it's monday, july 11th this morning, the january 6th investigation is about to go in another direction with former white house strategist steve bannon saying he is willing to testify now that donald trump has waived executive privilege the racegainst time is on to save the sequoias some 2,000 years old in yo yosemite's national park where the fire is uncontained. president biden says he's considering declaring a public health emergency for abortion access, but would such a move be

even legal a frightening landing for passengers aboard a spirit airlines jet when the landing gear caught fire and the inspiring reason a group of seniors rushed out of their own high school graduation ceremony "early today" starts right now >> good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm cori coffin we begin with a major development in the january 6th investigation. steve bannon, a key member of former president trump's inner circle says he is opening to testifying, but his lawyer says bannon wants to testify as part of the public hearings that continue tomorrow afternoon. ali vitali kicks off our coverage >> reporter: new possible cooperation from an unlikely source, an about-face from top trump ally steve bannon, after former president trump green-lighted his cooperation with the january 6th committee, waiving executive privilege over bannon's testimony, though it was unclear those protections applied anyway bannon now saying he's open to testifying he's set to stand trial for contempt of congress within weeks over his previously steadfast refusal to cooperate with the committee >> maga is on the march.

the j6 committee is totally irrelevant >> reporter: his lawyer saying he prefers to testify live though committee members say that's unlikely. but it's a pattern of new cooperation. trump's former top white house lawyer, pat cipollone, was deposed for nearly eight hours friday >> he was able to provide information, including the president's, what i would call dereliction of duty on the day of january 6th >> reporter: cipollone present for key moments in those final weeks of the trump era >> mr. cipollone said something to the effect of, "please make sure we don't go up to the capitol, cassidy keep in touch with me. we're going to get charged with every crime manageable." >> reporter: committee members saying he didn't contradict any previous witnesses' testimony. all this sure to play out in the committee's home stretch this week, with two hearings expected on the hill. tuesday is set to focus on how the mob came together spotlighting right-wing extremist groups, including testimony from a former spokesman for the oath keepers, and drawing a line between these groups, the former president,

and his top allies, even as new footage subpoenaed by the committee shows trump downplaying the 6th. >> they were angry from the standpoint of what happened in the election, and because they're smart and they're seeing it and they saw what happened. >> the committee will release a report some time this fall, but the decision to prosecute ultimately rests with the department of justice. >> okay, ali, thank you. a raging wildfire in yosemite national park is currently zero percent contained. nearly 400 firefighters are working throughout the night to get the nearly 1600-acre washburn fire under control. but it's an uphill battle occurring in hot and dry conditions in central california are expected to last through the week about 1600 people have been evacuated out of harm's way. rangers are desperately trying to save the park's mariposa grove of around 500 giant sequoia trees. the park's most famous tree, the

grizzly giant is more than 200 feet tall and roughly 3,000 year old. sprinklers have been set up around the giant tree. the cause of the fire is not yet known. it is more than two weeks since the court overturned abortion rights. president biden is verying a public health emergency to protect reproductive freedom it could expand abortion access. over the weekend, biden urged those on the front lines to keep up the fight >> because keep making your point. it's critically important. we can do a lot of things to accommodate the rights of women. in the meantime, fundamentally the only thing that is going to change this is if we have a national law in the united states of roe v. wade. >> meanwhile, in california one doctor wants to open a floating clinic to bypass the abortion

restrictions in several states dr. meg autry along with a team of providers would travel by boat along the gulf of mexico, performing abortions in international waters it would be off the texas, alabama, louisiana, coasts she is raising $20 million to fund it. in eastern ukraine, the search for survivors is under way after a russian rocket attack on an apartment complex here in this individual wrote you can see the piles of bricks and rubble this is just one of three buildings destroyed in the area. at least 15 people are dead. another 20 are missing teams are bringing in cranes and excavators to help clear the debris and help find anyone who might still be alive the community of highland park, which was the scene of that deadly july 4th shooting that left seven dead is beginning to heal. police tape and barricades have come down. businesses are reopening, and residents there are being allowed back into the downtown area which was the site of one of america's most recent mass shootings. here is nbc's kathy park

>> reporter: residents of highland park are taking their community back, days after the deadly july 4th shooting the barricades and police tape replaced by signs of resilience and recovery, their new motto "highland park strong" seen at every turn >> we're not going to be held down >> reporter: the doors are back open at some businesses while others are still cleaning up >> it hit a couple spots right there. >> reporter: including this popular pancake house, pierced by the gunman's bullets. >> this is where the bullet holes ended up even the awning has a hole >> reporter: today we met nicole polarek outside the restaurant, the same spot where she watched the parade go by with her family she took this photo of the packed street minutes before the massacre >> being back here right now is a reminder of just how close the gunfire was. >> reporter: how has this moment changed you? >> i've now joined a group of mothers, all across this

country, who have lost somebody and it's just not okay >> reporter: young children becoming a source of strength, while 8-year-old cooper roberts begins his long road to recovery after being shot and paralyzed from the waist down, his classmates spent the day raising money for their friend a slice of the americana shattered on the day celebrating our independence, but forever united as the healing becomes a community effort kathy park, nbc news, highland park, illinois a scary sight on the tarmac in atlanta a spirit airlines plane burst into flames yesterday morning. here you can see the smoke billowing from one of the aircraft's tires it happened right after the plane touch down from tampa. a spokesperson said the brakes overheated, sparking the fire. thankfully no one was hurt wnba superstar brittney

griner is due back in a russia court this week as pressure grows here at home for her release. over the weekend teammates used the spotlight to make sure griner isn't forgotten they showed a video honoring her, and her wife cherelle spoke to the crowd telling fans she is grateful for their support a tropical disturbance in the gulf worth keeping an eye on michelle grossman joins us on this monday. happy monday, michelle >> happy monday, guys. we're going to be watching this system over the next few days. it's going to be slow to develop, but it could pick up tropical characteristics either way heavy rains along the gulf coast over the next three, four days. let's take a look at what's happening in the gulf. we have a system that's going to sink to the south, and we're going see it moving very, very slowly it's going to bring the threat of strong winds gusting and heavy rain we could see rain up to 5 inches in some spots. bringing scattered rain from texas to the carolinas we could see 2 inches of rain per hour we could see some flooding rains as well. wednesday the ground is going to be so wet, saturated soil, more

rain is going to lead to the risk for flash flooding that could happen in parts of georgia and south carolina as well over 5 inches of rain is possible along the coast this is what the rainfall forecast looks like. we've been so wet in this area the past week, week and a half, and we're going add to this as we go throughout the next few days as well lubbock then we head to the northeast, a nice day there today 85 in new york city with partly sunny skies, 80 in scranton. all right, guys. we're going to look ahead towards the heat, because we're looking at temperatures once again soaring into the triple digits >> all right, michelle talk to you in a bit thank you. novak djokovic has done it again. the 35-year-old serbian won his seventh men's title at wimbledon and his fourth in a row.

he knocked off australian nick kyrgios to take home his 21st grand slam singles title djokovic is just one championship away from rafael nadal's record and on the women's side, a rising star scored her first grand slam title elena rybakina won the women's final. the 23-year-old's victory was the first for her country, kazakhstan back in one minute with details on what might be the greatest images ever seen in space. and if you notice more and more dcotsisun and prices being slashed, you not imagining it. details next technology... hours—or even days—later... enjoy bursts of freshness with every touch. for long-lasting freshness... grab febreze touch. feeling sluggish or weighed 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

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accor bidding for $2 billion deal. the commissioner revealed that the move to stream willing make sunday game viewing available to a much wider audience. a new era in astronomy begins today president biden will unveil the first full color photo from the james webb space telescope it will be the deepest and highest resolution view of the universe we have ever captured with one small picture back in may we got a look at the giant leap in technology look here on the left is the milky way as seen by the spitzer space telescope. and on the right is an early picture from the webb telescope. according to nasa, today's image will show a myriad of galaxies as they appear 13 billion years in the past. get ready to shell out more money at the post office the price of a forever stamp will cost you 60 cents

a postcard increased from 40 to 44 cents also sending an international letter will cost $1.40 other price increases include certified mail, renting a po box and more inflation and increased operating costs are the reason for the uptick in prices have you noticed more big sales at stores recently get ready for a lot more of that after two years of shortages, stores suddenly have too much stuff. a problem for them, but it means discounts for us aaron gilchrist explains >> reporter: for more than two years many of the things we've ordered have been put on hold. remember this? last year's stunning images of containers crammed with goods sitting at overwhelmed ports now many of those back orders are finally in, and the heat is on for retailers desperate to unload it all to make room for next season's stock. during the pandemic, we ordered all this stuff, we wanted more and more and then what happened? >> at the beginning of the pandemic, we wanted to spruce up

our homes and then retailers kind of rushed to order this merchandise and then we saw all these pandemic-related supply chain issues and so now it's all coming in and merchants are sitting on this merchandise. these are very large items and retailers have a limited amount of warehouse space >> we are reaping the benefits of that? >> absolutely. >> reporter: for consumers that means some of the best sales under the sun, deeper discounts on everything from electronics like big screen tvs to loungewear, mattresses and furniture marked way down but this month, those deals also come with a twist. major chains competing this week with amazon's prime day. >> for many americans the top issue right now is inflation >> reporter: it's a breath of fresh air for consumers struggling with record inflation like katie smith >> the things we're most excited for are the home improvement items. >> reporter: after throwing a wedding and buying a house in 2020, smith and her husband, evan, put off big purchases.

the michigan couple seeing these sales as a chance to feather their nest >> what i'm also excited about getting for our deck from amazon prime day is an outdoor rug. our new deck needs a little zhuszh so we really want to make it our own. >> reporter: even with the sales, there are more ways to save, experts say do your homework, make a list of what you need and stick to it compare prices at amazon and other retailers using online alerts or shopping apps. finally, use a credit card that offers points or cash back sales lighting up online shopping carts for consumers hoping to cash in. aaron gilchrest, nbc news. >> there has been so much difficulty when it comes to reporting on all of this inflation. it's nice to see a little bit of relief for consumers. >> like you said, do your homework it's not at every site before all this, there was a lot of impulse buys going on and then prices spiked and people are let me double-check.

>> a little more cautious. >> exactly nice to see a lot more products becoming available for a decent price. >> right we've got much more ahead this morning, including the brave teens who left their own high school graduation to put out a fire at classmate's house. and up next, a historic victory for protesters in sri lanka with the president stepping down. plus, it eliminates odors with a water-based formula and no dyes. for freshness you'll enjoy. - hey honey. - hey dad. that smell is eight million odor-causing bacteria. good thing adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria that detergents can't. clean is good, sanitized is better. ♪♪ a dental tool is round for a reason. so is an oral-b. round cleans better by surrounding each tooth. so clean, you'll feel like you just left the dentist. oral-b. brush like a pro. ♪♪

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in california, four mexican nationals are charged with federal drug trafficking offenses after being caught with more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine. the hero in the bust, k-9 dog milo the san diego sheriff's department took to twitter to congratulate milo on being a good boy it is one of the largest meth busts in the country's history president of sri lanka announced he will step down later this week. this after thousands of demonstrators stormed the presidential palace and set the prime minister's house on fire this weekend nbc's meagan fitzgerald has the latest

>> reporter: thousands of protesters, swimming in the pool, working out in the palace gym and in the president's office one protester saying i am not wrong in saying we have won this struggle today the president now announcing he'll be stepping down, and hours after the prime minister vowed to resign, protesters torched his home >> at the moment i think people's struggle successfully and i wish all the best for the struggle and at the end, we will make a good change for our country. >> reporter: change is what these protesters have been fighting for since march they say government corruption has crippled the economy, leading to a fuel crisis and poverty. the united nations estimating over a quarter of the country is currently food insecure. the capital under curfew and trains stopped after police fired tear gas on demonstrators.

it's just the latest chapter in the country's long history of bloody civil unrest. the island nation is fed up and pushing back for a better future meagan fitzgerald, nbc news. coming up next, michelle's monitoring a serious heatwave. plus, these teens ditcher in graduation robes in favor of firefighting gear, all to save a fellow classmate's house from burning down all...the...symptoms. need to deal with this. so your doctor tells you about trintellix, a prescription medicine for adults with depression. okay, feeling relief from overall symptoms. hmm. and trintellix had no significant impact on weight in clinical trials. so there's that. trintellix may increase suicidal thoughts and actions in people 24 and younger. call a doctor right away if you have these, or new or worsening depression, or new or sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts, or feelings. do not take with maois. tell your doctor about all medicines you take to avoid a life-threatening condition. increased risk of bleeding may occur,

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here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand. over 2000 high quality products. rigorously tested by us. real world tested by you. and particularly kind... to your wallet. welcome back on this monday. the dangerous heatwave continues from the west to the south central states 27 million people impacted today by heat alert. wherever you see the pink, that's your excessive heat warning. we're looking at temperatures climbing into the upper 90s. the triple-digits once again yesterday austin reached 110 degrees. today we're going to see 102 in houston. it's going to feel like 108. once you factor in the high humidity 105 in dallas. back to you guys >> michelle, thanks. up next, where is the fire

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febreze fabric refresher. a group of heroic teens go above and beyond to answer the call of duty as kate snow tells us, they left their own graduation when their community needed them most >> i now declare you graduates of earl elvin emanuel high school congratulations. >> reporter: this was the moment last month seniors at port jefferson high school on new york's long island had been waiting for. but in the minutes that followed, the celebrations were put on hold for 17-year-old peter rizzo and five of his fellow graduates the group, part of the all-volunteer fire fighting

squad in this small town was suddenly called into service peter, what were you doing in that moment and what happened? >> i hear the fire alarm go off. i look at my phone and it says "structure fire, port jefferson. so that's when i think, okay, i'm definitely leaving without any hesitation, i'm outta here >> reporter: leaving your own graduation >> yeah. yeah we were all in the field i still have my diploma in hand and still have my gown on. i just ran from the field to the firehouse. >> reporter: in your gown? >> in my gown. >> kasumi eve layne-stasik 18-year-old kasumi layne-stasik didn't think twice before racing to the station >> while running, i was struggling to take off my earrings and necklace off and i had a bouquet of flowers in my hand >> reporter: you can see their graduation gowns, sneakers and dress shoes on the floor of the fire station once in uniform, the teens raced to put out a garage fire band teacher christian neubert

has taught many of these students for years he's also assistant chief at the fire department and helped recruit them to volunteer. >> we are the volunteer fire department there's not -- it's not like there's a paid crew. we respond from home and handle that emergency nobody else is coming. >> reporter: when you saw them, what was your first thought? >> i felt -- i was proud of them >> god bless all you guys for what you did >> reporter: their community also recognizing the swift response local veterans honored the teens last week for rushing into danger on one of the biggest nights of their lives. peter, have you thought about what you're doing for your community? >> i couldn't think of a better way to help my community in this magnitude at my age, you know, helping people on a daily basis is something that's very important. >> they really take this incredibly seriously, and that's the kind of people that you need in the volunteer fire service. peter and kasumi are both heading off to college in the fall, but they told me they're

going to keep volunteering to help fight fires whenever they can. great story. >> thank you graduation means stamp of approval, you're ready for adulthood, take on responsibility look likes they've been on it. >> absolutely. they didn't need any stamp of app approval they were ready to go well before i was at that

the fate of 2,000-year-old sequoia trees hangs in the balance. fire crews work to protect the national treasures as the yosemite fire grows. the january 6th hearings just got a whole lot more interestinnow that steve bannon's claims of executive privilege have been waived by former president trump caught on camera a carjacking in progress as a mom does all she can to save her kids who were inside the car in wake of so many shootings, one company taking an active shooter train