economic bright spot stocks rally in the wake of a better than expected july inflation report gas prices continue to drop, groceries remain high, but what about the all important back to school shopping for consumers? invoking the fifth amendment, nearly 450 times. former president trump questioned by the new york attorney general in a civil probe of his business practices as the heat is raised for the doj to speak up about the search of mar-a-lago. a 16-year-old girl attending a party with hundreds

mysteriously disappears. new surveillance images have emerged as police continue an investigation into a possible abduction. would you spend millions or even a single dollar to buy real estate inside the metaverse? our sam brock takes us inside a whole new world. it is always a good day to celebrate when you're 105 years old. we'll introduce you to gussie taylor dennis as we kick off a busy thursday. "early today" starts right now good morning i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. days after fbi agents searched his mar-a-lago estate, former president trump is called to answer questions in new york over four hours mr. trump was deposed inside the offices of the state's attorney general letitia james who is looking into the trump organization's business practices and whether it exaggerated its finances. let's turn to nbc's jay gray who joins us from d.c. and, jay, good morning trump's lawyers say during those four hours his client only answered one question. >> reporter: yeah, frances,

phillip, good morning to you the only question he answered, what is your name. he provided that information a source telling nbc news the former president invoked his fifth amendment right more than 440 times during the questioning. in a written statement, mr. trump did acknowledge that in the past he has asked if you're innocent, why are you taking the fifth? but now says when your family, company and -- are the targets of a politically motivated witch-hunt, you have no choice his children, don jr. and ivanka, did choose to answer questions from the attorney general's office in an ongoing investigation into family business practices eric trump, however, invoked the fifth more than 500 times when he testified two years ago meanwhile, still a lot of questions surrounding the search and seizure at mar-a-lago earlier this week. that, of course, part of a separate federal investigation and there does seem to be mounting pressure now even from within the department of justice

for attorney general merrick garland to say something about why that was carried out we are hearing, of course, from both democrats and republicans as well. all anxious to hear some kind of word from the department of justice about why fbi agents were called in to this point, though, we have heard nothing from them. >> especially given the timing with the upcoming midterms and potential announcement from former president trump thank you, jay new signs that red hot inflation is finally cooling just overnight gas prices fell below an average of $4 a gallon nationwide and wall street cheered a lower than expected inflation numbers. the dow soared 535 points yesterday. the nasdaq jumped nearly 3%. futures are pointing to more green at the open. tom costello has what it all means for your wallet. >> reporter: on a hot and steamy summer day, word that inflation

remains hot, but may be losing steam was welcome news at the white house. >> jobs are booming and americans are working. we're seeing some signs that inflation may beginning to moderate. >> reporter: the administration under pressure to tame inflations before midterm elections in november. the good news, gas prices have dropped a dollar after hitting an all time high in june now averaging $4.01 a gallon nationally and could fall below $4 this week and airfares have dropped nearly 8% in a month. but americans are still paying for sticker shock on just about everything compared to a year ago. gas prices still up 44%, those airline ticket prices up 28% food, up 11% and the average household will spend $864 on back to school shopping this year clothing, sneakers, backpacks, all more expensive in miami, the raw ingredients for isabel garcia's chocolat business have dropped 10 to 15%,

forcing her to postpone expansion plans and charge customers more. >> i think most people know, most people are aware that there is inflation, that we are in a sort of a strange economic times. >> reporter: meanwhile, housing costs have jumped 5.7% in a year rents also soaring jordan hubbard gets assistance to attend nyu in manhattan but is now struggling to find a place to live during his senior year >> when i first showed up to nyu, rent was $1100, $1200, that was affordable now being over $1600, that's just not a thing for me anymore. >> reporter: the hope that inflation may have peaked earlier this summer. and with 50-year low unemployment, a full recession could be less likely >> if we can indeed lower the rate of price increases, lower inflation, then consumers have a fighting chance of this economy to keep spending and keep growing and that's -- that's good news. >> reporter: if inflation is starting to recede, it could

mean the fed won't have to raise rates as much in september when it meets again it will also, though, be looking at the august inflation and jobs numbers. and, of course, higher rates mean credit cards, car loans, bank loans, all get more expensive, and mortgage rates are influenced by what the fed does as well back to you. >> all right, tom, thank you. breaking overnight, the u.s. now surpassed 10,000 cases of monkeypox according to the cdc new york leads the nation with more than 2,000 cases followed by california with 1800. florida has more than 1,000 and georgia, illinois and texas have over 700 cases respectively. the first infection of this current outbreak in the u.s. was found in massachusetts and reported to the cdc on may 17th of this year. the fbi has joined the search for missing 16-year-old kylie rodni in california. she was last seen at a campground party attended by hundreds of other young people erin mclaughlin reports. >> reporter: the search

intensifying for missing 16-year-old kiely rodni. >> we do not have any new leads and that's frustrating for us. >> reporter: after the california teen disappeared from a party with hundreds of other kids at a lake tahoe area campground in the hours of august 6th. >> out of the 200 to 300 juf nilz and young adults at that party, somebody knows something about kiely. >> reporter: police releasing this image showing her at a local store hours before the party. and an image of a hoodie loaned to kiely before she disappeared. her silver also missing. >> she had verbally communicated to her friends she was wanting to go home. >> reporter: detectives say the last time her cell phone pinged was 33 minutes past midnight >> extremely concerned this is an absolute nightmare. this is every parent's nightmare. >> reporter: each detail of the investigation haunting her family >> asked her to wake me up when

she got home like she always does and she said, okay, and thanks mom, i love you, and that's the last i ever heard from her >> reporter: the search for kiely expanding to involve multiple agencies including the fbi. police also pushing the partygoers, including teens from nevada to the bay area to come forward with any information >> we're not concerned about what was happening out at the party. our only concern is to get kiely back >> reporter: erin mclaughlin, nbc news. the company successfully completed the static test of a single engine that would be used to launch a spacecraft the booster system caught fire last month during a test spacex tested the prototype for the starship's upper section that part would fly into space during the orbital flight test. president biden has signed the long awaited p.a.c.t. act into law the legislation will expand healthcare benefits to veterans

exposed to toxic burn pits durening the signing event, the president paysed comedian jon stewart who has been a staunch advocate for veterans and rallied public support for the bill he was met with a standing ovation. a day after announcing her evolution away from the game, serena williams took to the court in toronto williams dropped a straights set march to bencic ending her run in the tournament in the second round. williams said good-bye to a toronto crowd that brought signs, a lot of cheers to that match. the tennis legend hinted she would step away from the game after the u.s. open, which begins later this month. let's turn now to your thursday weather and nbc meteorologist bill karins who is in formichelle this morning bill, good morning >> good morning, great to see you guys we tracked a lot of heavy rain during the overnight hours now we have one or two areas things have been improving we have to watch this little area of rain going toward west virginia, the mountainous terrain.

we had a complex of thunderstorms approaching philadelphia, now it is beginning to head towards the new york city area looks like it will be mostly south of new york city, but if you're driving on the new jersey turnpike in the next hour or two, be prepared for some slowdowns because of that. as far as the forecast goes today, beautiful as it gets in chicago, detroit, cleveland, enjoy that watching still very hot conditions from san antonio northward up to the dakotas. areas in the southeast, typical afternoon storms still very hot in tampa. your relief from the heat begins today in d.c 87 tomorrow will be a little more enjoyable. in case you're going to be out late tonight, the perseid meteor shower peaks tonight the best viewing will be after midnight and typically if you're in a good area, 60 to 100 meteors per hour, but unfortunately, and this is kind of the waa, waa, the supermoon is out there too, full sturgeon moon tonight moonlight will outshine a bunch of the meteors you know, maybe get lucky, maybe some clouds just block the moon

70s in central michigan. warm and humid down in the southeast. that will spawn our afternoon thunderstorms. of course we're getting close to the weekend so that forecast is coming up. >> excited for it. thank you, bill. "early today" is back if a minute with the instagram model turned murder suspect. and saved from a sinking disaster the daring rescue caught on camera in texas. ve, but mr. clean clean freak delivers the power of a deep clean in minutes unlike bleach sprays, clean freak starts deep cleaning on contact with three times the cleaning power to break down tough messes in seconds it quickly cleans your home's toughest messes so, for a deep clean in minutes, get mr. clean clean freak available in easy to switch refills. get the cleaning power of mr. clean in a wipe

to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. somedays, you just neeit it can be a memory or a feeling. comfort. it all starts with snuggle. does your plug-in fade too fast? try febreze fade defy plug. comfort. it has built-in technology to digitally control how much scent is released to smell first day fresh for 50 days. la la la la la. new this morning, an instagram and onlyfans model is facing murder charges this morning. police in hawaii arrested courtney clenney after a warrant was issued by law enforcement in miami-dade county. the miami herald reports that the 26-year-old is accused of

stabbing her boyfriend to death in april her attorney told the paper she was in hawaii for rehab over substance abuse and ptsd he called her arrest a shock, saying they were cooperating with the investigation san francisco has won a landmark case against walgreens. a federal judge founding the pharmacy chain substantially contributed to the city's opioid crisis in his ruling, the judge said walgreens failed to look into possible illegitimate opioid prescriptions for nearly 50 years. damages will be determined in a later trial. other companies were originally included in the suit, but they all were settled out of court before the ruling. walgreens says it will appeal. thanks to some quick thinking good samaritans, a woman in texas made a very narrow escape from a sinking car. check this out here. following a water main break, a massive sinkhole, seen here swallowing up that vehicle the driver was trapped inside. bystanders and first responders quickly arrived. they're all helping to lift the car above the water.

it allowed the woman just enough time to flee through the rear view window. you see there the car goes, officials say she was taken to the hospital for only minor injuries. straight ahead here on "early today," brick and mortar meets the metaverse. why some are going online to get a home that is away from home. and a driving force behind women empowerment. grof bikers hitting the highway for sisterhood anything! at the end of a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. it's an all-in-one so it's ready to go when i am. the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. so, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee mornings are our time, and i couldn't let stiff joints slow me down. so i started taking osteo bi-flex every day because it has joint shield... ...clinically shown to improve

joint comfort within 7 days. osteo bi-flex - available at your local retailer and club. (vo) get verizon business unlimited from the network businesses rely on. like manny. event planning with our best plan ever. (manny) yeah, that's what i do. (vo) with 5g ultra wideband in many more cities, you get up to 10 times the speed at no extra cost. get verizon business unlimited from the network businesses rely on. why woolite? because its specially formulated to protect your clothing from damage in the wash. like fading, stretching and pilling. woolite has a first of its kind formula that keeps today's fabrics looking like new. woolite damage and darks defense. is dad posting a farewell to his favorite college freshman? nope, he's switching his choice cash back category to gas. the road to college can be emotional. but also... rewarding. [ding] with the bank of america customized cash rewards card, you just can't stop getting rewarded. be ready for whatever life throws your way. with the bank of america customized cash rewards card, only dial provides a hard-working clean but is gentle to skin with its skin smart complex

and 3 moisturizers to leave your skin feeling fresh and healthy. nothing cleans like dial. when you really need to sleep. you reach for the really good stuff. zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. its non-habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil.

coming up, a "today" exclusive as we approach the 25th anniversary of princess diana's death. the talk with filmmakers behind the new hbo documentary at the princess". the metaverse is now hitting the real estate market our sam brock goes to florida and tours first property being sold as an nft in the virtual world. >> reporter: in the white hot miami housing market, there's one thing that sets this still under construction property

apart. and it's not the lambeau out front. >> let me show you around. >> reporter: welcome to metaresidence one. >> it can be whatever the homeowner wants it to be. >> reporter: it is first property anywhere in the world about to be sold not just as a house in real life -- >> over here in the kitchen. >> reporter: -- but as an nft in the metaverse. >> we have the gym. >> reporter: a digital asset with its own unique code that cannot be duplicated buy the nft, a virtual house being built in a virtual world, and you get the real house and the lamborghini. let's look at what a seven bedroom, nine bathroom house looks like, not just in this universe, but in the metaverse, through these doors. you'll find all this furniture that is actually for sale in real life and of course a museum quality l.e.d. screen to show what else, nfts. >> it was tough at first to get people on board and tell them, hey, i want to build this house in the metaverse and people are, like, what, what you talking

about? >> reporter: gabe sierra is the home's developer and an early investor in nft real estate. he gives us a tour in both worlds the sand box and the center land are two of the biggest metaverse platforms where commerce is key. >> everything you do will have some variation of it inside the sand box and we are talking about gaming but also education, shopping, socializing, everything you can think of >> reporter: in these worlds, virtual land is being snapped up at a fevered pitch >> but this is a living, breathing, digital version of the house that you can build upon, you can add multiple stories to it, you can go crazy with it. >> reporter: sierra is building in the sand box and invested in dozens more properties there are 166,000 plots of land,

a number that will never change. individual lots have sold for thousands of dollars, to hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> welcome to the sand box with flip-flops on. >> reporter: part of the draw, location, being near early stake holders like snoop dogg who is offering concerts on his land called snoop verse and fortune 500 companies like adidas and gucci have you had a hard time convincing individuals or businesses to pluck down hundreds of thousands of dollars for virtual real estate? >> i think people realize the value of the land itself is not that interesting what matters for us and landowners is the economic activity we build on top of it. >> reporter: is it fair to compare investing in the metaverse now like buying a piece of manhattan before it was a metropolis >> it could be absolutely >> reporter: but early adopters like sierra believe wherever it does go, it is the future. where are we right now >> we just landed in the nightclub underneath the house

>> reporter: as i'm dancing, am i looking at a shark >> this is our shark tank which has great whites and a hammerhead shark inside of it. >> reporter: how many people are in this club >> hundreds of people. luckily we don't have zoning laws in the metaverse. >> reporter: a new way to look at real estate, but the land is limited and the rush is on sam brock, nbc news, miami >> all right. >> i don't really get it i sunk so much money in mine coins and robots for my kids anyway, so isn't that the same thing? >> it is close never know >> extra zeros, a lot of extra zeros after that. bill has the early look at your weekend forecast next. >> is he talking about the weather here or where? metaverse. a celebration over a century in the minakg. 105-year-old reveals her secret to longevity swollen, painful. emerge tremfyant®. tremfya® is approved to help reduce joint symptoms in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. some patients even felt less fatigued.

serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®. ask you doctor about tremfya® today. welcome to my digestive system. it's pretty calm in here with align probiotic. you see... your gut has good and bad bacteria. and when you get off balance, you may feel it. the bloating, the gas - but align helps me trust my gut again. plus, its recommended by doctors nearly 2x more than any other probiotic brand. just one a day naturally helps promote a balanced gut. and soothe occasional bloating gas and discomfort. align probiotic. welcome to an align gut.

meet febreze small spaces. the most convenient solution to lingering odors in any small space. one firm push activates 24/7 freshness. no batteries. no outlets. no effort. just freshness. febreze small spaces. ready to shine from the inside out? say “yes” to nature's bounty advanced gummies and jelly beans. the number one brand for hair, skin and nails. with two times more biotin to bring out more of your inner beauty. get more with nature's bounty. why woolite? because its specially formulated to protect your clothing from damage in the wash. like fading, stretching and pilling. woolite has a first of its kind formula that keeps today's fabrics looking like new. woolite damage and darks defense. from the #1 fiber brand comes metamucil gummies. getting your daily fiber is now even easier. made with prebiotic plant based fiber to support your digestive health. each serving has 5 grams of fiber and no added sugar. metamucil fiber gummies.

think dad's searching doggy diet plans for josie? no, he's switching his choice cash back category to home improvement, so he earns more on a new doggy door. extra large. with the bank of america customized cash rewards card, you just can't stop getting rewarded. i've been telling everyone the secret to great teeth, customized cash rewards card, is having healthy gums. keep yours healthy with crest advanced gum restore. it's clinically proven to detoxify below the gumline. and, it restores by helping heal gums in as little as 7 days. because you cant have a healthy smile, without healthy gums. advanced gum restore, from crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. welcome back to "early today. the weekend forecast looking fantastic for so many areas. the exceptions down along the

gulf coast on saturday and scattered storms from new mexico up to colorado sunday looks ls like a winner f many in the east enjoy. to daily digestive support. to more wellness solutions every day. get more with nature's bounty. did you know there are surfaces in your home that look clean but a closer look shows there are often layers of invisible dirt left behind. try mr. clean magic eraser for a deep down hygienic clean. magic eraser removes the messes you can see as well as more of the dirt and grime you don't. all you do is wet, squeeze and start erasing dirt and grime all around the house and try magic eraser sheets for a deep clean in hard to reach places that you can toss when your done. mr. clean magic eraser. for a deep down hygienic clean all around the house. ♪♪ i'm not leaving without these diamonds! diamonds? i'm just here for the stains. with persil proclean.

boom. it's more than clean. it's persil proclean. it was an emotional night on the volleyball court in uvalde, texas. the school district playing in the first sporting event since the may 24th massacre at robb elementary before the girls volleyball match, there was a moment of silence, and the opposing team gave the uvalde player and coaches 21 roses, one representing each of the shooting victims one north carolina woman made wednesday a party to remember over a century in the making this is gussie taylor dennis, who celebrated her, guess how old she is, 105 it says there on that banner. she had sweet treats with her

family to mark the monumental occasion she credits hard work and god with her longevity which runs in her family her younger sister is 97 years old. >> up moving around and dancing. now to a group of women reshaping the motorcycle community and helping empower others in a yearly ride to sturgis. darsha nelson has more >> and what we do is we empower women to ride motorcycles. >> reporter: 100 bikes lined up at the lodge at deadwood tuesday for the 14th annual biker bells morning ride. >> it is a wonderful thing that we can go do it now. and we have lots of women ahead of us to thanks for that because, you know there was a day women weren't even supposed to wear pants. >> reporter: from the straightforward to the straight up stunning, each bike is unique as is each rider's reason for being here. >> i was in active addiction for over 32 years.

i lost my whole family from it and once i got myself into treatment, i founded this group. >> altogether because of our passion and love of life on the wheels, the two wheels. >> reporter: these women from all walks of life celebrated one big sisterhood taking the hills by storm, one mile at a time >> it is such an empowering thing because i am worthy today. that's why we named it women of worth. and we are worthy to be out there on the open road >> believe in yourself you can do this. >> that does look like fun our thanks to darsha for that report. cat-like reflexes for an oregon state trooper to catch a dog that was leaping right out of a car the trooper saw the pup, made a break for it during the traffic stop and nabbed him out of the air and returned the pooch back safely in the car. he had been getting some puppy kisses from a smaller dog at the time, and in perfect position to catch anyone trying to escape.

both dogs and the driver were let go with a warning. what am i doing here what's wrong makes me wonder what kind of guilt this puppy is carrying. >> i know. and they're on the highway that dog could have panicked and ran a different way. ended well thanks for watchin - you okay? - there's a flex alert today so i'm mentally preparing for the power outage. oh, well we can help stop one because we are going to reduce our energy use from 4-9pm. what now? i stepped on a plug. oh that's my bad! unplugging. when it comes to preventing outages the power is ours.

it was pretty alarming. it was crazy because it was during broad daylight. >> stanford students on edge as police learn of a violent attack on campus. the new response from the police department there and the current holding pattern for investigators. new details in the search for missing tahoe area teenager. the photo police want you to see that may help give clues. deescalating tensions. on the campus of one shuttered schools. th n