/s this is a nightmare. this is not where i planned to be or wanted to be. the first two weeks of my baby's life. >> i need to get out of here. why? because we feel desperate. it's not just me. this is a scary situation. >> puerto rico's destrucon runs deep. rebuilding will take months, even years as patience begins to run thin. >> details involving otto warmbier, 17 months of torture at the hands ever north korea before his death. >> possible new limits on the number of refugees allowed into the u.s. >> for the first time ever women are legally allowed to drive in saudi arabia. >> and the unexpected medical issue that forced steven tyler to cancel aerosmith tour dates.

"early today" starts right now. >> good being with us on a wednesday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. the humanitarian crisis is deepening in the wake of maria with some fearing the crisis along with the crippling debt could cause a mass migration to the u.s.. the governor says without aid from the government such an exodus may be inevitable. >> if conditions are inhospitable, if we don't have the resources to rebuild properly, then yes, this is going to cause a problem for puerto rico. of course it is going to cause a problem for the main land as well. >> fema says 4 million meals and 6 million liters of water have been delivered so far and up to 26 military ships have been deployed to the island. but despite the effort, many say the aid simply isn't reaching them quickly enough. nbc's laura aguirra has the latest. >> reporter: a family's desperation in a rural area of

puerto rico. four letters scrawled on their roof. a plea to help to anyone who might fly over. search examine rescue crew members reached them, but in many other cases, cries for help have gone unanswered. the results, deadly. the island's hurricane decimated infrastructure and telecommunications are making attempts to reach outlying areas painstakingly slow. at san juan's airport, terminals swell with massive crowds of people trying to get out. thousands of people and only daily handfuls of flights. no a.c., little water. limited generator power. many have been here days already. flights repeatedly canceled. >> so, this is like our fourth cancellation. so, they said they aren't going to get us out until october. >> reporter: a positive turn in some locations, atms were dispensing cash. and at one facility near san

juan, tanker trucks were filling up, ready to distribute badly needed fuel. it's expected to take several months, if not years in some cases, to rebuild destroyed structures, homes and the power grid. the island's utility company declared bankruptcy this summer amid $9 billion of debt. puerto rico's governor says fema is giving his government a waver on matching recovery effort funds. freeing up his cash strapped government to buy supplies and get contractors to work. adding he was confident the president and federal government understood the severity of the crisis there. president trump announced that he will visit the island himself next tuesday. laura aguirre, nbc news. >> there was a major political upset last night in bam bachlt. republican luther strange is the first sitting senator in half a decade to lose to his own party's primary appointed to

replace jeff sessions after he became attorney general, strange was supported by the republican establishment and president. campaigned for him. he urges followers to finish the job and vote for big luther. nevertheless strange was defeated by conservative fire brand roy moore, a former alabama supreme court justice. in his victory speech moore said he still supports the president. >> together we can make america great. we can support the president. don't let anybody in the press think that because he supported my opponent that i do not support him and support his agenda. >> nbc's steve karnacki described how the runoff played out between president trump and his base. >> luther strange, look, this was the candidate of the republican establishment. roy moore, lightning rod, candidate of the base. what made this so interesting was that donald trump was trying to push the establishment candidate to the voters. the voters who really are part of the base, the

antiestablishment, this was the trump base. those voters did not listen to trump on this. they went with roy moore. i think there might have been a sense there in alabama in the grassroots, the conservative grassroots that trump's heart wasn't really in it with luther strange when he was down there at that rally last friday at one point he mused maybe i made a mistake here about endorsing luther strange. those words made it into an ad for moore at the end. a lot of moore supporters i think like donald trump. maybe thought trump was trying to wink at them a little bit. donald trump kotb sell the establishment candidate to the antiestablishment base. that is interesting. >> after the results came in, mr. trump deleted a pro-strange tweet and posted one congratulating moore, urging him to win in december when the state will hold its special election. >> homeland security will soon start collecting social media information from all immigrants including green card holders and even naturalized citizens. the new rule will allow the agency to add data from facebook, twitter and instagram

to a person's immigration file raising concerns among privacy groups. it is set to go in effect october 18 after a public comment period. meanwhile officials tell nbc news the trump administration is looking to cap the number of refugees accepted in the next fiscal year to 45,000. that's a dramatic decrease from the 110,000 accepted the year before. it is also lower than the 50,000 recommended by the state department. the cap is still pending final approval by the president. >> president trump is fanning the flames of the nfl's national anthem protest controversy when asked if it was distracting him from the crisis in puerto rico, the president said this. >> well, i wasn't preoccupied with the nfl. i was ashamed of what was taking place because to me that was a very important moment. i don't think you can disrespect our country, our flag, our national anthem. to me the nfl situation is a very important situation. i've heard that before about was i preoccupied. not at all. not at all. i have plenty of time on my hands. all i do is work.

>> his comments come after democratic congresswoman sheila jackson lee took a knee on the house floor. >> i kneel in honor of the first amendment. i kneel because the flag is a symbol for freedom. i kneel because i'm going to stand against racism. i kneel because i will stand with those young men and i will stand with our soldiers, and i'll stand with america because i kneel. >> meanwhile, some restaurants in southeast louisiana are no longer showing nfl games on their tvs until the protests stop. just one sign the controversy could be threatening the nfl's revenue. the "wall street journal" reports that direct tv is letting some customers cancel subscriptions to its sunday ticket package of nfl games as long as they cite players national anthem protest as the reason. when customer reportedly explained his decision to cancel saying, i was tired of politics in sports and it's not how i want to spend my sunday watching all that transpire.

>> wow. nbc meteorologist bill karins joins us now with what is left about maria. still talking about maria. >> it was one week ago today it struck puerto rico. we are still talking about the storm down to a tropical storm yesterday. we still have large waves that are still all along the east coast. the rip current threat continues and that will be here for about another two days. as far as the winds go, it hasn't been all that bad. we have had some gusts in the 50 mile per hour range at cape hatteras. that could continue today. still a little problem with storm surge. probably one or two more tide cycles and that will continue to improve. i haven't heard of damage from any over wash we've had so far. the waves are huge and they'll be with us a day or two and those will begin to subside also. the other story is the incredible heat that for one more day in areas 100 degrees i

areas of alabama and also mississippi, not much cooler either in the carolinas. big question is how long will that heat remain. i'll give you that forecast coming up. >> bill, thank you. in the news this morning defense secretary james mattis arrived at the afghan capital overnight on an unannounced visit. this is his first visit there since the u.s. announced the surge of 4,000 additional troops to the war-torn country. nbc news has confirmed enacting drug enforcement chief chuck rosenberg is resigning. law enforcement officials say he had become convinced president trump had, quote, little respect for the law. and aerosmith is cutting his south american tour short after he came down with unexpected medical issues. no word on specifics, but the 69-year-old rocker assures fans it is nothing serious. getting your flu shot atwalgree. just walk right in and pay zero dollars with most insurance. plus, when you get a flu shot at walgreens, you help provide a lifesaving vaccine to a child in need

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government in opposition lawmakers exchanged punches and threw chairs. this after a colleague was accused of carrying a gun. the speaker ordered body searches and no gun was found. at 73 years old, the president is ineligible to run for reelection in 2021 and the existing constitution caps that age limit at 75 years old. >> the u.s. treasury is ratcheting up sanctions against north korea targeting eight north korean banks and 26 individuals tied to the networks. the move is an attempt to stymie the program by cutting off financial support. nbc's andrea mitchell has more on the standoff. >> reporter: president trump with more harsh words against north korea saying he is prepared to use military force if necessary. >> if we take that option, it will be devastating. i can tell you that, devastating for north korea.

that's called the military option. if we have to take it, we will. >> reporter: as tensions escalate, a horrifying account from the anguished parents of american student otto warmbier. on fox, revealing how their son was tortured during his 17 months in a north korean prison, sent home in a coma. >> otto had a shaved head. he had a feeding tube coming out of his nose. he was staring blankly into space jerking violently. he was blind. he was deaf. as we looked at him and tried to comfort him, it looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth. >> reporter: he died days later. his supposed crime, stealing a souvenir. fred and cindy warmbier speaking about how the regime destroyed their 22-year-old son. >> they kidnapped otto. they tortured him. >> the north korean menace. >> reporter: despite president trump's angry words and new sanctions, the secretary of

state saying the goal is still a diplomatic solution. >> i hope that is the way we'll solve this. >> reporter: and the pentagon seeing no signs of an increased military threat. >> we haven't seen a change in the posture of north korean forces. we watched that very carefully. >> reporter: a showdown with a rogue regime and for the warmbier family already an horrific tragedy. andrea mitchell, nbc news, new york. >> coming up after three prominent republicans refused to support the latest gop health care plan, is repeal and replace d.o.a.? you, couch. you give us comfort. and we give you bare feet, backsweat, and gordo's... everything. i love you, but sometimes you stink. soft surfaces trap odors. febreze fabric refresher cleans them away for good. because the things you love the most can stink. and plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up to 45 days. breathe happy with febreze.

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the latest attempt to repeal obamacare is dead with gop leaders saying they will not vote on the bill by senators lindsey graham and bill cassidy. the bill was at least three votes short of passing. senator susan collins, rand paul and john mccain all voicing opposition. and while republican leaders aren't giving up on health care, they are changing gears to tax reform with the house ways and means committee meeting with president trump on a plan expected to be unveiled today. nbc's tracie potts joins us today. good morning, what can he we expect to see with this new tax plan? >> reporter: expect to see details for the first time of how president president and republicans want to transform how we all pay taxes in this country. take a look. president trump did sit down with those financial leaders here on capitol hill yesterday to seal the final details.

his job now to sell it. he's headed to indiana later today to talk in broad strokes about what his party is trying to do here, including simplifying the tax code. >> first, we must make our tax code simple and fair. it's too complicated. people can't do it. second, we will cut taxes tremendously for the middle class, not just a little bit, but tremendously. >> reporter: okay. details, from an industry source familiar with those discussions, first of all, the corporate tax rate. the president talked a lot about this purportedly, republicans want to drop that from 35 to 20%. not quite as low as the president wanted to go. as for individual tax brackets, there are now seven. they want to shrink that, reportedly to three tax brackets. 35, 25, and 10%. the mortgage interest deduction, charitable donation deductions, very popular, would be preserved

according to our source. and they are also looking at other things like increasing the child tax credit and doubling the standard deduction. that could certainly affect a lot of families. still unknown, though, frances, how are they going to pay for it all? could be a pretty expensive proposition. >> we'll see how far this plan goes. tracie potts for us in washington, thank you. >> just ahead, a civil rights tribute in philadelphia that is long overdue. plus ultra conservative saudi arabia takes a big leap toward women's rights with its latest royal decree. you're watching "early today." . ...of our jeans. it got weird. ahhh! i'm just airing them out! luckily we discovered tide pods plus downy. so our jeans stay in great shape. and they actually get clean. what? we can wash 'em. tide pods plus downy. super concentrated to clean, condition and keep your favorites looking great. it's got to be tide.

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there is a big change coming to the way of life in saudi arabia and a major victory for women's rights. for the first time ever women will be able to legally drive there following a royal decree. >> nbc's kelly cobiella has more on a move the critics say was a long time coming. >> reporter: saudi women who fought for the right to drive are celebrating. saudi arabia will never be the same again, one activist kpeeted. the reign begins with a single drop. she was arrested after posting this video of herself behind the wheel. in 2017, saudi arabia still had a ban on women driving cars. the only country in the world to do so. the penalty, fines, flogging, for some women jail time. the ban had been justified by the government under strict islamic law. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: activists pushing for change on social media say

they have been gaining ground. women granted limited voting rights in 2015. last weekend allowed in the national stadium for the first time. and this surprise announcement. >> a royal decree has been issued in saudi arabia giving women the right to drive. [ applause ] >> reporter: the change will take effect in june of next year, giving this ultra conservative country ten months to adjust to having a woman in the driver's seat. kelly cobiella, nbc news. >> wow, it's got to be pretty something to get those driver's licenses for those women there. >> i'm happy for them. that is great to see. >> philadelphia is honoring a 19th century civil rights leader with a brand-new sta stew outside city hall. the statue is okinactavius who fought for education for black students. he was assassinated in 1871, 32 years old. the statue is the first to honor an african-american in a public

space in philly. >> that is amazing, the first one in philadelphia. better late than never. got glad they got it in. new york yankees aaron hiks, he committed robbery last night. let me show you what i'm talking about. tampa bay rangers the base loadsed and drove one to deep right. he got it and robbed it. slow motion replay, this is spectacular catch here. this is his first inning back from disabled list. this guy was hurt. gets right on the field ask does that. he takes away a grand slam from the tampa bay rays limiting them from jucht one run. the yankees go on to win 6-1. with that, they secured home field advantage, too, if they are in the wild card. major catch. >> way to impress. relief and supplies have been slow getting to puerto rico. some. >> reporter: ta-- some are taki matters into their own hands. details next. sh really cleans... ...better than a manual, and my hygienist says it does. but... ...they're not all the same. turns out, they're really...

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as thousands try to leave the island of puerto rico in the wake of hurricane maria, hundreds more are flying in to give relief to those who can't escape. nbc new york's jack checky beck ford has more. >> reporter: fema plans to send more help to puerto rico. there are flights from here in new jersey. one left monday bringing food, supplies and medical aid, all organized by a volunteer new york city paramedic who says his desire to help has no boundaries. once a draw for vacationers, people now desperate to get out of maria ravaged puerto rico. >> the devastation that we have, nothing is enough. >> the heat, the electricity,

the food, everything is leaving the >> reporter: those lucky enough to make it out on one of the few commercial flights, hugging loved ones at kennedy airport tuesday night. still there are some flying toward the disaster. >> we said we're dropping and going. >> reporter: a volunteer new york city paramedic and founder of jet 911 a private medical air lift service organizing this massive effort with friend and fellow entrepreneur. flying thousands of pounds of food, water and medical supplies monday to a country where basic items are now luxuries. >> we had a doctor who's got tremendous emergency medicine experience, anesthesiologist. we have paramedics, we have emts. >> reporter: the ten volunteers making the journey from teeter borrow airport to san juan getting aid on the ground. >> we went door to door asking if anybody needs help. >> reporter: the group bringing back four people from puerto rico. one just nine years old, desperate to leave the countries, crippled by power shortages. >> we don't realize how lucky we have to have a roof over our

head suddenly from one minute to the next our lives got ripped apart. >> reporter: and just a sign how that disaster has touched so many, he says even the drivers who brought those supplies here refused payment, telling him to give the money to those who need it in puerto rico. more relief flights are planned for later this week. in teeter borrow, new jersey, checky for nbc news. >> thank you. >> so many people struggling with the power and heat there, a tough situation, bill. >> no air conditioning. schools don't have air conditioning for the kids. it was 108 heat index at one point yesterday. that is just insane. san juan today about 88 degrees, but it's really when you add in the humidity that's when it really gets to the dangerous heat indeksz. as we go through the end of this week towards the weekend, in the upper 80s we'll continue through the region so not much relief out there whatsoever. as far as what we're dealing with in south florida, still very hot there. and as we go up the oorn seaboard, the unusual warmth continues but not as hot as

yesterday. >> bill, thank you very much. that does it for us. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. keep it right here on your nbc news channel. more news is straight ahead.

good wednesday morning to you as we take a live look outside on the golden gate bridge as the day comes along. good morning and thank you for joining us. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. the day is going to be a warm one as well as the heat up for some time now. >> that fire danger will continue. we are talking upper 80s and 90s. even in san jose, expected to climb into the 90s for today and the east bay and north bay, keep the fire danger in place. the south bay, 66 degrees. peninsula 63, tri-valley, 58. san francisco, 54 degrees right now. a quick check on the temperature trend. we'll see we climb into the 70