in new york. stay right there, more news on the way.

breaking yoiv overnight, a georgia judge blocks a ruling requiring hand counting of votes. but it's not the only big ruling in georgia. details ahead. the u.s. issues a warn statwa statement to israel. it's breast cancer awareness month, with rates of the disease on the rise among younger women. "early today" talks to two survivors about their journey. it's wednesday, october 16. "early today" starts right now.

we begin with breaking news out of georgia. two rules have been blocked that could have caused disorder on election night. a georgia judge blocked a rule that would have required each county to hand count ballots. o the judge decided that any concerns about fraud or abuse must be settled in court, not by a county official acting on their own. vice president harris will be back in philadelphia where she will sit for an interview with fox news. president trump has a town hall in miami with univision as early voting is already under way in some battleground states. here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: after a poll showing momentum for former president trump, vice president

harris is in battleground michigan. >> you can't let anyone take you out of the game by not voting. >> reporter: harris ramping up attacks on donald trump. >> donald trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged. >> reporter: while the former president touting his plans for tariffs, he says protect american jobs. >> to my, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff. >> reporter: but he was also pressed after he previously said he'd not spoken to russian president vladimir putin since leaving office. >> well, i don't comment on that, but i will tell you that, if i did, it's a smart thing. >> reporter: it all comes after his unusual town hall in crucial pennsylvania. >> a doctor please? >> reporter: cut short after two medical incidents. >> personally, i enjoy this, we lose weight. would anybody else like to faint? >> reporter: for more than a half hour, trump played deejay

and swayed to some of his favorite songs. >> let's just listen to music. who the hell wants to hear questions, right? >> reporter: meanwhile, here in background georgia, early voting is now under way. election officials say more than 200,000 people cast ballots, shattering the state's record. a new nbc news poll shows half of americans plan to vote early or have already done so. including harris supporter mark evans. why are you supporting kamala harris? >> uh, i feel that she's the better option for people that look like me. >> reporter: and now, after years of trump vilifying early and mail-in voting, the former president is urging his supporters here to cast their ballot as soon as possible. this couple just did. >> i think we are having an existential crisis. that we need to make sure we get the vote in. >> and our thanks to gabe for that report. the afghan man arrested for planning a mass shooting attack

on election day took his orders from the terror group isis-k, according to two u.s. officials briefed on the matter. the charging documents say the 27-year-old told the fbi he was communicating with a person named malik, who was affiliated with isis. tawidi was arrested in oklahoma, accused of planning to purchase two ak-47 rifles and ammunition for the attack. he has not yet been arraigned, and no plea has been entered. the biden administration is warning israel it could restrict humanitarian assistance if the humanitarian situation in gaza does not improve within a month. in a letter to top ministers in the israeli government, secretary of state blinken and defense secretary austin said they are investigating whether israel is impeding assistance. a similar warning was sent in april but the u.s. determined that israel was not violating the law then. human rights groups say 400,000

palestinians in northern gaza are now trapped, starving and being bombed. vice president kamala harris has also said, quote, israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. dramatic images out of the korean peninsula with the north blowing up parts of a road and rail route that once connected it to the south. this after north korea says south korea flews and dro dronepes and dro dro dro dropped propaganda flyers. >> reporter: the lines and routes were blown up in a spectacular display of aggression. the explosions seen in videos taken from the south side of the demarcation line, triggered warning shots from south korea's military and strong condemnation from south korea's government. a spokesperson calling it a very abnormal act.

[speaking in a global language] for days, north korean leader kim jong un had vowed to cut off the links once seen as symbols of inter-korean cooperation and to entirely sever his territory from the south. [speaking in a global language] the fury over drones with north korea accusing the south of sending several to drop propaganda flyer ofs over pyongg three times in the last month. kim jong un's sister claimed there was evidence proving it was the south. at first south korean military officials denied it, then said no comment. both sides now positioning forces at high alert, with recent images showing that the north has been laying land mines, laying anti-tank traps and building barriers for months. >> kim jong un has made clear that he sees this not as one people but two states on the korean peninsula. and he's taking efforts to send a direct signal to south korea

that the era of engagement is over, and this is a physical manifestation of that policy. >> reporter: during vladimir putin's visit to north korea in june, the two nations signed a comprehensive strategic partnership, stoking fears those deepening ties have emboldened kim jong un. >> in the absence of north korea's relationship with russia, i don't think we would see the north koreans be as provocative as they are now. >> reporter: it's still unlikely kim will launch any large-scale attack because of retaliation by south korea along with u.s. forces could be devastating. >> we continue to urge the dprk to reduce tensions and cease any actions that would increase the risk of conflict. and we encourage the dprk to return to dialog and diplomacy. >> and our thanks to janice for that report. north carolina governor roy cooper says 81 people are still unaccounted for. nearly three weeks after hurricane helene unleashed devastation across the southeast. federal officials also announced a small business administration's disaster loan program has been exhausted after

warnings that funding would soon run out due to increased demand from hurricane helene. president biden is now urging congress to come back into session to address federal funding for disaster relief. all right, you might want to break out that winter coat early if you haven't already. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is tracking a chilly start to the day. good morning, angie. >> chilly indeed. we've got plenty of alerts up once again. an extra layer is going to go a long way. 60 million people from parts of the plains to the neither east. these temperatures this morning are into the 30s for a couple spots. madison at 35 degrees. omaha at 34. even as far south as springfield, 38 degrees. the 40s are in place for pittsburgh and st. louis. just a little bit of a warmup this afternoon. the cool air has sunk further south. you'll see dallas, 68 degrees for your high. low 60s for st. louis. much warmer across parts of the rockies and plains where those

temperatures will be above normal by the time we get into tomorrow. upper 60s for minneapolis. 60 degrees though is the high temperature you'll get in new york city. then we'll see these milder conditions settling in by the time the weekend rolls around. meanwhile, out west, we've got a couple fronts we're going to watch work into parts of the pacific northwest. this is leaving us with the chance for rain from mt. ms. to california and addional snowit , richmond and philadelphia. we head to 54 degrees in boston, with mostly sunnyskies in detroit. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. >> thanks so much, angie. "early today" is back in a minute with a new tool rolling out to fight opioid addiction. and why walgreen's is and why walgreen's is shuttering

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>> according to a new study, nal naloxone use increased. this is a sign the public health efforts are working. meanwhile, in arkansas, more than 40% of the population live in rural areas, many in medical deserts. the arkansas mobile opioid recovery unit works to bring medical, mental health and opiod treatment to these locations. iris kim has the details repor. >> reporter: this bright purple truck is hard to miss in rural arkansas. and that's the point. the arkansas mobile opiod recovery unit or armor for short crisscrosses highways to reach

patients who are often without access to care. >> we can provide peer recovery support, licensed mental health provider, primary care and all kinds of access to resources in one stop. >> reporter: dr. kristin martin founded armor and also serves as one of its physicians. she staffs the trucks with nurse-practitioners, peer support specialists and mental health specialists. it has treated over 500 rural patients. >> so much a part of why we wanted to do medicine was to go out there and care for people who really wanted our help. >> reporter: arkansas has the second-highest opiod prescription rate and ranks in the top ten for opiod misuse. but treatment can be hard to come by. 41% of the population resides in rural areas. many in medical deserts. kim anderson lives in the medical desert of hattieville. up until now, she has struggled to receive care for her opiod

use, depression and high blood pressure. >> there's no public transportation at all. so if you can't walk there and you don't have a way to get there, you have to find somebody to give you a ride. >> reporter: after the truck started showing up 15 minutes away from her house, she started scheduling checkups every two weeks. >> it's hard when people don't understand where you're coming from, whether it's drug addiction, mental health problems, anxiety. they help you any way they can. >> reporter: i followed the armor truck for a day where peer recovery support specialist russell boyd was on board. boyd was once incarcerated and struggled with substance use, too. he says it was only a few years ago he was in his patients' shoes. >> there's already a connection there, because i have the lived experience. >> reporter: one of the patients boyd is seeing is john brooks who's visiting the mobile unit for the third time. >> i come every two weeks, even

if everything was fixed on me, i come back two weeks to do a checkup. >> reporter: he's sober and armor is helping him stay that way. >> doing drugs and drinking can really make you think how life is so short. >> reporter: one in for arkansans don't have broadband access, so armor schedules follow-up visits on site, often stopping at churches, food pantries and shelters. >> it takes a little bit of time to build the trust and relationship and to show the community that you're going to show up, that you're there, really, to help. >> reporter: this june, armor added a second truck to their fleet that will go to the western and southern parts of the state. their hope? to eventually reach every corner of arkansas. >> when you come in, nobody knows whether you're here to get a flu shot, whether you're here for diabetes, whether you're having a mental health crisis or

whether you have an addiction to opiates. it's perfectly set up that way so that when you come in, no judgment. >> that was iris kim reporting for nbc nbcu academy. still to come. superman's four-legged friend is coming to the big screen. taylor swift is aiming right at target. at target. find out what she' with vita. (knock on the door) are you using all the old spice? oops. ♪ (old spice mnemonic) ♪ the holidays right after this. [achoo!] needs, alka seltzer plus cold & flu when speed is what you need, bounce back fast with alka seltzer plus. also try the new chewable fizzy chews. no water needed.

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♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ krypto the super dog is springing onto the big screen. the comic canine will appear in

a film. inspiration was taken for the film debut from the writer's own dog. according to gunn, it changed the shape of the story. a whole new level. we see so many aspects. now it's about time for the pup to be part of it. >> we know, man's best friend for a reason. does he change the course of the story? we know that happens with animals all the time in real life. now to the super star turning black friday into red friday. taylor swift announced two new releases hitting shelves just in time for the holidays. one is a book commemorating the eras tour kicking off its final leg this week. the other is the anthology edition of the tortured poets department which includes four acoustic bonus tracks. it hits shelves on black friday, exclusively at target. it will have a lot of

behind-the-scenes photos from rehearsals and designer mockups of costumes and notes from her thoughts across all of these years of the tour. >> of the tour. it will be great for those who are still going to her tour. it's going to kickback up again. it will be fun to have that. when we come back, we've got when we come back, we've got the play-by-play don't let symptoms define you... emerge as you, with clearer skin. with tremfya®, most people saw 100% clear skin... lxii. ...that stayed clear, even at 5 years. tremfya® is proven to significantly reduce joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. 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.

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the pentagon announced nor than 800 veterans dismissed under the now-repealed don't-ask-don't-tell policy have been given honorable discharges. super bowl lxii hadwill be d in atlanta in 2028, the fourth time the nfl championship game time the nfl championship game is playe feeling ughh from a backed up gut? ughh. miralax works naturally with the water in your body to help you go. "early today" will be right back. ll follow. for 8 grams of fiber, try mirafiber gummies. it's mesmerizing. cleaning that greasy mess with dawn platinum... and not even scrubbing. —well, fluff my feathers. — [giggle] it cuts through the slimy stuff better than their old dish soap, removing 99% of grease. that's why only dawn is trusted to save wildlife. as they get older their risk of getting really sick from flu,

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diagnoses in women under 50. it's now the most-commonly-diagnosed cancer be, a and the leading cancer-related death for women up to 49 years old. two women shared their experience. >> it started a few months before my 28th birthday, and i was breast-feeding my son at the time. and i noticed a small lump on my left breast, and out of pure panic p panic made an appointment to get it checked out. it was cancer. >> so i was 31 when i was diagnosed which is very uncommon for breast cancer. i had been going through the process of a miscarriage. and during that process, i had been following up pretty frequently with my doctor, and during that time, i had discovered a lump if my right breast at the time.

was pretty much just dismissed, the reason that it was there was because of the miscarriage and hormone fluctuation. so i had to find nanother docto. that doctor luckily listened to me and scheduled a mammogram and found out a couple days later for sure that it was invasive ductal carcinoma. >> do you feel like there's enough awareness and support for young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer? >> i do think the awareness is definitely in the last ten years has increased, which is a great thing. i'm always going to say that there needs to be more awareness. >> it's becoming more and more common. but, again, the age that you typically get screened at this point is 40 years old for a mammogram. >> just to make sure, when you hit that 40 mark that you're advocating for yourself, hey, i need to get this mammogram. >> our thanks for that report.

coming up on "today", the search for home sweet home. vicky nguyen will have everything you need to know if you're in the market for a new home, including key sites on mortgage rates. finally, ohio police officers had to carve out some time to chase a run-away pumpkin blocking a road in a cleveland suburb. dash cam video shows an officer trying to wrangle the great pumpkin only to be swallowed whole. he eventually broke free and was able to return the inflatable back to the homeowner. that thing is massive, where do people get these things? and i wonder if a christmas tree or santa's going to be just as big during the holidays. thanks for waking up with "early today." i'

tracking those warnings and pont