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life-threatening conditions expected along the gulf coast as hurricane francine takes aim at louisiana. violeta yas is tracking the storm's path. donald trump and kamala harris come face-to-face as they tackle abortion rights and immigration. by night's end, harris making up a swift endorsement. the candidates also touching on the war in the mideast where israel is now admitting one of its soldiers likely killed an american citizen in the west bank. and in gaza, dozens are killed or hurt after an israeli strike hit a humanitarian zone. we have a live report with reaction. plus, how a cafe in a small missouri town is fighting hunger by allowing customers to pay what they can. and an all-civilian crew aboard a spaceflight aims to

make history. it's wednesday, september 11. "early today" starts right now. good morning, glad you're up early with me. i'm frances rivera. residents across the gulf coast are bracing for impact as francine, now a category 1 hurricane, barrels towards louisiana. president biden has approved a federal emergency for bayou state. most of the coastline there is under a hurricane warning. texas is already grappling with flooding from the storm's outer band. and a storm surge warning is into effect into mississippi. many communities in louisiana are under curfew, and schools across new orleans are closed today and thursday. for more on the storm's path, let's turn to violeta yas. good morning, violeta. >> yeah, francine upgraded to a hurricane with an intermediate advisory yesterday around 7:00. right now a category 1 hurricane located 195 miles east-northeast of the rio grande.

you can see that at 95 miles per hour, moving to the north and east at 10 mile per hour. the center of circulation very clear in the gulf of mexico. out ahead everof this we have hurricane warnings from south central louisiana to the southeastern portion of the state. but the warnings extend into parts of mississippi as well. we'll continue to track this, movement continued expected to the northeast. we'll continue to watch this, storm surge going to be a big, big impact here with anywhere from 5 to 10 feet possible, extending around the grand isle area. a very dangerous situation in the gulf states. that's a quick look at your national weather and a quick peek at what's going on in your region, or rather, we're heading back to you.

former president trump and vice president harris faced each other for the first time on a debate stage in philadelphia last night. the debate covered a wide range of issues and included a lot of innocence exchanges between the candidates. harris presented herself as an optimistic problem solver. while trump attacked her as a radical and also targeted president biden. >> we're playing with world war 3, , and we have a president that we don't even know where our president is, we don't even know if he's a president. they threw him out of a campaign like a dog. we don't even know. is he our president? but we have a president -- >> mr. president -- >> that doesn't know he's alive. >> first of all, it's important to remind the former president you're not running against joe biden, you're running against me. >> we have more from philadelphia. >> reporter: a presidential pivot point. former president trump and vice president harris shaking hands in their first-ever meeting,

sparring over key issues, none more pressing than the economy. >> we've had a terrible economy, because we have inflation like very few people have ever seen before. >> reporter: the vice president pressed on her changing policy positions since her 2019 run for the white house. >> my values have not changed. i will not ban fracking. i have not banned fracking as vice president of the united states. >> reporter: the former president pushing back on his legal troubles and on accepting the election results. >> i probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me. >> reporter: former president trump on the attack over immigration and the border. >> they have -- and she has -- destroyed our country with policy that's insane. >> donald trump got on the phone, called up some folks in congress and said "kill the bill." he'd prefer to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem. >> reporter: vice president harris blaming mr. trump for restrictions on reproductive rights. questions on his shifting

stance. >> donald trump hand-selected three members of the united states supreme court with the intention that they would undo the protections of roe versus wade, and they did exactly what he intended. >> reporter: the gloves coming off. >> i think this is so rich, coming from someone who has been prosecuted. >> she's destroying this country, and if she becomes president, this country doesn't have a chance of success. >> reporter: in a debate that could reshape the race for the white house. in philadelphia, alice barr, nbc news. >> both of the candidates will be traveling today to mark the 23rd anniversary ofthe 9/11 attacks. vice president harris will join president biden at ground zero in new york city. and then they will go to the flight 93 memorial in shanksville, pennsylvania, followed by a visit to the pentagon memorial. former president trump will also be in new york today, visiting the 9/11 memorial. he will then also tracvel to shanksville, pennsylvania.

in missouri, voters will get a direct say on abortion rights after the state supreme court ruled that an amendment to enshrine abortion in the state constitution can appear on the ballot. it would allow abortion care until fetal viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy. missouri currently bans all abortions. it becomes one of ten states to put abortion rights on the ballot this year. at least 19 people were killed by an israeli airstrike inside a humanitarian zone in gaza tuesday. that's according to a civil defense official who says the number could still rise. dozens were injured. israel claims they targeted a hamas control center, killing three senior militants. for the latest, let's turn to claudio lavanga. tell us more about this area that was bombed. >> reporter: good morning, frances. well, it is a thin strip of land on the gaza coastline that has been designated as a humanitarian area for people who

were displaced by the war to go and evacuate to. so since then, it has been a site full of sprawling tents, housing hundreds of,000 of disp thousands of displaced peopleshel sheltering there. most people were asleep when the attack arrived because they thought they were safe there. since then, there have been scores of search and rescue teams as well as regular citizens just digging that huge crater that airstrike left behind, looking for survivors, but the fear here is that it is more likely that that death toll that stands at 19 now may rise even further and dramatically. well, now, there's some other developments, in terms of that 26-year-old woman who was killed in the west bank just last week. now the israeli military is admitting that it is highly likely that one of its forces has shot and killed her, but

indirectly, they say. and unintentionally. but the family of the woman is now calling for an independent investigation to be opened in the united states, and antony blinken, the secretary of state has said that that investigation by the israelis is now make it very clear that she was killed in a way that was unprovoked and unjustified. and it's called for changes in the way that the idf, the israeli defense forces operate in the west bank, frances. >> claudio, thank you. the u.s. and britain are accusing iran of supplying russia with short-range ballistic missiles. at a meeting in london, alongside the uk foreign secretary, u.s. secretary of state antony blinken said the missiles were intended for use in ukraine and would be deployed on the battlefield within weeks. blinken said iran had ignored warnings that the transfer of those weapons would escalate the

conflict. iran's foreign minneistry dismissed it as ugly propaganda. to southern california where there are new evacuations under way as a fire threatens homes and critical communication towers. it has burned more than 20,000 acres and is 0% contained. and a state of emergency has been declared in san bernardino county over the line fire, burning more than 32,000 acres and only 14% contained. for the latest, let's turn back to nbc meteorologist violeta yas. what can people expect today when it comes to this? >> well, we're finally seeing temperatures drop, right, after such a prolonged extreme heat across the western united states. that, alone, is going to help a hill bit. n little bit. the wildfire smoke has continued to drift to the east. we do have numerous red flag warnings in place across the southwest, parts of nevada,

utah, up into idaho as well. many impacted by this. luckily, we are seeing cooler weather setting up here as we head into the second part of the week. of course tuesday being still on the warm side, but cooler weather setting up here. however, this is having an air quality impact as well, not only in the west but also places as far north as minnesota. th e 60s, at least along coastal areas. and that's a quick peek at your regional weather, frances, back over to you. >> violeta, thank you. coming up, we now know how taylor swift will fill in the blank space on her ballotht is november. but first a cafe serving up a way to fight hunger. but now with tide oxi white,

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a small town cafe in missouri is fighting hunger one fresh and healthy meal at a time, while letting customers pay what they can. maya brown takes us inside the spot cafe. >> reporter: at first glance, the spot may seem like an ordinary cafe. but, if you look a little closer, there are no prices on anything here. when you talk about what make has community great, making sure people have access to the things that they need. hot food, hot nutritious food, good food, is one of them. the spot is a community cafe that serves up fresh, healthy meals to more than 80 lower income residents and seniors every day in missouri. what makes it special? it's pay what you can. >> whatever you can afford to pay is what you will pay. so it's not -- there's no prices on anything here. you know, there's no suggested

donation or suggested price. >> reporter: she remembers having her lights off for 32 days while struggling to feed her five children. she opened up the cafe to create a sense of normalcy for other struggling families. >> having somewhere where you can feel like, you know, i'm not poor. because, when you come in this place, you don't feel like it's a handout. >> reporter: customer dawn thomas' life took a turn for the worse when her husband ralph suddenly died of a heart attack. she's been coming for hugs and hot meals ever since. >> i've learned that it doesn't matter. if you need help, just get it. and she does it in such a way that you keep your dignity. >> reporter: hot, home mmade meals. the opportunity to shop at a food pantry. this mom of three has been living in a nearby hotel with her children for two years. you've been to other food pantries. >> i have. >> reporter: how does their one differ? >> a hundred times better.

they don't say if you don't have proof of residency, sorry, we can't help you. here, it's no questions asked. >> reporter: the city of belton, missouri has less than .09 grocery stores per a thousand residents. many resort to convenience and dollar stores where healthy food options are hard to come by. >> i wouldn't be able to feed my kids. let alone myself. i don't know where we would be if she wasn't here. it's a gathering space. it's a place where people can come, and they feel loved. they feel equal. >> reporter: shea keeps the doors open through community donations, volunteers and selling her delicious cinnamon rolls. she plans to bring the spot to other cities in need across missouri. >> everything we do is based on the concept of love. and love in a sense of, i care about you. i care about what you need. and part of how we show we care

about you is making sure that we can give you the assistance that you need, and we can provide those things that you need. to the best of our ability. >> that was maya brown reporting for nbcu academy, a free program focussed on advancing careers in media and tech. still to come, swifties for kamala, no longer a fantasy. taylor swift reveals the name she'll be itwring in the blank spaces on her ballot this election day. ovin'. you could use some metamucil. metamucil's psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you movin'. and try fizzing fiber plus vitamins. [instructor] hold it! hold it!

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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? taylor swift comes out against trump. >> i don't care if they write that. i'm sad that i didn't two years ago, but i can't change that. i'm saying, right now, know it's right, and i need to be on the right side of history, and if he

doesn't win, at least i tried. >> that was then. taylor swift has weighed in on the 2024 presidential election, just minutes after tuesday's debate ended. the super star post the a lengthy statement on instagram, voicing her support for democrat candidates kamala harris and tim walz. swift, who also encouraged her fans to do their own research and register to vote signed a statement, "childless cat lady", referring to a comment made by jd vance when he referred to people running the country as childless cat fans. this was so orchestrated my phone blew up. i thought there was something major, something catastrophic that happened. moments after the debate, and ah, heres it. >> i can't imagine being an artist of that magnitude. there's so much pressure, to say how you feel, especially now. it's not an easy decision, but she put herself there. all right, guys, brace

yourself. larry david might be coming to a city near you. the star and creator of "curb your enthusiasm" announced that he's bringing his live show, a conversation with larry david to ten more cities this fall. discussion topics are expected to include curb, which ended its 12-season run this spring, seinfeld and everything in between. the fall run kicks off in denver with peyton manning next friday. still to come here on "early today," a key inflation report is due out, and why bmw is pumping the brakes on profit expectations. . how we feeling? you ready? hey! adams elementary, go rams! i think he needs one too. what do you think? this is not just flu protection. you guys ready to fight some crime? yeah! okay, well you go get 'em, alright? this is a neighbor looking out for you. schedule flu and covid-19 vaccines for you and your family today. walgreens.

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a previous brake recall involving 1.5 million vehicles. the company saying braking system delivery delays would negatively impact sales in the second half of the year. sony just unveiled an upgraded version of playstation 5. it features more storage, faster rendering and a.i.-powered graphics. and according to a report from "usa today," mcdonald's is partnering with crocs for a new happy meal. it will have crocs key chains and a miniho sw box with stickers. they'll be available in september. pping your skin. i use new olay cleansing melts every day. just soak, activate and wash. to clean, tone and refresh. that's a 3x better clean. olay. marshalls buyers are detail obsessed perfectionists. who take quality very seriously. and go to the ends of the earth to hustle the best of the best for you.

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after weeks of anticipation, a group of civilian snastronaut are rocketing toward history, traveling farther in space than any human in over 50 years. there, they'll attempt the world's first-ever private spacewalk mission. tom costello has the story from kennedy space station. >> reporter: blasting through the predawn florida sky on a spacex rocket, the crew of polaris dawn. >> godspeed, polaris dawn crew. >> reporter: four commercial astronauts determined to make history. >> we can see the crew remain with their visors down in the locked position. >> reporter: they will have traveled 870 miles from earth, the furthest any human has ventured since the apollo missions. in command, jared isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur paying for his second space trip. scott poteat, sara gillis and

a anna millen. the crew will record their own exposure levels. then, on thursday, wearing brand-new spacesuits, the first commercial astronaut spacewalk leaving the entire spaceship open to the vacuum of space. >> objectively would be the riskiest part of the mission and the one that's received the last two and a half years' of attention. >> reporter: it will raunendezv with the space station. >> we believe it is important to address the challenges that we face here on earth today. this is a continuation of what was started on inspiration four. they raced over $250 million for st. jude. and we are continuing that. >> reporter: this is a five-day mission, splashing down on day six, probably off the coast of florida weather permitting. >> our thanks to tom for that report. the white house was filled

with champions yesterday. president joe biden welcomed the south carolina women's basketball team and the university of connecticut men's basketball team to celebrate their ncaa championships. usc's gamecocks were honored for their undefeated season, finishing with a 38-0 record. their championship game against iowa drew in more viewers than the men's championship, peaking at 24 million viewers. later, president biden honored the uconn huskies for winning their second straight national title with a 75-60 win against purdue. both teams presented president biden with the number 46 team jersey. good for them to celebrate. thanks so much for being with us and kicking off your morning with "early today." i'm frances rivera, always appreciate you being with us early in the morning. hope