there's the childish

nicknames. the crazy conspiracy theories. this weird obsession with crowd sizes. >> the obamas set their sights on donald trump in night two of the dnc. we're live in chicago with the fiery criticism of the former president and their impassioned endorsement of kamala harris. plus, what to watch out for on day three of the convention. heartbreak off the coast of sicily. the difficult search for six people missing after a storm sank a luxury yacht. new details about those still unaccounted for. disney throws out the fine print. why the company is backtracking on plans to fight a wrongful death lawsuit using the terms and conditions on the plaintiff's disney+ subscription. a super commute. the new starbucks ceo brews up controversy with his

thousand-mile trek from his california home to his office in seattle. and bennifer breaks up again. why ben affleck and jennifer lopez are calling it quits two years after tying the knot. it's wednesday, august 21st. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad you could be with me. i'm frances rivera. we begin in chicago where democrats held a musical celebration of history. the convention hall was energized as each state got its own entrance music for a ceremonial roll call vote. kamala harris was already officially confirmed the nominee in a virtual vote. but their allowed each state to shine and bring out surprises like a performance which rapper, lil jon. ♪ ♪ ♪ we're not goin' back ♪

>> after that party ramped up, doug emhoff shared stories about his marriage to harris. and barack and michelle obama joined them. what do we hear from the former president and former first lady? >> reporter: good morning, frances. the obamas gave their characteristic messages of hope. but they also had a stark warning for voters. they reminded americans of what is at stake in this election, that it is still a very close race and that there are only about two and a half months left to make this happen for vice president kamala harris. take a listen. >> as we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt. let us not forget what we are up against. we cannot indulge our anxieties

about whether this country will let som elect someone like kamala. >> donald trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them. it is one of the oldest tricks in politics. from a guy who, let's face it, has gotten pretty stale. we do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. we have seen that movie before. and we all know that the sequel is usually worse. >> reporter: last night, vice president harris was not here in chicago. she was about 80 miles away in milwaukee. she and her running mate, minnesota governor tim walz held a rally for about 15,000 people in the same arena where the republicans just held their national convention last month.

back here in chicago, we'll be hearing from former president bill clinton tonight, before governor walz formally accepts his party's nomination for vice president. frances? >> alice, thank you. you can catch all the action from day three at the dnc starting at 4:00 p.m. eastern. our coverage begins right here on nbc. also in chicago, dozens of pro-palestinian protesters were arrested after clashing with police near the israeli consulate. the cit protesters briefly breached the fence. protests have so far been smaller than expected. police say an anti-war rally on monday drew three and a half thousand people, far below the 20,000 predicted by organizers. the democrats gather in chicago, the republican nominee was meeting with police in

michigan. donald trump criticized vice president harris, focussing on the border, and claiming that harris' policies put americans in danger. the former president also reacting to night one of the dnc. >> i watched last night in amazement, as they tried to pretend that everything was great. the crime was great. the border was great. there wasn't a problem at all. no inflation, no nothing. >> the trump campaign has launched a new effort against kamala harris' record, as california's attorney general. it paints the vice president as weak on crime. robert f. kennedy jr. is considering dropping out of the presidential race to help elect donald trump. that's according to his running mate, nicole shanahan, speaking on the podcast impact theory. shanahan has said continuing their independent campaign could run the risk of a harris-walz presidency, because, quote, we draw votes from trump.

a dnc spokesperson condemned shanahan's remarks. prospects of a cease-fire in gaza appear to be growing slimmer by the day. hamas has rejected the latest proposal, saying it doesn't guarantee a permanent end to the war or a full israeli withdrawal. in another whirlwind tour of the region, secretary of state blinken says there is an urgent need to secure a deal. the remains of six hostages were found in a tunnel. at least some of them, hamas claims, were killed accident any accidently in airstrikes. the search effort for victims from a yacht tragedy is still under way. >> reporter: specialized divers plunging into the dark depths

after the sicilian coast now searching for a miracle. rescuers scouring for those passengers believed to be tragically trapped in the ship's hull, 160 feet down on the sea floor. six remain missing, including the yacht's owner, tech mogul mike lynch and his teenaged daughter. also the british chairman of morgan stanley, jonathan bloomer and his wife judy, along with new york attorney christopher more morvillo. another twist, lynch's co-defendant from the same trial, steve chamberlain was fatally struck by a car while running on saturday. 15 people aboard the yacht were initially rescued with one confirmed death. the body of the ship's chef recovered monday. rescue efforts for those still

missing complicated by the ship's depth and narrow passages. one diver saying the biggest difficulty is getting into the ship. once inside, we can search room by room. security video captured early monday showing the storm's staggering power, including wind gusts up to 150 miles per hour. the captain of another nearby boat saying he was there when the yacht went down. >> we were hit by a violent gust yesterday, a tornado, water tornado, i think they call it. a moment later, she was gone, and we couldn't declare what had happened. >> reporter: an urgent search below the surface. reproductive rights will be on the ballot in more states this november. montana and arizona will put the issue to voters. montana certifying an initiative that would change the state's constitution to protect abortion rights. meanwhile, in arizona, the state supreme court rejected a final

challenge from abortion opponents, allowing a ballot measure to move forward there. if passed, both states' measures would protect abortion up to viability, usually around 24 weeks, with some exceptions for the health and life of the mother. summer heat not letting up for millions across the south. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is tracking temperatures for us. good morning, angie, a lot of kids headed to school all in this heat. >> yes, that summertime heat is not going to let up any time soon. you're exactly right. 22 million people under heat alerts. most of it centered across texas. but parts of new mexico and oklahoma included. major cities like houston as well. and likely, we'll see this last at least for the next couple days. doesn't look like we'll get any relief in the weekend. the great lakes, we're waking up quite nice, and we're only going to end up in the upper 70s in some of these spots. st. louis, 77 degrees. it feels great across that

region, even a little fall-like for some. not the case though as i mentioned across texas. specifically, 100 degrees in dallas. lubbock, 105. and even through the weekend the same temperature trend continues. the ac still needs to be cranked up across that region. meanwhile, for florida, unsettled conditions remain. sho showers and thunderstorms remain. plenty of chances to get some of these downpours and potentially flooding through the next couple . low 90s for denver with plenty of sunshine today in salt lake city. and that's a look at your forecast, frances. back to you. >> thanks so much, angie. she didn't come back with olympic gold, but coco gauff is

getting just as big an honor at home. she will be featured on a limited edition of wheaties cereal. you can find it on shelves this month. we're back in a minute with another hollywood twist in the talks to buy paramount. and you think your commute is bad? why the new ceo of starbucks is making a thousand-mile trek. metamucil's psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you movin'. and try fizzing fiber plus vitamins. [♪♪] metamucil keeps you movin'. did you know, there's a detergent that gets your dishes up to 100% clean, even in an older dishwasher? try cascade platinum plus. for sparkling clean dishes even on the toughest jobs. just scrape, load and you're done. switch to cascade platinum plus. wanna know a secret? more than just my armpits stink. facts. that's why i use secret whole body deodorant for clinically proven odor protection everywhere.

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is looking to gain control of paramount. that's according to several media reports. but you might remember that back in july, sky dance actually agreed to buy a controlling shareholder of paramount. what happened here is that there was a 45-day window in which other offers could be made. let's see what's going to happen here and how this is going to unfold. meanwhile, all eyes on bryon nicol. the new ceo of starbucks. he's not relocating to seattle where the company is headquartered. the new ceo can keep his residence in california and commute on a corporate jet. i have to say, however, that he's not theonly one doing so. and actually, there seems to be a growing trend of what's being called the super commuting ceo. >> okay, sylvia, thank you so much. a federal judge in texas has struck down the ftc's ban on

non-compete agreements. the judge said the agency doesn't have the authority to issue the rule, which would have taken effect next month. an estimated 30 million u.s. workers are bound by non-competes. an ftc spokesperson says they are disappointed by the decision and are seriously considering a potential appeal. disney says it will no longer try to block a wrongful death lawsuit by using the plaintiff's disney+ subscription as justification. jeffrey piccolo filed suit against the company after his wife died from allergic reaction at an independently-owned restaurant in disney world. they said he agreed to terms in a disney+ subscription. disney says it won't use the argument in court. still to come, jenny from the block is giving back one rock that she's got.

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i think right now, it just sucks. >> no, it doesn't suck. >> yes, it does. >> that's wrong. that's just inexperience, that you haven't done this process before. >> i'm sorry, that i'm not award-winning director. >> those days are long gone. the greatest love story never told has appeared to reach its end. on tuesday, just over two years after exchanging their vows, jennifer lopez filed for divorce from benbe affleck. the filing date lists their separation date as april 26. they rekindled their relationship, and they had the movie where she is proclaiming her love for him out there. and if you watch it now, it's

like, oh, boy. and, for this short amount of time, for it to be done. >> and for it all to be documented. maybe they just need another 17-year break. >> third time? i cannot see her getting married again. dating, yeah. but for affleck, i can see him, actually, you know, getting married. >> i could see it too. >> we'll see. >> we shall. turning now to our modern half of bennifer. tr travis kelce is in talks for "loose cannons." he will be booked and busy for at least 18 weeks, starting on september 5th. it's the latest entertainment venture for the three-time super bowl champion, he's set to star in fx's new series next month in add addition to hosting "are you smarter than a celebrity". i don't know when this guy sleeps. it's interesting to see him start a potential career once he's done with football and puts

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the family of 117-year-old branez was born in san francisco in 1907 and moved to spain with her family when she was young. she had been living in a nursing home in cat catalonia when she . a midwest museum is hoping there really is no place like home for a piece of hollywood history nearly 20 years after they were stolen. emilie ikeda tells us about the push to bring back the ruby slippers. >> reporter: they've been called the holy grail of hollywood memorabilia. >> follow the yellow brick road treasures. there are just four known pairs today. and the museum in grand rapids,

minnesota is hoping to score this storied set later this year. >> rural america deserves a pair, especially in the midwest where the film took place. >> reporter: the slippers have taken on a movie plot of their own. vanishing from the judy garland museum where they were on loan back in 2005. it wasn't until 2018 the fbi recovered the historic heels in a sting operation. >> they're more than just a pair of shoes, the slippers. they're an enduring symbol of the power of belief. >> reporter: when people come to the museum, are they asking about the ruby slippers? >> oh, it's the most talked-about conversation at the front desk. >> where the ruby slippers were stolen in 2005. >> reporter: john worked at the museum when the slippers were stolen and now offers tours all about it. >> this was the door that was breached. >> reporter: he dreams of seeing the shoes back on their former pedestal, but the yellow brick road to raising enough money is

a hong long one. the famed slippers are valued at $3.5 million. early fund raising efforts are approaching half a million dollars, and as the judy garland museum hopes folks will see -- >> there's no place like home. >> this pair needs a home. >> reporter: and you're hoping it's here. >> we're hoping it's here. >> reporter: grand rapids, minnesota. coming up on today, we are heading back to school. nbc's vicky nguyen will share her top tips on ways to save with back to school shopping. i know it's on the list of everybody to knock those things out. thanks for watching "early today" and joining me on this wednesday. i'm frances rivera. have a great one, and hope you're up early on thursday to join me again.