good morning. coming up on "early today," deadly clashes in turkey as isis bears down on the turkish border while the fbi wants help i.d.'ing possible american isis fighters. a routine traffic stop in indiana turns violent and it's all caught on camera. plus the latest on 2014's most powerful storm. and j. law speaks out about her nude photo hacking saying those looking at the pics should cower in shame. it's wednesday, october 8th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. nice to be with you on this wednesday. i'm frances rivera. president obama heads to the pentagon this afternoon to

discuss the threat from isis with top defense officials. this comes as the fbi asked for help against the militant group. this man seen here in isis propaganda videos speaks english and arabic. officials are hoping someone may recognize him through his voice and appearance. clashes in turkey have turned deadly as demonstrators demand more action against isis. turkish media say at least 14 people have died in fighting between protesters and police. police firing live bullets in the air as demonstrators tried to approach a police station in istanbul. officers there used tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons on kurdish protestors overnight. the u.s. top military leader martin dempsey meanwhile talking with abc news about isis. he says he is, quote, fearful that kobani will fall. there is concern if militants take the syrian city of kobani terrorists could then enter into turkey. this as canadian lawmakers have authorized to have airstrikes in iraq for up to six months. australia's prime minister also announcing today he wants to ban

so called hate preachers or radical islamist preachers from entering the country through tougher counterterrorism laws. and the french government has released this new video of airstrikes in iraq. these fighter jets were targeting isis holdings near mosul. new developments this morning in the fast-moving ebola crisis. in spain, two more people are hospitalized, a health worker and a person who traveled to nigeria. this now makes four. and more bad news for the nurse who tested positive in madrid. her dog may be euthanized. authorities fear it could transmit the virus. all of it coming as concerns grow over the military's mission in liberia. nbc's tracie potts is in washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: hi, frances. good morning. we know americans are concerned about this, not overly so. about one in five think they could be infected despite what health officials have assured. but the concern now is for the thousands of soldiers that we're sending to west africa.

the pentagon says just over two dozen of the 4,000 soldiers headed to africa will have direct contact with blood samples being tested for ebola. >> this is their primary skill. this is not just medical guys trained to do this. this is what they do for a living. >> reporter: the cdc reports there is progress in africa. in some areas, the outbreak is nearly contained. >> people learn about ebola. they learn the risks and they change their behaviors. >> reporter: but infection control is still a problem. now there's word critical burial teams in sierra leone are on strike because they haven't been paid. back here, thomas duncan is now on dialysis and a ventilator in dallas. by now, the nearly 50 people who had contact with him could be getting sick, but the cdc says none have shown any symptoms. >> we should not panic, start

running, distancing ourselves from africans. it's not the right thing to do. >> reporter: he's on the same experimental drug as the nbc freelance photographer in isolation in omaha. and brand new this morning, we're learning that mukpo may soon receive blood from dr. kent brantly. he was the first american health worker infected with ebola, brought back here and treated. he was told that his blood type matched mukpo. he immediately went to donate that plasma. we're told it's been flown to omaha. according to the patient's father, it may be administered as soon as today. >> hopefully he recovers just like dr. brantly did. tracie potts in washington, thank you. cell phone video captures an officer smashing the window of a car and using a stun gun on the passenger.

now that man is suing the police department for excessive force. nbc's kevin tibbles has more. >> reporter: what appears to be a routine traffic stop becomes a violent encounter with police. >> why do you say somebody is not going to hurt you? people are being shot by the police. >> reporter: in the back seat lisa mahone's two children, her 7-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son who records on his cell phone camera as a hammond, indiana, police officer tases jamal jones. >> i felt like my civil rights was just blown out the window along with my body. >> they have filed a federal lawsuit against the hammond police for use of excessive force. hammond police maintain jamal jones refused to get out of the car and issued a statement saying police officers were at all times acting in the interest of officer safety and in accordance with indiana law. >> that was nbc's kevin tibbles. the family of chokehold victim eric garner has taken steps to sue the new york police department. they filed a notice of claim for a $75 million civil suit against the city and the police

department holding them responsible for garner's july death. in another new york police incident video showing a police officer punching a 16-year-old marijuana suspect who appears to be surrendering with his hands up. the unarmed falls to the ground there, then another officer appears to hit him in the face with a gun. later, a third officer approaches but appears to stand by as his two colleagues attack the teen. the incident took place on august 29th. two of the officers are now under criminal investigation. it is a hollywood shocker. actor stephen collins investigated for alleged child molestation. tmz released audio of the "7th heaven" star reportedly admitting to it. it happened years ago and involved three girls. the tape was allegedly recorded by collins' wife in 2012. the nypd is now investigating. in l.a. cops there swarming his home tuesday night. reports of a shot heard inside the house. it turned out to be false. collins was fired from the "ted" sequel and dropped from the screen actors' guild. severe weather causing some extreme scenes.

>> i've never seen anything like this. >> sirens wailed as storms and hail pounded parts of kentucky tuesday. one storm chaser caught this shot. an ef-1 tornado in action. the storm system left behind plenty of damage but nothing too serious. here we are well in our way to fall and we have that severe weather there. the search for a u.s. airman swept away resumes in japan. delayed by rough waters, u.s. and japanese forces scoured the area by air and by sea. of the four people washed away by waves from typhoon phanfone, one is alive and two are confirmed dead. they're racing the clock to find the last man. a super typhoon could swallow the island this weekend. vongfong has sustained winds of more than 150 miles per hour. noaa's infrared enhancements showing just how fierce it is. bill karins joins us now. >> that's amazing. >> that is massive. so how we doing here leading up

to the start of october? >> we're okay. if you looked outside, the moon is the big thing. everyone's buzzing about it right now. right now it's in its totality. pretty soon it will be coming out of it. if you're on the west coast or inner mountain west, alaska or hawaii, now is the time to view the moon. the reason it looks blood red, by the way, is literally the light reflecting off the earth is making it have that reddish glow. right now the sun is not shining on. at all as the moon passes through our shadow. let's take a look at our forecast. who can see it and who can't? that's all the rain covering much of the state of arizona. some portions of extreme southern california and areas of new mexico. that's where we have a lot of clouds. if you want to view it, go to the nasa website. that's your best view of the moon this morning. many other areas, it's nice. from nevada to idaho, up to washington state. no rain in the forecast. relatively clear this morning. in phoenix, looks like the rain chances are with us today and tomorrow. then we clear it out for what should be a beautiful columbus

day weekend with temperatures into the low 90s. again, looks like washington state, there's a lot of clouds we're dealing with. unfortunately arizona too. isolated flash flooding is not out of the question. still warm in central california, but not as hot as it's been. a pretty cool shot. kind of living up to the hype of the blood moon. it was kind of whitish. once the sun -- once it went totally behind the shadow, now it looks cool. >> weather geeking out. looking at the moon, looking at the moon. it's fun to see. kind of cool. bill, thank you very much. still ahead, one big-box retailer is dropping health care coverage for tens of thousand of employees. and it's never too early to start your holiday shopping, right? we're going to look at some unique gifts.

you're watching "early today."

welcome back. some stories making news this morning. tragedy for the family of a california firefighter. a pilot fighting a wildfire near yosemite national park died after his plane crashed yesterday afternoon. he was believed to be the only person on board. federal officials will head to the california area this morning to investigate the crash. another victory for advocates of marriage equality. the ninth circuit court of appeals struck down same-sex marriage bans in idaho and nevada. their decision brings the number of states where same-sex marriage is legal to 26. an additional nine states are poised to legalize same-sex marriage and will bring the total number to 35. for now voters in virginia will go by this congressional map for the upcoming general election, but it will have to be redrawn by april 1st of next year. that's because judges in virginia struck it down saying it violates the 14th amendment. it was drawn by the gop

controlled state legislature and disproportionately packed african-americans into its third congressional district represented by democratic congressman bobby scott. and academy award winning actress jennifer lawrence is breaking her silence on the nude pictures of her that were leaked back in august. right out of the gate she says she's not apologizing for taking those pictures. in a soon to be published interview with "vanity fair" she says, quote, it is not a scandal. it is a sex crime. it is a sexual violation. it's disgusting. the law needs to be changed and we need to change. that's why these websites are responsible. just the fact that somebody can be sexually exploited and violated and the first thought that crosses somebody's mind is to make a profit from it, end quote. slowing global economic growth dragging international markets again today. tuesday the dow dropping 272 points to close at 16,719. the s&p fell 29. the nasdaq lost 69. walmart, the nation's largest private employer, says

that it's dropping health insurance coverage for 30,000 part-time employees. it's due to an unexpected rise in the health care costs. "the new york times" reports facebook is developing an app that would allow users to communicate anonymously. it could be similar to the apps secret and whisper. an 8.41 karat diamond broke a new world record at auction at sotheby's hong kong. it sold for nearly $18 million. and if you have that kind of money, the annual nieman marcus christmas book is out with its fantasy gifts. how about a $50,000 quad ski, a recreational vehicle for land and water or some real peacocks, custom racetracks and all kinds of trips there. who just replaced tiger woods as the athlete with top brand value? plus, major league baseball's final four is set. who's one step closer now to a world series championship in sports?

this morning on "today" an extraordinary look at music legend glen campbell's courageous battle with alzheimer's. time to bring you the latest in sports. to the mlb playoffs we go. a thriller game four. >> the bull pen ready just in case. >> werth into the opposite

field. back at the wall. he makes the catch! the 3-1. harper hits it high and deep into the right field corner and if it's fair, it's long gone. that one is fair. home run and we are tied. >> yeah, how kayaking participates in mlb baseball. wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh scores another giants run. san francisco winning in a 3-2 victory eliminating the nationals and advancing to the nlcs. they will face the cardinals who won their series against the l.a. dodgers. thanks to matt adams go-ahead three-run homer that lifted the cards to a 3-2 victory. game one is saturday. vikings running back adrian peterson is scheduled to appear in court today for child abuse charges. the spokesperson for peterson's attorney says he plans to plead not guilty. peterson said he never intended to harm his 4-year-old boy by spanking him with a tree branch. he is currently on paid leave by the vikings. nfl owners will meet today

to discuss the league's personal conduct policy involving domestic abuse, a hot button issue that has put commissioner roger goodell in the hot seat. they will vote on the $1.4 billion sale of the buffalo bills and look at furthering international play. and "forbes" has released their fab 40 list, showing the most valuable sports brands of 2014. a new number one in the athletes category, forbes estimates that lebron james has a top brand value worth $37 million. rereplacings twoods -- tiger woods, who previously held that spot. he dropped $10 million in value but still comes ranked second at $36 million. and third is roger federer, $32 million. all those zeros must be nice. up next, why you might be working until you're 70 because we don't have all those zeros. plus, it has fans searching for clues. j.k. rowling's cryptic tweet about harry potter.

welcome back. j.k. rowling had a riddle for fans. she says cry, foe, run amok, fa awry, my wand won't tolerate this nonsense. some guesses were harry returns. won't say any details now, a week off, no comment. or how about this. newt scamandre noteworthy flora

fauna in new york. this is the first line of the efficiency not sis of the upcoming harry potter spinoff film. i would have never figured that out on my own. >> ever. remember the apparently homeless man who escorted miley cyrus to mtv's vmas this year? he was actually a wanted man. he was sentenced to probation. and jimmy fallon is trying to get on the billboard top 100. he asked fans to buy the song on itunes. and here's what jimmy kimmel says to do after you see the blood moon that's right in the sky. >> if you aren't planning to get up and if you're looking to have some fun during the blood moon, hers here's an idea. go outside and run around your neighborhood screaming the ever watching eye of soron brings judgment upon us.

give it a shot. see what the neighbors do. >> or -- i bet the neighbors wouldn't appreciate that. >> i would have no idea what's going on. just like the j.k. rowling thing. >> it's dark. it looks black behind us. it was looking a little more orangish. just depends on the view. it happens occasionally. it's still pretty cool. the timing of it for us is cool because it's happening right now. >> i know, i know. you love it. you'll keep watching. all right. i'm frances rivera. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day here on nbc.

leading the news. in "the washington post," twitter sues u.s. government over limits on ability to disclose surveillance orders. the suit alleging here that the justice department's restrictions on what twitter can say publicly about national security requests for user data violates the company's first amendment rights. and in the u.k.'s guardian, protests fade in hong kong as demonstrators take stock. numbers are shrinking rapidly in hopes of winning meaningful election reform fades faster. as much of hong kong returns to work, the question is whether beijing feels any pressure now. analysts wonder whether kim jong-un's sister is stepping in. that's because north korea's leader has not been seen in public in over a month. that is one of kim's officials surprisingly acknowledged

reforms through labor camps. and "men's health" is apologizing for this article entitled "how to talk sports with her." many readers saw that and they called the article sexist and expressed outrage online. soon after the magazine tweeted apologies for our talk sports with her story. it missed the mark and the negative feedback is justified. we've deleted it. the cdc says americans are living longer than ever before. the life expectancy for a child born in 2012, 79 years now. >> almost up to 80. >> it increased six weeks from life expectancy in 2010 and 2011. it's that 9 1/2 months you're counting too. you could call christmas in october. the rockettes practicing their high kicks at rehearsals for their 82nd christmas spectacular show at radio city music hall. it will include traditional dances plus a new number called "new york at christmas." the show runs from november until december 31st. since 1932 the legendary rockettes have been performing

>> we can literally jump to the theater out the window. have you ever been before? >> years ago. i hear you still have to go. >> i'll wait until my kids get a little older. >> then go around the corner and see the tree. >> the ice rink is opening here. >> christmas seems to be starting earlier and earlier every year. >> used to be halloween. >> nope. pumpkins and christmas trees. now a look ahead, dedicated sky gazers are trying to catch a glimpse of the blood moon. this is video of the eclipse at its peak a little earlier. the moon is reflecting a brilliant red ring around the earth that creates that reddish glow. and on this wednesday, we want to wish a happy birthday to actor matt damon, who's 44. sigourney weaver is 65 and chevy chase turns 71. i'm frances rivera along with bill karins. thanks so much for watching "early today."

have a good one.

>> announcer: from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> good wednesday morning, 4:30, i'm sam brock. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> yosemite, a cal fire air tanker crashed while fighting a fire yesterday afternoon. last night we learned the pilot died. the crash happened near elle portal road. that's near the arc rock entrance of yosemite, not far from el capitan in half dome. for the fire the tanker was trying to put out, 130 acres and growing. the entrance to yosemite is closed at this time. we have a crew on the scene gathering the latest details. we'll have a live