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 marlie hall.

>> great being with you. i'm frances rivera. tropical depression florence is continuing to soak the carolinas in punishing rains. now dangerous rising floodwaters are the latest major safety concern. rescuers have already plucked hundreds of people from their waterlogged homes and the storm has been blamed for at least 17 deaths. >> 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 fin continue over a significant portion of the carolinas. nbc's wendy woolfork joins us live from wilmington, north carolina, with the latest. wendy, good morning. >> reporter: marlie, good morning to you. driving through parts of wilmington and other communities in this area is like driving through a maze. beautiful, old trees just knocked down like twigs when florence came roaring through this area, but it's not the wind damage that's causing the most concern now.

three days later, florence will not loosen her grip on the carolinas. >> we've got water coming up further than it ever does in a normal storm. >> reporter: her relentless rain, almost 2 1/2 feet in some places, causing dangerous flooding. >> when we opened the door, that's when we saw all of the water. we were like, oh, my god! and it's like, you know, just water everywhere. >> reporter: water swallowing homes and communities. >> just evacuating people that can't get out by any other means than boat. >> reporter: heroes helping those escape swollen rivers, whose water has nowhere else to go. >> this storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now. >> reporter: sadly, in gaston county, a rain-soaked tree fell on a mobile home, killing a 3-month-old infant inside. >> if you live close to trees, go out, and you know, inspect your property. if you feel like a tree is going to fall, move to some location that's safer.

>> reporter: a tragic reminder of just how dangerous florence still is. there are still at least 300,000 people in north and south carolina without power at this hour. and unfortunately, there are still rain predictions in this forecast, so we're far from finished here. that's the latest in wilmington, north carolina. i'm wendy woolfolk. back to you. calls from both sides of the aisle to delay a committee vote for supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh, this after the woman accusing him of sexual misconduct came forward in the "washington post." christine blazy ford tells the paper during a high school party, kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her and tried to remove her clothes. when she tried to scream, he put his hand over her mouth. immediately after the report, lenclug ng senators chuck schumer and dianne feinstein, who first referred toin to federal

investigators last week. republican senators bob corker and jeff flake both joined the calls, saying they'd like to hear more from ford. and independent senator 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 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. so, suddenly, there's this arbitrary deadline of the end of september, which frankly doesn't relate to anything in particular, so why not slow down? >> some lawmakers are questioning the timing of the report. for more, let's go to ev yone. as far as we know, this vote is still set for thursday, but yes, there are now not only democrats, but a couple of judge brett kavanaugh,

categorically and unequivocally denies groping a young woman at a house party in the '80s. that claim from a california professor the "washington post" i've as christine blasey ford. nbc has not verified those claims. her story only revealed once before during therapy six years ago. critics ask, why now? >> you had your opportunity to come forward and you failed to do that year after year after year. >> she did not tell anybody else in realtime about this incident, which will weaken her account but not discredit it. >> reporter: democrats first learned about this in july but say the accuser did not want to come forward. now they want the fbi to investigate. >> if this was material to the confirmation process, why on earth over the past four to six weeks hasn't it been discussed among the committee members? >> reporter: republicans point out hundreds of women supporting kavanaugh, but at least two republicans and others now want

to hear from his ac vote. >> there's this arbitrary deadline of the end of september, which, frankly, doesn't relate to anything in particular, so why not slow down? >> reporter: ford tells "the post" she decided to come forward now because parts of her story had already leaked out. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. 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 muchozs a massachusetts beach remains closed after a man died of people were injured. 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 medichi was the victim of the first fatal shark attack in massachusetts in 80 years. he was an engineering student at

a local community college. he died, despite attempts to revive him. he would a boogie board when the attack happened about 30 yards offshore. texas public school could soon drop figures like hillary clinton and helen keller from their curriculum. according to "the dallas morning news," the state board of education voted to remove certain figures in order to streamline the course. they said it was not real learning. a volunteer work group found removing clinton and keller would save 30 to 40 minutes of teaching time each. however, dropping the figures doesn't mean they can't be taught. they just wouldn't be required. a final vote is scheduled for november. this morning the state of mississippi is reacting to the controversy surrounding the nfl and nike's new just do it ad campaign. mississippi state police agencies saying it will no longer buy nike products. according to the "associated press," marshall fisher told

reporters he will not use vendors who do not support law enforcement and our military. it's the latest in widespread fallout after nike's decision to use 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick in their ads. mississippi's republican governor has expressed support for his appointee's decision. nike shares fell right after the kaepernick ads were unveiled, but nike has recovered those losses and moved higher. for the first time in over three decades, paul mccartney is on top. his new album "egypt station" debuted at number one on the billboard 200 chart. the album moved 153,000 units, which includes 147,000 traditional album sales, according to billboard. and while it's the eighth time mccartney has had a number one album, this is his first to debut on top. the last time mccartney's name was in that number one slot, his 1982 album "tug-of-war." all right, let's get a check of our weather now and turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. i'm really hoping the carolinas can get a break here soon. >> it startedniago from this st

still raining in some spots. we still have flash flood warnings all the way from south carolina through north carolina, up into the mountains of virginia now. and now, because the storm's heading north, we have flash flood watches up through washington, d.c., and then through new england, so still have two more days of this mess. and we still have a couple areas of heavy rain in the eastern north carolina. this will be the end of it today, then we'll watch the mountainous areas get in the worst of it this afternoon and this evening. so, any time you get heavy rain in the mountains, it could be a problem, including the appalachians through central pennsylvania. then we'll try to bring some of those issues into new england come tomorrow. rainfall totals, we're just about done. i mean, we've almost hit 36 inches in swansboro, north carolina. that was the highest rainfall total. maybe another inch, and then we'll bring the heavy rain tonight into tomorrow into areas of the northeast. locally 4 to 6 inches could cause some problems there also. the rest of the country actually looks pretty good for any travel concerns. middle of the country looks good and no problems o the westn

san francisco at 66 today, and that's much better. fresno high of 88. if we can finally get done with this storm, thankfully, there's no other storms behind it, so we get a little bit of a break. >> really, really tight. fingers are crossed. bill, thank you. the world's first zero emission hydrogen-powered passenger train began operating in germany sunday. it can reach speeds up to 87 miles an hour, as fast as conventional diesel-powered trains. another area looking to be eco-friendly is paris. the city of love closed off the fm the carless day. they aim to reduce pollution and make its streets more pleasant. and just ead, a new f recte marathoner. his astonishing speed and time. gets spooked, next. let's see. if these packs have the same number of bladder leak pads,

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this is the terrifying scene inside a circus in pittsburgh. cell phone video shows a camel bucking a person after getting spooked. six adults and one kid were taken to the hospital. one child broke their arm. as part of the circus, the kids got to ride the camels and ponies. according to reports, a child threw a shovel that's used to clean up after the animals, then it startled the camel. well, the handlers regained control after 11 seconds. officials say no animals were injured. leading the news, new tariffs on chinese goods could reportedly be announced by president trump as soon as today. that's according to reuters. the tariffs would affect $200 billion in cse imports, threatening toch ea. the "watrrerts thend chinese of negotiate talks over the tense trade war, but officials tell the "journal" "china is not going to negotiate with a gun

pointed to its head." the white house declined to comment on any tariff discussions. in berlin, marathon man got a new meaning as a 33-year-old runner from kenya set a new world record with the marathon there. eliud kipchoge ran 26.2 miles in just 2 hours, 1 minute, and 39 seconds. that's more than a minute faster than the previous record and almost five minutes ahead of the second-place finisher in sunday's race. music superstar carrie underwood is opening up like never before in an interview with "cbs sunday morning." the singer recounts the three miscarriages she suffered over the last two years. >> like, literally right after finding out that i would lose a baby, i'd have a writing session, i'd be like, let's go, you know. i can't just sit around. i want to work -- >> now with a baby on the way, a 3-year-old at home and a new album out, carrie is inspiring others like never before. so rare to see a celebrity be

that vulnerable. >> it makes you really think that what may be happening behind the scenes, behind the red carpets and all the glamour, certainly we don't know. she shared a bit of it with us. well, it was a big second week for the nfl, including one of the most bizarre exits for a player that we've ever seen. but we kick things off with "sunday night football" seen right here on nbc, giants visiting the dallas cowboys. and right from the opening drive, the cowboys started the day with this dak prescott strike to tavon austin for a 64-yard touchdown. the giants struggled throughout as big "d's" defense dominated. the final 20-13 cowboys. in jacksonville, a rematch of the afc championship and a jags team that is 0-8 against the tom brady-led patriots team, until today. jags strike first. blake bortles hits donteemratur 107 degrees. jags rolled to victory. and then arguably the week's mvp of the week,chiefs' pat

mahomes threw for six touchdowns and 326 yards against the host pittsburgh steelers. at one point, kansas city blew a three-touchdown lead but survived by going up 14 points to hold on. final score there, 42-37 chiefs. and then, that bizarre play of the day. it happened off the field. buffalo bills defensive back vontae davis shocked his teammates when he called it a career and retired. guess when? at halftime. he later said "today on the field, reality hit me fast and hard. i shouldn't be out there anymore." didn't even finish the game. he's like, i'm out. >> his coach must not have been pleased. up next, we'll show you football's best trick of the weekend. plus, a new owner puts the future of iconic "time" magazine into question. you're watching "early today" to look at me now, you don't see psoriasis. you see clear skin. you see me. but if you saw me before cosentyx... ♪ i was covered. it was awful.

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that will be appreciated. spinner on that. that's a smart play to catch that out of the 10 yard line there by keegan brewer. so, north texas is coming to fayetteville and -- >> no, he never made a fair catch sign. >> he never made a fair catch signal! >> he's gone. >> brewer down the sideline! this is going to be a touchdown! and that will be appreciated. >> it was the college football play of the weekend as arkansas kicked off and keegan brewer of north texas caught the ball. since he didn't start running, everyone thought it was a fair catch, but he never actually signaled that to end the play, and as you see, he then started

sprinting down the field, all the way to the end zone. the trick play helped north texas win it, 44-17. he faked everyone out. >> yeah, he did. wow! like that was definitely a dvr replay moment there. trade is front and center for investors after the s&p 500 eked out a nice five-day winning streak, but what about new trade tariffs? let's turn to cnbc, watching your money. >> good morning, frances. as you say, the s&p eked out a gain on friday, despite mixed data. we had a disappointing u.s. retail sales trend, slightly stronger industrial production, and as the president tweeted, very strong consumer confidence numbers. this week, we get less important lower-tier data. we get the pmi manufacturing numbers on friday, but as you say, front and center, all eyes are going to be focused on trade discussions with the expectation that the u.s. will look to impose tariffs of up to $200 billion worth of chinese imports as soon as today. that has impacted asian equities overnight, which are trading in the red. so we'll keep an eye on that.

elsewhere in corporate news, a billionaire sales force founder marc benioff and his wife announced last night that they've purchased "time" magazine for a whopping $190 million. now, the benioffs say that they, quote, will not take on any operational responsibility for "time" and look only to be the stewards of this historic and iconic brand. of course, they join the legions of others, such as jeff bezos, who acquired "washington post" there earlier in the year as well. >> yeah, i wonder if we'll see any changes that will be obvious to us, the readers. joumana, thank you. still ahead, hollywood is gearing up for television's biggest night. we'll go live to los angeles for a preview of the emmys, next. is, protect yourself... 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...

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mmm mmmmmm yeah, chocolate! chocolatey. crunch into chocolatey gr-r-reatness. they're gr-r-reat! welcome back. the week-ahead forecast looks pretty quiet. we are starting off, of course, with all the heavy rain from florence in the east. by the middle of the week, we're watching a chance for strong storms in the northern portion of the country, almost like a springlike setup as we head into fall with a lot of warm air and then some cool air finally trying to move down from the north. maybe a sprinkle or twothe northwest as we go throughout wednesday. but by friday, cooler, seattle 67, a chance of some showers. >> all right, thanks. still ahead, afaze maizing feats of precision in the mountains of central china. 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.

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preparations are under way before tv's top talent hits the stage for the emmy awards right here on nbc. nbc's jennifer bjorklund joins us live from the television academy in l.a. with a preview this morning. good morning, jennifer. >> reporter: hi, frances. yes, it's very exciting to preview these emmys because they are on nbc, and nbc is up for a lot of awards. there are a lot of first-time nominees walking the red carpet, or the gold carpet, as they call it at the emmys, but there will be some familiar faces as well. shows like "game of thrones" up for 22 awards. cardboard cutouts will give way to real stars at tonight's emmy awards. >> you never think it's a big deal until the time comes, and then it's the only thing that matters. >> i'm going to do it. >> reporter: ellie kemper's "the unbreakable kimmie schmidt" is up for best comedy series and "veep" has won three straight

times, but with it ineligible this time, "the marvelous mrs. mazel" is up. >> it's amazing that somebody else can finally win in that cad graey. >> reporter: the handmaid's tail" is against "game of thrones" but a potential spoiler could be the final season of "the americans," about russian spies living in the u.s. >> it's a show that's kind of widely gone unrecognized over the course of its run. >> i don't even have to try at this. >> "this is us" star sterling k. brown has a chance to repeat last year's best actor win. rivals include co-star milo ventimiglia, who plays the pearson family patriarch, jack. >> i think there's a lot of potential sentimentality for that character and what he went through this season. >> it's saturday night! >> reporter: another hit season for "saturday night live" has it up for multiple awards. it's also providing tonight's hosts. >> we don't know what to expect, and i think that's kind of the exciting part. >> reporter: on a night when television honors its best.

the emmys are tonight here on nbc. the broadcast network, by the way, with the most nominations at 78, and that blows away the rest of the field. in fact, that's more than abc and cbs combined. i'm jennifer bjorklund live in los angeles. frances, marlie, back to you two. >> you can see with those awards how we get stuck with our binge-watching. thank you, jennifer. watch the prime time emmys tonight at 7:30 eastern/4:30 pacific, only on nbc. a group of wingsuit jumpers took flight in china to compete in this year's wingsuit flying world championships. 14 participants from nine countries leapt from altitudes of over 4,500 feet. the goal of the long-distance gliding competition was to strike foam targets midair. for>

this morning, more senators are calling for a delay in the vote to confirm supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. amid new specific details of allegations of sexual assault when he was a teenager. and florence continues to inundate more of the carolinas following a punishing and deadly weekend of evacuations, rescues, and emergencies. a border patrol agent is jailed on $2.5 million bond after being accused of killing at least four women and injuring a fifth. three new blockbuster studies on whether you should take that baby aspirin for your heart. or not. plus, the biggest games from the nfl week 2."tarts right now. great to be back with you. i'm frances