developing this morning, rescue operations have resumed in thailand after the first four boys trapped in a cave for over two weeks were freed. back in washington, president trump is preparing to announce his next pick for the supreme court. the nominee to be named tonight. dozens of wildfires out west and now blamed for one death in california. if you found yourself paying out of pocket for movie tickets because of the movie pass outage, the company is going to make it out to you. a death defying stunt daring evil knievel. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news overnight with a dramatic rescue

in thailand that's transfixed the world. rescue efforts have resumed to extract eight boys ages 11 to 16 and their 25-year-old coach trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks. officials say divers have been back in the cave for some six hours now after restocking oxygen supplies depleted by the first operation that freed four boys. chapman bell joins us from london with the latest. chapman, good morning. >> hi, frances. yeah, the next phase is under way. the acting governor of the region said earlier that authorities hope to hear good news in the next few hours and that conditions are still as good as they were yesterday, but everything was going to be done faster because they were afraid of the rain and that being said, we could expect news momentarily. authorities said on monday heavy downpours overnight did not raise water levels inside the caves, but they've been working around the clock to pump water out. as for the four boys rescued yesterday, healthy but hungry and are undergoing extensive

medical checks and are feared for infections. the same group of expert divers who took part in sunday's rescue would be carrying out the mission today for the remaining because they understand the cave conditions and know what to do, they've been through the rescue operation before. rescuers have been going through a very thorough preparation for this part of the mission. it's very complex. the country's interior minister says they've had to restock air tanks along the more than two-mile route and stock other supplies, as well. those include extra masks, wet suits, blankets, as they work to get the remaining nine people from underground over that more than two-mile exit route that can take more than two hours to traverse. frances? >> hopefully this will be just . as the world lets out a sigh of relief for the boys safely evacuated, we're waiting for nbc's bill neely is on the

ground with how that nearby hospital. extraordinary rescue unfolded. >> for one small boy, the end of a nightmare, carried on a gurney to a waiting helicopter, then off to the hospital. it's a moment many feared would never come, another helicopter poised for a second boy. they had battled through this, swirling water, narrow passageways, a route that's already proved a death trap. the boys clinging to ropes, guided by elite divers for more than two miles. commanders chose the strongest boys first. they told divers they were ready. >> translator: this is d-day, we have to act now. ten divers reaching the cave and attaching two boys, each one to twors. less than eight hours after it started, the boys emerged. two hours later, a second pair. four were free.

one diver told nbc news the boys were totally calm. their escape route widened just hours before as rescuers drilled through cave walls, but it was a rescue made urgent by falling oxygen levels in the caves and falling rain outside. the monsoon rains have begun with a vengeance, and this is why the commander says it's d-day, because these rains will flood the caves very quickly. the rescue, he said, was a masterpiece of planning. so eight boys and their coach remain trapped. their lives still hanging in the balance. this isn't over, but the boys' long journey home has begun. >> well, the rescue has started well, but it's now day two and the divers are getting rea do it all again. one diver told nbc news the greatest danger is complacency. there are nine lives still to be

saved. phillip? >> bill, thank you. now to some developing news out of england, where a full-blown murder investigation is under way after the 44-year-old woman who was recently exposed to a nerve agent has died. that was the same substance used to poison a former russian spy and his daughter in march. the british woman, along with a man, became gravely ill last week. his condition is still critical. police expect the two were exposed to a contaminated item left over from the attack on the russians. this morning the kremlin is denying any involvement. one person is dea helicopter crashed near the william and mary campus in virginia. to the ay the chopper crashed out a tweet warning students to avoid that area. several agencies, including the faa and ntsb were on the scene. police are not yet able to say whether the person who died was in the helicopter or on the ground, but the investigation is

ongoing. today california will join other border states in holding mass immigration hearings for people caught illegally crossing the border. the associated press reports california was forced to make a move to handle the influx of cases since the trump administration's zero tolerance policy on crossings was instated. illegal entry cases skyrocketed in the state from four in march to 800 in june. judges will see multiple defendants at once in an attempt to curb the case load. until now california had been the only border state to resist mass immigration hearings, which critics call assembly line justice. wildfires continue to ravage the western part of the country with 60 large fires burning across 13 states. in california, governor jerry brown has declared a state of emergency after one person died in a fire near the oregon border. and in santa barbara county, nearly 30 structures were destroyed aftereend.

that includes 13 homes. making matters worst, dry conditions and strong winds are fanning the flames. some relief from the stifling heat is expected this week. time may be running out for rescuers in japan, where record floods left at least 100 dead. heavy rain caused flash flooding and landslides. as a result, the government warned millions of residents to leave their homes. some areas rainfall dumped as much as four inches in an hour. japanese prime minister shinzo abe says authorities are working around the clock to pull those trapped to safety. thousands are still waiting to be rescued or are missing. >> that is here. >> good morning. we quickly went from the big story being the chrt off the co north carolina. 60 mile perou hurcane. the biggest problem is the rip currents, big waves, that's had

weekend and that's going to bring a little rainfall to areas around puerto rico and bringing some this morning, we could see as much as two to four inches of rain. it's a remnant low, still could bring clouds and squally weather throughout t next 24he average. very toasty. boise, southern idaho, 100 to 105. that will be the story of the te inner mountain west. >> bill, talk to you in a bit, thank you. call it a stupefying performance by a huge harry potter dancing hermoine. the seven-second clip was short, but over 5 million people have seen it so far. ellison who identifies as

bisexual later said on twitter she believes hermoine is a character who she believes would stand up for lgbtq rights. elon musk gets in on the rescue effort that's trapped the soccer team in thailand. i've never been in one of these before, even though geico has been- ohhh. ooh ohh here we go, here we go. you got cut off there, what were you saying? oooo. oh no no. maybe that geico has been proudly serving the military for over 75 years? is that what you wanted to say? mhmmm. i have to say, you seemed a lot chattier on tv. geico. proudly serving the military for over 75 years. you ok back there, buddy? so try febreze one. with no aerosols and no heavy perfumes. so you can spray and stay. febreze one. that's a mini-wheat.

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leading the news this morning, we are hours away from the president's supreme court announcement. mr. trump is set to make his second pick to the high court within his first two years in office. he arrived in d.c. last night after spending a long weekend preparing for the long weekend telling reporters he's narrowed down his candidates to a select few, brett kavanaugh, amy coney barrett, thomas hardiman, and kethledge. trump's court nominee could eviscerate women's freedoms for generations. but overnight mr. trump remained coy, insisting he has yet to

make a final decision, all while teasing tonight's historic announcement. kelly o'donnell has that for us and more. >> a casual sunday drive in michigan for supreme court contender raymond kethledge. in suburban washington, brett kavanaugh stepped out on this eve of the president's announcement. and cameras spotted amy coney barrett on her way to church in south bend, indiana. also in the running, thomas hardiman of pennsylvania. as the president headed back to washington, he said his search is almost complete. >> let's say it's the four people, but they are excellent, every one, you can't go wrong, bu'm close to conrmation pressure. >> i hope every republican wl t is paved with political conserva >> fooled. >> behind the scenes, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell encouraged president trump to make a tactical choice. a priority echoed by republican

roy blunt. >> i think the president has to think about who is the easiest to get confirmed here. >> hardiman's last confirmation vote was unanimous, that included democrats. for kavanaugh, confirmation could take extra time for senators to review his lengthy record as a judge and when he managed all presidential docus george w. bush. while barrett's views as a social conservative could risk needed republican votes from two senators who support abortion rights, but for three red state democrats who back the president's first supreme court pick, their jobs are on the line in november. >> they understand it's an historic decision. it's about more than the next election. >> part of the president's strategy has been building suspense right up until the final day. his choice will have to perform tonight, appearing at the white house at 9:00 p.m. and delivering remarks right after being introduced. then it turns to the senate and republicans there are hoping to sprint to confirmation.

their goal is to seat a new justice in time for the high court to begin its next term in october. phillip? >> kelly, thank you. and this morning, at least one news outlet is reporting mr. trump's short list is now down to two. "the new york times" claims senator mitch mcconnell is helping bend the president's ear. reporting, mcconnell told president trump this past week that judges kethledge and hardiman presented the fewest obvious obstacles to become confirmed. more on the impact on the high court for a generation. pete? >> frances, this will easily be the biggest change to the supreme court in 50 years, and here's why. last year's nomination of neil gorsuch brought in a conservative to fill the vacancy left by the death of scalia, that was a conservative nominep now chooses to succeed anthony kennedy is certain to be more cova kennedy

sometimes voted with the liberals on social issues. even so, it's a long shot that the court would overturn roe v. wade, but it may be more likely to uphold state laws that make abortion harder to get, laws that justice kennedy joined with the liberals in striking down. the court is probably not likely to go back to banning gay marriage, but it may approve of businesses that cite religious objections in refusing to serve gay customers, and the court could be more willing to uphold restrictions on voting and affirmative action and school admissions. it's also possible the supreme court will start taking up more cases on firearms rights, the second amendment, such as having a gun outside the home. that's an issue the court has consistently avoided for the past trit, pete, thank you. don't miss our live coverage of president trump's supreme court nomination tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific here on msiveut

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>> andrew wheeler will be acting epa chief. wheeler was confirmed in april as deputy. 11-week-old prince louis will be christened in a private ceremony in london today. >> what is moving investors on wall street today? and how is elon husk helping out in thailand? good morning, landon. >> good morning to you. wall street is set to open higher this monday morninger ma the positive u.s. jobs report you mentioned, which showed the economy added more workers than expected. investors also largely shrugging off worries of a trade war between the u.s. and china t re. moviepass will refund users affected by an outage friday night. the company will reimburse customers who paid out of pocket for tickets. subscribers will need to send

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>> nbc's steve paterson reports many say there's still progress to be made. ♪ ♪ >> in the church of latter day saints, some say this has been a long time coming. a celebration of black mormons led by their most recognizable member heralded by leaders of the church. >> it was something i never thought i would live to see. >> this year the lds church is history. 40 years ago a ban was lifted. and black mormons could be ordained as priests. >> i wept for joy. >> it's a long way from the church's early roots planted by brigham young, who supported slavery and believed black skin was cursed. then in 1978 when the ban was banished, joseph freeman became the first black mormon to be

ordained, a moment still fresh in his mind. >> i felt like angels were all around us. >> today of the more than 6 million mormons in the united states, less than 2% are black. >> i grew up in the mormon church. >> she says blackse leadership. inclusion and racial insensitivity still a struggle. >> have i thought about leaving? sure, absolutely, but my relationship with god is what has me staying. >> the mormon church is set on a course of unprecedented expansion, denouncing white supremacy, enforcing an alliance with the naacp. >> most in the church, including its senior leadership, have concentrated on the opportunities of the future rather than the disappointments of the past. >> while most agree there's a long road ahead for redemption from its racist past, this may

be a turning point for the mormon church. steve paterson, nbc news, salt lake city. >> well, there's a grandfather i want to tell you about. he had one job, to capture a picture perfect proposal, but instead he got this. this is john hart. he was riding a tramway with his family when he met a couple about to get engaged, so he was asked to record the special moment as the soon to be groom popped the all he got was his own reaction, missed the whole thing. >> that's what get. e said yes, but my goodness, and you're on the news. >> just the memory, that's it. >> i'mhillip mena. p

this is why the commander says it's d day, because these rains will flood the cave very quickly. >> a race against time. a team of expert divers get set to jump back into the fray as they look to save these

remaining trapped boys and their soccer coach in a thailand cave with dangerous monsoon rains fast approaching. the president is hours away from announcing his second pick from the highest court in the land. incoming tropical storm. theresa may finds herself in the fight for her political life as the u.k. eyes a european exit. and marriages can sometimes be all