the trail of deadly destruction from florida flew the carolinas. the death toll from hurricane helene now topping 85 with over a million people still without power across the southeast. the latest on the desperate search for hundreds still missing. the battleground blitz gets ugly. former president trump ramps up his rhetoric against vice president harris, drawing criticism from top republicans. we're live with the controversial comments from the campaign trail. the clock is ticking on an economic bombshell. port workers from maine to texas could walk off the job at the stroke of midnight. inside the scramble to strike a last-minute deal. remembering a country music legend who transcended songs on the silver screen. a look back at the life of kris kristofferson. and the ravens soar past the bills on sunday night. the highlights from the shocking blowout, along with the nfl week

4 action. it's the last day of september. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad you're with me. i'm frances rivera. hurricane helene has carved a path of utter devastation across the southeast. after making landfall in florida's gulf coast thursday. at least 88 people have died across six states as floodwaters engulfed homes. a third of those deaths was in north carolina's buncombe county where entire towns have been decimated. and a desperate search for survivors continues as hundreds are still missing. more than two million customers remain without power from florida to ohio. president biden has approved a disaster declaration in north carolina where supplies are dwindling in the western part of the state. many residents there are trapped by floodwaters and washed away roads. nbc's george solis joins us from hard-hit asheville where residents are frustrated over the lack of resources.

>> reporter: western north carolina is reeling from hurricane helene's deadly wrath. >> oh my god! >> reporter: and desperately waiting for help. the city of asheville, streets are still under water. neighborhoods unrecognizable. >> oh my god. >> reporter: some people kayaking to safety. this home completely surrounded by rushing water. we were there when water rescues got under way. days after helene, the river arts district remains under water. everything here a complete loss. more devastation on top of tragedy. >> i want to remind all north carolinians the conditions on the ground remain extremely dangerous. even as flooding has continued. >> reporter: alyssa smith's only lifeline during the storm, her jeep. >> we weren't prepared for the severity of the storm at all. >> reporter: the first signs of relief making their way into town. residents lining up, desperate for resources. some people waiting up to 30, 40 minutes in line for a chance to

get some cash at one of the few working atms in all of asheville. others like james workman and jeannie adair getting frustrated at the government's response. you don't see a fema station set up? >> we should have by now. >> reporter: is that concerning? >> yeah. >> we expect more and we can't get out. >> reporter: down in florida, residents continuing to assess the damage after taking a direct hit from helene. in cedar key, business owners trying to salvage what's left of their stores. >> what mother nature can do and the damage, it's just incredible. >> reporter: back in asheville, a community picking up the pieces and preparing for the long road to recovery. is this the worse thing ever? >> it is the worse thing ever. i don't know if we can rebuild or come back from this. >> our thanks to george for that report. and the remnants of helene are still lingering. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking it for us. hi, michelle. good morning. >> good morning, frances. i can't believe we're still talking about some showers and threat for scattered showers as we go throughout the day in the

midatlantic. could see some flash flooding as well. we have flood alerts posted. this is why. they're the remnants of helene and we'll continue to deal with them today, finally moving off the coast tomorrow. fo virginia and west virginia could see up to 2 inches in some spot. the system moves off the shore that is good news. and then an advancing cold front moving through the ohio valley on tuesday. but as we wake up this morning, we're looking at flood alerts. that's where you see the green for harrisonburg, also charlottesville. looking at flash flooding this morning as well. the red flooding is happening now or it's imminent. there is your flash flood risk, where you see the blue. the likeliest spots for seeing some flash flooding. and this is why the grounds are so saturated, the rivers so swollen. we could see additional rain up to 2 inches in some spots. generally we'll see a quarter inch, a half inch. but enough on top of these grounds. we'll talk more about this. also talking about the dangerous heat in the west in just a bit frances? >> all right, michelle, thank

you. now to the 2024 race for the white house. tension continuing to escalate as former president trump took personal jabs at vice president harris during rallies in wisconsin and pennsylvania over the weekend. the former president saying harris' actions at the border caused people to be murdered and she should be impeached and prosecuted because of it. but that's not all that was said. nbc's ellis barr is in d.c. and joins us with those details. hi, alice. good morning. >> good morning, frances. you're right, tensions are rising as former president donald trump hurled insults not only at president biden, but at vice president harris over the weekend. there is one comment in particular that was deeply personal and has been drawing criticism from even within his own republican party. >> joe biden became mentally impaired. kamala was born that way. she was born that way. think about it. only a mentally disabled person

could have allowed this to happen to our country. anybody would know this. >> vice president kamala harris is not mentally impaired. >> know, i just think she is crazy liberal. i don't question her -- >> but what do you think about that rhetoric? >> i think the better course to take is to prosecute the case that her policies are destroying the country. they're crazy liberal. >> but despite calls like that to reel this rhetoric in, former president trump again doubled down in pennsylvania on sunday, going as far as calling harris, quote, a stupid person. the harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the former president's sunday remarks, but did respond to his saturday rally saying mr. trump has, quote, nothing inspiring to offer the american people. just darkness. as for vice president harris, she raised more than $28 million over the weekend at a star-studded l.a. fundraiser. media outlets report she took her own dig at former president trump saying her crowds are

pretty big. all eyes now are set on the vice presidential nominees as they take the debate stage at cbs news studios in new york tomorrow night. frances? >> alice, thank you. and you can catch our special coverage of the vp debate on nbc and nbc news starting at 8:00 eastern tomorrow night. israeli air strikes overnight targeted hezbollah weapons and infrastructure in eastern lebanon, the idf says. on friday, israel assassinated hassan nasrallah, the top leader of hezbollah in a stunning setback for the iran-backed group. the international community is urging restraint, but the idf is expanding its offensive. president biden told reporters he was working alongside france and others to secure a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. lebanon's prime minister says up to a million people have been displaced by the bombings. a massive fire at a chemical plant in georgia forced

evacuations in rockdale county near atlanta. no one was injured when the fire was sparked early in the morning at the biolab chemical plant. the company has not said which chemical was being released, but the site is known to produce clorox-branded pool cleaning products. here is a final countdown to prevent a potentially devastating strike at ports from maine to texas. if a deal isn't reached by midnight, tens of thousands of workers are expected to walk off the job ahead of a busy holiday shipping season. nbc's ellison barber takes us inside the talks. >> reporter: just hours from now, a potential major strike sparking fears that parts of the u.s. economy could come to a stand still. thousands of dock workers threatening to walk off the job, from boston and new york, all the way down to new orleans and houston. the international longshoreman's association represents 85,000 workers in these critical port cities. a strike could cost up to $4.5 billion per day.

these ports carry everything from canned goods to car parts to electronics, and a walkout would force major store, including walmart, home depot and ikea to find other ways to get their products into the u.s. the workers are at an impasse over a new six-year impact, demanding higher wages and more protection against automation. in recent weeks, the union boss defiant. >> i'll shut them down throughout the world to prove that we can beat them. >> reporter: the alliance pushing back, blasting what they call the union's repeated refusal to come to the table and bargain. are you worried this could crush the supply chain ahead of the holiday shopping season? >> the longer a strike goes, the longer it's going to take to recover, the more potential impact it has. >> reporter: president biden has the power to break a strike, but the white house says he is not considering it. why not? >> because it's collective bargaining. >> and our thanks to ellison for that report. well, things are heating up in the west as millions are

under a heat alert. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is back to track all of that. hi, michelle. >> hi, there frances. it's going to feel like summer in the west. temperatures into the triple-digits. 10 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of ear. and we're going break some records. we have 24 million people impacted by heat alerts on this monday morning. heat advisories, heat warnings in the hot pink color for places like death valley, las vegas, phoenix down to yuma. and temperatures soaring over the next couple of days. take a look at some of the numbers. palmdale 103. the record there is 100. we certainly will bring some records as we go throughout this monday. tahoe city 80 degrees. the record there is 77. 102 in las vegas. 111 in phoenix temperatures into the triple-digits in phoenix.

tucson, 95 in el paso. that's your monday forecast. >> thank you so much, michelle. >> tour that sure. country music legend kris kristofferson has passed away. ♪ feeling good was good enough for me, good enough for me and bobby mcgee ♪ >> his representative confirming that he died peacefully at his home in maui on saturday. kristofferson earned three grammy award and excelled as an actor. he won a golden globe for his "a star is born" in 1976. stl ilto come, what matters most to the latino voter. we'll be right back. grab bounty. (♪♪) bounty is made to be stronger... ...and more absorbent. so, while ordinary brands can't hold up, one sheet of bounty keeps working,

even when wet. (♪♪) now that's the sound of value. bounty. the quicker picker upper. i'm adding downy unstopables to my wash. now i'll be smelling fresh all day long. [sniff] still fresh. still fresh! ♪♪ with downy unstopables, you just toss, wash, wow. for all-day freshness. latinos are one of the fastest growing voting demographics in the country. and how many vote in this year's election could decide the

presidency. but their views on the issues are just as diverse as the community itself. david noriega reports from las vegas. >> reporter: in battleground wisconsin, donald trump slamming kamala harris' visit to the u.s.-mexico border late friday. >> talking about how she's going to start getting very tough. why didn't she do this four years ago? >> reporter: harris visited the border in battleground, arizona. >> those who crossed our borders unlawfully will be apprehended and removed. >> reporter: but on this playing field, the border is not the top concern. what are the most important issues for you? >> family. family income. you know, just the cost of living. i want to be able to support myself and my children. >> reporter: on the sidelines here in las vegas's heavily latino east side, household budgets are top of mind. griselda martinez is leaning towards trump, but she says harris could still win her vote. >> i love what donald trump did for us as an economy while he was in presidency. and i don't know what she has to

offer. >> reporter: a new nbc news telemundo cnbc poll of latino voters finds the cost of living is by far the group's top concern. many latino voters are still persuadable, but they can be hard to reach. so this progressive organization focused on progressive voters is trying to reach them where they are, like on the city bus. latinos are the unicorn of every electorate cycle. just growing the electorate by small amounts would make a dramatic impact on the state of the race. >> reporter: they're critical nationwide. the reason is growth. by one estimate, 27 million latinos were eligible to vote in 2016. this year that number is 36 million. their vote is shifting. from 71% going for the democrats in 2012 down to 61% in 2020. >> i know trump. he is going to get us through it. >> reporter: a change that is evidence back out on the soccer field. david noriega, nbc news, las

vegas. still to come, you won't find these ravens in the air. try the ground instead. we recap sunday night football in an epic performance from baltimore's rushing attack. bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! not coughing at the movies!? hashtag still not coughing?! ahh! mucinex dm 12 hour doesn't just quiet coughs, it treats coughs caused by excess mucus at the source and controls them for 12 hours. it's comeback season. stubborn chest congestion? try mucinex 12 hour. 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. you've got a pepto predicament, ace. you overdid it on the loaded fries and now your gut is in the gutter. undo it with pepto fast melts. so you can keep on rolling. [bowling pins knocked down] when you overdo it, undo it with pepto bismol. (mom) you're feeding my grand-dog blue, right? undo it with (jack) purina one. (mom) but blue's got deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, barley. (mia) purina one has chicken, rice flour, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal... (jack) let's switch to blue! sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand.

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>> there goes henry off a big running game against dallas. derrick henry on the run! lewis chasing. at the 40, at the 30, he will score! >> there is baltimore. if you come with the king, you best not miss. derrick henry to victory against the undefeated buffalo bills on sunday night football. the legendary running back opened the night with that 87 touchdown run. the ravens right their ship with a crucial win and hand josh allen and the bills their first loss of the season, 35-10. there is derrick henry doing what he does. that 87-yard td run. it is the longest in ravens

history and so impactable that my son walked out of the room after this play. he literally just left. >> such a divided family when it comes to football. >> we're all over the place. all over. the broncos overcame miserable conditions as they eked out a win over the jets thanks to a missed field goal by greg zuerlein. the colts throwing two touchdowns against the vaunted steelers. giving them their first loss of the year. and early on for the chiefs. that's patrick mahomes dug them out of their early hole to remain perfect on the season. the win might have come at a cost, though. reports that star receiver rashee rice suffered a torn acl during the game, which is so tough to overcome. >> really, really painful. when it comes to this week in the nfl, three undefeated teams, the chiefs who we just saw, the

seahawks and the vikings all undefeated so far. now to the wnba semifinals. they tipped off on sunday with the championship rematch. the new york liberty took game one over the las vegas aces who bested them in last years a finals. liberty stars breanna stewart and sabrieen ionescu. and the connecticut sun pulled away late to win game one over the minnesota lynx. alyssa thomas made two crucial buckets late in the fourth to secure that victory. all right. when we come back here on "early today," a massive merger could be coming into view for satellite tv. and a school bus-siz sceedpa rock just merged into our orbit.

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schools. the bill's author cited a report from the epa that found the chemicals can cause developmental and behavioral issues. the law will go into effect december 31st, 2027. talks to sell dish to rival directv. two people familiar with the matter tell cnbc a similar matter almost happened in 2003 but was blocked by the government. if 72% of players experience positive impact when playing 15 minutes. overnight a mini moon is entering our planet's orbit for about two months. it's about the size of a school bus. we'll be right back. ♪ rinse it out ♪ ♪ every now and then ♪ ♪ i get a little bit tired of the stinks ♪ ♪ that just will never come out ♪ ♪ pour downy in the rinse, jade ♪ ♪ every now and then i rinse it out! ♪ fights odor in just one wash. upset stomach iberogast indigestion iberogast

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now for a little good news to kick off your week. how about members of our military and the emotional rite of passage that can bring them to tears. here is hallie jackson. >> reporter: a time honored military tradition going back generations. one of several ceremonies marking the end of basic training. it's called the tap-out, celebrating the grueling hard work of recruits far from home and mostly cut off from communication as they enter a new phase of service. graduates required to stand still showing no emotion until a loved one taps them on the shoulder. many moved to tears, like tatum

harrington, who was tapped out by her big sister kayla, meeting her newborn nephew for the first time. the sisters had never been apart. >> i was trying not to cry, but when you hold somebody that close to you means something that much to you, it's the best feeling in the world. >> this family traveled thousands of miles to tap her out together by putting their hands over her heart. her sister jacqueline sharing more. and why did you all decide to do it at the same time like that? >> because we -- since we are united, we all miss you and we are here for you, you know. >> reporter: support like that priceless for airman cameron wood. falling into the arms of mom amber after more than a month apart.

and sharing a hug with dad kermit too. >> it's like having a support system when you've had nothing for 7 1/2 weeks. >> well, you finally meet the young man that you dropped off, and you see that the man that he's become. it's a total transformation. that's where i get emotional. he's ready to face the future. you can see how proud we are of him. >> that is amazing. the composure that they have, right, when they get that tap from the loved one, just the emotions flow. it's incredible to be able to watch. our thanks to halle for that report, and thanks to them even more so for their service. we appreciate it even more after seeing that. thank you so much for watching "early today." i'm frances rivera. hope you have a great monday. see you back here early tomorrow.