i heard some screaming and just it looked serious because people were just, you know, running back and forth. >> everyone inside the limousine was killed. >> an unspeakable tragedy. a limousine goes out of control and crashes, killing 18 passengers and two pedestrians. this morning officials want to know why. this morning newly minted supreme court justice brett kavanaugh begins his first day of work. but not without controversy or fanfare from president trump. a west coast nighttime launch of a spacex rocket lights up social media with people asking what the heck was that? then the fight after the fight. the pay-per-view spectacle that will likely lead to, yeah, you guessed it,>> this larger-than-e

that drew more than a million spectators. hey! ♪ >> meet the louisiana police officer who knows how to bust a move. "early today" starts right now. good monday morning. i'm marlie hall. >> and i'm phillip mena. the deadliest crash in nearly a decade rocking a small upstate new york community and this morning ntsb investigators will rn limo accident that claimed 20 lives. the victims on board were out celebrating a 30th birthday saturday when the stretch suv careened off of a highway,he tg safety concerns for limousines. >> every inch you stretch a limo regulating them. once and for all, the ntsb must

pass regulations limiting these stretch limos and their safety. >> nbc's matt bradley has the latest on the investigation. matt, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. that massive accident has stunned this rural part of upstate new york, and now federal investigators are on the scene trying to figure out what went wrong. in a matter of moments a 30th birthday party turned to tragedy. >> reports of a multiple vehicle motor vehicle accident. >> reporter: an suv limousine carrying 18 people careened off a new york state highway near albany. >> everyone inside the limousine was killed. >> reporter: witnesses say thee sped down a hill through a parking lot and collided with a parked car. two pedestrians in the parking lot were killed. >> i heard some screaming and just it looks serious because people were just running back and forth. >> reporter: the snarled wreckage ended up in a nearby creek bed. state officials declined to comment on whether the driver

had been drinking, refusing to answer questions about what might have caused this tragic accident. >> i've been on the board for 12 years, and this is one of the biggest losses of life -- loss of lives that we've seen in a long, long time. >> reporter: saying they won't release the victims' names until autopsies are complete. but some family members are already speaking out. >> i can't believe it. it's not something to wrap your head around. >> reporter: barbara douglas said four of her nieces, all sisters, were among the dead. >> they were very smart and they were beautiful and they were -- they lived life to the fullest. >> reporter: the collision, said to be the worst highway accident since 2009, is now the focus of a federal investigation. the ntsb sent a go teamsite. that ntsb team is going to be here for several days, trying to reconstruct this accident. as you can see, these tire tracks are really the only thing that's left. now, they want or not these massive stretch

limousines are even safe to many people wer kild and whethe drive. guys? >> matt bradley, thanks so much. an investigation sunder way this morning after a false alarm at a lil' wayne concert in atlanta led to mass chaos and a stampede that injured a dozen. according to police, a concertgoer started screaming that there were gunshots, and that set off a chain reaction that spread like wildfire with people in the area just trying to make a run for it. police say all 12 of the injuries are minor and some got hurt trying to jump fences. so far officials say there's no evidence that any shots were fired, but as you can see here, dramatic video of fans running for their lives on edge about the threat of a possible shooter. the venue hosting a weekend-long hip-hop festival has been cleared out as authorities continue to investigate. in just o day the supreme court will again have nine justices on its bench. brett kavanaugh i join his new colleagues tomorrow. he was sworn in as an associatei ahe senate voted to confirm him to the high court. president trump announcing a formal swearingor this evening. but fallout from the contentious

fight continues with some democratic lawmakers already floating the idea of impeaching judge kavanaugh. each party looking to use the controversy to energize their base. less than a month away from midterm elections. nbc's jennifer johnson has more. >> reporter: already sworn in as a supreme court justice, brett kavanaugh joins the high court tuesday. but the fallout continues after a bitter partisan fight. >> he's going to be on the supreme court with a huge taint and a big asterisk after his name. >> repor other republicans are celebrating. >> i'm happy that those who tried to destroy his life fell short. i'm glad those who tried to overturn the rule of law and replace p with mob rul kavanaug now being targeted in their re-election bids. maine senator susan collins says ccsheer dr. christine blasey ford had the wrong man. >> i assailant.

>> so -- >> i do believe that she was assaulted. i don't know by whom. >> reporter: but democrat heidi heitkamp from red stated inned in said she couldn't back kavanaugh after his fiery performance before the senate judiciary committee, even if it costs her in november. >> even if you don't believe or believe dr. ford, the other issue is one of temperament. the other one is an issue of impartiality. >> is confirmed. >> reporter: in the end the gop got kavanaugh through by a two-vote margin. the closest vote for a supreme court justice since 1881. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. lighting up the skies over california as the aerospace company pulled off its first west coast launch and landing of its reusable falcon 9 cklasted off from vandenberg air force base near santa barbara and landed on a concrete pad at the base about 15 minutes later. it caused quite a commotion in

l.a., resulting in a swirling technicolor light show that could be seen as far north as san francisco. up until now all of spacex's ground landings have been out of cape canaveral, florida. new developments this morning in the mystery surrounding the missing president of interpol. the international police organization has received a letter of resignation from meng hongwei with no details attac d attached. he was traveling in china when he was detained by the government. in a brief statement the country's anti-corruption watchdog said mr. meng is suspected of violating the law and is currently under the haon. sarah, you just got new information on the case. the top. you know, that's a but this is actually happening. the head of interpol went missing last month while traveling in china, and this morning china says they're investigating him for bribery and for other crimes.

now, meng's wife, grace, says that before he vanished on september the 25th he sent her an image of a knife and she says to her that was meng's way of saying that he was in danger. now, grace meng gave a press conference in lyon, france. that's where interpol is based. and she did it with her back to the cameras. she doesn't want her face shown because she's afraid for her safety and for her two children. meng is the latest high-profile disappearance in china. the famous actress fan binbing mysteriously disappeared for three months after accusations of tax evasio lt this could tar beijing's reputation abroad. the french government and is pleading for his safe return. marlie, phillip? >> lots of unanswered questions. sarah, thanks so much. football fans are on the edge of their seats during week 5 of the nfl. let's start with the battle of the lone star state.

texans and cowboys. let's start in overtime. both teams deadlocked at 16. deshaun watson finds deandre hopkins who hits the b button a couple of times. spin, spin. gets him all the way down into field goal range for the game winner. and there it is. the texans win on sunday night. 19-16. next, buffalo taking on tennessee. the titans on the road looking to continue their best start in ten years. the defense really playing a factor here. both of these offenses were pretty bad. under 15 points for both of them. let's go to the fourth quarter here. buffalo down two with a chance to win it. 46-yard field goal on the foot of steven hauschka. good. buffalo wins 13-12. let's go to cleveland. another low-scoring ravens. baker mayfield finding rashard higgins on a 19-yard touchdown a missed fie ugly but it doesn't matter. the browns win 12-9. switching to another nail biter,

in the queen city panthers taking on the new york giants. giants down big here. odell beckham jr.-e hasn't been able to score a touchdown yet. so why not throw one? so saquon barkley into the end zone. and the giants go up. there was a moment right here that would decide the game. in giants territory graham gano with a chance to win it with 63 yards out. 63 yards. that is not an easy feat. that's the second longest field goal in nfl history to win-w a game. 33-31 the panthers break the giants' hearts. final l., in seattle another unbeaten streak on the line. the rams versus the seahawks. it was a back and forth game between the two high-powered offenses but midway through the fourth rams kicker carlos santos would give his team the lead for good. the rams stay undefeated with a 33-31 win. michelle grossman is here with our monday forecast. a lot going on. >> a lot going on, yeah. another busy week. next potential hurricane, 13th named storm of the season. tropical storm michael. and we are looking at this

northeastern gulf coast as we head throughout the next couple of days. turning into a hurricane probably around wednesday, late wednesday into wednesday evening. and the biggest risk will be for a flood. also storm surge. t flooding rains once his over again in the central and southern plains. temperatures in the 80s in texas. so yeah, we are looking at the panhandle of florida for? deadly storm surge as early as wednesday. something we're going to really watch closely. >> michelle, thank you. >> sure. let's get to some playoff baseball. how does that sound? milwaukee brewers, they became the first team to punch their ticket to the nl championship series. they swept the rockets in denver with a 6-0 shutout. and in atlanta the braves avoided their own sweep thanks in part to that grand slam. this kid is so good. rookie ronald acuna jr.

the 20-year-old now the youngest player ever to hit a postseason grand slam. they square off again at 4:30 eastern. astros looking to sweep the indians in game 3 of the alds. and tonight red sxox yankees go at it again. we'll be right back. with soft surfaces that trap odors and release them back into the room. so, try febreze fabric refresher. febreze finds odors trapped in fabrics and cleans them away as it dries. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. fabric refresher even works for clothes you want to wear another day. make febreze part of your clean routine for whole home freshness. whether you were borne for more dance-offs... more travels...

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new one a day with nature's medley is the only complete multivitamin with antioxidants from one total serving of fruits and veggies. new from one a day. leading the news, haiti has been hit hard by a powerful aftershock just a day after a disastrous 5.9ni earthquake struck at the same location, reducing homes to rubble. right now we know that at least 12 people have died in that cataclysmic event. 188 more were injured. many are now unable to return to their homes and schools in the aftermath of the quake. in haiti millions are especially vulnerable to deadly earthquakes much like the 7.1 quake that struck the capital in 2010, killing over 300,000 people. nearly 5,000 people are still missing after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the coast of indonesia just over a week ago. while the death toll has now

spiked to over 1,900, officials fear that number could triple after casualties from some of the hardest-hit areas are determined. as the days stretch on, hopes of finding survivors are quickly fading and the government will end search orations on thursday. after that those still missing will be presumed dead according to the country's disaster agency. it was quite a scene in las vegas this weekend. an ultimate fighting match lasted four rounds. but the real fireworks started after it wasover. even mike tyson thought it was kind of crazy. nbc's kathy park has that story. >> this is crazy. >> reporter: the highly anticipated ufc fight between mma rivals conor mcgregor and khabib nurmagomedov took an ugly turn moments after mcgregor tapped out in the fourth round. >> he jumps the fence. >> no, no, no. >> whoa! >> reporter: the brawl shows nurmagomedov leaping into the crowd toward men in mcgregor's corner after they allegedly taunted him. and then watch as this man

quickly climbs into the octagon, punching the back of mcgregor's head. >> people have been saying mean things to each other for 18 years here at the ufc. nothing like this has ever happened. >> reporter: nurmagomedov's multimillion-dollar purse now being withheld pending an investigation. his title also in jeopardy. >> i know this is not my best side. you know, this is not my best side. you know, i'm human being. >> reporter: in the post-fight press conference beturen the two men. going back to when mcgregor pled guilty to disorderly conduct fo last april. >> he talk about my religion. he talk about my country. he talk about my father. he come to brooklyn and he broke bus. >> reporter: the scuffle even creating quite a spectacle on social media with fans, celebrities, even boxer mike tyson weighing in, tweeting that the chaos was "crazier than my fight." and while mcgregor didn't press any charges, he's indicated this fight is far from over.

tweeting "good knock. look forward to the rematch." kathy park, nbc news. >> and you know that rematch is going down. >> mm-hmm. >> make a lot more money. just ahead, "snl" launches its campaign to make kanye great again. and bad blood with republicans? why taylor swift is getting political. you're watching "early today" on monday. to look at me now, you don't see psoriasis. you see clear skin. you see me. but if you saw me before cosentyx... ♪ but i didn't give up. i kept fighting. i got clear skin with cosentyx. 3 years and counting. clear skin can last. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you. cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms.

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speaking strictly for myself, what kanye said after we went off the air last week was one of the worst like most

awkward things i've ever seen here. and i've seen chevy chase speak to an intern. and we all had to stand behind him. and here's what it looked like. so like -- i'm like on the left. i'm like oh, god. but i'm like, i want a career, so i leave. >> that was "snl's" pete davidson discussing kanye west's awkward pro-trump rant after last season's premiere went off the air. over the weekend the 41-year-old rapper once again deleted his twitter and instagram accounts after going off social media several times in the past. he's done this before. but you knew it was going to cause some divide right away. i'll be surprised if he'll ever be on "snl" again. >> because it made the cast really uncomfortable. you could see that in the video. >> he likes to do that. make it provocative. >> reporter: pop star taylor swift is breaking her silence on politics, pledging to support two congressional democratic candidates in tennessee during next month's midterm elections. swift took to instagram with a

rousing endorsement for democrats, writing in part, "i've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, events in the past two years i feel very differently about that now. one of the issues she went on to address was lgbt rights and anti-discrimination. a lot of her fans saying that they appreciate her stance and that they'll buy more of her music now. >> kanye's a republican and taylor swift, who used to be a country star, a democrat. what world we're living in now. >> that's right. still ahead, the supersized parade that dazzled kids of all ages this weekend. you're watching "early today" on a monday. it was here. i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers. my doctor and i chose xarelto® to help keep me protected from a stroke. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people

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what pain? with advil. welcome back on this monday morning. we are certainly watching it this week. a tale of two seasons. snow and well above average to the west. still a taste of summer here. >> thanks a lot. when we come back, a louisiana police officer hits the streets with some funky beats. ♪ (vo) this is not a video game. this is not a screensaver. this is the destruction of a cancer cell by the body's own immune system, thanks to medicine that didn't exist until now. and today can save your life. ♪ ♪

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if owes bust. k-9 officer chris schilling decided to show some kids at hammond west side montessori school the fun side of law enforcement by getting jiggy with it to police sirens. i love how he put that beat all. >> yeah, the beats with the police sirens. i had no idea it couo that. a little '80s vibe there. from one dance to a dance of a m much different kind. in england if you like big parades you'll want to see the one they held there this weekend. nbc's lucy kafanov reports on the march of the marionettes. >> reporter: in liverpool a spectacular spectacle. giants roamed city streets. >> it was amazing. >> it feels like an actual living person. >> reporter: towering over buildings and trees. >> it's just bringing it back to what really is magic. and so imaginary. >> reporter: more than a million came to be wowed including americans kathleen and pete. >> i said they're going to liver

again, i've so we bought tickets and here we are. and i can cross one off the bucket list now. >> reporter: it's puppetry of colossal proportions. at 20 feet tall they're the biggest little boy you'll ever see. his playful canine companion always nearby. >> the dog is my favorite. and he. >> reporter: the pair working up big appetites. nearby, a 21/2-ton giant slumbers by the sea. coming to life with the help of 44 artists and lots of acrobatics. >> it feels like the whole city has come together, but this is so much more than a street theater performance. the giants inspiring us to dream big. all this the dream of french artist jean-luc carcut. reimagining an art form that's enthralled audiences for centuries. >> we don't call them puppets. we call them giants. >> they're alive. >> yeah, that's it. >> reporter: bidding farewell

but leaving behind a dream of a world where anything is possible. lucy kafanov, nbc news, in the land of the giants, liverpool. >> they look so life-like. >> at first i thought it was a little creepy. but i like it. it's cool. >> my dog is the favorite as well. i like how it wiggles its nose. bruno mars turns 33. love him. actor and "america's got talent" host nick cannon is 38. a weave. >> hapour w >> and i'm marlie hall.

it's the worst traffic accident in years. 20 people killed after a limousine collides with a parked car. this morning, the ntsb has more questions than answers. overnight, spacex lights up the skies over california, but

nobody told the neighbors, and it caused quite a stir on social media. over the weekend, taylor swift breaks her silence and goes political, sending a blistering message to her millions of fans, this as new supreme court justice brett kavanaugh gets ready for his first day at the supreme court. a powerful tropical storm in the gulf will soon be hurricane michael and make landfall before midweek. to an incredible scientific breakthrough. the connection between the moon and a new technique to bring