one year of anguish, agony and bloodshed. today israelis are remembering those lost on the anniversary of hamas's violent october 7th attack and hold out hope for the hostages still being held. the resulting war reshaping the middle east over the past year with over 40,000 palestinians killed in gaza. we're live with the solemn anniversary. donald trump and kamala harris making their final pitch to voters less than a month away from election day. the vice president launching a media blitz this week while the former president barnstorms across battleground states. we'll dive into the schedule. florida hunkering down again as another major hurricane sets its sights on the sunshine state. hurricane milton expected to hit florida's west coast where cleanup is still under way after hurricane helene. our team is tracking the storm. a miracle on a california runway. how a hero passenger landed a plane after the pilot passed out mid flight. a weather delay didn't stop

the fireworks in the cowboys and steelers sunday night showdown. the highlights from the nail-biter in pittsburgh. it's monday. "early today" starts right now. good morning. good to be with you. i'm frances rivera. today israel is a country united in grief. one year ago today, hamas in gaza launched a large scale invasion of southern israel, killing more than a thousand in an attack that would change the middle east. in the resulting war, israel has killed more than 40,000 palestinians in gaza. as the second front opens up in lebanon, a diplomatic solution seems far off. for the latest, let's go to claudio lavanga. good morning, claudio. how is the anniversary being observed this morning? >> good morning, frances. well, exactly at 6:30 a.m. in

israel, which is exactly the same time hamas launched that attack one year ago, hundreds of people, including the victims' families as well as the president of israel, isaac herzog gathered at the site of the nova music festival where just one year ago almost -- exactly one year ago almost 400 mostly young people who were there dancing and partying were killed, slaughtered by hamas militants. and then some 40were kidnapped. there were victims' families speaking and there was also some sing, music, but also moments of silence. all that was broken in the ground by the heavy loud and bangs and booms, all the heavy fighting that is still ongoing in gaza, which is literally next door. at the same time, the families of the 101 hostages who are still being held in gaza, they

gathered near the residence of the prime minister of israel language benjamin netanyahu and they stood. that's only played in very important moments of the israeli calendar like the holocaust remembrance or memorial day. these are families that have been very critical for the past year actually to the israeli prime minister, demanding a ceasefire, demanding a hostage deal that will bring their loved ones back home. perhaps their demands are better summarized by what one of the relative of one of the honks whose name is yehuda cohen said in new york just a week ago. just take a listen. >> the only way my son returns is by a deal. >> the only obstacle is benjamin netanyahu, our horrible prime minister.

>> in the meantime, security forces across israel are on high alert on fear that hamas may fire rockets into israel to mark the anniversary. frances? >> claudio, thank you. here in the u.s., both presidential candidates plan to recognize this anniversary today. the trump campaign says the former president will gather with jewish community leaders at his golf course in florida. and vice president harris will deliver remarks in washington, d.c. and plant a memorial tree. nbc's alice barr joins us now. good morning, alice. the vice president also has a lot of interviewed lined up for the week. >> good morning, frances. republicans have accused vice president harris of avoiding the press. and this week she is answering that with a media blitz, planned throughout the week. tomorrow she has interviews lined up with "the view," howard stern and stephen colbert. then univision town hall on thursday. tonight, an interview vice president harris did with cbs "60 minutes" will air. and in it we see that she was pressed on her views of prime minister benjamin netanyahu.

>> do we have a real close ally in prime minister netanyahu? >> i think with all due respect, the better question is do we have an important alliance between the american people and the israeli people. and the answer to that question is yes. >> yesterday, the vice president appeared on the popular call her daddy podcast. she appealed to the large younger people audience, speaking about reproductive rights. meanwhile, former president trump held a rally overnight in wisconsin where he encouraged voters there to take advantage of early voting, urging them to mail in their absentee ballots right away. this comes after former president trump returned to the same pennsylvania venue where he survived an assassination attempt in july. this time he was joined by tesla's ceo elon musk. the billionaire making his first appearance at a trump campaign rally.

the former president will be back in pennsylvania again on wednesday for more rallies. fra frances? >> alice barr for us, alice, thank you. federal authorities are looking into the hack of three major telecommunications companies. a source with knowledge of the matter tells nbc news that hackers backed by china access data from at&t, verizon, and lumen technologies, possibly attempting to access systems used by the government for court-approved surveillance. the director of the nsa says this investigation is in its early stage, and it's too soon to discuss the case. at&t and lumen declined to comment. verizon has not yet responded. it has been less than two weeks since hurricane helene ripped through the southwestern u.s., leaving behind massive destruction in its wake. now president biden has ordered 500 more active duty troops to help with the ongoing recovery effort, with one of the biggest challenges in the carolinas and tennessee being damaged infrastructure. nbc's kathy park has more.

>> more than a week after helene's blow, president biden calling up more than 500 active duty trips to help in the southeast and deliver critical aid. and tom till miss pushing back against false conspiracy theories that fema is diverting funds to immigrants. >> we could have discussion of this administration's border policies. but right now not yet is it affecting the flow of resources to western north carolina. >> reporter: relief supplies are piling up at the bristol motor speedway as thousands grab well the crisis. sister lorraine travelled in from kentucky to pass out these filt percent, turning even the dirtiest floodwater into clear and safe drinking water. >> it tastes like good old spring water right there. >> reporter: in this corner of the country, church services are becoming a sacred source of comfort. how important is faith during a time of crisis like this? >> the most important thing.

the most important thing. >> reporter: at st. michael the archangel in irwin, where some of the parishioners are among the dead, healing comes in the form of community. nearby river baptist was flooded in the storm, battered by a building swept away by the raging waters. now the sound of power washers and shovels fill the 100-year-old sanctuary. >> if god wanted this church down the river, i think it would have went. i think it's still standing for a reason. >> our thanks to kathy for that report. now yet another hurricane is barreling towards florida. residents are preparing for hurricane milton, which could be at least a category 3 storm when it strikes the state's gulf coast on wednesday. residents lining up to make sandbags in preparation for the new storm. florida governor ron desantis has also issued an emergency declaration in 51 counties and said the 24/7 cleanup is under way as they prepare for milton. let's turn to nbc meteorologist michelle grossman who is tracking it all.

>> good morning, frances. this will be a high impact storm, so important to prepare now. just two, two and a half days away. here is the latest on milton that category 1 storm lands at 90 miles per hour. we're going to see it strengthen moving east at 6 miles per hour. so this is what we're expecting for today. we're going to see the outer rain bands swiping the yucatan peninsula. and then we're going to see the rain chances really increasing today in the state of florida. by tomorrow, it will continue to cross a very warm gulf of mexico. that's going to continue to strengthen it. we're going to see an increase in winds, storm surge and rain. that will be the big day, later wednesday. we're looking at rainfall likely along the west coast of florida. we could see this as a major storm, either category 3 or category 4. we're going to see that crossing the peninsula as we go throughout wednesday. notice the increase in strength by tuesday morning to a category 4 storm. and it will make landfall sometimes wednesday as the latest track as est.

temperatures into the 100s once again. 10 in phoenix. 101 in tucson. 87 in el paso. all right. that's your monday tooth. >> okay, thank you so much, michelle. >> sure. basketball fans were treated to history on the hard court sunday. in the second quarter of the lakers preseason game against the suns, lebron james was joined on court by a rookie lebron james jr. the jamess became the first father-son duo to play together in an nba game. br brawny didn't core. the cowboys and steelers burn the midnight oil in the sunday night thriller, and the dramatic moment a passenger landed the plane after the pilot passed out.

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a terrifying experience for passengers on a frontier airlines flight that had to make a hard landing in las vegas this weekend. the airbus 320 reported smoke in the cockpit. passengers described severe turbulence as they approached the runway. and when the plane landed, it caught fire, and it was quickly put out and no one was hurt. but passengers were stuck on the plane for nearly an hour before being evacuated. a ground stop was in effect at las vegas international airport for nearly three hours. the faa is investigating the cause of the incident. turning now to another scare in the air. a pilot passed out on a small plane, forcing the only passenger on board to take the controls and land. nbc's dana griffin has the details. >> reporter: miracle in the air. >> are you with me? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: an air traffic controller talking an inexperienced passenger through

piloting a twin-engine aircraft when the pilot lost consciousness midair. >> okay. so make sure you add a little bit of power. >> reporter: what was supposed to be a flight from las vegas to the central coast turned into an all hands on deck operation to get the plane safely on the ground. look. this animation shows the plane taking off near las vegas, nevada friday morning. its final destination monterey, california. but the plane was diverted nearly 100 miles southeast to meadows field in bakersfield, california. but the journey there was harrowing. >> are you able to add power so the airspeed doesn't get too low? >> 130. >> okay, that's absolutely perfect. >> reporter: at the airfield, ron brewster, the kern county director of airport and his team were standing by. >> we were able to get fire, ambulance, and everybody on standby so as the aircraft came to a stop, they were getting medical attention. >> reporter: thanks to a team of aviation experts and this calm air traffic controller. >> your airspeed is looking good from here. >> reporter: the passenger

safely landed. >> the aircraft secure. one patient cardiac arrest. >> reporter: but unfortunately, the ordeal has a tragic ending. >> he was pronounced deceased at the hospital. >> reporter: as for the brave woman at the controls -- how is she? >> dealing with a tragedy. she's doing the best she can. based on the circumstances. >> and our thanks to dana for that report. still to come, the nlds is all tied up. we'll have a full recap. and dak prescott shows the world why he is the highest paid re oth in football. mon e cowboys' big come basketball, right after this. 't always wear sunscreen. let's not regret our sunny memories. let's do something about it. no7's future renew serum, reverses visible signs of sun damage. with a world-first peptide technology. no7 don't regret, just reverse hi. i use febreze fade defy plug. and i use this. febreze has a microchip to control scent release so it smells first-day fresh for 50 days. 50 days!? and its refill reminder light

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not even a rain delay could top tj watt from achieving history onsunday night football. facing the cowboys, the steelers' star pass rusher logged his 100th career sack. both teams initially struggled on the other side of the ball, but pittsburgh took the lead with two touchdown passes from justin fields.

having no choice but to score a touchdown, dak prescott put his team in a position to steal a win in the steel city. >> prescott throws, crossing. and confident. touchdown! it's tolberg! >> dak hit jalen tolbert for the score to give dallas the victory and the storied rivalry 20-17. got to be tough for them, but especially how they started, the cowboys really tough losses this season. but a victory there they can definitely celebrate. >> absolutely. and it was a long rain delay. for them to get jacked up. >> exactly. well, sunday's nfl action got off to an early start in london at the gorgeous hotspur stadium. the vikings remained perfect on the season as aaron rodgers was intercepted on a desperation drive for the jets. by the way, the third of the game. and for one squad with no losses to one getting their first win, the jaguars got their first w of

the year on sunday, setting off the comeback against the rival colts. the giants stunned the seahawks. big blue got their second win of the year off a blocked field goal. returned 60 yards for a touchdown. and it took overtime to decide an epic grudge match between the ravens and bengals. a 24 yarder to give baltimore the crucial divisional win. i love when it comes down to that. so it's exciting. >> makes it all worth sticking around for that. turning to baseball where the phillies flipped the script on the mets sunday. new york needed just one out to send game two of the nlds to extra innings. the phillies' nick castellano to give them the walk-off win. evened up at one game apiece. and the padres told the dodgers to call them daddy. san diego blew out l.a. in a 10-2 victory that featured six homers. the series moves to their home

field tuesday all tied up. i saw your face. >> so fun. >> my eyes are a little closed. we were up late last night. but that last was so good. >> well worth it. when cowe come back, we have the top rated seats for spooky season and dai on etlsthe scammers that broke through the bricks on lego's website. 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

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brayden's mother: these kids, they've done nothing wrong in the world. finding a cure for childhood cancer, it means everything. narrator: help st. jude give kids with cancer a chance. here's what's making headlines this morning. the fda has recently upgraded a previous egg recall to the highest possible risk level, meaning if consumed, they could cause serious adverse health reactions or death. the recall links egged distributed by millot's poultry farm in wisconsin to 65 salmonella infections in nine states. lego's website was hacked friday showing a banner claiming the company was launching a cryptocurrency. according to the brick fan, a link on the home page led to a cryptocurrency platform selling the so-called lego token.

no user accounts with compromised in the incident. the faa has cleared spacex falcon 9 rocket for a mission later this morning to launch the european space agency's spacecraft. the mission will visit the asteroid that nasa's spacecraft knocked off course in 2022 to study it in greater detail. and for the first time, m&ms has dethroned reese's cup as the most popular halloween candy. reese's now takes second place and sour patch kids ranks third. "early today" will be right back. old spice gentleman's super hydration body wash. (whispered) vanilla and shea. 24/7 moisturization with vitamin b3. (knock on the door) are you using all the old spice? oops. ♪ (old spice mnemonic) ♪ what do people want more of? more “oh yeah!” more laughs. more hang outs.

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teacher, to high schoolers showing up for a young girl with cancer, our jose diaz-balart brings us some of the good news from the past week. ♪ >> there was this party for ezra. leaving a new york hospital after more than a month in the icu. >> you've been so strong and brave. >> we first met the 5-year-old last may when he desperately needed a liver transplant. >> he is a perfect match. >> are you serious? >> yeah. >> and showed you the moment his preschool teacher, carissa fisher stepped in with this life-saving surprise. >> i'm going share my liver with you, buddy. >> the surgery this summer a success. ezra's mom karen forever grateful. >> we feel so blessed to, you know, have kind of formed a bond. we're just incredibly, incredibly grateful. and how is this for a celebration? that's beloved northern

california school custodian pedro taking a victory lap on his very last day. students and staff at montebello elementary marking his retirement with cheers and thanks for taking care of them and the school for more than a decade. there was such joy. >> let's go! >> at south carolina's clemson university. that's charlie mcgee finding out he got into phi kappa alpha, and then running into the arms of his new fraternity brothers. the guys say they chose charlie, who has downs syndrome because of his values and his involvement in clemson life and service to school and community. and in st. louis, the slu high school football team winning off

the field. there they are, more than 30 of them, all getting their heads shaved to support a teammate's loved one who is battling brain cancer. defensive end patrick lassy organized it all, to show 7-year-old nora how much she means. that's nora in the pink hat, even helping out along with her big sister. >> patrick, what made you decide to do that for her? >> i just want to show her that, you know, i'm always going have her back. and anything she is going through is something i'm going through too. i don't want her to go through this alone. >> thanks to jose for sharing those stories and starting our week off with a big smile. that's for kicking off your week with "early today." i'm frances rivera. hope you have a great monday and a great rest of your week. see you tomorrow.