executive. and annual fees have been one of the biggest profit-generating areas of costco, helping offset prices to keep them down. we expect a big report today, key inflation report published later this morning for consumer price index. the economy's expected to rise 0.1% month over year, 3.1%

year-over-year. and the recent economic releases suggest inflation and economy growth have cooled down recently, potentially paving the way for the federal reserve to s start cutting interest rates in the coming months. all eyes on this inflation report. >> okay, charlotte, thank you so much. still to come, a preview of what's to come for ellen. and a first look at season two of a hit show. at season two of a hit show. because it stinks. ♪have you tried downy rinse and refresh♪ it helps remove odors 3x better than detergent alone. it worked guys! ♪yeahhhh♪ downy rinse and refresh. this is what joint pain looks like. when you keep moving with aleve. (♪♪) just 1 aleve. 12 hours of uninterrupted joint pain relief. aleve. strength to last 12 hours. finish ultimate. engineered for the toughest conditions. dry burnt-on stains.

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mind-bending drama. the season premiere is on january 17. i've already forgotten so much. i'm going to have to restart. i love seeing patricia arquette. >> yep. >> christopher walken is huge in that, and ben stiller is the one behind it. >> i couldn't believe when i watched the first season. speaking of the first season, i, too, have forgotten what it was all about. i can't wait for season two. but how am i going to wait another six months? >> right. ellen degeneris is close to taking her final bow. the comedy and talk show icon filled in an audience question. her response lived up to her tour's name saying, quote, their is this is the last time you're going to see me. she addressed allegations of a toxic work culture. she said while she can be demanding and tough, she is not

mean. the tour will include a special for netflix. i can't believe that she's actually going to leave show business. there's been controversy, but i'll be surprised if she actually. >> i know, but sometimes when you put yourself out there so much and after everything she's been through, she's like, all right, i really need to step back. i kind of get it. when we come back, jontay porter pleads guilty to wire fraud and pat sajak returns for one last spin. sajak returns for one last spin. . and pat sajak returns for one last spin. t sajak returns f one last spin. oh no! with chewy, get flea meds delivered before the itching begins or after. but before is definitely better. good job. save 20% on your first pharmacy order and get it delivered right on time.

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speaking out from space after their return home flight hit a few snags. here's tom costello. >> hello, everybody. >> reporter: in their 35th day of what was supposed to be a ten-day mission, astronauts butch will more and sunny williams remain confident in their starliner spaceship. >> i have a really good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem. >> reporter: a problem with the ship's thrusters. engineers on the ground are working to replicate the problem. starliner is on its maiden voyage. billions of dollars over budget and delayed by engineering challenges, nasa wants to ensure the thrusters don't fail again when the astronauts return to earth. >> it seems it's been snake bit at every turn. are you confident in the performance of the ship for future missions as well? >> this is the world of tests.

this is a tough business that we're in. human spaceflight is not easy. in any regime. failure is not an option. that's. >> we're staying here now. >> reporter: they still believe starliner is safe and could be used in an emergency. >> the priority is to return butch and suni on starliner. we don't see any reason that wouldn't be the case. >> reporter: now targeting late july for their homecoming. tom costello, nbc news, washington. team usa is bringing flavor to the olympics. flavor flav, that is. the hall of fame rapper signed a five-year sponsorship deal to be the hype man for the men's and women's polo teams, flav even hopping into the water with some of the women. >> girls playing this water polo, they out there busting

they [ bleep ] making the united states look good. that's what i'm trying to do with these girls, to give them a more powerful feeling, a more confident feeling to go out and get that fourth gold medal. >> as part of the deal, flavor flav will make a financial contribution to the 2024 women's team. of course you can watch all the action right here starting july 26. okay, today is free slurpee day. and 7-eleven's 97th birthday. you can get a free slurpee. so this year's drink comes in a special-edition cup designed with a children's miracle hospital network. customers can make a donation to the charity in store while you enjoy that neon green slpee. thanks forur

world leaders coming together one more time i