hurricane fiona has strengthened to category 4 storm after pounding multilands moving bermuda. it's what's behind fiona getting more attention. donald trump's selected special master lays down the law as he way pierce skeptical of mr. trump's declassification claims. inside a $250 million case of fraud involving covid money earmarked for hungry children. cnbc's steve sedgwick on the

fed's expected three-quarter rate hike. what if they go higher. and the inside story on superstar jennifer lopez getting behind a $14 billion business plan find out who she is targeting. "early today" starts right now good wednesday morning i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. hurricane fiona is now a cat 4 storm, whipping through turks and caicos moving north. and it is expected to brush by bermuda later this week. hard hit puerto rico is reeling with 80% of the island still in the dark and 55% without water fema is sending hundreds more personnel to puerto rico with many teams already on the ground and the governor is requesting president biden declare a major disaster to free up more funds for recovery efforts nbc's dan sheneman starts us off. >> reporter: hurricane fiona

hitting turks and caicos with a force of a category 3 storm. forecasters warn up to 8 inches of rain could soak the islands fiona has already damaged parts of the caribbean the storm reached hurricane strength before slamming into puerto rico sunday two feet of rain fell on the u.s. territory and the storm's winds knocked out the power supply this man said it was too much. i didn't expect this a lot of people lost everything. one small town is cut off from the rest of the island major roads are blocked by debris >> still no water and power and no internet. we don't have a way of getting information because we don't have tv or radio, internet, nothing works. >> reporter: the storm smashed into the dominican republic on monday heavy rains overwhelmed rivers one man looked at what was left of his home, it is a disaster. we lost everything here. and everything got wet fi fiona is moving and gaining strength dan sheneman, nbc news

>> okay. let's follow the track meteorologist michelle grossman with the latest on the storm hi, michelle. >> hi there. continues to pull away from the turks and caicos it will spend time over warm waters we expect fiona to strengthen the next couple of days and then it's eyes set on bermuda winds at 130 miles per hour. still moving painfully slow to the north at 8 miles per hour. we expect it to pick up speed as it gets closer to bermuda. we have a tropical storm watch that's in the yellow here for bermuda. it will be a tropical storm warning. but that just means we expect tropical storm conditions in the next 48 hours. that category 4 storm as it pulls away from the turks and caicos will maintain its strength over those really warm waters by thursday night into friday passing to the west of bermuda as a category 4 storm. continues to keep that strength, a category 3 storm by late friday, and then it enters atlantic canada. we are looking at a strong storm. that's going to be historical

for that portion of the nation we are going to continue to watch that as we go throughout the next couple of days. we expect it to stay away from the east coast we will see beach conditions, dangerous beach conditions with rough surf and rip currents. the special master overseeing the mar-a-lago probe held its first meeting with lawyers for donald trump and the doj. during the hearing the federal judge appointed to review the documents seized by the fbi appeared skeptical about mr. trump's claim he declassified them attorneys for mr. trump argued they didn't want to disclose the information yet because to could be part of an eventual defense the judge says unless mr. trump's lawyers can show 100 sensitive documents are not classified he will treat them like they are. the said you can't have your cake and eat it. in a separate filing, mr. trump's lawyers called this case a document storage dispute that spiraled out of control. the annual high-stakes meeting of global leaders in new

yo city. president biden will deliver thinks address to the united nations general assembly he is expected to lay out his plans for american foreign policy with a major focus on the war raging in ukraine. nbc's drew petri mow from washington, d.c. what can we expect to hear today? >> reporter: good morning. the white house says president biden will detail how the country has worked to restore its global leadership showing how the u.s. has delivered on promises involving global health, climate and emerging technologies the president is expected to announce investments to address global food insecurity worth more than $100 million, including help to building a cultural systems in developing countries. the major focus is expected to be on the war in ukraine president biden is expected to offer a firm rebuke of russia and continue to rally support for ukraine among u.s. allies. this comes as russia moves to annex four regions in eastern

ukraine. russian-backed separatists prepared to hold referendums on saturday antony blinken calls it a sign of weakness. >> the referenda, the potential mobilization of additional forces is a sif weakness it's the sign of russian failure. >> reporter: the say assembly will hear from ukrainian president volodymr zelenskyy leaders voted to allow an exception to the rule that everyone must speak in person. vladimir putin delivered a message to his nation. he announced a partial mobilization in russia putting them on wartime footing and threatened a possible nuclear response if ukraine tries to reclaim annexed territories. putin will not be addressing the assembly but you can expect a lot of talk about his comments during the meeting today back to you. >> thank you. we will be watching closely

to see if biden has any message to putin, veiled or clear. and now to that the justice department is calling the biggest theft of covid relief funds in the country dozens of people have been charged with scamming $250 million from a program that was meant to feed children nbc's ken dilanian has more in our fleecing of america report. >> reporter: prosecutors called it a staggering fraud. the theft of nearly a quarter of a bill tax dollars intended to feed hungry children being used to buy cars, houses and jewelry. >> the scheme that began with a simple idea in march of 2020 grew to become the largest pandemic fraud in the united states >> reporter: 47 people now face charges, including spear, wire fraud, money-laundering and bribery. the government alleging defendants connected to non-profits and restaurants collected taxpayer money through federal nutrition programs >> their goal as to make as much money for themselves as they could. >> reporter: at the center of

the indictments and appearing in court, amy bach. prosecutors say she was overseeing a massive fraud scheme they say they are organization recruited others to set up federally funded meal sites during covid while oversight rules were relaxed soon hundreds of sites in minnesota were reporting giving out thousands of meals a day, but prosecutors say it was a fraud. >> more than 125 mil■plion fake meals are at issue in this case. >> reporter: bach, whose organization the doj says received more than $18 million in administrative fees, pleaded not guilty kevin chambers leaves the justice department's covid fraud enforcement department and says this case stands out because the money was meant for children. >> the money went instead to purchase of a piper luxury vehicles, sports cars, real estate in turkey and kenya it has nothing to do with getting kids fed in minnesota.

>> reporter: so far the federal government clawed back $50 million. prosecutors say the investigators is continuing and there may be more charges to come. >> thanks to ken for that report for the first time anxiety skrooip screenings are suggested for all u.s. adults under the age of 65. even without symptoms anxiety screening. int specified how patients will be screened a questionnaire, and the public will have a chance to share opinions on the recommendation by october 17th. the ntsb is recommending that all new vehicles come with systems that would limit functions if the car detects that the driver is impaired by alcohol. the chair of the ntsb said impairment detection technology could prevent tens of thousands of deaths caused by impaired driving and speeding the national traffic highway

administration would have to accept the recommendation. back to michelle for the extreme weather as we track fiona. >> after a sluggish start so the tropical season we are ramping up the activity. we have hurricane fiona of course also tropical storm gaston that developed yesterday with this one we expect it to stay out to sea. we are watching another system, 90% chance of formation west of the -- east of the winward islands. it will move to the west it's moving into a development zone where it's favorable to see development. we could see the next tropical depression in the next 48 hours, especially in the next five days we have some models in agreement here now, with fiona we took that right-hand turn w this system we expect to move towards central america or make that turn towards the southeast. so this is something we will watch very, very closely over the next few days.

, 100 in dallas, 97 in san antonio we are tracking showers and storms, some could be severe in portions of the northeast. we will look at that in a few minutes. >> see you in a few, thanks. migrants have filed a lawsuit against florida governor ron desantis details on that in 60 seconds. details on that in 60 seconds. le> and the podcast "serial" ever wonder what everyone's doing on their phones? they're investing with merrill. think miss allen is texting for backup? no she's totally in charge. of her portfolio and daniel g. she's building a greener future and he's... running a pretend restaurant. and phil? phil has questions, but none of them are about his portfolio. digital tools so impressive, your money never stops working for you with merrill, a bank of america company. are you tired of washing dishes? well flip the way you clean'em

with dawn platinum ez-squeeze. it's an upside-down bottle with no cap. you just grab and squeeze. dawn platinum's more powerful formula breaks down and removes grease 4 times faster. nice! no flip, no mess. platinum is also a go-to grease cleaner for your sink, your countertops, and to pre-treat stains on laundry. fast. easy. dawn platinum ez-squeeze. flip the way you clean dishes. leading the news, the migrants flown from texas to martha's vineyard a week ago have filed a class-action lawsuit against florida governor ron desantis they claim desantis and other florida officials tricked them into relocating and that the ruse violated constitutional protections. this comes after the sheriff of bexar county opened up a

criminal investigation in desantis' investigations the roughly 50 migrants, most from venezuela, were transported to the mainland to be temporarily housed on joint base cape cod. after 23 years in prison adnan syed is back home. earlier this week a baltimore judge vacated his murder conviction and he is now waiting to see if he will face a new trial. here is cal perry. >> reporter: adnan syed of "serial" podcast notoriety at home after 23 years in prison. eating leftovers out of the fridge >> it's time we will remove the shackles from mr. syed. >> reporter: he was convicted of murder in 2000 as a teen the case gained national attention when the hit podcast came out in 2014. >> today is boast joyful and incredibly overwhelming and he and miss family are processing this. >> reporter: in a new episode "serial" host sarah koenig reacting. >> it's hard to feel cheered because we built a system that takes 20 years to self-correct.

>> reporter: syed's release coming five days after prosecutors in baltimore motioned to vacate his conviction they discovered their team did not disclose the existence of two other suspects to the defense in the 1999 murder of hae min lee. syed's girlfriend and high school classmate a judge agreed and the conviction was vacated the case was extensively followed by the award-winning podcast back in 2014. >> whatever the motivation is to kill someone, i had absolutely -- it didn't exist. >> reporter: millions of listeners became obsessed with the case attempts for a second trial proved unsuccessful in 2019. a laws family, releasing a statement saying the lee family is disappointed in quickly adnan's hearing happened and they were denied reasonable notice. >> they want the truth if the truth is that someone else killed their sister, daughter, they want to know that more than anybody. they were shut out of the legal process by the court and the state attorney's office and it

was inexcusable. the violation of maryland law and my clients are exploring their options with regard to appeal. >> reporter: young lee speaking on behalf of his family in court before syed's release. >> i have been living with this for like 20 plus years it's killing me and killing my mother. >> reporter: the judge giving prosecutors the option to drop the case or request a new trial within 30 days. >> we are not yet declaring adnan syed is innocent, but we are declaring that in interest of fairness and justice he is entitled to a new trial. >> reporter: now at home and under house arrest syed waits for a potential new trial. >> thanks to cal perry for that report. still to come, this yankees slugger rewriting the record books every night. and fed day is here. we have got cnbc's steve sedgwick with a preview. uh, go spicy or go home, right? what? no. what if i'm not sure i have the right coverage for my car?

oh, your agent can help you make sure it's just what you need. at if i accidentally hit a food truck and it gets covered in empanadas? you can file a claim on the app. at state farm, we're there for your "what ifs." ah, thanks! oh... mmmm. that is too spicy. that's for you! like a good neighbor, state farm is there.® call or click to get a quote today. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ claritin provides non-drowsy symptom relief is there.® from over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens, day after day. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. live claritin clear. does your plug-in fade too fast? try febreze fade defy plug. 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. when you can't sleep... try zzzquil pure zzz's gummies. they help you fall asleep naturally with an optimal dose of melatonin. and a complementary botanical blend.

so you can wake up refreshed. for better sleep, like never before. (host) more and more cat parents are feeding tastefuls from blue buffalo because it's tasty and healthy. and now blue tastefuls comes in single serve portions. just snap it, peel it, pop it, chop it. pick up tastefuls singles and find out why one taste is all it takes. densify from crest pro health. like bones, your teeth lose density over time... ...but crest has you covered. crest densify actively rebuilds tooth density... ...to extend the life of teeth. crest the #1 toothpaste brand in america. one prilosec otc in the morning blocks excess acid production for a full 24 hours. unlike pepcid, which stops working after 9. 24 hour protection. prilosec otc one pill, 24 hours, zero heartburn.

three infielders on the left

side for judge here is the 3-1. deep to left field there it goes! number 60! slide over, babe, you've got some company >> and with that ninth inning plast aaron judge the sixth player in baseball history to hit 60 home runs in ht season. the third yankee to reach that mark and sits one homer behind roger maris' american league record he leads all categories of the al 2000. triple crown. the federal reserve is correspondented to announce a three-quarter rate hike. cnbc's steve sedgwick with more of what to expect. good morning. >> yeah, really good morning and that is the quandary for the fed. why not go higher sooner and get it over and done with? i saw a commentator on cnbc saying rip off the band-aid. don't go 75 basis points go for 150 the problem for americans and viewers will know this full

well, the fact is mortgage rates have already gone up from some 3% the start of the year, now 6% if you rip off the band-aid that will create a lot of household pain what can we expect 75 basis points, possibly 100 basis points hike this time around but it's what he says, what jay powell said. the announcement at 2:00 about interest rates have a look at the summary of economic projections it's basically a window into what the fed thinks will happen the next couple of years and then 2:30 season time jake peavey speaking. that could be interesting to see what he has to say because not always what the fed does, it's what they say about the future that is key. the markets are worried about it they are down aggressively from highs. inflation plus potential recession not a good mix for investors. let me hand it back to you. >> avoid a crash by slamming on the brakes could also get whiplash.

next the midweek forecast as we watch fiona. and sir elton john gets ready to rock the white house coming up. ted. guys, there's something on this ship. there's something with us here. what do we do? get to the escape pods. go now! ♪ ok, i'm an alien. and i got these claws. i'm climbing the wall now. if you're making a sci-fi movie, you need to finish the special effects. does that look good? and if you want to save by bundling home and car insurance, you need geico. guys. uh-oh. see how much you could save by bundling with geico. uh-oh. is that going to be a problem? life... doesn't stop for diabetes. be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it's the number one doctor recommended brand that is scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna. do you struggle with occasional nerve aches live every moment. in your hands or feet? try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company. nervive contains alpha lipoic acid to relieve occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort.

try nervivenerve relief. a lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesn't get everything clean. i tell them, it may be your detergent— that's why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum... ...with the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. for sparkling-clean dishes, the first time. cascade platinum. (nanci) gemma's my show dog. she's an athlete-she's a canine athlete. prior to blue buffalo, i was feeding proplan but i really wanted to feed a high quality dog food that didn't contain chicken by-product meal and corn gluten meal and when i found the blue buffalo it just fit, and so we switched. i know that she has a good coat, good energy over all... she's smart as a whip, and i would do anything to make sure that she's the best dog she can be. 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. when a cold comes on strong, knock it out with vicks dayquil severe. just one dose starts to relieve 9 of your worst cold and flu symptoms, to help take you from 9 to none. power through with vicks dayquil severe. ♪♪ oh! sorry... power through with vicks dano worries!e. (both) oops... ...ies. you go. no! you go. oh. (both laugh) go for the handful! ♪i like to vöost it, vöost it♪ ♪my vitamins can boost it♪ ♪i like to vöost it, vöost it♪ ♪we like to vöost it♪ vöost effizzing, amazing vitamin boosts. ♪vöost it♪ 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.

♪♪ welcome back on this wednesday. we are watching the chance for strong storms today. 20 million people at risk for winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour damaging hail, a few tornados are possible, and this is through the great lakes, also portions of the northeast, new york, and also pernz, watertown, erie, columbus, cleveland you could see storms especially this afternoon and this evening it's due to a cold front moving through warm, humid air. that's going to be the case today. tomorrow we will see that cold front moving further to the east now we will see storms along the i-95 corridor into portions of the mid-atlantic strong storms possible in north carolina, also heavy downpours as well because we have a lot of moisture in the atmosphere we could see one to three inches in some spots. where you see the yellows we could see some heavier downpours. back to you guys. >> thanks. up next on "early today,"

j.lo's $14 billion boost for small businesses we will hear from her. let's be real... who has the time to clean an hour or two a week? not us. but a few minutes here or there? totally doable! so we started swiffering! it's a fast and easy way to clean without the whole production. for our floors, sweeper's heavy duty cloths trap and lock dirt, dust, and hair without moving furniture. so simple! and dusters easily get into hard-to-reach places without climbing a step ladder. they trap and lock dust in one swipe! done. we stopped cleaning. and started swiffering. ever wonder what everyone's doing on their phones? they're investing with merrill. think miss allen is texting for backup? no she's totally in charge. of her portfolio and daniel g. she's building a greener future and he's... running a pretend restaurant. and phil? phil has questions, but none of them are about his portfolio. digital tools so impressive, your money never stops working for you with merrill,

a bank of america company. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> wonder if he still has that hat? sir elton john performing on south lawn friday night. the concert will honor everyday heroes like teachers, nurses, lbgtq plus advocates and others. as we continue to observe hispanic heritage month our morgan radford sat down with singer jennifer lopez who is helping kick off a $14 billion campaign to helpola teen a

entrepreneurs. >> you know the name jennifer lopez. her music and her movies [ cheers and applause >> reporter: now she is sharing her knowledge of hollywood and the businesses that made her a multi-million dollar star with nearly 400 latina entrepreneurs, trying to change the face and the language of the small business world. >> changing lives. we want to take the latina entrepreneur, em pow therm, give them opportunity where there wasn't, you know, me growing up, the way i did, you know, we weren't even in the conversation in that way. an opportunity to do something, that's all anybody wants nobody wants a handout, but that opportunity can change your life. >> reporter: which is why lopez is partnering with non-profit gram even and andrea jung to deliver $14 billion to latina entrepreneurs by 2030. together with their male counterparts, latina entrepreneurs make up one of the fastest growing groups of small

business owners in the country, creating businesses at a rate six times faster than other racial or ethnic groups. but in spite of that, latinos are 60% less likely than white peers to get their loans approved by national banks. >> latina-owned businesses have grown 44% the last ten years the capital that is going is paltry and unacceptable. they just want to have an equal chance. >> why is giving someone the resources to start a business the way to close that gap, to make things a little bit more equitable? >> yeah, because we can just be the kind of, you know, working in the kitchen, valet parkers, stuff like that, the traditional kind of things where people think of latinos in these roles. we want more than that we have bigger dreams than that. and for me, even in my own business, i was an artist who was making billions of dollars for other people and not really even realizing it, just happy to be in the room, and then start today realize, wait a minute, i

can make my own perfume, do this in my own way. >> thanks to morgan for that report i am sure we will be giving you updates how these businesses have changed. >> i know a lot of latinas that >> i know a lot of latinas that ha a lotve have you seen my new phone yet? it like, folds in half. i would never switch to samsung, i love my phone. what??? ♪♪ (...it folds in half.) you see i love my phone. i would never switch to samsuuu... (gasping) ♪♪

right now at 4:30 a deadly string of violence continues in oakland. we'll show you how the community is working together to try to break that violent trend. plus -- >> they have a particular liking, it seems, for grapes and for vineyards. and so that's really where a lot of the concern is right now and we've already seen vineyards hit by this. >> a pesky insect threatening local winemakers. the terrible consequences it could cause wine country. >> now i'm itchy. it is the last day of summer. meteorologist vianey arana in with a closer look at our forecast. this is "today in the bay" streaming live