a desperate fight against the flames in california. the new trouble for crews battling the infernos scorching the state as the death toll rises. drawing a line on border policy. the new threat from president trump that could spark another shutdown showdown on capitol hill. locked and loaded at the click of a mouse. the growing concern over 3-d printed guns. taking the plunge. a death-defying competition takes the high dive to new heights. "early today" starts right now. good to be with you on this monday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. deadly wildfires continue to rage in california and have now claimed two more lives. 33-year-old firefighter brian hughes was killed when he was struck by a tree when he and his crew were working to limit the

spread of the ferguson fire burning near yosemite park. >> the shasta county sheriff says the unidentified victim of the massive carr fire had previously received an evacuation notice that was not followed, bringing the death toll across the state to eight. nbc's steve patterson tells us more from the front lines. >> reporter: frances, nearly a week later and this fire is still growing, now nearing 90,000 acres with only about 5% containment, firefighters are saying they're doing all they can. but i can tell you, being with them, conditions out here are miserable. at the front of the relentless carr fire, firefighters doing all they can to contain the blaze. >> trying to get the heavy fuels down away from the line so we'll have less chance of embers crossing the line. >> reporter: for nearly a week now, thousands of crews across california have been locked in a fierce battle to gain ground. the flames keep spreading. this is what firefighters are facing right now. incredibly hot temperatures, steep terrain and this heavy wind.

>> reporter: cal fire division chief chris anthony says the conditions are unbelievable. >> extreme is not even the right adjective to use anymore. it's just an understatement because the fire is so explosive now in california. >> reporter: crews now forced the take a defensive posture, bulldozing lines and lighting backfires, praying for the smoke to clear so they can continue an aerial attack. and they're working around the clock, in some cases with rotations up to 36 hours. >> the biggest concern is the safety of our firefighters and the safety of the public. >> reporter: meanwhile, fear of an increasing death toll. six dead, hundreds of homes reduced to piles of rubble, stretching several blocks. >> one minute it's fine, the next minute everybody is screaming. >> reporter: saturday, a family's worst fears realized. and with seven people still andd

missing, this battle against this out-of-control fire rages on. there was some good news this weekend. firefighters say the behavior of the flames themselves have been more tame.ys, that could change in an instant. frances? >> all right, steve. thanks for the report. president trump is threatening to take drastic action in his push to pass his new zero tolerance immigration laws. in a tweet the president said he's willing to shut the government down if the democrats don't come to the table on border security and other immigration policies. it's a risky ultimatum for mr. trump, especially with the midterm elections right around the corner. joining us now with reaction from capitol hill, nbc's tracie potts. tracie, good morning. >> hi, good morning. well, let's put this in context, because the shutdown threat comes just 60 days, two months before the government's budget deadline. and as the senate gets ready to head to recess. now the president says he wants not only funding for a border wall and border security, but he

wants to end catch and release when immigrants country, they'rent their court date. he wants to end the lottery system and replace it with what he calls merit-based immigration. but to tie this to the budget and threaten to shut down the government, some lawmakers are asking the president to put the brakes on that. >> i think hopefully most of the appropriation bills will actually be passed. a little better prioritization spending. i certainly don't like playing -- i don't think it would be helpful, so let's try and avoid it. >> also this weekend we saw a tweet storm by president trump in the russia investigation, criticizing special counsel robert mueller and an all-out assault by the president's attorney and his supporters on michael cohen, the president's investigators that the president knew about a meeting between the son and a russian lawyer. they deny that. they also say that dozens of

secret recordings by the former attorney michael cohen actually prove the president's case, that there was nothing illegal about payments to denies having affairs with. >> starting the week. all right coming in hot. tracie, thank you. the federal judge overseeing the reunification of migrant families has ordered the trump administration to hand over information to help locate the parents of some 650 children deemed ineligible for reunification. among them, parents who have already been deported or released into the united states. the ruling is considered a victory by the aclu, which is offering pro bono services to help find parents whose locations are unknown. in all, the government has reunified more than 1800 eligible children with their families. in louisiana, a manhunt is under for two armed suspects who opened fire outside of a new orleans strip mall, killing three people and injuring seven more. police say the suspects appear odd to have fired

indiscriminately into the crowd. they were wearing hoodies and fired a long rifle as well as a handgun. police are asking the community to share any information they may have about the shooting. nbc's chris malone has the latest. >> reporter: 8:30 saturday night, a crowd gathered outside jazz dacquari's, a small cocktail shop in new orleans. that's when police say two men wearing hooded sweatshirts opened fire. one appeared to have a handgun, the other a rifle. >> we have three people with gunshot wounds. every unit that can respond, please respond. >> reporter: when the shots stopped, two men and a woman were dead, seven others wound and rushed to local hospitals. at least six people have been killed at this spot in the last decade. robin jackson says her son is one of the latest victims. >> it's sad and it's heartbreaking. i'm begging, put the guns down. it took somebody that i love so much. >> reporter: police are offering a $5,000 reward for help

tracking down the shooters. the message from new orleans police chief michael harrison to the gunman, we're coming for you. >> this has to be personal. i mean, this firing indiscriminately into a crowd, shooting ten people, killing three? that's personal. it doesn't get more personal. >> new orleans mayor latoya cantrell said of the violence plaguing their city, it has to end. chris pollone, nbc news. a frightening scene in india caught on camera. at least 17 people were hurt after a tin shed collapsed during a tractor race. hundreds had climbed on the shed to watch the competition when you see the roof giving way there authority says the injured were rushed to the hospital for treatment. there were no reports of fatalities. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here with our monday forecast. good morning. >> good morning. we're returning to the stagnant weather pattern we dealt with early last week. here is the scenario. two areas of hmm. the one in the west bringing the extreme heat. it's not helping the firefighters at all.

and that's going to continue in the west. we're going to see very warm temperatures once again. then in the areas of the east atlantic we get another big area of high pressure. and those two aren't moving. well call this a blocking pattern. and that leaves this area of low pressure kind of in the middle of the country. and because of that bermuda high, the wind direction out of the south for the entire east coast, and it pumps all the moisture to the north. so that's why we're going to look for the week ahead. days of rain, potential flooding, especially the southern appalachians and the mountainous areas. and of course the fire weather threat continues in the west with a lot of heat. that's the week's setup, and not a pretty one. at's ath so the bottom line in all this, if you're on the east coast, it means a lot more humidity as we start august and downpours too. >> well, that time of year, bill. thank you. some good samaritans in

chicago, they became the heroes after they helped rescue two police officers. authorities say the officers were responding to a call when a vehicle cut them off, causing them to wreck into a tree. local residents pulled the officers to safety and treated them until emergency crews arrived. video of the heroic act has gotten thousands of shares online. still ahead, all the news that is fit to fight the growing feud between president trump and "the new york times." and downloadable weapons. a growing concern as blueprints for 3-d-printed guns get the green light. ♪ you got it from your parents. and they got it from theirs. it's your skin, and it can protect you from millions of things. so we're here to help you protect your skin. reenpharmacists and beauty consultants are specially trained to know what works for the health of your unique skin. walgreens. trusted since 1901. now all sun care products are buy one get one 50% off. with tough food, your dentures may slip and fall.

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the president his language was not just divisive, but increasingly dangerous. a federal court has ruled that plans for 3-d printed firearms can be legally posted online. that makes it possible to print a fully functional untraceable gun at anyone's home. as nbc justice correspondent pete williams reports, opponents are trying to keep that from happening. >> reporter: cody wilson of austin, texas has a passion for gun right. >> how is that national conversation going? >> reporter: and he has developed instructions for programing a 3-d printer to make a handgun or assault style rifle. >> i don't think you should have the ability or anyone else should have the ability to control it on the internet or your ability to print it on a machine. >> reporter: but when he prepared to post detailed plans onli down, saying it would violate laws against exporting firearms technology, putting it into the hands of hostile forces or terrorist. so he sued, claiming a violation of his right of free expression, and saying that similar plans

have long been available on the win. >> you have the right to keep and make them. >> reporter: but federal courts ruled against him. then suddenly last month, a trump administration dropped the objection, concluding that rules limiting exports of weapons of war don't apply to wilson's guns after all. his website promises instructions by wednesday, but some are up already for all kinds of firearms, from handguns to assault-style rifles. advocates of gun control say that would make homemade guns available to anyone in the world. >> if you are prohibited from having guns because you have a lengthy criminal rap sheet, multiple felony convictions, you'd never be able to pass a background check in a gun store but you can make your own. >> reporter: the guns which fire conventional bullets could never be traced if used in a crime because there is no serial number. and plasticun easily slip through metal detectors. but some gun rights supporters say it's unlikely would bother trying toake their own guns. >> i think it makes little practical difference in the

uned stas because wit a black market, people who shouldn't have guns are still able to buy them any way. >> reporter: new jersey's attorney general now says he'll sue to shut down the website down. he says once they're posted online, even for a few days, they're on the internet forever. pete williams, nbc news, washington. just ahead, no self-destructing at the box office. the impressive debut from the new "mission impossible." plus, toxic to tourism. the dangerous algae bloom threatening florida waterways. t his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it... ...again and again and maybe just one more time. febreze unstopables. breathe happy. isn't that sunrise somthin'?

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this morning on today, bode and morgan miller sit down with savannah guthrie for an exclusive interview on the drowning death of their daughter. >> i can attest from firsthand experience now that it's unbelievable quick, and it's unbelievable sneaky. you'd think it would be like some weird circumstance or some strange thing. and it's not. it just happens in the blink of an eye. >> it's a handful of seconds. >> and it is literally a child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds. and i just keep counting to 30 in my head. that was all i needed. and so it's one of those things where as a parent now, when you go to someone else's house, survey the home to see if it's a safe place for your child to be.

>> the exclusive interview later on "today." a state of emergency in florida this morning as toxic algae blooms in that state's once pristine waters. the foul smelling muck stretch across the southern half of the state. it's causing real health and business concerns. maya rodriguez has the story. >> reporter: along the thousands of miles of canals in southern florida, a thick, stinky blue-green mess is now choking the waterways. how bad it is here? >> it is pretty drastic. as you can see from the algae that we're seeing right here in this marina. >> reporter: the algae can cause skin irritation and potentially interfere with liver function and the nervous system. it's caused by a combination of polluted water, sunlight, and rising temperatures, a recipe for a summer bummer. for ten years and says now there are fewer crabs around. >> just in the last three or four weeks, i've noticed my

checks have dropped between 60 and 70%. >> reporter: the algae blooms happen almost every year. this one, though, made worse after hurricane irma and fierce spring storms that stirred up water pollution and raised water levels. the algae further spread when the army corps of engineers released water from lake okeechobee bee to prevent flooding. but with soaring temperatures, the fear now is more waterways will look like this. algae coating the canals, turning the water green and giving off a foul stench. and it's not just florida. similar algae blooms reported from washington t florida, somes are worrieduteninin their own b. >> it may affect our property value. it's a statewide issue, and we need help from local, state, and federal officials. >> reporter: helha oicials say will come through more water management projects. still, at least six years away.

maya rodriguez, nbc news, cape coral, florida. still ahead, a sign of success. how a homeless man went viral and earned hundreds of job offers. plus, why ballerinas are keeping drivers on their toes in mexico. you're watching "early today." and sprays in the bathroom can be ineffective. try mr. clean magic eraser with durafoam. simply add water, and use in your kitchen for burnt on food, in your bathroom to remove soap scum, and on walls to remove scuffs and marks. it erases 4x more permanent marker per swipe. for tough kitchen and bath messes, use mr. clean magic eraser with durafoa brand power. kitchen helping you buy better.sses, wh it looks like jonathan on a date entresto is a heart failure medicine that helps your heart... so you can keep on doing what you love. in the largest heart failure study ever,

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transylvania 3: summer vacation" grabbed fourth with $12.3 million. >> that's interesting that this latest "mission impossible" this there has been six. this is the best they've ever done. $3 billion so far and all the franchises and all the movies combined. >> man, if you're tom cruise, you are loving that. >> man does his own stunts. there you go. he deserves it's. another man's desperate job search is really paying off, and it's going viral that is 26-year-old college grad david. he had been homeless for months when he entered out to a intersection with that sign there. said need work. he had his resume with him. a woman who saw that posted this photo online and it turneded out to be just what he needed. he even in canada. so i guess if you swallow your pride and get out there and it pays dividends. >> it worked for him. hopefully he is sitting in an office or behind a computer somewhere doing his thing. >> yeah. why go to the ballet when you can see it from your car? these unassuming drivers score

the best seat in the house over the weekend in mexico city. dancers from a local theater company have been performing at red lights for weeks now. their crosswalk combinations have gotten attention. but there is no taking this street show on the road. they say the minute-long shows are simply meant to brighten people's days. but they got to do it in the one to two-minute increments too between the lights. >> that's smart. that's haul you need. there you go. you can put down your phone at a light and watch that. just ahead, taking the plunge. dozens dive headfirst into a death-defying competition in europe. you're watching "early today" on a monday. the in-laws have moved in wit t.e. which means we use less. three generations of clothes cleaned in one wash. those ary e momsnts? nothing cleans better. put those on dad! it's got to be tide. you got it from your parents. and they got it from theirs. it's your skin, and it can protect you from

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forecast. we're starting off the week with some wet weather along the carolina coastline heading to virginia later today, southern portions of the delmarva. also, florida is going to get numerous areas of showers and thunderstorms. and late today into night, oklahoma, northeast texas will see a line of thunderstorms. showery weather with maybe a few downpours in areas of indiana. so now let's go towards the middle of the week, and we see that rain threat remaining on the eastern seaboard. we have to watch out for flooding in the mountain areas of the southern appalachians, and we'll have hit and miss showers and storms along the eastern seaboard right through friday. so this looks like another wet and humid week for the east coast. >> here we go again. all right, bill, thank you. the death toll from the wildfire that swept through parts of greece has risen again. officials now say at least 91 people were killed with 25 still missing. investigators are now looking at arson as a possible cause for the deadly fire. hundreds of mourners attended a memorial at a seaside village among the hardest hit by the blaze. the bishop noting the congregation is simultaneously

grieving for lost family, neighbor and friends. at least 14 people are dead in indonesia after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the tourist island of lombok near bali. the quake hit early in the morning while most people were still sleeping. more than 160 people were injured and a thousand homes damaged. about 66 after shocking were rort recorded after the initial quake. a the largest at 5.7. the death toll could rise as they search other areas of the island. in southeastern wisconsin, 15 employees at a food plant were rushed to the hospital after an ammonia leak. hazmat teams responded to the bird's-eye foods facility during overnight hours to assess the situation. >> we believe it was a mechanical failure, but we don't -- we won't really know until we get in there and take a look at that. >> 75 other employees were treated at the scene but later released. and three of those transported still remain in the hospital. theynder close

observation. divers in bosnia lit up the sky over the weekend. this is what they did. they jumped off a bridge with lit flares. dozens of divers plunged 89 feet into a river there in mostar, holding flares so spectate coerce see them. while they celebrated the jump, it marks the end of a diving competition continuing an age-old bosnian tradition. >> that's 400, 450 years they've been jumping off that bridge. >> you look at this spectacular sight just alone before they jump in, and even more so, everybody on the edges. >> but i'd hate to be growing up there because growing up they say that's a rite of passage. but if you happen to be afraid of heights and doing that, that's a lot of pressu doi it 5 you're not special. jump, jump. >> step over. >> thanks for watching "early today." i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm frances ad lib live e

good morning and thank you for joining us. i )m scott mcgrew in for marcus washington. good morning everyone. thanks for joining us. let's start with weather and a monday morning forecast. >> yeah. it looks pretty good out there. the only thing we'll have to 2k50e8 with is the wild fires across northern california. we get a live look outside. we will have moderate air quality today. also for the north bay and south baynd santa clara valley. where we have m