we have no idea what's in store. we'll have to pray for the best. >> hurricane irma continues to strengthen. its path uncertain, evacuations underway throughout the caribbean and in parts of florida as millions prepare for a potentially catastrophic storm. >> protesters storming major cities around the country. outraged over president trump's rescinding of rights for dreamers. >> i have a great heart for the folks we're talking about. i have a love for these people and hopefully now congress will be able to help them. >> a hugh dean ee like shop lifting suspect who wig lz out of handcuffs and manages to steal the officers suv. but that's not all. >> month's after june's horrific

inferno, princes william and harry continue meeting with victim. >> plus a new fourth type of chocolate to rival flavors. dark and white, can you guess what it is? "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. potentially catastrophic, that's how hurricane irma is being described. as it barrels towards the united states. the category 5 storm is one of the most powerful ever recorded, packing sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. puerto rico is buckling down as irma looms offshore. businesses boarded up as residents stocked up on supplies. with dozens of flights canceled, stranded tourists say they are prepared to ride out the storm. >> i'm prepared. i got my water. i got my food. i got my flashlights. i got my emergency stuff and i'm ready. >> preparations are also underway in florida. tourists in the florida keys have been ordered to evacuate with a mandatory order for residents likely in the coming

hours. and throughout the state floridians are clearing store shelves of water, batteries and other supplies. governor rick scott says he's activating the national guard to help with preparedness. meteorologist bonnie snyder joins us now with more on irma. >> well, philip and frances, unfortunately the storm has not weakened at all overnight. this is a powerful massive category 5 hurricane. look at that well defined eye. this is where the strongest winds are in the eye wall at 185 miles per hour. it's really hard to believe these are unusual storms to see something so big. you can see watches and warnings posted across much of the caribbean including portions of cube a. let's look at the latest position of the storm, looking at the satellite perspective. again, well defined, winds at 185, five miles north of barbuda but bearing down on that island. the track takes it as a category 5 straight through thursday. uncertain once we get to the weekend, but certainly florida in that cone of uncertainty. keep in mind this skinny line you see here coming close to key west isn't necessarily exactly

the line of the path. it's kind of an in between, between the cone of uncertainty. so, now is the time to make your preparations across the southeast for powerful hurricane irma. really unfortunately not expecting the storm to weaken, frances, through the florida straits, the water temperatures in the upper 80s. so, if anything, it's going to keep its intense ilt as a major storm. >> a lot to watch when it comes to irma, bonnie. thank you. >> hurricane irma is expected to hit puerto rico full force today. it will likely be one of the most powerful storms the island has seen in nearly a century. nbc's morgan radulford is in sa juan with more. >> reporter: frances, good morning. the national guard has already been activated and schools are closed today. you can see the clouds getting darker and the waves getting choppy eras waves are headed our way. puerto rico in the bull's eye preparing for what could be one of the biggest hurricanes the island has ever seen. >> it's a huge storm so people are really worried about it. >> reporter: the governor asking president trump to declare a

federal disaster. saying the magnitude of this event is beyond the capabilities of his government. this as fema says they have 300,000 meals and half a million liters of water ready to go. >> we have a category 5 approaching our area so the message is for the people to get ready. >> reporter: 500 buildings across the island are being turned into emergency response centers like this one. you can see people behind me here loading generators on trucks. they have boats at the ready to help more than 62,000 people who might be displaced. the mayor is here in the shelter preparing meals. >> mayors are no better than people and people need to know that their mayor is there. >> reporter: they are on a tiny island bracing for a heavy hit. president trump has accepted the governor's request to declare puerto rico a federal state of emergency. frances? >> all right, morgan radford, thank you for that report. >> new political fire storm erupts as the white house begins

rolling back protections for young undocument the immigrants. attorney general jeff sessions announced the new policy ending deferred action for childhood arrivals. though deportations for the hundreds of thousands of daca recipients won't happen right away, president trump is allowing a six-month delay saying he hopes congress can help them. >> i have a love for these people and hopefully now congress will be able to help them and do it properly. and really we have no choice, we have to be able to do something. and i think it's going to work out very well. and long term it's going to be the right solution. >> despite the president's optimism, thousands of activists and so-called dreamers took to the streets across the country protesting the decision. and in a rare public rebuke, former president obama took to facebook, calling the decision cruel and self-defeating because the young immigrants want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military and otherwise contribute to the country we love. >> support for daca is mixed within the gop. many republicans focused on the

legality of the issue while others representatives steve king of what twa downplayed the hardship facing the dreamers comparing their possible deportations to sending peace core volunteers abroad. nbc's tracy potts is in d.c. for us this morning. tracy, good morning. how is the decision playing out? >> reporter: so we're seeing how it's playing out in the streets, frances, with the fact that people are pouring into the streets to protest this change by president trump. these dreamers are worried about how soon they may be sent to countries that many of them have never visited, have no connection to whatsoever. how it's playing out here on capitol hill, this big split not just between democrats and republicans, but amongst republicans about how they will try to fix this over the next six months. and then from the white house, a set of talking points for homeland security on how to view this, they are, as you noted, very much looking at this as an issue of the rule of law, saying that we are a nation of laws

that the way that this was put in place, this order by president obama, was unconstitutional. that daca recipients will be allowed to hold onto their daca status and their work authorizations until they expire. this is going to phase out over the next 2 1/2 years unless congress acts. and this was an interesting point, urging recipients to use the time that they have to prepare for and arrange their exit from the united states. although they have told homeland security that unless they're criminals, people who are brought to this country illegally as children, these dreamers will not be a priority for deportation. so, still a lot of confusion about how this is going to play out. >> all right, tracy potts for us. tracy, thank you. >> and as tracy just mentioned, the future is uncertain for hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants. many of those who spent most of their lives in the u.s. nbc's jacob reports on how president trump's' decision is impacting these so-called

dreamers. >> reporter: pablo garcia rushed to make an improve two stop before his first class at cal state fuller ton. like 900 of the 40,000 students on campus here, pablo is a dreamer. brought to the u.s. from mexico illegally when he was 5. and at the school's resource center dedicated to undocumented immigrants, he heard what he feared most. >> daca is being rescinded. >> how do you process the idea of leaving here and having to one day go there? maybe within six months from now? >> it's just heart breaking that, you know, i could be deported any time any time within six months or after six months. it's unknown. i'm not afraid of unknown, but this unknown is shocking. >> reporter: shocking in part because pablo like so many others must now juggle the possibility of deportation with his other daily responsibilities. and today that's his biology lab. you have to go here to your biology classroom, 363 cal state fuller ton.

how do you process your normal day to day life when it's in the context of all this? >> i have to stay strong, remain strong especially for my siblings. >> reporter: pablo wasn't born here but his five younger siblings were making them american citizens not subject to deportation. >> just because you're not born here you're not treated the same, you don't have the same privileges but yet you do have to pay taxes. we don't get treated the same. >> reporter: for a generation of immigrants, everyday life now interrupted. and a six-month count down begins. jacob soberoff, nbc news. >> we'll turn back to hurricane irma as we have been seeing overnight, not weakening at all. here is nbc meteorologist bonnie. >> frances and philip, unfortunately this is still a category 5, a massive hurricane that was likely going to be catastrophic. five miles north of barbuda, that's where the eye is. but it's still impacting those islands right now. as you can see, the track keeps the intensity as a category 5 straight through thursday. then a category 4 still a major storm. once we get to the weekend, that's when things get more uncertain of when the storm will

make that right turn. that will make a big difference on how the storm will impact the u.s., particularly for florida. that's a look at the big weather story of the day. now here's a closer look at the day ahead. it's feeling a lot more like fall if you're in michigan right now. temperatures will stay into the 60s for highs, not the case across the mid south feeling warmer as well, especially in southern texas where highs will be into the 80s. as we continue to watch the computer models for the storm, we'll be watching the steering mechanisms which way the storm will go and when it will make this right turn. frances, philip? >> all right, bonnie, thank you. >> i want to show you this incredible video out of texas from the suspect here stealing one of the police cars. it shows a woman who had just been arrested for shop lifting sitting in the back of the cruiser. watch her. she manages to take off the seat belt and wiggle out of the handcuffs. after the coast was clear crawl into the drivers seat. she floors it. >> it shows her driving on the

wrong side of the road reaching 100 miles an hour. she eventually loses control and crashes. the officers had to smash a window when she refused to come out. she now faces multiple charges. this is "early today." new charmin ultra soft! it's softer than ever. new charmin ultra soft is twice as absorbent so you can use less. and it's softer than ever... so it's harder to resist. okay, this is getting a little weird. we all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin?

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leaders across the world are trying to prevent the nuclear standoff with north korea from exploding into war. president trump spoke with australia's prime minister who said the two countries completely agreed on how to avoid a conflict with north korea. >> we are absolutely of the one mind in condemning this reckless conduct. everybody wants to get this dangerous situation resolved, bring this reckless, dangerous, provocative regime to its senses without conflict. a conflict would be catastrophic. everyone understands that. >> nbc's janice mackie frayer is in beijing for us. how are countries trying to prevent nuclear war? >> reporter: good morning, philip.

it's the situation that is testing a lot of world leaders now. south korea's president says that unless something is done, the situation could spin out of control. he is meeting with russian president vladimir putin on the side lines of an economic forum. putin has gone on the record as saying that sanctions at this point would be useless. they have not worked until now. in trying to decode the mind-set of the regime, they would rather eat grass than give up their nuclear ambitions. so, they are pushing for dialogue as the possible solution. russia, china, and now south korea trying to find common ground with china and russia in believing that that would be the way forward. that is in response partially to the criticism from president trump that south korea should give up on its willingness to negotiate with the north in saying that it amounts to appeasement and that talk right now is not the answer. the u.s., of course, is pushing for tougher sanctions.

in particular, an oil embargo is being talked about. that is where china holds the key. it supplies 80% of north korea's oil needs. so, if they did shut off the taps, then it would effectively shut down the economy. the problem, of course, is that china does not want the regime to collapse. it would have geopolitical implications. so the question being debated in china now is, is regime collapse worse than having a nuclear capable neighbor? patience here is certainly wearing thin with the antics of kim jong-un, but it's unclear what china's next move could be. philip and frances, back to you. >> the world is watching. janice, thank you. >> still to come we've got some big news for all you chocolate lovers out there. plus a baseball scandal with a high-tech twist involving two of the game's biggest all-time rivals. plus, when you get a flu shot at walgreens, you help provide a lifesaving vaccine to a child in need

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>> oh, my god. >> this one, with a guy you're on national news, i made it. >> not the way, poor dude. never going to live that down. >> got a feel for him. next for all you chocolate lovers out there, chocolate maker is debuting what he calls a fourth type of chocolate. we all know there's milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, now there is ruby chocolate. he says it is natural chocolate that comes with a ruby flavor and fresh and fruity taste. there is no arts official berry flavor or color added. i don't think there is any such thing as bad -- i take that back. i've tried green tea chocolate. not the best thing. when it comes to chocolate, can't go wrong. >> this guy has been holding out on us. sounds good. new york and boston sports rivalry got kicked up a notch. they were already huge rivals. this report from "the new york times" says red sox used apple

watches to use signs from their arch nemesis. the yankees filed complaint with video accusing the red sox staffer of looking at their watches and relaying information to the players. keep in mind sign stealing itself is not illegal, but it is limited to what players can see with their own eyes. any use of technology is not allowed. it will be corroborated, the yankees claim, but it is unclear if any penalties will be handed down. both teams, though, they're in police offic playoff contention here. red sox won two of the three games they're talking about. now the red sox are ahead and the yankees have something to complain about here. >> more fuel for the nastiness when it comes to the red sox-yankees rivalry. >> boston sports has a bad reputation for cheating. >> maybe applegate? >> not going to help. >> this is "early today". (vo) more "doing chores for mom" per roll

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hurricane irma still a massive category 5 hurricane with maximum winds 185 miles per hour. let's take a closer look at the winds and when we'll see the strength of them arrive across much of the islands and even as we get closer to the u.s. so, here's when we have the chance of tropical storm force winds, winds greater than 39 miles per hour. you can see by the time we get to sunday we are certainly looking at the moderate threat for that across much of south florida as hurricane irma approaches. taking a look across the country, it is feeling like fall, very cool up into much of the upper midwest with highs only in the 60s. some storms in the northeast including new york city and very hot in salt lake climbing to 96, even seattle back up to 85. so warm there. l.a. 86 and 76 in san francisco.

temperatures into the southern plains are also warm into the 80s. this is our only cool spot that we're looking at across the can uninterest i. frances? >> all right, bonnie, thank you. now this bizarre stabbing in a washington, d.c. school. it won't lead to any charges. d.c. metro police say a 12-year-old girl stabbed a 13-year-old boy with scissors at the british international school. since she's the daughter of a diplomat she won't be prosecuted. the victim was alert when transported to the hospital. they will speak with the attorney general and state department about potential charges. >> dangerous wild fires are scorching the northwest. one blaze jumped across the columbia river burning over 10,000 acres. strong winds in the region are both fueling the fire and spreading the smoke choking the skies a boochl seattle. it's so bad that an air quality alert has been issued for all of washington state. and over in utah officials are ordering evacuations in one area

where a powerful wiemd fire has destroyed multiple structures sending about 900 residents fleeing from their homes. >> tennis star sloan stevens is set to face-off against venus williams. on tuesday she may have already met her match. >> so, if anyone ever asks anything, i always -- oh, my god. oh -- [ laughter ] >> what is that thing? >> so, you can't hide it. in her post match press conference on hold after an insect flew right in her personal space. you saw her fall out of her chair to avoid the dive bombing bug. but, you know, when it comes to bug even the strongest, you know, biggest best athletes can be brought down by a little bug. >> for sure. what's even funnier, the bug was kind of hard to see for a little while. she was just moving fror no reason. who knows. >> what kind of freak out is that. >> well, not as bad as the weather man, though. she'll recover.

thanks for joining us. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. be sure to follow us on twitter, facebook and instagram. and keep it right here. first a rare shooting in san

francisco )s outer richmond right now at 4:30, two breaking news stories. first, a rare shooting in the richmond district. the search under way for suspects. and, a deadly attack in san jose. kris sanchez is on the scene right now with the breaking details coming in. good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm marcus. >> we start this morning with mostly clear skies, with fog near the coast and in san francisco. it's a cooler start as you get ready to head out the door this morning at 68 degrees in san jose, 66 in n