on early today, the republican candidates are in attack mode, while donald trump scores big on "s nrnl." >> they don't have my talent, money or especially my good looks. you know what? they're not bad. why dozens of football players are refusing to play until the president of their university steps down. an act of bravery on camera. more than a dozen vehicles swallowed up without warning. it's no skyfall, but the latest bond film has a solid debut. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm melisilissa rehberger. tomorrow's republican debate is

expected to be the biggest yet. ben carson is answering allegations he embellished stories about his past by firing back at the media. >> i have always said that i expect to be vetted, but being vetted and what is going on with me, you said this 30 years ago, you said this 20 years ago, this didn't exist, you know, i just -- i have not seen that with anyone else. if you could show me where that's happened with someone else, i will take that statement back. >> marco rubio is fending off the attacks about his use of a republican party credit card during his time as state legislature, by releasing two years worth of records. the numbers are in from donald trump's "snl" appearance. the highest numbers in years. tracy, let's start with ben carson. what can we expect to hear from him heading into tomorrow's republican rumble? >> maybe some answers but certainly lots of questions about some of those issues that have been plaguing him from a

few decades ago. carson says they should be water under the bridge, but they are coming back up now. it looks like he may have to answer for at least some of those at tomorrow's debate. >> reporter: ben carson is on the defensive ahead of tomorrow's debate. his beliefs about pyramids, claims he was a violent youth, a west point scholarship he never applied for. now, a wall street journal report questioning whether carson defended white students during a high school riot. he says it's all about his quick rise in the polls. >> because i'm a threat. >> to? >> to the progressives, the secular progressive movement in this country. >> i feel badly for ben. >> reporter: donald trump tells nbc. >> he'll have to explain a lot of things away. >> reporter: bernie sanders says the focus for carson should be on issues? >> this man does not believe that climate change is caused by human activity. that man wants to abolish

medicare. >> reporter: rand paul is giving hints he may go after marco rubio, comparing him to hillary clinton. >> i see him and ruer and rubio the same person. they want a no fly zone and supported activity in libya. >> reporter: chris christie says being bumped from the debate isn't the end of the world. >> what matters is what's happening in new hampshire and iowa. >> chris christie is at 3% in the latest iowa republican poll. donald trump is on top at 25%. he's two points ahead of ben carson. >> thank you. dozens of football players at the university of missouri have decided to boycott their team. they are vowing to not participate in games or practices until the university's president resigns. these players are joining others protesting how the university president has handled several racial incidents. nbc has more. >> reporter: student protests escalated when 30 football players announced they would not

take part in team activities until the university president tim wolf is removed. the head coach tweeted, we are united behind our players. this stems from a semester that black students say has been marred by incidents on campus. groups of white students have repeatedly hurled racial slurs and a swastika was sprawled in feces on the homecoming door. >> this was students from all backgrounds enduring this. >> reporter: students they the university president has been inadequate. last week, one student began a hunger strike and said he would not eat until wolf is removed. while students began camping out on the lawn of the university plaza. >> we are advocating for black students. we are advocating for rights on campus, to make this a safer climate. >> reporter: president of the university said he was dedicating to ongoing dialogue

and promised plans in the coming months. now to egypt where the investigation into the russian jet crash continues. nine days after the disaster killed all 224 people on board, the question remains, was it a bomb that brought down the plane? nbc chief global correspondent bill neely has the latest from egypt. >> reporter: as more evidence is analyzed, investigators grow more confident of what happened. >> a noise was heard in the last second. >> reporter: an unnamed egyptian investigator told the reuters news agency, they're 90% that noise 23 minutes into the flight was a bomb exploding. but egypt's aviation ministry called that a pure lie, saying it's too soon to reach any conclusion. the answer may lie in fractions of a second and in grains of sand. russian teams have taken away 15

sag sacks of sand from the site, looking for evidence of explosive residue. parts of the plane are still missing somewhere in the desert, but crucial pieces of evidence that might prove this was a bomb could be tiny, the size of a fingernail, and tough to find here. the fbi has been asked to help by the russians and has agreed. its role, it says, modest. the possibility of a bomb is causing shock waves. above all, for airlines. >> if it is as a result of what it is alleged to be, i'm afraid it's a game changer for the industry. >> reporter: security officials are examining reports that at the airport where the plane took off, a baggage scanning machine was often broken. that baggage handlers weren't monitored and deliveries to the airplane weren't properly searched. >> that was bill neely reporting for us. a few hours from now, there

will be a tense meeting at the white house. president obama will host israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. it will be the first time the two met since netanyahu's cold shoulder visit in front of congress in march. it's also the first meetsing since the iran nuclear deal. old facebook posts from netanyahu's chief spokesman emerged. they suggested obama is an an - anti-semitic. the spokesman apologized. in china, a truck went up in flames. the driver went drivers before trying to extinguish the flames. he kept going to prevent others from being injured in case the truck exploded. check out this massive sink hole in mississippi. it swallowed 14 vehicles at an ihop parking lot.

the hole was 50 feet wide and 30 feet deep. huge. it will take several days for the cars to be removed. it could be weather related since the area remoceived more than 10 inches of rain in the last two weeks. in california, heavy snow made for scary driving conditions along interstate 80. as much as a foot of snow was expected in some spots. that is something else. bill karins is with us today. >> they'll do it today, another snowstorm. winter weather advisories are in effect for the area. it's coming on shore in northern california. producing snow between boise and northeast nevada. also rain is lingering along the washington-oregon coastline. the storm itself will be coming on shore in northern california. we'll get a burst of moderate snow throughout the day, especially above 3,000 to 4,000 feet. that looks to be like the magic number for the snow passes, especially around interstate 80.

around reading, give another hour or two and the wet weather will come your ways. some areas had fires over the summer season. there are debris flood watches because of that. this is going to be a multi-day event. today, it's in the west with the heavy snow at the higher elevations. again, strong upper level low. that moves into the southern plains. there's plenty of warmth. it'll suck up the humidity from the gulf. we'll have a severe weather outbreak in november here. it's on wednesday we could be talking about a possible tornado outbreak. definitely a big wind event with a squall line through the central plains with a possibility of strong tornadoes. that's something we don't say a lot in november but it is possible. a little

warmth in arizona and southern california. not a lot. 68 in san diego. >> not so bad, is it? >> getting a little chilly. >> bill, thank you. why nearly 1,000 lufthansa flights are grounded today. shoppers near houston get a big parking lot surprise. you're watching "early today." when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better.tm at hillshire farm, spice is the spice of life. that's why our craftsmen season every sausage perfectly.

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♪ it's the final countdown! ♪ ♪ the final countdown! if you're the band europe, you love a final countdown. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. tragedy in maryland on sunday. four people died. 14 people are hospitalized after a van carrying several children collided with two other vehicles and caught fire yesterday. crews worked to free several people trapped in the wreckage. >> it appears that the pickup truck crossed the double yellow line into the path of the other vehicle. >> eight remain in critical condition. in myanmar's first free elections in 25 years, voter turnout reached an estimated

80%. reuters reports the opposition leader, her party is expected to win. lufthansa will cancel nearly 1,000 flights in germany, 1/3 scheduled, due to a cabin crew strike that started saturday after talks between the union and airline broke down. check out this 12.5 foot alligator at a mall parking lot near houston. a dental assistant and part-time alligator hunter was called to the scene. she helped police wrangle the 800 pound gator they have nicknamed godzilla. let's get down to business with landon dowdy. good morning. >> hey, good monday morning. the markets will try to go for lucky 7s after stocks posted their sixth positive week in a row. that's following friday's strong jobs report, raising expectations the fed will hike interest rates. the average price of gasoline

inched up to $2.25 a gallon. while it's not a major move, it is the first increase in prices following 19 weeks of declines. over that period, gas dropped 63 cents a gallon. wall street is bracing for lower bonuses this year. a new report expects year-end payouts to drop 5% to 10%. the last time bonuses fell was 2011. the reason, global market turmoil. it caused some companies to delay ipos. just ahead, a fantastic day of nfl football, culminating in a bitter rivalry. if you didn't stay up for eagles-cowboys, you'll want to stick around for that. its way into your day, i hear you. to everyone with this pain that makes ordinary tasks extraordinarily painful, i hear you. make sure your doctor hears you too!

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this morning on "today," day four of rokerthon 2. al roker is live from the four corners. watch him knock out the forecast in four states. it's time now for sports. >> good morning. it was another action-packed nfl sunday. let's look at some of yesterday's highlights from around the league. >> third down and seven, blitz. panthers pick it up. end zone, flag, touchdown carolina.

touchdown. >> here they come, and there goes mariota. up for grabs, and it's caught on the deflection by walker. by hunter, a touchdown. >> taylor going to take his shot. throwing end zone, touchdown. >> fitzpatrick looking in that direction, throwing. catch made by marshall! >> quick hitter. bryant. >> again from the end zone, out of the back field. sims gets it back to evans. off the hands of logan, taking it in for a touchdown. >> dallas for the cowboys hosting the eagles on sunday night football. greg hardy making headlines after photos surfaced of the

victim related to his domestic violence last year. he expressed his regret in a tweet on saturday. dallas pass is intercepted by hicks, who takes it 67 yards back the other way for the philadelphia go ahead score. on the cowboys next drive, matt cassel scrambling under pressure. to the end zone. dez bryant jumps up and hauls that one in to tie the game with his first td catch of the season. it was the second game back after missing five with a broken foot. this game goes to overtime. the eagles with first possession. >> matthews now in the game at the 41 yard line. bradford fires. inside the 10, and to the end zone goes matthews for a touchdown to win the game. >> sam bradford finds receiver jordan matthews with a 41 game winning touchdown pass in ot.

the eagles handle dallas its sixth straight loss. it was a tough one for dallas friends. >> betty, thank you. ahead, another aladdin sequel with the late robin williams at the genie. is it possible? plus, exciting new foot able from the new "star wars" movie. you're watching "early today." quilted northern works so well people can forget their bathroom experience. just like they forgot conductor randy, who sees all and forgets nothing. at least he's not constable bob.

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the latest james bond film "spectre" opened in the u.s. with $73 million. that's the second biggest bond opening behind "skyfall." the "peanuts" move view earned $45 million. new "star wars" tv spot was released on twitter, gives us a look at new footage from the movie. can't wait. the film is in theaters december 18th. the times of london reports disney has enough extra lines from robin williams as the genie from the "aladdin" movie to make a sequel. the plans were scrapped because of williams' will, preventing his work being used 25 years after his death. john lennon's guitar sells for $2.5 million. it was stolen at a concert back in 1963. yesterday was the 50th anniversary of "days of our lives." it started with the story of the

horton family back in 1965. on saturday, larry david made yet another return as bernie sanders on "snl." >> we need to rebuild our nation's infrastructure. it's crumbling. that's why i no longer drive on bridges or through tunnels. instead, i keep a kayak strapped to the top of my car. whenever i get to a bridge, i park, abandon my car and paddle to the other side. so if you ever see a soaking wet man pulling a kayak out of a river and screaming about bridges, give him a hand because he's your next president. >> i'm milissa rehberger and this is "early today." the beast was as long as the boat. for seven hours, we did battle. until i said... you will not beat...

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leading the news in usa today, instagram tips police to suspected school shooting plot. three teens were charged with murder conspiracy and threat of terror for allegedly targeting linden high and middle schools. in the guardian, rising temperatures could drive 100 million people into extreme poverty. world bank warns climate change pushes people at risk of poverty by leading to crop failures, natural disasters and the spread of water-born diseases. the world bank says programs should include efforts to eliminate poverty in sustainable ways. in mississippi today, a funeral is being held for the 6-year-old boy killed in a police pursuit in louisiana. two officers face second degree

murder and attempted murder charges. body camera footage from the scene has yet to be released as the investigation continues. the boy's father remains hospitalized in serious condition. a dramatic rescue from down under in australia yesterday. two men were stuck on a cliff ledge at a national landmark after one became injured during a fall. the cliff has a steep 164 foot drop to the ocean. very scary. luckily, the two men were air lifted to safety. more than 80,000 balloons. >> reporter: used to construct a maze in belgium, the largest of its kind. >> that'd be run. >> took three days to build it. it was part of a millennium jam. a conference for balloon enthusiasts. yesterday, balloon characters were brought to life. test flight day showcased four new characters for the macy's thanksgiving day parade. skrat and his acorn from "ice

age." the parade will take place here on nbc. >> the angry bird thing is interesting. you'll want it to bump into a building. that's what they do, they destroy things. >> that, they do, bill. thank you. look back 50 years ago today. the great northeast blackout left 30 million people in seven states and parts of canada in the dark for hours. here's how frank mcgee covered that story. >> we're reaching you from new york under strange situations. this is an emergency situation. we're operating from -- even using candles as a light supply. >> happy birthday to nick lachey. eric mcdane, aka, mcsteamy, is 42. and incredible hulk lou ferig. i'm melisilissa rehberger.

thank you for watching "ea

ready for rainfall. the latest round to wash through the bay area this morning. kari is keeping an eye on the radar as the rain is expected to peak during your commute. a u-turn for san jose leaders trying to crack down on ride sharing services at the airport. lighter rules that are paving the way for a south bay strike. "today in the bay" starts right now. and a very good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us on this monday. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. this morning, expect a wet commute. the sierra nevada braces for more snow. >> team coverage on what you can expect before you head out the door from the warning to drivers to how long this system is expected to last.