good morning n just a few hours, wnba superstar brittney griner will testify in a russian court in her own behalf. does she have any chance of release? the justice department is investigating former president trump's actions as part of a january 6 criminal probe the federal reserve is all but certain to raise interest rates by .75

today. the incredible instinct and reaction of a school bus driver who encounters a deer while en route. >> i'm cori coffin >> i'm frances rivera the justice department is investigating former president trump for criminal actions on january 6. they seized phone records of top aides. trump has not commented on the post's report. lester holt spoke exclusive with merrick garland about the probe. >> the indictment of a former president or perhaps candidate for president would arguably tear the country apart

do you have to think about things like that >> we pursue justice without fear or favor. we intend to hold everyone, anyone who is criminally responsible for events surrounding january 6 for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to the other accountable. that's what we do. >> these new revelations come as the former president returns to the nation's capitol for the first time since leaving the white house. brie s >> reporter: good morning, frances. former president trump delivered a fairly dark message about the view about his view of the country, while speaking about law and order to a group of conservative activists he also repeated his false claim that he won the 2020 election. >> ran for president

i won. and i won a second time, did much better the second time. did a lot better did a lot better our country is now a cesspool of crime. we have blood, death and suffering on a scale once unthinkable. >> reporter: hours earlier, mike pence delivered remarks to a conservative student conference in d.c the former vp could become a political rival of trump >> i don't know that the president and i differ on issues but we may differ on focus now some people may focus on the past but elections are about the future and i believe conservatives must focus on the future to win back

america. >> reporter: those dueling speeches came the same day the title of mike pence's upcoming book was revealed. it's called "so help me god. it will chronicle trump's severing of their relationship on january 6 the release date is november 15th of this year. >> exactly a week after the midterm elections. okay, brie, thank you. just over 40 miles from where the twin towers collapsed, the saudi liv golf invitation almost will kick off in bedminster, new jersey families of 9/11 victims are protesting it. mr. trump said he understands their feelings here's sarah wallace >> reporter: an overhead view of the preparations already in full swing at the trump golf club in

f new jersey for the liv tournament the purse is put up by the kingdom of saudi arabia. families of 9/11 victims gathered to voice their anger at those they say are getting blood money. matthew was 9 when his dad died it one of the towers >> it's setting the precedent that money can erase wrong doing. >> reporter: but he understands the tournament will likely play on in spite of the opposition. >> it won't stop, but we are going to make it as painful as possible and unenjoyable as possible for those involved. because we think they need to know our feelings. >> and that's how we recognized him. >> reporter: alison clutched the red bandana worn that tday by hr son wells, a firefighter >> it shows how easily people can be corrupted by money, like

these professional golfers going over to play >> reporter: last week on his truth social site, former president trump encouraged players on the pga tour to jump to liv where there is guaranteed money. he expressed anger after a tournament was yanked from his club d one claims that declassified documents show saudi involvement. brittney griner is set to testify in a russian court today. she has been detained since feb febr february 17.

she has pleaded guilty to drug charges but denies breaking the law intentionally. how has griner's legal team handled her defense? >> reporter: what we have seen yesterday and really all throughout this rtrial is the legal team hammering home the point that while she did bring this cannabis oil into the country by staccident, it's because it's for medical reasons. she has a medical license to be able to use cannabis oil in arizona. yesterday what we saw is that the defense team called to the stand this drug doctor who testified that the oil that she has in the country is consistent with what someone would use for medical purposes, not recreational use and then he went further on to say that this is something seen widely throughout the world with

athletes this is how they usually treat their pain as she walked into the courtroom she had a picture of her wife wearing her jersey along with members of her team for an outing that they went on together he is she is expected to take the witness stand today. she will be answering questions from the prosecution and the judge. we know that ten years is hanging over her head. the hope is that she could get that down to as little as possible but we will be watching. >> certainly a compelling day in court for her today. megan, thank you it is all eyes on the fed today as we wait a decision that could be make or break for the economy. they are expected to raise rates by another three quarters of a point today. so far prices have remained stubbornly high across the board

with inflation hitting a 40-year high in june we got the consumer confidence rating yesterday for a third month in a row it shows that americans are feeling the squeeze as we pay more for gas, food, clothing and everything credit card will be more expensive. tomorrow we'll get the gdp numbers. the white house argues there are more factors at work here like the labor market which has remained strong. in just a few weeks lots of kids will be swapping out sunscreen for school splice whe supplies. >> reporter: this year total back to school spending is expected to tie last year's record high with shoppers dropping an average of $864 per

household, that's $168 more than before the pandemic. >> everything we buy, including school supplies is going to cost us more now than it might have cost last year >> it's the latest blow to families across the country. >> we were getting by on my husband's paycheck now it's barely making ends meet and it's stressful and not comfortable for us to live that way. >> reporter: sam waldorf has kids between the ages of 8 and 13 she's getting a part time job to help with the family's expenses, like the $800 she expects to pay for school supplies. >> it's definitely adding up >> reporter: waldorf is among the parents who say they're comparison shopping online or waiting for sales to save money. others are buying store or

generic items. others say their kids will reuse old supplies before you rush to fill those backpacks, ask teachers which supplies are essential stick to your list while shopping buy items in bulk and split them with other parents start shopping early to allow more time to find the best prices and to spread out your bills. and by expensive things like computers second hand, but make sure they come with a warranty also providing relief for some parents between now and the end of august, more than a dozen states will have sales tax holidays on items like school supplies and clothing >> everything helps. >> our thanks to vicky nguyen for that report. breaking news, the mega millions jackpot rises past the billion dollar mark.

no winner for last night's $830 million jackpot. it stands at $1.20 billion that is the third largest in mega millions history. and the powerball is set at $145 million for tonight's drawing. in over, over $1.1 billion are up for grabs >> let's turn to anymichelle grossmann. >> we had ferocious rain that fell in st. louis, up to nine inches inches in a very short period of time a flood watch has been posted for parts of the ohio valley into the appalachians. we are looking at heavy rain the flood threat from indiana to kentucky, west virginia, portions of tennessee as well. and we do have the flash flooding risk especially in nsrginia, portio

parts of the upper midwest temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s, 82 in minneapolis we are baking in the south and baking in the west we'll talk more about that when we return, inside the settlement reached by a pharmaceutical and good news in the oak fire firefighters make progress on the braze. back in 60 seconds it's an all-in-one that absorbs dirt and grime deep inside. and it helps prevent streaks and haze. stop cleaning. start swiffering frustrated with occasional digestive upsets? align women's probiotic naturally helps promote a balanced gut and soothe occasional digestive upsets.

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floyd's death. the jury found that tou and king denied floyd medical care and failed to stop officer derek chauvin during the killing two taco bell customers are suing the fast food chain for more than a million dollars after he say employees at a dallas restaurant threw scalding water on them after they complained about their order it's been released in edited and unedited forms it appears to show an employee retrieving hot water in the kitchen and throwing it at the woman and her 16 j-year-old nie. lawyers for the pair say an employee pulled out a firearm when they fled the restaurant. in a statement, taco bell say they take the incident seriously and are working with the local

employees to investigate teva pharmaceuticals has announce add tentative $4.25 billion nationwide settlement the proposal could resolve thousands of lawsuits with state and local governments. and menative tribes t it would be paid out over 13 years. teva released a statement deny any any wrongdoing yesterday a major road to just a yosemite reopened. so far 45 structures have been vo v destroyed, many of them homes. still to come on "early today," the buck stops here.

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capitol's statuary hall. an american hero and her battalion are finally receiving a wrong overdue salute >> reporter: at 102 years old, see has held a lot of titles she proudly served in the directory battalion or the six triple eight they were the only all female, all black battalion to serve during world war ii. their tour began as the war ended, hi ended shipping out to england in 1948 they created a new tracking system and cleared six months of mail in half the time. they worked around the clock sifting through packages while staring down racism. they were excluded from some

facilities, at times facing open hostility from other soldiers. so why serve >> it's my country, too. >> reporter: ms. davis, the oldest living member of the six triple eight is celebrated for break barriers of her own. presented with the world war ii uniform, an american flag and soon the congressional gold medal. >> it's so amazing, and i'm so grateful >> reporter: and from a grateful country to you, ms. davis, a well-earned stamp of approval. blayne alexander, nbc news >> she's still around to give us that valuable piece of history the weeknd announced a series of haunted houses coming.

people can expect to see themes inspired by the weeknd's short films starting september 2nd in florida. we did stories about

we have been working around the clock to address gun violence in the city of oakland. we know our efforts are working but it's still not good enough. >> cracking down on crime. this is amid the growing calls for change in the community. i set down one-on-one with the oakland police chief lebron armstrong to ask about the changes he is making and they keep funding the department is getting he said will promote change.