election election day just two weeks away. donald trump courts christian

voters, while kamala harris teams up with a republican to try and shore up the blue wall with red bricks. we're live with the battleground blitz for new voters in the final days of the campaign. the u.s. mounting a renewed effort for a cease-fire in the middle east. secretary of state antony blinken arriving in the region overnight as israel continues to hit targets in gaza and lebanon. we're live with the latest in the talks. new details on a tragic helicopter crash that killed four people in houston. the moments that led to the fiery accident. harvey weinstein's cancer battle, diagnosed with a rare leukemia, just over a month after he was indicted on new charges. one direction fans still reeling after the tragic death of liam payne. the new tributes pouring in for the singer this morning. and a monday night doubleheader. the cardinals and chargers take it down to the wire, while the ravens and bucs put on a barnburner. we have the highlights as we

kick off this tuesday, october 22nd. "early today" starts right now. good morning. thanks for being with me. i'm frances rivera. with only two weeks until election day, the presidential campaigns are running at full speed. vice president harris kicked off her week with a three-state battleground blitz. reaching out to accidskeptical republicans joined on the trail by liz cheney. donald trump had multiple events of his own as he toured the storm damage in asheville. mr. trump spoke to faith leaders. >> reporter: good morning, frances. yes, former president trump's last event in north carolina was billed as a 11th-hour faith leaders meeting. it was a series of conservative pastors speaking, then former president trump warned that democrats and vice president harris, he said, are a danger to christians. >> they label catholics as

potential domestic terrorists. and the fact is that they'll be coming after you soon. these people are sick. these people are very sick people. christians will not be safe with kamala harris as president of the united states. it's not even thinkable. >> reporter: vice president harris spent sunday at two different georgia churches as part of the souls to the polls get out to vote effort. she spoke about kindness and lifting people up. and last night harris said she feels former president trump is showing signs that he is unstable. >> he is pulling out of interviews left, right and center, and i think that we, what we see about him in public, i think, it does lead us, and it should lead us to observe that he is increasingly unstable. >> reporter: overnight, the vice president's running mate, governor tim walz appeared on the daily show, host jon stewart

criticized the harris campaign for doing events with liz cheney. >> look, bernie sanders, dick cheney, taylor swift. >> no, no, no, no, no, no, no. >> having the cheneys on board. >> no, you can't dick cheney or taylor swift, nah. >> we're a big tent. >> what country did taylor swift get us to invade? >> i think liz cheney and dick cheney give a reason for folks who want to do the right thing. we're not going to take foreign policy discussions and implement those. >> promise? >> yeah, promise. >> reporter: tonight vice president harris will be interviewed by nbc's hallie jackson. that will air on nightly news, and president trump will be holding, former president trump, will be holding a rally in greensboro, north carolina. >> alice barr for us, thank you. donald trump is facing a new legal battle. the men known as the central

park five are suing the former president for defamation after comments he made at the last debate. the men were teens when they were arrested and wrongfully accused of assaulting a woman. they spent years behind bars before being exonerated by dna evidence. they pleaded not guilty and the victim survived. the men are asking for a trial to determine damages. the trump campaign called this a frivolous lawsuit. the u.s. is launching a new push for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in the middle east after israel killed hamas leader yahya sinwar and then hit branches of hezbollah's financial arm in lebanon. secretary of state antony blinken arrived in israel this morning as an israeli official now tells nbc news, israel has discussed an egyptian proposal for a short cease-fire. let's turn to nbc foreign correspondent claudio lavanga. what do we know about this proposal?

>> reporter: good morning, frances. well, an israeli official told nbc news today that israel is considering this proposal that has been pushed forward by egypt of a, it's called a small cease-fire that is a two-week cease-fire in gaza in exchange of six israeli hostages. now this is supposed to be a, just the first step towards a larger agreement that, of course, could lead potentially to a longer cease-fire or a permanent end of the war. now this would probably also be discussed by or with antony blinken during his visit in israel, which is the first step of a week-long wider tour of the middle east that will take him also to jordan and qatar in the coming days. his aim is always the same. to broker a deal to end the war in gaza to ensure the release of the hostages that are still in gaza, to plan for the future of the enclave after the war. and this time, also, to ensure

or start a diplomatic solution or propose a diplomatic solution for the conflict with hezbollah. this is his 11th visit in the middle east since the october 7 attacks last year. and so far all the attempts have either failed or stalled. but this time, the experts believe the biden administration hopes that the death of, the recent death of the hamas leader, yahya sinwar, as you mentioned, may create momentum to, that will convince netanyahu and hamas to reach the deal. there's just a couple of problems. one is with hamas, with sinwar gone, the u.s. doesn't know who to deal with, negotiate with. and also with two weeks to go for the u.s. elections, netanyahu and hamas may want to wait to see who's in charge before they agree on a deal. frances? >> okay, we'll watch the progress of these latest talks. thanks, claude io.

the helicopter that crashed on an air tour flight in houston that when the accident happened, the ntsb said all four were killed, including a child. tom costello has this report. >> reporter: surveillance video captured the moment of impact. a private helicopter crashing into a 1200-foot radio tower which then collapsed in a fireball to the ground, igniting a large grass fire. >> oh! >> reporter: with pieces of the chopper falling into a nearby neighborhood. >> i just saw the cell tower tumbling down. >> reporter: ntsb investigators documenting debris around the tower. >> reporter: the helicopter was carrying three adults and one child, headed for a helipad in downtown houston. it was flying just 600 fight off the ground, 108 miles per hour when it slammed into the tower, only a block from a houston fire station which immediately responded. >> there's a large collapse. >> reporter: no one on the ground was injured from the

falling tower. while a faa notice had warned pilots that some of the lights on the tower were not working, video appears to show at least one light was functioning as the chopper approached. >> it's the pilot's responsibility to maintain safe separation from the terrain and obstacles, regardless of the altitude they're flying at. >> reporter: radio towers and wires pose a lethal threat to choppers. this vac month a shop medopp vac shop cho chopper killed all three on board. they have not released the names of those on board. the helicopter was owned by porter equipment, a construction company. now to cuba where residents are venting frustrations as food, water and other supplies dwindle without electricity. devastating blackouts left millions without power for days,

just before hurricane oscar hit the island's east coast. valerie castro reports. >> reporter: outrage in cuba after millions were left in the dark for days. due to a collapse of the island's electrical grid. some residents taking to the streets, saying they were running out of food and water. this 88-year-old woman was left with only candle light, while she cares for her daughter with disabilities. showing our team in havana that all the food in her fridge has spoiled. but, on monday, cuba's electrical union announcing that efforts to fix the main power plant were successful, implying power should be restored for most cubans. nbc's reporter on the ground in the capital city where citizens are slowly recovering from the outage. >> reporter: here in havana, there are still places that haven't had electricity ever since friday. no electricity means no running

water and shuttered businesses. we came to this battered neighborhood to film and show that. but, you know what? five minutes ago, there were cries of jubilation. the lights finally came back on. >> reporter: while the lights may be back on for some in havana, the faith in the electrical system is starting to run out, following months of hours-long blackouts. [speaking in a global language] >> reporter: over the weekend, energy officials said power was expected to be restored to everyone by tuesday. but hurricane oscar made landfall in eastern cuba as a category 1 storm. bringing with it heavy rain and life-threatening flooding. oscar later weakened to a tropical storm, but with the

threat of more flooding and even mudslides, issues that could continue to plague the island nation don't seem to be going away any time soon. >> our thanks to valerie for that report. halloween is just nine days away, but it doesn't feel like it for much of the country. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking the record-breaking warmup. michelle, good morning. >> good morning, frances. yeah. feeling more like summer for most of us across the country. we're looking at temperatures 10, 20, even 30 degrees above normal. the jet stream lifted so far to the north, allowing this warm air in. so we're looking at temperatures into the 70s and 80s once again. well above normal for this time of year. new york city today 80 degrees, 18 degrees above normal. we're warm in kansas city and denver. oklahoma city nearing 90 degrees. that's 17 degrees above normal. warm today, we're going to keep it warm again tomorrow, temperatures in the 70s and 80s

once again many w, well above n. in the 80s in nashville, little rock. philadelphia, they're going to be warm ones again tomorrow. we're back to reality as we led to thursday, friday and saturday, by hat's going to move through. we are dry once again with lots of sunshine. temperatures in the 80s, nashville, memphis and little rock. all right, that's your tuesday forecast. >> thanks so much, michelle. the biden administration is issuing a new rule that would make more forms of contraception free. the proposal would require private insurance to cover the cost of contraception but without a prescription,

including over-the-counter birth control pills, condoms and plan b. it would impact plans on or after january 1st. coming up, why the retailer, buy buy baby is going bye-bye again. and we're back with a new health and we're back with a new health battle for harvey weinstei try new align yogurt coated probiotic fruit bites. with a delicious apple and blueberry-flavored fruit center and yogurt coating, each bite is infused with added probiotics, he for daily digestive support on the go. look for new align yogurt coated probiotic fruit bites online and in the digestive care aisle of your local retailer. awaits a second trialg. wanna know a secret? more than just my armpits stink. that's why i use secret whole body deodorant. everywhere. 4 out of 5 gynecologists would recommend whole body deodorant which gives you 72 hour odor protection. from your pits to your... [spray noise]

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the u.s. navy has now identified the two pilots killed in a car crash, excuse me, in a crash near washington's ms. ranier. serena wildman and lindsay evans were both killed in last week's crash. both were 31 years old from california. the navy says the pair was on a routine training flight at the time. the navy also called both women trail blazers who are among the few women to fly in combat missions. the cause of the crash is still under investigation. still to come, are you hoping to see a star-studded world series in person? you better make that ohtani money. money. more on the ticketn. with tremfya®, most people saw 100% clear skin... ...that stayed clear, even at 5 years. 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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seemingly every week. there' seemingly every week. there's a roahome run shot for bateman. touchdown ravens. >> the ravens continued their

recent reign. baltimore won over the buccaneers, with lamar jackson making the case for mvp with five touchdown passes. in the desert, moisture in the air. the cardinals score the only two touchdowns in their contest with the chargers before chad ryland nailed the field goal. believe it or not, a world series matchup for the biggest cities in america may not be the cheapest ticket in town. the lowest-price retail tickets for game one of the fall classic between the yankees and dodgers begin at over 1,300 dollars on stub hub. those prices are expected to jump even higher once the series moves to yankee stadium. days after its most successful season came to a aend,aend, the wnba may be facing an

uncertain future. the players union decided to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement. it was set to expire in two years. it comes after a historic year of growth for the league, including a media rights deal for $200 million year. the wnba and the players union now have until the end of 2025 to come to terms on a new deal or possibly face a work stoppage. when we come back, shoppers when we come back, shoppers are saying good. so her doctor prescribed austedo xr— a once-daily, extended-release td treatment for adults. ♪ as you go with austedo ♪ austedo xr significantly reduc'o some people saw a response as early as 2 weeks. with austedo xr, kate can stay on her mental health meds— (kate) aww! hi buddy! (vo) austedo xr can cause depression, suicidal thoughts,

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what do people want more of? see more “oh yeah!”skin. more laughs. more hang outs. more “mmmmm, so good!” yeah, give us more of all of that little stuff that makes life so great. but if you're older or or have certain health conditions, you also have more risk from flu, covid-19 and rsv. but vaccines help keep you from getting really sick. and that, is huge. here's what's making here's what's making headlines this morning. the producer of blade runner 2049 is suing elon musk, saying musk used an a.i.-created image from the film at his cyber cab unveiling event. according to the complaint, musk asked for permission to use images from the film but the

request was denied. they did not immediately respond to cnbc for comment. buy buy baby is closing its loca locations by the end of 2024. customers will still be able to shop online. new nerd wallet report shows 28% of shoppers still haven't paid off their credit cards for gifts they bought last holiday season. holiday spending is set to hit a holiday spending is set to hit a record $98ealized i can get cleaner floors without the extra work. it has a built-in solution that breaks down dirt on contact. cleans up along baseboards and even behind the toilet. so, ditch the bucket and all the hard work that comes along with it. with the swiffer powermop. we

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while the initial autopsy report provided some answers, payne's death is still under investigation. chloe melas has more. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: an emotional vigil with fans, mourning liam payne in london. >> this is something fans know how to do is come together as a family. >> reporter: he found global stardom as a member of one direction. ♪ ♪ zayn malik calling him a brother and postponing the u.s. leg of his tour because of the heartbreaking loss, posting in part, love you all and thank you for your understanding. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: liam's father seen in buenos aires at the hotel where he fell to his death. his father allegedly there to help collect his son's

belongings. while the authorities are still awaiting the toxicology report, an initial report found that he could have fallen into a state of semi cunconsciousness. a hotel staff member can be heard requesting for police assistance with an intoxicated hotel guest who was breaking the whole room. local authorities confirmed the call was in reference to payne, taking place just minutes before he fell. the tragic details coming to life as more tributes pour in from those closest to payne. simon cowell writing, i am truly devastated, heart broken, and i feel empty. kate cassidy addressing the singer directly on instagram, writing, i want you to know i loved you, unconditionally and completely. i will continue to love you for the rest of my life. and sheryl cole, mother of payne's 7-year-old son bear

making a plea, please give liam the little dignities he has left to rest in peace in his death. it was a big moment at the white house for some of hollywood's biggest names as president biden honored people like spike lee, queen latifah and steven spielberg with the national medal of art. the medals are given to those who have made outstanding contributions to those in the arts in the united states. this year there were 20 recipients in all. thanks so much for being with us here ofn "early today." i'm frances rivera. have a great tuesday. and hope you join us for wednesday morning. right now our news continues on nb

meeting happening today surrounding embattled san jose councilman. this