the way. way. breaking news this thursday morning. singer and former one direction member, liam payne has died.

authorities in argentina say the 31-year-old fell from a hotel balcony. we have the latest often the circumstances of his sudden death. breaking overnight, the u.s. care ease out new strikes against houthi rebels in yemen. what lloyd austin is saying about the strikes. kamala harris spars with fox news, as donald trump makes his pitch to an audience of all-women voters. all this, as the 2024 race enters its final stretch. the federal trade commission announcing a new rule to take the frustration out of canceling subscriptions and memberships. what it could mean for you. and a non-profit doing its part to lend a hand to hurricane-ravaged areas by serving hot meals to those desperately in need. it is thursday, october 17th. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm jessica layton, and we begin this thursday morning with heartbreaking news in the music

industry. liam payne, who was a member of the british pop band one direction has died. authorities tell our sister station telemundo that he fell from a third floor hotel balcony in argentina. he was just 31 years old. sam brock has more. >> reporter: one of the most high-profile bands of the last decade, one direction, reeling after the death of one of its founding members, liam payne. according to emergency services in buenos aires, argentina, payne fell from a balcony. authorities say a call was placed to 911 of an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. pablo, a spokesperson for the security ministry of buenos aires told the a.p. that payne had thrown himself on the balcony of his room. hauntingly only hours earlier. >> good morning, everybody. a lovely day here in argentina.

>> reporter: payne posting this video to snap chat. the artist, like his band mates, had gone solo. >> it's a big moment in your music career. it feels amazing. >> reporter: now the talented singer and songwriter leaving a gaping hole of grief across the music world and beyond. sam brock, nbc news. just 19 days to go now until election day. and candidates are trying new tactics to reach undecided voters, with kamala harris sitting down with fox news, and donald trump taking questions from an audience of women. nbc's garrett hake is following both campaigns. >> reporter: vice president harris in her first formal interview with fox news. harris pressed on her record on immigration. >> joslin, rachel, laken riley, they are young women who were brutally assaulted and killed by some of the men who were released at the beginning of the administration, well before a negotiated bipartisan bill.

do you owe those families an apology? >> let me just say, first of all, those are tragic cases. there's no question about that. there's no question about that. and i can't imagine the pain that the families of those victims have experienced. for a loss that should not have occurred. if a border security had actually been passed nine months ago, it would be nine months that we would have had more border agents at the border. >> reporter: the appearance part of a concerted pitch for anti-trump republicans. harris in must-win pennsylvania with former gop congressman adam kinzinger, blasting these controversial trump comments. >> we have the outside enemy. then we have the enemy from within. >> he considers any american who doesn't support him or bend to his will to be an enemy to our

country. donald trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged. >> reporter: former president trump responding. >> i wasn't unhinged. i'm not threatening anybody. they're the ones doing the threatening. they do phony investigations. i've been investigated more than alphonse capone. >> reporter: trump on fox news for a town hall with women voters and talking about his support for in-vitro fertilization. >> i'm the father of ivf. i want to hear this question. the democrats wanted to attack us on it, and we're out there on ivf even more than them. so we're totally in favor of it. >> reporter: harris firing back. >> i found it to be quite bizarre, actually. he called himself the father of ivf. he needs to take responsibility for the fact that one in three women in american lives in a trump abortion ban state. >> our thanks to garrett for that report. breaking overnight now. the u.s. air force has once again bombed the houthi rebels

in yemen. lloyd austin said in a statement that the strikes targeted underground weapons storage facilities. for a year now, the houthis have attacked shipping vessels in the red sea and the gulf of aden, in response to the war in gaza. now one u.s. official says for the first time, b-2 stealth bombers were used to strike the houthis. there is no word yet this morning on casualties. for the first time in nearly a week, israel conducted airstrikes in the suburbs of beirut. right now, it is unclear how many were killed or injured. we do know the idf says they targeted a hezbollah weapons stockpile. also an attack earlier this week on a christian town in the north has so many people there fearing that nowhere is safe. our matt bradley has this report. >> reporter: in lebanon, virtually no place is safe from war. in the months since israel expanded its attacks against hezbollah, the country's south has been pummeled by airstrikes

and a slow and steady israeli ground invasion. but lately, the country's north has also come under fire. this house in the sleepy mountain village is now the scene of one of the deadliest single israeli attacks since the war here began. 24 people were killed here in an airstrike on monday. this is a rancid scene. investigators are still looking for this rubble, trying to find human remains. for the lebanese, this is a crime scene, but it doesn't involve the usual suspects. this is a mostly-christian area. there's no real hezbollah appearance here most of the time. they said the claims of civilian deaths are under review. the united nations human rights office says the civilian deaths, mostly women and children, raise real concern with respect to humanitarian law. this man owns the property. he said he rented it to a large family of people displaced from the south. everything was normal, he said, until a visitor arrived carrying

cash. [speaking in a global language] the target may be someone who came here and is wanted, he said. someone who belongs to hezbollah. the victims here were already part of an internal exodus of more than a million people. like many, they thought they were safe. that's why many here are fleeing abroad. becoming refugees. this ship almost always takes cars and fraets. b freight. now the main cargo is people. this is just the beginning of their journey. they have a 12-hour ferry ride to turkey. this woman is traveling with seven members of her family, including her elderly parents. [speaking in a global language] she said in the south she saw blood everywhere, children, old people, all of them afraid, and airstrikes all the time by the day. for many, the decision was sudden. you just left everything. and you decided yesterday. >> yeah, we left everything. we left our dreams.

we left our stuff. we left everything here. >> reporter: she and her family could have hopped on a flight, but israeli bombs are landing all around the main airport in beirut. what did you see? what did you hear that made you want to leave? >> we are afraid from the bombs. we began crying every day. they don't want to stay in the home. >> reporter: you're lebanese. how do you feel about leaving lebanon like this? >> it's very tragic. leaving our homes, our families, our lives. >> reporter: this journey may lead to something like hope, but right now on this dock, there's only heart break. matt bradley, nbc news, northern lebanon. now to texas and a death row case that has sparked outrage. a state board has denied robert roberson's request for clemency. he could become the first person in the country to be executed for a case of shaken baby

syndrome, a diagnosis now being questioned in this case. his execution is scheduled for later today. the detective who arrested him is even calling for the execution to be halted. roberson's lawyers are asking the supreme court to intervene. meanwhile, the l.a. county d.a. will decide within ten days on whether to recommend resentencing for the menendez brothers, eric and lyle. they are serving life sentences without parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, jose and kitty menendez. more than a dozen family members are now arguing new evidence under review backs the brothers' long-standing claim that they acted in self-defense after years of physical and sexual abuse by their father. >> their actions, while tragic, were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruel of their father. >> but of course not everyone agrees here.

an attorney for kitty's brother says he believes his nephews were motivated by greed, and he wants them to stay behind bars. in texas, the explosion that rocked a propane distribution center near houston, one man was injured. he drove himself to the hospital in fact and is said to be in stable condition. yesterday's blast did cause a nearby grass fire. the flames were under control in about two hours. while our county officials said a grass fire was one of their biggest concerns because of the droughts in that area. an investigation into the cause of the explosion will continue later today. all right, it might be a little frosty, as you wake up this morning. depending on where you are. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is tracking chilly temperatures and when a warmup could be on the way. good morning. >> good morning, jessica. always good to see you. we've got freeze alerts, no surprise, in effect this morning. most of them are centered across the great lakes, stretching into the southeast and parts of the northeast. we're still seeing temperatures on the low side of things, into

the low 40s for the most part. no 30s right now. atlantic city at the low 40s. we do make it back to the 60s as far as birmingham. you'll see upper 60s, low 60s on tap for lexington. the more summer temperatures are across the southern plains. feeling like late summer in those area. then the gradual warming trend will happen as we get into the weekend for the rest of the east. meanwhile, out west we've got a couple fronts we're going to watch. this is going to leave us with rain chances and additional snowfall in higher elevations across parts of the cascades detroit. plenty of sunshine, too, for

detroit. and that's a look at your forecast, jessica, back to you. >> all right, ang, thanks. see you soon. the mets returned home, but it was the dodgers who were the kings of queens on wednesday. >> there is a towering drive, down the line. ohtani's broken through, it is gone! >> l.a. pitched their second shutout of the nlcs in game three while shohei ohtani put the match out of reach with the thre three-run blast in the eighth inning. the amazin's will look to even uh the up the series tonight. the federal trade commission unveiling a new rule that takes the hassle out of canceling unwanted memberships and subscriptions, coming up in just 30 seconds. ons, coming up in jut 30 seconds. found delsym. now what's going around is 12-hour cough relief. and the giggles.

the family that takes delsym together, feels better together. dad i got a huge barbeque wing stain. this bottle says i need to pretreat. that stuff has way more water. a little bit of tide goes a long way, so you can save your shirt and maybe even a little money. moat the... library.s right... for a better clean with less... it's got to be tide. [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. we're back now with a consumer alert. if you have ever been frustrated

by the hassle of canceling unwanted memberships and subscriptions, there is a new rule that could help. here's tom costello. >> reporter: consumer advocates call it the loop of doom. the endless run around that comes when trying to cancel gym memberships, streaming services or online subscriptions that customers no longer want. with some folks venting on tiktok. >> the amount of prompts, are you sure you want to cancel? are you sure you don't want $10 off? how about 30% off? how about instead of $80 it's $20? how about, no, i hit the cancel button! >> reporter: he says quitting shouldn't be so hard. >> they're doing every possible thing to just hold on. and you're just like, no, we're done. you're trying to push them off of you. it does feel like they're clinging to your body. >> reporter: the federal trade commission says it's received 16,000 complaints and counting from consumers who feel tricked

and trapped. >> principle here is quite basic. no american should be stuck paying for a service that they no longer want. >> reporter: the ftc announced new consumer protection rules requiring companies to provide customers with a simple mechanism to cancel a subscription and halt charges and obtain a customer's informed consent to the negative option, which assumes customers' silence means they want to continue with their plan. >> companies have to make it as easy to cancel the subscription as it is to sign up for one u. >> this is crazy. this is insane. >> reporter: and illegal. the tougher rules take effect in six months with thousands of dollars in penalties. >> our thanks to tom for that report. still ahead on "early today," a fan edit prompts the wrath of the wicked witch of the west. find out what this actress had to say about her redesigned poster for wicked. redesigned poster for wicked. hurry up dad! you've been in there forever!

i'm trying! this cheap stuff is too thin! i told you not to get the other toilet paper. here's charmin ultra strong. ahhh! my bottom's been saved! wooho! with its diamond weave texture, charmin ultra strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. what's everybody waiting for? this? ok hon, we know you're clean. we all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin. *air wick* how far would you go to set your home ambiance? try air wick essential mist diffuser. it's perfectly portable and glows with a fragrant mist. transform your space with air wick essential mist. oh... stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh! what is — wow! sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! incoming dishes. —ahhh! —duck! dawn powerwash flies through 99% of grease

and grime in half the time. yeah, it absorbs grease five times faster. even replaces multiple cleaning products. ooh, those suds got game. dawn powerwash. the better grease getter. (mom) let me see my new grand-dog! dawn powerwash. (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. 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) ♪

you may know him from his hit character, beetlejuice. his favorite food is minced garlic in a bowl. >> what? >> he graduated from the university of beijing for computer science in 2006. >> nah. >> now he's developing a line of organic farm-to-table crack cocaine. >> wait a minute. where's this coming from? >> either way -- >> michael keaton gets an introduction that leaves not much to the imagination. he'll be making his fourth appearance as host alongside musical guest billie eilish. billie eilish also making her fourth appearance on snl. she's actually performing in new york city. that track suit is everything. >> guess who's going to the concert tomorrow, me! cyn cynthia erivo is calling out a poster made for "wicked". it was changed to further

resemble the original, including casting a shadow over the eyes of erher character. the "wicked", which comes from universal pictures hits theaters on november 22nd. a lot of people are excited about this, rightfully so. i can see how you want your own spin on it. that is what it's supposed to be. so maybe her feelings were hurt a little bit. i'm sure they didn't mean to. >> we hope not. when we come back, amazon is going nuclear. and details on rivals that are teaming up. rivals that are teaming up. 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.

♪ febreze man: i don't about y'all, but when it comes to working from home, i gotta have every part of my house clean. that means tidying up, then spraying my febreze air mist, to leave every room smelling fresh and clean. with that done, it's time to get to work. ♪ la la la la la as they get older their risk of getting really sick from flu, with that done, icovid-19 or rsv goes up. so talk to them about getting this seasons' vaccines... because you've still got so many good talks to have. donald trump handpicked his white house team. now, the people who knew him best

say he's too unstable to lead. here's his national security advisor: “donald trump will cause a lot of damage.” and his defense secretary: “do you think trump can be trusted with the nation's secrets ever again?” “no. i mean, it's just irresponsible action that places our service members at risk, places our nation's security at risk.” take it from the people who knew him best. donald trump is too big a risk for america. i'm kamala harris and i approve this message. ♪ i'm kamala harris like a relentless weed, moderate to severe ulcerative colitis symptoms can keep coming back. 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. ♪ i'll be honest. by the end of the day, my floors...yeesh. but who has the time to clean? that's why i love my swiffer wetjet. it's a quick and easy way to get my floors clean. wetjet absorbs and locks grime deep inside. look at that! swiffer wetjet. there's something going around the gordon home. good thing gertrude found delsym. now what's going around is 12-hour cough relief. and the giggles. the family that takes delsym together, feels better together. here's what's making headlines this morning. former president jimmy carter casting his ballot in the 2024 election wednesday. officials from the carter center say the 39th president voted by mail in georgia. the supreme court is allowing

the biden administration to implement a rule to curb emissions from coal and gas power plants for now. the rule requires a technique to remove carbon dioxide from the emissions. amazon web services is investing $500 million in nuclear power projects. it has an increasing need for clean energy as it expands into generative a.i. and bed bath and beyond returning into stores in a rival, container store. rival, container store. ...yo'u signs, it's time to try align. align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists to help relieve your occasional bloating and gas. when you feel the signs, it's time to try align. 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. *air wick*

how far would you go to set your home ambiance? try air wick essential mist diffuser. it's perfectly portable and glows with a fragrant mist. transform your space with air wick essential mist. sounds like you need to vaporize that cold. nyquil vapocool? it's nyquil plus a rush of vicks vapors. ♪ vapocooooool ♪ nyquil vapocool. the vaporizing night time, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, best sleep with a cold, medicine. a state in the southeast recovers from two hurricanes.

a missouri non-profit is giving a helping hand by handing out hot meals to those who've been affected. from our kansas city affiliate, isabella ladon has the story. >> we're hear tore to serve tha hot meal. >> reporter: passing out plates of what kansas city is known for. that's what operation bbq relief has been doing for weeks in florida, north carolina, south carolina and tennessee. >> i can't do a lot. i can't help them find a house. i can't help them get shelter, necessarily. but, you know, i can ensure that they can have a good, comforting hot meal. >> reporter: stan hays says nearly 600,000 meals have gone out, following the back-to-back hurricanes. >> we've never had four locations that were doing the number of meals that we've done. >> reporter: partner companies back in kansas city helped restock efforts in between helene and milton. >> that, to me, is one of the greatest things that you see in humanity coming together as

neighbor neighbors helping neighbors. and that's something that never gets old. >> reporter: but the operation is far from over as they plan to stay in florida throughout the month. what they need now is another set of helping hands. >> i would trade dollars for volunteers today, so we didn't tax everybody on the ground so much. >> reporter: any form of support is welcome, whether it's putting pork sandwiches together or spreading the word online. >> get on your own social media platform and share with your friends and family. the work that we're doing, the needs that we have. because, as a community, doing that and working together, we can do so much more than we can when we're divided. >> and our thanks to isabella ladon for that story. a gotat reached new heights to satisfy his appetite. a laguna beach spotted a goat on the roof of the house. he was caught on video eating leaves from a palm tree for about 45 minutes before safely coming back down.

>> yeah, that goat was on the loose. so he, thank goodness, did not fall and get hurt. he jumped back on the wall, back up on top of the hill, and he's now happy with his herd. >> the homeowner says the goat is part of a herd that eats weeds for fire prevention. coming up a little later on "today", everything you need to know about getting your prescriptions as walgreen's plans to close 1200 stores. here's craig melvin with a ln w at what look at what else is ahead. >> snoop dogg, and another talent the musician, jewel, wi talent the musician, jewel, wi stopll dupixent helps people with asthma breathe better in as little as two weeks. when you can breathe better, what isn't better? this is better. this is better. that's better. dupixent is an add on treatment for specific types of moderate to severe asthma. it works with your asthma medicine

to help improve lung function. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's proven to help prevent asthma attacks. and doesn't that make things better? dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. tell your doctor right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines including steroids without talking to your doctor. when you can get more out of your lungs, you can do more with less asthma. isn't that better? ask your doctor about dupixent, the most prescribed biologic in asthma. and now approved as an add-on treatment for adults with inadequately controlled copd with a specific marker of inflammation. if you have one. we want to make sure people have flashlights with fresh