bracing for isaias the carolinas hunkering down this morning after the tropical storm skirts florida, packing powerful winds and rain. extraordinarily widespread the sobering new assessment of the pandemic from a top u.s. official as lawmakers hit a walf bill >> hurdle back to earth from the historic mission that could reshape the future of space travel good morning on this monday. >> we begin the week tracking tropical storm isaias.

it's packing heavy rains and strong winds the outer bands scraping along the coast of florida and there are fears now that the carolinas could get a direct hit. >> reporter: on florida's space coast, so far so good. isaias now a tropical storm, staying just far enough offshore to be g gusts but not a major disaster >> you get a little nervous and you always have that chance of weather whether or not the storm is actually going to come and bring the full force with it >> reporter: the sunshine state not out of the woods yet, though >> even if the eye of the storm stays off the course, there, of course, is going to be impacts when you're talking about hurricane or tropical storm force winds. >> reporter: the category 1 hurricane isaias pummelled puerto rico, prompting water rescues. the dominican republic and the bahamas also in the storm's path but it weakened to a tropical storm and never regained strength elected leaders in florida breathing a small sigh of

relief >> while there's a little bit of optimism, we can't stay complacent >> reporter: preparation made more difficult by covid-19 coastal counties didn't want to open shelter it is they didn't have to, to keep evacuees from being exposed to the virus at this point, the national hurricane center says it appears that ice ytropical storm isaiasl not make landfall in florida at all. chris pallone, nbc news. >> and janessa webb joins us now with the latest. good morning, janessa. >> good morning, you two tropical storm isaias is currently offshore the eye of the storm is coming together, but we still have the bands of rain, possible tornadoes for east florida we'll watch that today as this system comes together. right now, we're 65 miles of cape canaveral, racing into the

carolinas, where we are going to potentially see a landfall later tonight, tomorrow, possibly could happen overnight but this system is still moving out of the northwest about 9 miles per hour what you can count on is the storm surge and the massive flooding we're going to see. we'll continue to watch this track, because it will go into new york city, all the way into boston we'll be watching this closely by tuesday guys >> janessa, thank you. on the west coast, a dire situation is unfolding thousands of people have had to flee their homes to escape a growing wildfire this is in cherry valley, east of los angeles 1200 firefighters are now battling that blaze. rur ste our steve patterson has more >> reporter: cori, this started as two small fires, joining together to one monster fire the problem firefighters have is it so tucked in these deep ravines that are treacherous and dangerous, they need an aerial assault to pair this down,

because it's still raging out of control. and this in the middle of a pandemic where they're trying to keep themselves safe and the people that they were evacuating safe, as well. firefighters racing to contain a sprawling ring of flames exploding into an inferno. the fast-moving apple fire threatening hundreds of homes, sparking evacuations of nearly 8,000 residents. >> on the side of the road it was two small fires, and within half hour it was up here on this side of the road >> reporter: officials say it started friday night when two smaller fires mergedd monster. >> wow that's intense >> i just wanted to show you how close some of these homes are to the flames >> reporter: fueled by thick vej ration and triple digit temperatures, the fire ballooning to 20,000 acres the smoke plume extending to arizona, visible from space. >> we don't have a good hold on it

we are working very hard to control the perimeter. >> reporter: the biggest challenge facing firefighters is dealing with this steep, rugged and dangerous terrain. initially, it was something a lot of them never dealt with before, which is how do yo fight a fire in the middle of a pandemic people expect to be quarantined in their homes and now being told to leave. >> people are being screened if people need to be segregated and we need to open up other venues, we will. we'll follow the social distancing >> reporter: despite covid concerns, crews continue to build containment lines, while tankers streaked acrosn an aerial assault firefighters doing all they can to get a handle on the season's first major wildfire, while trying to keep residents and themselves safe. it seems firefighters are starting to get a handle on it, and the numbers are shifting but right now officials on the ground are telling me this fire

is out of control, still zero percent containment and threatening homes. it's only burned about three structures at this point, but looking at the pattern of the fire and the way it's spreading back behind me, there is no end in eight cor snirvegs >> that growth could be explosive. steve, thank you the coronavirus still has the nation in a deadly grip. there are now over 4.6 million affected and 156,000 deaths.. da new phase of the pandemic, as cases in rural areas surge our blayne alexander has the latest good morning >> reporter: good morning to you. we are hearing some very strong words from dr. deborah birx. she says months into the pandemic, the virus is hitting hard, and the public has to cooperate to hel a dire warning from white house coronavirus response coordinator dr. deborah birx america has entered a new phase of the pandemic. what is we're seeing today is different from march and april

it is extraordinarily widespread and to everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus >> reporter: stressing it's crucial for people in all parts of the country to follow safety precautions, including this guidance on masks. >> if you're in multigenerational households and there's an outbreak in your rural area or in your city, you need to really consider wearing a mask at home assuming that you're positive. >> reporter: in california, where the death toll topped 9,300, doctors are pleading take this seriously >> our rights to not wear a mask, that bull [ bleep ] is going to kill us a grocery clerk should not have to fight a grown man to wear a mask that's not their job they should haven't to do that >> reporter: as districts debate how to start the school year, dr. birx urging states with high caseloads to only return virtually until numbers are under control. parents in two georgia school systems are protesting their district's decisions to open

online only, demanding parents have an option to choose >> generally, it's quite stressful for kids in many different ways >> i think it's extremely e damage done by taking kids out of face-to-face school is much greater than the risk of the virus, in our estimation >> reporter: and each day brings yet another reminder of the pandemic's devastating toll. two weeks ago, justin hunter, a high school senior and his parents, tested positive for covid-19 justin's father passed away just last week, his mom just four days later >> the hospital, they called me. they had to break the news to me, and they told me i couldn't come in to look at or see them an're with god, so they're in good hands. >> reporter: and dr. birx also pointed to those images we keep seeing of those packed house parties and events she says it's not necessarily super spreading individuals but rather super spreading events, and she says those have to stop.

>> thank you on capitol hill, a deal for a new coronavirus relief package still appears out of preach this morning. extra unemployment benefits ran out on friday, raising the stakes for negotiators republicans proposed a one-week extension, but democrats want a more long-term plan. >> yesterday was a step in the right direction, but i'm not optimistic that there will be a solution in the very near term >> now, trouble looms even after a deal is reached. at least 20 senate republicans say they'll vote no on another relief bill, no matter what. the pandemic continues to spread its effectiveness in the sports world doug pedersen became the first coach to test positive for the coronavirus. he's tested positive twice and matt lacross became the eighth patriot to opt out of the season

so far more than 40 players around the league have decided not to play this year. shifting to baseball, the new york mets cespedes opted out of the season. he didn't show up for the mets' game in atlanta on sunday before informing the team of his decision and the st. louis cardinals' weekend series was postponed after multiple players and staff contracted the virus the league conducted mass testing on the team after two players tested positive on friday the u.s. marine corps has suspended the search and rescue efforts for seven marines and a navy sailor off the coast of california they were on a training mission when their amphibious assault vehicle sank all eight are presumed dead. now to a mission that could affect space travel. the first water landing for an american crew in 45 years. parachutes slowing the capsule down from 350 miles an hour to 15 the two also made history by flying in a commercially built

and operated spacecraft. this clears the way for possible tourists into space. >> we were eagerly watching all of that. good morning, janessa. >> hey, good morning, you two. when i saw that story yesterday i was smiling ear to ear just a wonderful story let's talk about tropical storm isaias we're seeing that storm surge for the carolinas. myrtle beach, charleston the high tide is 8:00 p.m. and a stcontinue to build. still pretty steamy for the northeast with a few storms that are sparking our way this afternoon. who is over the heat i want to talk about that coming up

>> steamy is a good word to put it >> when i lived in houston, this is about r it's about everywhere. coming up, tiktok on the clock. microsoft's plan to buy the popular app he u.s and see how a driver saved lives when h tckisru unexpectedly caught fire stay with us chances are you have some questions right now here are a couple answers... lysol disinfectant spray and disinfecting wipes together can be used on over 100 surfaces. and kill up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. unfortunately, we can't lysol. what it takes to protect.

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u.s. the tech titan is aiming to finish the deal by september 15. this comes after a discussion between microsoft's ceo and president trump who said on friday he wants to ban tiktok and would not approve of a takeover if a deal is reached, microsoft says data will be stored in the united states, which would address concerns of chinese spying we have some wild video this morning. take a look at this truck that accidently caught fire being repaired on friday and was at risk for exploding a truck driver in northeast china risked his life to move the week away from people in the surrounding area now, because of his heroic deed, the automaker gifted him with a new truck as a thank you for hisselfless act. he put his entire life save sbogs that truck, so that's great. up next, how star bucks is forging ahead in the pandemic.o taylor swift has hit record numbers in its first week. people were afraid i was contagious. i was covered from head to toe. i was afraid to show my skin.

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worldwide, with 500 million world streams. it's already 2020's top selling album. restaurants nationwide are struggling with renewed shutdowns and mandates almost 24,000 closing up shop for good but starbucks has been able to reopen over 90% of their stores. stephanie ruhle spoke with the company's ceo and got a look at what they have to offer customers. >> reporter: close to six months into the pandemic, starbucks, the country's largest coffee chain, is trying to make your once normal coffee run feel normal again dealing with mask mandates and shutdowns, the company is leading with a new approach, according to the ceo kevin johnson. >> right now what customers want are experiences that are safe, familiar, and convenient >> reporter: the java giant is serving up a more streamlined experience for customers >> we have over 32,000 stores in 80 markets around the world.

we have developed a digital dash board that takes feeds from government to track the spread of covid so until there is a vaccine, we will be adapting >> reporter: customers can get their coffee from a safe distance at the touch of a button just order on the app, wait for your name, grab it and go. more of these storesve throughs will be rolled out over the next 18 months the chain is emphasizing new safety protocols, too. though not without challenges. >> a big for us is safety, making sure the customers here feel safe. so we do scan their check-ins every day, and we also -- all of our high touch areas, customers and partners come into contact, so we make sure we are cleaning them >> reporter: how hard has it been to enforce the mask mandate for your partners and employees

to get customers to adhere to these rules? >> beginning in may, we required all of our starbucks partners to wear facial coverings. most customers did but certainly some didn't. we partnered with the cdc to make sure we have, you know, an experience that hopefully exceeds the cdc requirements for safety >> reporter: is this the future for starbucks indefinitely >> this is reshaping consumer behavior broadly, i believe. and certainly some of that will continue even after there's a vaccine. and more therapeutics. >> reporter: what do you say to those who say, but we're in a crisis we love to put people over profits but we can't afford to >> we're past the crisis phase and we're now into execution mode now, for those who say look, as we enter this downturn, we want to put people over profit, but we couldn't. economically we couldn't and that's where i think, as you

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we're back with our series inequality in america. and the simple act for going out for a run. many african-american women say they worry about their safety. so as stephanie gosk reports, one group is getting healthier by training together >> it's so quiet >> reporter: 4:4 this is what commitment looks like >> when i wake up and i don't feel like rolling out the bed, i know there's some ladies on the pavement, expecting me, waiting for me >> reporter: this particular morning, there were five, out here together, to run. >> we have runners, we have people who run and walk in

between, but there's always going to be somebody waiting for you at the end >> reporter: and in many ways, that is the principle behind black girls run, an organization started over ten years ago, now with 74 groups nationwide, and 250,000 members. the group, committed to accountability and encouragement. j.l. alexander is the ceo of black girls run. >> we think it's very easy just to get up, lace up your shoes and head out the front door. but as maybe not many people realize, sometimes just by our skin color or just by being a woman, that sometimes makes us very vulnerable. >> reporter: and creating a safe and supportive way to run can help turn around a deadly epidemic overwhelmingly impactingor have obesity, leading to high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. and all of those diseases make people more vulnerable to covid-19 >> it's super crucial that that

physical activity plays a role in preventing weight gain. >> what would you say is the most important message, particularly for young black women when it comes to exercise and their health >> just do it. activity is by far one of the things that we can do or we can take ownership of and do in such a way that we're going to feel better >> reporter: for april moore, finding this group was a lifeline >> my mother suffered a stroke when i was 16 years old. so watching her and the impact on her health has been a motivating factor for me >> reporter: now she's running marathons in far flung places. >> we are officially the largest group of african-americans that have ever run a marathon on antarctica >> reporter: back at home, there is strength in numbers and these women are only getting stronger >> good job. we got it done >> reporter: stephanie gosk, nb

finished their 1 million miles for justice program. thanks for watching. coming up on "the "today" show, how the navajo nation is doing with coronavirus outbreaks. keep it right here more new

tracking tropical storm isaias where the system is expected to hit next after leaving a trail of destruction in the caribbean. >> yesterday was a step in the right direction, but i'm not optimistic that there will be a solution in the ry near term >> negotiations for another coronavirus relief bill hit an impasse as top u.s. health official warns the pandemic has entered a dark new phase a text titan dancing toward a deal to buy tiktok, but the clock is ticking after the president promised to ban the app.