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 back in the classroom today as the mask and vaccine mandates will be enforced in many arease good news to report too.eaking

week one of the nfl, football back in full swing we'll take you behind the scenes to show you how one stadium is enforcing its own vaccine mandate. and today president biden will head to california to help shore up votes for governor newsom as voters head to the polls tuesday in a massive recall effort. the 2021 video music awards just wrapped up a few hours ago. it was an all-star thing we've got this year's winners and most memorable moments of the night as we kick off your week "early today" starts right now we do say good morning i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm frances rivera. we begin your week with another named tropical storm threat targeting the gulf coast nicholas is churning toward south texas and has triggered a storm surge watch. dangerous amounts of rainfall could hit areas still rebuilding after ida. let's get right to nbc meteorologist janessa webb who's tracking nicholas. janessa, good morning. >> hi. good morning

yes, we do have kind of a lopsided storm system right now. but throughout the afternoon nicholas will he start to gain a little bit more steam. right now 70 miles southeast of the mouth of rio grandee, 60-mile-per-hour winds we really want to take note of the moisture content in this storm system it will produce heavy amounts of rainfall across the coastline of texas. right now the national hurricane center has us making landfall later on tonight but this will be prolonged moisture, guys. we're talking about 15 to 20 inches of rain in some areas >> so tough to hear. all right, janessa, we'll check in with you in a bit 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 students back in the classroom stayed. and three states are leading the country in vaccination rates they are massachusetts, vermont, and connecticut. according to the cdc, more than 2/3 of their populations have been vaccinated.

>> plus, growing backlash over president biden's vaccine mandate. in new york the mandate forcing one hospital to turn away expectant mothers after staff members quit >> we have initiated discussions with the department of health regarding the maternity unit we are unable to safely staff the service after september 24th the number of resignations received leaves us no choice but to pause delivering babies at lewis county general hospital. >> 165 staffers at lewis county general hospital remain unvaccinated meanwhile, there's new information about a possible vaccine for children under 12. nbc's rehema ellis has more. >> reporter: understanding some parents are anxious, the fda is stepping up its review of a covid vaccine for kids 12 and under, saying it will carefully,

thoroughly and independently examine the data from the clinical trials. to complete its review as quickly as possible, likely in a matter of weeks rather than months >> right now we're doing the clinical trials. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci has suggested a similar timeline >> will be available for pfizer at the end of september and for moderna at the end of october. >> reporter: this comes just as it's back to full in-person learning monday for more of the nation's kids. meanwhile, the fda is urging parents not to seek shots for children under 12 who are not eligible for vaccination, saying younger kids may need different doses and they're working around the clock to figure out what that is. >> why can't children take vaccinations that are approved for adults >> children are not little adults and we do need to wait for the pediatric trials as they're being conducted to read out. that can tell us, number one, what's the right dose? what's the right frequency and what are some safety side effects that we need to watch

for in children? >> reporter: nationwide, concern is mounting. with more than 251,000 new cases of covid recently reported among children lila mejia, the mother of six, worries about her kids would you get your children 12 and under the vaccination? >> i would honestly wait to see like the first wave of folks get vaccinated and then i would allow them to get vaccinated. >> and our thanks to rehema ellis for that report. as nfl teams return to the gridiron, fans head back to the stadiums in the midst of the pandemic the league and its teams grapple with bringing fans back loudly and safely here's nbc's emily ikeda with more >> nothing quite like the opening sunday of the nfl season >> reporter: nfl sunday is back. and so are the crowds. 60,000 packed in indianapolis. masks encouraged but not mandated nearly 70,000 in tennessee after containing an outbreak on their team just weeks ago.

most stadiums have drastically loosened covid protocols no mask mandates, no temperature screening. a far cry from last season's cardboard cutouts. >> when one guy makes an interception -- >> reporter: the strictest rules among nfl teams set to play out at the las vegas raiders' regular season opener. last season looked a lot like this empty stands cleared out by the pandemic monday night a different picture. 65,000 fans will take a seat here but first they'll need proof of vaccination. >> they can celebrate in the way that they love and remember and not worry about the person sitting next to them >> reporter: for the glass family the vaccine mandate is what's pushing them through the gate >> it kind of got me over that hump like okay, they mean business >> reporter: so here how you get inside from your home you download the clear app. you select las vegas raiders upload your i.d. take a selfie. opt to add your vaccination card and then you're good to go without a mask

but the groundbreaking call not considered a touchdown by everyone a torrent of tweets calling it ridiculous, intrusive, too far the raiders reporting 1,800 tickets were refunded or rolled over to next year. have you worried that the call might isolate any raiders fans or discourage people from coming >> we can keep the building full regardless of what the health landscape looks like >> reporter: all of the raiders players have been vaccinated their opponent with more than 90%. last month ravens quarterback lamar jackson said he's undecided about getting the vaccine. it's unclear if he's since changed his mind the nfl promising to dole out strict punishment for covid outbreaks among unvaccinated players. the infected team could be forced to take a loss. but the nfl's top doc optimistic with less than 7% of players leaguewide without the shot. >> about half of the players who came into training camp that were unvaccinated have gotten started on the vaccination process since that time.

so we are seeing continued movement >> reporter: a pandemic that won't dictate who you root for but will shape how you do it emilie ikeda, nbc news, las vegas. president biden is campaigning for california governor gavin newsom in long beach today, a today before the state's recall election. voters could throw the democrat out of office and replace him with a republican. guad convvenegas has the latesto los angeles. >> reporter: with some pandemic restrictions still in place, governor gavin neuse simm facing this recall election the last time a governor was recalled in california was 2003 when arnold schwarzenegger replaced then governor gray davis. now democrats are rallying to keep that from happening again with even president biden flying in to support newsom in los angeles gavin newsom is making the final rounds as the deadline for a special recall election approaches. >> we will defeat this republican-backed recall on

tuesday! >> reporter: the governor campaigning to keep his job as his opponents criticize him for imposing heavy restrictions during the pandemic and his handling of issues like the homeless population and immigration. >> i think there's a lot of change that needs to happen in california so i'm very grateful for it. >> reporter: yet newsom maintains strong support >> i think he's done a good job with covid response. i'd like to see him continue his term >> reporter: voters will decide by tuesday to keep gavin newsom as governor or replace him with one of 46 challengers. newsom needs more than 50% of voters to choose no on the ballot if the majority selects yes, the opponent with the most votes would become governor. >> the key for the newsom campaign is turnout. this is an overwhelmingly democratic state so if they can turn out a bunch of california's 10 million democrats, they're going to beat california's 5 million republicans. >> reporter: the list of contenders ranging from the former mayor of san diego to reality tv star caitlyn jenner

but the front-runner, conservative talk radio host larry elder. >> i'm not anti-vaxx i've been vaccinated what i'm opposed to are vaccine mandates and face mask mandates. >> hello, california >> reporter: joining in support for newsom are democratic heavyweights former president barack obama, vice president kamala harris, and president biden set to join the campaign >> should newsom come out really strong, he sails forward into 2022 with a message for the party about how covid should be handled overall. >> reporter: a defining moment for california and a crucial test for newsom's legacy and early voting appears to favor governor newsom by as much as 2-1, but republican voters are expected to come out in large numbers on tuesday as democrats try to mobilize more supporters in the final days frances? >> okay, guad, thank you let's turn back to the weather right now because it is going to be a busy day busy with the tropical alerts and storm surge here's yeah, guys.

you know, the latest models just coming out i am concerned that this storm system will go from zero to 100 very quickly right now it's very disorganized but i do expect it to ramp up throughout the afternoon it will be a huge flood threat across coastal areas of texas. hurricane watches, they are currently in place across the bay city all the way into corpus christi, potentially going into warnings across this area. so you need to stay tuned to your local forecast. look at the storm surge. three to five feet could see some high surf along with beach erosion across all of this area. 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 are in the upper 80s. the lower 90s for florida with some stormy conditions also watching a slight risk for severe weather for new york city all the way into northern new england this afternoon watching this one very closely

could rev up very quickly. but then we have three other disturbances we'll talk about that coming up. >> important information we'll check in with you in a bit. thank you. wedding bells are in the air for britney spears the pop singer shared her engagement on instagram. she showed off her rock and wrote "i can't bleeping believe it." she met sam asghari in 2016 on the set of her "slumber party" music video. they have been together ever since. the iranian-born actor helps her stay in shape and has been her support during her conservatorship battle "early today's" back in two with how many steps a day can epheocr away and some renewed tensions with north korea this morning. and one we explore one that's been paved and one that's forever wild but freedom means you don't have to choose just one adventure ♪ ♪ you get both. introducing the all-new 3-row

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tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. janssen can help you explore cost support options. hbut dusting with a cloth is a pain. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. and dealing with a bulky vacuum.. . is such a hassle. uchhh!!! so now we use our swiffer sweeper and dusters. the fluffy fibers? they pick up dust easily. grabbing it in all those hard-to-reach places. gotcha!!! and for our floors, sweeper's textured cloths lock all kinds of dirt, dust and pet hair. unlike my vacuum, it sneaks under and around places. look at that!! dust free and hassle free. stop cleaning and start swiffering. leading the news, north korea claims it has successfully tested a new long-range cruise missile. the regime's state media says 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 it confirmed it's 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 now to great britain where it turns out prince andrew has been served with a lawsuit court documents indicate the duke of york was served on august 27th. the lawsuit alleging he abused a teenager virginia jeffries sued alleging she was compelled by jeffrey epstein and ghislaine maxwell to engage in sexual acts with prince andrew. andrew has denied the allegations and has said he has no recollection of ever meeting her. his attorneys have disputed whether the lawsuit is even viable a court hearing is scheduled for today. you probably heard plenty about the 10,000-step goal

a new study found that even 7,000 steps go a long way for your health. the findings published in jama showed that middle-aged people who walk that amount every day were less likely to die of any cause over the next decade researchers followed over 2,000 adults for the study they said there was no relationship between step intensity or speed and mortality. >> i'm still 6,000 steps away from that goal on average. still to come right here, highlights from a wild week one for the nfl. plus we're going to break down top players for your fantasy team and novak djokovic has his dreams dashed at t fisheinh line the stunner at the u.s. open ♪ rich, indulgent chocolate with a luscious caramel filling. with love from san francisco. ghirardelli caramel squares.

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what stafford does so well >> no huddle here. deep down field! wide, wide, wide open! a flag is down that's cooper kupp there's a flag down at the 35 yard line. >> i'll tell you what, that play stood. and the rams were dominant sunday night with that win over the bears. matt stafford threw three tds in his first game in l.a. a 34-14 win over chicago and comebacks, starmaking performances and more marked a busy week one in the nfl in kansas city it was the cleveland browns who were in control early, leading by 12 at the half but never count patrick mahomes out. the chiefs put up 26 points in the second half, taking the game away from the browns 33-29 >> and joe burrow didn't miss a

beat in his return from a devastating knee injury. finding former lsu teammate jamari chase for a 50-yard touchdown. the bengals and vikings would go down to the wire in overtime trading possessions until cincinnati kicked one through the uprights for the 27-24 win and 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. >> five sacks. that's got to hurt among the fantasy standouts on sunday saints quarterback jameis winston, who tossed five touchdowns in new orleans' blowout win over the packers and t.j. hawkinson who nearly helped the lions complete a massive comeback over the 49ers. and how's this for a standout? meyer chaka who made history on the field becoming the first

black woman to officiate an nfl game line judge for the jets and panthers game. at the u.s. open novak djokovic was one wane away from an elusive calendar grand slam but running into daniil medvedev proved to be more than he could handle medvedev weathered the storm through all three sets, eventually closing out the world number one for the u.s. open men's singles crown. it's medvedev's first career grand slam win on saturday emma raducanu became youngest major champion in 17 years. the 18-year-old beat leylah fernandez for the women's title, her first grand slam victory and history on the diamond for dodgers pitcher max scherzer in the fifth inning of an incredible start against the padres scherzer became the 19th player in mlb history to toss 3,000 career strikeouts. the outing also saw scherzer throw an immaculate inning, striking out all three batters in just nine pitches all right. janessa is tracking a trio of new threats developing in the tropics. that's next.

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end.lopment as we go into this ween th possible development across the u.s. late september. we'll be right back. and one we explore one that's been paved and one that's forever wild but freedom means you don't have to choose just one adventure ♪ ♪ you get both. introducing the all-new 3-row jeep grand cherokee l jeep. there's only one. ♪ look good jeep grand cherokee l feel good play good. gillette proglide, five blades and a pivoting flexball to get virtually every hair on the first stroke. look good, game good. gillette. i took my favorite cereal and made it waaay better, tony. shaq you're using my crunchy, delicious kellogg's frosted flakes. i added cinnamon basketballs. cinnamoooooooonnnnnnn!!!! ha! they're gr-r-reat!!! which one of these buttons mutes shaq?

i thought i could change my name, start a new life but i could never escape his shadow >> forget superpowers, "s "shang-chi" has staying power. the latest installment in the marvel cinematic universe topped the box office for the second weekend in a row earning nearly $36 million. "free guy" cashed in at second with 5.3 million "malignant" failed to scare a big audience in its debut weekend coming in third with just about 5.6 million

and candyman and "jungle cruise" rounded out the top five mtv kicked off the 2021 video music awards last night marking its 40th anniversary ♪ i want you to know that if i can't get close to you ♪ ♪ i'll settle for the ghost of you ♪ ♪ i miss you more than life ♪ >> justin bieber and rapper kid la'roi parked on the barclay center stage in brooklyn, new york and accepted a major win for artist of the year plus olivia rodrigo has been dominating the charts and now holds the title of best new artist as well as song of the year for her single "good for you. and doja cat outdid herself as official host of the show while doing a performance of two recently released songs. she took home the vma for best

collaboration featuring the singer sza >> look at these performances. they look amazing. always a little past our bedtime, set a dvr and go back >> it is also a good test to see do i know any of these performers >> these artists, right? >> these artists i did this year at least >> all right one of the biggest nights in fashion that returns tonight and gen z is taking over, the met gala is back with its youngest ever co-chair billie eilish. she is joined by actor timothy cha chalamet, also tennis star naomi osaka and poet amanda gorman this year's theme is celebrating modern american fashion. the red carpet event starts at 5:30 eastern and all weekend just up the street over here you see all the hustle and bustle of this massive event >> just about an hour or two ago as we're coming in i could see all the tents are getting ready. so even the middle of the night they're preparing. celebrating birthdays today the "riverdale" act rets leila reinhart turns 25. and singer and one direction alumniall horan is 28.

"boy meets world" star ben savage -- oh, boy. 41 >> and then grammy award-winning singer songwriter fiona apple is 44 olympic medal sprinter michael johnson is 54. and signing womede

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 so many maternity ward staffse members have resigned over vaccine mandates can but there is some good news as well. sir richard engel is back in kabul weeks after the taliban withdrawal how are women being treated and what right