u.s. sets its sights on

top hamas leaders. we're live with the doj charges as cease-fire talks ramp up. scandal rocking a former top aide to new york's governor. crisis in southern california. the race to save hundreds of homes from a growing landslide that's forcing more families to evacuate this morning. a trial date set for the so-called ketamine queen and a california doctor charged in matthew perry's overdose death. the new details in the case. another milestone in a nfl rookie's remarkable recovery. ricky pearsall hits the weight room as the suspect accused of shooting him just days ago prepares to face a judge for the first time. and just in time for the start of fall, billboard settles the dispute over the song of the summer. the artist who came out on top.

it's wednesday. september 4th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm frances rivera. the justice department has charged six senior leaders of hamas with terrorism for their role in the october 7th attack on israel. chief among them is the group's leader in gaza. yahya sinwar is largely regarded as the main architect of the assault that killed more than a thousand israelis. for more, let's go live to brie jackson in d.c. >> reporter: the charges also include conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to murder u.s. nationals. around 40 americans were killed on october 7th. several were taken as hostages into gaza. in a forceful video statement, merrick garland said the dorge

doj is determined to bring them into justice. >> it's one effort to target every aspect of hamas' actions. these will not be our last. the justice department has a long memory. we will pursue the terrorists responsible for murdering americans and those who illegally provide them with material support for the rest of their lives. >> reporter: the defendants include sinwar and the former hamas prime minister ismail haniyeh. the military leader and his deputy along with two others. the complaint identifies baracka as responsible for hamas' foreign relations and points to an interview published on october 7 where he admitted that the group's social and civic activities were an employ to trick israel into thinking hamas was focussed on governing in

gaza, all while preparing for the deadly attack. now, we should note that at least two of the other defendants, haniyeh and one other, were killed earlier this year. it is unclear why their names were included in the complaint. >> brie, that ngs you. now to a former aide to new york goefvernor kathy hochul wh was arrested on charges of acting as a secret agent of the chinese government. prosecutors say linda sun used her position to act on behalf of chinese officials. in exchange they say she got millions of dollars. her husband was also arrested in the scheme, accused of money laundering. the fbi says the pair used the money to buy luxury homes on long island and hawaii. both pleaded not guilty in federal court. sun's attorney says the case is a result of the prosecutors being overly aggressive.

new this morning, a federal judge has denied donald trump's second request to move his new york hush money case to federal court. the judge essentially saying the former president did not have a good enough reason to justify the move. the defense wanted to transfer the case with hopes of eventually overturning the conviction, using the supreme court's recent immunity ruling to do so. mr. trump's attorneys filed a notice of appeal late last night. let's get an update now on the race for the white house. both campaigns continue to focus on the key battleground states this week as they prepare for next week's debate. here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: the final stretch of the 2024 presidential race is under way. >> good afternoon, pittsburgh! >> reporter: vice president harris is set to return to pennsylvania on thursday, campaigning with president biden there. >> donald trump is trying to pull us backward. including back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize. >> reporter: while former president trump will be in the

state after holding a rally there just days ago. blasting harris for changing her position and now opposing a fracking ban, a key industry in pennsylvania. >> she's vowed repeatedly that we will ban fracking. the people of pennsylvania are smart. they're not going to fall for it. >> reporter: later in the week, he'll head to wisconsin and north carolina, where the first general election ballots will be mailed out this friday in razor thin race. >> she has a backbone like ramrod. [cheers and applause] she has the moral compass of a saint. this woman knows what she's doing. >> reporter: the former president off the trail but on the attack. >> i don't know how people can vote for somebody that has destroyed our country. the inflation, the bad economy, but, but to me, in a way, the worst is what they've allowed to happen at our border. >> reporter: the next major milestone in the race? next week's debate. a harris campaign official tells nbc news she'll continue her debate prep thursday in

pittsburgh, while senior trump campaign officials say former democratic congresswoman tulsi gabbard is helping him sharpen policy attacks. but harris' team is still calling for a change to the rules. during the last debate at the request of the biden campaign, mics were muted while the other candidate was speaking to prevent interrungs. now the harris team want the mics unmuted at all times. >> and our thanks to gabe for that report. murder charges have been filed in the deaths of four people on a chicago train. 30-year-old ronny davis is facing four counts of first degree murder and expected to be in court today. police say the victims were sleeping when they were shot in the early morning hours of labor day. a motive is still unclear, but officials believe this was a random attack. september off to a rough start on wall street. stock futures are in the red after the worst day for markets since the big selloff last month. the dow dropped over 600 points, while the nasdaq fared even worst, down more than 3%.

chip stocks offered the biggest blow. nvidia develop over 10 percent over a report that they received a subpoena as part of an anti-trust investigation. now to a slow-motion disaster in southern california, where a landslide crisis poses an accelerating threat. morgan chesky has the latest. >> reporter: a state of emergency on the california coast. threats of landslides forcing drastic measures in the seaside community of rancho pales ver days, where streets are closing as they crumble. >> we have made the very difficult decision to disconnect power. >> reporter: officials issued evacuation warnings after power was cut to more than 240 homes. >> 30 days, you know, get ready for it. >> reporter: southern california edison blamed shifting soil for a fallen power line sparking a recent fire. adding to a growing nightmare. you've lost power, had your gas

line closed off. you have intermitten water. why haven't you left? >> you don't really have an option. leave and go where? >> reporter: geologists say the slide rate has accelerated, due to back-to-back winters of heavy rain. in some arias, moving more than a foot a week, even creating an entirely new coastline. >> this is an ever-changing crisis as we navigate through this, and we need to be prepared. that is the only way we can stay safe. >> reporter: hong has watched one of several earthen cracks chew through neighbors' property. >> if we don't get help, eventually, this place will be gone. >> reporter: dreams dashed from a slow-motion disaster. morgan chesky, nbc news, rancho pal oes ver des. crews are battling a wildfire that ignited near a national forest. it is 0% contained. hundreds of homes and businesses

in the sierra county area are without power, and more than 500 people in the community of sierra brooks have been forced to evacuate. the cause of the blaze is still under investigation. they could use some rain. and showers are swirling across the gulf coast this morning. angie lassman is tracking it all for us. good morning, angie. >> good idea to have that umbrella handy. plenty of rain on the way for folks across this region. and flood watches are up. and we have a front that's going to hang around and leave us dealing with heavy rain the next couple days. the low meanders, but all of that moisture moves to the gulf coast. the potential for a whole hot of rain is out there. we've got the chance to seeot o rain is out there. we've got thelot of rain is out there. we've got the chance to see upwards of several inches.

we have normore than 50 million under heat alerts. yuma, 112, phoenix, 110. you get the picture. triple digits. in death valley, 116 degrees. we've seen consecutive days of 100 or hotter. we'll see temperatures into the triple digits for san luis obispo and fresno as we get througtomorrow and heah g down to the gulf coast. showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and highs into the 90s for tampa and orlando. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. now to a surprise of a lifetime for students at a college in new york city.

cooper union told its seniors that tuition will be free this year. the private college saying any payments made for the 2024 fall semester will be refunded. first, second and third-year students will receive full scholarships in their final year. the decision was made possible by a $6 million donation from alumni. "early today" is back in a minute with a nfl rookie's remarkable recovery. and big trouble for the one star of the 1,000-pound sisters after someone was bit by a camel at the zoo. vicks vapostick provides soothing non-medicated vicks vapors. easy to apply for the whole family. vicks vapostick. and try new vaposhower max for steamy vicks vapors. that grimy film on your teeth? dr. g? ♪♪ it's actually the buildup of plaque bacteria which can cause cavities. most toothpastes quit working in minutes. but crest pro-health's antibacterial fluoride protects all day. so it stops cavities before they start... crest.

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in the chest. now we're hearing from the police officer whose quick actions may have saved his life. here's steve patterson. >> reporter: san francisco 49ers' team practice under way, as rookie star ricky pearsall reportedly already back on his feet after being shot in the chest over the weekend. the team's radio analyst saying he spoke to pearsall in the weight room on monday. >> by the grace of god, ricky pearsall is here with the team and doing really well. >> reporter: police say the 23 yoerld was the victim of an attempted robbery saturday afternoon, shot in broad daylight while walking along in union city square. sergeant joelle harrall found pearsall bleeding on the ground. >> i see him look down, and he looks at me. he goes, and i going to die? and i was, like, no. i take off my hat, because i wanted to make eye contact with him. i wanted him to hear me.

and i said to him, listen, look at me. i know you don't know me. but i want you to trust me. it's not your time. >> reporter: police say multiple shots were fired in the struggle between pearsall and the 17-year-old suspect, who was shot by his own gun. the niners drafted pearsall as a first-round pick. he was set for his big debut next week on monday night football. but his life and livly elihood saved thanks to another wearing a very different san francisco uniform. >> i want you to be strong like you are on the field. just breathe. he did it, and that helped so much. >>. > . a doctor and alleged ketamine dealer charged in the death of matthew perry will go on trial in march. they charged with distributing ketamine to perry. both have pleaded not guilty. the actor died in late october after the acute effects of ketamine made him pass out and drown in his hot tub. three other people charged over

perry's death have all agreed to plead guilty. the star of a tlc reality show is facing charges. she's known for documenting her weight loss journey on the show thousand pound sisters. she was arrested at a tennessee safari park. a suspicious odor was noticed coming from a vehicle. they said they were overcome by it. slayton was charged with drug possession and two counts of child endangerment. move over sabrina. billboard decides 2024 belongs to post malone and morgan wallen. more on the diffefinitive songs the summer. ic 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.

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♪ ♪ ♪ that ain't the truth ♪ ♪ i can make this kind of mess all by myself ♪ ♪ ♪ >> post malone and morgan wallen needed no help when it comes

time to drop number one summer jams. >> the the duet "i had some help" topped the chart. so you got the current number one single, bar song. that came in number two, while kendrick lamar's dis track. you see number four, espresso. i am also loving please, please, please. chapel rhone, i love her. she released hers in august of last year. so it's kind of too late. >> it became so popular this summer. i can't complain about the songs this summer. every single one of those i like. and the pop music did not disappoint. from the song of the summer to the song that's kicking us off. sabrina carpenter's "short and sweet" made the top of the chart

in its debut. 362,000 album equivalent units, ranking just behind beyonce and taylor swift. carpenter joins swift as one of eight artists to artists hav to the top. her entire album is good. she's not slowing down any time soon. it's been so fun to watch. and, i mean, it's on repeat in my spotify. >> i hear tinges of country. >> me, too! still to come, the skin care company making a difference for those with disabilities. and how krispy kreme is celebrating barbie. you ready? hey! adams elementary, go rams! i think he needs one too. what do you think?

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disabilities, finding a job can seem daunting, but a pennsylvania skin care company is dedicating to changing that, one hire at a time. valerie castro got an inside look at how they're creating a more-inclusive workplace. >> reporter: ethan riddell considers himself lucky. >> i was very, very shocked. i didn't know i was going to make it. >> reporter: landing his first job at clean logic in pennsylvania about two years ago. his task at the skin care company, assembling packaging with his hands. do you remember how you felt on your very first day here? >> i was a little, i was a little nervous. >> reporter: and now how do you feel when you come to work every day? >> i feel very, very good. i like working with my hands. and it gives me the ability to work with other people who have disabilities, too. >> reporter: ethan is blind and one of many employees here with a disability. >> many of our employees, this is their first job in many cases. they were struggling to find

employment. this is their opportunity to learn the skills and live an independent life. >> reporter: one in four people in the u.s. live with a disability. according to the bureau of labor and statistics, only 37% are employed. clean logic hopes to change that. currently, more than 80% of the company's workforce lives with disabilities. clean logic's goal, increase the unemployment rate for that community by 10% over the next ten years by making a workplace that can accommodate everyone. so when you talk about making things accessible, this is part of that? >> yes. what we have here is high visibility and raised tape. the high visibility allows our visually-impaired team members know exactly where they need to go to their workstations. under this tape is a wire that allows blind team members who use canes to follow it as well. >> reporter: the company co-founder was inspired by his daughter, 11-year-old rosemary, who was born with a disability. >> i went into dad mode and started to create what i thought

would be an accessible and inclusive environment for her and also for anybody with a disability. >> reporter: his business partner, isaac shapiro, drew inspiration from his own mother, blind since the age of 7. >> don't be afraid. disabled people can do the same jobs that sighted people can. just in different ways. >> reporter: clean logic's co-founders hopeful they've founded not just a product but an all-inclusive opportunity. >> we want to see our story be able to make an impact in other companies, in our industry, but also see other industries hire individuals with disabilities. >> great all the way around. our thanks to valerie castro for that report. and thanks so much for watching "early today." i'm frances rivera. have a great wednesday. for now, your news continues on nbc an right there.

more news now on the way. ith yo. stay right there. more news now on the way.