breaking overnight. port workers from new england to texas walk off the job. the strike poised to deliver a seismic blow to the economy, with billions in trade already stranded.

we're live with what's preventing a deal. israel launching a ground operation into lebanon overnight, vowing to destroy hezbollah bases along the border. we're live with the reaction from world officials to the latest escalation. the aftermath of hurricane helene growing more dire by the day. the death toll now over 120, with crews searching for hundreds more still missing as fema mounts a massive effort to deliver food and water to victims. we're live on the ground with a look at recovery efforts. it could be the final face-to-face in the race to the white house. tim walz and jd vance take the debate stage tonight. we're live in dk with.c. with w expect. and celebrating a century of jimmy carter. the former president turns 100 today. how the country is marking the major milestone on this tuesday, october 1st. "early today" starts right now. glad you're with me this morning. i'm frances rivera. we begin with breaking news.

israel has launched a ground operation in southern lebanon. the idf says it is conducting, quote, limited, localized and targeted ground raids against hezbollah. u.s. officials say the israelis have told them that the incursion is expected to last for days, not weeks. for the latest, let's turn to claudio lavanga. what more are the israelis saying about the operation? >> reporter: good morning, frances. well, israel says that the targets of the ground operation are hezbollah infrastructures located in villages close to the border with lebanon, that they say poses an imminent threat to the israeli communities living in the north of israel and that the goal is to allow those israeli communities to return to their homes safely. now, as you mentioned, they called it a targeted ground offensive. also we believe it is going to last days and not weeks. nevertheless the escalation of

the situation leads to more concern of a wider regional war. also the named targeted ground operation has received some skepticism from those who remember the last time israel launched a targeted ground operation. that was in rafah in may. that led to many civilian casualties as well as widespread destruction. more than 1700 people have already died and have been killed inside lebanon since the start of the conflict between hezbollah and israel, raising even more fears that this target the ground operation to lead to collateral damage, including civilian casualties. now the u.s. in the meantime, well, the u.s. secretary of defense, lloyd austin, said that the oust is prepa u.s. is prepdt its personnel.

they are determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions and expanding the conflict, frances. >> thank you so much e. turning now to this breaking overnight. billions of dollars worth of goods are stranded at u.s. ports after 50,000 dockworkers walked often the job at midnight. take a look at this live look here from philadelphia. if this strike drags out, it would send shock waves through the u.s. economy, potentially costing over $3.5 billion a week. for more on the impact, let's turn to cnbc's arabile gumede. good morning. >> yeah, good morning, frances. you're quite right. the impact of this could be absolutely massive, right. this is the first coast-wide strike for at least 50 years or so, right. this is absolutely massive. the last time we saw this sort of thing was in 1977. and the key reason it matters so much is the supply chain snarls and disruptions that you really

could get on the back of this, then. if it was to close out for one day, it would take at least six days to actually recover from this. going to 21 days you could wait until the middle of november before you actually recover in any kind of meaningful way off the back of this. as we head toward the christmas season, of course, all that shopping, shopping that we had anticipated going from november until the end of the year could actually drop off quite considerably because of inflation pressure, which could see prices actually go higher, and availability of items could drop off quite considerably. just to put it out, the national rail federation said this could impact inflation, as i said. the u.s. maritime, which represents these workers has put down a deal 50%. they rejected that increase of 50% over a six-year period. instead, they want 77% increase over that deal period then of six years, and no conversations around automation.

>> wow. and the trickle-down effect will be felt by so many of us. arabile, thanks for keeping us updated. thank you. residents across the southeast are still reeling from the devastation of hurricane helene and its aftermath. the death toll has risen to at least 125 people across six states. hundreds are still missing. power is slowly being restored to some areas, but there are still more than 1.5 million in the dark from florida to ohio. the officials in north carolina say they were blinded by helene's sheer intensity as homes were swept away and restaurants and shops pummelled to pieces. many communities are still cut off from clean water, electricity and cell service, leading residents to nowhere to go. and in tennessee, an agonizing wait for so many who have yet to hear from missing loved ones. pricilla thompson is there. >> reporter: the floodwaters in tennessee have receded. but the pain is still flowing for some families.

>> they are just desperate to find out where she is. where, if she's been found. they just want news. >> reporter: rosa androtti is among the 150 people still unaccounted for in tennessee after ithree agonizing days. efforts shifted from rescue to recovery. they confirm only three storm-related deaths in the state so far. >> they used everything they had to save lives that day. some were saved. we're still searching for some. we all have hopes that we will find some more alive. >> reporter: relatives say rosa and monica were working at impact plastics factory when the water began to rise and that they got into the back of a semi truck trying to escape. a man who says he was also on that truck posted this video online, showing water rushing by

as car cs and yellow pipes floeflo floated away. in statement, impacts plastics say when the parking lot began to flood, employees were dismissed but that some remained. boarding a neighboring company's truck as the flooding st intensified. that truck tipped over. six others were never found. we are devastated by the tragic loss of employees, loss made all the more painful by the wait for answers. >> they are really grieving. all that they really want is closure. they just want closure for their families. >> reporter: priscilla thompson, erwin, tennessee. president biden is set to tour the devastation in north carolina tomorrow, assessing the damage aerially as to not disrupt the emergency response on the ground. >> the trip coming after former president trump toured georgia on monday, calling on mr. biden

and presidential nominee kamala harris for their absence. the vice president did, however, visit fema in washington, d.c. monday, pledging the administration would provide the resources needed to those affected. harris also spoke to the governors of georgia and north carolina, promising to be there to survey the damage as soon as possible. tonight, all eyes will be on the vice presidential candidates as they square off in new york city. and this could very well be the last time the american public sees a debate before the 2024 election. nbc's alice barr is in d.c. with the preview. hi, alice, good morning. >> reporter: minnesota governor tim walz and ohio senator jd vance will go head to head for 90 minutes at the cbs broadcast center in new york tonight starting at 9:00 eastern. in the past, governor walz and senator vance have focussed much of their firepower on the opposing presidential nominee. >> they do not share our values. look, it's not even about policy. it's about sharing our values.

>> man, what a nightmare the american southern border is, thanks to kamala harris' policies. >> reporter: of course tonight they'll be going against each other. sources tell nbc news that walz has been doing mock rehearsals with transportation secretary pete buttigieg in the role of vance, while vance has been preparing with minnesota congressman tom emmer playing walz. cbs has said it's going to leave live fact checking up to the candidates on stage to hold each other accountable. and this debate is taking on outsized importance, not only because the race for the white house is just so tight, but because it could also be the last time we see a debate before the election. vice president harris has said she's quote, all in for a late-october debate. former president trump has said he is not, arguing it's too close to the election with early voting already under way. it is now october 1st. that means we're just a little over a month away from that all-important day, frances. >> alice, thank you. tonight you can watch the

vice presidential debate right here on nbc. we have full coverage starting at 8:00 eastern. it is october, but the heat isn't letting up out west. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking the temperatures for us. good morning, michelle. >> we're going to see those temperatures soaring into the triple digits, well above normal for their tis time of year. 32 million americans under heat al alerts, also excessive heat warnings in the pink. las vegas, yuma, phoenix, we will see temperatures into the triple digits for many. that would be las vegas, bakersfield, san jose. yuma, 111. the record is 110. we're going to challenge the records once again today. that's today, it was hot yesterday and hot over the weekend and hot today, hot tomorrow. we're going to see this extending for most of the workweek to las vegas tomorrow. 102, the record there is 100 on

wednesday. 109 in el centro. take a look at some of these numbers as we head toward thursday and friday and saturday. las vegas still in the triple digits. phoenix 108. saturday 107. we'll see the warm temperatures into thelains as p rain showers. most of the heavy rain has moved over the mid atlantic. 73 in philadelphia. that's your tuesday forecast. >> okay, michelle, thank you. coming up, a recall for nearly 200,000 jeep hybrids, and a judge strikes down georgia's strict abortion law. everything we know when we come back. ything we know when we com back.

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constitution. the 2022 law was passed after roe versus wade was reversed and banned abortion around six weeks in the state. under the new ruling, it's legal through at least 20 weeks of pregnancy. the state's attorney general is vowing to appeal the decision. one of eric adams' top virus advis advisors has resigned. mayor adams has been indicted for corruption. he denies the charges. pearson is no stranger to scandal, having faced several lawsuits for sexual harassment and a fight at a migrant shelter last year. he denies the accusations. stellantis is recalling 194 jeep hybrids made from 2020 to 2024 as well as jeep grand

cherokee made from 2022 to 2024. it is advising drivers from recharging, adding they should park away from structures. direct tv is buying former rival dish and sling tv for $1. direct tv will take on the company's nearly $10 billion in debt. the deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of next year. according to reuters, once combined, the company had serve close to 20 million customers. still to come, no need to grimace, mets fans are headed to the playoffs. and we remember the lives of sports legends who changed the game on and off the field. the game on and off the field. ♪ tha♪ ♪ there's a way ♪ ♪ everybody say. ♪ ♪ oh... ♪ ♪ you must know what it's like. ♪ ♪ baby, you must know what it's like ♪ ♪ to love somebody. ♪ ♪ to love somebody. ♪

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on monday night football, the lions dropped six touchdowns on the undefeated seattle seahawks. jared goff was perfect, completing all 18 of his passes and two touchdowns, and he even caught one of his own from st. brown. the lions hand the seahawks the first l of the season, 42-29. and fans in miami saw the opposite of the offensive showcase with the titans and dolphins forced to turn to backup quarterbacks. tennessee pulled away thanks to a touchdown from the running back spears, 31-12. so the two teams can brag about being undefeated so far. of course chiefs, vikings as well. >> i'll be so curious about the chiefs. i feel like they're wavering a little bit. now to another doubleheader on the diamond of the met the and braves clinch the last two wildcard spots in the national league on monday. both teams split wins in their doubleheader in atlanta that was postponed due to hurricane

helene. the only real loser tonight, the diamondbacks. arizona would have also secured a spot in the post season if either team swept yesterday. so that must be really tough on them. they really had to bank on those two, at least losing one or sweeping, maybe they would go on. >> okay. this morning, the sports world is mourning the loss of two larger-than-life icons. dikembe mutombo died at the age of 58, regarded as one of the best defensive players in all of nba history. he led the league in blocked shots three times and also served as the league's first global ambassador. and baseball legend pete rhodes died at the age of 83. rose was the three-time world series champ and holds the mlb record for hits. his legacy was tarnished when he was banned from the sport in 1989 after it was revealed he

gambled as manager. he unsuccessfully reapplied for reinstatement several times. why california is banning legacy admissions for college applicants. jimmy carter is making history on his 100th birthday. history on his 100th birthday. o. start to break away from uc with tremfya... with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today.

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thousands of customers. they've advised customers to restart devices if the problem persists. 37% of couples use cash from wedding gifts toward purchasing a house. "early today" will be right back after this. ck after this. (mom) let me see my new grand-dog! (mia) say “hi grandma”! (mom) you're feeding him, blue buffalo, right? (jack) nah, we got purina one. it's all the same stuff. (mom) not really. blue life protection formula's got deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, barley... (mia) well purina one has chicken, rice flour, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal... (jack) [laughing] looks like we're switching to blue! (vo) switch to blue. and feed your dog like family. can neuriva support your brain health? mary. janet. hey!

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georgia where he was born and where he has lived since leaving the white house. carter is the first president to have reached 100 years of age. our andrea mitchell has more on the festivities. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: a birthday bash for the ages. family, friends and fans celebrating jimmy carter, the only u.s. president to reach 100. what keeps him going? >> you know, i don't know what keeps him going. i think he doesn't know how to give up on anything. >> reporter: dubbed the rock 'n roll president in the '70s. >> allman brothers, all these folks raised money for him. >> reporter: a washington outsider, the peanut farmer was called jimmy who? when he was running for the white house. >> he's mr. resilient. and, for him to live to 100, that is amazing. and imagine all the things that

those eyes have seen. >> reporter: carter is best known for his legacy after the white house. >> i remember my mom talking about jimmy carter, how he built houses with his own hands. >> reporter: with his wife roslyn, he built thousands of houses for habitat for humanity and was awarded the nobel peace prize in 2002. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: president carter liked to say when he taught sunday school, use your talent to help others, a message he has preached and practiced for a century. andrea mitchell, nbc news, atlanta. president biden had team usa at the white house to celebrate their performances at the paris olympics and paralympics. he called them heroes and said he was really proud of their dedication. team usa won 126 medals at the olympics with who 40 being gold. at the paralympics, they brought

home 105 medals. he mentioned he really wanted to go to the olympics but thought his presence would be a distraction. the president called team usa the best of america. still to come. later this morning on "today", we are kicking off breast cancer awareness month with the focus on empowering women and men. something you don't want to miss here on this tuesday morning. thank you so much for being with me or "early today." hope you're up early with me tomorrow morning. for now, have a great tuesday. your news continues on nbc and our nbc stations. our nbc stations. m tom llamasy

there, more news on the way. e on the way. e . breaking overnight. port workers from new england and texas walk offer t the job the first time in nearly a century.