new this morning, the father of the georgia shooting suspect

is in custody, charged with involuntary manslaughter. what authorities are alleging about his role in the shooting that left four dead. the latest twist in the hunter biden legal saga. the president's son changes his plea on the day his trial was set to begin. we have more on the charges and what this means for the case. red lobster claws itself out of bankruptcy. the seafood staple emerges from tough times. we're live with cnbc on the future of the chain behind cheddar bay biscuits. the chiefs and ravens renew their bad blood in a playoff rematch that came down to the wire. we have the full recap. and from the playing field to a family reunion on the sidelines. the new head coach of the tennessee titans adds a football veteran to the staff who just happens to be his father. it's friday, september 6. "early today" starts right now.

glad you're with me this morning. i'm frances rivera. we're learning more about the suspected georgia school shooter and his home life this morning. two law enforcement sources tell nbc news that colt gray's father collin, gave his underage son a ar-15-style rifle as a present. this was after authorities had interviewed the father and son last year. authorities have arrested collin gray, charging him with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder and eight counts of child cruelty. >> reporter: mourners arrive at the apalachee high school flagpole, adding flowers and balloons to the impromptu memorial, one day after violence erupted at the school. >> and then we heard shots fired. and we ran back into the room. and we just all piled up on top of each other in the corner. >> reporter: investigators say a student opened fire with what authorities call a ar-style

weapon. two students, mason schermerhorn and christian angulo were killed as well as two math teachers, christina irmie and richard as aspinwall. >> they have a button on their i.d. we got multiple calls on where to respond in that general area. it also locks down the school screens. >> reporter: the shooter, identified as colt gray, a new student, surrendered when confronted by police. authorities say they previously investigated tips he was making online threats. >> obviously, they looked into it. they found there was no probable cause. a report was done, and, you know, there was no need to kind of take him into custody at the time. >> reporter: a community must now endure sorrow while it waits for justice.

dan scheneman, nbc news. >> dan, thank you. just a week before the shooting, apalachee high school put in place a new panic alarm system. officials say that move prevented an even greater tragedy. as tom winter reports, advocates for the technology now want it installed in schools nationwide. >> reporter: just a week before the shooting at apalachee high school, the county put in a new system to alert law enforcement during emergencies. so, when teachers heard shots, several immediately pressed what amounts to panic button. >> the teachers each have an i.d. with their picture on it, and they have a button, and they press it so many times, and it alerts us and sends a gps coordinate. >> reporter: it's called centegix. an app-based system is called safer watch. >> i hit this button here and, say, it's an active shooter,

hold this down for three seconds. it's instantly notifying law enforcement. and they're able to see who reported the emergency, exactly where it's happening. let me give you a real-life example. there's an armed person jump over a fence, the teacher pressed the panic button. >> reporter: this woman's daughter was killed during the mass shooting in florida. she's pushing for states to mandate laws that every classroom have a panic-button device. >> every time that panic button is pushed, i know that alyssa is saving lives. >> reporter: seven states have passed the law, which is named after her daughter. tom winter, nbc news. in new york city, federal prosecutors have seized the cell phone of police commissioner edward caban, that's according to three sources familiar with the matter. the details of the investigation were not immediately clear, and

the u.s. attorney leading the probe declined to comment. a spokesperson for the nypd said it is fully cooperating. the sources say that this is not related to a separate criminal investigation into past campaign fund raising of new york mayor eric adams. the fbi has also searched the homes of several top adams officials. no charges have been filed in any of these investigations. the president's son has pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in a surprise move. in january, hunter biden pleaded not guilty to charges of failing to pay millions in taxes from 2016 to 2019. the guilty plea, which involved no deal with the government, came just before jury selection was about to begin. hunter biden's lawyer says hunter chose to do this to protect those he loves from the humiliation of a trial. let's turn now to the race for the white house. we are only a few days away from the debate between former president trump and vice president harris. leading up to the showdown, both

campaigns have been focussed on the economy. nbc as brie jackson joins us now from d.c. good morning, brie. mr. trump laid out some economic plans in a speech yesterday. >> reporter: good morning, frances. the economy is a top issue for voters, and, in a speech in new york, former president trump laid out part of his vision. some of his plans include increasing tariffs on imports and getting rid of taxes on tips and social security benefits. he plans to form a commission that would cut waste from the government. he says this was a suggestion from one of his major supporters, billionaire elon musk. >> i will create a government efficiency commission, tasked with completing a performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reform. and elon, because he's not very busy, has agreed to head that task force. be interesting.

if he has the time. he would be a good one to do it, but he's agreed to do it. >> reporter: and musk responded by writing online, i look forward to serving america if the opportunity arises. musk owns companies that are regulated by the government, so this possible role could raise conflicts of interest. meanwhile, vice president kamala harris returned to pennsylvania, where she has been focussed on debate prep. two sources familiar with the fund raising numbers tell nbc news that the harris campaign raised more than $300 million in the month of august, while the trump campaign reported less than half that total for the same month. frances? >> brie jackson for us, thank you. turning to the raging wildfire in central oregon. it has scorched 83,000 acres. it was sparked monday by

lightning. evacuation orders are under way in areas surrounding the national forest are closed. out west, record temperatures are possible this weekend. meanwhile, the southeast could see some flooding. angie lassman has what to expect. >> morning, frances. we've got plenty more rain on the way. i know this is something folks across the gulf coast have been dealing with. no change in that forecast as we get into the weekend. panama city, new orleans, included in this, with more moisture working along the stationary front that's hanging around. we have a cold front stretched across the ohio valley. that's one of the spots where we're looking for additional rain today as well. it's going to work to the east, eventually bringing rain to the northeast by the time we get into the day tomorrow. we'll still be dealing with some of that rain across the gulf coast, too, as we start off our weekend. isolated amounts up to 6 inches

are possible. already-saturated grounds, not going to be hard to get additional flooding across that region. maybe an inch or so in some of the highest amounts of the northeast and interior portions of the northeast here near the great lakes. 50 million people out west under these heat alerts. this has been ongoing. we keep that heat dome in place. and really, there's no improvement with these temperatures. 106 for las vegas, 109 in 90 in salt lake city. 84 denver, upper 60s chicago and a few rain chances for indianapolis today. that's a look at your forecast, back to you. the kansas city chiefs kicked off their game later than

planned because of weather. the ravens were ready for it. kelce was kept to three catches. they couldn't stop zavier worthy. the ravens trailed for most of the contest, but reigning mvp lamar jackson still had a chance to score major upset in the final seconds of the game. >> lamar, trying to make magic happen, likely, two feet down, yes! touchdown! >> despite the initial touchdown call, isaiah likely was ruled out-of-bounds by mere inches, allowing the chiefs to escape with a win, 27-20. coming up, it may not be game over just yet for red game over just yet for red lobster, and we've g aot ♪♪ 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.

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red lobster is exiting bankruptcy. but first we get a look at the jobs report and how it could impact a possible interest rate cut later this month. good morning, charlotte. >> good morning, frances. this could be the most important economic reading of the year. wall street is looking at non-farm payrolls to rise by 160,000. it is sending mixed signals, particularly around the weakening job market. that is raising concern of a potential u.s. recession. now markets are certain that the fed would start cutting interest rates at the end of the month. but by how much? that remains the key. and the numbers we expect today, higher than expected payroll data. the fed is likely to cut less the interest rates that run 25 basis points rather than a bigger cut of around 50 basis points. so all eyes on this very important number. 8:30 a.m. eastern. now, red lobster, they have been

cleared to exit bankruptcy, chapter 11 by the bankruptcy court yesterday. the seafood chain filed for bankruptcy back in may. they've been struggling with competition. lower consumer spending and disastrous promotions. you might remember the endless shrimp one. a group of investors is buying the chain and hope to complete the deal by the end of the month. and a new ceo would be brought on board. that's part of the plan. and they have about 540 restaurants across the u.s. and canada. >> charlotte, thank you. turning to some turbulence over frequent flyer miles. the biden administration launching an investigation into rewards programs. >> reporter: the airlines now the focus of a d.o.t.

investigation. delta, american, and southwest ordered to provide information about their reward programs, practices and policies. in a letter, pete buttigieg writes that the goal is to ensure customer rewards are protected from any practices that would diminish their value, benefit or availability. >> many consumers cultivate them like savings accounts. unlike the dollars in savings accounts values are up to the airlines. >> reporter: many airlines reserve the right to change the terms and value of accrued points. with americans relying on accrued points for family vacations, the probe is focussed on airlines that devalue earned reward points. the term hidden value of rewards and whether programs reduce competition and choice. passenger loewen randal says it

feels like bait and switch. >> it feels like there's an algorithm stacked against me. >> reporter: the airline industry says millions of americans use loyalty programs, and airlines are transparent about the programs. but the details can be buried in the fine print and vary from airline to airline. back to you. >> tom, thank you. still to come, a new day is still to come, a new day is dawning for liolnnc with claritin, relieving your allergies is a walk in the park. get fast, all-day relief of your worst allergy symptoms like nasal congestion. (♪♪) live claritin clear. are you tired of your hair breaking after waiting years for it to grow? new pantene with more pro-vitamins, plus biotin & collagen. repairs as well as the leading luxury bonding brand. stronger, healthier hair, without the $60 price tag. if you know, you know it's pantene. ahh, yellow! didn't pass the tissue test?

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good to see you again. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> seven years after unimaginable tragedy, one of the defining bands of the 2000s has

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prove. soccer star alex morgan announced that she is retiring. and a recommend brant painting just sold for $1.4 million. it set a record for the new england auction house that sold it. they called it the discovery of a lifetime. and eli's cheesecake world is preparing for the taste of chicago with a 1,000-pound chocolate and vanilla cheesecake. stains happen to the best of us. i bet carl lewis doesn't get tomato sauce on his jacket. dang it. urghh! when they do, tide's got you covered. —looking good, man. —learned it from you! it's got to be tide. ma, ma, ma— ( clears throat ) for fast sore throat relief, try vicks vapocool drops. with two times more menthol per drop, and powerful vicks vapors to vaporize sore throat pain. vicks vapocool drops. vaporize sore throat pain.

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redefining the meaning of teamwork. jesse kirsch has their story. >> reporter: when you're a nfl head coach, you're in charge of a lot. >> practice schedules, daily schedules. >> reporter: but when they hired brian callahan this year, he also brought an unlikely coaching playbook. >> among all the people you have to deal with, you got to deal with this guy. >> yeah, it's great. >> reporter: that's tight end offensive line coach, phil callahan. brian also calls him dad. >> it's a dream come true in a lot of ways. >> reporter: bill has spent decades teaching college and pro teams. like father, like son. >> then he got into coaching and totally broke his mother's heart. >> reporter: but when he got his first head coaching job in nashville, he offered dad a job. >> you're talking to the same person. there's the older version and the younger version.

>> it is kind of confusing. i call them both coach. >> reporter: you calling him dad when you're calling plays? what is that like? >> i mean, yeah, that's a good question. that's a great question. >> reporter: sounds like the answer is yes. >> i try to stay with coach. >> reporter: this father and son are right where they want to be. >> to end my career with my son, you couldn't ask for a better scenario. >> reporter: a new season kickoff that's redefining the family business. >> titans on three, one, two, three. >> reporter: jesse kirsch, nbc news, nashville, tennessee. a new group of starlink satellites have been launched. it marks the 15th flight of this particular booster. all right, before we go, a look at what's coming up on "today".

roger goodell joins us ahead of the first south american game that airs exclusively on peacock. here's al roker with what else is in store. >> saving by the decade. we're going to help you start early with money-saving strategies for every age. and l.l. cool j on the plaza. and the black girl tennis club. all that and more, coming up this morning on the third hour of "today". >> the lines are already starting outside for .l. cool j. have a great friday, a great weekend. see you ck here next week. ba nice to meet ya. my name is david. i've been a pharmacist for 44 years. when i have customers come in and ask for something for memory, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's effective. does not require a prescription.

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