president trump suggests that maybe rogue killers are to blame for the death of an american-based saudi journalist, while the kingdom may be considering a plan to admit khashoggi was killed. the self-made billionaire who changed the world through technology, sports, music and philanthropy. this morninge remember microsoft co-founder paul allen. a federal judge has dismissed stormy daniels' defamation lawsuit against president trump. >> you're blocking the door. >> i don't need to tell you that. >> caught on camera, an african american businessman blocked by a white woman who called police to stop him from entering his own luxury apartment complex.

the incident is the latest racially tinged encounter making headlines. and the morning greeting done right that we can all learn a thing or two from. buckle up. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm marley haul. will saudi arabia take responsibility? a new twist in the disappearance of a "washington post" journalist who was a prominent critic of the crown. jamal khashoggi was last seen walking into saudi's consulate in turkey two weeks ago. now nbc news has learned saudi leaders are discussing a plan to admit to his death as the result of an interrogation gone horribly wrong. sources say the explanation would give crown prince mohammed bin salman plausible deniability, potentially avoiding a diplomatic row. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell has the latest in the case. >> reporter: president trump after calling the saudi king, seeming to buy his explanation, that if "washington post" columnist jamal khashoggi was killed inside the saudi

consulate in turkey, the hitmen were rogue killers, not working for the regime. >> the king firmly denied any knowledge of it. he didn't really know. maybe -- i don't want to get into his mind. but it sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. who knows. >> reporter: but it was only 13 days after khashoggi disappeared there that the saudis let turkish police inside, hours after a cleaning crew entered. and the saudi leaders are discussing a plan to admit that khashoggi was killed after entering the consulate. three people with knowledge of the situation tell nbc news. one says during an interrogation that went wrong. asked than the president called it so far just a rumor. he is sending secretary of state mike pompeo to saudi arabia to get answers. despite the king's denials, experts say nothing would happen at a saudi consulate that his son, the powerful crown prince did not order. >> it would be inconceivable that such an operation would be run by the saudis without the knowledge of the date-to-day

decision-maker of saudi arabia. that's crown prince mohammed bin salman. >> reporter: congress now demanding that the white house stop the saudis from buying billions in u.s. weapons. but mr. trump says that would hurt american workers. still, critics say the president ignores the saudis' terrible human rights record, unlawful killings, torture and arbitrary arrests, just as he embraces a rogue's gallery of dictators like putin, duterte in the philippines, erdogan in turkey, even saying he fell in love with kim jong-un. telling cbs's "60 minutes" -- >> presides over a cruel kingdom of repression, gulags, starvation, reports that he had his half-brother assassinated, slave labor, public executions this is a guy you love? >> i know all these things. i'm not baby. >> i know, but why -- >> that was andrea mitchell reporting. as you just heard, secretary of state mike pompeo is heading to riyadh for more answers in this case, and what he learns

could have major international implications. we're told that pompeo has just touched down moments ago. let's get more on. this let's go straight to washington, d.c. and tracie potts. tracie, where will this investigation go from here? >> reporter: well, lots of questions and maybe we'll start to get some answers today, phillip, as mike pompeo speaks with bin salman in the next few hours. he just touched down in saudi arabia as you see here, headed to speak with the king about what the saudis may know. president trump says he is being sent on a mission about what they know or whether or not they were involved, as andrea just mentioned, they're considering a plan to admit in fact that they were involved. also, the investigation. we learned overnight that a turkish prosecutor left the building, that consulate in turkey where khashoggi is believed to have been killed. they are investigating. they had a team in for nine hours, searching that building after a cleaning crew had been

called in. and then what happens next here in the united states where congress is pressing president trump to cancel billions of dollars in weapon sales because they believe there is already enough evidence that the saudis were involved. phillip? >> all right, tracie. let's see how this trip goes. thank you. paul allen, co-founder of microsoft, one of the most successful technology companies on the planet died monday. his family confirmed he passed away from nonhodgkins lymphoma in his hometown of seattle. he was a multidimensional entrepreneur. allen was also well-known for his role in co-creating microsoft, which has dominated the computer market since being founded in 1975. >> his foray into tech in the billions it earned him also came with an enormous spirit of philanthropy and generosity. he transformed seattle into the city it is today, and by 1997, he was the the owner of the seas and the trail blazers. more proof of his pioneering

contributions, allen also opened centers to study the brain and artificial intelligence, supported conservation of the oceans and was a leader in the race back to space. he also preserved rare guitars, and through the night notable figures expressed their condolences. bill gates sharing a statement in which he described himself as heartbroken, adding that allen was fond of the saying, "if it has the potential to do good, then we should do it." eddie vetter, steve ballmer and others remembering allen for a life of immeasurable magnitude, inspiration and genius. paul allen was 65 years old. a california federal judge has dismissed adult film star stormy daniels' defamation lawsuit against president trump stemming from the commander in chief's tweet describing daniels as, quote, a con job. the suit claimed this suit falsely attacked the veracity of daniels' claim that she was confronted by a man who threatened her not to speak about mere alleged affair with president trump in 2011. in his ruling, judge james otero described trump's tweet as a hyperbolic statement aimed at a

public figure, and what the president's criticism of daniels was protected by the first amendment. the judge has also ordered daniels to pay mr. trump's attorneys fees. daniel's lawyer michael avenatti filed an appeal shortly after the ruling. secretary of defense james mattis is quieting speculation of his departure. president trump hinted that his defense chief was leaving during an interview on "60 minutes," but when asked about the matter, the defense secretary said he's on the president's team. secretary mattis also addressed mr. trump's claim that he is kind of a democrat. he told reporters, quote, when i was 18, i joined the marine corps, and in the u.s. military we are proudly apolitical. and when pressed on the issue, he flatly replied i have never registered for any political party. now to st. louis and growing outrage of a video of a white woman stopping a black man from entering his own apartment, racking up millions of views, the video shows the woman questioning him over whether he actually lived in the high-end

complex, even after he showed proof that he did. nbc's miguel almaguer has more. >> i live here. you're blocking the door. >> what unit? >> i don't need to tell you that. >> reporter: as he tries to walk into his apartment complex in downtown st. louis -- >> ma'am, you're not security. you're not the property manager. >> no, but i live here. >> okay, and i live here too. >> reporter: the businessman was blocked by this woman, each though he had a key to his building. >> all i'm asking is what unit. >> i don't need to tell you that information, ma'am. >> if you want to come into your building -- >> it's not your building. you're not the owner. >> reporter: tolles eventually pushed his way in, the woman following him to his unit and calling police. >> i think it was race. i think it was age. i think it was clothes i had on because i had on a hoodie. just because of the way society is. >> i want the cops here right now. >> reporter: the encounter is the latest viral video capturing questionable behavior as police are called on african americans for seemingly no reason.

>> i just sent it to you. >> reporter: from barbecuing to baby-sitting while black. >> got these little kids scared. this lady is following us. >> reporter: this encounter coming with consequences. the woman in the video has now been fired by her employer. >> i do not want to speak with you. please stop following me. >> reporter: an unneighborly confrontation leaving fences unmended. miguel almaguer, nbc news. now to a murder mystery in georgia. a young model shot and killed as she drove to work. authorities are hoping surveillance video can help them find her killer. nbc's gabe gutierrez has the story. >> reporter: the family of 28-year-old aspiring model kelsey quayle is heartbroken. >> it's really devastating, especially since we don't have the answer we need. >> reporter: this surveillance video shows the moments before police say quayle crashed her car a week ago. paramedics thought this was a serious car crash near this intersection, but then they discovered the bullet. now police are looking for the

drivers of the white suv and gray sedan that passed quayle's car just before she was shot. do you believe she was targeted? >> no, i do not. the information we have right now is a random shooting that occurred on the roadway. >> the bullet went through the base of her brain. she ended up being brain dead. >> reporter: days later, quayle's family removed her from life support. she had just moved to the atlanta area to pursue a modeling career. >> she didn't have any enemies. she never mentioned anything about any stalkers. it's a mystery for all of us. >> reporter: authorities now asking for the public's help to catch a killer. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, riverdale, georgia. meteorologist bill karins is here. what can we expect today? >> a lot of little things going on. flash flood warnings in areas of texas. a flash flood watch continues. another soaker from dallas to san angelo. we still have the extreme fire danger problems in california too. so we have to watch out for any fires that do form today. red flag warnings for about 19.

this continues our santa ana wind threat. the cold chilly air especially through the middle of the country. freeze warnings go from kansas through ohio as temperatures have dropped now down to the freezing mark in a few spots. the end of the growing season a. it's going to be 94 degrees in tampa today. record highs possible. florida's the last stop of summer for just everyone. >> i can see that. one little tiny chunk there of warmth. all right, bill, thank you. still to come, touring the devastation. president trump gets a firsthand look at the sheer power of hurricane michael. and nicole kidman opens up about her former marriage to tom cruise. why she says it was in part for protection from hollywood. plus, we'll take you the elementary school that makes sure students start their day

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answer the call with b vitamins and whole grains to power up. special k cereals have both, with tasty extras like real fruit and nuts. special k. powering you. leading the news, it's been more than 15 years since their divorce, but now actress nicole kidman is opening up about her marriage to tom cruise. in the women in power issue of "new york" magazine, kidman says her then high profile relationship protected her from sexual harassment that plagued hollywood due to tom's star power. the acting duo met on the set of 1990s "days of thunder." that same year they said i do and were married for 11 years. now married to country singer keith urban, kidman says she's had me too moments but chooses to channel it in her work. as parts of the southeast continue to recover from the wrath of hurricane michael, president trump is praising the federal response to devastation.

he and first lady melania trump got a chance to see the full extent of the damage firsthand when they toured hard hit parts of georgia and florida. rescuers are still searching for missing people, and thousands remain without power following the strongest storm on record to hit the florida panhandle. nbc's tammy leitner reports. >> 80% of the homes here destroyed. people have been lining up for days just to apply for temporary housing with female map. gordie pierce and his family rode out the storm in his home, now mostly gone. are you guys staying in the house? >> we have to. the necessities you took for grant ready all gone. >> reporter: for now many are coming to this distribution center run by volunteers. mayor margo anderson says the president promised action. >> i ask him for expediting a generate here so we can get our

water plant going. >> reporter: but dozens still unaccounted for. some even spelling out help to attract rescuers as residents slowly start to rebuild. tammy leitner, nbc news, lynn haven, florida. next, adidas tackles the 20th anniversary of the water boy, and an elementary school figures out the best way to start your day, short of tuning in to "early today," of course. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it... ...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresistible freshness. febreze unstopables. breathe happy. but one blows them all out of the water.

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gatorade. >> h20. >> gatorade. >> h20. >> water sucks, it really, really sucks. >> hard to believe that '90s classic was released two decades ago in honor of "the water boy's" 20th anniversary, adidas will be releasing a special collection this friday commemorating the mud dogs' huge 1998 bourbon bowl victory. the throwback merchandise will hit the market at 120 buck, but only for a limited time. and i like collecting jerseys. this is one of the things i would totally support that. >> and it seems like you like "the water boy." >> it's been a while since i've seen it, but 20 years, i've got revisit it, right? sometimes it's best to leave things up to chance, or at least it worked out for some unsuspecting lyft riders in chicago. instead of chance the rapper, call him chance the driver. the music superstar went

undercover to promote his charity, the new chance fund. after he filled customers in on the prank, he asked for their donation to the chicago public schools. now anyone can donate by rounding up their charges in the lyft app. how come i never get a famous lyft driver? that's whoo what i want to know. >> i'm always a little suspicious. why do they go sit in the front? they went straight to the front. usually that doesn't happen. but he seems like as soon as this happens, what would you do? stick around, see how long -- what you can get out of them? what would you do? >> donate, of course. you got to at that point. >> good answer, good answer. i want to show you something a school in alabama does, every morning they do it right. mrs. collins pre-k class spend a little time each morning welcoming each other. that's aidan, the designated greeter for the day. the classmates can get a hand shape, a fist bump, a hug or simply a smile. it's a very simple morning ritual, and it fosters kindness, and it starts the day just right that is something that all of us could use every single day.

>> i love that the little hug there. well, still to come, a community outraged after a white woman calls police saying she was groped by a 9-year-old black child. a migraine hope to be there... for the good. and not so good. for the mundane. the awe-inspiring. the heart racing. the heart breaking. that's what life is all about... showing up. unless migraine steals your chance to say "i am here." that's why, we created aimovig.. a preventive treatment for migraine in adults. one dose, once a month. aimovig is proven to reduce the number of monthly migraine days. for some, that number can be cut in half or more. the most common side effects are pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site and constipation. these are your days what will each one bring? doesn't matter, as long as you can say...

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just yet. cj beathard finding marquise goodwin who turns on the jets to get into the end zone. san francisco was leading this game at halftime. let's go to the fourth now. tied ball game. 49ers going for it all now with a minute left in this intercepted by kevin king. now seconds left for the packers. they have the ball. time for aaron rodgers to do aaron rodgers things. sets up an easy 27-yard field goal for mason crosby, and the packers come back, 33-30. switching gears to another team out of wisconsin. the milwaukee brewers travelled to l.a. for game three of the nlcs. a ryan braun rbi single set the temple early, allowing christian yelich to score. from there it was full speed ahead for milwaukee. they went on the blank the dodgers in front of their home crowd, 4-0, taking a 2-1 series lead. >> and the astros game is tonight. cannot wait for that. up next, a community in brooklyn rallies around a 9-year-old boy after he is falsely accused of groping a woman.

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now to a viral video sparking worldwide reaction. in it, a young boy appears to be minding his own business while shopping with his mom and sister, then the boy's backpack brushes up against a woman. her reaction and the accusations against the young boy have drawn outrage, including this rally held outside the store last night. here is nbc's morgan radford. >> i want the cops here right now. >> reporter: commotion outside a brooklyn convenience store. bystander video shows this woman, later identified as teresa klein who is white allegedly calling 911 and claiming the young black boy groped her inside the store.

>> her son grabbed my [ bleep ]. and she decided to yell at me. i was just sexual assaulted by a child. >> reporter: but surveillance footage paints a very different picture. the 9-year-old boy was shopping with his mother and younger sister when his backpack appears to accidentally brush up against klein on his way out the door. outside, klein says she's calling the cops. onlookers gathered in shock, giving her a new nickname. >>. >> reporter: jason littlejohn took the video that has now been viewed more than 7 million times. the father of four calling the entire ordeal heartbreaking. >> everybody that saw that, i know it melted their heart, just broke their heart because no child should ever go through anything like this. >> reporter: this the latest in a string of viral videos where police are reportedly been called on people of color for seemingly minor reasons, setting off a social media firestorm. >> got these little kids scare,

this lady is following us. >> reporter: just last week a white woman in georgia called the cops on youth mentor cory lewis while he was baby-sitting two white children. >> what's up? >> i'm being followed and harassed. that's what's up. >> reporter: for the kids involved in this latest incident, it's more than just viral moments and nicknames. >> look at that. >> reporter: klein returned to the store a few days later where she watched the surveillance video and issued an apology, denying that her reaction was racially motivated. >> young man, i don't know your name, but i'm sorry. >> reporter: but the impact still lasting. >> the kids that are impacted by this situation, they're going to be traumatized for the rest of their lives. >> let's take one more look at the weather here. bill karins, how it is looking? >> talking about the texas rain problems. how about the cold problems too? it went from summer to fall, almost early winter in a hurry. unseasonably cool conditions settled in from new mexico to san antonio. 28 degrees below normal today at

54. we're cool all through the middle of the country through the ohio valley, even in to tomorrow. so much for the air conditioners. everyone is cranking the heat. >> time to bundle up. thanks, bill. thanks for watchingearly toda "y. ele ad lib live picture of bay

bridge. good morning and tha and good tuesday morning to you. taking a live look out at the bay bridge. beautiful sight there. cars already on the go, as we get started with this tuesday. thanks so much for beginning your morning here with us. i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. straight to the forecast, another cool start. >> it's going to be a cool start and then another very warm day. let's get a live look outside in palo alto. already looks like there's a lot going on. we have some cool temperatures, as we see our numbers starting out with some low 50s as you get ready to head out the door. at 2:00, we're at 71 degrees. another nice one. walnut creek also looking good with a chilly start, and some very comfortable weather with sunshine, as we go throughout the day. we'l