it's labor day, september 7th. coming up on "early today," big changes in the race for the white house. bernie sanders has leap frogged over hillary clinton in new hampshire and she's lost ground in iowa. we take a look at the numbers. general colin powell weighs in on president obama's nuclear deal with iran. two high school football players hit a referee during a game and pay a big price. west point plebes take a pillow fight way too far. find out how many americans are getting a paid day off today. that and much more on a busy monday. "early today" starts right now. good morning. you may be celebrating labor day from the comfort of your couch. maybe still in bed. but there's no rest this morning for the 2016 presidential candidates. a new nbc news/merritt poll shows bernie sanders has leap-frogged ahead of hillary clinton by 9 points in new hampshire.

the vermont senator gets the support of 41% of democratic voters. clinton gets 32%. and vice president joe biden who hasn't officially entered the rate gets 16%. iowa, clinton is still on top there. but sanders is narrowing her lead from 29 points in july to just 11 points now. on the republican side, former alaska governor sarah palin, she's rallying behind donald trump. sunday she said spanish-speaking immigrants should speak "american" while they're in the u.s. >> i think we can send a message and say, you want to be in america? a, you better be here legally or you're out of here. b, when you're here, let's speak american. >> palin was trying to take a swipe at jeb bush who's fluent in spanish. the feud between donald trump and club for growth continues. overnight trump tweeted a photo of a letter asking him for $1 million. trump is calling it extortion. tracie potts is live in washington.

good morning! it's going to be a busy labor day for most presidential candidates. >> reporter: no question about that. even some who haven't quite hit the campaign trail yet. first of all, the big story today out of the survey out of the nbc poll you talked about, hillary clinton she has lost ground and is no longer the frontrunner in one key battleground state. our new nbc merit poll shows hillary clinton numbers up. she's leading iowa where she is campaigning today. but in new hampshire, senator bernie sanders has a nine point lead even if vice president joe biden joins the race. >> don't tell anybody. i think they're getting nervous. >> reporter: donald trump has solid leads in both states. in new hampshire his closest is governor john kasich. >> they want somebody who can

get the job done. >> reporter: kasich, feour reno scott walker will be in new hampshire today. marco rubio and rick santorum will be in south carolina today. the big story remains hillary clinton and her dwindling lead. >> it's one of the most important elections we've had in a long time. >> reporter: some support are concerned about her e-mail. >> i think it's been blown out of proportion. >> it takes a lot of work to install a private server system in your basement. >> reporter: labor day picnics and parades. unofficial starts to the campaign season. now the unofficial candidate out there for now vice president joe biden is going to be at a labor day parade. he's leading that parade in pennsylvania today. we're still waiting to see whether or not he wants to jump into the race. >> it'll be a bus say day ahead. tracie potts, thank you so much.

president obama's controversial iran deal has new unexpected support. on sunday former secretary of state colin powell who served under president george w. bush expressed support for the agreement. >> i think it is a good deal. i studied very carefully the outline of the deal. and what's in that deal. and i've also carefully looked at the opposition to the deal. one of the great concerns that the opposition has, this we're leaving open a lane for the iranians to go back to creating a nuclear weapon in 10 or 15 years. forgetting the reality they have been on a superhighway for the last ten years to create a nuclear weapon or nuclear weapons program with no speed limit. >> debbie wasserman schultz, head of the dnc, has announced her support of the iran deal. wasserman schultz was the first jewish woman elected to the house from florida. in a new op ed for "the miami herald," she calls her decision deeply personal and one that she has spent a lot of time reviewing. "i've come to the conclusion that the agreement promotes the

national security interests of the united states and our allies and merits my vote of support." overnight new developments in europe's exploding humanitarian crisis. germany says it is freeing up more than $3.3 billion to help deal with the record number of migrants fleeing violence in the middle east. they've been one of the most accepting european countries welcoming up to 18,000 refugees this weekend alone. many of them are coming from hungary where the response wasn't as warm. last night after an appeal on facebook a convoy of 140 private cars arrived in hungary. they came from surrounding countries to escort them to the border. but israel now says it will not accept refugees. prime minister netanyahu says the country is just too small. they're even building a security fence along the syrian border. meanwhile pope francis is calling on every catholic parish, convert, monastery and sanctuary in europe to shelter a family. the pope says the vatican is taking in two families of its

own. back in texas where they take their high school football very seriously, what appeared to be a violent mid-play attack on an official, it was caught on video. it happened near san antonio toward the end of the penalty-filled game. two players on the losing team, john jay high school, hit the official standing on the field, whether intentionally is not clear. one pummeled him over before the other shoulders him to the ground. both players were ejected. this morning they've been suspended from the school and the team. the school district has launched an investigation and in a statement it says the video is extremely disturbing and "not the good sportsmanlike behavior that we teach students." another competition right now, it turned violent. this time at west point. this morning military police are investigating what happened during the military academy's annual pillow fight. sounds like fun, right? well, according to the "new york times" some cadets put hard

objects like helmets into their pellow cases. they say one person broke a leg. in awe the school superintendent says 30 cadets were evaluated by medical personnel, 24 diagnosed with concussion. on top of a broken nose, a dislocated shoulder action and a hairline cheekbone fracture. in a statement the superintendent said "while the incidents do occur we never condone intentional harm to a teammate." although the vast majority of the class appears to have maintained the spirit of the event it is apparent that a few did not." three others were injured including harris' girlfriend and a fifth person is missing after a dingy collided with a boat on sunday. the coast guard and divers are expected to resume searching for the missing boater this morning. harris's uncle said, quote, the family is devastated and in shock. the minnesota dentist who killed cecil the lion will head

back to work tomorrow. walter palmer has spent more than a month out of sight amid harsh public outcry for his actions in zimbabwe. people have been picketing his office. now he tells associated press he and his family have felt threatened. palmer says he believes he acted legally, but it was a mistake, adding "if i had known this lion had a name and was important to the country or a study, obviously i wouldn't have taken it." if speed and precision are your thing, this is the competition for you. the red bull air race world championship was held in austria on sunday. it's one of the series of eight races this year. pilots fly through giant inflatable pylons at top speeds of 265 miles per hour. this year's winner was an australian man. he finished the course in just 56.8 seconds. that is a need for speed. let's check out this wild video of an intense weather system sunday night in ashland, nebraska, including vivid lightning and the side view of a

supercell. and this beautiful time lapse video of lightning storms on the horizon in palm beach, florida. you can see an elaborate sand castle at the bottom of your screen lit up by the light show in the background. meteorologist veronica johnson is here with a look at the labor day forecast. good morning. the storms we kcome through ares of know behind the system is major cooldown. it's not lasting that long. the northern states 73 expected onl labor day. 72 in bismarck. a stack of 72 and 79 from seattle to eugene. throughout the week even in the northwest the cooling will be short term. the temperatures are going to be up into the mid 80s so rising by five or six degrees. down toward sacramento talking 104 to 106 in red bluff.

through the week the heat peaking. while california doesn't get much of a cool down on top of that you're seeing dry conditions as well. here is a look at satellite and radar. you can see how quiet it is there. hurricane linda is expected to curve toward baja toward the end of the week. good news there. that's a look in redding and 97. a little bit of heat for california on labor day weekend. >> thank you so much. straight ahead meet the man who hasn't showered in 12 years. plus iraq is getting serious in the fight against isis using u.s.-built f-16 fighters. you're watching "early today." and when you bundle your home and auto insurance through progressive, you'll save a bundle!

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for the fifth day embattled kentucky clerk kim davis has been in jail for contempt of court. davis had refused to issue marriage licenses since june when the supreme court legalized gay marriage nationwide. on saturday 200 people gathered at a prayer rally in support of davis and it took place outside the detention center where she is being held. yesterday her husband visited her in jail. the liberty counsel representing davis has filed an appeal. for the first time iraq has began using the four f-16 fighter planes it received from the u.s. in july to battle against the islamic state. they've carried out 15 air strikes so far. the iraqi government has purchased 32 more fighter jets. the check out the dramatic video from southern china. it shows 11-month-old boy and his mother being hit head-on by a mini bus. passers-by lifted the vehicle. the baby was taken to the hospital.

remarkably, he only suffered facial bruising and a slight concussi concussion. from yahoo! news, a man hasn't showered in 12 years. selling his secret in a bottle. in lieu of a shower chemical engineer sprays a mist containing live bacteria on his skin twice a day. the mist called mother dirt is produced by his company it supposedly restores the balance of micro organisms that live naturally in your skin. just in time for labor day, a new survey shows 97% of employers will provide a paid day off for all or most employees on labor day. and more good news for workers on this labor day. president obama will sign an executive order today requiring paid sick leave for employees of federal contractors. according to the white house, this will be the first time 300,000 of those workers will get this benefit. just ahead, his major league baseball career lasted a single day. but now comedian will ferrell is getting some credit from the hall of fame. plus the critter who got a great view at the u.s. open.

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experts in intimate health. let's get to the latest in sports from my friend betty nguy nguyen. in sports, we start in the windy city. arizona/chicago. cubs third base man chris bryant hit a solo blast in the fifth for baseball's longest home run of the season. traveling an estimated 495 feet, the home run gave bryant his 86th rbi, tying a club rookie mark. cubs win 6-4. yankees down when brian mccann takes the pitch for a three-run home run to tie the game. very next batter, though, alex rodriguez sends the first pitch over the wall for back-to-back home runs. a-rod's 28th homer of the year. yankees come back to win it 6-4. now day seven of the u.s. open. serena williams took just 68 minutes to defeat madison keys in back-to-back sets 6-3, 6-3. next she will face older sister venus tomorrow for the 27th time. serena leads the series 15-11 but says venus knows how to beat me and knows my weaknesses

better than anyone. top seed novak djokovic did something he hasn't done since 2011, lose a set in the first four rounds of the open. each with one set, djokovic rallied, winning the final two sets to advance to the quarterfinals for the 26th consecutive time. play was interrupted at the open because of this little guy. running around the court. looks like he had nowhere to go. he eventually made his escape jumping over the wall near the stands but not before entertaining the crowd, of course. speaking of entertainers, will ferrell's mlb career lasted only one day but national baseball hall of fame president honored the comedian with a hall of fame black and jersey. he is the first player to ever play all ten positions in one day.

it was for his documentary "ferrell takes the field" which premieres september 12th on hbo. just ahead, hugh jackman tries to reignite a 2014 craze. a rare climb up california's majestic sequoias. we'll show you why the drought could bring them down. daddy gator couldn't push the throttle on his little boat any harder if he tried. he's beached here, gazing out on an unforgiving landscape. for while the people who come in here use quilted northern, a toilet paper that works so well they completely forget their experience... daddy gator sees all and forgets nothing. "i've got to motor out of here," he thinks. "this is no place to raise a child." quilted northern. designed to be forgotten. in study after study, advil is unsurpassed in pain relief. nothing is proven stronger on aches and pains than advil.

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ringing for music exec and british model liberty ross. they were spotted in 2013 after ross divorced her husband, director rupert sanders, when she discovered he was allegedly cheating with her on kristen stewart. abc family and fox have been named the most lgbt family-friendly networks according to gladd. "glee" contributed to its high score. other media sources like netflix and amazon were not included in that index. this year will be the last year for nri, making it hard to measure lgbt representation. a little more a year after robin williams' death, his daughter zelda shared words from her own struggle with grief and depression. in an instagram post that went viral, she discussed the importance of embracing her own grief. zelda has become a public advocate against the stigmatization against mental health and suicide since her father passed away last year. while the a.l.s. ice bucket challenge raised millions of dollars and awareness for the

cause, hugh jackman is reminding us that the fight isn't over, folks. that's chilly. and the beckhams got a cocker spaniel puppy. >> i love the slow motion. >> just play it over and over. i want to cuddle it. this is "early today" we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. when it helps giveshot ma lifesaving vaccine to a child in need in a developing country.

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now to california's unprecedented drought. and some of its silent victims. giant sequoia trees. they can live to be 3,000 years old. but new evidence shows they are struggling with the drought more than ever. now a team of scientists is taking the trek up to monitor them. nbc's gaddy schwartz went along for the climb. >> reporter: towering above the sequoia national forest, living icons of resilience that have survived fire, storms, and insect infestations. attracting thousands to go stand next to their massive trunks. but in this historic drought, something is happening to the mighty sequoias. >> this area was identified as having the highest number of trees that are showing symptoms

of what we think is drought stress. >> reporter: some of these trees have lost 75% of their needles. that's what you're seeing down here on the forest floor. but to see the true stress of the trees, we've got to go up. these massive sequoias dwarf scientists like anthony ambrose and his team from berkeley inching their way to the top. >> these trees are some of the most amazing organisms on the planet. there's these huge ancient beings with massive beautiful crowns. >> reporter: we were given rare access to join their climb. >> these giant sequoias are the largest tree on earth and some of them can suck up to 700 gallons of water a day. all of that water has to make it into the trunk and up to the top of the tree. 20 stories high, ambrose peeks his head through the crown and collects vital data.

>> the measurements that we've been getting of the amount of tension in the water in the foliage indicates that they're more stressed than we've ever measured before. >> reporter: back on the ground, researchers nate stevenson walks us through an area nearby where other kinds of trees, smaller than the sequoias, are dying at an alarming rate. >> 1 in every 4 the trees has died. >> reporter: it's too soon to tell what the data will mean for sequoia national forest but many scientists are comforted knowing although the sequoias may be showing troubling signs -- >> they're the monarchs of the planet. >> reporter: they've lived thousands of years, they've seen droughts before, yet still continue to grow. gadi schwartz, nbc news, sequoia national forest. here's a look ahead. a funeral will be held for fox lake, illinois, police lieutenant joe gliniewicz. the married father of four boys was murdered thursday. -- tuesday. he was calling to report three suspicious men. the suspects are still at large. happy birthday to evan rachel wood, she turns 28 today. julie cavener voice of marge simpson is 65. "i will survive" singer gloria gaynor is 62. keep it here for more weather and sports and news. thank you for watching "early today" we hope you enjoy your labor day.

have a great one! a bay area family in mourning

this labor day. th a bay area family in mourning this labor day. their son killed in a boating crash. plus flames break out at a local school administration building and now investigators are looking into the suspicious cause. breaking news, a busy bay area inter change closed this after a crash brings down power lines. twiebt starts right now. >> happy holiday. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cannon. we want to get right to your weather forecast. chances are you are off today and want to enjoy time outside. >> a lot of people heading to the beach because temperatures will be very hot. as we look at the forecasts now it is cool, it is 55 degrees