i tried to go inside i made it to the open living room and i couldn't go any further. i just hope the kids made it >> tragedy at day care five children ages 8 months to 7 years old are killed as a house becomes engulfed in flames during an overnight stay >> the new york medical examiner has performed the autopsy on jeffrey epstein, but they are holding up on releasing the results. we'll tell you why >> manhunt complete. an escaped prisoner who authorities believe killed a corrections officer was captured after being spotted onds a doorbell camera. >> put it in the books simone biles sets the gymnastics world on fire with two new skills to securing the record six u.s. all-time title. >> the top of the box office "early today" starts right now

>> good monday morning i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. horror and heartache in pennsylvania after a deadly day care fire claims the life of five children. the children ranged in aold. he the people inside screaming for help they found es investigate the just one smoke detector inside the three-story building dan scheneman has the latest >> reporter: it was early sunday morning in erie, pennsylvania, when the house was overwhelmed by flames. >> there are five people entrapped. >> reporter: neighbors a block away said they could hear screams. >> i tried to go inside. i made it to the open living room and i couldn't go any further. i just hope the kids made it >> reporter: inside, firefighters found four children dead a 5th was taken to a hospital an injuries. their ages range from 8 months to 7 years old the father of three of those children, a firefighter in a nearby township. >> unthinkable

like i said, it's really beyond comprehension. >> reporter: one adult was air lifted from e tough, but when something like this happens, it's a little bit different. >> reporter: according to records, the house was registered as a day care center. it was inspected within the last year >> i have three of my own. >> reporter: investigators must now determine the cause of the fire while erie must now deal with heart break dan scheneman, nbc news. >> none of the death of accused sex trafficker jeffrey epstein is still enshrouded in mystery this morning the new york medical examiner revealing it completed financier, but needs more information before determining the cause of death the mayor and presidential cand de blasio spoke with'm levels i think there needs to be an investigation. i think it should be done in a way that clearly is independent

because the justice department looking at why its own personnel let this guy die >> nbc's kathy park has more from the investigation >> reporter: more questions than answers about the apparent suicide of jeffrey epstein, one of the most high-profile inmates being held in a federal jail nbc news has learned as part of the investigation into this incident, they want to know if guards conducted routine checks on inmates including epstein as required >> one major issue is whether the rules were followed in the housing unit where epstein was confined and whether guards were checking on him every 30 minutes. >> reporter: sources close to the investigation say epstein underwent a psychiatric evaluation and they cleared him from suicide watch on or about july 29th, allowing him to return to his cell >> while on suicide watch, epstein would have been monitored every second the bed would have been bolted down his bed clothes would have been taken away but once he was taken off suicide watch, he had clothing

he had a bed sheet and there was ample opportunity, our sources say, for him to take his own life in that cell. >> reporter: senior law enforcement officials tell nbc news there is no sign of fowl play meantime the u.s. attorney in manhattan will keep digging into epstein's alleged sex trafficking operation. >> we know that that original indictment did include a conspiracy count, and it talked about people who worked for him and associates of his. so, so any of those folks who prosecutors have evidence against could become defendants in an ongoing case here. i think it's important for all of us to avoid rushing to judgment, to let the legal proceedings move forward >> and our thanks to kathy park for that report. >> the question still lingering in the wake of epstein's death are fueling a rash of conspiracy theories online, and this morning president trump is facing backlash after tweeting out one of those unsubstantiated claims involving the clintons. nbc's kelly o'donnell has more >> reporter: wielding the world's most powerful megaphone,

president trump retweeted a baseless conspiracy theory to nearly 63 million twitter followers. a spurious accusation that the clintons are somehow linked to jeffrey epstein's death. democratic candidates said, enough >> this is another example of our president using this position of public trust to attack his political enemies with unfounded conspiracy theories >> what he's doing is dangerous. >> reporter: president trump once socialized with jeffrey epstein, but said last month their friendship ended years ago. >> well, i didn't get along with him. >> reporter: president clinton had known epstein, too, but a spokesman said they had not spoken in more than a decade the trump conspiracy retweet provoked this response from a clinton aide ridiculous and, of course, not true, and donald trump knows it. trump advisor kellyanne conway >> why did the president, then,

retweet that clinton suggestion? >> i think the president just wants everything to be investigated >> reporter: donald trump has a pattern of promoting false claims birtherism about barack obama. linking ted cruz's father to the jfk assassination. notably, epstein death conspiracies are covered by some russian-owned media, and all over the web >> just because the accounts initially pushed this are domestic accounts doesn't necessarily mean they're russia or other foreign actors aren't involveds conspiracy retweets have caused some controversy themselves, the president has moved on to other topics in his social media typically officials say the tweets speak for themselves. we have asked repeatedly what was the president's intention here, and we received no response the president and his family will be remaining in new jersey over the next week, taking some vacation time. the president will also do some

work with some day trips to pennsylvania and new hampshire phillip? >> all right, kelly, thank you >> superstar gymnast simone biles spent her weekend soaring into the history books taking home her 6th all around title at the gym nasa ticks championship and tying a record from 1952 nailing skills no woman has ever done she sticks her landing there making her the first woman to ever land a triple-double in competition, which consists of doing a double backflip with three twists that milestone came one night after she broke new ground on the balance beam she stunned fans with a double-double dismount, doing a double twist and double flip, and if she can repeat these performances in a international competition, they will be named after her. >> an escaped convict suspected

of killing a tennessee corrections employee is back in custody this morning after a five-day manhunt police say they found and captured curtis ray watson in a field hours after he was spotted on a doorbell camera raiding a family's outdoor refrigerator. nbc's kerry sanders has the latest >> reporter: phillip, all credit to technology and the family who knew what to do with it. one of those ring doorbell cameras alerted a family here in rural tennessee that someone was rummaging around outside their house, and when they identified who it was, they dialed 911. captured the five-day manhunt finally over >> it is a good day because curtis watson is in custody. >> reporter: watson's prison break coming to an end because of a ring door camera. hungry, mosquito bitten and covered in ticks raided an outdoor refrigerator at the taylor home. what watson did not know was inside harvey and ann taylor were woken up and were watching

every move >> once he closed the left side of the refrigerator door, my wife could see his face and recognized his beard >> reporter: they called 911 but by the time police arrived, watson was gone. about seven hours later, two officers with the tennessee department of corrections found watson, who had been hiding in this soybean field th recnized for their diligence, the tennessee bureau of investigation says watson surrendered withoutent bs escape last week, he is accused of sexually assaulting and killing 64-year-old debra johnson, a prison administrator who lived on the prison grounds. >> i just thank god it was -- that he was captured before her funeral because it gives us added relief that we can really bury our mother. >> reporter: from the prison to where watson was found, he had covered only ten miles >> have they talked to you about

that are you due that money >> i would think so. [ laughter ] >> thank you >> thank you very much >> reporter: 44-year-old watson had been imprisoned, convicted of aggravated kidnapping he was due to be released in five years, but now the district attorney general here says he may indeed seek the death penalty. phillip? >> all right, kerry, thank you >> a powerful typhoon has wreaked havoc along the eastern coast of china at least 44 people have been killed andan 6 million people more than 3,000 houses collapsed and many more have been damaged by the rushing water and about 900,000 acres of crops have been destroyed. authorities says rescue teams have evacuated more than 6000 people who were trapped. this storm is china's 9th typhoon this year. >> hope we see nothing like that this week outside, janessa webb, on this monday morning good morning >> good morning. pretty calm weather setting up across the u.s

we do have the threat of severe weather this morning unfortunately for the upper midwest. severe thunderstorm watch is in effect it's going to continue for at least the next few hours here. so we are under an enhanced risk for a few storms across four states 11 million at risk from springfield to pistoria, chicago is in on this as well. the big impact is the torrential rain some spots across the midweso 2o chthhe boo wateao track into the midwest stormy conditions headed your way. we're going to watch the storm system it's going to make its way to the northeast. i'll show you timing coming up >> we'll have to watch it. thank you, janessa in quick hits, wendy's spicy

nuggets were discontinued and requested. they will hit restaurants today. >> lucky charms will sell just marshmallows bigger and puffier than the ones in the cereal. sweet treats will sell for $1.50 and will be nationwide by september. >> k-pop band is taking a break. the members will be taking a, quote, extended period of rest and relaxation and will not be performing for the foreseeable future they are taking time to recharge d jothr diryives we'll be right back. i switched to geico and saved hundreds. geico's a company i can trust, with over 75 years of great savings and service. ♪ now that's a win-win.

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came to an emotional end for serena williams. the 23-time grand slam winner was off to a good start before calling a medical time-out moments later was announced she was withdrawing from the match she was experiencing back spasms you can see her opponent showing great sportsmanship here she goes over to williams on the side line there to comfort her the 19-year-old became the first canadian to take home this title in 50 years. but she says this was not the way she wanted to win. >> after less than a year of marriage, pop singer mileyemswo called it quits according to people the two announced their break up over the weekend after rumors sparkeg her wedding e news to "" in a statementinstill remain dedicated parents to all of their animals they share while lovingly taking this time apart. >> just ahead, vladimir putin revs up controversy from the back of a motorcycle plus the hong kong clash heats up as police try to crackdown on

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he's got his motor running and heading out on the highway but some ukrainians were not happy with vladir e leather-clan president was the guest of honor at a biker show. that's a pro-kremlin biker group. his visit to the annexed peninsula came against protest in moscow. the foreign ministry called his visit a blatant violation of ukraine's sovereignty. crimea was annexed from the ukraine in 2014. >> a lot of people think he does blatant violations of their sovereignty there. exactly. at least he wasn't shirtless

this time. there were no animals, but -- >> the leather he was wearing. maybe it was plether we don't know. >>utin can do what he wants cathay pacific is feeling the effects of those pro democracy demonstrations going on the airline is barring employees from participating in those protests the riots have been going on for two months now nbc's matt bradley has the latest >> reporter: it looks like just another sunday night in hong kong the tenth such sunday night of sustained protests ever since early june now, it's easy to say this is like business as usual with swaths of the city coated in tear gas and acts of violence on both sides documented on camera. this weekend was a little bit different. we saw at least one woman who, according to social media, may have been hit in the eye and may have lost eyesight by some sort

of police projectile we also saw police firing tear gas inside one of the subway stations known here as the mtr those images, those optics are what's perpetuating the protests the extradition bill that started the protests back in june, nobody even talks about it any more now it's all about police brutality and calls for more democracy here in hong kong. so now the ball is very much in the court of the hong kong government to determine what to do and how to resolve this situation. so far they have given no concessions. the pace and the tempo of this have really picked up in the last several weeks matt bradley, nbc news, hong kong >> all right still to come, janessa's forecast that's the head plus the hunt is off. ntg a new movie about the rich huinthe poor has been canceled you're watching "early today.".

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details on why the controversial movie "the hunt" is being pulled and a victory lap at the box office so you have ten years experience... i do. but no phd? i do have a masters in early childhood development. you don't mind if i record this, do you? uhh, no! first kid here's all the numbers, food's in the fridge, oh and lucas likes to pull on jewelry so you might want to lose the nose ring. and the new triple leakguards lock away wetness for outstanding leakage protection. live, learn, and get luvs. the persil proclean disc. one disc cleans more tough stains better than any of these detergents. and it delivers our next generation of deep clean. welcome to the future. new persil proclean discs.

tell me what the in the fresh turkey hell we're dealing with here? >> long story. it's supposed to be dead >> years ago i put a bullet through his brain. >> hobbs and shaw took another lap at the box office. fast and furious made $25.4 million in the second weekend. scary stories in second place with 20.8 million. followed by the lion king,e nexs release. it is called "the hunt." the studio said it's not the right time for the film and

president trump also weighed in. nbc's candace gibson weighs in on this movie controversy. >> of all the people you kidnap -- >> reporter: it's a movie about the rich >> of all the people you kill. >> reporter: hunting the poor. >> you picked the wrong dame >> reporter: it's now dead on arrival, officially canceled >> you have no idea what you're up against >> reporter: nbc announcing they're pulling the movie "the hunt" although they are not saying it's directly related to last weekend apartments mass shootings. the parent company of nbc news saying in a statement, afterthoughtful consideration much, the studio has decided to cancel our plans to release the film we stand by our film makers and will continue to distribute films with bold visionary creators like this satirical thriller we understand now is not the right time to release this film. it also comes in the wake of presidential heat. prip alluding to the movie in a series of tweets saying a movie came out in order to inflame and cause chaos. according to the hollywood reporter, those hunters pointed

are noted as deplorables in the movie. calling back to hillary clinton's comment in 2016. when the movie is too close to current matter, it is outright canceled in 2014 sony pulled "the interview" which depicted the assassination of kim jong-un out of fear of reprizals it ended up on streaming services instead of theaters no word on future plnz for "the hunt." >> thanks to candace gibson for that this is our world. >> let's talk about birthdays. suicide squad actress turns 27 years old. international tennis hall of famer pete sam pras is 48. 6 feet under and parenthood star peter turns 54 dire straits frontman mark is 70 years old. and finally, veteran actor

george hamilton still with the best tan in the game turning 80 years old today. >> thank you for watching "early today" and being with us early on a monday. i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. don't forget to follow us. facebook, twitter and instagram. those are our handletionthis mog

over the presumed suicide of jeffrey epstein as the medepict. captured the couple awakened in the middle of the night by noise outside spotted through their the escaped murderer accused of murder the hit singer bitten by a rattlesnake on the road to recovery incredible images out of china where a five has wreaked havoc on hard-hit areas. an emotional serena williams pulled out of her tennis match dropping out with a title on the line and gymnast simone biles wows the crowd with two new

record-setting routines as she cruises to her sixth.