morocco leveled in a massive earth cake, thousands are dead, more left injured. images from the ground where the victims' families are sifting their lives and loved ones from the rubble.

in vietnam america is getting a diplomatic upgrade president biden wrapping up his trip to southeast asia with historic agreements. we're live from washington, d.c. breaking down what this means for america's economic future. some engineers are betting america's future is faster check out the new bullet train taking people from sin city to the city of angels, how it could spread across the country. the drew barrymore country is coming back despite strikes in hollywood hear her message to fans and what she calls a continued kbhitment to america's efforts. and how coco gauff hoists her trophy meet the man who taught her to swing the racquet. it's monday, "early today" starts right now good early monday morning to you, i'm jessica layton. >> and i'm frances rivera. we begin our week in remembrance of the lives lost 22 years ago september 11th the day america will never forget. this morning especially all of us here at "early today" are

thinking of those americans who will never return home. >> later today the president will mark the anniversary of the attacks with service members in alaska vice president kamala harris will attend a memorial ceremony at ground zero. now to the death toll from friday's earthquake in morocco that keeps rising. more than 2,100 are dead and that count is still expected to increase the u.n. says around 300,000 people are affected by the magnitude 6.8 disaster and just yesterday a magnitude 3.9 aftershock rattled already devastated communities but it's not clear yet if the latest quake caused any additional casualties moroccan king mohammed vi ordered three days of mourning. president biden wraps up his trip to vietnam. his trip is being closely watched for messages to china. he came directly from the g20

meeting in new delhi a meeting that xi jinping did not attend for the latest let's go live to washington, d.c. and correspondent brie jackson good morning what did president biden hope to achieve with that trip. >> reporter: president biden departs vietnam with some historic agreements in the bag the u.s. was able to secure deals with the communist country on semiconductors and rare minerals, while vietnam will upgrade america's diplomatic status in the capital hanoi. mr. biden explained his position take a listen. >> we are not looking to decouple from china. what i'm not going to do is i'm not going to sell china material that would enhance their capacity to make more nuclear weapons, to engage in defense

activities that are contrary to what is viewed as most people think was a positive development in the region. we're not trying to hurt china. >> reporter: and whether china believes that message is an entirely different thing >> and, brie, getting back to the g20, in india how productive were those meetings? >> reporter: chinese president xi skipped the meeting which was largely seen as a snub against indian prime minister modi, the u.s. and president biden seized on that rift to steer a lot of the agenda at the meeting. while mr. biden insists that the u.s. is not hostile against china, his administration is still making deals and establishing trade infrastructure with other asian powers like vietnam. one loss for the u.s. at the g20 summit is the joint declaration issued on saturday in the section of that that deals with ukraine, the group failed to condemn russia outright for the war in ukraine.

instead making vague references to international law meanwhile, president biden this morning heads to alaska where he's set to deliver remarks marking the 22nd anniversary of the september 11th terrorist attacks. >> brie, thank you. senator tommy tuberville is facing criticism from a member of his own party over his hold on military nominations. on cnn sunday congressman michael mccaul condemned tuberville's months' long blockade going as far as to call it a national security problem tuberville has blocked military appointments since february in opposition to the pentagon's policy on abortion the spokesperson for tuberville said mccaul's remarks are inaccurate. california governor gavin newsom is laying out plans for a potential senate appointment speaking on "meet the press" newsom said if dianne feinstein chooses to vacate her seat

before the end of her term he would appoint an interim replacement instead of any of the three candidates running in the state's senate primary newsom added he doesn't want to tip the balance of the race. feinstein has said she's retiring in january of 2025, but has faced calls to step down over recent health issues. the senate primary takes place next march. turning now to hong kong where historic rainfall is breaking centuries' old records along with unprecedented flooding the rainfall slamming the asian metropolis and leaving some residents speechless, while proving to be fatal for others nbc's kelly cobiella has more. >> reporter: a once in a century deadly deluge, slamming hong kong, bringing the city to a grinding halt. the record rainfall the heaviest hong kong has seen in 140 years, killing two people and injuring more than 100.

desperate rescue missions are now under way as emergency response teams pull stranded residents out of submerged cars, wading through waist-deep waters to get to safety rushing waters turning roads into rivers and inundating entire subway stations, forcing schools, businesses, even the stock exchange to shut down. the mega monsoon wreaking havoc on the city's infrastructure, collapsing roads, flooding malls and triggering landslides. city officials issued a black rainstorm warning, the highest level possible for over 15 hours the longest in the city's history. hong kong's chief secretary warning residents of the storm's severity, announcing the extreme conditions are expected to persist. residents here in utter shock after witnessing the dramatic downpour one woman saying even during

previous typhoons it was never this severe, it's quite terrifying to see. the extreme weather system hitting southern china just hours before, flooding the coastal region of schenn schenn, shutting down roads and public transportation and forcing 11,000 people to evacuate. as flood warnings continue across the region thousands of residents in hong kong and china still waiting out this relentless storm kelly cobiella, nbc news. the vatican held an unprecedented beatification for a polish family of nine, they were executed by nazis during world war ii for sheltering jewish people. 44-year-old joseph ulma lived with his wife victoria who was pregnant and their six other young children pope francis said of them, they represented a ray of light in the darkness of that war a young child in connecticut is lucky to be alive after being

locked inside a hot car. an 18-year-old deemed a hero after spotting the child is distress. >> i was just like save the kid and make sure she's okay. >> reporter: alex torres is being called a hero for stepping in to help a child in distress police got a call just before 5:00 in the afternoon wednesday, reports of a young child lock in a parking lot, the caller reported the child banging on the window for help. >> we looked at the child. oh, my god, sweating, drenched. >> reporter: torres was bowling with a child before spotting the child. >> i'm blessed to be here. >> reporter: he decided to act. >> one time, boom, it shattered, kid was out of the car and everybody is good. >> reporter: torres went to the hospital for stitches in his arm. the naer was arrested for risk of injury to a child.

>> i wish more people would get involved, especially when you see a young child in danger like that i applaud him. >> reporter: the chief is proud of the actions torres took and the department plans to reach out to him >> a situation like that, that could be a life or death situation. >> reporter: but torres doesn't see himself as a hero. he says he's blessed to help. >> a good story to tell. >> our thanks to kevin gates for that story. turning to the forecast. hurricane lee dropping to a category 3 storm michelle grossman has her eye on all the trouble that that hurricane could still cause on hour american shores hi, michelle. >> good morning. we're looking at the chance for really rough surf, life-threatening rip currents along the coast of the u.s we're looking at a major hurricane, category 3 storm, it was once a category 5, weakened to a 3, then a 2, back to a 3, probably strengthening to a category 4 later on today, it's 310 miles north of the northern leeward islands, good news because it's bringing indirect

impacts to puerto rico, the virgin islands, hispaniola with rough sea, rip currents, winds 120 miles per hour moving northwest at 8 miles per hour, slowing down since yesterday and it will move painfully slow as we head throughout this week we talked about it last week, we will talk about it all week long, it will crawl through the atlantic, strengthening to a category 4 later on today, weakening to a 3, eventually to a 2. we expect it to make its way west to bermuda, east of the east coast of the u.s. we're looking at rough seas, though, and rip current threats nantucket, norfolk all the way to melbourne, florida. we will continue to watch. landfall could be anywhere from new lubbock, amarillo and hot once again in phoenix, also tucson

guys, that's a look at your monday forecast. >> michelle, thanks. we're back in 60 seconds with a new train taking americans from point a to point b. >> it's able to do it faster than any other train on the track. we will give you the inside scoop on bright line next. nside scoop on bright line next. 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. hey guys, check it out: it's mrs. stevens. they say she can make things appear out of thin air. hey! you guys want to come in? my mom made dinner. make your table legendary, with country crock. air wick. air wick's limited edition fragrances are infused with natural essential oils for authentic seasonal scents that fill your home with warmth and cheer. honey... honey...

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because of their limitations. >> reporter: look to go lead, bright line, a privately-owned passenger rail service in florida, it's extending its florida line from miami to orlando later this summer. >> we've designed and built a customer-oriented product from the ground up. >> reporter: traveling at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour bright line says these trains will make the 170 mile trip in just over three hours, shorter than the more than five hour trip on amtrak and more convenient than hitting the road. >> americans love their cars until their cars don't work for their needs anymore. if you are stuck on crowded unsafe highways an alternative is what you're looking for. >> reporter: critics wonder if americans will opt for more rail time but u.s. passenger rider ship isup and the numbers are climbing rail experts say federal investment hasn't kept pace and now a train ride from new york to chicago actually takes longer than it did back in 1950 >> there's really no other mode

of transportation, you know, buses, planes, of course, car travel, that is delivering sort of mid century service levels and patterns in the way that passenger trains do. >> we're taking care of the riders, laying track, wiring switches, fixing bridges, tunnels. >> reporter: the president's bipartisan infrastructure bill is fueling change with $66 billion for rail improvements nationwide it's the biggest public boost for passenger rail since 2008 when california voted to build the nation's rail but not a single mile of track is laid amtrak plans to use some of the federal fund to go modernize its fleet but the faster trains won't debut until 2026 bright line plans to break ground on a high speed rail later this year while other projects struggle to gain steam

bright line says its privatized model could be used. >> atlanta/charlotte looks like a place set up, chicago-sluice is another one portland-seattle, the texas strieng triangle, houston, san antonio, dallas, those city pairs set up nicely for this kind of private-sector model. >> reporter: experts say that could reinvent rail in the u.s. faster. >> it will speed up the build out and get us set up faster. still to come drew barrymore returns to daytime tv, hear how she's pulling it off during the hollywood strike. spooky season is in full force at the movies. son is in fl force at the movies. i'm feeling better. cough? congestion? all in one and done with new mucinex kickstart. ah! hated that. headache? better.

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>> we're back breaking down some of the biggest news in entertainment. >> this fall big monsters are coming to the small screen our first look at "monarch legacy of monsters." it premieres on apple tv plus on november 17th. dpo godzilla turns 70 next year. i can't believe it. >> kurt and white russell are playing the same character. spooky season is getting a head start at the movie theaters "the nun ii. it knocked "the equalizer iii" to second place. this is full on gearing up for halloween. >> do you like scary

>> as long as i can laugh along with it. drew barrymore announced she will resume taping for her talk show despite the ongoing strike. she said she owns this choice and will comply with the rules laid out byboth unions according to deadline wga members are planning to picket the new york studio when tapgs start later today. this is controversial within the unions but she's doing her thing. how old is america's workforce. >> and what are they wearing your news by the numbers next. rg your news by the numbers next. try. hope. fail. no one should suffer like that. i started cosentyx®. five years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infection, some serious and a lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reaction may occur. best move i've ever made. ask your dermatologist

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hey! you guys want to come in? my mom made dinner. make your table legendary, with country crock. 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. at 19 years old coco gauff has wonthe u.s. open delray beach is celebrating a hometown star including a special person who helped her along the way. victor jorge spoke with her

former tennis coach. >> i was crying like her father was crying. >> reporter: mark williams is still in awe over coco gauff's victory. he was her coach when the 19-year-old was learning all the basics we coached her from ages 9 to 11. >> slehe was a little something then now she's grown tall but the tenacity and the willing to keep fighting over and over and over again. >> reporter: those are the things her former coach admires about gauff. he said those same skills, tenacity and determination gave her her first u.s. open grand slam win on saturday. >> i watched the entire match, one of the first matches i have probably watched in two years. >> and i'm so glad she played well. >> reporter: sometimes a teenager's biggest critic, but most comforting role model, cocoa's grandma, also weighing in on gauff's triumph. >> you know, win or lose, we are here, you know, she doesn't have to win another match as far as

i'm concerned. >> reporter: for tennis players and fans in delray beach like williams, this is a moment filled with joy, on and off the court. >> 100% everybody here in delray is super happy and proud of all of her accomplishments she's a total inn operation to not just black young girls around the country, but people from all around the world. >> our thanks to victor for that report those i knew her when stories are always the best and even better they have video to show, right, to see how the star literally is born. >> how it all began. and the celebration of coco gauff's historic win continues later this morning on the "today" show the 19-year-old who became the youngest american who win the u.s. open title since serena williams in 1999 joins the "today" show for a live interview in studio 1a gauff was a guest at metlife stadium last night during sunday night football admitting she still has a lot of sleep to catch up on after her big win on

saturday night stay tuned to nbc for this full interview. you will not want to miss it only on "today." i can't wait to hear what she says she's -- oh, gosh, these hugs she's getting and just to see the video of americans just erupting in cheer after the match. >> and to have just a few hours fresh off of that win, how that settled in, it's got to be surreal for her. this is very real reality now that she's making the rounds. >> here we go. >> thanks for starting your week with "early today. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm jessica layton. so glad you could be here on this monday. we will see you again on tuesday morning. uesday morning.

parts of morocco leveled in a massive earthquake thousands are dead and more are left injured we're on the ground where the victims' families are stil