the game of the season brady versus belichick on new england's home field history was made but did the game live up to sky high expectations bombshell. a former facebook insider reveals her identity after leaking internal documenting about the inner workings of the social media giant guns, god, and abortion. a new supreme court session is about to take shape and america may never been the same. and our interview with two members of women's professional soccer about the abuse scandal and why they believe others are in danger.

the latest on california's massive oil spill that's shutting down beaches and much more busy kickoff to your week. "early today" starts right now >> good morning. i'm frances rivera >> and i'm philip mena a monumental return to new england for tom brady come bark to face the team he was the face of for 20 years. >> please welcome tonight's visitors the tampa bay buccaneers >> mostly cheers for brady as he entered the stadium. but that all changed once the game started >> here comes tom brady. off the opposite sideline. >> he does play for the bucs now. booed as he began his first drive and the first quarter, the

dwoet g.o.a.t. entered the record book, breaking drew brees' record for all-time passing yards. >> the pats held brady to no touchdown throw tons night tampa did get a rushing score and four field goals to put themselves ahead one last chance for new england, the 56-yard field goal doipg dos off the crossbar the bucs win in new england 19-17. we'll have more around the nfl coming up later on "early today. >> what a game for the first time in over 18 months, the supreme court will hear arguments in person with the exception of justice brett kavanaugh who will work remotely after testing positive for covid. he is vaccinated and not showing symptoms for more on what's shaping up to be a blockbuster term, here's pete williams. >> reporter: it's likely to be

the most important term for abortion rights in at least three decades. the court will take up a mississippi law that would ban virtually all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy >> after the point where the unborn child can feel pain, we ought to provide them an extra level of protection from the abortion >> reporter: but the supreme court has consistently ruled that states cannot ban abortion before around 24 weeks mississippi urges the court to take a bold step and overturn roe. >> if roe is reversed, probably almost half the states in the united states would strictly limit abortion and perhaps ban it all together. >> reporter: and the new texas law shutting down abortions after six weeks is bound to be back too the supreme court allowed it to take effect a month ago. the justices will decide whether local lies require showing a special need to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon violate the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. >> contrary to the second amendment.

i mean, does your right to self-protection stop when you leave your home? >> reporter: a case from maine invites the court to rule on another contentious issue. and the court might take up the affirmative action controversy over considering an applicant's race as a factor in college admissions >> i think we're going to look back at this as a year the conservatives fully took over the supreme court and american constitutional law where they got what they were looking for on the big issues that affect all of american lives. >> reporter: the end of the term will likely bring more speculation about justice steven briar. he turns 84 in august. will he step down while the democrats hold the white house and the senate phillip? >> pete, thanks. as facebook gears up for another week in the hotseat on capitol hill, the whistleblower behind a drove of documents

released is dialing up identitya bombshell interview on "60 minutes. a former product manage we are the company revealed how facebook chose content likely to make users angry because it drove up engagement. >> the thing i saw facebook over and over again was there were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for facebook and facebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money. when we live in an information environment full of angry, hateful, polarizing content, it erodes our civic trust, our faith in each other, it erodes our ability to can't to care for each other the version of facebook that is us today is tearing our societies apart and causing ethnic violence around the world. >> in response, facebook released this statement --

>> she will testify tomorrow and senator blumenthal says he will investigate her claims that facebook undermined security efforts by disbanding the civic integrity team after the 2020 election joe biden will hit the road today. progressive and moderate democrats have clashed over the size of the legislation and had to delay a vote on friday once it became clear it wouldn't pass monica alba is in d.c. where things stand this morning. good morning >> reporter: all sides are dug in, and democrats appear committed to a two-ftrack infrastructure deal. but they disagree not just on the scope but size, with progressives seeking a larger bill to expand the social safety net and reject climate change,ge

price tag. the white house lowered expectations today say they aren't working under any artificial deadline. all as republican critics relish the democratic in-fighting frances? >> monica, thank you a massive cleanup is underway after a massive 126,000 gallon oil spill spanning 13 square miles closed beaches in southern california. >> officials are investigate reports of dead animals washing on to the shore and the spill is supposing a threat to humans, as well >> reporter: frances, this is the oily goop animals are up against in this pond here, several fish trapped below the oil coated surface and this is a tiny fraction of the miles of beach impacted. a race against time. authorities frana major

oil spill. orange county in southern california dumping 126,000 gallons of oil into the pacific, spanning 13 square miles >> we are in the midst of a potential ecological disaster here >> reporter: the leak began saturday the pipeline company says the line has been shut down but they don't know what caused it to fail >> we have divers on location at the potential source site. we are investigating the source and potential cause. >> reporter: a major concern, wildlife toxic globs washing ashore, and infiltrating treasured wetlands. >> we have already received reports of many, many animals being covered in oil >> reporter: health officials warning it could be harmful to humans, too. the goopy mess, a stain to southern california's typically pristine beaches but what you can't see, the awful smell. it wl headache in influx of

visitors because of the iconic pacific air show, canceled many now passing time at area beaches, despite calls to avoid the sand and the sea >> people are in the water does that concern you? >> it does concern me. the toxic fumes are present in the air, and it might be impactful to your health >> reporter: an ecological nightmare growing with each wave the pipeline is under 80 to 100 feet of water, making it difficult for divers to pin point the service. they just inspected the pipeline last week. frances? >> emily, thank you. to the nfl now a battle of the unbeatens in the nfc west arizona took the fight to the rams, right out of the gate. tyler murray led the charge with two touchdowns and the run game would produce 216 yards on the ground the cardinals fly high in los angeles. 37-20. and the saints' first game at the superdome this season, it

was the giants causing a stir in the big easy saquon barkley caught a touchdown pass to tie it up. and then run it in, in overtime. big blue get the fir win of the season, 27-21. >> >> chiefs bounced back fallowing back-to-back losses. patrick mahomes threw five touchdowns, finding hill in the end zone twice kansas city beat the eagles 42-30. check out this incredible catch by markeith brown. the ravens put up 23 unanswered and knocked the broncos of from rnks of the unbeatens, 27 23-7 only two undefeated teams remain in the nfl. the raiders put their 3-0 mark on the line tonight against the chargers >> let's check in with janessa webb for a look at how your week is shaping up. i know you started off well. the cowboys got the victory yesterday, as well

so could not be a bad end to the weekend. >> yeah, how about them boys it's always a good start when they get a w so weather wise, we are seeing across the ohio valley to the east coast, just a ton of sunshine for your weekend. things are starting to go downhill, because we have a slow-movg s going to continue all week long across this area. so we have dreary weather from new york city down to raleigh-durham area. and portions of the southeast, we'll be watching for the flooding rain for at least the next three case. look at atlanta, all the way down to across texas. san angelo, 86 degrees

an man, it's still feeling like summer in spots of tupper midwest. we'll look at the forecast coming up. >> thank you, janessa. the mlb playoffs are set after a wild final day the yankees clinched the final a.l. wild card spot in dramatic fashion, with aaron judge's single driving in the game-winning run over tampa. they'll head to boston tomorrow to take on thered sox in the wild card game the winner will face the rays on thursday the 106-win dodgers will host the cardinals in the n.l. wild card game the winner of that goes to san francisco on friday. more ahead, including "snl"'s big season premiere. >> andwoom t wen from professional soccer speak to us. we're back in 60 seconds you do. its food-seeking enzymes break down food into particles so small they can flow right down the drain. plus, it's powerful enough for the quick-wash cycle. cascade platinum with 50% more cleaning power!

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our sam brock sits down with two top athletes that speak out about why they don't feel safe >> these players will be scarred for the rest of their lives. >> it's time that their voices are heard. >> reporter: for the first time, players in the women's national soccer league are speaking out about coach paul riley, who was just fired from the north carolina oh courage after a dozen women told the athletic he was verbally abusive, and in several cases committed acts of sexual coercion. he's denied all allegations. do you think what happened with paul riley is an isolated incident >> i think it's systemic and no one in a position of power that is supposed to protect us and do the right thing has righted the ship >> reporter: neither of these two players are involved in these accusations. but they are deeply concerned about what they say is a pattern of ignoring players' voices.

>> these are not new stories they came forward in 2015, saying exactly what they did in that article >> reporter: that year, riley was investigate while coaching the portland thorns. he was not renewed but landed another job with a different club mcleod says there are still people managing the organization that were there during the alleged abuse. >> they're complicit and we need to get rid of those people >> reporter: the former player making the accusations bravely came forward for the article >> listen, they tried to do it, and it was denied and they had to try again imagine that pain. but also imagine that strength >> reporter: the national women's soccer league did not respond to our repeated requests for comment but referred us to a previous statement about implementing safeguards. for them, that's not enough. >> we need more policies, back ground checks. we need to be treated with basic human rights

>> this obviously is affecting you deeply why are you so emotion natural >> what are we saying to young players, 12 or 13 years old, about what we are going to allow to happen to our athletes in this country and that's unforgivable. >> reporter: they say it's time the cycle is shred, once and for all. sam brock, nbc news. still to come, the shocking new allegations from model emmy r radcowski about robin thicke and a weekend update saturday night live bk th nejobin.isacwi eling sluggish or weighd down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins.

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say, are you good with watter? >> i don't like the taste. >> "saturday night live" kicked off its premiere by tackling the stalled infrastructure talks and loren michaels showed a lot of confidence in james austin johnson, having him step into the role of joe biden in his very first show. you know, he was the feature director in the cold open. they were bringing in big names for the imbrpressions in past seasons. let's turn now to actress emily ratajkowski, who is opening up about an alleged assault she says happened while she worked with singer robin thicke according to the sunday nights, ratajkowski claims in her upcoming book "my body" that the star grabbed her bare breasts in 2013 while filming a video for his video "blurred lines." in the video ratajkowski and two other near naked models appeared

alongside thicke and others. the 30-year-old said that the experience made her feel naked for the first time that day. the music video's director told the sunday times she witnessed the moment and said that thicke later sheepishly apologized. thicke has not responded to the allegations. >> janessa will have a look at the weather for the weex ahead, next music transformed his life now a hospital worker is bringing the same gift to his patients or fist bump there, or... oh! i can't wait to go there! or reunite there, start here. walgreens makes it easy to stay protected wherever you go. schedule your free flu shot and covid-19 vaccine today. got lingering odors? grab febreze small spaces. wherever you go. press firmly to activate...

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neuriva. think bigger. a new jersey man is using the power of music to help others heal. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: here at the lorobet wood johnson university, this is the sound of hope. ♪ ♪ 28-year-old enrique rodriguez works as a phlabotomist. talk to me about when you

decided to sing to your patients >> i figured why not try to bring music to my patients >> reporter: now a tiktok star, found his calling after singing to michelle lucy >> he was there and it just lifted my spirits. ♪ ♪ >> and that's when i felt it i'm called to step into room where is there's anxiety and bring peace, joy, and love ♪ holy spirit you are welcome here ♪ >> reporter: you've had a difficult time at times in your life >> i had an older brother. we had to go away for some time. so it left me alone in seeking a family so i joined a gang >> reporter: but finding faith and purpose helped him through it all >> the lord was speaking to me saying i don't want you to hurt my childrening i want you to heal them. >> so he did, singing in church.

with the help of leila hinrich, his music teacher. >> he is with them in the darkest moment, in possibly their last moment and offering them that comfort. >> he made it seem like there was hope at the end of the tunnel ro >> reporter: a life long mission showered with song at the end of the day, what do you think will be a life well lived for enrhee ray rodriguez >> a life where enrique is able to love and bless everyone where he goes. to put love in their hearts and to have them feel peace and joy. >> thanks to hoejose for that. what a soulful guy right there, lifting spirits of so many >> amazing how music really does help people heal and he was able to share his gift with others in the best way possible >> amazing to see. something else kudos to him >> thanks for kicking off the

week on this monday with "early today. i'm philip mena. >> and i'm frances rivera. coming up, jenna bush haiker will sit down with jerry seinfeld to talk about his new project and celebrating the launch of his classic sitcom on netflix. your news contues right heinre

unmasked a facebook whistleblower reveals her true identity, accusing the social media giant of a betrayal of democracy california catastrophe a massive oil spill covering 13 q square miles as officials scrambling >> it's been my home for 20 years. i have the best them ris, my kids are born here it's a great town, a great city, a great area i love it up here. i have so many people th