d use big appliances before 4pm. then from 4-9pm reduce use and take it easy on our energy. sign up today. tens of millions the nation facing dangerously high temperatures for another day and intense flames engulf over half a million acres, along with su 1100 structures. poised for the fda, a third dose for immunocompromised people plus cdc's advice to pregnant women. withdrawal from afghanistan, the taliban are quickly recapturing city after city, and infusing terror into the hearts

of every female in the area. to the incredible scene where one cadillac suv was no match for this massive sinkhole. get ready to reach deeper into your wallet to ship those holiday packages "early today" starts right now. good thursday morning. i'm philip mena. >> glad you could be with us i'm frances rivera bone dry conditions allowed the dixie fire in california to burn through thousands of acres every hour hundreds of homes have been destroyed and more are in the line of danger here is nbc's steve patterson. >> reporter: the colossal dixie fire setting a grim milestone. the nation's largest fire has torched more than 500,000 acres. its massive spread now more than half the size of rhode island, sending clouds of pollutants across the country. >> that plume now creates its own weather, meaning the winds can go any direction. >> reporter: the fire decimating

smalltown greenville, destroying nearly every man-made structure in sight historic homes and businesses that stood for generations, leveled. whole neighborhoods wiped off the map. this is a man bent on causing more pain, gary maynard was arrested and charged for serial arson across northern california, accused of setting the nearby ranch fire. he was in the midof an arson setting spree and even tried to trap first responders fighting the dixie fire by gaining access to an evacuation zone and lighting fires behind them we should say as the fire has continued to grow, so, too, has the containment. firefighters making progress, taking advantage of better weather the past couple of days. 30% containment on it now. again, those higher temperatures, stronger winds, all of that is rolling in, putting more emphasis on the front lines. >> steve, thank you. scorching temperatures are

gripping the nation. americans from coast to coast are struggling to keep cool. kristen dahlgren has the latest. >> reporter: for this family it seemed like a good idea to rent bike. >> i'm drenched. >> reporter: two ice cream stops later -- >> we're not going to make it back any time soon. >> reporter: oppressive heat stretching coast to coast. heat advisories in effect for 146 million americans. >> it feels hot, looks hot. >> reporter: in the west, temperatures soared, portland, 98, sacramento, 103 degrees. in the midwest, kansas city and st. louis sky rocketed into the 90s with overnight lows remaining well above 80. in springfield, virginia, a 5-year-old died after inc.beingt in a car the dome making it dangerous from the midatlantic to new england. >> we can't stay out for too long because it's it hot. >> reporter: an excessive heat warning remains in effect through thursday dangerously hot conditions with

heat index values up to 109 degrees expected in new york a fashion fou if the grips of multiple eat waves with days to go before traes rereef kristen dahlgren, fbs if yous, fork the rapid spread of the delta variant. with many of the worst outbreaks happening if the south where vaks fashion rates tend to be roar we're joined by fbs's jay gray with after the country fullry vaks vaccinated. >> reporter: to fight this growing surge is on vaccines, vaccines the fda expected to announce they approve a third booster vaccine of the pfizer and moderna vaccines for those who are immunocompromised, those who need it the most following that friday, the cdc

is expected to meet their advisory panel if they okay that move, it will begin. that's something that the white house is looking toward as help in this ongoing fight. one other note from the cdc, frances, they are now saying pregnant women should take the vaccine, that they should get the shots and that's again because of just this sweeping surge in cases, not only new cases but hospitalizations as a result of the highly contagious delta variant. >> jay, thank you for the update meanwhile, concern is growing in afghanistan the taliban is gaining more ground as the u.s. and nato finalize their withdrawal there. officials say the terrorist group has seized a ninth city, which now gives them control of at least two-thirds of the nation kelly cobiella has the latest. >> reporter: the taliban claims hundreds of prisoners in the second largest city of kandahar are free after they overwhelmed the jail and flung over the gates.

this, after a devastating set back in the north for afghan officials, hundreds of soldiers at the airport reportedly surrendered. by some estimates, the taliban now controls 65% of afghanistan. more families are fleeing to the capital kabul every day. this woman says the taliban are not allowing girls and women to go to the market under the taliban, girls were banned from school and women from work. many here are terrified those dark days are about to return. do you worry about the girls' safety today yes, the principal says. they tell us, you all might die. >> reporter: it upsets you yes, she says. i try to help the women. i'm very sad when i see all these girls, i get really upset now a student at the american

university here told me her mother bought her a burka not because she wants her to cover up but because she said they have to be prepared. >> disturbing, disheartening thanks. a manhunt is under way after a gunman fired shots inside a mall. >> one of the girls said let's go to the back there was a closet all the way in the back of the store we stood there it was like nine of us in the closet. >> a terrifying ordeal for shop shoppers at danbury mall there was an altercation between people and a 16-year-old girl was shot in the chest. she was not the target. >> we have some information that a male was running from the scene, carrying a hammer we believe he may have been the target but she got in the way. >> police are searching for the gunman and suspects who fled the scene. consumer alert to tell you about. a new study published in the journal of environmental science

says long-lasting makeup contain higher levels of potentially toxic chemicals called forever chemicals. according to the study by scientists at the university of notre dame which screened 231 cosmetics, 63% of makeup foundations, 55% of the lip products and 45% of the mascaras contained high levels of flourine prince george's county, maryland, crews worked to repair the water main break, the cause of the huge hole in the road this car went straight through the barricades being fully submerged. the driver managed to escape the vehicle on his own but also without any injuries. kicking off state fair festivities today, iowa and missouri west virginia will kick off things with a nellie concert in illinois, their state fair is

celebrating its 100th anniversary with one buttery bovine that sculpture is made from 100 pounds of butter it will be in the dairy building at the state fair if you are so inclined. let's get a check now and see about these excessive heat war warnings and an update on fred. with janessa. >> super exciteed to hear the fairs returning but it's going to be a scorcher out there if you go to the fairs make sure you have water handy these excessive heat warnings are spreading across the southern plains, northeast, midatlantic, across the board coast to coast people are having a hard time sleeping because temperatures and humidity levels are sitting in the mid 70s, near 80 degrees already. we'll be back in the 90s for air temperatures for daytime highs today. this spreads into the raleigh, durham area, south carolina,

charleston, where air temperatures of 91 degrees, but the heat index, this say new forecast for new jersey today. 110 degrees will be the feel-like temperature. across the carolinas, we're near 106. so, tough conditions with all these heat alerts currently in place. so, we're watching this for 106 million people through the afternoon all the way into early friday morning a also, tropical depression fred is making its way across the dominican republic the better news, it's starting to break apart plenty of time for i sunshine coa coastal areas of the pacific northwest dealing with fire danger and temperatures, mid 90s.

one more element we do have severe weather across the northeast. we'll talk about that coming up. >> all right, janessa, we'll talk to you then. r.j. smith is going back to school and looking to find his footing in a different sport north carolina at&t university, has his sights set on competing for the golf team, petitioning the ncaa for his eligibility to be able to play while completing his studies. he was drafted to the nba right out of high school in 2004 harder to keep score in golf, though joe biden's call into probe in high gas prices. he was once america's mayor after 9/11 it's the faster way to clean as you go. just spray, wipe and rinse. it cleans grease five times faster. dawn powerwash now available in free & clear.

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nothing stands in the way of oil price declines leading to lower prices for consumers. >> while speaking about concerns surrounding inflation, he announced plans to crack down potential illegal activity behind the spike in fuel prices. according to the labor department the price of gas has outpaced the rise in energy cost by nearly double the average price is now $3.18 a gallon nationwide. in a storied drug bust along the border, nearly three tons of methamphetamine head hid in a shipment of plastic household articles the agency says this is the largest methamphetamine bust in history. trying to drive a tractor trailer across the mexico border into california. those drugs are estimated to be worth nearly $13 million. instagram is rolling out a new set of features help ing

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in today's quick hits, vegetarians, get ready for this game changer a meatless pepperoni pizza partnered up with beyond eat it's available at select stores in new york, georgia, texas and florida. the pumpkin spice craze is com coming back early this year. dunkin' is releasing their fall menu august 18th, pumpkin spice cold brew, lattes, donuts and muffins. a true mvp move here what a guy patrick maholmes is bringing whataburger. christmas spirit may cost extra this year. the price you pay for holiday shipping is going up stephanie ruhle explains. >> frances, it may seem early to

talk about it, but the price you pay for holiday shipping is going up the holidays just got a little bit more expensive the u.s. postal service planning to ad a surcharge to most packages shipped between october 3rd and december 26th. retailers like amazon and walmart will pay more. so will everyone else. >> with these potential shipping costs going up as well, the holidays will be a more expensive time of the year. >> additional fees 25 cents for small packages and up to $25 for heavier ones the postal service says they're needed to cover higher costs in peak season volume surges. >> we know gas prices are at an a all-time high and that's going to cost more to transport packages or letters. unfortunately, they do have to pass some of those price increases on to the consumers. >> reporter: months before the holidays, consumers already face shortages on the shelves and higher prices. there are ways can you save. >> prepare ahead i can't stress this enough

if you prepare ahead, you don't have to choose that fast delivery method which always costs more, and that will help you save money. >> reporter: other advice includes stagger signing up for free shipping trials between now and the holidays, and look for free shipping coupons from retailers as december gets closer we also learned yesterday that inflation continues to surge everything from bacon to airline prices to used cars are seeing prices go up this is in large part due to supply chain issues. until those issues get resolved, and they haven't yet, prices are likely to keep going up. frances? >> we'll budget early. stephanie, thank you. janessa is tracking dangerous storms straight ahead. and "brooklyn nine-nine," preview of the hit show's final season

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real love means you have to sacrifice. the pain is temporary. >> there's michael b. jordan in the first trailer for denzel washington's film "a journal for jordan," a true story and memoir of charles monroe king, who wliets letters to his newborn son while overseas he was sadly killed in iraq in 2006 but his wife kept every letter it premiers this christmas

just a few seconds of watching this, you can see how tough that's going to be beautiful to watch. >> talk about how much a lighter form of entertainment. "brooklyn nine-nine" is back tonight for the cop comedy's final season a preview of what we can expect from season number eight. >> we made the world's hottest baby. >> "brooklyn nine-nine" ended last season -- >> this kid is liquid fire. >> with a birth, emotions s setting the stage for the cop comedy's final season. >> jake, are you crying? >> yes. >> it's kind of like a miracle that everything about this show is so magically wonderful. >> reporter: an ensemble affair. >> we have created the covid five. >> trying to cram as many jokes as we can into 21 1/2 minutes. testament to what can be

achieved when you dress appropriately. let's pound it out. >> reporter: it's been life-changing for the cast. >> i've been transformed by being part of this show. i'm going to miss that. >> reporter: they had the luxury but also the weight of knowing it was the final season while filmins my listening noise. >> listening doesn't require noise! >> every time we come on the set, we're like, it's a little bit heavy, but in a good way. >> ways that the cast hopes create a memorable farewell. >> no hugs because of covid. zero kisses. we might cg some kisses. we'll see. >> reporter: mark barker, nbc news. >> wow resuscitated some life after fox canceled it after five seasons. >> and then people got a whole if you life. i'm excited to see what he does next. >> i'm sure it's going to be something good thank you for kicking off your thursday with "early today.

happy friday eve as we call it i'm frances rivera. >> i'm philip mena coming up on the "today" show, kathy hochul, lieutenant

right now at 4:30, back to the bay. the dixie fire threatening thousands of homes this morning as smoke returns. we're tracking air quality conditions for you. plus, the fda could green light a booster shot today but not everybody will be able to get one, and we will tell you who will and who won't make the list just yet. and then reconsidering letting officers back on campus. this is "today in the bay." a very good thursday to you. thank you so much for waking up with us. i am laura garcia.