welcome to monday. where a new slate of covid mandates and restrictions are about to be enforced as one hospital says they can't deliver babies anymore because of mass resignations from delivery room nurses opposed to vaccine mandates our richard engel is back in kabul weeks after the mad rush of the u.s. withdrawal how is the taliban governing and how are women being treated and what rights do they even have? newly declassified 9/11 fbi documents reveal new details about the saudi government and the attacks on america we've got the latest on the atlanta apartment complex

explosion. what may have caused it. week one of the nfl saw some exciting moments across the league as fans packed stadiums from coast to coast. plus all the biggest moments from mtv's video music awards. they pulled out all the stops. a busy kickoff to your new week. "early today" starts right now glad you could be with us this morning i'm frances rivera >> and i'm kendis gibson glad to be with you. hope you had a great weekend as we kick off a new week, the delta variant continues to turbocharge the covid pandemic there have now been more than 41 million infections and the death toll has surpassed 663,000 people but in some states things are looking up this morning. according to the cdc, more than 2/3 of the populations in massachusetts, vermont and connecticut have been vaccinated those states leading the country in vaccination rates >> classes are back in session today in new york city after 18 months of in-home learning the nation's largest school district is opening its doors. roughly 1 million public school

students will be back in the classroom. nbc's morgan chesky is covering the latest on the outbreak for us >> reporter: growing backlash over president biden's vaccine mandate. at least 19 republican governors denouncing the rule. requiring businesses with at least 100 employees to make covid shots mandatory or offer weekly testing >> the president's actions in a mandate hardens the resistance >> reporter: florida governor ron desantis promising a fight >> people should not be cast aside because they make a medical decision for themselves. >> reporter: president biden calling opposition cavalier, adding all federal workers and contractors should be vaccinated within 75 days or face fines >> the requirements for vaccination are part of a long tradition that we have in this country of taking steps as a collective to keep people safe >> reporter: but fallout under way. in new york the mandate forcing one hospital to turn away expectant mothers after staff members quit >> the number of resignations

received leaves us no choice but to pause delivering babies at lewis county general hospital. >> reporter: in north carolina business owner steven bullock feels stuck. >> it's a fight every day. >> reporter: the vaccination rate of his 125 employees, about 40%. now he fears some quitting to work somewhere smaller where the mandate doesn't apply. >> have you found anything that is capable of changing someone's mind at this point >> frankly i have not. folks are really dug in, and it seems the harder you try the further they go. >> reporter: and yet major corporations in favor. companies like ams ornazon, home depot and walmart. infections down 10% from their peak during the latest wave driven by the delta variant. doctors say there are three main reasons why. increased use of masks indoors,

a steady rise in vaccination rights, and the virus burns through until there's no one else to infect >> okay, morgan, thank you overseas now nearly two weeks since the last american soldier withdrew from afghanistan and now our own richard engel returns to kabul, now firmly under taliban rule. richard, good morning to you what sort of changes are you seeing already >> reporter: frances, kendis, so i'm back in kabul. i was here about two weeks ago and things have changed quite a bit just since i was here. the last time i left there was a massive evacuation under way at the airport. there was a suicide attack at kabul international airport. the attack that killed 13 u.s. service members. 200 afghans. that was the last time i was at the airport. i landed today, and the first thing you see when you hit the ground is a giant sign in english. and it says, "the islamic emirate of afghanistan," which is the new name of this country

under the taliban, "seeks peaceful and positivs with the world." so the taliban are on this pr mission. they're trying to say that they are not the same organization that was in power in this country in the 1990s, that hosted osama bin laden, was very, very repressive toward women. just today the taliban said that women and girls can go to school that was not allowed in the 1990s. but they said that the classrooms will be segregated, that if they're in the same room there will be a center divider down the middle of the room, and that islamic dress is required but there was no mention of the burqa, which was imposed many years ago and is still worn in many rural parts of this country and in some parts of kabul and frankly never went away in some rural parts of afghanistan. so they're on this campaign to say that they have changed it's unclear if it's true. it's unclear if people are going

to believe it. many people are still trying to get out of this country. there is a fear of a refugee crisis because there's increasing humanitarian problems, food problems, and it could be that the taliban are pouring on the charm because they need international aid. for whatever reason, they are carrying this message, and you do see the message out on the streets. there are not as many armed men. the armed men that you do see are not aggressive they're not beating people so so far the taliban are saying that they've changed and they are acting to a degree -- there have been several instances of brutality. they attacked journalists who were covering a protest. they've made all kinds of protests illegally -- illegal. they've brutally crushed dissent. so by no means are they perfect. by no means are these angels running this country but they are saying that they are not the same taliban that hosted osama bin laden 20 years

ago and that was scorned around the world, and they're saying that the world should give them a chance they need the food aid and they're trying to take some steps to calm down the population and to calm down the international community. >> very interesting to see that sign, an olive branch there in english. richard, thanks. north korea claims it has successfully tested a new long-range cruise missile. the regime's state media said the missiles flew over 900 miles before hitting their targets it was the country's first test since march. and analysts say it is their first such weapon with a nuclear capability south korea did not disclose whether it detected the latest test but confirmed it is conducting a detailed analysis in cooperation with the united states the u.s. said it will continue to monitor the situation and that its commitment to the defense of the republic of korea and japan remains ironclad the nation took a collective pause this weekend to remember the victims of 9/11. 20 years after those tragic

events the fbi released newly declassified documents from its investigation into the attacks here's nbc'sa alba on what the bureau revealed. >> reporter: as the sun set on the 20th anniversary of september 11th -- >> everyone in this place is -- >> reporter: a subway series to salute fallen first responders >> the mets and the yankees will represent much more than their baseball team. >> reporter: followed by a tribute of light over lower manhattan, stretching four miles into the sky where the twin towers once stood. also the fbi released a 16-page report examining possible connections between the 9/11 terrorists and the saudi government but it contained no conclusive evidence the investigative record is the first in a batch of declassified documents ordered by president biden after mounting pressure from families who lost loved ones on september 11th like brett eagleson, whose father bruce died that day

>> yesterday was a really big win for us because it substantiates what we've been saying all along >> reporter: the heavily redacted report describes a november 2015 interview with an unidentified man in frequent contact with saudi nationals in the u.s. who investigators say provided "significant logistics support to two of the hijackers in the leadup to 9/11. the kingdom has long denied any role in the attacks, which kicked off america's longest war, one the president continues to defend ending >> 70% of the american people think it was time to get out of afghanistan. but the flip of it is they don't like the way we got out. but it's hard to explain to anybody how else could you get out? >> our thanks to monica alba for that report. georgia authorities are investigating an apartment explosion that sent four people to the hospital. videos posted online show the devastation in the wake of the blast near atlanta neighbors who heard the boom said it felt like an earthquake. authorities have not determined a cause. residents did report a strong smell of gas in the area

and smoke from fires out west making a return to the east coast, blanketing the new york city metro area in a haze. it's expected to stay in the area for a few days. in california you can see the situation. a new brush fire prompting evacuations and road closures in mendocino county the fire already burning 275 acres during its first day containment at around 10%. this morning tropical storm nicholas is churning in the gulf and it could bring 15 to 20 inches of rain for texas and louisiana. let's turn to nbc meteorologist janessa webb who joins us this morning. hi, janessa. good morning >> hi. good morning yes, we've hit the peak of hurricane season and now we do have tropical storm nicholas it continues to be very disorganized but there's a ton of moisture in this storm system. right now 70 miles southeast of the mouth of rio grandee 60-mile-per-hour winds the problem with this storm system, we think there's a possibility it could stall out

as it makes its way across land. so right now the latest track has it making landfall later tonight in the overnight h and it will be dumping a ton of rain even into the houston area. it does turn into an area of low pressure as we go into wednesday, but still going to be impacting parts of louisiana into cameron all the way into the new orleans area right now the latest forecast, most areas will see five to seven inches of rain but as this continues to gain steam some local areas all the wayinto coastal sections of texas could pick up 15 to 20 inches and that even streams into parts of new orleans. that's a look at the big weather story of the day here's a look at your day ahead. so our temperatures across the deep south continue to be in the upper 80s. some severe storms predicted for florida this afternoon also watching some severe weather for the northeast. daytime highs in the mid 80s

and this is just one storm i'm watching we have three disturbances in the atlantic we'll talk about that coming up. >> uh-oh a lot to watch for the start of this week. thank you, janessa an australian man has broken the guinness world record for the longest time in plank position daniel skully planked for a staggering nine hours 30 minutes and one second >> why >> that's longest than some workdays because he can the previous record was set by an ex-marine in february of 2020 for eight hours 15 minutes and 15 seconds now, most impressive of all, scali suffers from a condition that causes constant pain in his left arm, making that accomplishment even more amazing. >> i can't do it for a minute. >> no. i'm with you look at this guy >> he did break a sweat, though. all right. plenty more ahead after the break including the heartbreaking moment at the u.s. open >> we've also got your top nfl fantasy football pyef lars othe week and sunday's highlights that's next. ♪ ♪

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a massive first week in the nfl capped off in los angeles. the rams and the bears matthew stafford threw three touchdown passes in his first game with his new team his first being this 67-yarder to van jefferson and while bears rookie justin fields nabbed his first nfl score it wasn't enough to keep up with l.a. the rams win 34-14 in kansas city it was the cleveland browns who were in control early leading by 12 at the half but never count out patrick mahomes. the chiefs put up 26 points in the second half, taking the game away from the browns 33-29 and joe borough didn't miss a beat in his return from a devastating knee injury. finding former lau teammate jamar chase for a touchdown. the bengals and vikings would go down to the wire in overtime trading possessions until cincinnati kicked one through the uprights for a 27-24 win in tennessee the titans had no

answer for kyler murray and the explosive cardinals offense, who got out to an early 17-0 lead. the titans' comeback was stifled by a flock of arizona defenders led by chandler jones's five-sack performance. the cardinals head back to arizona winners, 38-13 >> okay. so among the fantasy standouts on sunday saints quarterback jameis winston tossing five touchdowns in new orleans' blowout quinn over the packers and t.j. hawkinson nearly helped the lions complete a massive comeback over the 49ers. and maya schalke made history on the field becoming the first black woman to officiate an nfl game she was the line jung for the jets versus the packers. good for her now to novak djokovic who was one win away from an elusive calendar grand slam. but running into daniil medvedev proved to be more than he could handle medvedev weathered through storms all throughout the three sets there, eventually closing out world number 1 for the u.s. open men's singles crown

it is medvedev's first career grand slam win and on saturday emma raducanu became the youngest major champion in 17 years the 18-year-old beat leylah fernandez for her first title. her first grand slam victory >> and buckingham palace has announced she will be knighted by the queen already. >> well deserved when we return back in vogue you might say the mtv video music awards celebrating 40 years. mixing the classics with the best of today. and the fur flies at a football ge.am the incredible save you've got to see that's next. ♪ rich, indulgent chocolate with a luscious caramel filling. with love from san francisco. ghirardelli caramel squares. makes life a bite better.

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♪ there's lil' nas x performing his latest song industry baby featuring jack harlow at mtv's video music awards saturday night. >> he won big, by the way. for video of the year for his song "montero: call me by your name." that was just the start for a night full of winners. plus o'liveio rodrigo has been dominating the charts and now holds the title of best new artist and song of the year for her single "good for you." >> justin bieber and rapper kid la'roi performed on the barclay center stage in new york and accepted a major win for artist

of the year. and there's billie eilish who made waves when she accepted the video for good award her impactful song called "your power" was nominated for spreading a positive message and she used her speech to encourage fans to protect young women at all costs. college football fans avoid aid cat-tastrophe over the weekend. cameras caught a stray cat dangling off the upper deck at the hard rock stadium there where miami was hosting appalachian state football team. if you look below you can see fans turning an american flag into a net when the cat lost its grip they caught it. afterward the fans gave the kitty its own simba moment from "the lion king." apparently the fans bring the flag to every game and so it came into great use out there. >> what was the cat doing out there to begin with? that's a whole other thing janessa is tracking new trouble in the tropics that's next. and following in the footsteps of a friend. the inspiring story of a doctor's impact on one patient oh, just one.

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ah, the miller's. rising and shining! that's a bright idea. with high fiber and plump juicy raisins kellogg's raisin bran gives any day a sunny start. got lingering odors? grab febreze small spaces. plump juicy raisins kellogg's raisin bran press firmly to activate... and small spaces continuously eliminates and prevents odors... ...to freshen up any small room... ...for up to 45 days. febreze. ♪la la la♪ good morning, everyone you know we've already seen a very active start to hurricane season but we're about to enter the fourth quarter and things get really active. we have three disturbances that we're going to continue to watch. national hurricane center continues to monitor these storms that are coming off of west africa. there's about a 70% chance of development. guys >> tough to hear all right, janessa, thanks the incredible story of one

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a young med school student is following in her friend's footsteps. nbc's kate snow tells us about the doctor and patient whose lives are forever intertwined. >> the university school of medicine class of 2024 >> reporter: it was a huge moment for 24-year-old kate franklin the white coat marking her entry into medical school. she immediately texted a photo to someone she knew would want to see it. >> and i broke out in goosebumps, and i started to tear up. >> reporter: 21 years ago dr. loren walensky had just started his own medical career in pediatric cancer at the dana

farber cancer institute and boston children's hospital kate was one of his first patients >> the hardest job in the world, you know, is to look at mom and say she has leukemia and what i will never forget is that her mom jumped out of the chair. she grabbed me by the lapels with both hands. and proclaimed, "i will see you at her wedding." the mission from that moment clearly was to fix this and to make it right. >> reporter: under his care kate healed, gradually getting stronger after years of difficult treatments there was a moment where you could have passed kate on to another doctor, right? >> yes one of the nurses was there. and i remember her saying, "you've got to keep kate because she's going to be your ray of sunshine." >> reporter: turns out he was the family's guiding light too >> he's literally been with me through every stage of my life >> reporter: his compassion inspired kate to follow in his

footsteps. >> kate, when did you decide to be a doctor? >> i think i knew when i was 11 or 12 and i had this wonderful doctor who showed me what it's like to be i adporkt >> reporter: in high school can credit dr walensky helped her get an internship in his lab reechk drugs to combat the same leukemia she once had. >> he's a role model for you >> absolutely. >> is she still your ray of sunshine >> i mean, look at her of course >> reporter: no words to describe my feelings about this miracle, dr. walensky captioned her photo on twitter "i wouldn't be here without you," kate responded >> this was the squinttial moment of fulfillment and wishes of all physicians that take care of children, that they will grow up to become young women like kate who are going to be able to inspire others and make a huge difference by touching so many lives. >> she's not quite ready for a wedding just yet but dr. walensky i'm told will be the first one to get an invitation by the way, frances, if you recognize dr. walensky's name, he is the husband of the cdc director frances?

>> wow so many angles of this story that's fantastic kate, thank you. and what a remarkable story they both have and they can pass on even to other patients too >> and good for mom. mom knew right along that her daughter had a fighting spirit well, thanks for kicking

a new week, a new challenge in california where voters will decide whether to recall governor newsom and install a new leader today covid mandates will be enforced in many places. plus one hospital that is turning expectant mothers away because so manmaternity ward staff members have resigned over vaccine mandates we'll have the latest op that. and new york city the nation's largest school district