as we come on the air this morning we are covering multiple breaking news stories. a police involved shooting of a black man sparks protests and unrest overnight >> now the second and third biggest fires in state historyr destroyed as unpredictable winds reenforcements are coming from as far as australia tracking back to back major storms about to twifr a one, two punch to gulf coast states.

an emergency authorization for a covid treatment that the trump administration is calling a major advance against the virus. >> "early today" starts right now. >> good monday morning i'm phillip mena >> i'm frances rivera. >> protesters poured into the streets. some smashing police cars. the outrage sparked by an officer involved shooting and a warning you may find the video disturbing we don't know what happened before this recording, but a man identified as jacob blake can be seen moving to open a car door and that's when multiple shots are fired. blake was air lifted to a hospital our local affiliate spoke to his fiance >> two male officers detained him, like you know, put your hands, no questions or none oaf thand i'm just trying to simply

get the kids out the car i'm like, wait a minute. he didn't do nothing wrong ask some questions first before you pin this man up the car. an emergency curfew has been declared but protests continued through the night and the police station and state capitol there. his father says his son is out of surgery and is in stable condition. the wisconsin department of justice is investigating the shooting let's turn now to those massive wildfires in california. the haze is even hitting states in the midwest and now members of the military are being called up to help. steve patterson is there on the front lines. >> reporter: the desperate battle to contain california's historic fires is now a race against time crews working around the clock to get a handle on some of the largest fires in state history with a new looming threat in the

forecast fresh red flag warnings and another predicted bout of dry lightning storms the same conditions were in place one week ago thousands of lightning strikes and heavy winds spread flames across the state >> they could cause havoc on this fire and fires throughout the region 15 miles away >> reporter: another grim milestone. more than 1.1 million acres in size, a fire footprint visible from space the president signing a disaster declaration releasing federal aid to help exhausted crews on the ground the national guard arriving to relieve the strain on firefighters monster flames devoured homes and killed at least five people. will cook is resorting to filling buckets of creek water in an effort to douse small fires in the neighborhood. >> driving around the neighborhood, checking properties and stuff and look for little spot fires that are flaring up.

>> reporter: but for some it's already too late >> in shock. just total shock. >> reporter: he returned to his home to find ruins >> beautiful home. four-car garage. everything gone. this fire just came so quick. >> reporter: in nearby, a haunting site. hundreds of ancient trees decimated. a permanent scar serving as a painful reminder of the fire easter fiing power firefighters are bone tired. they've been battling these blazes for now more than a week and weather conditions are starting to worsen the worry is that lightning strikes combined with red flag winds will make these fires a lot worse. >> boy do they need to catch a break. one of the most visible faces of the trump administration, kellyanne conway is leaving the white house the long time advisor says she is stepping down at the end of august conway is planning to spend more

time with her children saying in part, as millions of parents nationwide know, kids doing school from home require a level of attention and individual vigilance. it will be less drama, more mama her husband outspoken trump critic says he too is stepping away from the lincoln project to devote more time to family members. it comes after their 15-year-old daughter tweeted she's pushing for emancipation president trump has announced an emergency authorization for a coronavirus treatment that his administration hails as a quote, major advance. kelly o'donnell has more. >> i'm pleased to make a truly historic announcement. >> reporter: the president announced a new step for a coronavirus treatment, a

temporary emergency use authorization for convalesce plasma joined by the head of the fda, this decision comes after internal scientific debate over whether the fda had enough data and after the president accused fda staff on twitter of delaying action until after the election. >> we broke the log jam over the last week. it's my opinion, very political reasons. this has nothing to do with politics this has something to do with life or death. >> reporter: the president can try to distract the negative portrayal of his old ore sister. >> donald's out for donald

period >> reporter: first reported by the "washington post," nbc news has now also obtained some of the 15 hours of recordings made in 2018 and '19 by trump niece and tell all author, mary trump. >> he has no principles, none. none and my god, if you are a religious person, you want to help people. not do this. >> reporter: white house chief of staff mark meadows reacted to the trump family drama >> this is politics as usual by a niece that was written out of a will that would apparently just has an ax to grind because she wants joe biden to be president. >> thanks for that report. president trump is preparing for the republican national convention tonight with plans to address his supporters from two locations. it will be decidedly different from what we heard from democrats last week.

tracie potts is live with more good morning >> reporter: frances, republicans say this is going to be about the american story and yes, the president will end up in two places this week speaking from the white house on thursday, but we're told that he will be in charlotte today at the end of that roll call vote with the president speaking on the last day of the convention we've got a number of people who are slated to be keynote speakers including former ambassador to the u.n., nikki hay lee and tim scott along with donald trump jr., the president's son. meantime president's rival is speaking out on abc responding to the criticism that biden isn't mentally fit to hold office >> watch me. mr. president, watch me. look at us both. what we say, what we do, what we control, what we know, what kind of shape we're in.

come on. >> you have said yourself that you are a transition candidate does that mean a one-term president? >> no, it doesn't mean >> so you're leaving open the possibility you'll serve eight years. >> absolutely. >> so back to the republicans, everything getting started in charlotte today. protests that have been happening outside the convention center there and inside, delegates, a limited number, will be voting in person for that nomination. the convention chair, the rnc chair say they've been testing people before they get to charlotte and on site and they believe in-person voting is safe >> thank you tonight join our nbc news team for complete coverage of the republican national convention here on nbc also breaking this morning, twin storms brewing and headed for louisiana. tropical storms marco and laura packing a one-two punch as they

turn toward the gulf governor edwards is warning residents to be prepared >> we're expecting significant impact from wind and potentially spawning some tornados as well it's going to be that 72 hours before you may receive some assistance you should be prepared to shelter in place yourself and your family for at least that long >> louisiana has declared a state of emergency this twin storm nightmare is something this country hasn't seen for nearly a century. and headed for new orleans on the 15th anniversary of hurricane katrina. >> janessa webb is tracking those storms there's so much changing >> good morning. we do have a big-time change in the forecast i think new orleans, you're in the clear now even though we do still have that state of

emergency. you could still deal with some flooding rain but this storm system has taken a more northwesterly track. there is no alerts for panama city total has see and they are seeing the outer bands a little bit of hail currently happening but this storm system has run into some drier air and that's allowed it to kind of shred apart. we'll still watch it as the flooding potential and storm surge i think still could be hefty across the florida poond but as i said, no alerlts but you need to be aware as marco lifts to the northnd abit of sun no rain in the forecast and the storm systems they'll start to heat up for chicago this

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pod cast uncomfortable conversations with a black man he says he wished he listened to colin kaepernick >> if you were to publicly express your remorse, apologize to kaepernick, what would you say? >> well, the first thing i'd say is i wish we had listened earlier, kap, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to we'd invited him in several times to have the conversation, have the dialog. i wish we had the benefit of that we never did >> the commissioner goes on to say that players kneeling during the national anthem is being mischaracterized and that they were exercising their right to peaceful protests. up next, did unhinged blow fie doors off the box ofce the first real test for theaters amid the pandemic. >> and why the police department are pumping their brakes on a maneuver to end high speed chases in light scents you'll love. ah... new febreze light. ♪ la la la la la.

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that's where we are in this world today. we seem to have developed a fundamental ability to apologize to anyone. >> russell crowe's unhinged made its domestic debut where theaters have started to slowly reopen here. the film pocketed more than $4 million over the weekend and played in about 1,800 venues marking the widest release yet since the pandemic hit and that move that police use to end car chases found it's

caused a string of deaths and injuries >> reporter: a young man in a pickup truck runs a red light in rural arkansas and refuses to stop for the police. the half hour high speed chase this april ends in a fiery wreck. the truck flipping, launching the police cruiser into the air, but it wasn't an accident. police records say the state trooper caused the crash by bumping the truck at 109 miles an hour. the trooper was injured but the driver, 34-year-old justin battenfield was killed >> i don't believe it should have happened honestly at the rate of speed it was going they had plenty of opportunity to stop him before he got back in town. >> there's a pit maneuver. >> reporter: the trooper used this move known as the precision imploeblization technique. an investigation published by the "washington post" found that since 2016 at least 30 people have died and hundreds have been

injured when police use the pit. 18 of those deaths came after drivers were suspected of minor traffi speeding, the post found ten killed werfour were bystands >> if used properly it is a good, safe maneuver and if used improperly at high speeds in the wrong area against the wrong vehicle it's deadly. >> reporter: the maneuver was developed decades ago in virginia where officers now practice it at low speeds on a track. >> i match the violator's speed. once i'm beside him i make contact with the target area i'll hold that contact on the target area until everything is safe and then a good follow through. >> they perform the pit on the street about 13 times a year and no one has been seriously hurt >> if a bystander is killed or if the target in the car is

killed that's a failure. it's not supposed to happen like that >> that is not the purpose of pit, no, sir >> some departments including new york state police have banned the pit while others such as lapd forbid it at speeds over 35 miles an hour but many large police agencies allow the technique at any speed the "washington post" found. >> fairfax county police say they would only use the pit to stop a dangerous suspect, never a traffic violator as happened in arkansas. >> important report there. ck> coming up, we will check ba in with janessa for an update on those tropical storm threats. >> and two teams say good-bye to the bubble the latest highlight from the nba playoffs next.

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cascade platinum. the twin storms barrelling toward the gulf states officials in new orleans are urging residents to prep for both impacts jay gray is there for us good morning >> reporter: good morning, phillip and we're on bourbon street right now usually you'd hear some kind of music. there's always an energy here but the entire french quarter unusually quiet. some businesses don't seem too

worried. like this one just next door, this restaurant completely boarded up with the effects of marcoux expected in the next few hours and laura still looming right now. the big easy a bit uneasy right now. with two tropical systems targeting the louisiana gulf coast. >> so we're going to get a right hook from marco and a left hook from laura >> some are blocking or boarding up what they can and making sure they have the essentials to ride out the storm. >> stocking up on food, and trying to park the car in the highest point possible we can find. >> reporter: others in this area below sea level are heading for higher ground. >> we can't handle a regular rainstorm and it's time to go. >> marco could lose a little energy this afternoon. currently it's tracking just

west of new orleans leaving the city on the dirty or strong side of the storm laura is a much more powerful system that forecasters say will intensify before crossing the coast. >> it's expected to be a very strong category 2. there is the possibility it could be a little bit stronger and be a category 3. >> lashing the islands as it grows and takes aim at the gulf, evidence of the strength of the system and a sober warning for those in the track of the storm. >> reporter: and look, the time to prepare here is really over at this point. in fact, officials warning overnight that residents who have stayed should hunker down where they are for the next 72 hours or so. >> and all this happening amid a global pandemic to boot. all right. thank you. >> of course this is all about the track. let's turn to janessa who's watching the two storms. >> we're actually seeing marco

start to fall apart buflding ra across haiti into the dominican republic the photos are very disturbing as the flood waters continue to rise this storm needso be the focus t

right now at 4:30, firefighters make some progress against bay area wildfires. nearly all continue to rage consuming hundreds of thousands of acres, homes and businesses, even lives. and to add to all of that, look what's returning to northern california. >> that's right, thunder and lightning rolling back in making for extreme fire danger as if firefighters aren't already stretched thin enough. the hits keep coming for the bay area. we're following all of them for you. a very good morning to you and thanks so much for joining