as the military works to provide relief in puerto rico, the enormity of despair and where to begin rebuilding sets in. >> when i was laying out on that ball field, the first thing i did once i was down and i couldn't move any more is i just started to pray. >> 15 weeks after being shot at a congressional baseball practice, house majority whip steve scalise returned to work and there wasn't a dry eye in the chamber. >> a second day of massive rock slides at yosemite's el capitan, the park remains open to climbers. >> the count down for o.j. v simpson's release begins. >> a 90s reboot of flat liners and more. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning, i'm phillip

mena. >> i'm frances rivera. the massive relief effort in puerto rico continues. fema says it's delivered millions of meals and liters of water with additional supplies arriving daily. over 17,000 government and military personnel working oblt island, getting help to all those in need has been a challenge. >> 80% of the island is still without telecoms. so, it's very hard to keep executing that way. we had an old infrastructure that wasn't effective and it wasn't maintained and then on top of that the hurricane provokes the complete collapse. >> and now another new shortage is arising. banks are running out of cash. lines for atms are hours long matching the wait for gas and clean water. nbc's mariana atencio has more from san juan. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we have seen long lines for people to get the most basic necessities. long lines for fuel, long lines for water, long lines for ice.

meanwhile, we know that fema has been working here to get much needed supplies to the people of puerto rico. according to a latest press release, fema has reached search and rescue teams. fema has reached 95% of the island, but we know we have been hearing reports that there are other areas they have still not been able to reach. meanwhile, at the ports here in san juan, we saw containers with what we were told were supplies that are stranded at the ports. the vice-president of crowley, the company that controls almost half the ports here, telling us thousands of containers are not being able to get delivered to the most damaged areas, to the people that need it most because it's almost like a perfect storm. there's lack of fuel. drivers aren't showing up to the ports to pickup the supplies. there is a ravaged infrastructure of the island, and then of course 91% of puerto rico has no cell signal.

so, folks, the desperation is growing and we saw that at the airport. we saw that at the ship terminal as well. people like to leave, thousands of them on a royal caribbean ship that will be getting to fort lauderdale next tuesday. and the most dramatic thing, philip, or the most dramatic things, many people who are leaving don't know if and when they will ever be coming back to puerto rico. philip? >> hard to wrap your head around that situation. mariana, thank you. this morning the president is facing an avalanche of criticism as the white house fights back a barrage of questions over the gop's long awaited plan to overhaul the tax code. and as white house officials struggle to explain the proposal, and the president's promised benefits for middle class families, democrats are pouncing claiming the plan is just a gift to the rich including the president. nbc's peter alexander has the details. >> reporter: fresh off branding a tax plan, a win for everyday americans -- >> a middle class miracle.

>> reporter: now growing questions. will all middle class americans get a tax cut? doubts fuel to say that is true. >> i guarantee that. you can find me someone in the country their taxes may not go down. >> reporter: democrats today pouncing. >> the president and his parade of millionaires are executing a middle class con job. >> reporter: experts say a guarantee is not possible because the details are limited. the plan increases the standard deduction and keeps mortgage interest and charitable deductions, but appears to get rid of many others. >> what there are are eliminations of deductions that middle class earners take, and that way they could actually see an increase in what they pay even though their tax rate is going down. >> reporter: and questions about this presidential promise, that the rich won't benefit. >> it's not good for me, believe me. >> reporter: in fact, mr. trump's blueprint slices the top tax rate to 35%. while eliminating some taxes

that would help the wealthy save, like the estate tax. >> the idea that the rich don't benefit from this is patently false. >> reporter: so, how would president trump's tax plan benefit him personally? this morning the white house is refusing to say. the president's top economic advisor insisting americans care much more about what's in their wall et cetera th wallets, than in his. philip, back to you. >> thank you. >> why personal e-mail among the president's staff including advisor ivanka. reince priebus and steve bannon. now the white house officials say they have launched an internal probe for the private e-mail accounts looking into their use. just as congressional investigators fume over the matter demanding answers. nbc's tracie potts joins us now with more. tracy, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this was significant because it was a big deal with hillary clinton.

it was a big deal during the campaign and now let's look at those six individuals again that the white house is looking into their use of private e-mail for government business. and we are told particularly whether or not there is any communication about the russia investigation. of particular interest here, jared kushner and ivanka trump, their private e-mail domain, because of course they still work at the white house. some of the others who you saw there are former white house officials. and then the white house also answering questions now about tom price, the health and human services secretary who was using a lot of private jets instead of commercial airlines to get around. president trump saying that he is not -- has not made up his mind about whether or not he would fire price as a result. now politico, which first reported that use of private jets, is also showing that he is going to be paying back some of

that money. he's announced tom price has, he's going to pay back more than $51,000, rei am burtsing tmburs government for those private flights. that is not all. politico reporting the white house approved the use of military aircraft when tom price went overseas and made multinational trips to africa and to europe at a cost of over half a million dollars to tax payers. no word whether that will be reimbursed. frances? >> a lot of answers when it comes to that as well, questions, too. tracee, thank you. >> another dangerous rock slide crashed down from yosemite's el capitan. one person was injured during the terrifying event. it was significantly larger than wednesday's rock fall which left one man dead and his wife injured. one man felt the immense power of that rock slide. >> you see this huge plume of granite dust explode from the

bottom and eventually that comes to us. we're getting showered, blasted in the face. >> the impact of this latest rock fall similarly sent a massive cloud of dust into the air limiting advise iblvisibili people ran. according to the wife he was driving during the rock slide. he suffered from a fractured skull. >> the president's comments on the nfl when he said its would be great to see an owner telling a protesting player to get that splitive off the field now. the mothers association is responding with a letter saying it saddens the organization to know that donald trump would make our sons as well as their mothers the target of inflammatory offensive comments. this group of nfl moms says it tries to be a supportive system for the mothers of professional football players and to serve, support, educate and strengthen our communities through charitable giving. >> mother nature put on a spectacular show for some lucky

passengers flying into minneapolis on wednesday. video recorded from inside the plane captured the northern lights dancing across the sky. look at that. those lights are when the sun shoots powerful bursts of radiation into the atmosphere creating those eye popping beautiful splashes of green. >> definitely a bucket list check off, yet to do it. fascinating out there when you see it. >> that was two nights that go. they said some people said in the northern portion of our country that was the best they've ever seen it. the glow was that impressive it was a really nice show. we missed it. >> one of these days. >> yeah, one of these days. florida is the only place in the country really i have bad news for the weekend. it looks like a nor'easter time storm. no chance it could be a tropical depression. we'll have periods of on and off rain. we'll have the northeast winds, rip currents and the beaches on the east coast will be worse than the west coast. not a beach weekend in much of the state of florida. the cool air is with us from the great lakes to the northeast as it should be this time of year. a stray shower or two in texas.

not as bad as the last couple days. saturday, watch out in boston not a good start to your weekend. kind of chilly and raw. but by sunday we give the northeast a nice finish to your weekend as we start october pretty much the warmth begins to build in the middle of the country. as we start october, it actually lookpretty mild around mucs h perfect, temperatures in the 60s and 70s for the high today. looks like a pretty nice start to october for so many. >> we'll take it. bill, thank you. looking forward to the weekend and tour the weekend, tom cruise is back flying the unfriended unfriendly skies as a cocaine seller. dylan page stars in a remake of the 1990s horror film flat liner. >> country music star sa nigh a

twain first album in a few years arrives today. >> jimmy buffet talks about his escape to margaritaville. jimmy buffet fans waiting to see what he's up to with this. >> parrot head. >> "early today" is back in two. it's here! kohl's lowest prices of the season! prices so low, no coupons needed! get women's tops just $14.99 plush throws only $9.99 and kitchen electrics are just $4.99 after rebate!

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stick together. jill and i and all the bidens are with you, julia. >> leading news this morning it's been over 250 days since donald trump became president, but this morning the white house officially has an ambassador to russia. former utah governor and ambassador to china jon huntsman was a unanimously confirmed by the senate. huntsman has taken a harder line on russia than the president telling the senate there was, quote, no question russia interfered in the election. the trump white house initially named huntsman as their pick for the ambassadorship in march, taking until mid july to formally nominate him for the post. huntsman and his wife mary will join the american embassy in moscow in the coming days. >> five young children under two years old and three adults were injured when a vehicle rammed into a fence outside a day care in texas on thursday. the driver's father said someone was taking driving lessons nearby and he crashed his white toyota camry after confusing the brake with the gas pedal. the 17-year-old has not been charged. two children were air lifted to the dallas hospital, one in

critical condition. the severity of the other injuries were not immediately known. frisco police are investigating. >> a 3-year-old girl has become the latest living goddess in nepal. she was carried to the temple palace where she will be revered by hindus and buddhists in the him lay an nation until she is 12 years old in the hope she will bring the country good fortune. they must fulfill the criteria of the 32 perfections including having a body like a bannian tree, eyelashes like a cow, and a voice soft and clear as a dove. >> may not be the most flattering bhab flattering baby, but that's where culture is different. a child until 12. >> growing up like that. >> several dogs displace the by hurricane mar hurricane irma available for adoption. the powerful storm that rocked florida, after medical checkups and vaccinations are now ready

for a forever home. human society want to make sure the adorable pooches will go to loving homes especially since their histories are unknown. and that anyone interested be sure that they can commit to the animals. >> that's another way to help. >> and make a family have a pet and make it complete. >> make it happen. just ahead, a major news anchor got the sprietz of a lifetime and it happened live on air, too. plus ellen has a new goal in life. and it involves beyonce. we'll tell you about it next. (avo) lose weight and keep it off with contrave. it's fda-approved to help adults who are overweight or struggle with obesity. contrave is believed to work on two areas of the brain: test test french fries. (avo) to help control cravings. one ingredient in contrave may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teens, and young adults in the first few months. serious side effects are mood changes like depression and mania, seizures, increased blood pressure or heart rate,

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here's beyonce's instagram page. look at this. she has over 100 million followers. 100 million followers, very impressive. look at this. she has -- she's following zero people. [ laughter ] >> zero! so now i have a new goal in life. i want to become the one person that beyonce follows. [cheering and applauding] >> all right, there you heard it. ellen's new goal in life. so, how does she plan to get beyonce to follow her on instagram? she posted this video of her audience dancing, quote, beyonce, will you follow me? you'll get this and more. i wish all of our life goals could be that fun. right? >> it's kind of amazing, 106 million people follow her and she has no interest following anybody else. >> she's queen b. i'm all good. >> if anything says it it's that. incredible. one nbc anchor got an unexpected

surprise on the job. it all happened during this report. take a look. >> we'll test the new parameters before twitter makes a final decision. and our twitter expert here feels what? >> i've already been tweeting people asking them about -- >> okay. >> what do you think, bruce? >> that giggle there was nbc new york's natalie pascarela. she was realizing her water had broken right there live on the air. ever the proprofessional she finished the newscast without letting anybody know about t. she headed to the hospital and 13 hours later her son jamin james pastore was born weighing in at 5 pounds 6 ounces. congratulations to natalie and her husband. what about that? >> how funny is that, too? what a secret to keep. a lot of stuff happens on the air. >> water breaking, my goodness. >> there is one man's appetite for growing viegiant vegetabless

won him a spot in the guinness book of world records. shattering the previous world record of 20 pounds. he urged his carrot to grow by showing it a picture of the previous record holder. i don't know if that did it. it did. he started gardening three years ago. he credits soil and a little bit of luck. i have to say it's a funky looking carrot with all of the roots i guess and how it intertwines itself. >> not appealing. does not look appealing. >> shred that thing and make a whole lot of carrot cake. >> carrot cake, my favorite. coffee lovers have something to celebrate on this friday. stay with us. honey? can we do this tomorrow? (grunts of effort) can we do this tomorrow? if you have heart failure symptoms, your risk of hospitalization could increase, making tomorrow uncertain.

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and the hooligan who lives down the lane was caught selling the stolen goods online. visit geico.com and see how easy it is to switch and save on renters insurance. well, the weekend outlook looks nearly perfect. there are going to be a few exceptings as always. saturday we will track a little bit of rain up through areas of new england especially as we go through the first half of the day. it will be a little wet boston, providence, came cod. tropical rain in florida we'll deal with on saturday. by sunday the northeast clears out we'll watch a little rain in the northern plains. a lot of nice, starting to feel a little more like fall. >> thanks, bill. another state goes after big pharma after the opioid epidemic plus three of the five living presidents unite for a good cause. u taking the tissue test? yep, and my teeth are yellow. i mean i knew they weren't perfect, but ugh. oh well! all hope is lost.

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cbs was on last news broke with a hugh hefner star on the walk of fame. >> the hollywood boulevard and walk of fame, if you look at his star, many people say he did so much for culture. he blazed trails. [ laughter ] >> that's how i want to be remembered, too. banana, a puddle of jelly and a hot dog. and a fourth grader dropped his lunch box. >> dripping with symbolism there. >> many, many ways. >> oh, man. all right. the count down is on for o.j. simpson's release from prison. simpson could be released on parole as early as sunday, but that's not guaranteed. sources familiar with his

release say they can't reveal his exact date due to security reasons, but they tell nbc news he's expected to be freed sunday or not long after. simpson spent nine years behind bars for his role in a 2007 robbery at a las vegas hotel. prior to that he was acquitted of murder in the 1994 killings of his ex-wife nicole brown simpson and her friend ronald goldman. later this morning megyn kelly will talk to members of the goldman family as well as prosecutor chris darden who argued the case against simpson's release. >> washington state is against the farmer. they a dues the company of down playing the addictiveness of its drug. washington claims the company earned billions while fielding the opioid crisis. perdue denies the claims. several cities and countries or counties i should say are suing opioid manufacturers. >> for the first time ever, three former presidents attended the president's cup. bill clinton, george w. bush and

barack obama were all at the liberty national golf course in new jersey for an extra special opening ceremony. the three former presidents greeted players and their wives while waiting for the matches to begin and pro golfer phil mickelson made sure to catch them early and even get a selfie with the presidential trio. how cool was that? he a always wish i could hear the chat. >> what they talked about. >> when the cameras are not rolling or when they're by themselves. great fun picture right there. coffee lovers, this is for you, triem to drink up because today is national coffee day. krispy kreme is offering a free kuchibhotla much joe with no strings attached all weekend. they will give you a free cup today. dunc dunkin ' donuts and mcdonald's will offer java deals. it is early for us this morning. if you haven't grabbed it, it is essential. you got yours. >> we have to get you one. with these hours i had to start drinking coffee. >> a-s-a-p.

tlanks f thanks for watching. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. thanks for who are these people? the energy conscious people among us say small actions can add up to something... humongous. a little thing here. a little thing there. starts to feel like a badge maybe millions can wear. who are all these caretakers, advocates too? turns out, it's californians it's me and it's you. don't stop now, it's easy to add to the routine. join energy upgrade california and do your thing.

good friday morning to you. we have made it through workweek. a live look outside at san jose as we get the morning going. good morning and thanks for joining us, i'm marcus washington. >> i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cannon today. we want to get you started with the forecast because we know you probably have plans for the weekend. >> you know today is supposed to be the coolest day we have seen this entire week. it's thanks to fog that's hugging the coastline. the temperatures are cooler than we were yesterday at this hour. here is a quick check of the current radar. you can see we have a lot of fog. that is going to blanket and keep us