hurricane michael is forecast to be the most destructive storm to hit the florida panhandle in decades. >> monstrous storm. evacuations have been ordered as hurricane michael strengthens, potentially reaching a category 3 storm and taking direct aim at the gulf coast. a desperate rescue is under way in texas where emergency crews are searching for four missing men swept away by floodwaters. an emotional vigil was held overnight for the victims of that deadly limo ride that claimed 20 lives. this morning new details about the super stretch and the man behind the wheel. the child health warning that every parent needs to hear. 16 states reporting a mystery illness that's causing partial paralysis in children. then to a new nfl record as drew brees surpasses peyton

manning as the greatest passer of all time. and the close call involving a deer, a passing car, and cyclists, all caught on tape. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm marlie hall. >> and i'm phillip michael gai florida panhandle. the storm is expected to make strength and barrels toward the landfall later tomorrow. emergency officials are anticipating a two to four-foot storm surge in some areas. >> cuba and mexico are already feeling michael's wrath with 90-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rains responsible for at least 13 deaths across central america. nbc's kerry sanders has the latest as the southeast braces for impact. >> reporter: the state of emergency in alabama and along florida's west coast. >> hurricane mike sl a monstrous storm and the forecast keeps nd.in >> i'm gassing up to make sure i can get home. >> reporter: satellite photos reveal the taking shape, with far western edges of cuba. emergency managers in low-lying gulf county, florida, taking no

chances, ordering a mandatory evacuation. businesses, schools, and universities closing. >> we want to get things done, get the propane, extra water, make sure everything is taken care of by the time the storm actually comes where a. >> reporter: residents across the state bracing for what could be a dangerous and destructive storm. >> let's get to meteorologist michelle grossman. >> right now it is 4 55 miles r the gulf of mexico, which is very warm. it's like bath water. that will only help to fuel this system. we do expect it to blossom into a category 3 storm today. let's look at the timing. later on tonight, 115 miles per hour. that will make it a category 3 storm. then by wednesday, 120-mile-per-hour winds. this will be the time frame to watch because we are expecting landfall sometime on wednesday.

but if it speeds up today, it will be later o tonight. if it does slow down, it could be as late as thursday. right now this track is showing us it will make landfall tomorrow. then it will eventually affect the carolinas and the northeast as we go towards the weekend. so it's a very fluid situation. we're going to watch it over the next 24 hours. as it stands, it looks like landfall will be tomorrow. >> thanks, michelle. an urgent search effort is under way for four men who went missing after their r.v. was swept away by swift floodwaters in west texas. the emergency management office says about a foot of heavy rain caused the south llano river to overflow its banks in junction outside of austin. so far no fatalities in this dramatic rescue, the texas game wardens used a helicopter to air lift two people and their dog fromas gon expected to rise again. an upstate new york

committee left reeling after a horrific limo crash took 20 lives. hundreds gathering to remember the victims at a candlelight vigil. the limo was carrying family and friends for a 30th birthday celebration whether it crashed. the ntsb will return to the scene of the accident this morning as investigators try to piece together what went wrong. nbc's tom costello has the latest. tom, good morning. >> reporter: phillip, good morning to you. the state police here in new york are very much running the criminal and forensics investigation here. the ntsb is involved in trying to put all the pieces together and they have a lot of document whe0 the day focusing on the limo operator, prestige limousine chauffeur service. federal records show it had failed 80% of its inspections over the past two years. the driver, 53-year-old scott lisnicchia died in the crash. >> the driver of the vehicle did not have the appropriate driver's license to be operating

that vehicle. second, that vehicle was inspected last month and failed inspection and was not supposed to be on the road. >> reporter: the stretch limo, a modified 2001 ford excursion. witnesses say it was speeding when it came barreling down route 30, blowing through a stop sign at a t-bone intersection, then careening across a country store a driveway, hitting a parked car and killing two pedestrians before slamming into a heavily wooded ravine. the 17 passengers who had rented the limo for a birthday celebration died. two sisters, two brothers, family and friends. >> i just hope they didn't suffer. i want to believe it was instant. that they never knew what happened. >> reporter: axel and amy steenburg were just married in june. axel rented the limo for amy's 30th birthday to take everyone safely to an upstate brewery.

they never made it. karina halse's older sister, amanda, also died. >> i've never felt this type of pain before. i wouldn't want anyone else to go through what i'm going through, what my family is going through. >> reporter: also killed in the crash, three parents, leaving behind three young children. >> one of the things that we hope to be able to determine is what the speed of the vehicle was at the collision, and i think we have the technology to do that. >> reporter: the ntsb says no skid marks on the scene. the limo company involved, prestige limo. they are offering their condolences to the victims and offering to fully cooperate with company, it turns out from cooperated as an fbi informant on several anti-terror investigations. phillip, back to you. >> i'm sure authorities will surely vet that odd link. tom, thanks. the supreme court is back in session today with newly

confirmed justice brett kavanaugh taking the bench. kavanaugh taking his oath in a ceremonial swearing in at the white house after a bitter fight to get him confirmed. the new associate justice promising to list en to each cae with respect and an open mind. >> reporter: another legacy-making moment for president trump as he welcomes the second new supreme court justice of his administration. >> i want to apologize to brett and the entire kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure. >> reporter: brett kavanaugh sworn in by the justice he's replacing after days of denying the sexual misconduct allegations against him. >> what happened to the kavanaugh family violates every notion of fairness, decency, and due process. our country, a man or a woman, must always be presumed innocent

unless and until proven guilty. >> reporter: the president now hopes to turn his political win into a victory for his party in november by high lighting his success with kavanaugh. >> a man that did nothing wrong. a man that was caught up in a hoax that was set up by the democrats. >> reporter: he hopes to keep his base galvanized with four campaign stops in the next five days. a trip to florida, and a rare special guest on air force one, deputy attorney general rod rosenstein. >> what did you say to rod rosenstein, mr. president? >> we just had a very nice talk. we actually get along. >> reporter: president trump's apparently not bothered by that blockbuster report rosenstein denied two weeks ago, that he privately talked about removing the president from office. now, no changes, the president says, to the position that oversees the special counsel investigation. >> i think we'll be treated very fairly. >> reporter: rosenstein was at the white house last night for that ceremonial swearing in of brett kavanaugh. the new supreme court justice insists he is unchanged after that highly charged and

intensely emotional confirmation process. marlie, back to you. >> hallie, thank you. and with the kavanaugh battle now over, president trump is hitting the road, hoping to turn his supreme court win into a victory in the midterms. meanwhile, democrats are hoping to fuel a blue wave. let's get more from nbc's tracie potts. where is president trump headed this week? >> reporter: he's headed to four states with four key races. starting today in iowa. then the president moves on to pennsylvania, ohio, and kentucky, hoping to keep the fire hot. republicans say this nomination battle over now justice kavanaugh has energized their voters in a way even they did not expect. on the other side, democrats are saying the same thing. so we could see a showdown over this kavanaugh issue at the polls in november. president trump, though, says he thinks that republicans will win in november because he thinks they may win over a lot of

democrats. >> i think it's an insult to the american public, and i think you're going to see a lot of things happen on november 6th that would not have happened before. i think a lot of democrats are going to vote republican. >> reporter: now, will it be democrats, or will it be republicans, or will it be women? a lot of experts are saying that the issues that came sid with some of the polling showing that already having effect on house races. phillip. >> we're less than a month from finding all of that out. tracie, thank you. a terrifying moment was caught on camera by a cyclist in north carolina. one of the riders captured a deer being struck by a car while trying to cross the road. take another look. the animal barely missing one of the cyclists. fortunately no one was injured but officers say this is a good reminder for drivers to stay vigilant because deer are more active this time of year. that's tough for me to watch but glad the cyclist is okay. >> i wasn't expecting that.

michelle, bigger problems than deer on the gulf coast. >> yes. we are talking about michael and we are talking about storm surge. this is our biggest concern with this storm. remember, 49% of deaths from tropical cyclones come from storm surge. you cannot outrun storm surge.k panama city in the warning. pensacola. we could see a storm surge up t damaging winds. winter weather on the back side of this, could see temperatures in the 30s in some spots. we're going to talk more about michael. it looks to be landfall sometime tomorrow. >> thanks so much michelle. well, it's wedding bells for a former first daughter. barbara bush tied the knot in a secret ceremony over the weekend to screenwriter craig coyne at the family's compound in

kennebunkport, maine. president george w. bush walked his daughter down the aisle while her grandfather, president george h. tn sister jenna serve the matron on honor. congratulations to the happy couple. >> great to have grandpa there. just ahead, screen to the billboard charts. and the growing fear over a mysterious polio like illness. 2s stayed clearer through 48 weeks. tremfya® works better than humira® at providing clearer skin, and more patients were symptom free with tremfya®. tremfya® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. before starting tremfya® tell your doctor if you plan to or have recently received a vaccine. ask your doctor about tremfya®.

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a reminder. tonight's mega millions jackpot is an astounding $470 million with a lump sum option of $265 million. it's the fifth largest in the drawing's history. tomorrow night's powerball jackpot has grown to $282 million. has the saying goes, you got to be in it to win it. i know i'll be in it. may not win it. >> we usually don't win it. leading the news this morning, a child health warning that every parent needs to hear. 16 states have reported cases of

a mysterious illness that can cause partial paralysis in children. nbc's kristen dahlgren reports on what families can do to prevent it. >> reporter: within a week, quentin went from being an active 7-year-old to a hospital bed, diagnosed with a rare polio-like illness that at least five other kids in minnesota now also have. >> doctors are telling you this is something that we don't know much about. there's no known cure. that's when the bottom really seemed to drp out. >> reporter: it's called accuse flasity mility lind to virus viruses. >> they can cause hand foot mouth disease, common cold symptom. in rare cases, they can cause neurologic disease. >> reporter: in 2014, there were 120 afm cases in 34 states. in 2016, there was another spike. so far this year, there are 38 cases, including the recent cluster in minnesota. symptoms can include sudden limb weakness, drooping eyelids or face, and trouble swallowing or

slurred speech. in some cases, it can lead to paralysis or even death. doctors recommend hand washing to prevent virus spread. while they don't know if quentin will regain normal use of his arm, his parents say he's doing better. >> he's as happy and playful as ever. >> reporter: what's often called a one in a million illness now striking fear in parents across the country. kristen dahlgren, nbc news. straight ahead, meghan mccain makes her emotional return to "the view." plus sparks fly as taylor swift targets republicans and how president trump tried to shake it off. you're watching "early today." chatty coworker's youngest daughter's entire judo class. one shot can make a world of difference. walgreens' specially trained pharmacists, know exactly which flu shot is right for you. protecting the world... over 60 million flu shots and counting, starts with protecting yours, today.

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♪ tell me in this modern world ♪ >> that is bradley cooper.he a in the new movie "a star is born" and delivered this powerful duet called "shallow." not only was this actor, bradley cooper's direct ta torial debut, he also scored his first hit on the billboard hot 100 landing at number 28. as i trip over my words there, i was thinking how talented this guy is not only being able to direct this and sing and act. you know, they thought he's going to win an award for this, an oscar. >> he has a great voice. >> did you know that? >> no. voting registration

nationwide and? tennessee spiked after singer taylor swift shared this rare political instagram post endorsing democratic candidate phil reddisen. according to vote.com, in tennessee, 2,811 registrations in september quickly rose to about 3,500, more than that, for october so far. and their page has seen over 155,000 new unique visitors alone. but of course her message wasn't received well by everyone. hearing about the post, president trump said, let's say that i like taylor swift's music about 25% less now. i thought that percentage might have been higher. >> you're right. he must have really liked her if it's only 25%. she's got a lot of reach and she's on tour, so spreading the message. so taylor got some support recently from meghan mccain who returned to the view after a leave of absence after the death of her father, senator john mccain, in august. mccain vowed to carry on the

work of her father who denounce the partisanship, and she also singled out some of her closest friends who were there for her. >> god is real. i wouldn't be here without my faith. but i also wouldn't be here without joe biden and joe lieberman. those men have carried me through this experience, and i want to thank them for being uncles to me. >> so well said. >> mm-hmm. just ahead, new orleans quarterback drew brees throws one for the record books. you're watching "early today" on a tuesday. i'm super emma. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it's gentle on her skin and takes care of stains better than the other free and clear detergent. so she can focus on saving the world, with a little help from dad. dermatologist recommended. it's got to be tide.

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well, the flooding rains continue along the plains. you can see back to the west we're even looking at some snow. we'll be right back. my mom washes the dishes... ...before she puts them in the dishwasher. so what does the dishwasher do? cascade platinum does the work for you, prewashing and removing stuck-on foods, the first time. wow, that's clean! cascade platinum.

a historic brees swept through the big easy monday night and turned into a celebration. let's head to the party in new orleans. the redskins paying the saints a visit in the super dome, but this was all about quarterback drew brees. he threw for over 363 yards on the including a 62-yard bomb to tray kwan smith. and this pass right here made him the nfl's all-time passing

43-19 over the redskins. so he took the top spot over future hall of famer peyton manning, who shared a few kind words on social media. >> drew, congratulations on this record. you've done it the right way. all your hard work and dedication have paid off. you and i have come a long way since this picture back in 2000 when you were in college and i was in my third year in the nfl. so way to go. proud of you. good luck the rest of the way. >> manning was joined by lebron james, brett favre, russell wilson, magic johnson, even former president barack obama, all congratulating drew brees on over 72,000 yards and a new place in the nfl record books. to playoff baseball where two more teams are one step closer to the world series. in cleveland, it was do or die for the indians against the astros. the home team scored early taking a 2-1 lead in the fifth on this homer from francisco lindor. but houston came roaring back,

putting up a three-spot in the seventh and blowing it wide open in the eighth scoring six more. houston sweeps the indians with a final score of 11-3, moving on to the alcs for the second straight year. now to atlanta. the braves also facing elimination in game four of their division series against the dodgers. l.a. scored early on a double by manny machado, but in the fourth, pinch hitter kurt suzuki hits this drive single to left, putting the braves up 2-1. unfortunately that would be it for atlanta. the dodgers retook the lead, storing two in the sixth and three more in the seventh. they win 6-2 and go on to face the brewers in the championship series. to new york now where the bronx bombers, well, they barely made a peep. the boston red sox hammered yanks starter luis severino who gave up three runs early and ultimately charged with six after loading the bases in the fourth. the bullpen fared no better

giving up ten more runs in the course of the game. seven of them in the fourth inning alone. through it all, sox utility man brock holt did something no one has ever done before. hit for the cycle in a playoff game. red sox rout the yanks 16-1 and take a 2-1 series lead. game four is tonight at 8:00. >> i hope they beat each other up. the astros will be waiting. >> i'm marlie hall. >> i'm phill na. checipmekad lib live picture ofn

francisco. welcome to tuesday morning. let's take a live look outside overlooking the city by the bay. beautiful lights in san francisco this morning. and it's clear. you can actually make it out. that's a nice start, right? good morning to you and thanks so much for joining us and waking up with us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. let's get a look at what's going on outside with that weather today, beautiful scenery. >> clear and we had warm weather as we look live in san jose with

our temperatures in the low 60s. we'reoi degrees in sunnyvale headed to 58 degrees around sunrise and normally we're reaching 76 but we'll go a little bit above that today as we look at our high temperatures, up to 81 in livermore and 83 in concord. 74 in