breaking overnight. tom hayden, activist and agitator for over 50 years, a leading voice for peace and one-time husband of jane fonda, has died at the age of 76. away from the election, barn storming the battleground states and a big admission from team trump. a bus crash. it killed 13 and injured 31. and an all out man hunt is underway after an suspect shoots two officers in oklahoma. and bill murray busted with a major lifetime achievement award. "early today" starts right now. >> good monday morning, i'm ayman mohyeldin. >> i'm frances rivera.

one of america's most vocal liberal voices of the 1960s and beyond has died. tom hayden, the author, activist, agitator, and one-time husband of jane fonda passed away after a long illness, according to his wife, barbara williams. he organized demonstrations that rocked the nation, some turning violent, including one that resulted in the notorious chicago seven trial. he also found fame as an author and esteemed lecturing. posts in california politics. much more later on "today." tom hayden, dead at the age of 76. and now for the race to the white house with just 15 days to the election, the presidential candidates are in an all out sprint until the final votes are cast. barn storming the country in an effort to push their closing arguments. but a new abc poll now has hillary clinton leading by double digits.

the trail, his campaign manager now concedes they are behind clinton. gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: with him down 12 points nationally to hillary clinton, even veteran republican strategists can see it's very difficult to see a win. >> i don't see it happening. maybe it could but i doubt in the just over two weeks we have left, conducting the kind of campaign he is conducting. >> reporter: on "meet the press" acknowledged he was behind, blaming the clinton campaign's onslaught of negative ads. >> she has tremendous advantage. the former president, her current president, first lady, all more popular than she can hope to be. >> reporter: trump staying on message, insisting the system is rigged against him. >> he will accept it 100% if it's fair. >> reporter: trump fiercely denying the claims of the 11

misconduct saying he will sue them and predicting the allegations won't hurt him. >> we're going to do so well with the women it's crazy. >> his answer parodies on saturday night live. >> i'm completely innocent. i've said this before and i i'll say it again, nobody has more respect for women than i do. [ laughing ] >> reporter: now, trump has also threatened lawsuits against newspapers like the "new york times" that have published the accounts of the accusers. >> a lawsuit has yet to be looking past trump and has set her eyes on the senate. unleashing a barrage of attacks against republican senate candidates in key battlegrounds across the country, even using barack obama to do so. >> now, how much more does pat toomey need to hear? if he doesn't have the courage to stand up to donald trump after all of this, can you be sure he'll stand up for you when it counts against powerful

>> mr. heck, he spend his time in washington fighting for tax breaks for all companies and billionaires like the koch brothers. voted again and again to defund planned parenthood, threatened to shut down the government, progress is on the ballot. stability is on the ballot. tolerance is on the ballot. justice is on the ballot. >> out of the 34 senate races, the battle for congress is down to six states, with republicans defending five. clinton plans t aggressive push for those candidates in the final weeks of the campaign, even joining first lady michelle obama on the trail this week. and the race is being decided each and every day. in fact, over 4 million voters have gone to the polls. with several million expected over next two weeks. and today on the trail, hillary clinton campaigns with massachusetts senator elizabeth warren in new hampshire, while her vp pick, tim kaine, tours through florida. president obama will be on hand for a clinton fund-raiser in california as joe biden stumps

barnstormed through florida why mike pence takes north carolina. at this moment, a manhunt is under way in oak for this man. that is michael dale vance jr., who police say was last seen some 8 1/2 hours ago. he's believed to have shot two officers as they were responding to a 911 call. he was seen car jacking and shooting a woman with an ak-47 before taking off. the injuries the woman suffered were not life another suspect has been arrested but vance remains at large. authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward. >> tragic news out of california. 13 people are dead and 31 injures following a massive accident fall vaiving a charter bus and a tractor trailer. the bus was heading to los angeles when it slammed into the back of a tractor trailer traveling about 5 miles per hour due to traffic. police say the bus was going so fast, they went about 15 feet into the truck's trailer.

be identified, was among those killed. morgan ratferred has more. >> investigators scouring the twisted wreckage after this tour bus slammed into the back of a big rig. firefighters pulling victims from the wreckage. it happened just after 5:00 a.m. when the tour bus lefts the red earth casino in salton sea beach, headed to los angeles and rear ended a semi truck on interstate 10 in palm springs. >> authorities were able tory the big rig where you can see they're actually cutting out piece of the truck, the cargo inside smashed and shredded. >> the cause still unknown. >> in almost 35 years, i have never been to a crash where there's been 13 confirmed fatal sdnlts. so it's tough. it's tough for all of us. >> it is the media deal that's got global implications for investors and literally billions of people around the world. >> landon dowdy joins us for

could have an impact on wall street today. stocks could trade harder on that and a whole host of other news. as for the $85 billion deal, it's spacking called by u.s. lawmakers and presidential candidates for tough scrutiny by lawmakers. meanwhile, good news for drivers. gas prices are down for the first time in nearly three months. the average price of regular unleaded the past two weeks to $2.25 a gallon. analysts say that's partly due to lower fuel demand this time of year. if you're looking for world series tickets, get set to pay up. the average listing price on stubhub for game three in chicago is more than $3,500. if you're cheering on the indians in cleveland, you could pay about $1,200 for a ticket at progressive field. back over to you.

weed's on the ballot in more states in this election, but one group's operation just went up in smoke. we're talking about weed world candies. their rv caught fire while traveling across the delaware memorial bridge. the rv, as you can see, completely destroyed. the owner of weed world candies tells nbc $50,000 of merchandise was destroyed as in those loud green vehicles. >> just ahead, could you be in big trouble for taking a selfie at the ballot box? the answer may shock you. >> first, steve has a look at our week ahead. how are we doing? >> we have rainy weather on the west coast. not always what you want to wake up to on monday. heavy rain here, but the rain is needed. especially in central and southern california where extreme to exceptional drought

go through the week this week. look at all this rainfall. 2, 3, 4 inches of rain in a lot of these spots and it certainly is needed. that's a quick look at the weather around the country this morning. here's a look at the weather where you are. and we have a rainy day across much of the pacific northwest today. temperatures in the 50s and 60s. meanwhile, showers continue in parts of southern california. warm in the desert southwest with highs in the 90s. there, but at least it's needed across much of california. >> thank you very much. just ahead, out rage over the pentagon asking some california national guardsmen to repay their signing bonuses. >> "early today" is back in two. tomorrow's the day we'll play something besides video games. every day is a gift especially for people with heart failure. but today there's entresto?-

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wh only new alka-seltzer plus free of artificial dyesf. and preservatives liquid gels delivers the powerful cold symptom relief you need without the unnecessary additives you don't. store manager: clean up, aisle 4. alka-seltzer plus liquid gels. my hygienist said the most random thing. she said i should think of my teeth like an apple. it could be great on the outside not so great on the inside. her advice? use a toothpaste and mouthwash that strengthens both. go pro with crest pro-health advanced. it's uniquely formulated with activestrength technology and is better at strengthening the outside than colgate total. crest toothpaste and mouthwash makes my whole mouth feel amazing. advance to healthier gums and stronger teeth from day one. my check-up was great. all right. voters across incountry have been celebraing their right to

selfies and sharing them online for weeks now. but before grabbing the phone and snapping away, make sure to check your state law first. that's because over a dozen states say those selfies are illegal and can carry potential fines. in some cases, even jail terms. the question to ask, is it okay to take a picture of your ballot in your state? we put up a map for you where you get some guidance. 18 states have laws against sharing any photo of your ballot. swing states like north carolina, nevada, and florida are among those. 12 states have where selfies fall into a gray area that's somewhat prohibiting or unclear. for instance, arizona has a law that bans photographs within 75 feet of your polling place but you're allowed to share your completed ballots online. included in those are ohio and pennsylvania. 20 states and the district of columbia do not have laws against ballot selfies. in fact, just last month, california governor jerry brown

people their marked ballots. when you're in the voting booth november 8th, make sure you know the law. you don't want to go to jail for voting. >> leading the news, california lawmakers are condemning the pentagon after the department of defense ordered nearly 10,000 national guard soldiers to repay their enlistment bonuses from over a decade ago. those often reached $15,000 or more. kevin mccarty says the pentagon and congress s deaths and calls the pentagon's demands disgraceful. >> that would have been long spent if i had it. >> police in madeira, california, are searching for suspects who opened fire on one of their own in a car chase. >> the dramatic moments capture on the officer's dash cal. cops tell nbc a suspect fired nine times add the officers' car. moments later, four more shots

windshield of the cop car. a civilian in the officers' car who was there as part of a ride-along program was injured. the officer was not. authorities say the suspects ditched the vehicle. a search of it and the surrounding area produced a gun and other evidence police hope will help them catch the suspects. >> one of those did you see that happen, on nfl the other day. a showdown that had fans pulling out their hair after the cardinals and seahawks dueled it out in regular and head to o. chance to close it to win the game. >> it hits the upright. it's no good. >> no good. it hits the upright. can you believe the disappointment on the fans' faces. now it's the seahawks turn to ice the game, and they have a 28-yard attempt with just seven seconds on the clock. here's what happened.

no winner. game ends in a tie, but this final could have had major implications for both teams trying to make the playoffs. this is one of those "are you kidding me" moments. >> a lot of people are trying to figure out how two kickers miss those. >> isis may be looking pass iraq to their next caliphate, plus, new information coming in about a deadly plane crash in malta. late breaking details ahead. ol. ah! what's this sudden cooooling thing happening? it's got a menthol burst. you can feel it right away. wow, that sort of blind-sided me. and it clears my terrible cold symptoms. ahh! this is awkward.

happening today... an arizonan suspected of terrorism is set to be back in federal court. and the presidential candidates are campaigning in battleground states today -- battleground states today -- with just 16 days to go until the election.