h. now that everybody's gotten their prepared slogans out of the way we can have a real

discussion right now >> was that one of yours? >> not really, mike. >> a fiery first debate for republican hopefuls. while eight candidates took the stage, it was the elephant not in the room who loomed large the former president firing back at the competition in his own way, as he prepares to turn himself in for the georgia election probe in hours. a shocking twist in russia the man who led the failed mutiny against president putin possibly killed in a fiery plane crash, but the question this morning is it he actually get on board? the tough choices for students and parents amid shrinking enrollment at public schools. >> and grab fall autumn is so close we can taste it if you head to your local starbucks. there's a latte news to get to good morning, i'm jessica layton >> i'm frances rivera.

at the midpoint of a landmark week for the republican party, the top gop presidential hopefuls took the debate stage in milwaukee to make their case for challenging president biden in 2024. the stage included former vice president mike pence, senator tim scott, governors ron desantis and doug burgum former governors chris christie, nikki haley and asa hutchinson and entrepreneur vivek ramaswamy. they attacked the bhoiden agend. vivek ramaswamy made waves with his many remarks including forcefully claiming that the climate change agenda is a hoax and that we stop u.s. aid to ukraine if elected his outspoken comments led him to be a target for rivals. >> i'm not sure i exactly understood mike pence's

statements that's something a u.s. president can do with focus and i'll deliver on it >> let me explain it to you. let me explain it to you if i can. i'll go slower this time >> no, i've had enough i've had enough already tonight. of a guy who sounds like chatgpt standing up here >> the first hour of the debate made very little reference to what moderate are bor bor bayer called the elephant not in the room >> if former president trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party's choice? please raise your hand if you would.

[cheers and applause >> just five minutes before the debate, a pre-taped interview between trump and tucker carlson was posted to x, the platform formerly known as twitter in the 45-minute interview, he went after president biden about his hanl age and claimed that the attack on the capitol was full of love and unity. >> he is expected to turn himself in, in georgia once there he will become the first former u.s. president in history to have his mug shot taken. earlier this week his bond was set at $200,000 and included limitations on what he can post about the case on social media as of this morning, at least nine of the defendants indicted in the georgia elections case have surrendered and been booked at the fulton county jail. the latest includes former trump lawyers jenna ellis, sydney

powell and rudy giuliani speaking to reporters after his release, giuliani maintained his innocence, saying these charges will be proven to be a hoax. the remaining defendants have until friday at noon to surrender to authorities >> yevgeny prigozhin, the russian leader who staged a mutiny two months ago has likely been killed in a plane crash he was listed as one of the passengers on board a small jet that went down outside moscow wednesday. >> reporter: it seems russian president putin may have gotten his revenge. this video posted online showing a corporate jet plummeting from the sky and slamming into a field outside moscow the plane's registration number matches a hircraft linked to yevgeny prigozhin, and prigozhin

was listed as a passenger on the aircraft which disappeared from flight radar president biden saying he was not surprised but cannot confirm prigozhin's death. >> i don't know enough to know the answer >> reporter: the crash is highly suspicious the aircraft suddenly dropped like a stone, a possible indication it was shot down or a bomb exploded on board the timing is suspicious, too. coming two months to the day after prigozhin launched a mutiny against the kremlin, leading a column of his fighters to moscow and threatening putin's grip on power. making matters worse for putin, he was shown surrounded by cheering russians. prigozhin had been driven by rage before the mutiny, he accused russia's top generals of denying his mercenaries ammunition they need to fight in ukraine he said the generals were

jealous of his military successes. he was last seen just days ago, apparently in africa. he has a base in the poor african republic and props up the government in exchange for diamonds and gold. after the uprising, putin pardoned prigozhin, offering him a deal to live in exile in belarus, but many suspected it was not a genuine offer and that putin was waiting for the right time to settle the score there is considerable debate and skepticism about this online some of prigozhin's supporters believe yes, he was killed, while others say that is all a trick by prigozhin to fake his own death or that he may have survived on a second plane but the official russian account is consistent, that the plane crash, prathat prigozhin was ont and there were no survivors. a day-long standoff after

pittsburgh authorities killed a suspect. they were trying to serve aaan eviction notice. the suspect was killed no officers or bystanders were injured. it will be another scorching hot day for those of you in the midwest. records could be broken in wisconsin and michigan and that's after chicago saw the heat index hit 115 the late summer heat is making it harder for millions to get to work or skol dan scheneman has more >> reporter: across the midwest millions are struggling with searing heat >> the sweat in your eyes gets to where you can't hardly see. >> reporter: and avoiding the weather isn't an option for farmers. machinery overheats and so dot farmers. >> when it comes to trying to cool down, you got to get into the creek or something if you want to cool down. >> reporter: the weather is impacting classrooms a school district in ohio

canceled classes for some students because the main building lacks air conditioning. parents at other districts are preparing for possible remote learning >> good that they're staying home to do the online because of the heat i mean, they don't have air conditioning >> reporter: in kansas city, six people were hospitalized when the nursing home's hvac system failed while the urban league is sending out cool teams, handing out drinks to the vulnerable in st. louis. >> we all know the heat can be very dangerous out here, you know, just drain you and your fluids >> reporter: as the middle of the county swelters, the southwest was soaked by tropical storm harold authorities say there is a risk of flash flooding. and southern california is still coping with the aftermath of record rainfall from the arrival of tropical storm hilary some communities left covered in mud. the summer of 2023, a summer of nature's extremes. dan scheneman, nbc news. let's see how extreme it's going to be now.

angie lassman is tracking the extreme heat and has more on when some areas will see some relief >> that heat dome that we've been talking so much about is eventually going to break down and we will see relief for some parts of the country we've still got 95 million people under heat alerts, the mid section of the country where places like chicago could flirt with maybe a record high memphis headed to 100, jackson to 105 look what happens tomorrow here comes a cold front. it's going to make a big difference for the midwest can you still see records potentially for places like memphis, st. louis, wichita. temperatures into the triple digits by the time we get into saturday, sunday and monday, chicago, if you'reooking ls head

to 100-plus degrees in st. louis, kansas city and wichita with sunshine in colorado springs. that's a look at your forecast coming up, a kentucky school district temporarily closed over viral outbreaks. and we've got the details on why other schools are shutting their doors in other parts of the country. s in other parts of the country. i heard her cooking skills are like supernatural, man. they say she can make things appear out of thin air. bro, she's not a witch, that's benny's mom. hey! you guys want to come in? my mom made dinner. (♪♪) this is too good to be true. make your table legendary, with country crock. when you find your reason to go on, let it pull you past the doubt. past the pain, and past your limits.

no matter what, we go on. biofreeze febreze! hate it when a car freshener hits you with an overwhelming blast of perfume? febreze car vent clips work differently. febreze gives you consistent freshness that starts just right and stays just right... ...for 40 days. upgrade to febreze car. a school district in kentucky has had a really rocky start to the new school year, lee county was forced to cancel classes earlier this week and already switched to remote learn because of covid, strep throat and flu cases. in fact, attendance dropped to 81% and 14 staff members have been out sick. the district says workers are sanitizing the buildings and giving students and staff time to get better. those are not the only school districts struggling this year with public school enrollments drop, some are shutting down

completely, displacing hundreds of students. noah pransky has the story >> this breaks my heart. i moved to indianapolis a widow, three small children this school is where i made friends. not just my children, but myself also >> reporter: you probably know a mom just like desean, hustling to get her kids out the door each morning, spending hours shuttling them around town and a mom who loved her kids' school >> this was community, not just a building it's not just a school >> reporter: but falling enrollment at indianapolis tis trick-run schools down 38% over the past decade, and the falling funding that comes along with that led the district to permanently close six buildings, including francis parker montessori, where they used to learn and fathgather was getting ripped away. it was a loss to the community, not to mention sleep the second and third graders not

only have to go to new schools, but the best option to keep them in high-performing programs was to put them in different schools. >> we to have to get up earlier. it's more gas because i have to be in two lines. gas is high. >> reporter: drop-off lines, is that the worst part of the morning? >> i have to fight the drop-off line >> reporter: she's not alone public schools in dozens of states are facing a crisis the department of education estimates there are today nearly 2 million fewer students in u.s. public schools than before the pandemic one. biggest reasons, america's falling birth rate at the lowest level ever recorded and fewer students means fewer funds >> if you're trying to operate too many schools, you've taken resources out of your remaining schools to prop up these half empty ones and often that means there are not enough resources for

extracurriculars, a.p. chalasses and things like that >> reporter: but it is also fuel bid pandemic migration out of cities and public schools, more dollars going to private and charter and religious schools, and many districts delayed the inevitable until now >> we're expecting a lot more school closures as a result of the federal relief money running out. >> reporter: which is why some like alicia johnson in minneapolis say they're trying to get ahead of the clip with a plan to consolidate buildings while simultaneously expanding educational offerings. >> i do not expect this not going to be a process that doesn't create situations that families are going to are to do something different. >> we're trying to do the hard things that need to be done so we can get to better kids and families >> reporter: desean is no fan of the plan but in a way, both women are fighting for the same thing.

a bright are future. >> it them to learn.

i want them to be, you know, have a level of confidence about themselves, and being in a good program can give you that. >> our thanks to noah for that report still to come on "early today," for the first time, federal safety guidelines are proposed for nursing pillows and starbucks' pumpkin spice latte is celebrating 20 years. more fall menu details, next more fall menu details, next of . keeping kids together, here, at places like the lunch table. where they can share who they truly are. [boy] chicken nugget man. because when kids are together, they thrive. lysol. here for healthy schools. with new scope squeez mouthwash concentrate, just add water,

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we are back with your latest consumer stories starting off strong, starbucks' pumpkin spice latte is back for the 20th year. to celebrate the anniversary, they are offering a third pumpkin drink to the fall menu, the iced pump king cream chai latte. the apple oatmeal crisp espresso is joining the lineup.

and can you now choose the alcoholic versions, a pumpkin spice espresso martini and pumpkin spice whiskey barrel-aged iced latte we love our espresso martinis. >> both of our eyebrows, were like, mm pumpkin for pumpkin pie. go wild this fall with your pumpkin. the consumer product safety commission has recommended the first federal requirements to make nursing pillows safer and discourage caregivers from setting may setting babies down on those pillows to sleep, making sure they're significantly firm so they don't conform to a baby's face and don't restrict an infant's head movements which could cut off airflow. at least 162 babies have died in

recent incidents involving nursing pillows, all of this happening since 2007 glad they're making those changes. follow that advice, please >> so tragic i relied on those for both my kids nice to see the changes there. twin city foods is recalling some vegetables, they are sold under the brands kroger, food slo lion and signature foods moving on to another warning for you, the fda is urging people to stop using certain eye metropolis, they include dr. bernes and these brands are sold online but considered illegal because they contain msm sometimes used to treat arthritis, but it is not yet approved for use in eyedrops

something that a lot of people don't know when we come back, angie's got the latest on tropical storm franklin's potential path. and the heartwarming moment a father surprised his son after a year-long dough employment afr a year-long dough employment mr. clean magic eraser powers through tough messes. so it makes it look like i spent hours cleaning, and you know i didn't. it makes my running shoe look like new! it's amazing. it's so good. it makes it look like i have magical powers. magic eraser and sheets make cleaning look easy. i'm the heat on the street and i'm asking women one burning question... what's vms?

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welcome back quick check on the tropics many three areas of interest. one was tropical storm emily, potentially becoming a tropical storm again. tropical storm franklin that we're going to watch in the coming days. this track takes it out to the east, but high pressure takes it back to the north. impacting bermuda down the line. impacting bermuda down the line. they say she can make things appear out of thin air. bro, she's not a witch, that's benny's mom. hey! you guys want to come in? my mom made dinner. (♪♪) this is too good to be true. make your table legendary, with country crock. (sung) febreze!

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the home occurring on the first day of school in ohio. >> reporter: a tdad's big surpre for his son, a moment that was a year in the makinge making >> it was just, that was the best best feeling, the best moment that i've had. >> reporter: harry chronister is a sergeant and deployed to the middle east for a year leaving his son behind in cuyahoga falls. when he got home he decided to surprise him on his first day of school, getting help from the staff at dewitt elementary >> one of the teachers had a great idea they said how about you put on a mascot costume and we come in

and like just, you know, wave at the kids a little bit. and we did the big reveal. >> reporter: harry went into the classroom disguised as the school's black tiger, eli jumping into his dad's arms when he realizes it's him >> i was shocked >> reporter: harry says he wasn't able to talk to his son regularly, missing christmas and his son's birthday >> where i was at, wi-fi was not good so some conversations just, some days we would try and it really, it wouldn't work out and so there, there would be long periods of time when i couldn't see him, couldn't talk, and it was very, it was hard it was very hard >> reporter: now the two are reunited thankful for all the support >> it's been a long year and i'm just so happy to be back and with my buddy many. >> reporter: a memory they'll cherish for many years to come >> what was your most favorite part of yesterday?

>> daddy >> me? >> our thanks to brie buckley for sharing that story nothing better than those reunions >> i love how he pounced on that tiger and held him tight ralph yarl has> ralph ybbeg senior year of high school his shooter, andrew lester pleaded not guilty his preliminary hearing will take place next week we thank you so much for waking up with "early today." i'm frances rivera >> i'm jessica layton. have a

rampage in southern california at a bar kills three people.

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