n barber in new york for tom llamas. stay right there. more news is on the way. the race for governor in

north carolina. what mark robinson is saying about a record this morning. whether he intends to stay in the race. the kentucky judge shot and killed in his own chambers. the suspect in custody is a local sheriff. what we know about what happened and why. kamala harris pulling a little star power overnight, holding a campaign event with oprah, while donald trump courts je jewish voters in washington, d.c. what the latest polling shows about the state of the race. in a league of his own. dodger super star shohei ohtani officially creates the 50-50 club on a night that included three home runs as he went 6 for 6 against the marlins. around meet home depot's oldest worker. his secret to longevity ahead of her 100th birthday. it's friday, september 20th. "early today" starts right now. they are are new calls for

mark robinson to drop out after a bombshell report. cnn released comments of him referring to himself as quote, a black nazi and writing in support of slavery. nbc has not been able to verify these posts which cnn reports were made over a decade ago on an adult website. robinson strongly denies making these comments, calling them tabloid trash and is vowing to stay in the race. lisa leslie with our raleigh affiliate has more on robinson's response. >> reporter: lieutenant governor mark robinson took to twitter to deny the cnn story before it even aired. he called it a high-tech lynching and claimed it was set up by his democratic rival, josh stein. >> let me reassure you, the things you will see in that story, those are not the words of mark robinson. you know my words. you know my character. and you know that i have been completely transparent in this race. >> reporter: our latest wrl news poll showed robinson lagging

behind stein by doubling e digi. even among registered women republicans, 16% said they'd vote for stein. 10% weren't sure. mik mic michael bitser party support is usually closer to 90%. he says republican leaders have to be concerned about their other candidates. >> what we've all been expecting is he is dragging down, not just donald trump, but now potentially other republicans on the ballot. is this an anchor-sized issue that continues to pull the entire party down? >> our thanks to lisa leslie for that report. new this morning, a small town sheriff in kentucky accused in a deadly crouseourthouse sho. mickey steins is expected to be charged with murder. authorities say judge kevin mullens was in his chambers when

he was shot multiple times. they're still working to get answers about a possible motive but say the shooting happened after an argument with the sheriff. kentucky's attorney general has promised a full investigation. let's turn now to the race for the white house. kamala harris got a boost of star power. she joined oprah winfrey for an event live streamed from battleground michigan as new polling shows a very tight race. here's alice barr. >> reporter: a big batch of new polling putting the proof to just how close this presidential race is. the overall picture showing vice president harris looking slightly stronger after last week's debate. but the national and battleground results are all within the margin of error raising the stakes on chasing down every undecided voter. vice president harris bringing in the star power for a campaign event with oprah winfrey. >> we are all together, united for one cause, and that is to

get out the vote for kamala harris. >> reporter: bringing together online groups like white dudes for harris, cat ladies for kamala and win with black women. >> we have so much more in common than what separates us. ultimately, the question before us is what kind of country do we want to live in? >> reporter: the haven't targeting key voting blocs as she lost out on a big labor group. the teamsters choosing not to endorse either candidate for the first time in nearly 30 years. an internal poll showed rank and file members supporting former president trump. >> it's a great honor. they're not going to endorse the democrats. that's a big thing. >> reporter: the harris campaign saying, quote, teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her, alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor. former president trump courting jewish voters at an event on fighting anti-semitism in the

nation's capital. >> we're going to take back our country and make israel great again and make america great again. >> reporter: as both nominees race for every vote. in washington, alice barr, nbc news. tensions could be reaching a boiling point between israel and lebanon. israel attacked hezbollah targets in the south with airstrike and artillery one day after explosions in wireless devices killed dozens and injured thousands in lebanon. those were widely attributed to israel and called an act of war. let's turn to claudio lavanga. what more do we know? >> reporter: good morning, frances. the lebanese national news agency says on thursday, israel carried out about 52 air raids. and the israeli defense forces confirmed they hit a number of hezbollah or about 100 hezbollah launchers as well as other

infrastructural sites. they said they were ready to be used to fire toward israeli territory in the immediate future. now, as you mention, this attack just happened as the leader of hezbollah hassan nasrallah was speaking to the nation and called the explosions on wednesday and thursday an act of war and an unprecedented terrorist attack and vowed that israel will not be able to repopulate the north part of israel on the border with lebanon they evacuated because of the tension there as long as the gaza war continues. now, in the meantime, a senior israeli official told nbc news that the timing of those explosions of the pagers and walkie-talkies was not part of some sort of strategic decision but was more of a use it or lose it situation, where whoever did it used the explosives while they still could. well, today, the united nations security council is expected to hold an emergency meeting where

the lebanese foreign minister is also expected to attend, frances. >> claudio, thank you. after that dramatic pipeline fire, police have discovered a body inside a suv that allegedly struck the pipeline sparking the fire. a criminal investigation has been opened. police say identifying the body could take time. witnesses say the car left the parking lot and drove through bushes and a fence before hating an overground gas valve. a luxury yacht went up in flames in california at a marina there. video from a citizens app shows the yacht fully engulfed and fireworks setting off as firefighters battled the blaze. 1,000 rounds of ammunition and fireworks were on board at the time, no one was hurt. could be a wet weekend for most of the u.s. angie lassman is here tracking the chance for storms. not what we want to hear in time for the weekend, angie. >> the good news is we do have sunshine. it's not all bad news.

we've got spots that will deal with nice conditions. we're watching the great lakes as a line of thunderstorms works through that area. we see places like indiana, illinois, that's where we'll see the greatest risk for some of these stronger storms some of those through parts of the plains as well. and another line of thunderstorms as we gear up for tomorrow, your saturday, across the mid section of the country as well as isolated showers for the northeast. now we're also going to be talking about the tropics. one area that we're watching for potential development. we could see a tropical depression form maybe into early next week. we'll be watching this closely for how it could potentially impact folks across the caribbean or united states. we keep it in the 90s for wichita. st. louis running 16 degrees above normal for this time of year. 85 in detroit with temperature 8.

tuesday tucson heads to 93. up next, a followup to a bombshell nbc news investigation on how widespread the practice of medical schools using and leasing unclaimed bodies may leasing unclaimed bodies may really be.7 to attract and trap flying insects. for effortless protection. zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly. as a prosecutor, i never asked a victim or a witness: 'are you a republican or a democrat?' the only thing i ever asked them: 'are you ok?' and that's the kind of president we need right now — someone who cares about you

and is not putting themselves first. i intend to be a president for all americans, and focus on investing right now in you, the american people. and we can chart a new way forward. i'm kamala harris and i approve this message. 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. he we'we're back with more investigation we first told you about this week. a medical school leasing out body parts as families searched for them. >> reporter: it was a lucrative business, a state medical school near dallas making money by

dissecting, studying and exporting hundreds of unclaimed bodies. but after a nearly year-long investigation by nbc news, the school, which initially defended the practice made a stunning reversal and suspended the program. >> we were completely failed by the entire system. >> reporter: despite the change, for many of the families impacted like michael coleman's, there's so much that's unanswered. >> i used to cry every day all day. now i cry at least once every day. >> reporter: coleman's fiance and his sisters spent months searching for him after he didn't come home. it turns out he had died, possibly hit by a car near his apartment. within days his family began searching this neighborhood, even putting up missing persons flyers all while he was languishing in a hospital minutes away. but despite the family calling the hospital, calling police, calling the medical examiner's office, nobody connected the dots. when the family finally did, it was too late.

the health science center was preparing his body for a 12-24-month study. >> i told the lady, give his body back, and she's like, well, no, because he was donated to us. he was wrongfully donated to you all. >> reporter: medical schools that paid the university to use body parts have since told us they didn't know the parts came from unclaimed bodies. one of the companies, national bioskills laboratories paid $900 for the torso of victor honey, whom we told but earlier this week. are you aware that your laboratory was using body parts of unclaimed people? >> no. not at all. first time i heard about it was when nbc news contacted me. it says donated on the paperwork. >> reporter: what did you think that meant? >> that they donated their bodies for this purpose. >> reporter: are you going to change course now in any way knowing what you know? >> yes, absolutely. we need to know exactly who consented. i would like to know that. >> reporter: while training on unclaimed bodies is legal in most of the country, many u.s.

medical schools have halted the practice. a few states, including hawaii, minnesota and vermont have outright banned it. but, because no national data exists about how common it is, e nbc conducted its own survey. 44 told us they don't use unclaimed bodies. the rest didn't answer. what is the moral question her >> what do we owe the dead and their loved ones? >> reporter: a bioet cyst is advocating for a national ban. >> these are marginalized communities affected by this practice. a local medical school has justified it to me. they'll come out and say this is a great way for our opportunities to get training on black bodies, but i don't think that's a feather in your cap if you've just taken that black body without consent.

without consent. i think it is in some ways modern day grave robbing. >> reporter: that's what his sisters say happened to him. he was a blackm man. >> because of his past, because he's black. >> reporter: officials have declined nbc news' repeated requests for interviews. but just this week after the unive university suspended its program and after nbc news reported the first part of the story both addressed the failure. >> he's just another body to them. >> reporter: it's a step towards closure. but still no justice. >> he wasn't a missing person. he had family that love him. he wasn't nothing. that's how they treat him. like he was nothing. when he was everything to me. >> reporter: liz kreutz, nbc news, dallas. still to come on "early today," aaron rodgers takes flight for his first jets home win.

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on a 1-2. ohtani, the other way, back it goes! gone! one of a kind player! one of a kind! >> and it is done. l.a.'s $700 million man rewrote baseball's record books. dodgers' phenom shohei otani became the first to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season. he reached the mark with that two-run bomb. it was one of his three homers in that game. the dual threat also punched his first-ever ticket to the playoffs. l.a. clenched a post-season berth with their 20-4 rout of miami. it's getting to the point it's

so hard to keep up, right? with all the records he's breaking. where he stands, the crowds. >> the announcers saying one of a kind player. so right. so fun to watch. and just getting started. there's so much more to come. there was no achilles heel for aaron rodgers on thursday night football. >> quick throw, good move! and despite hanging on the shirt into the end zone goes allan lazard. >> he looked like his old self as the jets took on the patriots, throwing a pair of touchdowns to lazard. he was aided by the defense who smothered new england all night keeping their offense to one goal. it was an exciting one. good to see aaron rodgers back out there. >> right?

>> jet fans won't argue with that. and stomting on the patriots in that way. when we come back, we've got a recall alert you'll want to hear about before you make breakfast this morning, and disturbing new details about the disturbing new details about the u.s. health care system. all in one and done with mucinex kickstart. aaaaaaaaaaaaa- hated that. headache? better. aaaaaaaaaaaaa- fever? body pain? better now. aaaaaaaaaaaaa- mucinex kickstart gives all-in-one and done relief with a morning jolt of instant cooling sensation. it's not cold and flu season. it's comeback season. 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. hi. i use febreze fade defy plug.

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here's wha here's what's making headlines this morning. a new report has found the united states health care system is failing. an independent research group finds that out of ten developed nations, the u.s. ranked the worst in critical areas, including access to care due to cost. it also has the most avoidable deaths, despite spending twice as much on health care as other nations. los angeles county now has three dengue cases, despite patients not traveling to areas where the mosquito-borne illness is common. they are investigating two additional cases in nearby baldwin park. kodiak cakes brand waffles sold at costco are being

recalled because they may contain plastic. and the cargo ship that caused the deadly baltimore bridge collapse has departed virginia for china. the dali was towed in late june where it's been under repair since the march 26 incident. since the march 26 incident. we'll be right back. white? to soccer? i'm not gonna slide tackle. but now with tide oxi white, we can clean our white clothes without using bleach even works on colors. i slide tackled. i see that. it's got to be tide. as a prosecutor, i never asked a victim or a witness: 'are you a republican or a democrat?' the only thing i ever asked them: 'are you ok?' and that's the kind of president we need right now — someone who cares about you and is not putting themselves first. i intend to be a president for all americans, and focus on investing right now in you, the american people.

and we can chart a new way forward. i'm kamala harris and i approve this message. why use 10 buckets of water when you can use 1 fire extinguisher. and to fight heartburn, why take 10 antacids throughout the day when you can take 1 prilosec. for easier heartburn relief, one beats ten. prilosec otc. one pill. 24 hours. zero heartburn. a soon-to-be 100-year-old woman has the distinct honor of being the oldest home depot employee in the entire country. she lives in kentucky. we introduce you to jocleta

wilson. >> reporter: two mornings a week. >> it will be on your receipt. >> reporter: you'll field her at the westport road home depot from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. >> thank you, sir. have a good day. >> reporter: she was born in 1924. >> customers come and say is jo here? >> reporter: yes, 1924. >> let's get this here. >> reporter: she turns 100 years old this october 4th. she started working here two years ago. >> that is because i want to communicate with people. if you're not working, you lose your art of conversing. and the reader, it reads it under the numbers. i've retired three times. each time, it was ten years. and i got so sick of myself i couldn't stand it. >> reporter: she spent much of her life dancing. she traveled the world with the june taylor dancers. >> wow! look at you! >> reporter: and, boy, does she

still have the moves. >> did you wear tap shoes? >> oh, sure. with heels. >> reporter: with heels. >> but there was a lot of this with it. >> reporter: she even danced and sang on stage at the age of 94. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the mother of four owned the louisville dance academy for nearly 40 years. she still drives, and her artwork received an honorable mention at this year's kentucky state fair. tell me all of your secrets. >> oh, i have a lot of them. for one thing, don't sweat the small stuff. i drink that much wine with that much water. i put a lot of emphasis on posture. >> reporter: how do you do that? >> well, test myself against a wall, you know. and, if i'm slouching i correct it. >> reporter: her own mother on the left lived to 99.

jocleta bought her piano at 90. she's now teaching herself. her hive life has not been easy times. >> i've had cancer three times. copd, emaphysema and i have a pacemaker. but you can't sweat the small stuff. >> reporter: and her outlook, greeting us, fulfilling long life. >> that woman is absolutely incredible. how is she

to get underway on i-680 and the impact it may have on your weekend plans. plus, the final home stand at the coliseum, the emotional and bitter end nearing as fans prepare for