eae cleaner air, would you press it? the florida condo collapse has risen since demolition as the search continues and crews brace for weather. why are more military medics not getting civilian jobs. tragic and freak accident

involving fireworks. facing more pain at gas pumps, any relief in sight director behind original "superman," "lethal weapon" and many others, richard dner. "early today" starts now. tropical storm conditions have begun to lash the florida keys this morning. elsa is bringing powerful gusts and torrential rains to florida after hitting cuba 60 miles per hour and cities from tampa bay to the panhandle bracing for possibility of dangerous surge as elsa inches north. where it is now. janessa webb is tracking elsa

for us. >> unfortunately elsa has maintained strength over land and about to go into warm body of water 50 miles north of havana, cuba, 60-mile-per-hour winds, lost a little bit of strength but front right quadrant, the strongest side of the storm, is starting to really form now. moving north-northwest at 12 miles per hour and my concern, it's starting to slow down latest update, 2:00 a.m., calling for 65-mile-per-hour winds later on tonight we have another update at 5:00 a.m., i think we'll see slight restrengthening before it makes landfall again tonight, tonight and overnight. >> thanks for the update plenty of time for it to restrengthen. controlled demolition in surfside appears to be paving

the way for rescuers, removed nearly 5 million pounds of concrete removed what was left of the towers to expand the search grirks grid, giving access to the m bedrooms, perhaps where people are located. >> reporter: 10:30 p.m. sunday, remnants of champlain tower south crashed in delicadelicate demolition. >> couldn't continue without it down. >> reporter: it was too unstable, especially with potential arrival of tropical storm elsa. >> storm could have knocked building down to effectively end

search and rescue. >> reporter: careful to protect the progress, covering existing to that pile could quickly remove it and know where our line was >> reporter: the death toll rising yet again 28 people dead, more than 110 others still missing search and rescue back on the pile hours after the blast, now safely able to access new areas. heavy equipment also speeding up work and clearing rubble fema saying crews have cleared 40% of the debris above ground what or who could be beneath survival standpoint, what do you tell folks still waiting >> same thing that we believe. we are still hoping for miracle but every day goes by makes it

harders tropical storm elsa makes its way towards florida, concern is not so much the wind with the demolition complete as lightning. any strike within 2 1/2 miles of the collapse site, crews have to wait at least 30 minutes before returning. police in cobb county, georgia, searching for shooter siller, employee of the country club was unresponsive on the 10th hole with gunshot wound in his head two other victims in bask pickup truck, one the vehicle's owner shooter is 6'1" with long hair, wearing a white or tan shirt and dark colored work pants. setback in the global fight

against the pandemic, israel seeing a drop in the pfizer vaccine with the delta variant, effectiveness falling to 64% however it's still 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations and serious illness from coronavirus. in meantime, president biden is doubling down on the vaccination campaign after fell short of the fourth of july goal for 70% vaccination rate nbc's tracie potts from d.c. what does the white house have planned? >> reporter: hi, what they're planning to do is double down and try to get a lot more people vaccinated this summer in july through august 70% was the goal by fourth of july, we did fall short, 67% now. u.s. adults at least partially vaccinated who have had at least one shot but in some states it's as low

as 40% and there is concern about this new delta envirvariant you were talking about overseas it's here as well. president biden saying best protection is get the shot. >> don't get me wrong, covid-19 has not been vanquished. we all know powerful variants have emerged like the delta variant. the best defense against these variants is to get vaccinated. my fellow americans, it's the most patriotic thing you can do. >> reporter: so the big push is on to get more people vaccinated especially as we saw more people out and about over the holiday, cdc concerned it's a lot more dangerous being unvaccinated now than a year ago. >> a growing and continuing

concern. thank you. russian group behind one of the biggest global ransomware attacks we've ever seen is now demanding $70 million in bitcoin to unscramble affected machines. took down a florida management company. thousands of organizations in 17 countries were infected. president biden says he's directed full resources toward investigating the attack you may want to check out freezer this morning tyson food recalling nearly 8.5 million pounds of chicken products because of wisteria a variety of products between december 2020 and april 2021 sold nationwide at walmart,

wegmans, p 7089 is the number. columbus blue jackets goalie has died after a firework accident fleeing a hot tub with several others after a firework tilted and fired toward the group >> the positive death, trauma to the chest area, massive internal injuries no indication anything criminal occurred treating it as tragic death. >> members of the hockey community are mourning the 24-year-old's untimely death. roger federer continues to make history, sailed through match with italy's player. becomes oldest man to reach the quarterfinals in the open era, since 1968 federer's 18th time reaching final eight at wimbledon. >> like tom brady, ageless

>> incredible. janessa webb is back, tracking elsa for you. hello again. >> regardless of the intensity of elsa, tropical storm or low grade cat one hurricane, we're going to see major flooding. this is flood area tampa to fort myers, eight inches of rain at least. national weather service central tier, rainy conditions midwest, lots of sunshine. on top of that, storm surge,

we'll talk about that coming up. let's lighten it up with cute baby alert. congratulations to member of the nbc news fam limit blayne alexander and her husband, arrival of baby girl sage milan. sage embodies traits like wisdom and spirit and milan is a combination of names millie and anita. >> baby boom congratulations. >> lots to look forward to when we come back,embe remr of the legendary director. military medics once they leave the battlefield. all while killing 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. get the grease fighting power of dawn in a disinfecting wipe. i'm 53, but in my mind i'm still 35. that's why i take oste bi-flex

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>> the legendary director who brought superman to the big screen in 1978 has died. richard donner directed blockbusters lethal weapon series, "the goonies," "scrooged" and "the toy. actor danny glover who starred with mel gibson in the lethal weapon films said my heart is broken working with the team was one of the proudest moments of hi career richard donner was 91 years old. closer look at veterans who work as military medics. many who served are struggling to find work in the medical field as a civilian. more on exactly why and what is being done to change it.

>> reporter: as enlisted sailor, eric dodson spent 11 years in the u.s. navy as corpsman, working front lines and assisting with surgeries and mass casualties. >> we have 20 people coming in, find someone to take care of them >> reporter: after military service, volunteered as registered nurse in covid field hospital. >> once the mission was finished, applying for jobs as er tech and told i was not qualified. >> reporter: anyone ask about your life experience, work >> lot of it was we'd love to have you, still don't have the right certifications >> reporter: not unique. >> time of great need for health care workers, turning away some of the most qualified. >> reporter: call of duty endowment only a handful of states have clear pathways from

military to civilian health care jobs. bewildering regulations and folks give up. real shame. >> reporter: military addressing the problem. all enlisted medical personnel come to one place to learn, train and take the skills into the civilian world the dean of academics at defense department's military training campus. >> tactical field care let's go >> it's better to provide each soldier, sailor and airman with something to take to the civilian community once they've finished serving their country in the military. >> reporter: now provides certificates and college credits that transfer into civilian world. >> they have a pathway using a bridge program. >> reporter: the military shifting to help veterans help more people here at home, nbc news, fort sam houston, texas.

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majestic mountains... scenic coastal highways... fertile farmlands... there's lots to love about california. so put off those chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm when less clean energy is available. because that's power down time. this morning a battle is brewing in russia over bubbly. shipments were suspended after

russian president vladimir putin signed a law saying champagne name only used for russian champagne. france putting a cork in it too. >> vodka industry watch out, he's on a rampage. drivers are feeling more pain at gas pumps. why? karen tso. good morning. >> we've seen prices to highest level since november 2014. crossing $76.90 long way from the sub-50 earlier this year talks broke down between open ek and allies have pushed back against the levels set regionally. so will not continue at this stage. could be set for breakout in prices at pump on the season

elsewhere it's not just consumers searching for drivers on ride hailing apps but companies themselves uber and lyft frantically trying to recruit drivers with fear of covid, not returned to industry and noted that the wear and tear of carrying passengers is higher than other options, some moved into delivery of groceries and take away food extra cost and maintenance and gas prices themselves, they can trim the expenses. for investors could mean more c concessions for drivers ahead. janessa with the latest on > e tropical storm elsa. >>and two dozen people missing after deadly natural disaster in japan. we'll be right back.

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as we mentioned this morning, florida is starting to feel impact of tropical storm elsa much of the state will be in the cross hairs today and tomorrow as dangerous system barrels north. residents bracing for storm surge, some tourists are staying put. jay gray from clearwater beach, florida, what are you seeing there? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, right now not that bad, slight breeze you expect along the

beach. rain overnight into early morning but forecasters warning this is going to intensify into midday as the storm gets closer to the shoreline here. after battering the caribbean, high winds, heavy surf and flooding rains, elsa takes aim at florida gulf coast. some on the western side packing sand bags and stocking up on supplies. >> batteries, check. make sure the radio works. make sure that we have extra light. >> reporter: crews pulling in chairs, tying them down at the beach, although a closer look at shorelines shows more partying than preparing conditions picture perfect to close out the long holiday weekend. >> been through several storms but i don't think it's going to be that big of a deal. >> reporter: but forecasters

warn conditions could slide downhill pretty quickly as elsa gets closer to landfall. >> seeing the wind pick up and rain start, going to go inside, buckle down and hopefully it doesn't get too bad. >> reporter: hope shared by millions across florida waiting to see what the tropical wave will bring and look, there are watches and warnings in all of the counties along the coastline, emergency managers warning time to prepare to move to higher ground is quickly running out. >> hopefully they heed the advice and stay safe you as well, jay >> thank you perfect imagery for fourth of july week, bald eagle in kentucky returning to wild after nursed back to health by staff and volunteers at kentucky nature center. few weeks to get eagle back into

the woods, now working on another one rescued over the weekend. >> healing bald eagle is symbolic >> all we need to john denver and mark zuckerberg on a boomer rocket going through that's america >> that's murica right there >> thank you for waking up if there were a button that would help you use less energy, breathe cleaner air, and even take on climate change... would you press it?

. right now, the scene is pretty quiet in the bay area. we don't know how long that quiet will last. >> right now at 4:30, concerns over the delta variant growing as covid restrictions continue to ease across the bay area. what california officials are revealing about its rapid spread across the state. >> illegal fireworks putting fire crews to work. where problems are persisting for first responders post-fourth of july. the new video of an inmate near tahoe tries to pull off a fourth of july great escape. how he was able to get behind

the wheel of this fire