coming up on "early today," massive flooding creating waterfalls in texas while causing massive damage and major headaches. military strikes pound isis terrorists overnight, as president obama vows to crush their network of death. >> the only language understood by killers like this is the language of force. new development, an arrest in the missing of university of virginia student. and derek jeter's final night at yankees stadium. it is thursday, september 25th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm dara brown. let's start with that severe flooding overnight in northern texas.

the national weather service says more than two inches of rain fell in lubbock in under two hours. turning roadways into water ways. the flooding was so sudden and severe, fire crews had to pull people from their vehicles. the storm also brought hail, lightning and high winds that downed power lines. and in western texas, we're getting a first look at devastating flooding after the pecos river overflowed its banks earlier this week. cars were stuck in the mud and mobile homes flooded. more rain is expected in that region today. the u.s. military has expanded its aerial campaign against isis targets striking in both syria and iraq. the strikes, however, have not stopped militants from advancing in kurdish areas. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has the latest from the turkey/syria border. >> reporter: isis now has copycats. in algeria, a militant group claimed it beheaded this french national in revenge for attacks on isis. in the philippines, another

group threatened to do the same to two germans. but syria remains the isis headquarters. these bombings, according to the activists who filmed them, was the work of the syrian regime. yet witnesses told nbc the victims don't know who's bombing them anymore. they feel under attack from both the assad regime and the americans. the u.s. is in this now, and it is not stopping isis so far. the militants are closing in on syria's turkish border, sending refugees flooding across. more than 100,000 syrians have fled from isis into turkey in just the last few days. with nowhere to go, the new arrivals have been forced to live in public parks, with just the clothes on their backs. when a volunteer brings a box of cookies, you can see how hungry the children are. these refugees fear isis but worry the american strategy won't work. we want the u.s. to strike both isis and bashar al assad said

this 40-year-old, a well digger. but isis has a clear strategy, to use american air strikes as propaganda, now that america is a participant in syria's widening civil war. >> that was nbc's richard engel reporting. today, president obama will wrap up his three-day visit to the united nations. he's been pushing world leaders to act on isis and stand by what he calls its network of death. >> there can be no reasoning, no negotiation with this brand of evil. the only language understood by killers like this is the language of force. >> nbc's tracie potts is live in washington this morning. tracie, good morning. how successful has the president's push been this week? >> reporter: well, dara, the administration will say it's been pretty successful from the battlefield to diplomacy. and politics now at the u.n. the president gave that big speech yesterday. he chaired the security council and he's been meeting one on one with world leaders trying to get

their support. >> the united states of america will work with a broad coalition to dismantle the network of death. >> reporter: president obama's push for international support against isis comes after success on the battlefield. the u.s. with two of its arab partners hit 12 oil refineries in syria. those refineries bring isis $2 million a day, from the u.s., a warning. >> those who joined isil should leave the battlefield while they can. >> reporter: the pentagon believes but has yet to confirm air strikes killed the leader of the terrorist group khorasan. the u.s. is giving $40 million to the opposition to help them fight isis and set up a new government. >> the moderate opposition remains syria's best hope. >> reporter: there has been support from the outside if president obama got the security council to agree to restrict travel for foreign fighters. >> preventing these individuals from reaching syria and then slipping back across our borders

is a critical element of our strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy. >> your excellence. >> reporter: the french are especially motivated after the latest act of terror. isis beheaded one of their own. >> translator: france will never give in to blackmail, to pressure, to barbaric acts. france is fully committed in this combat. >> reporter: and now the administration is saying 50 countries are fully committed to fighting isis. dara? >> tracie potts in washington, d.c. tracie, thanks so much for that update. he sped away from police this past weekend, but now the man wanted in connection with missing university of virginia student hannah graham is under arrest. jesse matthew will appear in court early this morning, not in virginia, but instead 1300 miles away in texas. that's where police found him on a beach yesterday afternoon. matthew will answer to charges that he failed to identify himself as a fugitive and for giving police false information

during his arrest. texas police won't go into detail about the circumstances that led to his arrest. but said they found matthew under a tent near a parked car after answering a suspicious person call. police in virginia began the process to have him extradited. they'll travel to texas today to meet with officials. police in pennsylvania think they're closing in on the man they say ambushed state troopers 13 days ago. the officials say they once again spotted eric frein from a distance in the wooded area where he's been hiding. but once again, frein got away. officials are now doing dna tests on this empty pack of cigarettes and soiled diapers police found in the area yesterday. they also released a picture of a jeep, a passerby found earlier in the week. meanwhile, investigators confiscated items from his home yesterday afternoon. they have until january to wrap up their investigation, but the grand jury in the michael ground shooting case be could be done as early as mid-november.

but according to special prosecutor bob mccullough who made the announcement during a radio interview yesterday. for first time since brown's shooting, president bill clinton discussed the circumstances surrounding it. >> so important that police officers be in a model. when the governor put the african-american state trooper who was from that area in charge of overseeing the situation and communicating with the folks in the community, things got better. >> renewed outrage over this bracelet, which says i am darren wilson on it. some police officers in missouri are reportedly wearing them in support of the officer who allegedly shot brown. yesterday a reporter pressed ron johnson about them. >> i think that that was not a statement of law enforcement,

that wearing that was an individual statement. we will have conversation with those agencies after this. >> and hundreds filled an auditorium yesterday and told justice department officials about their interactions with ferguson police and other police departments in st. louis. it is the fight of her life. television personality joan lunden, long time host of "good morning america ," is on the cover of this week's "people" magazine. she appears without a wig and she intimately describes her battle with cancer. lunden was diagnosed with an aggressive stage two triple negative form of breast cancer. nbc news meteorologist bill karins is here with our thursday forecast. our hearts go out to her. >> the big pacific storm came in yesterday. we needed it, big change from our fire season, kind of rare to get up this early in the season, especially september, but look at the rainfall totals from yesterday. seattle, inch and a half.

medford, over two inches. that's great after an extremely dry period of weather. this was much welcomed rain. now we're watching it trying to push through northern california, and a little southern piece of that energy is moving on shore. here is the radar out of -- even san francisco has a chance of getting some rain. it is coming down pretty good to the north of san francisco. looks like it should be starting there shortly. for the early, early portion of your morning commute, you can get some rain there and tapering off through the morning. the forecast has a chance of showers in there still as we push inland. even vegases had a chance of getting wet weather, hot in phoenix, but that northwest weather pattern is dramatically changed from that hot/dry summer weather, now very much in fall, coolish weather pattern, highs struggling to get to 70 degrees. that's you feels

and looks like summer from phoenix to yuma. that's great, northern california, we'll take it, get whatever rain we can this morning. careful driving. they worry about it being a little slick first time it rained in a long time. >> i'm sure it will be. hopefully the rain will help the wildfires burning out there in california. tony stewart's legal troubles are not over yet. plus, we'll tell you what the settlement was in this police beating incident. and where you can find the richest single men and women in the country. those details are coming up next. how do commercials work? you need a team, working together, doing all kinds of jobs. see these people? they're not acting.

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6.4 mass shootings a year. but from 2007 to 2013 there were 16.4. 2700 people are still homeless because of that massive 139 square mile king fire in california. it is now the second most expensive fire fight this year in california. price tag, $53 million in just two weeks. tony stewart will not face criminal charges in the death of fellow driver kevin ward jr. that's the decision from a grand jury. but a civil case may be ahead. the ward family issued a statement saying, quote, the matter is not at rest and we will pursue all remedies in fairness to kevin. prosecutor said ward had marijuana in his system at the time. and the woman punched by a california highway patrol officer on the side of the road has reached a settlement. according to the associated press, marlene pinnic will receive $1.5 million in a trust. the officer has agreed to resign. it is time to get down to business and the stock market

had its best day in a month on wednesday. the dow jumped 154 points. looking for a partner with some bank, money magazine has put together a list of small cities where the wealthiest bachelors and bachelorettes live. the top five are massachusetts, virginia, the cities include brookline, lower meer yohn, newton, arlington and reston. the new york times is reporting that many car loan lenders are using remote technology to shut cars down if owners miss even one payment. and today the faa is expected to approve the use of drones to seven television production companies. tickets to tonight's final home game of new york yankee derek jeter are averaging about $845. premiere seats behind the yankees dugout will cost you a whopping 10 grand a piece. and just ahead, barbra streisand has accomplished something no one in the world ever has. that's up next. you know, millions of people have saved with progressive, so i get invited to quite a few family gatherings. heck, i saved judith here a fortune

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> this morning on "today," hoda kotb premieres her shine a light music video truly brave. it is a mashup featuring sarah bareilles, cyndi lauper and special kids. you won't want to miss it. now sports, the l.a. dodgers have clinched nl west in a thriller against the giants. >> and that's into right center. on his way is bronco to third.

the throw to third! got him! >> showing off that arm during his nl leading 14th outfield assist. and kershaw finished in mvp fashion, striking out 11 in the 9-1 victory. the yankees are out of playoff contention after the orioles beat them 9-5. that also means there are only four games left in captain derek jeter's career. he will play his final home game tonight at yankee stadium. >> getting more and more difficult. i try to put it out of my mind, but it is getting more and more difficult to do that. >> the captain's final farewell has inspired the rival the boston red sox to offer a promotion. they'll give one yankees fan two free tickets to jeter's last game at fenway on sunday you have until friday afternoon to submit nominations. phil hughes was one out away from earning a half a million dollars. hughes pitched through eight innings against the diamondbacks

before a rainstorm delayed the game, totalling his season to 209 and 2/3 innings pitched. he said he needed to pitch 210 innings to set of bonus. on the bright side, the twins pulled off a 2-1 win. and tennis sensation roger federer took to twitter to ask his followers to help him. the twitter world did not disappoint. here's one captioned, how about a leading role in a bol lywood movie and here he's playing cricket. and finally he can cool off with a dip in the river. just ahead, a barbra streisand first. christopher walken as you've never seen him. and ted just signed a huge star. s at the beach. before earning 1% cash back everywhere, every time. and 2% back at the grocery store.

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well, we officially have rain at the san francisco airport. you say, why is that significant? i was just looking through the climate data, had a trace of rain every now and then, but since measurable rain, it has been april 25th. i mean, april 25th to now before you've actually had significant rainfall in some areas of the sfrasks b san francisco bay. this is a significant morning. the thursday forecast looks like showery weather, wet weather early today and into friday still showers in the northwest, but how crazy of a stat is that?

significant rain since april 25th. big deal when it rains. >> that's the entire summer. nothing significant the entire summer. >> it is a long time. >> let's hope they all stay safe for the rain there now. thank you, bill. now time for entertainment news, bar ra streisand at the top of billboard's 200 with her partners. she's the only singer to release six number one albums in six consecutive decades. partners is a collection of her duets with singers like lionel richie, michael buble and stevie wonder. as keanu reefs lost his house keys? his home has had two intruders in the last two days. the latest female suspect was skinny dipping in his swimming pool. reeves was not home at the time. >> extra chlorine, drain the pool? >> i think i would drain it and refill it. one never knows. and take a tweet hint from the raider of ted. seth mcfarlane is the voice of the teddy bear and he is saying morgan freeman will be joining liam neeson for ted 2.

jersey shore's situation is in a bad situation. mike sorrentino and his brother are accused by the irs of filing false tax returns on almost $9 million, claiming bogus business expenses. that's a lot of money. the brothers have pleaded not guilty. and now a sneak peek. peter pan live has their villain in hair and makeup. the executive producer tweeted this photo of christopher walken as captain hook. it is going to be exciting to watch that live. surprise, tyler perry's first baby is on its way. his model girlfriend is eight months pregnant. we wish them all the best. >> i think -- are you afraid christopher walken will steal the show? >> he'll be amazing. >> he always is. i'm dara brown. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day on nbc. on my journey across america, i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want a big hat...

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leading the news on on nbcnews.com, drone the size of 747 could fly in 2015. the facebook engineer says the company plans to use solar drones to provide free wi-fi to two-thirds of the world's population that lacked internet access. and in the washington post, the clinton team is following reporters to the bathroom. here's why that matters. while covering the clinton global initiative in new york city, a new york times reporter says a clinton aide escorted her to the ladies room and waited outside the stall. the article says the episode reflects and these are the post's words, quote, the dark and frankly paranoid view the clintons have toward the national media. now to some other stories we're following, newly released

surveillance video shows moments leading up to a fatal shooting at an ohio walmart. police say 22-year-old john crawford didn't obey commands to put down what turned out to be a bb gun taken off a store shelf. the grand jury found the officers justified in their actions. the department of justice plans to review the case. in a land mark settlement, the obama administration agreed to pay the navajo nation $554 million. the tribe claims the u.s. government mismanaged funds and natural resources for decades. here is something you wouldn't expect to find when police show up at your door. a pizza delivery driver was injured in a crash, so two portland oregon officers made sure that that pizza ended up in the right hands. and here's your pie, thank you very much. that's very sweet of them. this is a great story, meet kamina, the newest member of the cincinnati zoo. after being abandoned by her mother at birth, this baby gorilla was transferred to cincinnati to be raised by the zoo coopers there.

they'll dress like gorillas to act in her mother's place and nurture her. she will just have to monkey around with humans. i think the humans are having more fun playing with that monkey than -- >> of course. made me change my opinion. i said if i could feed one baby, it would be a white lion, they're so rare and stuff. but -- or a white tiger. gut bu but she looked really cute. >> adorable, until she gets big and grows up. time for a look ahead and a look back. opening statements are scheduled today for the retrial of michael dun in jacksonville, florida. he's charged with first degree murder in the 2012 killing of unarmed teen jordan davis during an argument over loud music. the jury deadlocked on the murder charge in february. happy birthday to actor will smith who is 46. and sharing a birthday, hollywood couple michael douglas and catherine zeta-jones, he's 70 and she's 45. and veteran news woman barbara walters, big happy birthday to her, she's 85 today. great news for her. i'm dara brown. thanks for watching "early

today." i'll here with bill karins. we wish you to have a great one.

>> good morning to you. take a look at this front. well defined. moving into the bay area, producing heavy rainfall at this point. from the