. put off chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm to help keep our state golden. ♪ we kick off this friday with new concerns over the delta variant of coronavirus that's leading to an 11% surge in cases in just a week this as a state of emergency is declared in japan, banning all fans just two weeks before the as president biden faces. tough questions over the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan, now questions about what happens to women there as the taliban continues to gain ground. the lawyer who rose to fame representing stormy daniels is now sentenced to twowo and a ha years in a nike extortion case.

our stephanie gosk in-depth look at tennis superstar naomi osaka's new message on mental health. a lot is riding on today's release of marvel's newest superhero as black widow makes helong awaited debut "early today" starts right now. good friday morning, i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. we begin with the latest on america's vaccination efforts against the coronavirus. the nanation is seeing an 11% up tick in hospitalizations and covid-19 cases this surge comes as pharmaceutical company pfizer says it t is developing a covid9 booster shot intended to target the delta variant, which is now dominanant in the u.s. but two of the nation's top health agencies say that may not be necessary in a joint statement the cdc and the fda both said that fully vaccinated people don't need covid boosters nbc's miguel almaguer has more >> reporter: pfizer says a booster shot, a third dose of its current vaccine could offer

americans s five to ten times me protection against covid given six months after the second dose, pfizer believes those inoculated would be highly protected against the delta variant, which is now exploding across the u.s the company expects to deliver new data to the fda within weeks. and is also working to develop a delta-specific version of its vaccine. it comes as new covid cases and hospitalalizations both climat a dangerous pace some hospitals are now the middle of their most dire days >> the competition for beds is higher now than it was during the peak last year. >> reporter: perhaps the nation's new epicenter, the delta variant, is now fueling over 9 of cases in parts of missouri, with a federal surge response team on the ground, 93% of covid patients in one icu are on ventilators >> we're seeing some younger population become very ill we see patients becoming more

ill quicker than we did before >> i'm so glad that's over >> reporter: though vaccines are effective against delta, the unvaccinated are fueling the spike with a third of adult americans not yet inococulated, researchers at georgetown say thesfive undervaccinated clusters of the country could become a breeding ground for new variants, putting the rest of the nation at risk as pfizer and moderna both get closer to a booster shot, it's important to note the fda will have the final say on if one is actually needed. pfizer also says they expect to release more data soon that shows the decline vaccine efficacy six months after that second dose. francis? >> miguel, thank you. now to an american gold medal favorite makina splash at the tokyo olympics. swimmer michael l andrew reveal he has not been vaccinate and will not be vaccinated ithe future a statement andrews said as an

athlete on the elite level, he didn't want to affect his training cycle the news comes after japan issued a crackdown banning spectators because of a covid surge. here is tom llamas >> reporter: when the olympics kick off, these seats will be empty. no claps, no cheers, no fans at all. organizers pulling back k on pls announced just two weeks ago to allow some local spectators. the ban on fans coming just hours after japan's prime minister announced a new state of emergency in tokyo which begins monday and will run through the entire olympics. one of the reasons for the state of emergency officialsant to thin out the crowds at restaurants and bars, like here in downtown tokyo. officials are urging those businesses not to serve alcohol. they want people to watch at home even the illuminated olympic rings are being shut off early the new restrictions come after an uptick in covid cases in tokyo due to the delta variant

and while transmission here is still relatively low, compared to other hospital spots, the vaccine rollout has lagged what is japan so afraid of >> the vast majority of japanese remain unvaccinated and they're afraid of the olympics kick starting another surge >> reporter: 70,000 people from around the world are expected here foror the olympics, includg ioc president thomas bach who just arrived and is now in quarantine as for the athletes themselves, some are describing this move as hearart breaking we are learning, though, there could be fans at some events held outside of tokyo like surfing, baseball and the marathon phillip and frances? >> a blow to the games thank you, tom. president biden is defending his decision to pull troops out of afghanistan he said the military mission will officially end on august 31st already 90% of troops have left the country. here is kelly o'donnell.

>> reporter: answering criticism and questions, the president defended his decision to end the war in afghanistan august 31st >> i judge that it was not in the national interest of the united states of america to continue fighting this war indefinitely >> reporter: long before he became commander in chief, mr. biden who made multiple visits to afghanistan was himself a vocal critic of keeping u.s. achievable goals, he said, happened long ago. >> to get the terrorists to attacked us on 9/11 and deliver justice to osama bin laden. >> reporter: after the draw down was announced in april, taliban fighters rapidly gained ground against afghan forces. some republicans say removing american forces will embolden groups like isis and al qaeda. >> president biden has turned his back on the afghans, pulled out all support, and i think we're going to see a return of terrorist attacks either

inspired or otherwise here in the united states. >> reporter: the president flatly rejected the u.s. would bear responsibility for bloodshed among afghan civilians. >> no, no, no. it's up to the people of afghanistan to decide on what government t they want >> reporter: this direct message to critics. >> let me ask those who want us to stay -- how many more, how many thousands more americans daughters and sons are you willing to risk? >> reporter: after sacrifices made by a generation of american warriors, the president said he is satisfied the job is done kelly o'donnell, nbc news, the white house. today president biden will try to shift the attention back stateside with a new executive order to promote competition in the u.s. economy nbc's tracie potts joins us with the latest tracie, what do we know about today's executive action >> reporter: so, we know that the president wants to ask the federal trade commission, the

ftc, to restrict noncompete agreements these are agreements that workers have to sign that they won't take a better job with the competition. problem is it prevents people from taking a better job and the president says it's not necessary. so he'll make some remarks and sign that today. the white house says that about 30 million workers could be affected by this not just exetives. we often hear about noncompetes with them, but blue collar workers, construction workers, hotel workers who are prevented from going to work for the competition. this comes as the president shifts its focus to the economy today. but also focussing on this infrastructure bill, thehe $1.2 trillion compromise still working its way through the senate, up for debate some time later this month now a coalition of major business and industry groups, the chamber of commerce, the aflcio, retail and manufacturing trade groups are backing it.

frances? >> tracie, thank you for the rundown. there's a renewed urgency this morning in the battle for the ballot box after meeting with president biden and other administration officials civil rights leaders vowed new initiatives to safeguard the right to vote. >> we are going to build a movement around this country to resist that. what is clearly a move to try and disenfranchise people of color from voting. the methodical way this has been laid out in these state legislatures and in their state legislation is geared toward robbing us of the vote >> republican-controlled states have passed a flurry of legislation restriing access to the vote. yesterday the texas legislature opened a special session to pass the election bills that democrats narrowlyilled in may. the legislation would add id requirements for mail-in voting and ban 24-hour voting among other restrictions

texas democrats have vowed to continue fighting back. disgraced california attorney michael avenatti has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for attempting to extort tens of millions of dollars from nike in court, avenatti reportedly broke down crying and choked up as he addressed the judge. he rose to the spotlight in 2018 after representing former porn actress stormyaniels in her case against former president trump. avenatti is also accused of allegedly embezzling $300,000 from her in that case is still pending. now to the latest on tropical storm elsa, which is moving into the northeast. new york city's already seeing some serious flooding and more rain is on the way pools are forming at subway stations and some roads had to be shut down tennis ball size chunks of ice were reported over in new jersey during an intense hailstorm. all of this and the main remnants of elsa still on the way this morning let's find out where elsa is at this very moment and if she's

going to exit quietly. ja necessary is a webb has been tracking the storm all week for us good morning >> hi, good morning. you know, it's about to get rowdy for new york city to the jersey area. we do have severe weather with these storms i'm concerned about a few tornadoes that are going to pop up with this storm systetem. also very gusty winds, torrential rain. forecasting right w 2 to 4 inches i in a time span of only three hours. so flash flooding going to be a major issue. we're going to talk about this all day. a wash-out friday for boston to new york city, even the main area before this system really starts to push offshore by satung for the upper midwest and the high

plains upper 90s for today pacific northwest another heat wave building. we'll talk about that coming up. >> wow a lot on your plate this week. we appreciate it. "early today" is back in two with the new queen b, the ground breaking spelling champ. ntheabout face for tiktok, t coroversy over racial bias on the social network can feel ro? it's because they rub againstt you creating friction. and your clothes rub against you all day. for softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free & gentle. just pour into the rinse dispenser and downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, fluffier, and gentler on your skin. try downy free & gentle. recognized by the national psoriasis foundation and national eczema association.

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♪♪ you never leave the house without your luvs or your big dad energy. cause...when you see a leaky situation you have luvs ready for that pro-level leak protection. luvs. parent like a pro. n-u-r-r-a-y-a. >> that is correct new this morning, a trail blazing spelling bee champion. 14-year-old zaila avant-garde from louisiana is the first african-american winner in the scrip'96-year history. that's not all, she also holds three guinness world records in basketball, including one for dribbling six balls at once. she hopes to one day play in the wnba and you can meet her later this morning on "today". popular video sharing

platform tiktok is apologizing after a black influencer said the app blocked creators from adding words and phrases like black lives matters and black support to bios in the tiktok's creator marketplac the app reportedly flagged the words as inappropriate content in a statement to forbes, tiktok spokesperson apologized for the experience and noted the algorithm flagged because they written audience with the letters d-ie in question artificial intelligence flag bios that included the word die. gavin newsom is asking residents toto cut their water usage by5% as the state's drought worsens amid record heat this measure is not mandatory. the governor also expanded a regional state of emergency and nearly 95% of the state is in a severe drought. plenty ahead on "early today," including the new nbc program helpg diverse film makers find their voice.

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awarding documentaries who identify as women lgbtq plus, communities of color or people with disabilities or showcase stories that highlhlight them, access to world class training from our own nbc news teams. >> reporter: these faces are the future of film making, a diverse group of directors and producers with their ownnique stories to share. >> i think now is the time when the country, media is kind of looking towards more nuanced voices to tell their honest stories. >> reporter: childhood friends zac and chris are the duo behind "blood thicker" one of seven documentaries selected for the inaugural original voices fellowship a collaboration from nbc news studios and nbc u academy hoping to levelhe playing fie in production offering $45,000 grants to a diverse group of film makers and providing resources and

mentorships from leading journalists right here at our historic news organization >> not only getting that financial support but also having mentorship and feeling like there's really a community that you can go to throughout this year that is crucial. >> the crew producing la flacca and opened up about the biases they face as women in film industry. >> starting from the point of view of being female film makers and not just film makers almost already puts us in a nearby category we often hear, oh, this story is really interesting, we like it but it's too nearby notch be given a support like this one is a huge leap of faith from nbc. it does push the creative process forward in very new and exploratory ways to know that we have that support without conditions >> reid davenport and keith

wilson are the team behind the film "i didn't see you there." davenport is a director with a disability and shot the film largely from his wheelchair. he hopes the program creates more there is a recognition absolutely opening the door for more people with disabilities. >> it's exciting as a film maker to be in a program with other film makers telling her sort of original stories that don't often get told, so it's nice to be in that cohort and working togeth with nbc to create these films that so often don't get supported or told. we're proud of this great opportunity right here within our own halls. and if your looking to further your journalistic training, you can access master classes from our nbc news experts and more at nbc u academy.com. >> very cool project there. coming up next, janessssa is monitoring the record heat out west. and serving up support,

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♪ one thing is for sure, i'm done running from my past. >> marvel's "black widow" hits theaters this weekend and disney is hoping to beat $80 million opening. the film starring scarlett johansson is also available to stream on disney plus but wiwill cost $30. the phoenix suns were hoping to win in game two

antete kum poe had a 42-point performance but it was not to stop the white hot back court of phoenix. booker scored 31 to give the suns a 2-0 series lead. powerful new essay in "time" magazine, naomi osaka is sharing new insights i into her mental health challenges and her stunning decision to pull out of major competitions >> reporter: it's okay to not be okay, writes naomi osaka, a month after her dramatic exit from the french open the world number two explaining in "time" magazine, i wanted to skip press conferences at roland garros to exercise self care and preservation of my mental i stand by that. athletes are humans. but tournament officials insisted she face the press, like every other player. osaka writes i felt under a great amount of pressure to disclose my symptoms, frankly because the press and the tournament did not believe me.

i do not wish that on anyone afteter withdrawing from wimblen as well, the 23-year-old is back in the public eye with a netflix special and a new olympic campaign >> peoplple might think i'm qui. >> reporter: her message to young female athletes. >> if we don't fit that expectation what people think we're supposed to be, good >> reporter: in the essay,y, osa says she is uneasy being a spokesperson for mental health, but adds michael p phelps told by speaking up i may have saved a life if that's true, then it was all worth it stephanie gosk, nbc news >> all right let's open up with birthdays director and wonder years actor fred savage is 45 years old. courtney love turns 57 iconic actor tom hanks celebrates 65 today. actor jimmy smith turns 66 suspension thriller author dean turns 76 today

finally award-winning actor for his role in chapped, richard roundtree turns 79 years old thanks for watching "early today" on this friday. i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm frances rivera. great to have you with us. be sure to follow us on social, facebook, twitter, instagram we're all 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.

right now at 4:30, get ready to sweat, bay area. extreme heat set to take and it's going to make for sweltering temperatures across the region. we're tracking where it's expected to reach deep into the triple digits. plus -- >> only went for about ten seconds but having lived through many earthquakes in the bay area it certainly felt like an awful long time. >> shake, rattle and roll. a 6.0 earthquake hitting south of lake tahoe is felt for miles including here in the bay area. a cluster of quakes, scary moments for a northern california camp ground as the shaking continues. coming