breaking news brings hollywood to a halt. midnight passes on the west coast without a deal between the screen actors guild and movie

studios. how this could affect this year's movie lineup. also in l.a., new body cam footage shows the moment a sheriff's deputy assaulted a mother holding her three week old baby hear what the sheriff saying a year after the attack. go inside the room where american generals are preparing for the conflict with china that they say is now unavoidable. what they're telling troops right now. if you're planning to catch a glimpse of the northern lights this week you might need a rain check. we've got the updated aurora borealis forecast. a first find since 1887. today's thursday, july 13, and "early today" starts right now good morning i'm steven romo. >> gr glad you're with us, i'm frances

rivera contracts for members of sag-aftra expired literally minutes ago, but there's no final word yet of any last-minute deal the union is demanding studios provide higher pay and safeguards against ai. if negotiations end without success, 160,000 actors and film, tv and radio will be at the picket line, along with more than 11,000 writers who have been striking since may. if that happens, expect an already hollowed hollywood to come to a stand still. some good news for your wallets everywhere inflation is cooling off even more markets popped after new data showed prices rising 3% year-over-year, which was lower than expected. the s&p closed at its highest level in more than a year. brian chung looks at what this means for your bottom line >> reporter: from bacon and eggs to gasoline to airfares to used

cars some thins gs are getting cheapr further signs of improvement as the government reported that prices rose by 3% over last year >> the markets have rocketed higher >> reporter: it's a significant improvement from one year ago when inflation peaked at 9.4%. a part of the change used car prices down more than 5% over the last year. is this the best market for buyers that of'you've seen in te last three years? >> this is the best market for buyers >> reporter: outside atlanta, kevin dorring manages a dealership they're lowering prices to move cars off the lot of this' got more of them now. this is the lot 18 months ago, and this is the lot now. >> we've doubled our inventory in the past four or five months. >> reporter: and it's not just used cars. gasoline prices are down 26%, airline fares down 19% and major

appliance prices are down nearly 11%. markets closed higher on the news as the rate of inflation is getting closer to the federal reserve's target of 2% but challenges remain, in particular for housing the cost of shelter up nearly 8% over the last year and just this week a new report showed housing prices in may hit a new all-time high. this, as mortgage rates hover around 7%. interest rates remaining high on auto loans and credit cards too, thanks in part to the federal reserve is expected to raise interest rates later this month. president biden is in is inl sink in helsinki this morning our brie jackson breaks it all down for us. >> reporter: president biden closing out his time at the nato summit in lithuania with a

keynote speech >> each member of nato knows that the strength of our people and the power of our unity cannot be denied >> reporter: the president also reaffirming the alliance's unwavering support for ukraine, more than 500 days into its war against russia >> our commitment to ukraine will not weaken. we will stand for will stand ft a liberty and freedom today and as long as it take >> reporter: president zelenskyy thanking biden for the controversial decision to provide cluster munitions. >> this decision had help deciso save us. >> reporter: the ukrainian president thanking the american people for pledging more than $40 billion in aid which includes military and humanitarian assistance. >> you spend this money for our

lives. and i think that we save the lives for, for europe, for all the world. >> reporter: in adidition, g-7 members announced a declaration of support for the war-torn nation, vowing that they can help defend themselves and help ukraine's economy rebuild. lawmakers on capitol hill closely watching the high-stakes talks overseas >> nato's larger, stronger and more united than it's been in 50 years due vladimir putin's actions. >> reporter: on thursday, the president will be in fen inland welcoming the country as the newest nato member brie jackson, nbc news now to a nbc news exclusive. our courtney kube got a rare inside look at how the u.s. is preparing for a possible conflict with china. she talks with a general who recently warned of a war with

china in two years she asked him if he stands by those comments >> reporter: amid grow wiing tensions with china, we're with forces in the pacific where the general is preparing his airmen for a mission he warned could come soon. do you think the u.s. could be at war with china in the next few years? >> it's not for me to say whether we could be at war with china in the next few years. >> reporter: earlier this year, he wrote a controversial memo to his commanders, s commanders, we uwarning the u.s. could be at war with china in two years. >> i don't believe it's unavoidable. but i also believe ready now is what matters m matters most p. >> repormost >> reporter: there have already been flash points. he's now preparing for exercise

mobility guardians, 70 aircraft and more than 3,000 airmen from various countries. the largest exercise in history. including this british cargo plane. also practicing resupplying bases if remote areas. this mission to drop supplies to airmen establishing a base on a tiny t tiny island north of guam. in his memo, he told airmen to get ready by firing from a clip and aim for the head >> i'm not trying to be provocative. i'm trying to provide my formation with the tools and priority necessary to win. >> reporter: do you still agree with everything you wrote in that january memo in. >> i agree absolutely with the urgency and actions. >> reporter: are you ready now >> we are ready now. >> reporter: that as concerns

mount that the u.s. is not modernizing fast enough. but he tells us exercises like these are critical to being ready. >> an important update, courtney, thanks americans aren't the only ones suffering under an oppressive heat dome a dangerous heat wave is expanding across europe and scorching countries with record-break temperatures. one of those hotspots is in italy where claudio havlavanga joins us from rome this could easily turn deadly. >> reporter: it definitely has already, frances meteorologists have this terrible habit of giving scary names to heat waves. this is called after the three-headed monster in dante's inferno. it's only 9:00 in the morning here and it's already 90 degrees and counting it's only going to get worse and the humidity's making it feel

hotter while rome is one. ten cities across italy today that is on high heat alert, that means vulnerable people like the elderly and news correspondents should stay away from the sun in the hottest hours, and they should take that warning seriously. at least according to a report published on nature magazine a couple days ago, 18,000 people died from the heat in 2022 alone last year. and that was the highest death toll in the whole of europe. well, now italy's not the only country of course that is affected by the heat wave, greece and spain are also reporting the temperatures with greece shutting down forest and nature preserves to prevent wildfires. and today we got news that we already have a victim this year from the heat, a 44-year-old man who collapsed from the heat and

died frances? >> it goes to show you how serious it is. and despite that the tourist and some of the people in the cafes still choosing to constituent outside, as they always do thank you. >> in the united states, storms slamming the northeast and the plains >> it's that heat that is spurring these storms. we're seeing strong storms early this morning in portions of the plains, into the mississippi valley lots of lightning. th that's showing you the energy. flooding concerns throughout the plains and mid mississippi valley also into the northeast, renewed flooding concerns throughout portions of eastern new york, also vermont areas at that were hit hard earlier this week. we're looking at the threat for severe weather throughout the plains, where you see the yellow spots. we're looking at the chance for gusty winds. 22 million people at risk. could see hail, a few fotornados

as well. and that will develop latered into tomorrow. flooding rains is going to be a concern. we're looking at brighter spots, that is the story as we head to the northeast dangerous heat continues in the south 106 in san angelo, 102 in san antonio. all right, stormy in many spots. we're also going to talk about the unrelenting heat in the south in a few minutes >> unrelenting is right. we're back in a minute with a fight brewing in iowa to stop a new strict abobortion haw bibil becoming l law bibill f from becoming l law. fefeel the powower of osteo bi-flex®.

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shocking body cam footage has been released showing a los angeles sheriff's deputy punching a woman in the face twice while she was holding her baby and a warning, the video you may find disturbing. the punch happened as officers were trying to take the baby from the woman this is a year ago after the police stopped the vehicle driving without headlights the officers smelled alcohol and arrested them on child endangerment the sheriff said in part that punching the woman was unacceptable and the individual will be held accountable the tis district attorney and f are also investigating troubling there, trouble, a manhunt is under way after a deadly hit-and-run near the national mall. secret service agents tried to stop a car that had expired tags steps from the washington monument when the driver tried

to dom to dodge them and ended up three people one was killed and two others hurt a group of reproductive rights groups are suing to stop iowa's newly-passed abortion ban from going into effect jay gray has more. >> reporter: protesters and politicians. engaged in what each side calls a life and death debate. >> if this bill becomes law, women will die in iowa common sense has walked out the door >> i don't believe that it's a women's health issue it's a bigger issue at hand a baby or not a baby i want to protect unborn babies. >> reporter: in a rare one-day session, iowa's republican-controlled legislature voting to ban abortions after the detection of fetal cardiac activity which

occurs roughly six weeks into a pregnancy. in a written statement, iowa's governor kim reynolds announced she will sign it into law, calling it the most important human rights cause of our time the move comes less than a month after a deadlock in iowa's supreme court left a similar six-week ban unenforceable the new measure is expected to face multiple legal challenges still to come this morning, celebrating a year of unlocking the secrets of the cosmos. the incredible new picture from the james webb telescope and get your head out of the sandnd why an i israeli manan is being evicted d from his b beach cave. evicted d from his b beach cave. yoyou know thahat feelingg of havaving to rewewash dishes thahat didn't g get cle? i don't. new cascade platinum plus... withth double ththe dawn greae fighting power

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from asteroids to black holes, nasa is celebrating a full year of giving us a cosmic look into the final frontier the space agency marked the one year anniversary of the james

webb telescope's mission and they released a nursery of infant stars the cloud complex is a mere 390 light-years from earth one lightyear is 6 trillion miles. it holds 50 baby stars little baby stars, some with the same mass as the sun that's how a star is born, it's not barbara, and not gaga. a man is being forced from his beach-side lodging that he calls home they served him an eviction notice on the cave he's lived in for 50 years now, saying it's damaging the coastline the 77-year-old began chisel away at that system of tunnels in the '70s, but it now has plumbing a phone line, electricity and lighting in multiple rooms he says his construction is sound. the eviction is on hold,

allowing time for appeal 50 years living there, though. in not t >> not the end of the story. if you're hoping to catch a glimpse of the northern lights, the forecast is likely to rain on your parade the aurora borealis could be seen in dozens of unlikely states, including as far south as maryland. now it's suggested that those in high-altitude cities will be the ones likely to catch the waves of red, blue and green light they are triggered by storms that erupt from the sun. michelle is tracking the rusk of severe weather heading into the weekend and we'll dig into the incrededible dinososaur discsco, 115 millioion years inin the ma. 115 millllion years s in the ma. . sotytyktu isis the firstst-of-its-kiki, once-dailyly pill for moderarate-to-sevevere plaqueue psoriasisis for the chchance at clclear oror almost clclear skin.. itit's like ththe feelingg of findiding your baback...

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park in laurel, maryland it's the first of its kind to be found in the state since 1887. from our baltimore station, mindy becerra has the story. >> reporter: a worker using heavy machinery accidently chipped a large iron stone rock in 2014. that mistake led to a major discovery at the appropriately-named dinosaur park in laurel >> what they knocked off was a small piece of rock that expose add large bone >> reporter: it took years to realize that large bone is believed to have belonged to a massive dinosaur >> it appears that this might be this dinosaur or something very closely related to it. it's a large predatory dinosaur. >> reporter: paleontologists say this is an extraordinary milestone in the field >> it opens a window into our ancient world and the species that once roamed this land >> reporter: a window into a world that you can experience as well a couple times a month, the park

allows people to search for fossils on their own, and there's a lot to find. >> small, young shark, crocodiles, turtles. our own very tiny l little relative, the tri ceratops and of course, our own special maryland state dinosaur and the largest dinosaur on this side of north america. >> reporter: some of these discoveries found by some very young budding paleontologists. >> some of the best dinosaur teeth i have been aware of that were found here were found by children >> children probably have more patience that's so cool maryland has its own "jurassic park." >> seriously, that's every

6-year-old's dream >> they're not only known for crabs but dinosaurs too. talk about a splashy press conference baltimore news crews got surprise relief from a relentless heat wave they were gathered at an event to announce new park renovations when those water fountains turned on underneath those crews. wait until you see them get up and scramble they were soaked and sent running for cover, but i can think of worse interruptions than a heat wave >> you've been around there, but i love the photographer's instinct got to present theotect the equ. >> thank

right now at 5:00, a live look outside and it is getting hotter. temperatures will climb today with the