coming up on "early today," parents remove kids from schools as a ten-person cdc task force investigates ebola in texas. another major health concern, enterovirus, blamed for four deaths and is now in 42 states and the district of columbia. leaks coming from the ferguson, missouri grand jury in e michael brown case. a couple of bungling beer bandits baffles authorities. a new baby for ashton and mila. and a creative use for those annoyingly underfilled potato chip bags. it is thursday, october 2nd. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm richard lui.

ebola emergency. the race to trace anyone who came in contact with thomas eric duncan. he's first ebola patient diagnosed on u.s. soil. also, an alert from united airlines to people on his flight because of reports of duncan falling ill after helping a sick liberian woman. and now a patient in hawaii put in isolation over possible ebola concerns. here is nbc's jay gray. >> reporter: still in isolation inside this dallas hospital, thomas eric duncan, a liberian national, the first patient diagnosed with ebola in the united states continues to fight for his life. >> we're categorizing his condition as serious but stable. >> reporter: duncan showed no symptoms when he left west africa on september 19th, but days later he was sick and made his first visit to texas health presbyterian hospital where he told an intake nurse he had just traveled from liberia, an obvious red flag but he was sent home with a prescription for antibiotics. >> regretfully that information was not fully communicated

throughout the full team and as a result the full import of that information wasn't factored in to the clinical decision making. >> reporter: potentially putting even more people at risk. a cdc team on the ground in dallas has identified 12 to 18 people who may have made contact with duncan while he was sick, including five school-aged children. >> these children have been identified and they are being monitored. >> reporter: for a deadly disease that for the first time is now threatening americans at home. jay gray, nbc news, dallas. now to another fast-moving illness. this one hitting children across the u.s. a fourth patient hit with enterovirus 68 has died. the 10-year-old was from rhode island, she had a rare bacterial and viral infection, both symptoms of that illness. so far, 42 states reported cases of enterovirus. >> would i be concerned as a

parent? absolutely. but would i be concerned to the point that i would take my child out of school if there was another sick child in their classroom? no. >> the virus is most severe among children who have asthma. today will be all about joseph clancy and the nation's capital. he was named interim director of the secret service following julia pierson's resignation. >> mr. clancy is somebody who is taking a leave of absence from his private sector job to re-enter government service. that is, i think, a demonstration of the sacrifices he's making, princely because of the loyalty he feels to this organization, this agency, that he served for so long. >> after retiring from the secret service in 2011, he's been in charge of security for comcast in philadelphia. nbc universal's parent corporation. after review, the white house will decide if more members of the secret service will be leaving. nbc's tracie potts is in washington. good morning to you. with all of this happening in the last 24 hours, does this satisfy the concerns that critics have been levying. >> reporter: not really, not all of them.

as you alluded, richard, some lawmakers think there are others inside the secret service who may need to go. joe clancy is in charge of the secret service for now. he's interim director. clancy headed the president's security detail three years ago. he's replacing julia pierson. >> there are probably some other folks who need to take the exit sign -- exit ramp out too. . >> the more i learn, the worse it is. and that scares me. >> reporter: the white house learned about the elevator incident just minutes before it went public. >> if there is a serious breach of the president's security that we would anticipate that at a minimum that white house officials would be informed in a timely fashion. >> reporter: the white house fence jumper pleaded not guilty wednesday. homeland security and an

independent panel will investigate that, plus shots fired in 2011. it took the secret service four days to confirm those bullets hit the first family's private residence. >> even adt can detect when a window is broken. >> reporter: president obama's in chicago today, talking about the economy, with security tighter than ever. now, back to julia pierson this morning, who has stepped down. she told bloomberg it was painful to leave the agency while they were in the middle what she called a significant security breach. a lot more to come on this one. >> tracie, thank you so much for the very latest on that from washington, d.c. a possible setback for the grand jury that is looking into the police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old michael brown. a spokesperson for the special prosecutor says someone claiming to be friends with one of the jurors allegedly tweeted information about that case. that user has since shut down her account, but not before an activist screen grabbed the tweet and sent it to the special prosecutor.

the prosecutor's office is looking into the alleged misconduct now, if there was, in fact, a breach of confidentiality, they'll have to start all over again with a new grand jury. also today, usa today reporting that more than 3,000 people have registered to vote in ferguson in the wake of brown's shooting, signaling a surge there and a desire for change in that city. jesse matthew jr.'s past continues to unfurl. he's accused of abducting hannah graham and now may be connected to another murder in 2009. well, a potential third link to a case, authorities saying they are in the infancy stages of an investigation into a murder in lynchburg, virginia, but that matthew is not yet a person of interest in that case. and a fourth consideration, christopher new port university confirming matthew was named in a campus police report on a sexual assault case in 2003. the fourth largest lake in the world, nearly dried up. nasa images showing the roc in

central asia turning into dust. the dwindling water levels down to just 10%. in the '60s, that lake that straddles kazakhstan and uzbekistan was fed by two rivers until it was stopped. camels are now walking where water once was. bill karins, we look at pictures like that and talk about it before and after. >> they predicted it. it wasn't a surprise. they dammed the rivers. >> if you don't have supply, that's what's going to happen. >> supply and demand. we need the water to go into the west. and the fire danger, very high over the next three to four days. unfortunately, it looks like another very dry, hot, weekend is heading your way. the worst of it looks to be over california once again. and that's where the high pressure is going to be centered. there will be weak santa ana wind t winds with this too. that is going to be the area of concern. talking from los angeles, could hit 101 on saturday. and we could get as warm as 92

degrees the next two days in a row in san francisco. very little in the way of any wet weather out there at all to be dealing with. so, again, the high fire danger and heat advisories for areas of san francisco all the way down to l.a. that get toasty too. 83 in san francisco, not bad either. so you grew up in the region, 92 in san francisco this time of year, it happened before. >> it has, it has. >> still very warm. >> you start to state words, earthquake weather. but we are used to it during that time of year, no doubt. that's a little bit normal. this is abnormal, bill. pair of bandits trying to make off with 72 cans, not 73, not 71, 72 cans of beer, but they had trouble. one of the thirsty thieves trying to open the door.

push. in fact, he just runs into it. once they make it outside the florida convenience store, somehow, the other thief drops the beer. he drops it. and somehow these two did manage to get away. you can watch this for a while. police are looking for two suspects making noises like -- >> little three stooges reference. >> of course. that's, you know, that wasn't the smartest move by those two thieves. revealing the hottest new car of the year. a white couple receives sperm from a black donor. you're watching "early today." getting ready to go... ...we're going to need you on the runway. (vo) don't let a severe cold hold you back. sir? (vo) theraflu starts to get to work in your body in just 5 minutes. (vo) theraflu breaks you free from your worst cold and flu symptoms. (vo) theraflu. serious power.

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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 ™. welcome back. two pennsylvania state troopers looking for fugitive eric frein suffered nonlife threatening injuries. they fell from a tree lookout point. meanwhile, the manhunt has forced officials to suspend hunting and trapping within seven townships surrounding that search area. a white couple from ohio is suing a sperm bank for accidentally giving them vials from a black donor. the lesbian couple says their

2-year-old daughter is subjected to racism in their predominantly white community. one of the partners spoke with the "today" show in an interview airing this morning. >> you cannot just say, oops, i'm sorry, be happy you got a child, and walk away from this. you can't do that. the tallahassee police department released this graphic video showing one of its officers allegedly using a stun gun on a 62-year-old woman. the officer has been put on paid leave during this investigation. he claims a woman was trying to incite the crowd during the arrest of three others. he says she pushed away from him, possibly in an attempt here to allude arrest and that's when he used a stun gun. she was released from jail after being booked for resisting arrest. down to business with isis's courtney reagan. good morning to you, courtney. >> good morning, richard. apartment rents continue to rise despite an uptick in new construction as the economy improves. a report out today shows rents rose 1% this summer to an average of $1100 nationwide. rents have risen for the past

six years and 15% higher than at the end of the reese session in 2009. the nfl and directv are extending their exclusive sunday ticket package which allows viewers to view out of market games. the deal is for more than eight years at $1.5 billion per season. tesla may be set to unveil a new electric car. ceo elan musk sent out a mysterious tweet saying it's about time, unveil the d, with a photo of a garage door and a date, october 9th. musk said tesla would eventually launch a cheaper sedan and smaller suv. richard, back to you. >> which one is it? hmm. just ahead, another run in with the law for donald sterling, his wife and girlfriend. and how running on the field could cost this student thousands. details next. get it all for fall at kohl's! shop over 100 night owls and early birds late friday and early saturday. and warm up to half off outerwear for men, women and kids. find fall-worthy fleece

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u.s. soldiers are putting ads on craigslist and going wife shopping. just to increase their military salaries. jeff rossen reports, a hidden camera investigation ahead on "today." some sports, the san francisco pittsburgh nl wild card game, that was a blowout. pittsburgh fans pumping up, waving rally towels. brandon crawford, grand slam here in the fourth quiets all of that. it is the first and post season ever by a short stop. later, san francisco with this over the railing catch nails it.

the giants, next, the division series and the nationals. the odds from fan graft, detroit is a favorite at 25% followed by washington and l.a. dodgers. san francisco and baltimore, the underdogs. police say olympic swimmer michael phelps blood alcohol level was 0.14 in his dui arrest. maryland's limit is 0.08. they say his eyes were red, blood shot and he was mush mouth. and donald sterling has a run in with police. his estranged wife reported a burgla burglary. the police came. who did they find? police say she was his guest. they found no criminal activity. but maybe one of those. dallas cowboys c.j. spillman accused of sexual assault on

september 20th. no announcement from the cowboys as of yet. the owe owe state student running on to the field saturday that you see there, now his full ride is suspended pending an investigation. the student has an evans scholarship, which covers tuition and housing for up to four years, which at osu could be worth over $100,000. a michigan student would never do that. doing good instead, some tulane university football players. >> these are our friends and our classmates. >> for too long we have ignored the problem rather than deal with it, but not anymore. >> i am a tulane football player and i pledge to take a stand against violence toward women. >> great stuff. they want others to use th the #tutakethepledge. a warning about tom and jerry. details 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.

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90s and over the weekend back into the 80s. when you take into account, the drought and the breezy conditions, low humidity, a lot of fire fighters will be ready. >> flip side, hopefully good surf reports throughout the next day or two. all right. thank you, bill. congratulation to two former "that '70s show" co-stars, mila kunis and ashton kutcher welcomed a baby girl. stevie wonder will be the grand marshal at the christmas parade this year with a track list of winning and oscar, golden globe and 25 grammys, what else is there to do for him. christian bale, former batman, gearing up for his new role as moses. while the director behind the dark knight trilogy, christopher nolan, will be readying his latest time entitled "interstellar." >> get down fast. >> i want to get there in one piece. >> hang on.

>> looks good. >> tough call. tough call. which one are you going to see? both? >> that one looks good. last night on the daly show, jon stewart had this to say about the secret service. >> how did this intruder get so far into the white house. don't they have guard dogs there? >> there were officers there and there was concern the dogs might attack them instead. >> sounds strange, but makes more sense when you find out, a lot of secret service agents are cats. >> if you're an amazon prime use, get ready for a new warning when trying to watch tom and jerry. the warning comes in regards to the character of mammy, two shoes. mammy two shoes, the african-american maid in the series. big news from variety magazine, netflix reportedly sign ted a deal with adam sandls

productions. the first arriving as early as next year. can you guess who he might be bringing in? drew barrymore might be one of those. >> five films now together, or six? >> i saw one of them. i couldn't even now trying to think how many have they done in the past? >> he's been averaging about, you know, 40 to 50 million on these films, you know, all -- the films he's done lately. how much is he going to get from netflix. i want to know the money deal. >> a lot of money behind it. and what sort of songs that might be coming from it. he always pens a song that they will -- >> yeah, that's his talent. >> he has a lost talent, no doubt. i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day right here on nbc.

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leading the news, in the huffington post, the number of sunday assemblies or atheist churches more than doubled over one weekend. groups launching in 35 towns around the world, 16 just in the united states. the sunday assembly calls itself, quote, a godless congregation that celebrates life. on nbc news.com, hooded men throw cakes at ukraine official. during a news conference, an aid to ukraine's president managed to duck under the desk and dodge the flying dessert before continuing. things like this seem to happen often in ukraine. i'll take a cheeseburger. you may recall two weeks ago an angry mob attacked a deputy and threw him into a dumpster. >> i'll take a cake over a dumpster any day. >> cheeseburger, fries maybe. out of dallas, the family of

u.s. ebola patient thomas eric duncan. four members have been ordered to stay in their home. duncan was in dallas visiting them. health officials saying it is a safety move. duncan remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition. just hours after meeting with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, president obama warned that israel could face international backlash over a new housing project. israel wants to build more than 2600 apartments in an area of east jerusalem that palestinians view as their future state. in china, we learned 10,000 pithens that were released yesterday for the country's national day celebration all underwent cavity searches. >> whose job is that? >> did you have to ask that? >> police say the birds had to be checked for dangerous materials. >> you're going to check 10,000 birds. >> job title, cavity searcher for pigeons. all right. is there too much air in potato chip bags? to prove companies are really just selling you bags of air with a few chips inside, south korean college students made a

raft with 160 unopened bags of potato chips. this sped up video showing two students paddling down the river. companies say they need the extra space to keep the chips from breaking. >> very creative of then, but brings up a bigger issue and problem of why won't they fill the bags with chips? not because they're being cheap? >> the oracle of compelling questions today. >> cheap. big changes to rockefeller plaza. now that comcast owns a majority of nbc universal, the ge letters are being taken off the building that houses our network headquarters to make way for the comcast logo and nbc peacock. happy birthday to kelly ripa, 44. lorraine bracco turns 60. and rock icon sting is 63. but, you know, sting keeps on going. >> he does. >> unstoppable. all right, keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui with bill karins. and the rest of the "early today" team. thank you for stopping by "early

today" and have a terrific thursday.