as deportations shrink, migrants attempting to cross the rio grande on rafts. our gabe gutierrez is traveling with a s.w.a.t. team on patrol. covid cases in the united states continue to drop along with the demand for vaccinations, but officials are optimistic that aggressive reopenings can and will continue across america. peloton fans, this is for you. new details on a major recall on one of the popular products

after a child was killed and dozens injured. we have two words moosusic people's ears. early retirement >> something to make you smile on this thursday the best dance partner happens to be of the four legged variety. "early today" starts right now hello there. good thursday morning. i'm phillip mena >> glad you could be with us i'm frances rivera we begin with a developing situation at our southern border where a record migrant surge has pushed border patrol agents to the brink. nbc news has gotten the firsthand look for a push by state and local law enforcement to help out. gabe gutierrez is in texas good morning, gabe. >> reporter: frances, good morning. the biden administration is now saying it has reduced the backlog at border patrol processing stations but that doesn't mean the number of migrants coming to the border is slowing. several law enforcement agencies hearsay they're overwhelmed.

under the cover of darkness, raft after raft filled with migrants we're here with a s.w.a.t. team with the texas department of public safety, essentially backup at the border this is what texas dcf agents say they're seeing more of each and every night. rafts full of women and children making the dangerous trek across the rio grande they're having to patrol more of this area because federal resources are stretched so thin. in mara lone, the number of migrants stopped was 172,000 a 20-year high. >> you see how easy it is for these smugglers to raft these people. >> reporter: in roma texas we're on the news as detectives make a discovery following a simple traffic stop. there is a stash house where dozens of migrants have been here for who knows how long. now they're going to process the scene. this march state authorities referred 28,000 migrants to the

u.s. border patrol they've also seized more than 5700 pounds of marijuana and almost 100 pounds of cocaine. >> the numbers have been historic as far as legal crossings tosit next month viola perez said she paid $8,000 to escape poverty there. >> translator: it's been so hard even more so for my children. >> reporter: despite the policy of allowing unaccompanied children and she and so many others are still taking the risk separate from the current situation here at the border, the biden administration is touting progress with an emotional reunion in california when several families forcibly separated in 2017 during the trump administration was reunited there frances? >> gabe, thank you we have some very promising developments in the nation's fight against covid-19, which

has infected more than 32 million people the cdc is projecting a sharp decline in u.s. coronavirus cases by the end of july that is if people wear masks, physically distance and continue to get vaccinated. inoculation numbers have slumped in recent weeks but the white house is continuing its push to residential reach hess dent sit -- hesitant citizens to reach americans by the 4th of july nbc's jay gray has more. as the virus shifts and mutates, so do the areas for vaccinations they're joining the effortby offering ticket give aways, in stadium vaccination and discounts on merchandise in detroit they're going door to door offering a cash incentive. >> bring someone down to the center, get 50 bucks >> reporter: it's all part of the push by the white house to

get 70% of adults vaccinated and 160 million by the fourth of july >> when you get to 70% you will have a substantial impact on the number of cases per day which will translate into a diminution in the number of hospitalizations and deaths. >> reporter: to reach that goal, high schoolers in maine are urging fellow kids to get the shot and there are indications in a week or so the food & drug administration could approve the vaccine for kids from 12 to 15 years old. >> the sooner we get more and more people vaccinated, the sooner we will all get back to normal. >> reporter: a goal that is anything but child's play. jay gray, nbc news the fight over the future of the gop is spilling into an all out war in the house wyoming congressman liz cheney has squarely challenged former president trump over his false election claims and she isn't

backing down, even when faced with threats to remove her from the party's third most powerful post in the house. in a new op ed for the washington post she writes that the gop is at a turning point. she said trump is seeking to unravel critical elements that make democracy work, confidence in the result of elections and the rule of law. she adds, history is watching. our children are watching. you must be brave enough to defend the basic principles that underpin and protect our freedom and our democratic process meanwhile, several top republicans have backed elise stefanik of new york to replace liz cheney. facebook isn't refriending donald trump they upheld the ban but ordered a review and now trump is firing back hallie jackson has the latest. >> reporter: facebook forbidden still for the former president for now, but the company's independent oversight board is kicking the ultimate decision

back to facebook saying the pl aftermath of the january 6th insurrection is not appropriate and giving a six-month window to clarify its rules and decide what to do put a concrete time line on the dec decision, permanently remove the account. >> you are saying to facebook, although you were correct, it's not okay to have a permanent suspension. >> reporter: do you believe facebook miss handled the ban? >> they did not apply or did not handle the case in a manner that was transparent or consistent or predictable for the user. >> reporter: the board blasting facebook for trying to avoid its responsibilities as the platform now considers clear proportionate next steps. >> we must now consider how we can evolve our approach.

>> mr. trump, who's still banned from twitter and youtube, is calling his suspensions a total quote, corrupt media companies must play a political price. >> what we see is really about chilling free speech. >> reporter: the case is raising broader implications about the power of a platform. >> what it's going to start is a move, i hope, towards more accountability and democratization of private platforms. >> reporter: phillip, facebook was critical of the president's political operations and his fundraising. if hestays banned, any potential future run could be more difficult. now to a consumer alert. peloton is taking new action over the treadmills after the death of a child and dozens of injuries they're issuing a safety recall. nbc's stephanie gosk has the

details. >> reporter: for so many, peloton has been the secret to coping with pandemic lockdown. now the company is announcing a voluntary recall of the tread and tread plus treadmills. one child has died and more than 70 incidents, including a brain injury. >> it's always a situation of adult users, children and objects have been pulled underneath the machine that's a grave situation. >> reporter: they ordered people not to use the tread plus if they have children or pets releasing this video of a toddler who escaped without injury. >> reporter: did you three weeks ago ask peloton toall the tread plus. >> we have been asking for a recall. >> reporter: it took weeks i want to be clear, peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the request that we recall the tread plus. peloton will provide a full refund which could have more than half a billion price tag,

but the company, which is working on a fix, is also offering to move the treadmill to a safe location for free. allison doolly already keeps her tread plus behind a locked door. >> when i saw the headlines, i was like, no i was afraid they were going to make us give it back because we feel comfortable how it is. >> reporter: for now she says they will keep running stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. now to another first for spacex the company successfully launched an updated version. this is the vehicle elon musk hopes will one day transport them to mars this reached 33,000 feet before coming back down to earth. it's the first time the star ship has successfully touched down the last four tests didn't end so well. you may remember this major explosion from march musk says spacex has made major upgrades. let's get a check of the weather with nbc meteorologist janessa webb good morning, janessa.

>> good morning. yes. better weather is making its way into the east coast. high pressure into the carolinas. that will equal sunshine for the mid-atlantic and the severe weather threat is starting to go way down we have florida with with a cold front sweeping through there is a risk and we're watching this afternoon for damaging gusts there's a very low chance of tornadoes this afternoon your evening. we are still going to watch the rain across the mis in some spoe midwest. for san antonio, 86. we're under a very cool pattern for the east coast we'll talk about that coming up. >> want to hear it

janessa, thanks. a couple of officers on a reunion job after nine ducklings got caught into the storage drain. they had to lower a crate to lure the ducks in. they scooped them out and they were soon returned to their mama and walking right to her when they were on the ground. make way for the ducklings. >> good ending. nascar revs up the next generation of cars. tragedy on the tras.ck new details into the deadly train collapse in mexico city. pain doesn't care if you live in a small town or in the spotlight. pain has no limits. that means we need care without limits. care like a parent with a newborn. care like we took an oath. care that's strong, fast and safe. that's care without limits. ♪look at what's happened to me.♪

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he was wearing the stolen gear when arrested. in mexico city families are demanding answers. they want to know if officials missed key warning signs morgan chesky is there with the latest >> reporter: cries of loss and calls for accountability in mexico city. where a mangled bridge marks the scene of monday's deadly collapse we spoke to 12-year-old brandon hernandez's aunt waiting outside of a morgue. she says it's been almost 24 hours of them trying to find out what happened and just now they received information they went inside and they recognized the body. >> surrounded by loved ones, his mother cried as they prepared to bury her son officials identified most of the 25 people killed 38 remain hospitalized

as mexico's president promises to up theinvestigation the former head of the subway system says repairs were made and that the biggest issue is not enough money going to maintenance. jesus irvan agrees he's station manager on this line he says his co-workers are afraid to return to work calling the whole system a ticking time bomb this man had two daughters on the train. his 23-year-old didn't survive i love them. nothing more, he says. as families throughout the city now cope with unimaginable grief. morgan chesky, nbc news, mexico city next on "early today," fists fly on the ice ra. e was an all out bwl why more american workers are calling it quits to get a head start on their golden years.

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in today's quick hits, the orioles john means meant business on the mound. no hitting the seattle mariners in baltimore's 6-0 win it's the third no hitter this season and the first individual no hitter for the orioles since 1969. the next generation of nascar vehicles are roaring to life nascar showed off three versions of the redesigned cars in a chevy, ford and toyota

the first remodel since 2007 and the gloves drop between the rangers and capitals just as the puck did several fights broke out on the ice stemming from tom wilson's rough play earlier this week against new york 100 penalty minutes were given out in the first period. for many older americans the pandemic has created an opportunity. they are now retiring at a far higher rate than they were before, but is it right for you? here's nbc's stephanie ruhle. >> general counsel at albany airport. >> do i want to go to the office every day or do i want to start doing things that are more fun the other thing, i was a little fearful, honestly, of going back in a congregated setting in the office. >> reporter: he's into the alone. there's been a jump in the numbers retiring. >> people are re-evaluating where they are and deciding how they're going to spend the next 20, 30 years.

>> with auto prices up 71%, stocks up at historic rise some people are trading in work from home for early retirement. but for other older americans losing a job and facing fewer prospects left them fewer choice but to stop working. >> you need to make sure you've looked at whether or not you're not going to outlive your financial means. >> reporter: add up all sources of income, then deduct your total expenses, especially health care costs. if you plan to move to a tax friendly state to save money, do your homework. some places without state taxes have higher sales or property tax. >> i'm a very happy person right now with mnews, new york. >> looks pretty happy. >> picking up the hobbies to keep you busy. >> that's important. the russian dance competition that's going to the dogs. plus, the teacher who finds compelling lessons in his own personal journey

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so, everyone is right. it's got to be tide. welcome back this morning in our series celebrating service, important lessons from a teacher in new mexico who knows all about tole tolerance, diversity and overcoming obstacles here's nbc's lester holt >> good morning. >> reporter: first period in mr. avila's class. >> love it why would that be important? >> reporter: and his lass crews ses middle schoolers are talking history. >> i want you to draw your permit and i'm going to show you on the board how i want you to do this.

>> reporter: the 26-year-old teacher was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects movement and posture telling the kids about it on day one is their first lesson. >> your students see you walk differently. what do you tell them? >> it's critical for students to see me as an individual and to see the normalization. i'm big on that, building a classroom community where we all see each other as individuals who deserve respect. >> reporter: he was diagnosed at 8 months when his mother noticed he couldn't sit up straight. after multiple surgeries and physical therapy, he believes he's turned his disability into a strength. >> what i've learned from him was to stay positive and happy >> reporter: and for noah, someone to look up to. >> he's a really good teacher. >> mr. avila, i have cerebral palsy too. i said, oh, man, that's awesome. we're the same we have something in common. it was just a really great thing to see that i was able to impact

that student >> reporter: a teacher turning a disability into a special ability. >> i can really show up and kids can see that people with disabilities are part of society so it's an honor to do that. >> our thanks to lester for that report like you said, not disability, more about your ability. his ability to see the world for how he wants it to be and how it has always been. >> with so many lessons of acceptance, that's just another one right there that they can learn in the classroom and out of the classroom. dog lovers in russia prove it takes two to tango partnering with their pups in a dance competition. spectators were tweeted with turns and twirls they performed in a pair of categories here, freestyle, synchronized dance all of this, you didn't know this kind of competition exists, it was part of the eurasia 2021 dog expo getting their human owners up

there, too taking the whole dog walking to a whole other level. >> i think a lot of people practiced on their dogs during the pandemic >> thanks for waking up with us. i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. >> i'm phillip mena. one republic honors national jack, toss me the frisbee. i can do you one better... with cheddar. everything's better with cheddar. like my new cheddar biscuit breakfast sandwiches with cheddar baked right in. only at jack in the box.

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