impact that would make -- >> i'm not denying climate change, but it could very well go back. we're talking about all -- >> well, that's denying it. >> we're talking about millions of years. they say we had hurricanes that were far worse than what we just had with michael. >> today, president trump heads to florida and georgia to get a firsthand assessment of the damage from michael. that as the president discusses a wide range of topics, idi the saudi controversy calling his secretary of defense a democrat and much more. then, former first lady hillary clinton speaking out about her husband's presidency amid the monica lewinski scandal. to london. breaking baby news and a big announcement from harry and meghan. wild nfl weekend capped off by nbc's sunday night

shoot-out. it went down to the final seconds. "early today" starts right now. good monday morning. i'm philip mena. >> and i'm marlie hall. breaking news from across the pond. the duke and duchess of sussex are expecting a baby! prince harry and meghan markle have announced that a baby is on the way for spring of 2019. >> in a statement from kensington palace, the royal highnesses say they appreciate all the support they've received from people around the world since their wedding in may. the couple is currently in australia on their first overseas tour, and we, of course, want to wish them all the very best, but let's get more details on this. nbc's sarah harmanus live sarah, what else about this big news? >> reporter: good morning, marlie and philip. his is the news royal fans have harry and to the throne, and speculation really kicked into high gear on friday when the duchess of sussex wore a loose-fitting blue coat to princess eugenie's

wedding. but guys, this is not a complete surprise. harry had, after all, hinted back when the couple got engaged that kids might be in the cards. >> of course, you know, i think, you know, one step at a time, and hopefully, we'll start a family in the near future. >> reporter: the future is now. that baby on the way. the couple, as you say, are in australia at the moment on their first royal tour together. and guys, they've got 76 engagements in 16 days across fiji, tonga, and new zealand. it's a, s here's hoping on the flight over. meghan's mother is have quit her job in los angeles. it's believed she may be moving to london to help her daughter out. kensington palace said the baby is due in the spring. google revealed that right after that announcement, the search of searches for when is spring skyrocketed, so it seems that armchair detectives are already on the case trying to figure out

exactly when this baby is making its appearance. now we just have to work out the next piece of the puzzle, is it a boy or a philip, marlie? >> and the oddsmakers already on the case as well. i hea odds-on favorites for the name. all right, sarah, thank you. today, president trump and first lady melania trump plan to visit florida and georgia to survey the devastation left behind by hurricane michael. the death toll has now risen to at least 19, and over 200,000 are still without power across hard-hit areas of both states. as crews continue to sift through the damage and debris, president trump has now made additional disaster assistance available. nbc's tracie potts joins us >> reporter: hi, marlie. good morning. so, he's bumping up what the federal govertuild emergency protection, for some of the things that have been in the path of this storm. that part of it goes up to 100% for a limited time, just for five days. meantime, as you said, the president and the first lady are

headed down there today. they will land midmorning in the panhandle, likely do an air tour, because we're told some of those hardest hit areas that he will want to see are still hard to get to because of the roads being out of commission. also, fema giving us an update by the numbers of what they're doing down there. 400 rescues, 58 evacuations so far, and 3,000 people still in shelters. as for getting the f government's help, 19,000 people so far have applied for disaster assistance. the buildingshat y k surveyed mo far. the president will see a lot of that later today. marlie? >> tracie, thank you. the disappearance of a saudi journalist critical of the crown is driving a stake between the un s ally in the middle east. president trump weighed in during an interview with "60 minutes." >> there's a lot at stake, and

maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. there's something really terrible and disgusting about that, if that were the case, so we're going to have to see. we're going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment. >> nbc's kelly o'donnell has more from d.c. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, philip. international pressure is mounting over a missing journalist feared murdered in the saudi consulate in turkey. the leaders of saudi arabia and working group to investigate the disappearance of jamal khashoggi, and there is new scrutiny of the kingdom's close ties to president trump. the haunting image, an international mystery with a growing demand for answers. >> and if he's not alive, then it is the saudis who would know what happened. >> we cannot have an ally who murders in cold blood in their own consulate. >>ep fallout. saudi arabia's stock market tumbled. tech and media companies pulling out of a saudi investment

conference. the kingdom's american embassy tweeted, "appreciation to all, including the u.s. administration, for refraining from jumping to conclusions." >> we're going to find out what happened. we're looking very hard. >> reporter: missing saudi critic jamal khashoggi, a permanent u.s. resident and "washington post" columnist. turkey's government says it has evidence he was killed by saudi operatives. former cia director and nbc news analyst john brennan. >> it would be inconceivable that such an operation would be run by the saudis without the knowledgf the day-to-day decision maker of saudi arabia. that's crown prince mohammed salman. >> it's a great honor to have the crown prince with us. >> reporter: tpresident's close ties -- >> i mean, i love saudi arabia! >> reporter: -- add pressure to his pledge to deliver severe punishment if the saudis are responsible. treasury secretary steve mnuchin still plans to go to that saudi conference next we. along with the general investigation,

mr. mnuchin will make up his mind as the week progresses and as new information surfaces. >> reporter: the saudi government has denied any involvement and issued a statement sunday, saying it would respond to any political or economic actions taken against saudi arabia. and then in a new joint statement from the government of the united kingdom, france and germany, officials there said there must be a credible investigation with those responsible held to account. and they said they expect the saudi government to provide a complete and detailed response. philip? >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. meanwhile, president trump hinting at another cabinet shake-up this morning. in that wide-reaching and often combative interview with "60 minutes," mr. trump opened the door to the departure of his secretary-general, james mattis. >> what about general mattis? is he going to leave? >> it could be that he is. i think he's sort of a democrat, if you want to know the truth, but general mattis is a good

guy. we get along very well. he may leave. i mean, at some point, everybody leaves. everybody. people leave. that's washington. >> a pentagon spokesman said secretary mattis is focused on doing his job. turning to one of the more heated moments of the interview, president trump defended his decision to attack supreme court justice brett kavanaugh's accuser. >> and you mimicked professor blasey ford. you mimicked her. >> had i not made that speech, we would not have won. i was just saying, she didn't seem to know anything. >> no, you -- >> and you're trying to destroy a life of a man who has been extraordinary. >> why did you have to make fun of her? i >> well, they were laughing. >> what i said -- >> as you know, kavanau w bter senate ford. topic of russi contending he's hard line with vladimir putin. here's what he had to say when asked if he would pledge to not shut down the mueller probe.

>> well, i don't pledge anything, but i will tell you, i have no intention of doing that. i think it's a very unfair investigation because there was no collusion of any kind. do you really think i'd call russia to help me with an election? give me a break. they wouldn't be able to help me at all. call russia. so ridiculous. former secretary of state hillary clinton is firing back at criticism that her husband, former president bill clinton, should have resigned in the wake of the monica lewinski scl. dem senator kirsten gillibrand, argued that he should have stepped down, but in an interview withmorning," clinton husband, saying the country should be focused instead on president trump's alleged sexual misconduct. >> do you think bill should have resigned in the wake of the monica lewinski scandal? >> absolutely not. >> it wasn't an abuse of power? >> no. but let me ask you this, where's the investigation of the current incumbent against whom numerous allegations sectary clinton als dismissed claims that the incident represented an abuse of

power. in australia, one mother used her own body to shield her baby from a ferocious hail storm. as high winds and two tornadoes ripped across southern queensland, hail shattered fiona simpson's car windows with her 4-month-old in the back seat and elderly grandmother in the front. simpson used her body to shield her young daughter, 4-month-old clara, who suffered bruises. her grandmother spent the night in a hospital. new week, let's see what the weather has in store for us. good morning, bill. >> good morning. two stories to start with. we're going with the flood threat in texas and then. a we have a flash flood watch for about 8 million people, including the dallas-ft. worth nsto all weekend. then on top of that, now we're going to get an additional 2 to 3 inches. rivers were already running high, so obviously, that's going to be problematic. then with a wind event in areas of california, we actually move to an extreme fire danger risk from santa clara to los angeles, the santa monica mountains, also los angeles county mountains. those are the areas where winds

could be gusting up to 80 miles per hour over the next two days. hopefully, we won't see any fires form, because they and te southwest not too bad. some of the chillier air stuck up in northern arizona. we'll take a look at the week-ahead forecast, coming up. >> thanks, bill. we'll check in later. russia is taking fall fun to new heights. all eyes were on these b.a.s.e jumpers, parachuters who leap from great heights at the b.a.s.e jumping festival in sochi over the weekend. dare devils from around the world jumped, flipped, and dove off a 680-foot-high hanging bridge before releasing their parachutes with just enough time to enjoy a soft landing. wow. a couple celebrities who

will not get a chance to take the jump. why a celebrity couple is calling it quits, next. and an instant classic. the highlights from the thrilling patriots/chiefs shoot-out. thanks to move free ultra 2in1... i keep up with this little one. see the world with this guy. and hit the town with these girls. in a clinical study, 4 out of 5 users felt better joint comfort. move free ultra. movement keeps us connected.

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terrifying scene here. a semi truck lost control on a highway in california, went tumbling down that embankment. road crews are building a retaining wall in that area, not soon enough for that truck, though. the department of transportation poed, but theked away unhurt. now to a bombshell split. "people" confirms ariana grande and pete davidson have called off their engagement. one source tells "people" it was an unsurprising decision that happened over the weekend. sources close to the couple cited bad timing and reportedly told tmz that the split was a mutual choice. the couple recently were spotted together before a live taping of

"saturday night live." they met on the set in 2016 but began publicly dating just this may. they had only been engaged since june. >> well, when you break up, the best thing to do is find a distraction, like some football. watch some football. >> that's a good one. we'll check out football highlights now. the lights were bright at gillette stadium with the matchup between two of the nfl's best teams, chiefs and pats. patriots had the lead in first half in foxboro, and for most teams, that's ball game, but most teams don't tyreek hill, w too much time on the clock and the patriots able to hit that game-winner as time expires, 43-40. cincinnati now, to the steelers. that is ryan shazier from the steelers, returning to the same stadium where he suffered a devastating spinal injury a year ago. andy dalton gets things started for the bengals with that two-yard pass. they went back and forth for

much of this one. 15 seconds left, steelers down by one and ben roethlisberger finding antonio brown in stride for the game-winning touchdown. pittsburgh beats the bengals yet again, 28-21. next to washington, looking to rebound against the panthers. the redskins defense putting the pressure on cam newton early. they force the interception on this one. washington would lead by double digits for most of the game. cam and the panthers would make a little run to try to make some game of it, little, too late. the redskins win 23-17. finally, miami trying to poke the bears at home. let's go right to overtime. tied game. dolphins have a chance to punch it in, but the bears punch right back. kenyan drake fumbles in the end zone and the bears recover. in overtime, a chance for the bears to win it, and it goes wide right. does anybody want to win this t >> you are right, i had forgotten all about ariana's breakup. breaking overnight, the end of an era for american retail. we'll look at whether sears can

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in today's "news by the numbers," tuesday night's mega millions jackpot has grown to an incredible $654 million, the second largest in the drawing's history. add that to wednesday's jackpot of $345 million and you get that eye-popping total, $999 million. just trying to have some fun with math there, because nobody's winning both of those. and a bottle of 1945 pinot noir from the most famous producer in burgundy was sold at

sotheby's this weekend for $558,000, a record price for one bottle of wine, far surpassing the preauction estimate of $32,000. out of my reach, but i can get a powerball ticket. >> there you go. >> or two. >> buy it there. all right, we knew this was coming, but overnight, sears officially did what so many thought was inevitable over the past couple years. cnbc's contess are institution. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. sears holdings, parent company of sears and kmart, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy this morning, marking the collapse of a company that dominated the retail industry in this country for much of the 20th century. sears has reached a deal with its creditors to keep most of its remaining operations running for now, but it will close 142 money-losing stores by the end of the year with liquidation sales expected to begin soon, and that's on top of the 46 stores closing by next month. the company still has about 700 sears and kmart stores.

that's a small fraction of what it once had. and roughly 70,000 employees. apple is donating 1,000 of its smart watches to a new study looking atating disorders. each participant in the study by the university of north carolina will get a watch to measureh. bn binge eats. at least 30 million people in the united states sufferro some type points, so it may be a>> a right, contessa. thank you. just ahead, we'll take you to an old-fashioned mill where they've been making their own cider the same way for more than a century. moving? that's harder now because of psoriatic arthritis. but you're still moved by moments like this. don't let psoriatic arthritis take them away. taltz reduces joint pain and stiffness and helps stop the progression of joint damage. for people with moderate to severe psoriasis, 90% saw significant improvement. taltz even gives you a chance at completely clear skin. don't use if you're allergic to taltz. before starting, you should be checked for tuberculosis. taltz may increase risk of infections

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time for whitestrips. crest glamorous white whitestrips are the only ada-accepted whitening strips proven to be safe and effective. and they whiten 25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. welcome back. instead of leaving a bread crumb trail, the san bernardino county sheriff's department lured in a pig with doritos they found in a lunch bag. the deputies responded to a call about a pig. look at that. it's about the size of a mini horse. it was roaming a local neighborhood. but authorities quickly knew who that animal belonged to because they had had similar calls in the past, so they were able to guide it safely back home.

they knew exactly what was up. >> at least it got some doritos out of the deal. >> right. there's nothing like a cup of apple cider to celebrate ts , but not quite the way they do at one cider mill in connecticut. nbc's harry smith went for a look and a taste. >> reporter: a dump truck tilts its freshly picked cargo into a chute, where soon, the apples will be turned to mush. this is how cider is made at bf clyde cider mill in old mystic, connecticut. in fact, it's the only way cider has been produced here since 1881. it is the last steam-powered cider mill in the country, a modern marvel of the industrial revolution still doing its job with nary a hiccup. annette and harold miner are fourth-generation proprietors. what is it like here on a typical fall saturday or sunday? >> it's a mad house, but it's a

wonderful mad house. >> reporter: they comeorhe cider and to see how it's made. but it is the cider doughnuts that really draw them in. the domain of annette and her on highnd , susan. low and she's over there screaming, "shut it off! shut it off! shut it off!" >> reporter: it's all good, clean, family fun, but you should know, this mill was built to make hard cider. how did you get through prohibition? >> my grandmother was a bootleger. >> reporter: oh, your grandmother -- >> she got arrested twice, but they threw the charges out. then the judge took her to lunch. >> reporter: to this day, they still make hard cider here. and for reportorial services, we tried some. >> a glass will do you. >> reporter: we'll just say apples are a fermentably friendly fruit. oh, and we tasted the fresh stuff, too. wonderful. there must be a secret ingredient. >> yes. >> reporter: what is it? >> it'sre

>> reporter: yeah. >> it's fresh apples. >> big secret. don't tell anybody. >> don't tell anybody. >> reporter: how about that? harry smith, nbc news, old mystic, connecticut. >> i love how they were, like, whispering about the bootlegging, asug weren't rolli >> grandmother was a bootleger. now you know. >> i'm marlie hall. >> i'm philip mena. thanks for watching "early today."

will you pledge, pledge that you will not shu down the mueller investigation? >> i don't pledge anything, but i will tell you, i have no intention of doing that. i think it's a very unfair investigation because there was no collusion of any kind. >> president trump speaking out on a wide ranging interview, plus he hits the campaign trail

with just 22 days left before the midterm elections. as tensions rise among far right and far left voters, is this just the start down the road to november 6th? >> end of an era, one of america's most cherished and longest serving retailers filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy.