northbound your typical build through san jose. the typical pattern up into mountain view for the slowing already. we'll have local news updates and will update you on weather and traffic there. make it a great wednesday. have a great one. the "today" show up next. the united states responding to a new threat from north korea. >> a show of force raising the stakes there. it is october 5th. this is "today." >> striking back. the u.s. and south korea conduct live-fire drills overnight responding to north korea's provocative launch of a missile over japan. the region on edge and bracing for north korea's next move. we're live with the latest. hope and heroes. long lines as much-needed relief arrives in florida. millions left picking up the pieces in the wake of hurricane

ian. >> feeling powerless. it's a terrible feeling. i know that we have the power to help. >> this morning crews still searching for survivors door-to-door and president biden heads there to see the damage firsthand. closing ranks. republicans rally to the defense of georgia senate candidate herschel walker facing devastating abuse accusations from his own son, and a report he paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion. >> it is a lie. >> just ahead the impact in a key battleground that could decide which party runs the senate. is it over? after weeks of speculation, new reports of turmoil in tom brady and gisele bundchen's marriage. both said to have hired divorce attorneys. the latest straight ahead. all that, plus honoring an icon. tributes pour in for country music legend loretta lynn.

♪ proud to be a coal miner's daughter ♪ >> we will celebrate the powerful voice and inspiring life that made her so beloved. and all rise. >> high fly ball, deep left. >> aaron judge belts his 62nd home run. a new american league record seven decades in the making. his reaction to the historic blast and the lucky fan who caught that million dollar ball. >> way out here. right there. that's it. >> today wednesday, october 5th, 2022. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hi, everybody, good morning. welcome to "today." 7:00 a.m. on the west coast.

good to have you with us on a wednesday morning. you could probably hear aaron judge's sigh of relief all the way to the west coast. we just heard that. he did it. >> my gosh, so many people are buzzing about this. the city of new york elated. aaron judge broke the record. he has 62. he is did it in the nick of time. we are also celebrate the life and legacy, legendary career of loretta lynn this morning. tributes pouring in for the country icon. she passed away at the age of 90. martina mcbride will join us a little bit later and help us look back. first the u.s. and south korea firing back with a series of drills overnight intended to send a message to north korea after its own missile launch over japan. a move that is considered a major escalation. janice is in the region this morning.

janice, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. that missile test by north korea has raised the stakes in the region. kim jong-un hasn't said anything about it yet, but the sense is by launching it over japan he wanted to make a political point. and with the military response so far by the u.s., south korea and japan, it seems he got their attention. this morning the u.s. and south korea firing back. with four surface-to-surface missiles tar getting the sea. whenne failed and caught fire, a south korean town thought it was on attack. the region on edge. that prompted drills, warning jets and warnings. >> the united states condemns on these actions and calls on them to refrain from further acts. >> reporter: the missile launch by north korea near its border with china was the longest range

test yet, soaring 2,800 miles clear over japan and crash into the pacific ocean, triggering warnings for millions along japan's northern coast to take cover. japan's prime minister calling it an outrageous act. analysts believe the missile fired was the massive hwasong-12 that was paraded through pyongyang earlier this year. for the most provocative launch in a record year for north korea most of the tests didn't get much attention from the u.s., but looming now, a possible nuclear test, something kim jong-un hasn't done since 2017, but appears to be approaching. >> we would urge him to be willing to sit down and have those discussions so that this doesn't have to come to employees. >> reporter: with relations at a

low and talks long stalled a familiar tension has returned over north korea's next move. the u.s. and other countries are pushing for a u.n. security council meeting, though china and russia are opposed to any open discussion about north korea. it's also worth noting that shortly after that missile was launched pyongyang voiced its support for the kremlin's annexation of the four territories in ukraine. so regional dynamics as ever are shifting here and dangerously so. savannah. >> you said it. dangerous times there. thank you. now let's move to the long road to recovery in florida. crews are still searching door to door for survivors a week after hurricane ian crashed ashore. today president biden visits some of the state's hardest hit areas. sam brock is at his post there in ravaged fort meyers beach. sam, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. when the president arrives today he will be looking at a region that bears no resemblance to what it looked like a week ago. the sheriff of lee county saying we are being close to purely a recovery mission as those here

are devastated and suffering but getting help from all over the country. the grind of going days out power and other essentials is taking its toll. bill, what have you encountered when you try to find ice or gas? any luck? >> the ice, until two days ago i got it. the first few days, none. >> reporter: that's right. ice is like gold in cape coral the lack of power means the ice is the only way to keep food from spoiling. yet at local supermarkets the ice cupboards are bare. lines of cars pour in for food. it's a food distribution site. what difference does it make it come here and get meals and water? >> it's great because all stores it's out. >> reporter: the next level church providing 2,000 meals day right now. >> people showed up in the distribution lines wanting to give a donation to the church but still in need of water, still in need of food and they

couldn't get it. >> reporter: with the death toll topping a hundred, it could be a full-time recovery effort. >> we can get another home, we can get another boat, but when you lose a loved one, there's just no words that can describe how we feel for that family. >> reporter: but losing a home is incredibly painful, too. >> this is everything we worked our whole life for. and it's gone. in a flash. >> reporter: others rocked by ian in ft. myer. currently a neighbor's generator hooked up with a cable to his fridge says he is out. has this experience changed your desire to stay in cape coral? >> yes. >> reporter: you are considering it?

>> we are leaving. >> reporter: one thing keeping his faith, the nebraska college students who drove 26 hours to clean yards and help get some residents back into their homes. >> feeling powerless is a terrible feeling. i know we have the power to help some people. >> reporter: and the president will arrive here early afternoon. we are told he will be on the ground for several hours and get an operational briefing from governor ron desantis. they have spoken in the lead-up to the arrival of the hurricane. the white house says politics will not be on the table. there is a time and place for that. that time is not now. back to you. >> sam brock there in fort meyers beach. thank you. moving to ukraine which is moving to expand its push to reclaim more cities captured by russia during that now seven month long war and to bolster ukraine's advances the u.s. is sending more military aid to the region. erin mclaughlin on the ground inside ukraine this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. overnight president zelenskyy declaring dozens of settlements the south and the east have been liberated this week alone, saying his soldiers aren't stopping there. last night president biden called president zelenskyy to discuss a new $625 million aid

package, including himars and howitzers. meanwhile, this morning russian howitzers. vladimir putin signing president vladimir putin signint into law the illegal annexation the illegal annexation of four ukrainian territories land the kremlin doesn't even r ukrainian territories, land th control, as as russia is scrambling to get russia is scrambling to ge more troops to the front lines,e troops to the fron russia's defense minister sayin. russia's defense they managed to muster 200,000 g men so far, although tens of they'v thousands have fled russia. and this morning a first for th 200,000 men so far this morning, a first fo kyiv region.r the kyiv iranian-supplied kamikaze drone, striking a number of critical drones striking a number infrastructure targets setting critical infrastructure targets, se buildings on fire and injuring one according to ukrainian ttin injuring one, according to ukrainian officials. officials. savannah. savannah. >> thank you, appreciate it. meanti >> thank you. appreciate it.me, the meantime, the midterms over over a month a month away and a firestorm has erupted in a key senate race in georgia. away and a firestorm has erupted in herschel walker, the former football star, now republican y