tim walz taking his biggest

stage yet, in a rousing and emotional speech in chicago, touting his small-town roots and pushing a message of freedom. and in an election season full of shakeups, another may be on the way. what sources are saying about the future of rfk jr.'s campaign. the symptoms of long covid in kids and teens are different than those in adults. what you need to know. two weeks after a thwarted terror plot that canceled her shows in vienna, taylor swift breaks her silence. why she says the cancellations caused her tremendous fear and guilt. and the fastest man in the world is back home after winning two medals in paris. noah lyles sits down with nbc about those wins and competing with covid. "early today" starts right now. welcome to thursday morning.

i'm frances rivera. it was another party in chicago overnight. democrats showing off this star power on the third night of the dnc, with performances from stevie wonder, john legend and sheila e. and who better than to speak in chicago than the one and only oprah. >> let us choose truth. let us choose honor. and let us choose joy! >> but it was minnesota governor tim walz and his family who really stole the show last night. the governor officially accepting his nomination as president. his sun gus overcome with pride for his dad. this was an important chance for governor walz to introduce himself to the country, focussing on his time as a father, a football coach and a teacher. >> so there i was. a 40-something high school teacher, with little kids, zero political experience and no

money, running in a deep-red district. but, you know what? never underestimate a public schoolteacher. never. >> nbc's brie jackson has more from chicago. >> reporter: minnesota governor tim walz officially accepting the democratic party's vice presidential nomination. >> it's the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the united states. >> reporter: on the biggest stage of his career, the retired national guardsman laid out his role in the ticket's fight for freedoms. >> we mean the freedom for a better life for yourself and the people that you love. freedom to make your own health care decisions. >> reporter: singers john legend and sheila e performing prince songs, a nod to a minnesota icon. ♪ people ♪ >> reporter: stevie wonder and other world-renowned stars

taking the stage to introduce the once-lesser-known popular nominee whose popularity skyrocketed after becoming kamala harris' running mate. from oprah winfrey >> what we're going to do is elect kamala harris as the next president of the united states. >> reporter: to democratic party super star, former president bill clinton. >> when kamala harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you, you. >> reporter: democrats lining up to support kamala harris and tim walz. every day people, sharing how the former teacher and coach imbacteriaed their lives. >> our job for afrn eeveryone watching is in the trenches and do the blocking and tackling. >> reporter: a man who has taken on many roles now adding the title of vice presidential nominee. brie jackson, earn become news.

former president trump spent theday in battleground north carolina where he held his first outdoor campaign event since surviving the assassination attempt, speaking from behind b bulletproof glass. the former president also laid the ground work to officially question the election results. >> and our primary focus is not to get out the vote, it's to make sure they don't cheat. because we have all the votes you need. you can see it, every house along the way has signs. trump, trump, trump. every american was safer under president trump. in fact, the entire world was safer when i sat behind that beautiful resolute desk in the oval office. >> mr. trump could soon get a boost from robert f. kennedy junior. the independent candidate is planning to drop out and endorse donald trump. kennedy's campaign says he will hold an event friday to address his path forward. president biden spoke with israeli prime minister netanyahu on the phone yesterday, according to a readout of the

call. mr. biden, quote, stressed the urgency of bringing the cease-fire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in cairo to remove any remaining obstacles. the u.s. says that israel has accepted a recent cease-fire proposal, while hamas has rejected it, saying it does not guarantee an end to the war. the cairo talks will be happening as the threat of retaliation from both iran and hezbollah loomed large over israel and the region. russia says ukraine targeted moscow in a drone attack. officials say 11 drones were involved in the largest drone attack e attack ever lodged on the capital. ukraine has yet to comment, and despite recent gains, some ukrainian troops are growing increasingly frustrated. our erin mclaughlin spoke with one of them. >> reporter: the latest salvo in a nearly two and a half-year-old war that's increasingly being

fought with drones. we spoke with one ukrainian who piloted those drones until very recently. he deserted the military days ago. increasingly disillusioned with the direction of the war and his commanders. nbc news agreed to withhold his identity at his request. [speaking in a global language] things were different when he left his job in i.t. to become a drone pilot. >> reporter: were you filled with hope. >> yes, i knew there is no other option than, like, to fight. >> reporter: but he says that hope soon turned to misery with last summer's failed counter offensive in which ukraine gained back very little ground. >> did was frustrating. that was painful. russians seem to have more of eve everything. >> reporter: the breaking point, his combat partner died in his arms when a makeshift drone exploded. >> i looked in his eyes.

i don't know, lost the sparkle of life going away from his eyes. >> reporter: he deserted, just days later. if caught, he faces potential jail time. >> the big part of the problem is that the commanders, they always put pressure, faster, faster. >> reporter: leading to deadly mistakes. now breaking news out of canada where a labor dispute brought rail freight to a stand still overnight. the country's two largest rail companies failed to strike a new contract with thousands of workers. the shutdown could cause serious supply chain disruptions in the u.s. and wreak havoc on canada's economy. taylor swift finally breaking her silence after the foiled terror plot that canceled three shows in vienna this month. the pop super star opening up on instagram wednesday, calling the cancellations devastating, and saying, quote, the reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear and tremendous sense of guilt because so many people had

planned on coming to those shows. i was also so grateful to the authorities, because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. swift also noted she remained silent until now out of safety concerns. the post comes as swift closed out the european leg of her show with five shows in london. five of the missing six people have been found after that luxury yacht sunk in a storm. they include mike lynch and his dee de teenaged daughter. the yacht sank after a once-in and-lifetime storm. let's turn to the dangerous heat wave still not letting up in the south. angie lassman is tracking those temperatures for us. >> it's another day where we've got the heat alerts across parts of the south. specifically, a lot in texas.

22 million people included this this. san antonio, houston and corpus christi. temperatures headed to the triple digits again. lubbock will head to 106 degrees. san angelo, 110. these temperatures way warm for this time of year. and we don't really see a lot of relief for that region. 105 for lubbock. wichita falls, 107. look what happens by the time we get into early next week and the weekend. the heat will expand. places like little rock will be in the high 90s. chicago will hit 90 degrees on sunday, even warmer by monday. now we've also got some rain to talk about out into the parts of the southwest united states. some rain that's going to develop over parts of the rockies. it is monsoon season again, so we're going to be watching for showers and afternoon thunderstorms. the flooding will be a risk. you can see the area centere or n

bay. 80 degrees in des moines this afternoon. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. >> thanks so much, angie. "early today" is back in a moment with a small pennsylvania town that could play a big role in the 2024 election. icn t seang came first, the chkeorhetrmi service? new mr. clean ultra foamy magic eraser? it's more magic than ever. with the scrubbing power of magic eraser and the cleaning power of dawn. watch it make soap scum here... disappear... and watch how sprays can leave grime like that with up to 10 times the cleaning power, foamy melts it on contact. magic. it makes this ring a thing of the past. it makes you forgetti about baked on spaghetti. new ultra foamy magic eraser. clean with more magic than ever.

you are bountiful. your skeleton can support two times your weight. it's in your nature to stand strong. supplement your bones with high-absorption magnesium. nature's bounty. it's in your nature. when you smell the amazing scent of gain flings... time stops. (♪♪) and you realize you're in love... steve? with a laundry detergent. (♪♪) gain flings. seriously good scent. back to our "top story." the 2024 race and the role one small town could play in the critical battleground state of pennsylvania. our jacob soboroff in partnership with wpxi traveled there to find out what matters most to voters. >> reporter: mayor, at the end of all this, how many buildings are going to be demolished?

>> about 150. >> reporter: democrat dwan walker has been mayor for 12 years. today he's presiding over a demolition bonanza, funded by president biden's american rescue plan. >> this is a renaissance. we're changing the environment of our downtown. >> reporter: when you talk about what matters in this city, why does this matter? >> i think that's important, to change what people see. >> reporter: we first met mayor walker here in 2016 as they struggled to build back decades after the steel industry's collapse. >> blue collar, blue steel. >> reporter: we also met these retirees. how has it changed over the course of your life here? >> it was a booming town. now the mill shut down, it's nothing. >> reporter: the shift shook up life in aliquippa, including in recent years, its politics. it is one of the most populous cities, but it has picked a

republican for president since 2008, part of the reason the state's become a battleground. the mayor believes this election could mark another political shift. >> there's a lot more, i would say, optimism about the future. >> reporter: we went to put mayor walker's theory to the test in a place that since the steel industry's disintegration has become the beating heart of aliquippa, the football community. you've been doing this how long? >> i've been doing this since 19, maybe 96, 97. >> reporter: this is the mayor's cousin. how has aliquippa changed since you were a young man growing up here? >> obviously, first and foremost, industry. jobs. that the major change, the economy. it went down. mills went. jobs went. >> reporter: if you asked somebody what matters in aliquippa and they said football, they're not really talking about football. >> no. it's a mind-set. heart and smart. we try to teach them that mind-set. >> reporter: mary jo hamilton is

is the mind-set perssonified. >> i'm a single mom. i go to work five days a week. as soon as i get off work, we're here at football. >> reporter: going to vote come election day? >> absolutely. >> reporter: how do you feel? >> i feel like we're going to have the first black female president soon. >> reporter: she introduced us to fellow team moms. >> i think everyone's eyes are open and taking their right to vote seriously. >> it doesn't matter about the party. we need jobs here in aliquippa. you drive around the city, i think they knocked down two buildings just today. >> reporter: a new beginning? >> definitely a new beginning. >> reporter: in a small city that could make a big difference come election day. >> all right, good work, guys. >> our thanks to jacob for that report. a first of its kind study has found that the symptoms of long covid can be different in kids compared to adults.

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with anne thompson to talk about his two medals and competing with covid. >> reporter: noah lyles, the fastest man in the world, describes the paris olympics as a rollercoaster, winning gold in the 100-meter and bronze in the00. wt the 200. >> reporter: what was the highest high? >> right before and after the gun went offer. the crowd was electrifying. >> reporter: and the lowest low? >> it was definitely the moment that i tried to go out for the semi-final round of the 200, and i knew, i already knew i had covid. and i was on a bunch of medications, and i couldn't get my body to do what i wanted it to do. >> noah lyles, bronze. >> reporter: what would you say to the critics who said you shouldn't have run with covid? >> to be honest, i don't really listen to critics. but we did our best to try and make sure that we didn't ruin

anybody else's olympic experience. >> noah lyles is the olympic champion. >> reporter: but the race he won. what made the difference? >> the difference was my start. and i have improved it by leaps and bounds. >> reporter: and at the end, you leaned. is that something you practice? >> no, no, a lot of track athletes don't practice leaning. it's kind of an innate thing. >> reporter: are you aiming for l.a.? >> oh, yes. i'm only going to be 31! shoot, i'm planning to go to brisbon. >> reporter: noah lyles is not slowing down. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. chicago sky forward angel reese landed a sweet deal with hershey's reese's. they're not just sharing a name but a style. the first of three angel by reese's collections dropped wednesday. it features eight pieces, so think tees, hoodies and hats dripping in the classic reese's vibe. two more drops are on the way, a

jersey release and another eight-piece set, all repping that reese's cup logo. i know a lot of people pronounce it reese-ees. we know it's pronounced reese's. starbucks is serving a little autumn. pumpkin spice is back two days ahead of last year. they have seen a slump in sales, and this often gives a boost. the drinks make up about 10% of overall sales. have a great thursday. football season already and not a satellite dish in sight! i hardly recognize the roofs i grew up on. enough squawkin'! oh great... coach prime! y'all are whining while everyone else is watching nonstop football on directv! tell me! whose house is this? their house?

i think they're renting. listen, listen— i know they get easy access to all this football... but you know what you got? what, coach? a crumb bum attitude! now drop and give me twenty! twenty what?