tragedy in australia. three american marines killed in a helicopter crash on a training mission down under. what happened?

a live report coming up. we are learning more about the horrific mass shooting in jacksonville, florida. all signs point to a racist motive for the senseless massacre. the crew of the endurance is officially on board the international space station. the spacex vessel docking after a 30-hour trek into the final frontier. >> we also break down all the biggest stories in sports including simone biles' historic win. and a story that is both enraging yet touching in the end. an american man reunited with his chilean mother decades after being stolen from the hospital at birth. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm jessica layton. we begin with a tragedy in the u.s. military. three u.s. marines have been killed in a helicopter crash in australia. the cause of this crash still under investigation, but the helicopter the marines were on has been involved in other fatal accidents before. for the very latest on this, we

go live to our raf sanchez. good morning. what do we know what led to this crash? >> jessica, good morning. with don't know very much at this stage. the investigation is still under way. not clear if this was some kind of technical malfunction, pilot error or something else. we do know these u.s. marines were taking part in a training exercise alongside australian force, and that there were 23 people on board the aircraft when it went down. now three were killed in the crash, and their bodies remain at the crash site. another five marines are in serious condition in hospital in northern australia. the remaining are still in the hospital still being treated for more minor injury, or they have been released. they were on board what's called an osprey. this is an aircraft that takes off like a helicopter. it flies like a plane. the u.s. military says that makes it a versatile piece of

equipment. this past year there were two separate fatal crashes killing nine people. and back in 2000, the entire osprey fleet was grounded after another series of fatal crashes. now the effort to recover the aircraft here, which will be crucial in terms of finding out what happened is being comp cased by the fact that it went down on the a remote island about 60 miles north of the australian mainland. president biden and the first lady both offering their condolences to the families that it has killed overnight. jessica? >> so tragic for all of those families. ralph, thank you. in georgia, one of the defendants accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 election will argue for moving his trial from state to federal court. it is a hearing that will set the stage early for a case that includes a former president and many of his men. for more on this, we go to nbc's drew petrimoulx in washington. drew, what should we expect from this hearing? >> good morning, vinita. former president trump's

one-time chief of staff mark meadows is set to appear in federal court later this morning. meadows faces two felony counts as part of the 19-person indictment which charges the defendants tried to overturn results of the 202010 election in georgia. shortly after the indictment was handed down, meadows filed a motion to move his case from georgia state court to federal court. in arguing for the move, he says the actions that led to his charges occurred during his time as serving as a member of the federal government. they also argue that meadows did nothing criminal, and the charges should be dismissed. a move to federal government could gived me toes a more favorable view of the jury pool. fanny willness argued that meadows' actions were in violation of the hatch act, and that is case should remain in georgia. ahead of the hearing willis has ordered subpoenas for brad raffensperger and elections

investigator francis watson, and is expected to outline some of her case easy pays against the defendants while arguing against meadows' requests. at least four other indicted co-defendants including jeffrey clark have also filed to move their twrierials to federal cou. so far just one defendant kenneth chesebro is said to begin his trial during that month. back to you. >> you can see why toes cameras would make a big deal in this case. drew, thank you. we're learn mortgage this morning about the horrific attack in jacksonville, where ash gunman opened fire at a dollar general store killing three black victims. police say before the rampage at the store, the shooter first stopped at a historically black university. and they believe this video shows him getting ready with a bulletproof vest. he refused to identify himself so he was told to leave. the gunman identified as ryan

palmeter took his own life and that he left behind messages of racial hate. the justice department is investigating this as a hate crime. locals on maui had another scare saturday when a brushfire erupt mere miles from the lahaina neighborhood decimated by fires a couple of weeks ago. this latest fire burned ten acres and forced limited evacuations before firefighters were able to put it out. a devastated community is rising from the ashes and coming together by saying surf's up. here is steve patterson. >> reporter: much has been said about the calm that comes. just from feeling the sky kiss the sea. fitting that in its darkest hour this small stretch of sand in west maui is where the community is starting to come back. >> this is the first time all of the families in west maui will have been in one place since the fire. so i just expect a lot of joy.

>> in lahaina, a skate and surf after school program was until the wildfire took it all away. tomorrow's home was destroyed. she says she is lucky she and her throw children made it out alive, but she soon noticed not without scars. >> my 3 1/2-year-old always wants to talk about the fire. >> reporter: that's when she knew her life's work had to continue, now once again an escape. for maui kids to be maui kids again. you just came from the water. how does it feel? >> it was fun, yeah. feels super nice to be in water. >> put you in the right spot. >> reporter: over the years

lahaina legend roger, affectionately known as uncle bully has taught most of these kids how to surf. now he is teaching them thou heal. >> joy is one of the most powerful tools farce medicine goes to helping people recover. >> reporter: tammara says as long as there is room for a little slice of joy, she'll be okay. >> they don't know where they're going live. they don't know when their kids' schools is going to be ready. we want to give some certainty and there is no certainty. >> reporter: a wave of ocean therapy washing in just when it's needed most. steve patterson, nbc news, maui. florida is bracing for a direct hit from tropical storm idalia expected to make landfall as a hurricane. michelle grossman is tracking the path of the storm. michelle, good morning. what do we know right snow?

>> good morning to you both. we're looking at the landfall as early as late tuesday into early wednesday. it could be major hurricane or a category 3 storm. winds at 60 miles per hour. it's stationary just east of the yucatan. but it's going the start to move north, and then it's going to enter the gulf of mexico, really warm waters. we do expect it to strengthen as it enters the gulf. tropical alert from the west coast of florida. we do have a hurricane watch that is in the pink. that includes tampa. east point, we're looking at rainfall, 10 inches in some spots. here is the track. as we go throughout time later on today, expecting to become a category 1 storm. and then by tuesday we're expecting a category 2 storm. by late tuesday into early wednesday, that's when we expect landfall 40 of tampa. somewhere along the west coast of florida. we're looking at what could be a category 3 storm. a chance of really gusty winds, life-threatening storm surge as well. then it's going to cross the stat dallas, 95

degrees. triple-digits in houston, corpus christi and brownsville. all right. that's idalia. also looking at the week ahead, rain i had of the storm. we'll take a look at that in just a few minutes. >> all right, thank you so much. >> sure. after a 30-hour trek into the final frontier, spacex's you is aboard the space station. the dragon docked after launching friday from gnat highways kennedy space center. seven other astronauts already living on the iss welcomed the endurance team. the four-person crew 7 which is spacexs a all international team will be working on the lab for about six months. >> we're back in 60 seconds with

new questions ouabt fairness and regulation. big racial disparities among new york city's public schools. breathe, ahhhh! [sniffs] what is — wow! baby: daddy. sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! ghirardelli intense dark. ♪♪ bold... rich... intensely delicious dark chocolate. ghirardelli intense dark. makes life a bite better. with new scope squeez mouthwash concentrate, just add water, squeeze to control the strength of your mouthwash. and find a zone... all your own. ♪♪ scope squeez.

well, back to school time is quickly approaching. many new york city students are facing a disparity after only a handful of black and latino students were admitted to the city's prestigious specialized high schools. ron allen has the details. >> reporter: meet jada hallsly. >> what's your favorite suggest? >> math. >> i want to be a nurse or a surgeon. >> reporter: when schools starts in a couple of weeks, they'll be first year students at stuyvesant high, one of eight so-called specialized public high schools ranked among the best anywhere in the country. but jada and mariela will be among a small percentage of black and latino students offered to girls this year. in a city where black and brown

students make up more than 2/3 all students. >> i don't know how i'm going to feel about not having people that share the sams experiences as me. i don't have any project with it. i just don't know what to expect. >> reporter: at stuyvesant, the demographics are more skewed. of the 422 students offered a mission, 158 white and 489 asian. the city's makeup raising questions about the admissions process, based on a single three-hour standardized test. just over 100 questions. scoring highest get into the best schools. why should a single test be the determining factor who gets into the best schools in new york? >> it's the most efficient way. >> reporter: john lew, an a graduate is a staunch defend other telephone process. it was created by the legislature in the 1960s with a goal of racing unfair subjective

admission policies. over the years critics who want the school to better reflect the racial makeup of the city, but those have failed. >> many feel besiege beside i this issue. and the only solutions offer have had been demonstrated to decimate the asian american opportunity for these schools. >> why do you think this community does so well on the test? >> i think it's just academic preparation. >> and so the academic rigor that is demanded by many of the asian parents, particularly the more recent immigrant, i think it's more parallel. >> reporter: admissions policies at the country's top universities under a new spotlight after a new court option ruling out discrimination, all being heavily scrutinized. and it means more attention on the top high schools feeding those schools as well. in new york city, for thousands of top students in the public school system, it comes down to

this test. >> i'm not against a test. i'm against these students not being prepared for it. >> reporter: allison runs 23456 gate the maze, an academic enrichment program attended by students like jada and mariela. >> i don't blame the schools. we have 25, 30 kids in a class. >> you think the solution is what? >> finding students can handle the work, that are highly motivated and want to do it and teach them a concept. >> i will admit there will be some -- a barrier between me and the other students. but i don't really mind that. >> do you think that's a barrier that you can overcome? >> yeah. >> our thanks to ron allen for that really interesting report. >> interesting and ongoing for many. today an early action-packed sports update. simone biles is not ready to stop making the records. greatest of all time continues

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curacao has not allowed a home run at the world series. that one is gone, and this game is over! >> that will give you goose bumps. we're breaking down the biggest stories in sports this morning, starting with the biggest hit at the little league world series. that's louis lappe in the bottom of the sixth, giving the team from el segundo the title. they beat curacao 6 firefighter 5. i love that name, it sounds like a future major league star. >> it's pure excitement. at that age? so happy. gymnastics now. the u.s. gymnastics championship from simone biles made history. biles won her record-setting

eighth national title, finishing four points ahead of the runner-up. at 26, biles is the oldest woman to win a national title since she was in gymnastics and organizing the event 60 years. it breaks a tie with alfred joe kim in the 1920s and 1930s. i don't want to call it a comeback, but she had to take the time off. she had the dizzindizziness. >> she has had a lot on her plate over the years. and she is still so amazing. one of baseball's brightest you can scores. he thought he was about to put some runs on the board. but only for reds rookie de la cruz to being beating a throw to the home plate to make the play and tag the runner out. cincinnati may have made the play, but arizona got the win, meaning the diamondbacks hold on to that last wild card spot in the national league with about a

month left in the season, every game matters. those two players we just mention ready the future of baseball. it's really fun to watch them play. >> yeah. i wanted to see that in slow-mo. >> we saw it. all right. when we come back, michelle grossman has a preview of this week's weather forecast. and later, a victim of child trafficking is falinly learning the truth. he has been reunited with his family after 42 years. in clinical trials, entyvio helped many people achieve long-term relief and remission. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. although unlikely, a risk of pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection cannot be ruled out. tell your doctor if you have an infection, experience frequent infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. liver problems can occur. it's time to ask your healthcare provider about entyvio. go to entyvio.com to learn more

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going to be about idalia. we're looking at heavy rain, up to 10 inches in some spots. could see life-threatening storm surge as well. showers in the midatlantic and northeast as well. a fuel preview still in portions of the midwest, the great lakes, the ohio valley and sunny and seasonal in portions of the intermountain west. we're lookingat lingering showers in parts of the southeast. back to you. >> thanks, michelle. still ahead, a family treasure is recovered from the depths of a lake after they thought it was lost forever. eep. ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand for a better night sleep. so now, he wakes up feeling like himself. the reigning family room middle-weight champion. better days start with zzzquil nights. ghirardelli intense dark. ♪♪ bold... rich... intensely delicious dark chocolate. ghirardelli intense dark. makes life a bite better. mr. clean magic eraser powers through tough messes.

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decade. nic van zile from our wisconsin affiliate has the story. >> reporter: mike and tracy croning have a home on the turtle flambeau foliage. in 2009, they met their neighborhoods and kids on swimmers island. everyone was having fun swimming and playing, and mike was talking one of the kids into the water when something unimaginable happened. >> as i through threw him, he grabbed my hand and pulled my platinum wedding band off of my hand. and it was lost. so we needily quarantined the area, so to speak, went and got diving masks, and we looked for the wedding band for many, many hours and days. >> reporter: mike and tracy figured that the ring was gone for good, and tracy even purchased a replacement. they have been back to island thousands of times over the past 14 years, but never really thought about the ring until mike saw a facebook post. >> i saw a picture of a ring. it looked just like my ring. 14 years later, it was stained

with the color of the water. but i reached out to bill stewart. >> what just blew me away is within half an hour, i had a message from mike. first of all, i was surprised we found anybody. and second of all, i was surprised it came so quickly. >> bill had to make sure it was the right owner. so he asked what was inscribed on the band? >> it's your love is your wedding song. so i had it inscribed with those words and the date of wedding. >> he told me what was on the inside except the date was not right. i went back to him and said there could there be another date? he said yes. we were married twice. once in the united states and once in canada. what's the other date? he gave me the other date, and it was correct. >> reporter: mike went to bill's house that night and was reunited with his wring, 14 years after it had been lost. >> like a needle in the haystack or winning the lottery, or something along those lines.

but i haven't won the lottery yet. >> and our thanks to nic zeile for sharing that story. another reunion. this one more than four decades that was overdue. jimmified den was born and laid in an incubator at birth. investigators later announced the sad news he had died. it wasn't true. he was later adopted and raised in arlington, virginia. after reading a story about the chilean child trafficking during the 70s, he began to wonder if that happened to him. he connected with his first cousin. his firstwords to her hi, mom, i love you so much. thanks for starting your week with "early today." i'm jessica layton. >> and i'minita nair. >> and i'minita nair. have v a oh ms. flores, what would we do without you? leader of many, and pet wrangler too. you report to your boss, every afternoon. so beautiful. so becoming a student again might seem impossible. but what if a school could be there for all of you?

career, family, finances and mental health. well, it can. national university, supporting the whole you. edge this morning after a racially motivated rampage claime