crunchwrap box from taco bell. bong surer. . i was surprised at how vocal he was about the fact that he likes beer, and he's had a little bit of difficulty. i mean he talked about things that happened when he drank. >> new details surrounding the fbi's investigation and interviews with witnesses, plus what a third accuser, julie swetnick, told nbc's kate snow about brett kavanaugh. to jfk international airport where an aborted takeoff was met with emergency rescue teams and firefighters. we'll have the latest. to the gridiron where a high school player collapses and dies from a brain injury and a college player in critical condition after a head. and then a chaotic and dangerous high speed chase

involving a murder suspect, carjacking and hot pursuit. it all ended with a collision and a police car. stop me if you've heard this one. a horse walks into a bar. buckle up. "early today" starts right now. good tuesday morning. i'm marlie hall. >> and i'm phillip mena. the fbi now has the white house's blessing to widen the scope of its renewed probe into supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. the agency now authorized to interview anyone they think necessary but must still wrap up by friday. the change coming after two key republican senators, jeff flake and susan collins, each said that they spoke with the white house to ensure a full investigation. and while the president says he has no problem with an expanded scope, he's still blasting democrats over the supreme court battle. in a rally last night in tennessee, the president accused the party of trying to slow down the fbi. >> the democrats only know how to obstruct, demolish, and destroy. by the way, if we took ten years, they'd want more time.

>> still, it's the white house not the fbi calling the shots. that's because this is a relaunched background check and not a criminal investigation. among the people interviewed so far, deborah ramirez, whos kavanaugh exposed himself to her while they were at yale, which he denies. kavanaugh spoke with republicans in the senate judiciary committee just two days after ramirez went public. according to a transcript, kavanaugh claims ramirez was, quote, calling around to classmates to see if they remembered the incident, adding, it sounds like an orchestrated hit to take me out. and this morning, we're hearing more from kavanaugh's third accuser, who sat down with nbc news. our own peter alexander has the details. >> reporter: the white house has authorized the fbi to expand its limited background investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against brett kavanaugh, giving the fbi the green light to interview anyone it deems necessary as long as the review is wrapped up by the end of the week. according to a senior u.s. official and another source

briefed on the matter. >> i think the fbi should interview anybody that they want within reason. but you have to say within reason. they should interview, but they should also be guided, and i'm being guided by what the senators are looking for. >> reporter: the key republican, jeff flake, who demanded a week-long background investigation in the first place, had earlier questioned why the white house would not give the fbi free rein. >> it does no good to have an investigation that just gives us more cover, for example. we actually need to find out what we can find out. >> reporter: the white ho s decision, an abrupt shift after initially directing the fbi to interview just four people, including the t witnessese at that alleged high school party where she says kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. among them, kavanaugh's friend, mark judge. nbc news has learned judge has now been interviewed accord togs a senior u.s. official. previously judge has said, i never saw brett act in a manner

ford describes. also on the list, deborah ramirez, who has accused kavanaugh of exposing himself at a college dorm party. another allegation he denied. nbc news has obtained this photo of kavanaugh and ramirez at a wedding ten years after the alleged incident, and text messages that a mutual friend says appear to show kavanaugh directly communicating with friends he hoped would refute ramirez's claims. still unclear whether investigators will question julie swetnick, who came forward through her lawyer and fierce trump critic michael avenatti last week, accusing kavanaught school. another allegation he denies. >> should the fbi interview all three of brett>>t wouldn't both. now, it depends. i don't know all three of the the third one, i don't know much about. but it wouldn't bother me at all. i mean i've been -- i've heard that the third one has -- i have no idea if this is true -- has

very little credibility. if there is any credibility, interview the third one. >> reporter: in a new interview with nbc news' kate snow, swetnick discussed kavanaugh's alleged behavior at high school parties. >> can you describe to me what you saw him do? >> he was very aggressive, very sloppy drunk, very mean drunk. i saw him go up to girls and paw on them, try to, you know, get a little too handsy touching them in private parts. i saw him try to shift clothing. >> are there people alive today -- >> yes. >> who would say, yes, i went to those parties? >> yes, there are people who know about those parties. >> reporter: but nbc news has not been able to independently corroborate her claims. asked avenatti for -- one of them says he does not recall anyone named friendsd

is deceased. nbc news has reached out to the other two and has not heard back. >> should brett kavanaugh be interviewed by the fbi? >> i think so. i think it's fine if they do. i tell you what, i happen to know some united states senators, one who is on the other side who is pretty aggressive. i've seen that person in very, very bad situations, somewhat compromising. and, you know, i think it's very unfair to -- to bring up things like this. >> reporter: the president refusing to elaborate on that charge. no word whether kavanaugh has been interviewed. so far, ford has not. peter alexander, nbc news, the white house. >> and with that friday deadline for the fbi probe, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is ready to go full steam ahead, promising to bring a vote on kavanaugh by week's end. nbc's tracie potts joining us now from washington. so, iekavanaugh'sim o the bench monday if in fact h i that vote happens.

as you saitchcconnell, the top republican in the senate, is not backing down off their goal to get this done this week. and this fbi investigation and the situation with the nomination seems to be deepening the divide between democrats and republicans here. listen to what mcconnell said about his democratic colleagues. >> if you listen carefully, mr. president, you can practically hear the sounds of the democrats moving the goal post. but their goal hasn't moved an inch, not an inch. the goal's been the same all along. so let me make it very clear. the time for endless delay and obstruction has come to a close. >> reporter: now, we're also hearing the top democrat, chuck schumer, say, yes, it's fine to did the vote by the end of the week, but they want the investigation done. and given the increasing number of questions and witnesses and evidence that continues to come up, it's not clear if that will

happen. but that's their deadline. phillip? >> who knows what will emerge from that investigation? tracie, thank you. a flight leaving from jfk airport was halted after its gears caught fire on the runway. delta flight 420 heading toward ghana aborted takeoff following an air speed warning indication onboard. while taxiing back to the gate, delta officials say the brakes began to overheat. crews were able to extinguish the flames and over 200 passengers were safely evacuated without injury. a difficult and emotional day in las vegas as the city marked the one-year anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern u.s. history. resorts along the iconic strip turned off the bright lights of their marquees in honor of the 58 lives that were lost when shots rained down on the route 91 harvest festival. the names of the victims were read as the lights dimmed and candles were lit. earlier, hundreds gathered for a sunrise remembrance service where family members of the victims offered words of understanding and encouragement.

>> we have all changed. we have all been broken, but we can find a way to pick up those pieces and glue it all back together. yes, the cracks will be seen, but it can be whole again, and we will be stronger. >> though drawn here by devastating loss, survivors and victims' family members say they have been able to find strength in coming to the. new white crosses in remembrance of each victim have been placed in front of the las vegas welcome sign along with a heart-wrenching display of pictures. president trump also took a moment to recognize those victims and their families as efforts to curbays the federal ban on bump stocks is in its final stages. developing overnight, the death toll in indonesia has now grown to over 1,234 following an earthquake and tsunami that ravaged coastal towns. rescue teams are continuing to push into remote areas of the country as the true extent of the devastation becomes clear.

indonesia's disaster agency says nearly 50,000 people have been misplaced in the city of palu alone. officials fear that number along with the death toll will still continue to rise as areas previously cut off by storm damage are reached. but relief workers are holding on to hope and hunting for survivors thought to be trapped underneath the mud and rubble. for now, rescue teams are using their bare hands and what little equipment they have to try and reach victims as they wait for more heavy equipment to arrive. a california murder suspect is in custody this morning after leading los angeles police on a wild chase through the san fernando valley. the suspect raced through red lights, sped along the wrong side of the road and just narrowly dodged several vehicles. eventually a passenger hopped out of the back seat, and later the driver got out and tried to run away. he then carjacked a station wagon and took off. then when he realized he was surrounded, he crashed into an lapd cruiser. after a tense standoff, he

surrendered. bill karins is here with a look at our tuesday forecast. what can we expect? >> good morning. we're watching what's happening with rosa. all that heavy rain, the flood watches continue from arizona northwards. this is kind of the main part of the event is the yellow and the reds show the heaviest rain, what's left of the storm heading up soon to the phoenix area. the timing of it should be hopefully early enough not to really impact the morning commute horribly. as far as the rainfall forecast goes, the highest totals will be from the phoenix area north wards. the red is three inches. some areas could get possibly up to six inches of rainfall. that is going to cause some flash flooding. that will cause some washouts on the road. we'll have to watch that carefully. the other story is what a warm start to october. 80s widespread throughout much of the sou thnd also through

pennsylvania. you can see where it's cooler behind that front today from chicago to green bay. there is a slight risk of severe weather. we'll talk more about that coming up later. thank you, bill. fast forward into your tuesday. adult film actress stormy daniels is set to release her memoir titled "full disclosure." in this book, she says she's recounting her running legal battles with president trump as well as her life as a stripper. tonight, $367 million will be up for grabs in the mega millions jackpot drawing. and on wednesday night, you have a chance to win $229 million in the powerball lottery. finally, start in steven spielberg's upcoming musical west side story. the movie is on track to start production in the summer of 2019. we'll be right back on "early today." filled with soft surfaces that trap odors and release them back into the room. so, try febreze fabric refresher.

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loss of a 17-year-old boy who collapsed and died from a brain injury suffered during a high school game. in tennessee, a college football player is fighting for his life after a separate head injury. questions about safety on the field. here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: they held on to his jersey like they're holding ton to his memory. pike county high school in georgia is shaken after linebacker dylan thompson collapsed friday. >> a really good, kind hearted kid, loves to laugh and play football. >> reporter: school officials say thomas suffered a brain injury. he had walked off the field and was talking with medical staff. coach brad weber says at the time nothing seemed out of the ordinary until thomas became incoherent and fell over. >> he loved the game of football. he would not miss practice for anything, sick, not sick. >> reporter: it was an emotional weekend not just here in georgia but also in nashville where another player is now in critical condition after collapsing saturday during a

college game. christian abercrombie, a sophomore at tennessee state had also walked off the field, telling trainers he had a headache. minutes later he collapsed due to a head injury. >> i think yoeroverall the safen football has improved in the last several years but still with risk. and every year we normally have three to four deaths because ten times as many people play at the high school level as the college level. >> reporter: back in georgia, dylan thomas had no known prior medicalcoitions. school officials are now reviewing game footage to find out what happened. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, zebulon, georgia. >> that's why a lot of parents won't let their kids play football. coming up, how a gender reveal reportedly sparked a wildfire in arizona. and proof that you can lead a horse to a bar, but you can't make him order a drink. the chaotic scene behind those images next. excuse me...

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should brett kavanaugh be knowrviewed by tso. that's up to them. >> no. everything is up to you. that's the job. i don't know. i just work here. i knowday, my mind is wiped clean in the morning. someone makes me up a i'm the president, and i'm just as shocked as you are. i don't know. >> his impression is so funny. >> and he's right.

some days we all need that men in black treatment. we forget what happened the day before. well, now on to a big shock caught on camera. a horse trots into a sports betting bar in france and starts buck ago round. no, not a joke. customers start high tailing it to get out of the way. the horse had escaped from a racing stable and found its way into the watering hole. fortunately no one was hurt. the horse wasn't hurt either, so that's a good thing. maybe he just wanted a drink. it's stressful being a race horse. >> he wanted to grab a colt 45. e wanted t throw a n the third bet down. in arizona, a border patrol agent has pleaded guilty to starting a massive wildfire in a gender reveal that went terribly wrong. it happened when 37-year-old dennis dicky shot a rifle target filled with colored powder, but it also contained a highly explosive substance. that sparked a wildfire that engulfed more than 45,000 acres in southern arizona in april of last year. prosecutors say the blaze caused

more than $8 million in damage. the same amount that dicky has agreed to pay in restitution. >> i'm sure they didn't expect that outcome. >> why didn't we do the balloons like everybody else? >> right. well, just ahead, the act of bravery that earned this american hero the nation's highest military honor. you're watching "early today" on a tuesday. oh, look... another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® works in just one week. with the fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to work on fine lines and wrinkles. one week? that definitely works! rapid wrinkle repair®. and for dark spots, rapid tone repair. neutrogena®. see what's possible. wat t. rowe price, hundreds of our experts go beyond the numbers to examine investment opportunities firsthand.

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of new york. the storm should get a little weaker by the time it reaches areas like philadelphia and new york city late this evening. how about the fall heat going on? temperatures easily five to ten degrees above average for this time of year. south of this cold front we're in the 80s from st. louis to huntsville. 90s in areas of mississippi. in the 80s in areas of north carolina. it's not like it goes away. it comes right back behind this front. on wednesday, chicago, 85. 17 degrees warmer than normal. even late this week, the heat remains into the weekend. philadelphia and areas could be near 85. >> warmer than normal. i have a feeling we're going to be dealing with that phrase for the rest of our lives. thank you. just ahead, political jeopardy. alex trebek takes a break from his game show. i use heavy duty swiffer sweeper and dusters. for hard-to-reach places, duster makes it easy to clean. it captures dust in one swipe. ha! gotcha!

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we're back with the harrowing story of bravery on the battlefield. an american hero, ronald shurer, showinwounded fellow soldiers. and earning himself the medal of honor at the white house yesterday. we get more from c' fryer. >> reporter: what happened in the>> reporter: retired staff sergeant ronald shurer was a medic then when the enemy opened fire on u.s. special forces, wounding several. >> i'm hit. i think i'm hit. >> reporter: during the six-hour fire fight, shurer not only treated his teammates' life-threatening injuries, he was a human shield. >> there was rocks falling on them. they'd already been wounded. they were very exposed to the elements. of course i was going to cover them as best i could. >> reporter: one bullet ricocheted off his helmet. another grazed his arm. yet shurer saved many lives

including retired sergeant first class dylan baer. >> basically said a prayer and thought i was going to die and i accepted that. and ron shurer slapped me across the face and said, wake up. you're not going to die today. >> just sheer courage under fire, poise. his medical skill and acumen, they're without equal. >> reporter: it's why s of hono he was both are kind of very focused life. >> reporter: if anyone knows how to face such a challenge, it's the man now receiving the military's highest honor. joe fryer, nbc news. >> what a story of bravery. staff sergeant shurer continues to serve his country as a member of the secret service. >> thank-yous will never be enough. all right. who is debate moderator? jeopardy host alex trebek. he traded the podium for politics last night, hosting the gubernatorial showdown in pennsylvania. he played arbitrator for democratic incumbent tom wolf and his republican challenger scott wagner, and he kicked things off with an unexpected

question for governor wolf. >> shortly after the super bowl, you got a pretty positive reaction from the audience when you uttered the words "fly eagles fly." and that started me thinking. so please, sir, tell me the name of the starting defensive lineman for the eagles who has won two consecutive super bowls, each one with a different team. >> what? it was chris long. who is chris long? that would be my guess. it was not all jokes, though. he quizzed the contenders on everything from gerrymandering to campaign finance. he also hit wolf and wagner for their mud slingin adg and we )r.

ad lib live picture of richmond. and good tuesday morning to you and we are tracking rain, taking a live look outside right now, richard, you can see the wet

roads there. >> that will be the scene for a lot of commuters this morning. thanks for starting your day with us. >> let's go straight to carrie right now. >> we have been talking about this since last week. it's finally here as we track the rain. most of it has been in the north bay, san francisco. we are starting to see some spotty light rain make it into the east bay as well as a few sprinkles in north bay. >> that rain has been pouring down, our rainfall rate as i did a query there in santa rosa, we can see