good morning. coming up on "early today" breaking overnight. an american doctor who contracted the ebola veers from liberia makes an amazing recovery. new revel aings that the u.s. military made a failed rescue attempt of james foal where i and several other hostages at an isis site. a grand jury convenes on the michael brown shooting. plus, the tragic moment that played carrying a brazilian presidential candidate went down. tempers flared at buffalo bills' training camp. and a woman's electrifying close call. it's thursday, august 21st. "early today" starts right now.

good morning. i'm dara brown. breaking news and good news. the u.s. doctor hospitalized with ebola is going home. dr. kent brantley contracted the virus in liberia earlier this month. he was evacuated out. brantley was taken to atlanta's emory hospital. he showed a remarkable and sudden improvement. he is expected to speak at a news conference later today. we'll also get an wrupt on nancy writebol. she is also being treated at emory for the ebola virus. new information on the savage ebbing cougs of u.s. journalist james foley. word on an attempt to save him. u.s. officials reveal a special forces troop was sent to syria earlier this summer. it was part of a secret mission to save hostages like foley, but the hostages couldn't be found. meanwhile, the u.s. continues air strikes against isis targets in iraq and the president vowed to be relentless to do what must be done to protect americans. nbc's brian moore is in washington d.c. good morning, brian.

what more do we know about this secret mission? >> well, dara, we're learning that elite u.s. commandos slipped over the syrian border several weeks ago and engaged in a bloody firefight with isis forces. one american was injured, but at the end of the day none of the u.s. hostages were found. >> one point we kind of said -- >> reporter: the four radical islamist who executed photojournalist james foley and his parents plead with others to help others. >> he was a great american. he believed in the very best of our country. >> reporter: what president obama told the grieving family the pentagon is now revealing to the world. american special forces tried and failed earlier this summer to rescue foley and other americans held hostage. >> the united states of america will continue to do what we must do to protect our people. we will be vigilant, and we will be relentless.

>> an american citizen of your country. >> reporter: in the same gruesome video that showed foley's beheading the group threatened to kill another american journalist miami-based steven sotlov if president obama doesn't get out of iraq. a scenario now even more unlikely. >> you're going to see a lot more american air strikes than we would have had this not happened. >> reporter: meanwhile, the foley family is mourning the loss and celebrating the life of a man who died while trying to ease the suffering of others. foley's parents are calling him a martyr for freedom. dara. >> brian moore in d.c., thank you for that report. more news from chief foreign correspondent richard engel on the isis threat beyond iraq and syria. >> reporter: security officials say isis has between seven and 12,000 foreign fighters. hundreds from europe and one known american. >> we are coming for you. mark my words. >> reporter: he died carrying out a suicide bombing for a

group considered more violent than al qaeda. >> even a group like al qaeda, which has perpetrated atrocities across the world revere these tactics as being far too brutal. >> reporter: it's so easy to get to sear wra. young men from all over the worldcom to turkey. they make their way to the boarder crossing and simply walk in. turkish authorities are making no real effort to stop them. >> that was nbc's richard engel reporting from turkey. just hours ago encouraging words from captain ron johnson in ferguson, missouri, 11 days after the shooting death of michael brown. during his late night briefing he said while one police officer was hit with a bottle last night, he they responded to only a few incidents and made only six arrests. he mentioned 47 arrests in the same briefing where heed. the quieter night perhaps because of weather. that's lightning you see near the st. louis gateway arch. nevertheless, wednesday was a big day. attorney general eric holder's visit began with a group of ledge students and then on to

meeting community leaders, fbi officials, congressional lawmakers, and the parents of michael brown. the justice department confirmed brown's parents were able to see his body for the first time since his death. also, a grand jury met for the first time to hear evidence in the shooting. the office of prosecutor bob mccullough said it could take -- to present although information to grand jury. there are mixed reviews on this term's visit? what are you hearing? >> i think on the ground the fact here is that people appreciate that their message is being heard somewhere, that they like the idea that the attorney general was here, as a result of what's happened. they want it to continue, and they want it to move forward, and they want these investigations to move more quickly. look, thunderstorms, auz talked about, helped to keep things calm and clear. at least for a bit yesterday evening and overnight as far as the protesters were concerned. after erik holder's visit, which

gave us insight into his civil rights investigation and the ongoing criminal investigation here as well. >> reporter: lightning and rain slowed. >> here for the cause. >> reporter: but didn't stop the protest overnight in ferguson. >> don't shoot. >> hands up. >> reporter: earlier wednesday the cry for justice came from outside of the courthouse where a grand jury met for the first time. >> i understand the public wants to know what's going on, and they should know. >> reporter: as the criminal investigation moves forward, attorney general eric holder traveled to ferguson yesterday to check in on the ongoing federal civil rights investigation that already includes more than 100 witness interviews and an independent autopsy. >> my hope is that that will give people some confidence that the appropriate things are being done by their federal

government. >> reporter: holder met privately with michael brown's family after talking with members of the community, elected officials. captain ron johnson, the officer charged with trying to keep the peace along the frontlines of the protest. >> i think it shows that the people of ferguson, the people of st. louis, that their voices are heard. >> reporter: voices in this grieving, angry community. >> we are one! we are one! >> reporter: that refused to go silent. >> many of those words are calling for the arrest of the officer involved in the shooting. again, the prosecutors say the grand jury likely won't have a hands to make a decision on that until likely mid october. all of this as we're learning about two civil lawsuits filed by a family here. wrongful death suits filed after an incident two years ago where a man was killed in police custody. the officers using tasers in

that incident. that's the latest life here in ferguson. i'm jay gray. dara, back to you. now on to bank of america they're paying big over its involvement in the mortgage meltdown. it's a record breaking deal. $17 billion. the justice department accused the bank of giving out shoddy home loans in 2008. it will pay $9 billion in cash and the rest in assistance to homeowners. other penalties, jp morgan chase, $413 billion. >>. it was a messy marriage, that's what virginia's governor wants the court to believe. >> it's always better to be on offense than defense. >> reporter: bob mcdonald testified in his corruption trial on wednesday, and he blamed his wife maureen saying she turned on him after he won in 2009. he said they became so estranged they could not collaborate to -- if convicted, the mcdonalds could face decades in prison. a woman taking pictures of a

storm is nearly zapped by a lightning bolt in idaho. wow. this just missed her foot. the woman and her daughter who was also outside lost their hearing for about a minute. thankfully both are okay. those are some frightening moments. >> can you see her shirt, the glow of the lightning. it gets so close that it was like a flash bulb going off right next to her. >> you are the meteorologist, bill karins. that's scary to me. >> lightning bolts can travel as much as five miles outside of a thunderstorm. even if you are in the sunshine, freak lightning bolts can come out of storms. that's why they say if you hear thunder, you should be indoors. as far as the weather went across the country, summer, it's arrived in the middle of the country and in the southeast. of course, everyone in the west has felt like summer for a long time. it's about time some of the hot weather shifted into the nation's heartland. 101 in san antonio, and we're

continuing to watch the hot trend for the next two weeks at least. the hottest stretch of the summer for the middle of the country, while we're going through the coolest stretch of the summer for the northwest. right now it's only 55 in seattle. 59 in portland. that's very bearable and comfortable type weather. of course, you would like sunshine along with that. we do have low loudz to deal with. we didn't see the flash flooding and rain like we did the day before, but we still have a chance of showers and storms. still that little l, the upper level low spinning there off the california coast, and that's got moisture being pushed up into arizona. we'll keep the rain chances in the forecast. tucson to phoenix, prescott, flagstaff, and even into vegas, but for much of the west, including oregon and california, you have a dry forecast. arizona. the interior of california

looking gorgeous, still. sacramento, as good as it gets. 83 and sunny. i'll take 83 and sunny in sacramento. i would bottle that up and open it up on a january day. >> sounds like a forecast we want to hear. thank you, bill. still ahead, a warning for some ups customers. bo bergdahl says he is ready for the next chapter of his life. plus, a deadly crash caught on camera. up next. moms know that no two mouths are the same. that's why there's a listerine® product for every mouth. one to clean your whole mouth. one for those hard to reach places. one to protect kids mouths from cavities. even one to freshen breath on-the-go. with over 100 years of innovation in oral care... there's a listerine® product for every mouth in your house. for cleaner, healthier mouths go beyond brushing alone. listerine®. power to your mouth ™. the kids went to take zznana's house... like...

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trainers won't be swimming with shamu during shows. sea world has decided not to appeal a ruling keeping trainers from the water. it was after a trainer was pulled under and died. get set, ready, wait. it could be the worst labor day for traffic in six years. the stock market rose for a third straight day. despite reports from the federal reserve. it shows a growing course of central bank officials willing to raise interest rates sooner rather than later. customers of the ups store may have had their credit and debit card information exposed by a computer virus. ups says the info includes card numbers, postal, and e-mail addresses from about 100,000 transactions between january 20th and august 11th. and a new report shows a growing number of car and truck owners are struggling to make their monthly auto loan payments. experion says the rate of

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this morning on "today" al roker turns 60 wednesday.

now he is giving himself the good gift of good health. the behind the scenes of his milestone check-up. that's later on "today." now it's time for the latest in sports with my good friend richard lui. good morning, richard. >> yeah, good morning, dara. we're going to start with a scary moment in boston. los angeles angels pitcher derek richards awkwardly falling here, trying to cover first base. richards was on the ground nearly ten minutes before being taken off on a gurney. he suffered an injured left knee, patella. more than 34,000 fans at the little league world series wednesday. many eyes on philadelphia pitcher mo'ne davis. she struck out six batters in just over two innings, but the play of the game? this. a big hit to right field in the first. making the diving catch here. they don't look back. nevada dominates 8-1 advancing to saturday. pennsylvania faces illinois on thursday for a chance to join in in the championship as well.

an intense fight breaking outs at buffalo bills training camp. they're on the same team here. this happened during a goal line drill. ryan johnson laying two punches on him before the team intervened. head coach saying he is not a fan of this. >> it hurts the integrity of our game the more we talk about it. that's how i feel about fighting. >> no word on any potential penalties or punishments so far. zimplt the entire tennessee titans team taking the als bucket challenge. former teammate jim sean nominated all of them. he revealed also tuesday he was diagnosed with that disease. michael jordan also taking the challenge. he not only nominated phil jackson and his dream team teammates to take the challenge, but he will also donate some cash. since the start of the challenge donations to the als association have topped $32 million. look at those ice cubes rolling off his head. an nba team took to twitter with the _#nba movie to spoof

movie posters. the dallas mavericks did "joe dirt." the philadelphia 76ers with "em beetle juice." and the knicks with 21 shump street." >> just for me. just just you and the look you want. >> a lot of creativity. back to you. >> thanks so much, richard. new details on the final resting spot of beloved actor robin williams. and the twinkie plant closing again. say it isn't so. something happens when you give your hair... air. you get a natural look without the gray. only just for men has airactiv. the only technology that uses oxygen in the air to get rid of gray while leaving the natural variations in your hair. no ammonia. no peroxide. no overcoloring. just air... just you... and the look you want. just for men. don't be envious. be envied! new revlon colorstay gel envy™

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news of two more robin williams mmz came out this week. first one that happened nine days ago, but fans are just learning about it. williams was cremated the day after he died. according to the official death certificate, the ashes were then scattered on san francisco bay by his family in a small ceremony. second, it was announced where heed that billy crystal will lead a tribute to the star during his 66th annual emmy awards on monday. tune in on august 25th at 8:00 p.m. for full coverage of event. while everyone may want to listen to justin bieber, no one wants to smell like them. both swift and bieber -- i love this, though, they just released signature perfumes with elizabeth arden, and sales are starting to stink. the company is citing one of the biggest quarterly losses in the country. >> sorry, biebs. according to gossip page six the end is near for march eye

wra carrie and nick canon. who knew this? the source says the couple is no longer living together and that maria went as far as hiring security to keep canon away from other women. lion's gate has announced it is in the works of creating a hunger games theme park. yes, you heard it here. nothing like the park for what many parents sometimes feel like their kids do every day, fight to the death. >> what kind of rides are we going to have here? are we going to have bees that chase you? are we -- you just grab a weapon and go at it? >> doesn't that kind of make the amusement park an oxymoron? you're supposed to be amused at a park, but you're going to play hunger death games. the kids will be amused. maybe we can leave them there for a while. i'm dara brown. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. say so long to touch-ups.

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the "new york times" supreme court delays gay marriage in virginia a day before it was set to begin. this move comes a week after federal appeals court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage. and in the "chicago tribune" hostess twinkie plant in schillor park closes after 83 years. it's expected to affect 400 employees. it comes 13 months after twinkies returned to store shelves. remember this youtube video from ju july? a california highway patrol officer punching a 51-year-old woman by the side of the highway? well, prosecutors now saying they're considering criminal charges against the officer. in his report officer daniel andrews says he was trying to protect her, who reportedly

walked on to freeway lanes. in the penalty phase retrial for jodi arias has been delayed. she's been serving as her own attorney. her retrial will now start september 29th. former pres george w. bush now part of the ice bucket challenge with a little help. >> i do not think it's presidential for me to be splashed with ice water, so i'm simply going to write you a check. oh! >> that check is for me. i don't want to ruin my hairstyle. >> and now on to it's sailing, it's rubber, and it's yellow. the world's famous bath toy, the rubber duck, made by dutch artist florentine hoffman. it's been dubbed the world's biggest rubber duck. it is six stories tall and weighs 11 tons.

this one is set to sail near los angeles. that's a different song? you've got to sing that. this one is going to kick off the festival of tall sails. the bath toy will be a major attraction for the event. this duck has been all over the world now. >> i would go out and sea that. have your picture taken with a giant inflatable duck. >> it's been to australia, san francisco, ireland. all over the place. i would want to ride it. that would be fun. >> pop it. >> rubber duck parade. now it's time for a look ahead. one of the most famous caps the past year is now history. pharrell history, mountain hat, designed by vivian westwood is now on display. it's being installed at the museum in washington d.c. happy birthday to nashville actress hayden who turns 25. s harry smith turns 63. i'm dara brown along with bill karins.

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good thursday morning, it's 4:30 i'm stam brock. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. be careful on the roads out there as more students are headed back to school. this morning, the san jose police department will have extra patrols around schools as part of operation safe passage. eight bay area school districts are returning to class this morning in the east bay, expect a busy commute. uc berkeley is also back in session and hayward, the million father march is taking place. the 30 school sites will welcome kids and their fathers to the first day of class. it's national event designed to