florence continues to inundate the carolinas with more rain and flood waters as dams are pushed to the max and residents are left reeling. new details overnight after the woman accusing supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of sexual assault reveals her sxient specifics of her allegations. a deadly shark attack over the weekend takes the life of a 26-year-old off cape cod and closes multiple beaches. and the disappearance of china's most famous actress. new clues revealed. and a different kind of camp for girls helping them get the skills they need to build a successful future. "early today" starts right now. good i'm marlie hall. >> so great being with you.

i'm frances rivera. this morning calls from both sides of the aisle to delay a committee vote for supreme court nomineerett kavanaugh. this after the woman who accuse kavanaugh of sexual misukt came forward in the "washington post." christine blazy ford tells the post after a high school party kavanaugh pinned her to a bed groped her and put his hand over her mouth. >> leading democrats called for this week's vote to be postponed including senators chuck schumer and dianne feinstein who first referred the once anonymous complaint to federal investigators last week. republican senators bob corker and jeff flake both joined the calls, saying they'd like to hear more from angus king called any gop deadlines for a vote arbitrary. >> what's the rush? the seat that merrick garland should have been considered for was held open by these same

people for 14 months. and in fact some of them said if a democrat gets elected president we'll hold the seat open for four years. suddenlies there's this arbitrary deadline of the end of september which frankly doesn't while kavanaugh has not yet commented on the report he did categorically deny the allegations last week. nbc's kelly o'donnell brings us more. >> reporter: christine blasey ford, a 51-year-old research psychologist, described kavanaugh in the "post's" report as "stumbling drunk" at a maryland house part qi in the 1980s when she claims he pinned her to a bed and groped her while another teenage boy watched. "he was trying to attack me and remove my clothing. i thought he might inadvertently kill me," adi "post." in ford's account she broke free when kavanaugh's friend jumped on them and all three tumbled to the floor. the white house reissued judge kavanaugh's friday statement. "i categorically and unequivocally deny this

allegation. i did not do this back in high school or at any time." the top democrat on the senate judiciary committee, dianne feinstein, says action on kavanaugh's confirmation expected this week must wait. "it is in the hands of the fbi to conduct an investigation. this should happen before the senate moves forward on this nominee." republican senators questioned the timing of the accusation. >> if this was material to the confirmation process why on earth over the past four to six been discussed among the committee members? >> reporter: judiciary chirm republican chuck grassley's spokesman responded "judge kavanaugh's background has been thoroughly vetted by the fbi on six different occasions" and called kavanaugh "a man of impeccable character." nbc news reached out to christine blasy ford and she has not responded. therefore, nbc news cannot independently confirm her app gaigss. a number of democrats are calling for a delay to the confirmation of brett kavanaugh.

>> kelly o'donnell, thank you. dangerous rising flood waters continue to be a major safety concern as tropical depression florence drenches the carolinas. rescuers have already plucked hundreds of people from their waterlogged homes and the storm has been blamed for at least 16 deaths. >> we are working now and doing everything we can to prevent more deaths. swift water rescues are going on right now. more than 900 lives have been saved by first responders. >> in wilmington, north carolina flooding has left the city essentially inaccessible after drowning out portions of highways according to officials. and it's not over yet. the national hurricane center warns that flash flooding and major river flooding will inue or a significant portion of the carolinas. >> the center also says parts of western north carolina could receive an additional five to f rain with a possible total storm rainfall of over three feet in the southeastern part of the state.

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the latest. >> florence's fury is not over. new water rescues on the way as rivers swell after torrential rain. in rocky point, north carolina the smallest evacuees were rushed to safety. nadine hayes woke up when the rising water set off her car alarm. >> when we opened the door that's when we saw all the water and we were like oh, my god. >> reporter: among the greatest fears the rising cape fear river near fayetteville. >> this storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now. >> reporter: dangerous and dramatic from the air. the coast guard on urgent rescue missions has plucked dozens of people from their homes. others trapped after a giant sinkhole swallowed parts of the major highway. some communities cut off. >> it was waist deep inside the house, and then once we got off the porch it was up to our shoulders. >> reporter: we were with the swift water rescue team as they evacuated desperate residents

from richlands, north carolina. >> our rivers are already overflowing, and we're just going to get more water coming down stream, and it has nowhere else to go. >> reporter: as crews scrambled to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people in the carolinas, there's now a massive run on food and gas. the lines stretch for hours. >> a hot meal is going to be real nice. >> reporter: if the wait for the slow-moving storm seemed endless, so did its aftermath. >> gabe gutierrez reporting. gabe, thanks. as florence continues to wring itself out, the u.s. military is expected to play an increasingly crucial role in the rescue and recovery effort. according to the "military ti kentucky and new yor rescues. nbc's hans nichols got an aerial tour of the damage around camp lejeune. hans, what was that like? >> reporter: marlie, here at camp lejeune they've done the initial assessment of how bad the damage is to the base and also the surrounding area. earlier yesterday they went up on these big ospreys, the

commanding general trying to get an aerial view, a lay of the land. just what sort of recovery they're going to have to do on base before they start helping with the rest of the community. the navy also sent some helicopters up. overall, the military wants to get an assessment of the area. and then they're going to move forward and try to see how they can help the civilians. but before they help the civilians they've got to make sure their own people are okay. this is a base of some 40,000 marines. just as many civilians. you put it all together, you get close to a city of 100,000 here right on the shore. and they did take quite a bit of damage. so they're trying to figure out just when marines can come back. so the facilities here are ready for them. and when the marines who stayed here are going to get orders to go out and help the rest of the community. marlie? >lthough the storm has been downgraded, officials warn that florence has never been more dangerous. flood waters are ravaging the region, flooding cities and requiring hundreds of rescues. with dozens of roads underwater nbc's tammy

up-close look at the devastation. tammy, good morning. >> reporter: hey, frances. i'm out with the national guard, atf, and missouri task force one. they've been making rescues all day, pulling people out of their homes who are trapped by floodwaters. we're now on the main highway, which is completely flooded, as you can see. a giant sinkhole has opened up, about 12 feet wide. it's completely cut off dozens of towns from the rest of the carolinas. frances, back to you. >> tammie, thank you. this morning the state of mississippi is reacting to the controversy surrounding the nfl and feickee's new "just do it" campaign. mississippi's state police agency saying it will no longer buy nike products. according to the associated prescomms, pubsioner marshall f told reporters he will not use vendors enforcement and our military. it's just the latest in widespread fallout after nike's decision to use former 49ers

quarterback colin kaepernick in their ads. mississippi's republican governor has also expressed support for his appointee's decision. nike shares fell right after kaepernick's ads were unveiled, but nike has recovered those losses and moved higher. a massachusetts beach remains closed after a man died from injuries during a rare shark attack over the weekend. police have announced that all beaches in the area will be closed until further notice. 26-year-old arthur medici was the victim of the first fatal shark attack in massachusetts in 80 years. he was an engineering student at a local community college. medici died despite attempts to revive him. he was on a boogie barred when the attack happened about 30 yards offshore. a group of wingsuit jumpers took flight in china to compete in this year's wingsuit flying world championships. altitudes ants from nine 4,500 feet. the goal of the long distance gliding competition was to

strike foam targets mid-air. not everyone scored a direct hit, though, but a lucky few managed to get a bullseye. an american contestant almost struck an unwanted target when he narrowly missed a flying bird while traveling at a speed of more than 120 miles an hour. he was able to adjust to avoid a dangerous accident. wow. but those suits are really cool. >> yeah, they kind of look like human bats. >> or birds. >> right. let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. i know you're looking still at the carolinas. a lot of threat of flooding still. >> still raining near wilmington for 16 million people. flash flood warnings include 5 million people, go from wilmington all the way to very s weather and rain conditions and flooding conditions that exist. now, s continue now in areas of eastern north carolina. look at these thunderstorms now rolling up here through the raleigh area and also splitting fayetteville. we still have additional rains,

but this should be the tail end of it as we go through this morning. then the rain finally moves to the north during the day today, and you're going to get soaked tomorrow from the catskills all the way through the berkshires where we could see two to three inches of rainfall in a short amount of time. maybe some additional flash kuip a little cooler today from washington, d.c. to richmond to roanoke. we'll be done with lawrence not until wednesday when all the rain will finally be off the east coast. >> those rivers are cresting. >> some of them won't peak until thursday. >> such a huge issue for them. really got a feel for them. bill, thank you. in berlin, marathon man got a whole new 33-year-ol eliud kipchoke ran 26 miles -- wo hours oneseconds. that's more than a minute faster than the previous record and

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si'd say i'm a pretty spwell... i try to be. get 3-wick candles 2 for $20 everyday, so you can find one to suit every side of you. pier 1, this is me. leading the news, some important medical news about aspirin and heart health. for years we've been told that older adults can take a baby aspirin every day to help prevent heart attacks. but now there is mounting evidence that the daily pill could be causing more harm than good. nbc medical correspondent dr. john torres reports. >> this will be your first time that you -- >> reporter: 56-year-old teacher anthony brooks doesn't have a family history of heart disease. and he's fit. a jogger who runs 5ks. >> i've always been an athlete. i love staying in shape. >> reporter: but his doctor recommended an aspirin a day to prevent any future heart problems. >> he felt that it would be good for me to take an aspirin to

keep my heart tick. >> reporter: it's long-standing advice followed by millions of americans to prevent a first heart attack. but now a major about-face. three blockbuster studies published today in the "new england journal of medicine" followed almost 20,000 healthy people over age 70. researchers discovered that taking low-dose aspirin just 100 milligrams a day did not prevent heart attacks and other cardiovascular disease in that age group. >> the message is changing. it is no longer a slam dunk to take a baby aspirin to prevent a stroke or heart attack, especially now if you're older than 65. the risks seem to outweigh the benefits. >> reporter: and those rhys wrkz alarming. taking an aspirin daily increased the risk of stomach and brain pleeding and even raised the risk of death. >> most people take aspirin withou t it's a medicine that's sold over the counter. >> aspirin's a powerful medicine that can cause life-threatening bleed. it should not be taken lightly. >> reporter: the advice doesn't change for people who have already had a heart attack or but for people like anthony

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sci-fi thriller "the predator" took the top spot in theaters this weekend, earning $24 million. "the nun" was next with just

over $18 million in its second weekend. in third was "lion's gate, "a simple favor" with 16.1 million. and "white boy rick" starring matthew mcconaughey edged past "crazy rich asians" to claim fourth. i saw "white boy rick" over the weekend. amazing performance by matthew mcconaughey. a mystery involving an international superstar. the disappearance of an actress starring in blockbusters like x-men. she hasn't been seen publicly since june. sunday was her 37th birthday and the question now, is the chinese government behind her disappearance? nbc's lindsay cavanaugh reports. >> reporter: americans may know her from "x-men." but in china fan bingbing is celebrity royalty. she's a red carpet regular. se angside will smith, hugh jackman, and jessica chastain.

and the face of glitzy ad campaigns. now that face is missing. fan seems to have vanished amid reports that she was involved in a secret government tax probe. how is it possible for china's most famous actress to just suddenly disappear? >> i don't know. there are also of course rumors that she has been detained. but nobody knows where she is. >> reporter: fan came under suspicion after two film contracts were leaked online. according to state media, one contract for tax purposes said she was paid 1.5 million while a separate private contract paid 7.5 million. allegations she denied. she hasn't been charged with a crime, but an article published earlier this month in a state-run paper said she had been brought under control and was about to receive legal judgment. hours later the article was pulled. beijing is cracking down on the entertainment industry. a new report ranking chinese stars by their level of social responsibility has fan a dead

last. >> the message that the authorities here want to send is that no one is above the communist party. it says it doesn't like celebrity worship. so what she's doing is running counter a bit. >> reporter: for a woman who made her name on the silver screen it's the real-life drama that's captivating the world. lucy cavanaugh, nbc news. >> such a bizarre story. such a mystery. >> so many unanswered questions. and just ahead, an update on our other big weather story, a typhoon that's left a trail of destruction on the other side of the globe. and your sister-in-law's... tennis partner's... chatty coworker's... youngest daughter's... entire judo class. one shot can make a world of difference. walgreens has specially trained pharmacists, that know which flu shot is right for you. protecting the world... over 60 million flu shots and counting. starts with protecting yours.

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they're gr-r-reat! a massive typhoon slammed into hong kong and southern china this weekend after leaving a trail of death and destruction in the philippines. more than 2 million people had to be evacuated from china's guangdong province before the storm hit. at least four people in china were killed. while at least 65 people died in the philippines. dozens more are still missing after this landslide. can you imagine digging through that? we did break the record for a tropical cyclone rainfall in south carolina and north carolina. swansboro was the highest total at 34 inches. today we'll watch the chance of flash flooding through the mountains of virginia. we'll be right back. take your razor, yup. alright, up and down, never side to side, shaquem. you got it? come on, get back. quem, you a second behind your brother, stay focused. can't nobody beat you, can't nobody beat you. hard work baby, it gonna pay off. you got this. with the one hundred and forty-first pick,

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north of boston, residents of those towns rocked by a series of gas explosions last week were allowed to return to their homes sunday. electricity was restored to nearly all homes and businesses, but gas will remain off while officials continue to investigate. the ntsb says the explosion was caused by too much pressure in the pipes. a teenager was killed, and dozens of people were injured. all right. if you've ever had to call a carpenter to work on your house, then you know that the people who do these jobs are often men. but that may change in the years to come thanks to a different kind of camp for girls. as nbc's katie beck found out, it's helping them get the skills to build more successful futures. >> the way you turn it on is you move this and you -- >> reporter: a chop saw is no match for 10-year-old aliya colem coleman. she can also tell you the best way to hammer. >> don't swing it all the way

back. >> reporter: she's nailing down construction skills and learning to build with other young girls at this summer camp in portland, oregon. >> i don't need anybody else to help me do things, and that i'm able to do things on my own. >> reporter: giving young girls a sense of independence. >> if you fail, you learn something. >> reporter: exactly what founder katie hughes was hoping for when she started the girls build program. now in four cities across the northwest. >> you're not in front of any screens. they are building something start to finish. >> reporter: 20 hands-on workshops in a week. painting, siding, roofing, and concrete. teaching girls trade skills by all women instructors. >> we're going to actually lay our sides flat. >> what do you want to leave them with most? >> if they want an object, i want them to think oh, can i build that? can i make that myself? i want them to be more confident little humans. >> reporter: some, like hope butler, will leave with a to-build list. >> my mom was asking me to get

blueprints for a bench that she way butler holds her breath when hope uses the chop saw but loves seeing her daughter's new confidence. >> it's powerful for girls to learn at an early age the things they can do and they can do on their own. >> girls can basically do exactly the same thing that men can. so if there is a glass ceiling, just grab a hammer and smash it. >> and you know how to use a hammer. >> reporter: girls built up and given tools to frame their future. katie beck, nbc news, portland, oregon. >> that a girl that is the attitude. grab a hammer, smash it. >> that's right. yes. and you know the saying, anything boys can do. >> we can do better. from power tools to power girls. that is a perfect example right there. >> thanks for watching "early today." i'm marlie hall. >> and i'm frances rivera. your news continues right here on nbc and our nbc statis. on

supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh is facing new legal jeopardy this morning after his accuser reveals herself along with allegations of sexual assault from a high school party. the wrath of florence. the city of wilmington cut off from the rest of north carolina by rising floodwaters and other states still in the path of the storm. a deadly shark attack takes the life of a off cape cod and closes multiple beaches. and then, did you happen to catch the trick play of the weekend in college football? and talk about a wing and a prayer in this competition that's not for the faint of heart. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm mar