a staggering toll. the u.s. crosses 5 million coronavirus cases, raising new fears for the school year as packed events roll on despite the pandemic and a curveballin the battle over benefits president trump takes matters into his own hands, signing a series of executive orders, including a payroll tax cut. but it comes with a major catch for the millions waiting on relief north carolina rattled the state cleaning up after getting rocked by its most powerful earthquake in a hundred years. "early today" starts right now ♪

glad to be with us i'm frances rivera >> and i'm philip mena millions are gearing up for a school year like any other as the country struggling the contain coronavirus. over 5 million americans have been infected. no other country in the world has as many cases. at least 163,000 people in the u.s. have died since this pandemic started >> and startling numbers at least 97,000 children have tested positive in the last two weeks of july. more than 7 out of 10 infections came from the south and the west so far, a total of 338,000 children have been infected. as unemployment lines grow, 1 in 4 americans say the pandemic has pushed them to take on more credit card date more than 60% of card holders worry they won't be able to keep making minimum payments. another positive test for the st. louis cardinals roster led to the mlb postponing their series against the pirates the team has not played since

july 29. thursday is the earliest they'll return to the field. with rising case numbers, there are growing concerns about gathering. hundreds of thousands of bikers have converged in south dakota nbc's cathy park joins us with the very latest. good morning >> reporter: one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the world rolled into sturgis, south carolina as it enters its fourth day, the country marked a grim milestone. the coronavirus crisis deepening. with the country hitting 5 million cases. these five states combined making up more than 40% of the infections, including california, where the death toll topped 10,000. in ventura county, screaming, slapping, and shoving during a clash ahead of church, where pro mask demonstrators gathered. emotions running high here where they're defying statewide

orders with indoor services. >> this government doesn't give us our rights, god gave us these rights >> reporter: in the hot spot state of texas, health officials reported a record high positivity rate, climbing since the end of july. in georgia, this photo shows students shoulder to shoulder in a hallway, the school is now closed after six students and three staff members tested positive the school suspended hanna waters, who posted the images and then reversed their decision >> i knew walking in masks weren't mandatory, but i did trust them to keep us safe >> reporter: and more questions about the state of college sports the slow down preseason football practices, with no pads or full contact among athletes this after the mid american conference postponed all fall sports

analysts believe the fallout is just beginning >> i don't think we'll have a season in the fall i hope and pray i'm wrong. but there's just too many challenges it's like trying to thread a needle from 100 yards. there's too many things that can go wrong >> reporter: but the pandemic is not slowing down the annual sturgis motorcycle rally, where people packed main street, bars and concert venues >> nobody wants to be the guinea pig. it could go right or wrong we're going to find out. >> reporter: organizers say they've already had a pretty good turnout on average, they get about 450,000 to 500,000 attendees per year already so far, the turnout has been on par with past years. philip >> kathy, thank you. new fallout over president trump's attempt to bypass congress for coronavirus relief. critics slammed the executive orders to pause payroll taxes, saying it's not enough and also unconstitutional.

nbc's kelly o'donnell has more >> reporter: sarah guard is furloughed from her job. >> it's a lot of essentials that we're having to say nope, not this month >> this is the payment relief. >> reporter: among the president's executive actions, a new formula for federal unemployment benefits. $400 weekly, instead of $600 with states required to contribute $100. house speaker nancy pelosi says that just won't work >> he's saying states have the money. no, they don't they have expenses from the coronavirus. they have lost revenue >> reporter: only congress can make tax law but the president says he can put a short-term hold on collecting payroll taxes, which funds social security and medicare for those earning under $100,000 >> this will mean bigger paychecks for working families >> reporter: but wait, that deferred tax would still be owed next year, unless congress

agrees to waive it a big unknown. >> i plan to forgive these taxes. >> reporter: steven mnuchin described that tax savings as a trump campaign promise >> when he's re-elected, he will push through legislation to forgive that so it will turn into a payroll tax cut. >> reporter: the president called the unemployment check an incentive for the unemployed to find work. >> i don't need to be incentivized to get back to work i want to go back to work. i want to go back to work to much pandemics, they do end i'm asking for enough help to get to the end >> and thanks to kelly o'donnell for that report. the virus has left the american education system in disarray while some students are gearing up for online classes, others are already coming home from school with covid-19 in florida, teacher's unions are

threatening to strike. chris pallone has the latest chris, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, philip it is the first day of school here in orange county, florida, the orlando area, one to have biggest school systems in the state. however, you won't see any school buses or parents dropping children off at buildings like this one just yet because the school districts here have decided that the first nine days of school will be online only. students will remain at home and learn on their computers and ipads. then on august 21st, parents who opted to have their children do in-person learning, they'll come to these buildings here. parent had to say what they wanted their children to do in july in this school district 37% said they want their children to go to physical school 63% say no, we're keeping the kids at home it's a decision being made across the country, fraught with peril as families decide what is safest or best for them. right now in florida, there are

at least three lawsuits that are trying to overturn a state ruling that says that every school district must offer in-person education. it's unknown how those lawsuit also go. but for right now, the state requires that every school district will have to offer some sort of in-classroom training for students this fall in winter garden florida, i'm chris pallone. >> thank you for the update. now to a rare and powerful earthquake that shook the east coast. the 5.1 magnitude jolt near the border of north carolina and virginia was the most powerful virginia that has felt in nearly a hundred years. nbc's ron allen has this report. >> reporter: without warning, sparta started shaking, an earthquake striking near this sleepy north carolina town christopher and laura carter were trying to sleep in. >> you could hear the rumbling of course, we felt the shaking it was like a wakeup, and it was like, that was an waik >> reporter: it's been nearly

100 years since anything this powerful has struck north carolina at least 45,000 did you feel it reports to the u.s. geological reports soon after residents along the eastern seaboard from atlanta to washington, d.c. saying they felt it, too >> there's tons of old faults from when the east coast was more active, millions of years ago. and any of those can be reactivated. >> reporter: in sparta, widespread minimal damage says the mayor. houses with cracked walls and foundations, items knocked off shelves. >> it's a little scary, but you go out and pick the bricks up and move on. >> reporter: so with earthquakes, you know there are aftershocks. you ready for that >> no. but we're expecting it >> reporter: not quite the big one, but still, the most intense jolt many near the epicenter have ever felt ron allen, nbc news. all right. and in north carolina of all places >> yeah, right >> let's bring in area necessaria webb.

how is monday looking? >> hey, happy monday, you two. morning, everyone. we do have warm temperatures that are surging across the east right now. we have 77 degrees for new york city, boston, you're at 73 my concern is today we have heat advisories and alerts that are going to go in place, expanding from the central u.s. to the tristate area. just check, we still have 250,000 people that are still without power, and we are talking about temperatures that are going to exceed the fe-like temperature nearelrom k all the way into colorado springs. slightly cooler across the upper midwest. so hopefully we get that power back on. this is kind of that dangerous heat for new york city >> yeah, it is

fingers crossed for that janessa, thank you they say act like you've been there before, but collin morikawa hadn't been so when he hoisted that victory, he dropped the top of the trophy he was able to put the top back on overall, a fantastic weekend for that you can golfer. >> more reason to hang on to it. still to come, much more to get to, including how the navajo people have been successful in flattening their curve a family demanding answers after police officers opened fire on caa r full of children we're back in two. cleaning tough bathroom and kitchen messes with sprays and wipes can be a struggle. there's an easier way. try mr. clean magic eraser. just wet, squeeze and erase tough messes like bathtub soap scum... and caked-on grease from oven doors. now mr. clean magic eraser comes in disposable sheets. they're perfect for icky messes on stovetops... in microwaves... and all over the house.

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confrontation between south georgia police and a car full of miners >> they're shooting at them. for what you see they're kids and you're still shooting >> reporter: state officials are investigating. >> shot at her >> reporter: after he fired repeatedly at the vehicle. >> these are miners. >> reporter: according to the georgia bureau of investigation, a police officer tried to get license plate information in the car. three miners got out and ran when a second officer same to help, the car drove toward that officer who started shooting [ indiscernible >> reporter: inside the car, a 15 and 16-year-old, both facing charges, including driving without a license, aggravated assault on an officer, and both charged with weapons possession. their father told the local station the gun was in the glove compartment and registered to their mother >> those are my children, man. >> reporter: now the local naacp

is demanding release of the police body camera >> the most concerning aspect is a 9 and 12-year-old were having guns fired in their present. so our concern is the level of force that was used. >> reporter: the gbi says no officers were injured, and two placed on administrative leave so far, the gbi has investigated 59 officer involved shootings this year, including four this weekend alone. blaiyne alexander, nbc news. when we come back, japan marks 75ea sceheomng yrsin t bbi of nagasaki. just press firmly and it continuously eliminates odors in the air and on soft surfaces. for 45 days.

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sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the 1945 u.s. atomic bombing of nagasaki, japan. the attack killed an estimated 75,000 people, mostly civilians. a limited number of survivors, regti relatives gathered for a small ceremony they rose for a moment of silent at 11:02 a.m., the exact time of the blast. one of the regions hit hardest was the navajo nation. but now they're finally winning the battle after flattening the kufb nbc's cynthia mcfadden has their story. >> reporter: you might think the vastness of navajo nation would

have spared these people who have suffered so much. but the coronavirus did not pass them by. like many here, crystal and hera rare lung condition. so they've been on lockdown since march. >> it has forced me as a mother to think about how do i protect my children? >> reporter: it's a question many ask, but especially here where the coronavirus has killed more people per capita than in any u.s. state pervasive health disparities, systemic poverty, and the lack of access to running water created a perfect storm to the deadly virus but against those odds, something incredible happened. navajo nation flattened the curve. >> early on, we were seeing positivity rates in the 30% to 40% rate so incredibly high, which just told us we needed to do much more testing >> reporter: and they did.

leaders set up strict curfews every night at 8:00 p.m. with steep types for disobeying >> we had lockdowns, much tougher than the rest of the country. you see people here wearing masks with 100% compliance >> why did they act so quickly >> i think that they know their history, and they know that they can't count on other people to solve this for them. >> it's fair to say as long as we've been keeping statistics about such mings, it has been clear that native americans fair less well when it comes to infectious disease >> that's absolutely fair to say. inadequate access to health care and basic health care infrastructure >> reporter: this is not a question of race, but of racism essentially. >> of institutional racism >> reporter: it's a history he knows too well while he's proud that his people flattened the curve, he says the

crisis is not over >> this is serious it's life or death >> reporter: what should the rest of america know >> that we're in a war we're still struggling >> reporter: the president of the navajo nation hopes people see what happened here as a cautionary tale. >> look at the navajo nation as a case study >> you're saying public health guidelines work if you do them >> listen to your professionals. i always say the administration up in d.c., i wish they would do the same, even the states around us would do the same >> reporter: cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, from navajo nation still to come, a look at the weather. >> and a gift from the heart what this woman gave to a policeman in need and the amazing gifts his colleagues gave in return what good is having clean clothes... if they don't feel comfortable on your sensitive skin? introducing new

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we are back with a remarkable story a gift from the heart. and a lotto winner who gave it away at a time when she needed it most. >> reporter: like so many during this pandemic, sha tarra sims has been struggling. but her luck changed last month, when she and her daughter found a single dollar bill outside of a kansas city supermarket. >> my daughter said mom, get a scratchoff what's the worst thing that could happen, lose a dollar? so i thought it and i won $100 she just said let's give it to the officer that got shot. >> reporter: what did you think when she told her that >> i teared up and agreed

immediately. >> reporter: that was an enormous sacrifice for the single mom when she needed the money. it was her way of giving back years after police from that same department helped her during a time of profound grief. providing comfort and support after her 19-year-old daughter was murdered >> the detective that worked her case from the kansas city police department, that man was a guardian angel for me in my time of need. he called around the clock he came by to see me people would say he did his job, but he did more than his job >> reporter: and you never forgot that? >> no, how could i no >> reporter: but her $100 gift didn't stay a secret a long. kansas city, ohio police sergeant jacob tracked her down, telling her story on social media. >> we were blown away with responses and comments, people wanting to reach out, said how can we get ahold of this woman

>> reporter: the officers were so touched by her generosity, they started a go found me, raising more than $156,000 you didn't even want attention you just wanted to do it for you and your daughters >> right your parents tell you all the time, be a blessing to one and someone will be a blessing to you. that's true. >> that is an amazing lesson every layer of that story is amazing in itself. you put them all together. >> i think it's the ultimate story of good faith and good karma turning $1 into $156,000 >> we can all learn a little something from that. >> we hope so. celebrating birthdays today. kylie jenner turns 23. retired boxer riddick bowe turns 53

and antonio banderas is 60 years old. >> thanks for starting ting with

5 million coronavirus cases and no signs of slowing down the u.s. crosses into unchartered territory, while president trump takes pandemic relief into his own hands. coming under fire from critics on both sides of the aisle uproar in georgia. two police officers put on leave after opening fire on a car full of children. the family's search for answers this morning breaking overnight, a fire ripped through the home of rachael ray. the investigation into what sparked the inferno is just getting unde