breaking overnight, an oil platform explosion near jefferson parish in new orleans. seven injured, one person remains missing. we have late details. >> 11,000 fire fighters finally gaining ground on the raging california fires that have claimed 40 lives. >> serious new allegation ltz of sexual assault over the weekend hurled at movie mogul harvey weinstein. >> two escaped inmates on the run, one faces charges of first degree murder. >> danger in paradise, a bizarre fire forces everyone overboard in the waters near wii keikichi hanada, hawaii. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> good to be with you. i'm frances rivera. breaking overnight, an oil rig exploded near new orleans in

louisiana. officials say at least seven people were hurt in the blast. five are now in critical condition. while the other two are stable. the explosion happened on lake pontchartrain. the rig was 1 1/2 miles offshore. the coast guard is now on the scene searching for one man from the rig's eight-person crew who remains missing. meanwhile fire teams are working to stop any flow of oil. >> there's a number of wells in that location and the oil is transferred at that point. so, our first objective from the fire fighting standpoint is we're trying to stop the oil flow if there's any, and at that point we're going to have to cool it and let it burn off. >> authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion, but they say the crew was cleaning some type of chemical on the platform before it blew up. officials say no drinking water comes from the lake and nearby residents are not in danger. >> a manhunt is underway for two men who broke out of a missouri jail early sunday. the sheriff says both men are considered armed and dangerous. one of the escape ees,

27-year-old william carter is facing first degree murder charges. 41-year-old joseph faces several charges including theft. no details were release odd not how the pair escaped. anyone who sees them is asked to call the county sheriff's office. >> deadly wildfires are still raging through california, though the disaster may be getting closer. so far fires have killed at least 40 people scorching over 217,000 acres of land. while 1 shun thousand residen00 flee, mandatory evacuations are being lifted. the winds were more powerful than expected allowing 11,000 fire fighters to gain containment and giving responders a new sense of hope. >> we are feeling optimistic. we're turning the corner. we're getting a lot more lot lineup. you're seeing the containment levels coming up. things feel good in our gut as fire fighters. >> nbc's sara dallof is in

sarasota this morning. how are they copeling with the wildfires especially knowing there may be an end? >> reporter: exactly, frances. this full containment is something they have been looking forward to. seeing their homes for the first time as some of these folks are being able to get back in their neighborhoods, it is a mix of shock and sadness. 5700 homes and other structures have been destroyed in this blaze. flames have not only taken things like cars and clothes, but also the irreplaceable items like family photos. now, we spoke with one young woman as she toured her neighborhood and her home for the first time since fleeing in the middle of the night. >> this looks like a war zone, to be honest. like, it's just -- i wouldn't have ever imagined this was my neighborhood. >> reporter: how do you start again from this? >> you just tear it down and rebuild, just go with the simple stuff. >> reporter: and some of these

homes have been multi generational. it's not so easy to just simply rebuild those memories all of those years spent, spending holidays and birthdays inside those homes. meanwhile, a bit of good news, fire fighters say their containment of the major wildfires continues to increase. they got a break from the weather this weekend. they're saying they have turned a corner and, frances, they optimistically think they will have full containment by friday, very welcome news to people in this region. >> absolutely something they need to hear. sara, thank you. >> another woman has come forward with allegations against harvey weinstein. british actress la set anthony says hollywood producer raped her in the late 1980s. in an interview with the sunday times, anthony said that weinstein assaulted her in her own home. she also accused him of stalking and sexually harassing her for years before the alleged assault. saying she had earlier met with him in new york. anthony said she filed a complaint with police last week. >> british media is widely reporting london police are

investigating weinstein for several sexual assault allegations. london metropolitan police did confirm three women made allegations against the same man for incidents alleged to have taken place in the late 1980s in 2015, but did not confirm the identity of either the accusers or the accused. weinstein has denied all allegations of nonconsentual sex. meanwhile late night horse james cord don is apologizing for a joke. he tweeted i was not trying to make light of harvey's inexcusable behavior, but to shame him, not his victims. actress melissa tried to bring light to the prevalence of sexual harassment assault with this tweet. asking those who have been victimized to tweet, me, too. the hashtag took off with over 24,000 replies to the tweet filled mostly with me, toos and stories of harassment of ordinary people alike. >> in the wake of the harvey weinstein sexual harassment scandal a new revelation against

president trump has also come to light. a form contestant on the apprentice who a kiezes the president of past sexual misconduct has subpoenaed his campaign for, quote, all documents concerning any woman who asserted that donald j. trump touched her inappropriately. just weeks before the 2016 election, she accused trump of making unwanted sexual advances toward her at the beverley hills hotel. she sued for defamation after he denied allegations. more than a dozen women accused him during the presidential campaign of sexual assault or misconduct. >> secretary of state rex tillerson addressed rumors that he's been at odds with the president. but when asked whether he called his boss a moron, tillerson refused to answer. nbc's kelly o'donnell is at the white house with the very latest. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, frances. like president trump, secretary of state rex tillerson comes from a business world background.

but for months now, he's been dealing with the political heat amid questions about how well he and the president actually get along. the nation's top tip low matt being diplomatic. >> the president is a very unconventional person as we all know in terms of how he communicates, how he likes to create action forcing events. >> reporter: text of state rex tillerson out front defending himself in, in part, by attacking washington. >> this is a town that seems to relish gossip, rumor, innuendo, and they feed on it. they feed on one another in a very destructive way. >> reporter: one uncomfortable word, moron, is causing tillerson grief. >> i'm not going to adignify th question. >> reporter: it follows the report that he called the president a moron in a national security meeting according to three government officials. one again, the secretary notably chooses not to deny he said it. >> my position on it is i'm not

playing. i'm not playing. you want to mack a game out of it, i'm not playing. >> reporter: the president has sent mixed signals on his support of tillerson. >> total confidence in rex. i have total confidence. >> reporter: but knocked down the president of state he was wasting his time trying to negotiate with north korea. that prompted senator bob corker to criticize the president. you cannot publicly castrate the secretary of state. a charge tillerson willingly answered like a texan. >> i checked him fully intact. >> reporter: his relationship with the president often tested can reverberate worldwide. u.n. ambassador nikki haley says they're on the same page. >> i've been in the room with them many times. they continue to work strongly together. >> reporter: secretary tillerson acknowledges that he and the president disagree from time to time, but he says he feels able to candidly give his opinions to president trump, and that is critical at a time when issues like iran and threats from north korea require a unified american

voice. frances? >> all right, kelly, thank you. >> heavy rain storms pounded parts of the midwest over the weekend. thunderstorms brought up to 5 inches of rain in some areas in illinois saturday triggering flash flood warnings in most northern counties. record flood waters submerged the chicago river walk and businesses were forced to shut down including a major river cruise line. in missouri a severe thunderstorm toppled trees onto homes and vehicles and two trees came crashing down in this pike county resident's backyard, completely shattering his truck and his shed. >> unbelievable when you have that kind of damage there. all right. let's get a check now with nbc meteorologist bill karins who has your week ahead. finally some nice fall weather. >> it's about time. people have been waiting to turn their air conditioners off. it came at the expense of severe weather. no more severe weather. we have umbrella weather, shower activity "early today" especially in areas of the southeast, atlanta included. much cooler is the general rule from the great lakes from the

northeast to the southeast but it will be short lived. enjoy it while it lasts. 69 in charlotte, 50 in d.c., 50 detroit and buffalo. look what happens, behind it another big warm up. upper 70s as far as bizmark. that's why you'll have your nd chance of showers of thunderstorms from miami up to orlando and jacksonville. seven people escaped unharmed after the 79 foot commercial fishing boat goes up in flames in hawaii. the group on board the vessel were part of a marine salvage company and managed to get off safely. they had to jump over board. the officials say the cause of the fire is under investigation. currently no one is allowed to swim at that beach. >> look at those images.

scared to jump off. >> abandoning ship is not on my list of things wanting to do. >> go to hawaii not expecting that. bill, thank you. ahead, an exciting late night walk off that happened probably while you were sleeping. and colin kaepernick says he knows why no nfl team has signed him this year and he's fighting back. you're watching "early today." s, switch to walgreens. we make it easy to seize the day, so you can get more out of life and medicare part d. just walk right in for savings that will be the highlight of your day. walgreens has $0 copays on select plans and 100 points on prescriptions. so, swing by and save today. walgreens, at the corner of happy & healthy.

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like that. >> game 3 is in the bronx tonight. yankees still have some fight left in them. all right. leading the news this morning former nfl quarterback colin kaepernick has filed a grievance against the league of team colluding to keep him off the team for social justice. he became a controversial figure last season when he started taking a knee during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. it was a movement that spread throughout the league this season with owners themselves participating after inflammatory comments by president trump. in a statement, kaepernick's attorney said if the nfl is to remain a merit okinar meritocra had no comment on that grievance. >> facebook is jumping on a food delivery bandwagon. the company partnered with existing delivery services like club hub and door dash allowing users to order take out or delivery straight from the facebook mobile app or your

desktop. users can find the order food feature under the explorer section and you have a wide range of choices from popular chains like papa john's or chipotle. not sure what to order, check out friends' reviews. the company hopes the new feature will allow users to stay online even longer. that's so smart. it's like stay on facebook. we'll take care of your meal as long as you stay on. >> do not close the apple. we'll figure it out for you. there may be more to instagram famous than likes and comments. these pups are making huge earnings on instagram. check this out. according to banking.com, this is jiff. he rakes in $17,500 per sponsored post. he has landed parts in commercials for banana republic. >> can i tell you i've actually interviewed jiff. i've been on there a few years ago. little adorable thing. and made some spots on katie perry videos, commercials, all

over so you can understand. absolutely adorable. >> he looks like a stuffed animal really. >> looks like a toy dog. still ahead, saturday night live takes white house advisor kellyanne conway where she has never been before. plus, taking drone racing to a whole new level. this time immersed in romanian caves. we'll tell you about did here on "early today." watch me. ♪ i've tried lots of things for my joint pain. now? watch me. ♪ think i'd give up showing these guys how it's done? please. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are changing the way they fight it... they're moving forward with cosentyx®. it's a different kind of targeted biologic. it's proven to help people find less joint pain and clearer skin. don't use if you are allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur.

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in romania, it was a drone race like no other. tiny drones zoomed through salt mines at lightning fast speeds. the some of the world's most talented drone operators donned vid video goggles in these object stack lds. >> the huge truck bomb in somalia killed 260 people and wounded others. they are condemning the tack calling it terrorism. there has not been a formal claim of responsibility. nbc's lucy kavanagh has details. >> reporter: this is being described as the dead i est attack in somalia's history. on saturday the capital mogadishu saw twin bomb blasts rip through two busy junctions. we saw entire buildings flattened, dozens of cars on fire. first responders and ordinary citizens digging through the rubble, dazed relatives wandering the streets looking for loved ones.

ambulances had rushed victims to the hospitals which are strained beyond capacity. >> translator: it is really terrible. with a heavy heart i would say this is the worst attack i have ever witnessed. a lot of people perished and properties lost. >> reporter: doctors struggling to treat the wounded victims. the country's president declaring three days of national mourning, donating blood as well to set an example. somalia's government has blamed the al-qaeda-linked all sha bob group for the attack which it called a national disaster. it is worth keeping in mind that somalia's war has increasingly become america's, too. president donald trump has expanded the u.s. military's campaign against al-shabaab, stepping up drone strikes as well as special forces operations there. but in mogadishu there is grief and there is also growing anger with protesters gathering near the scene of the attack, frustrated with a continuing insecurity in that country. lucy kavanov, nbc news.

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kelly the dancing clown. it's kellyanne. >> what did you do to your makeup? >> i toned it down. to be on tv. >> i have to go. >> wait, don't go. don't you want to cook? i'm give you crazy code. how about this. okay, so, puerto rico actually was worse before hurricane maria and the hurricane did blow some building back together. i don't know why. i'll tweet about that. >> that's insane. >> it's the best. you have to watch the whole thing. mocking kellyanne conway on snl, anderson cooper, you have to watch the whole thing. >> they had another episode last season cornering jake tapper. now set her sights on anderson. >> still ahead, it's about to top the bill board charts. the longer it stays there the more it will help the people of puerto rico next. where's gary? 'saved money on motorcycle insurance with geico.

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♪ say it loud and there's music playing ♪ say it soft and it's almost like praying ♪ >> miranda is almost playing the top song on the bill board with over 100,000 down loads. j-lo and gloria estefan. they are providing aid across the island. >> most of puerto rico is still in the dark this morning and struggling almost four weeks after hurricane maria swept across the territory and that includes a popular resort island that was hit especially hard. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in san juan with the very latest.

gabe? >> reporter: philip, almost a month after hurricane maria, 85% of puerto rico is still without power, much of san juan is in the dark running on back up generators. its economy at a virtual stand still with lives on the line. hurricane ravaged puerto rico is desperately racing to fix its power grid. the governor here now setting an ambitious goal, restoring 95% of electricity by mid december. >> we are going to need all hands on deck. >> reporter: just off the u.s. territory southeastern coast is viecas. >> it's a magical place. >> reporter: the island of 9,000 people was shredded by maria. locals estimate almost a third have already left. >> food, water, we need a quicker response. >> reporter: the lines for fuel stretching for blocks. supplies are scarce. a lot of the shelves are empty. >> they fill them up and they're gone. >> reporter: this is only reachable by sea or air. for days after the storm, no

phones, no power. now the national guard is here. cell phone service just starting to return. >> a lot of folks immediately think of medicine and food, but communication is just as critical. >> reporter: a group called viecas love has already raised more than $800,000 for the island's recovery. >> i think it prevented chaos, that it saved lives. >> reporter: private citizens stepping up, shipping in satellite phones and generators. >> the first thing we decided to do was establish communications. >> it was ravaged. >> reporter: william day has lived here for 17 years. he refuses to believe his own slice of paradise is lost. why is it so important for you to stay here? >> i'm a fighter. >> reporter: some things are worth fighting for. about 30% of the island still doesn't have drinkable water. the death toll is at 48. philip? >> gabe, thank you.

and more news is straight ahead. keep it right here.

we're going to [ bleep ] die, dude. we've got to get out of here. >> wildfires rage on in california with some people barely making it out of the deadly flames alive. health care. members of donald trump's own party accusing the president of not understanding the payment system. >> colin kaepernick files a grievance against the nfl accusing teams of blocking him from the league. the solo cup golf shot that is burning up the internet. "early today" starts right now. >> i'm philip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. deadly wildfires are racing through california. this weekend's winds came in less powerful than