president biden's final address at the united nations. we're live with his renewed call for peace, as war rages in ukraine and the middle east. new overnight, the alleged

golf course gunman charged with attempted assassination of former president trump, how long he could face behind bars. a major hurricane threat bearing down on florida. our meteorologist angie lassman is tracking the path of tropical storm helene, as it gathers strength in the gulf. the ceo of the company behind wildly-popular weight loss drugs on the hot seat in capitol hill. why he says ozempic and wegovy costs so much in the u.s. than it does abroad. olympic gold medallist noah lyles gives patients an unforgettable experience. it's wednesday, september 25th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. thanks for being with me midweek. florida is on high alert this morning as tropical storm helene churns in the caribbean. >> the storm is expected to strengthen later today, prompting hurricane and storm surge warnings across the gulf

coast. it could reach the region thursday, potentially becoming a category 3 hurricane, with winds up to 129 miles per hour. president biden has declared a federal state of emergency for florida and alabama to support first responders. and georgia's governor has also declared an emergency. for the latest on helene's path, let's bring in meteorologist angie lassman. what can residents there expect? >> hey, frances. residents can expect conditions to deteriorate the next couple days and potentially dealing with a major hurricane making landfall in the state of florida. here's the latest from this system. still getting a little more organized. it is a tropical storm with winds at 60 maipiles per hour sitting just to the east of cozumel, mexico. we're talking temperatures of the waters over 80 degrees. that means it will have plenty of fuel to see rapid intensification before it makes landfall in the big bend area of

the state of florida and moves to the north. this will bring plenty of rain to folks across the southeast. this is a large one. we're talking a wind field over 400 miles wide. the damage from those winds will be likely across the state of florida. we're talking power outages, downed trees and such. as far as the rain is concerned, the flood risk is going to stretch well into parts of the carolinas. we'll see that extreme moisture work its way to the north as the system works to the north. that means up to a foot of rain possible in some of these locations. so flooding will be a concern as well as that storm surge. high end amounts, 10 to 15 feet in the big bend area, frances. >> we'll continue to watch it, thank you, angie. the man who hid and waited with a rifle outside donald trump's golf course is facing new charges. ryan routh has officially been charged with aestittempted assassination. he was already charged with multiple firearm charges. he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

attorney general merrick garland says the department of justice will use every available tool to hold ryan routh accountable. police are investigating shots fired at a harris-walz campaign office in tempe, arizona. it's the second incident in two weeks. authorities say the front windows of the same office were shot with what appeared to be a bb or pellet gun last week. no one was hurt, but police say they are taking extra measures to ensure the safety of staff and others in the area. as world leaders gather here in new york, the united nations is expected to announce more support for ukraine. u.s. officials tell the ap that the u.s. will send $375 million in military aid, including medium-ranged cluster bombs and armored vehicles. brie jackson joins us now. good morning, brie. president biden just called on the world to continue to give support to ukraine. >> reporter: that's right, good morning, frances. president biden spoke before the united nations general assembly for the final time as president. in a wide-ranging speech, the

president says he still believes peace is possible in both the middle east and ukraine. reminding our allies that, when the world acts together, we are stronger than we think. >> there will always be forces that pull our countries apart and the world apart. aggression, extremism, chaos and cynicism. the desire to retreat from the world and go it alone. our task, our test is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart. >> reporter: and, in just a few hours, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy will address the general assembly. yesterday he spoke before the u.n. security council where he said russia can only be forced into peace. this week zelenskyy is expected to meet with president biden and vice president harris. he will present to them what he calls his victory plan.

ukrainian officials said that zelenskyy also plans to meet with former president trump. at a rally yesterday, the republican nominee criticized the funding that has gone to ukraine, calling zelenskyy the greatest salesman on earth. now it's unclear when or if any meeting between the two will happen. frances? >> okay, brie, thank you. in that final address to the u.n. general assembly, president biden called for an end to the conflict in the middle east, as fears grow of a full-blown war between hezbollah and israel. >> full-scale war is not in anyone's interest. even in a situation that's escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible. >> the death toll in lebanon has risen to more than 550, as israel continues to bombard the country's south. hezbollah is retaliating with rockets into israel, but so far there have been no deaths reported. here's matt bradley. >> reporter: israel pummeling

lebanon's hezbollah group for a second day, a day after inflicting the highest death toll in lebanon since the 2006 war. the two-day death toll, nearly 550 people, and nearly 2,000 more injured. the enemy doesn't differentiate between civilians and militants, this man said, we're all civilians. >> repo the israeli military releasing this video it says shows that a commander was eliminated. >> translator: we'll continue to pound hezbollah. anyone who has a missile in their living room and rocket in their garage will not have a home. >> reporter: hezbollah as been firing back, launching projectiles over the border toward israeli towns. the huge uptick sparking a panicked exodus in lebanon's south, traffic backed up for hours for those fleeing, some with serious injuries.

this hospital has already received dozens of injuries, some of them being intubated in the icu. they're preparing for even more. doctors say here all those they treated were civilians. >> we're seeing usual war injuries. chest, broken leg. abdo abdominal injuries. >> reporter: many who escaped death and injuries are homeless. this woman fled southern lebanon with her family and only the clothes on their backs. she says after they fled, half of her home was leveled by israeli strikes. there's no house, she told me. and when i asked her if she was afraid for the future, she said of course. >> and our thanks to matt for that report. new this morning, a missouri man has been executed by lethal injection after the governor and supreme court rejected efforts by both defense attorneys and the prosecutors's office to halt the execution.

55-year-old marcelus williams was convicted for the 1998 murder of a woman in st. louis. he always maintained his inch since. using testing not available at the time of the trial, experts say williams' dna was not on the murd weapon. he was put to death at 6:10 p.m. local time. a judge is expected to approve an orderthat would auction off items from alex jones. it would help pay the more than $1 billion he owes families of sandy hook victims. the families successfully sued jones achfter he repeatedly cald the school shooting a hoax. jones says he will continue his talk show through other means pending the outcome of the auction. evacuation orders are still in place near cincinnati this morning after a dangerous chemical leak. drone video showed firefighters spraying down a pressurized train car after an open valve

began releasing a highly-flammable gas. it can cause headaches, nausea and respiratory issues. everyone within half a mile was evacuated. it comes less than two years after a fiery train derailment released toxic chemicals in east palestine, ohio. turning back to the weather. a fall front is blowing across the country this morning. let's go back to angie lassman. >> we've got a couple things to talk about when it comes to the big picture look across the country. rain from a front that's working its way to the east, across much of the east. that's something that we'll watch through the day today. otherwise it's the temperatures that get your attention for southwest. we could be looking at potential record highs across that region. boise heads to 92 degrees, minneapolis running ten degreesdegrees above normal. denver still running way warm with a high of 90 degrees. looking ahead to this weekend, the flood risk from helene will

still be there acrossthe 70s i philadelphia today. that's a look at your forecast, back to you. >> thanks angie. it is last call for all kmart shoppers. they are closing their last full-sized store in the united states. the bridge hampton store is set to close. the retailer filed for bankruptcy in 2002, becoming the largest retailer to everng up, ozempic faces congress. bernie sanders and other senators ausno ndicce voorsk

fleecing american customers. 123450r ah mornings! the golden hour of cold and flu symptoms! i'm feeling better. cough? congestion? 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. in the hot seat, the ceo of the company that makes the popular diabetes and weight loss drugs, ozempic and wegovy. lawmakers demanding to know why americans spend so much more for the medication than other countries. here's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: drugs ozempic for diabetes and wegovy for weight loss have created a revolution in health care. the ceo of novo nordisk was grilled. senator bernie sanders pointing out that the list price for these drugs is much higher in the u.s. than in other countries. look at the difference in germany or wegovy in denmark. >> the outrageously high price of these drugs could bankrupt medicare and radically increase

premiums. >> reporter: and that could mean people who may need what may be life-saving drugs pmay not get them. >> is this acceptable to you? >> any prospect of patients not getting access to the medicine they need, i think, is terrifying. we don't decide the price for patients. that's set by, by insurance companies. >> reporter: he argues the pricing system in the u.s. is mostly to blame. specifically, pharmacy benefit managers or pbms that wield enormous power over the drugs and the prices patients pay, according to a study by the ftc, which says that these powerful middle men may be profiting a squeezing pharmacies. >> we got to get serious about the pbm reform. >> reporter: senator sanders announcing three of the largest pbms say they are willing to expand access to the drugs if

the company lowered its prices. >> sit in a room with us and work on an agreement? >> i would be happy, as i said, do anything that helps patients. >> reporter: while some on the panel took note of the company's achievements. >> novo nordisk is not the villain in this story. they're the hero. we should be here celebrating this miracle innovation. >> reporter: the hearing ended without a commitment from novo nordisk to lower prices. the largest pbm in the country, cvs caremark sent a letter to senator sanders assuring that a price drop would eventually lead to wider insurance coverage and better access for the drugs. that now puts pressure on novo nordisk to drop the price. back to you. >> stephanie, thank you. legendary nfl quarterback brett favre saying he is battling parkinson's disease. it came during a hearing in congress. he was accused of accepting more than a million dollars in fees

from a welfare program for speeches he never gave. he denied wrongdoing, paid back the money and has not been criminally charged but was named in a civil lawsuit filed by the state. still to come, old rivals are set to face off again in the wnba playoffs. and did one bills fan put too much sauce on her sign? why a joinshg proposition in buffalo is going viral. ng head & shoulders, right? only when i see flakes. then i switch back to my regular shampoo. you should use it every wash, otherwise the flakes will come back. he's right, you know. is that tiny troy? the ingredients in head & shoulders keep the microbes that cause flakes at bay. microbes, really? they're always on your scalp... but good news, there's no itchiness, dryness or flakes down here. i love tiny troy. and his tiny gorgeous hair. make every wash count! and for stubborn dandruff, try head & shoulders clinical strength. feeling ughh from a backed up gut? ughh. miralax works naturally with the water in your body to help you go.

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out the brooms against the seattle storm tuesday. league mvp wilson, combined with teammate kelsey plum for 53 points. so much excitement leading up to these playoffs knowing that a year beyond, a year ago, we never heard of these names. now they're household names. >> and people really backing them and excited to go to the games. as we get close to the semis and the finals, more excitement to come. now to the things fans are willing to do for their star quarterback. after the blowout of the jacksonville jaguars, a sign in the stands said, josh, i just got married, but i'd leave my husband for you. 'es p.s., he's right here. it win the viral after it was

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arcades and bowling. google is announcing an a.i. assistant for drivers of vw. it's set to roll out for other models built 2020 and later. a statue of johnny cash is now at the u.s. capitol, making him the first musician to be honored with a statue thayer. congssnaleerfr bh rties were there. s! the golden hour of cold and flu symptoms! ♪ ♪ i'm feeling better. cough? congestion? 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.

the world's fastest man slowing down for just a moment to visit kids at washington, d.c.'s children's national hospital. noah lyles hoping to inspire them with some of his own

experience of needing to be in the hospital when he was a child too. nbc washington's walter morris was there. >> reporter: the world 's fastet man making a stop, swinging by children's hospital in d.c. for a very special visit. >> i feel very honored to be able to come back and everybody be so happy. >> reporter: weeks after taking home gold and bronze in paris, slowing down to take questions from patients turneddeejays. the candid combo touching on everything from his famous films, ice cream, anime, random animal facts and his own battle with asthma as a child. of course no meet and greet would be complete without games and autographs. lyles says he takes visits like these very seriously. >> i remember whethern i was ins position, and it feels like there is no other side, like

this is going to be your life, especially when you're so young. i wanted to make sure that they, one, understood that it's not always going to be bad, but there's plenty of joyful things that happen in life. >> reporter: for many, their time with the track super star leaving a olympic-sized impress impression. lee r >> he's able to get out of the room and come down here and take a mental break. >> reporter: lyles' mom says she knows exactly how these parents feel. >> we flowknow what it's like t stuck in that room. it's really hard. we can encourage other people that it's not going to always be this hard. >> reporter: lyles' schedule has been jam-packed since the olympics, visiting several

states, nfl games and walking in fashion week. after this, he's offer t the uk after a little r&r training. is it too early to think about 2028? >> no, i knew l.a. was going to be my biggest performance. >> reporter: their iis is just f the ways they're giving back. his hometown collected coats. >> racing to help others. i'm frances rivera. have a great wednesday. hope you join me back early tomorrow.

intercepted a missile. hezbollah fired from lebanon towards tel aviv. we're live with the new wave of extensive strikes now being