the devastation in the wake of hurricane helene, the death toll climbing past 85 with hundreds more still missing. we're live with the rescue efforts this morning. taking swings in the swing state. former president trump coming under fire from even those in his own party after he ramps up his rhetoric against vice president kamala harris. we're live with the war of words. chaos after a chemical plant fire near atlanta. the toxic plume of smoke forcing thousands to evacuate. and the clock is ticking on a dock workers strike. if a deal isn't reached by the midnight deadline ports from maine to texas could shut down, sending shock waves through the economy. we're live with what's stopping the union from striking a deal. and the bills were undefeated, but never more, never more, after a ravens stunner. we have the highs and lows. plus, live like a prince.

how you could score a stay in the house from "purple rain." it's the last day of september. "early today" starts right now. glad you are with me this morning, i'm frances rivera. hurricane helene has carved a path of utter devastation across the southeastafter making landfall on 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 bun comb county where entire towns have been decimated. and a desperate search for survivors continues as hundreds are still missing. more than 2 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. streets in the city of asheville are still under water and residents remain isolated as cell service is virtually nonexistent. some people waiting up to 40

minutes for cash at one of the only working atms there. and gas is equally scarce with hour-long lines. and there's another state reeling from the monster storm. for more on that here is priscilla thompson. >> the tennessee department of health has confirmed two weather-related deaths. >> reporter: the death toll in tennessee rising as officials say more than 70 people remain missing. >> her sister called her family to say good-bye because they knew they weren't going to make it. >> reporter: loved ones in irwin holding photos of the missing, still desperate for answers nearly three days after floodwaters rushed in. across the region, unfathomable damage. red cross choppers flying in to help. that sound, a harrowing reminder for this doctor. >> what's it like for you being back here? >> it's painful. >> reporter: returning to the county hospital for the first time since this dramatic rescue.

more than 60 patients taken by helicopter, he was the last to leave. >> there were literally flowing rapids probably six inches to a half a foot to a foot high flowing within the building and every -- every team member, even with that, we're pushing those gurneys to get them out through the doors, to get them back behind the hospital and that's where we used ladders from the fire truck to get on the roof. >> so you hoisted those patients on to the roof? >> yes, ma'am. yes, we did. some of us carried individual patients on our backs. we just didn't know how much time we had. >> reporter: all made it out safely as the focus remains on finding the missing. >> we have team members we don't know where they are. we will find them. >>ed on our thanks to priscilla for that report. the remnants of helene are still on the move. let's turn to nbc meteorologist michelle grossman who is tracking the trouble. >> we will continue to track the remains today.

the good news is finally moving off the coast tomorrow. one more day, could see scattered showers still tomorrow but we are looking at heavy rain in spots early this morning. this is radar on a six-hour loop. you see darker colors, the reds, oranges, the yellow throughout portions of west virginia, virginia, seeing that heavy rain and that's going to contribute to flooding and the chance for flash flooding as we go throughout today and then into early tomorrow. as we zoom in a little closer i overlaid the flood alerts. that's where you see the green. we had a flash flood warning that has since dissipated. we will see that pop in and out throughout the day. this is where we will see the lick least spot of seeing that flash flooding, the grounds are saturated, the rivers and streams are swollen. where you see the blue here, charlottesville included, could see the chance for flash flooding on this monday. this is why, we're going to see a quarter inch, a half inch, even up to 2 inches in some spots, that's where you are seeing the darker colors because we are continuing to watch the remains of helene move through. this will finally move off by

tuesday. we're also going to talk about the heat in the southwest that's dangerous when i come back in just a few minutes. >> a lot to watch on this monday. now to the 2024 race for the white house. tension continues to escalate as former president donald trump took a personal jab at vice president kamala 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 alice barr is in d.c. with the details. alice, good morning. >> good morning, frances. that's right, tensions are advertising and former president donald trump hurled insults at president joe biden but also at vice president harris over the weekend. there's one comment in particular that was deeply personal and drawed criticism from some even within his own 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 -- >> and former president trump hurled insults again throughout the weekend, but despite calls to stop he doubled down again in pennsylvania on sunday calling as far as calling harris a, quote, stupid person. the harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on former president trump'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 the vice president, she raised more than $28 million over the weekend at a star-studded l.a. fundraiser. media outlets reporting she took her own dig at former president trump, saying that her crowds are pretty big. and all eyes are now set on the vice presidential nominees as

they take the debate stage at cbs news studios in new york tomorrow night. frances. >> okay. alice, thank you. you can catch our special coverage of the vp debate on nbc and nbc news now 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 in a stunning set back for the iran-backed group. lebanese officials say the israeli attacks that began a week ago have now killed more than 1,000 people. 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 diplomatic resolution to the crisis. lebanon's prime minister says up to a million people have been displaced by the bombing. a massive fire at a chemical plant in georgia forced evacuations in rock dale county near atlanta. no one was injured when the fire was sparked early in the morning

at the bio lab chemical plant which produces clorox-branded pool cleaning products. dana griffin reports. >> reporter: a hazard in the air, thick, gray and orange smoke bill lows from a chemical facility in georgia after a fire forcing nearby residents to evacuate. >> please spread the word to stay away from this area at this point. the interstate i think you will see is backed up. >> shelter in place, keep your doors and windows closed, in the event the winds shift this thing can change really quickly. >> reporter: officials say around 5:00 a.m. as employees were inside a sprinkler malfunctioned causing a chemical to start the blaze which is now out and was contained to the roof. >> i do not know the specific type of chemical, but only that it is water reactive. >> reporter: the company saying in a statement, our team is on the scene working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation. no one was injured. the environmental protection agency is now conducting air

monitoring. law enforcement pulling out respirators as a precaution. this isn't the first chemical scare at the bio lab facility that manufactures pool and spa products according to the u.s. chemical safety board. in 2020 a plume of hazardous chemicals was released. >> since i've been a part of rockdale county for seven years this is probably the third incident this have magnitude. >> reporter: no timetable yet on when the area will be safe. dana griffin, nbc news. new this morning, california governor gavin newsom vetoed a first in the nation artificial intelligence safety bill on sunday saying the bill was not the best way to regulate large-scale ai models. the bill would have required companies to test and publicly disclose safety protocols aimed at preventing manipulation. newsom said the state will work with several industry experts to develop better regulations around ai instead. the spacex crew capsule is prepared for the return of two astronauts who have been stranded since june.

the astronauts butch williams and suni williams had to stay on board. the spacex capsule has two empty seats for their return on february. they will finally head back to earth and what was meant to be a brief mission will end that turned into an eight-month or ordeal. let's look at the heat alert affecting millions in the west. let's turn back to michelle grossman who is tracking it for us. >> we're looking at dangerous heat potentially record-breaking heat as well. temperatures soaring into the triple digits today that's 10 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year. 24 million people impacted by heat alerts today on this monday looking at heat advisories, heat warnings in the hot pink. places like las vegas, phoenix, san francisco will see temperatures well above normal for this time of year. take a look at some of these numbers. triple digits in phoenix, 111, the record is 107, 102 today in las vegas.

warm, too, in grand junction, 87, could break the record or tie the record of 88 degrees he southwest, 107 today in phoenix, 102 in tucson, 95 in el paso. all right. that's why are monday forecast. >> okay. thanks so much, michelle. even the undefeated buffalo bills were no match for king derrick henry. >> there goes henry, it's dallas, derrick henry on the run. lewis chasing. at the 40, at the 30, he will score! >> the baltimore ravens rode their king to victory on sunday night football. the running back opened the night with the 87-hard touchdown run and caught a pass from

jackson for another score. josh allen and the bills were handed their first loss of the season 35-10. coming up, we remember a country legend. and 'rwee back in a minute with a port strike that could wreak havoc on the economy. (♪♪) 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. there is a major tv merger in the works this morning, but first talks are coming down to the wire to prevent a strike at ports stretching from maine to texas. arabile gumede is here with those details. this could deal a major blow to the economy. >> it certainly could. i mean, theres a whole lot of delays, in terms of supply disruptions as well that could come on the back of this. it's quite massive. it's a port strike that's happening ultimately the u.s. east coast and the gulf of mexico is what we're getting. the international longshoreman's association saying that the united states maritime alliance

refuses to address a half century of wage subrogation saying that the union is set to pretty much walk out and if it does indeed walk out because this strike is expected to happen tomorrow, if this happens from maine to texas you are talking about the first coast-wide ila strike, then, since 1977. that's how massive a deal this really s not clear if there's any negotiations currently happening or if president biden would actually be stepping in at any point in time in in conversation, but certainly an important one here. very quickly as well to touch on just the other story, dish and directv they're nearing a deal to combine their businesses and if that sounds familiar, well, they tried to do this 12 years ago. let's remember that we're talking about normal tv here. it obviously will go on to rule america for the most part. in 2002 the fear was that it would actually block out competition in other players in this market and now with all the

streaming that's happening, it might even be too late to save any of those two companies despite this deal. >> okay. arabile gumede, thank you. country music legend chkris kristofferson has passed away. ♪ ♪ >> that is from one of his most famous songs "me and bobby magee." his representative confirming that he died peacefully at his home in maui on saturday. he earned three grammy awards during his long career and excelled as an actor. he won a golden globe for "a star is born" in 1976. kris kristofferson was 88 years old. find out which stars nsl snagged for the selection

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i still want to see it. the guest stars, speaking of guest stars they are out in full force for "snl" 50. the season premiere featured the return of maya rudolph as kamala harris. retapping the last few months of the election. andy samberg at doug emhoff and dana carvey as president biden. yang made a splash at moo deng on weekend. >> a lot of pent up material for the last few months. now glad to see them there. when we come back biden honors former president jimmy carter ahead of his centennial birthday. here is the chance to live like a serarupst. the iconic "if you were rain" house will be available to rent on ab and b.

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residents across the southeast are still reeling from helene's deadly wrath. the record-breaking storm destroying entire communities and leaving many trapped as supplies run out. nbc's jay gray joins us from boone, north carolina, yet another western north carolina town facing catastrophic damage. jay, good morning. what's the latest from there? >> reporter: yeah, frances, it's just a tough go here and across the area. boone, like so many of the towns and cities in the path of helene, dealing with downed power lines as you can see, caked in mud, and piles of debris everywhere. miles of debris stretches across florida, georgia, tennessee and the carolinas. helene chewing up and spitting out huge sections of the southeast. >> it looks like a movie. it doesn't even look real t looks like somebody took the road, it looks like play-doh and

just like threw it to the side. the damage is astronomical. >> reporter: and continuing to unfold. floodwaters washing away entire communities. the violent storm and now its aftermath responsible for more than 60 deaths. teams on the water and in the air searching for more than 100 people still missing, including guadalupe's sister. through a translator she shares their last heart-wrenching phone call. >> her sister called her family to say good-bye because they knew they weren't going to make it. so they were able to call them and talk to them. she talked to her kids, her sister monica is her sister, talked to her kids and was able to say her good-byes. >> reporter: in many areas floodwaters are still raging, still ripping apart anything in their path. >> conditions on the ground remain extremely dangerous. roadways are damaged, there are downed power lines and unstable

ground. >> reporter: a mudslide taking out several miles of interstate 40, hundreds of roads washed out, turning towns into islands, without power, gas or water. and no idea how or when they will get it back. yeah, look, so many here dealing with so much loss and unsure of what comes next. the forecast not a big help, frances, it's calling for rain in many areas over the next few days. >> oh, no. tough to hear. hopefully they get the break that they so desperately need. jay gray for us. jay, thank you. still to come here on nbc and "today," we go inside the game. craig melvin is going to be taking us behind the scenes with the ravens to see how golf actually connects the team off the field. interesting, especially after their win last night. you don't want to miss t thanks so much for starting your week with "early today." i'm frances rivera. have a great monday.