today trump takes the stand. the former president expected to testify with the fate of his business empire at risk.

what you could expect from court. secretary of state antony blinken takes a surprise trip to baghdad, sitting down with palestinian leaders amid growing violence in the region. we will have a live report from washington, d.c. and what the move signals to both sides of this war. denied the chance at starting a family. that's how some lgbtq couples are describing insurance policies refusing to cover fertility costs for gay families. hear from one new york couple who turned to crowd funding for their future. the streets of new york filled with 50,000 runners on sunday. see the highlights from the 26.2 mile race through the big apple. we'll have the breakdown of the other big moments in sports this weekend. the baltimore symphony orchestra's newest music conductor is breaking barriers one note at a time. how the orchestra's first black conductor and its youngest conductor ever plans to bring a new generation into the audience. it's monday, november 6th. "early today" starts right now.

good morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. within just hours, former president donald trump is expected to take the witness stand. the current republican front-runner for 2024 is set to testify in the new york city fraud trial with his business empire in jeopardy. new york's attorney general has accused mr. trump of inflating his assets on financial statements by millions in order to get better loan terms. the former president has pushed back, saying this case is one of the many examples of the legal system being weaponized against him. >> i got indicted four times within a period of about 90 seconds. if i fly my plane over a blue state, i have to go to a grand jury the next day and then they indict me. you know, they've weaponized this stuff. >> an ally of donald trump tells nbc news that the former president's mood is defiant going into today's hearing and says mr. trump wants this moment to push back against a false

narrative. this morning, secretary of state antony blinken is engaged in another round of shuttle diplomacy in the middle east, visiting israel for the fourth time since the outbreak of hostilities between hamas and gaza and israel. blinken also made surprise visits to the palestinian seat of government ramallah and later to baghdad. today he is in the turkish capitol of ankara. chris, good morning. what did secretary blinken achieve on this latest trip? >> good morning to you. well, the full effect is yet to be seen. buff it's very clear what the secretary is trying to accomplish on his many stops throughout the region over his past several day, including him landing in turkey just a short time ago. the biden administration says the u.s. is trying to deter other countries or groups from using this war between israel and hamas as an impetus to expand the conflict across the broader region. speaking in iraq, secretary

blinken warned iran and its militias, don't do it. also blamed for pushing israel for humanitarian pauses so much needed aid can get into gaza. negotiations can move forward to get hamas-held hostages released. since october 7th, iran-backed militias have claimed responsibility for at least 40 rocket and drone attacks against u.s. troops in iraq and syria. blinken isn't alone in trying to keep the war contained. cia director william byrnes is in israel beat meting with government leaders and intelligence officials there. as this goes on back here in washington, congress considers how best to provide foreign aid not only for the israelis, be up also for ukraine in its fight against russia, in spite of passing aid bill for israel only. several senators said over the weekend that the senate will most likely take up a much broader bill that includes ukraine and other priorities.

>> ukraine's president very vocal about needing help. thank you. russia claims to have test fired an intercontinental missile from a new nuclear submarine. the so-called missile flew all the way across russia to hit a target close to alaska. the missile is designed to ultimately carry nuclear warheads, and the russian defense ministry said they'll likely be upgrading their naval forces with new nuclear submarines, each carrying 16 of those very same missiles. a shooting in denver has left two people dead and five others hurt. police say it happened when a group was gathered outside a motorcycle club in the early morning hours on sunday. investigators found evidence that multiple guns were used and are looking into whether some telephone victims may have fired weapons. anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to crime stoppers. good news out of lewiston, maine, a victim of last month's shooting has been upgraded from

critical to stable condition in the hospital. all three patients being treated at central maine medical center are now likely to recover. the gunman opened fire inside a bowling alley and later a bar. the army reservist killed 18 people and wounded 13 more and was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. a potential preview of what to expect in 2024 playing out in a key battleground state this week. ohio voters head to polls tomorrow to decide whether to enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution. the amendment is the only abortion question on any state's ballot this year and has drawn more than $60 million in bined spending so far. the bellwether issue is expected to play a key role in next year's elections after the supreme court overturned roe v. wade last summer. president biden will take his message about investing in america to delaware today. the president famously rode the train back and forth from delaware to d.c. every day when he was a senator. today he will be promoting a $66

billion investment into modernizing amtrak. it's part of the large infrastructure bill that passed in 2021. president biden is likely hoping that this win for the rail system will help boost his support on the campaign trail. a new poll from "the new york times" and siena college shows the president trailing behind former president trump in five swing states. they're all states that the biden campaign won in 2020. trump's republican rival ron desantis is getting a key primary endorsement today. iowa governor kim reynolds will endorse desantis at a rally today in des moines. that's according to sources close to both reynolds and desantis. an endorsement from iowa's popular governor could give desantis a much needed boost ahead of the january caucuses. the latest nbc news poll has the florida governor trailing behind trump in iowa by 27 points. now to las vegas, where construction is almost complete for the formula 1 race later this month. but some residents are not happy with the new additions to the strip. glass fences added to pedestrian

bridges to block the race are now being vandalized. film on the glass has mostly been pealed off. so far there is no word from officials on plans to repair the damage. why you might want to keep an umbrella handy. much of the country is waking up to wet weather, from the pacific northwest all the way lew the midwest and the ohio river valley. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking those soggy spots for us. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, guys. very monday forecast for many of us, especially in the pacific northwest. we've had waves of moisture that has moved onshore. we're going see that once again today. we're talking very heavy rain in spokeswoman spots, especially where you see the brighter colors. this is the futurecast indicating what is going to happen today. mountain snow as well. really windy too. tomorrow we'll see that dissipate a bit on tuesday. so as we look at wind alerts stretching from portions of oregon into california, also nevada, where you see the blue, that's where we see the wind advisories. we could see winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour, making it feel a little worse than it is out there.

we're look at showers, even light snow? spots throughout the northern plains and great lakes. the ohio valley could see rain and parts of the northeast, we're going to see rain as well today. it's going to be breezy too. now that's one big weather story. the other is we're looking at really warm temperatures for movement record warmth, temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year. so 80s throughout the south. 81 in little rock. that's 16 degrees above what is typical this time of year. into the great lakes, 68 degrees in chicago. 17 degrees above what is typical for this time of year. records likely once again tomorrow. temperatures soaring into the 80s in many spots. into the 70s in some other spots. st. louis, 77 degrees in lynchburg. that's 15 degrees above normal. and back to normal as we head throughout the rest of the workwe the

southwest. temperatures in the 90s in phoenix and tucson and 80s throughout texas. 85 in san angelo. all right. that's your monday forecast. >> okay, thank you so much, michelle. let's hope the skies stay clear for thanksgiving. test flights have already begun at the 2023 balloon fest in preparation for the 97th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. 70 balloons will take center stage including beagle scout snoopy, monkey and a new version of the pillsbury dough boy. it kicks off thanksgiving morning at 8:30 eastern, and you can watch it all right here on nbc. starting a family can put a serious stress on a couple's finances. >> a growing number of lgbtq+ couples are turning to crowd funding to help cover the cost. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now, get max strength topical pain relief

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turning to crowd funding to cover the cost of starting a family. nbc's steven romo spoke with one couple in new york who said they had no other choice when their health insurance denied fertility coverage. >> reporter: while many soon to be parents are setting up baby registries -- >> we set our goal at 50,000 for the gofundme, because ultimately, that is an average give or take of what insurance companies would be covering for that ivf treatment. >> reporter: kyle and jack morelli are joining many other gay couples setting up crowd funding sites looking for help with the estimated 150,000 to t $200,000 for a baby. >> i was the one who proposed. >> reporter: the long island new york couple together for ten years got marry and bought a home. having a biological child is the next step in their plan. >> we wanted kids. we wanted that type of life. >> reporter: they expected insurance to cover the creation of their embryos, included in

most fertility coverage. then their insurance company told them they didn't qualify. >> what went through your mind? >> we felt discriminated against. we kind of felt alienated in a weird way in a way i feel it's been a very long time since we did as a gay man. >> reporter: a spokesman for their insurer, empire blue cross blue shield saying it, quote, covers fertility services as mandated by new york state law. many insurance companies rely on definitions of infertility similar to the cdc's to determine coverage. it classifies fertility as the inability to get pregnant after a year of unprotected sex, a diagnosis the morellis would never qualify for. fertility rights attorney molly o'brien says it leaves out not just many same sex couples, but transgender and single individuals as well. do you think it's discr discriminatory? >> it's hugely discriminatory and it needs to change. this is a national issue. >> reporter: right now 21 states

have laws requiring coverage for couples diagnosed as infertile. 16 of those states also mandate ivf coverage. and many of those states, including new york rely on infertility definitions that exclude many lgbtq+ people. >> they're not going change unless the employers who are purchasing the insurance policy make them change. >> reporter: jack and kyle already invested $65,000 and expect surrogacy to cost another $180,000. they're not giving up, though. taking a loan against their home and second jobs to fund their journey. and it's motivated them to advocate for others. >> there is a stigma that two men can't raise a childing for or men are incapable of raising children on their own, and it's something we want to stop. >> steven romo, nbc news. still to come, a rematch that goes far beyond football. the bis'll damar hamlin returns to the field where his life changed forever, right after this.

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a little over ten months since that moment that shocked the sports world. buffalo bills safety damar hamlin returned in cincinnati where he suffered a cardiac arrest during a monday night football game in january. hamlin was not active for sunday night's game, was cheering on his teammates from the sidelines. but after scoring on their opening drive, the bills fell behind the bengals and never recovered. cincinnati's defense forced two turnovers while qb joe burrow threw for almost 350 yards and two touchdowns in their 24-18 victory. but with a perspective of damar hamlin there, even on the sidelines, that is a victory in itself he is. the mixed feelings he must have. but it's so great to see the difference in ten months and the foundation, the community outreach that he has with everybody that he has been so involved with. >> those two cities, these teams are both good teams, so competitive and rivals on the field. but what happened ten months ago, will forever link those two

cities, and his appreciation, he has been very vocal about all the first responders, all the teammates and people from other side who are all wishing him well. he was a healthy scratch. so that's the operative word. >> best scenario after everything that hatched ten months ago. >> that's right. all of sunday's nfl action got off to an early start despite the time change in germany. so miami had the highest scoring offense in the league. but that was completely stalled over there against the chiefs, who put the game away early with that scoop and score fumble recovery by the defense. and later in the day, houston texans rookie quarterback cj stroud had the performance of his young career. he threw for five touchdowns and 47 o yards. he engineered a thrilling, thrilling game-winning drive with less than a minute left against the tampa bay buccaneers. and despite a fast and furious march down the field led by quarterback dak prescott, the

dallas cowboys just fell that short of knocking off their division rival philadelphia eagles in philly. crazy game. philly wins it. while joshua dobbs did not start the game for the minnesota vikings, he certainly ended 80 than play there. the quarterback that the vikings just traded for this week entered the game late in the first quarter and he took control in a comeback win over the atlanta falcons. so playing quarterback in the nfl has got to be -- that's one of the hardest jobs in all of sports. not just the ability, but knowing all the play, all the verbiage, all that stadium. it's hard to roll up to a new team when you don't know anybody and do that well. kudos to josh. >> players and fans. especially after that game. yesterday was the first sunday in november. so nyc saw 50,000 runners take over the five boroughs for the new york city marathon. the first to cross the finish line in central park was tamirat tola of ethiopia. tola set a new course record on sunday, finishing the men's race

in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 58 seconds. he tops the previous best time set in 2011. hellen obiri of kenya won the women's race finishing at 2 harris and 27 minutes. it was a picture-perfect fall day for spectators because it was nice and comfortable. but some people were saying, especially towards the end, a little too mild for the runners who had a little tough time towards the run. but still did not stop these powerhouses from making it. >> the numbers are incredible when you see how it takes someone, just over two hours to do that. try getting in a car and driving from staten island to central park. >> and the inclines. we're not flat here, folks, in new york city. the inclines are incredible. >> true athletes. when we come back, what emotion motivates you most? a new study has the answer. it may surprise you. and rkmit woers ghbe ready to roll the dice. the major strike on the horizon in las vegas. in fear of an embarrassing bladder accident. you're not alone, and you don't have to live like this.

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pounds of its dinosaur-shaped nuggets after metal pieces were found. it impacts the company's 29-ounce bags made on september 5th. according to new research, anger may be a better motivator than other emotions. the city's author and professor at texas a&m university said they found anger led to better outcomes in challenging situations. if a deal isn't reached by thursday, some 35,000 las vegas hotel workers say they're willing to walk off the job. the culinary wkeorrs union is in contract talks with mgm resorts and others. we'll be right back. taken every day, it's clinically shown to improve joint comfort in 7 days, with significant improvement over time. ( ♪♪ ) (♪♪) honey... honey... dayquil severe honey. powerful cold and flu symptom relief with a honey-licious taste. because life doesn't stop for a cold. dayquil honey, the daytime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, honey-licious, power through your day, medicine. the right age for neutrogena® retinol?

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newly minted director is making history. >> reporter: the baltimore symphony orchestra is 107 years old, making music in a city that's more than 60% black. ♪ yet jonathan hayward is the orchestra's first black music director. >> in one way, i am thrilled, privileged, honored, excited. in another way, it also clarifies that we have work to be done. >> reporter: he is making history in another way. at age 31, he is the youngest music director at any of america's top tier orchestras. >> the fact that you are so young, what do you hope that does, maybe in an industry where you find a lot of folks are a lot older than you, both who are doing what you're doing, but also who are sitting out here in the audience. >> yeah. i think my whole belief system is that this art form is for

everyone. i will always say that coming to one of our concerts, any concert can be more exciting than a netflix series. i believe it. the visceral feeling that you get from the sound of an orchestra. narrating through music, you know. there is something that you can't get that anywhere else. >> reporter: what's the key you think to reaching that younger audience, to getting them to feel that and to understand that? >> relatability. they have to somehow relate to these musicians, toe these artists. >> reporter: as an adult, hayward treasures the chance to mentor young musicians through the baltimore symphony youth orchestra and the kids program. he recalls recently when a young cellist had a big solo. >> i looked a at him, and he looked at me. i was trying to feed him inspiration so he couldn't get nervous every single night. and at the end of every single night, he would smile.

andfor me, it's about how i can in any way musically inspire the next generation. >> when a young musician looks at you and sees a young black conductor, what is the lesson you hope that teaches them what's most important thing you want them to know? >> anything is possible. the sky is the limit. >> and our thanks to joe fryer for that report. and sharing his message. it goes to show you when it comes to the impact and the power of music, it surpasses everything when it comes to age, color, and everything in between. >> it is a powerful sound, and it's coming from a ver influentiay

secretary of state antony blinken pushes for a humanitarian pause