lawsuits in lahaina over what sparked the deadly inferno. downed power lines caught on camera, having people pointing fingers at the state utility provider the kcompany's ceo defending th choice to keep power running

danger lurking just below the ground we walk on. abandoned oil and gas wells could be the answer behind pennsylvania's deadly house explosion. national outrage over a newspaper's police raid. now officers are ordered to give everything back. summer is not over yet, but fall drinks are starting to creep into everyone's hands. dunkin' beat everyone into the pumpkin spice this year. how to get the fall favorite into your hands. she's world to me. she's my mom [ sh >> she's my baby a big surgery. >> reporter: a big surge where i a huge impact. the gift this daughter gave her mother without a second thought. it's thursday, august 17 "early today" starts right now >> and a good early morning to you. i'm jessica layton >> glad you're with us, i'm

frances rivera we begin with the unthinkable loss coming to light in hawaii search teams still have a lot of ground to cover in the ruins of this community in maui the death toll from the wildfires has reached at least 111. but hundreds more are still unaccounted for. and a push for answers and accountability is growing. nine state senators are demanding an independent investigator get to the bottom of what happened video shows power lines appearing to snap and spark flames the local power company now under intense scrutiny >> reporter: search teams in lahaina continue their heartbreaking work already more than 100 bodies found, and they're still looking for the lost what was once a paradise is now a mass grave >> the tears just constantly coming for the families who have lost a lot. >> reporter: the flames destroyed ty burnett's scuba business is it your elief, too, that th

power lines started this fire? >> absolutely. the amount of power lines up in that area are horrendous >> reporter: while the cause of the blaze is still being investigated, there's increasing scrutiny on hawaiian libertarian. data from whis ker labsr labs ss major incidents. >> literally dozens and dozens of faults occurring overnight, any which could cause a wildfire >> reporter: they didn't specifically address that data or lawsuits but said we know there is speculation about what started the fire but the causes haven't been determined. graham lipsmith is one attorneys who filed suit against the utility.

>> keeping the power running during this very serious wind event. >> reporter: but hawaiian libertari electric ceo told me they don't have a program for shutting off the power. >> it can create a hardship for those who ahave medical needs the electricity pumps the water. there are choices that need to be made, and all of those factors play into it >> reporter: with president biden set to visit maui on monday, the road to lahaina is now open we were with the cajun navy, an aid group that formed during hurricane katrina, as they delivered food and supplies outside of lahaina >> it's been a big help for all of us here >> reporter: but these signs of shown overshadowed by the dead, like eddie, a beloved musician

and grandfather, a fate this family of 16 narrowly avoided. their escape route under siege by flames and smoke. five of the families' homes were lost button tire the entire fa safe a federal court in new orleans on wednesday upheld parts of an earlier ruling out of texas on the availability of a widely-used abortion medication in april, district judge matthew kazmiric ruled citing safety concerns the three-judge panel upheld his original ruling that said the fda failed to consider those concerns but vacated the parts of the order affecting the generic version of the drug. mifepristone will still be on sale as the fight over its legality likely heads to the

supreme court. a justice department spokesperson said they would be appealing wednesday's decision authorities charged and detained a texas woman on wednesday after she allegedly threatened the judge overseeing one of the trials of former president trump. 43-year-old abigail joe sheary is accused of leaving a threatening message to judge chutkan. she has received an increase security presence following criticism from trump since last week's indictment. the disaster in plum, pennsylvania over the weekend where a house exploded and killed five people has now put renewed focus on a hidden danger threatening millions of americans in this homes. old and abandoned oil and gas wells can leak toxic fumes and in some cases lead to explosions our cynthia mcfadden investigates >> reporter: the fact that the two of you got out is such a

miracle. >> yeah, we were lucky we had somebody watching over us, that's for sure. >> reporter: it was a sunday afternoon. after church 13 years ago, beverly butler and her husband bob lit a fire moments later their home exploded >> the fire hit me in the face next thing i know he's hollering we got to get out. the house is on fire >> reporter: like the house that blew up over the weekend in plum, pennsylvania the butlers' home, three hours north in bradford is surrounded by old, abandoned and unplugged oil and gas wells. the butlers' fire was so intense investigators said they could provide no conclusive explanation for the explosion. and the cause of the explosion in plum is still under investigation. though pennsylvania officials told nbc news abandoned wells are looked at as s one possible cause. they were often dug by companies now long out of business, leaving open holes, which can

cause toxins and dangerous greenhouse gases to leak into water supplies and in some ext extreme cases cause explosions nearly 5 million people across the county live within a half-mile of one so that's the well >> yeah. >> reporter: it just looks like a pipe like this one leaking methane. sam is studying the effects in the allegheny national forest. >> it looks pristine >> reporter: and suddenly it turns turn orange. because methane leads to arsenic. well water was contaminated by long-abandoned oil wells on his property his only option, connect to the town's water system. he says it cost him $20,000.

did you have to sell stuff to do it >> oh, yeah, we had a utility pickup, we sold that, mother cashed in her ira. >> reporter: they tracked the conta contamination to a post office box but they did not respond to comment. >> wasted 40 years, trying to get a well plugged >> reporter: pennsylvania's problem is relatively acute because of the oil boom in the 1800s. the new governor josh shapiro has made plugging the wells a priority often homeowners have been bearing the brunt of this. >> that's the problem. corporations were given a free pass, particularly when it came to corporate polluters >> reporter: but it's slow going. >> we've already capped 70 we'll have a hundred done by labor day. >> reporter: though there are at least 350,000 wells in pennsylvania, some think more than twice that number to cap at a price estimated to be over $17

billion. >> yes, it will be costly. but it's also something that can help us combat climate change. >> reporter: as for beverly butler, she wants answers. >> kids kept telling me, mom, there's something else he's got in store for you. something else you have to do. and i kind of figure maybe this is it, what he wants me to do. >> reporter: to see this through. >> to make sure that this does not happen to anybody else >> reporter: cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, bradford, pennsylvania. the death toll in the dominican republic has risen to 27 after an explosion in a hardware store a 4 month old baby is among the victims. the country's emergency services says an additional 59 are injured. four buildings were destroyed. the president says the cause is under investigation. amazon pharmacy is launching a new feature that will automatically apply coupons to reduce the price of insulin to

as low as $35 a month. the discount will apply to more than 15 major brands, including eli lilly and sanofi this will help simplify the process of searching for coupons and help people save on life-saving medication that has been notoriously very expensive. a cold front brings rain to the region angie lassman is tracking those storms and other developments in the pacific. >> you said it we've got a cold front working through the great lakes region to folks from wisconsin to michigan event lit l eventually the line of storm also leave us soggy tomorrow, too. today the main threat is added rainfall we've still got slow-moving storms in florida into the carolinas. here's the rainfall across the midwest and northeast.

an anywhere from half an inch to inch are going to be the higher amounts. we have to talk about the tropics, numerous areas that we are watching multiple tropical storms in the eastern pacific. these two that you're watching right here, greg and fernanda, those are only expected to keep the trade winds a little breezy as we get through the day today. but we've also got newly-formed tropical storm hilary. we'll be talking about it as we get into late weekend early nex 100. a high of 78 in chicago today. and that's a look at your forecast, ladies, back over to

you. >> we're back in 60 seconds with the police raid on a kansas newspaper that sparked outrage nationwide and why a prosecututor orded police to give e everything back the latetest update e next g back the lalatest updatate next anan k s appear outut of thin air. hey! you guguys want toto come in? my mom madade dinner.. make your r table legegenda, wiwith countryry crock. my mom madade dinner.. hi. i ususe fe fafade defy pl. and i i use this.. febreze e has a micrcrochip to controlol scent relelease so it t smells firirst-y fresh h for 50 dayays. 50 d days!? so it t smells firirst-y fresh h for 50 dayays. and d its refillll rereminder ligight means i'i'll never s a a day of frereshn. and d its refillll rereminder ligight ♪ ♪inspirining music♪ ♪ starart your dayay with n nature madede. ththe #1 pharmrmacist recocommd vitamimin and supppplement bra. some luxuxury creamsms just s sit on top p of skin. but olayay goes 10 surfacece layers dedeep.

our clinicically prproven hydraration beats s the $500 c cream. our clinicically prproven hydraration to strengtgthen my skikin for smoooother, brighter r results. to strengtgthen my skikin yourur best skinin yet. olay.. an about face in kansas after a small-town newspaper was raided by police there, spashing a huge uproar over freedom of the press across the country prosecutors now walking back that search warrant. >> reporter: missing cell phones and hard drives, publisher eric myer says he barely got the weekly edition printed >> there was a not-to-minor miracle that happened last night. we were here until after 5:00 a.m >> reporter: the county attorney for the small kansas town said there was insufficient evidence to justify last week's police raid of the paper and with drew the search warrant all of the items seized now

being returned the kansas bureau of investigations says it will keep investigating. do you think that this search violated your constitutional rights >> yes, absolutely it was designed to create a chilling effect on our publication. >> reporter: national news organizations, including nbc news called the raid a violation of the first amendment >> the response was like that of, to the medellin drug cartel, with the massive raid that occupied all the police and the whole eastern half of the county >> reporter: the search warrant accused the paper of identity theft and computer crimes while investigating a local restaurant owner, carrie newell she says they illegally obtained her driving record which include add dui. he denies the allegations and says the raid was a bullying tactic and believes the stress contributed to the death of his 98-year-old mother who co-owned the paper. >> if she had known that her death would have caused some

people to notice this issue, i think she would have felt very proud about that >> reporter: in the last five days, myer says he's received 2,000 new subscriptions. most, new readers who don't live anywhere near marion, kansas stephanie gosk, nbc news still to come on "early today. autumn is just around corner, but dunkin''s seasonal menu is reed for you to fall in love and a consnsumer alertrt 1.5 5 million dehumididifiers he beenen recalled.d. n dehumimidife bebeen recalleled. right t into ! right t into ! dial with h hydracleanan cox and d vitamin ee cleanseses deep but isis gentle onon skin. dial with h hydracleanan cox and d vitamin ee dialal up your d day. lelet's dodo this. dialal up your d day. do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? try nervive nerve relief from the world's number one nerve care company. nervive contains ala to relieve nerve aches, and b-complex vitamins to fortify healthy nerves. try nervive. and, try nervive pain relieving roll-on. when t target's gogood anand gather g groceries,,

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we're back now with a top consumer news you need to know this morning, starting with a recall alert more than 1 million dehumidifiers have been recalled over a fire risk 42 models were impacted from brands including kenmore, ge, and sea breeze they were manufactured between january of 2011 and february of 2014

accord together consumer product safety commission there have been reports of at least 23 fires, 688 incidents of overheating and nearly $168,000 in property damage for more information on how to get a refund, visit gree's website. these date back over ten years ago in some cases. we really need to look into those brands >> check it, unplug it and bring it back if it's affected aldi is set to acquire nearly 400 winn-dixie stores they include stores in florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana and mississippi. the deal is expected to close early next year. and as we see more retailers closing during the current economic climate, grocers have done really well >> if you're not familiar, we love our aldi. great stuff in there many americans run on

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interest final day of summer before the 18-year-old enters her final year of high school. >> it hasn't hit me yet, but i'm excited for her. >> reporter: the two are close and even painted her parking spot together at the high school and inte their bond has grown deeper. she has watched her mother fight through hardships over the years. >> she's been sick like my whole life >> auto immune it's not very common, but i was diagnosed 12 years ago >> reporter: it's affected her kidneys, and she's been on dialysis >> i couldn't check on the kids anymore. i was stuck in bed. >> reporter: alfred, her twin brother, planned on donating his kidney but he passed away two

years ago. >> i figured i could do it >> reporter: the 18-year-old didn't hesitate. but her mother was hesitant. >> she's my mom. it would be just like a few weeks of hurting for me for a lifetime of healthiness for my mom. that's a risk i'mle willing to take >> reporter: they went through the procedure in june and it was a success. jessica says it's the healthiest she's felt in years. >> my life-span would be very short. my baby saved my life. yeah, she definitely did >> i'm going to add this patch here >> reporter: now they can both focus on brooke's last year of high school. but what took place over the summer >> i love you. >> reporter: will forever be a part of them >> our thanks for that report. as parents, we always say we give everything to our children.

like mother, like daughter >> they gave each other life an ordinary day turned into a major payday for a man in maryland who ended up winning 15 prizes totaling $750,000 he's won smaller jackpots in the past but the pick five is the largest by far he plans to take the money and retire with his wife good for you guys. enjoy that, congratulations. >> what a streak he's been on. >> very lucky. today," i' for watching "early

right now at 5:00a san josé police officer critically injured after being shot in the line of duty. we are live at police headquarters with her condition. >> people