press 1 for the front desk, press 2 for the news service to the people's republic of china. i love this story. we will see you tomorrow. this but i love this story. "first look" is up next. good morning, everybody. right now on "first look," dozens of tornadoes and powerful thunderstorms will cause some major damage and travel troubles around the country today. 10,000 cases of ebola every week. that is what the world health organization is predicting. is that just the beginning, though? one of the biggest and most expensive perks to female employees. plus, 100 sharks in the midst of a feeding frenzy. also, saying good-bye to a fallen hero. and gas prices really taking a dive. good morning and thanks for joining us today. i'm betty nguyen. right now bracing for bad weather. millions are watching the sky as severe storms move in on the northeast. flooding and high winds all a

possibility. that system slammed the southeast tuesday. in six states, thousands had no power. in hard-hit georgia, two tornadoes rattled folks. >> all of a sudden we heard, like, a jet blaplane or freight train coming across the back of the house. >> all right. check out what is churning in the atlantic. this is hurricane gonzalo with winds of 115 miles per hour. on tuesday, gonzalo turned dead lie. one man died in st. maarten, but will it hit the mainland? meteorologist bill karins will have the answer in just a moment. right now we do have breaking news out of dallas. a second health care worker has tested positive for ebola. the worker was among those who took care of eric thomas duncan. a stunning prediction from the world health organization. we could soon see 10,000 cases of ebola a week. dr. anthony fauchi spoke to

msnbc's rachel maddow. >> as you get more and more people who are getting infected and not getting into the kind of isolation and able to contact trace, they're infecting a lot more people. >> and on the battlefront, facebook's mark zuckerberg and his wife donating $25 million to the cdc. all of this comes as the infected nurse in dallas, nina pham, speaks out. nbc's jay gray has the story. >> reporter: doctors have upgreated pham's condition from stable to good. and for the first time in a written statement, she's sharing her thoughts from the isolation unit at texas health presbyterian hospital. she says she's doing well and thanks everyone for their kind wishes and prayers. she also calls the specialists treating her a group she was once a part of, the best team of doctors and nurses in the world. a team that the director of the centers for disease control acknowledged should have had more help immediately after

thomas eric duncan tested positive for the disease. >> that might have prevented this infection. >> reporter: as a result of what happened in dallas, the cdc has created a rapid response team now to deal with any positive test in the u.s. and because pham was infected while wearing full protective gear, 76 members of the hospital staff have now been added to the list of 48 people in the community being monitored after contact with duncan. >> our teams have been working very hard to cast a wide net and identify everyone who might have been exposed. >> reporter: that list also includes pham's beloved dog, bentley. a hazmat team and firefighters have created a secure home for the puppy. >> his care has to be given and provided for just like you would for a regular ebola patient because, you know, we don't know if the shedding of the virus is something that we need to be concerned with, so we're going to take every precaution. >> reporter: as they continue to do anything they can to fight any further spread of the deadly virus. jay gray, nbc news.

dallas. in hong kong, allegations of police brutality during the worst violence since the start of those protests. 45 people were arrested as police in riot gear tried to dismantle an expanded protest zone. police used pepper spray and tore down barricades and slabs of concrete that pro-democracy protesters used to block an underpass. four police officers were injured. six other officers have been reassigned after this video surfaced. it shows them beating a handcuffed protester. u.s.-led air strikes continue in both iraq and syria, but isis militants are still making gains. later today president obama holds a videoconference with several european leaders to discuss efforts to combat the terrorist group. now, this comes a day after the president met with 20 military chiefs from around the world on the campaign to destroy isis. nbc's tracie potts is live in the nation's capitol this morning. tracie, what has the response been to the president's handling of the isis situation so far? >> reporter: well, not so good,

and we learned that overnight, just a few hours ago, betty, when our nbc/"wall street journal" results came out. those results also show americans are changing their views on how the u.s. needs to deal with this and whether or not air strikes are enough. in our new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll 41% of americans now think we need troops on the ground to defeat isis. this week the u.s. is concentrating nearly all its air strikes on kobani. the syrian town is barely holding off attacks. defense ministers meeting with president obama agreed defeating the islamic state won't be easy. >> this is going to be a long-term campaign. there are not quick fixes involved. we're still at the early stages. >> reporter: in iraq, there's deep concern about isis pushing into baghdad and the inability of iraq's military to stop them. >> isis can still lob mortar shells, conduct suicide attacks and create pandemonium inside of a city like that. >> reporter: russia's ready to

help, providing more weapons and maybe training to the iraqis. >> we both recognize that isil has absolutely no place in the 21st century. >> reporter: what's fueling the momentum experts say is the group's ability to draw young people through social media. >> you look at some of it, and it's about as slick as i've ever seen. >> reporter: forcing the u.s. and its allies to look beyond the battlefield for answers. and just within the few hours we got those poll results showing that americans, for the most part, not too happy with how the president is handling this. 55% disapprove of how president obama is handling the situation with isis. and betty, that 55%, it includes about one out of every three democrats polled. sboo interesting numbers there. thank you. in silicon valley, a game-changing approach to compete for female employees. apple and facebook are now offering to pay for employees to freeze their eggs.

they are believed to be the first major companies to offer this coverage for non-medical reasons. the $10,000 procedure is part of a long list which also includes benefits for fertility treatment and adoption. all right. so it is official. texas's controversial voter i.d. law will be in effect for november's elections. earlier, a lower judge called it unconstitutional, but now a federal appeals court is temporarily reinstating it, saying it's just too late to change the rules for the midterms. this means about 600,000 voters will not be able to vote. let's get down to business. moving on. morgan, good morning to you. cnbc's morgan joins us now. good morning. >> good morning, betty. well, futures are higher and that's after a mostly flat day for the markets. the dow ending in the red, but the nasdaq snapped a three-day losing streak. investors may react today to good earnings from intel and railroad operator csx. and we're getting numbers from bank of america, american express and ebay.

meanwhile, job prospects for college grads are improving. a special report by "usa today" says computer engineers, software developers and physician assistants will be the most in-demand professions over the next three years. and about 1.8 million new high-skilled jobs will be created by 2017, and that's going to account for a quarter of all new jobs. okay, keep the pepto-bismol handy. macy's is opening doors at 6:00 p.m. on thanksgiving, two hours earlier than last day, to lure holiday shoppers. macy's says workers can get paid more for working on thanksgiving and then take black friday off. back to you. >> all right. morgan brennan, thank you very much today. we appreciate it. and a couple of great division series games in baseball. the royals and orioles, game three. check out this foul ball catch. a one-handed -- yep -- grab by a quick-moving cameraman. now, that may be the play of the game. until third baseman mike makes an incredible over-the-rail

catch in the sixth right into the dugout seats, luckily into a swarm of cheering fans. the royals get another run in the sixth. they lead the series 3-0, just one victory away from the world series. now to the nlcsp cardinals/giants tied at 4-4 in extra innings. then this. >> wild throw! and the giants win game three! >> the giants now up 2-1 in the series. game four is tonight. in other sports news, the oilers took on the stanley cup champions in the city of angels. just two minutes into the game, a fight, though, breaks out between players. both getting in some good shots before being separated. but the oilers don't put up much of a fight. the kings dominate the ice with a 5-1 victory. in d.c., the capitals and sharks finish in a shootout after a scoreless first two rounds. the sharks net one to get the 6-5 win. nascar has fined drivers

brad keselowski $50,000 and tony stewart $55,000 for their post-race actions saturday night. keselowski accidentally rammed into stewart's car while chasing down another driver on pit road. and stewart retaliated, backing into the front of his car. both drivers have also been put on probation for four races. and a new harris poll that surveyed 2500 adults back in september reveals america has a new favorite football team, say it isn't so. on top and up two spots are the broncos followed by new york giants and green bay packers. sadly, though, my favorite team, the dallas cowboys, often referred to as america's team, people, drops down to fourth after six years at the top. so depressing. and the pittsburgh steelers round out the top five. but we shall move on, shall we? straight ahead, a heartfelt memorial service for one heck of a hero dog. first, this was the scene at cape lookout national sea shore in north carolina.

about 100 sharks in the midst of a feeding frenzy. the sharks came upon a school of blue fish while fishermen wisely kept their distance. go ahead and put your bag right here. have a nice flight! traveling can feel like one big mystery. you're never quite sure what is coming your way. but when you've got an entire company who knows that the most on-time flights are nothing if we can't get your things there too.

it's no wonder more people choose delta than any other airline. i lochecked bag.free with my united mileageplus explorer card. i have saved $75 in checked bag fees. priority boarding is really important to us. you can just get on the plane and relax. i love to travel, no foreign transaction fees means real savings. we can go to any country and spend money the way we would in the us. when i spend money on this card i can see brazil in my future. i use the explorer card to earn miles in order to go visit my family which means a lot to me. ♪ when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! he's a selling machine! put it there. and there, and there, and there. la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business.

the ready for you alert, only a laquinta.com!

welcome back to "first look." new update just in from the national hurricane center. and we are still looking at a major category 3 hurricane, gonzalo. very little small, distinct eye right here on the satellite imagery. and the change in the forecast involves bermuda as we do the turn. it has shifted just a little bit to the west, and that's very important. it's a small hurricane, and the strongest winds will be right near the core. so if we can get this a little to the left and shift it away from bermuda, that would spare the island the worst of it. right now they've prepared for the worse and hope for the best. that heavy rain continues this morning over north carolina through the mountainous regions. that shifts to the big cities later on today. we could get drenched. we need the rain in new england, but the travel implications will be significant.

d.c. all the way to boston, one to two inches. as far as the airports go, the worst it will be today, richmond to d.c. late tonight and tomorrow morning. philadelphia to new york city. back to you, betty. >> pack your umbrellas. breaking news this dallas. a second person has tested positive for ebola. it is a health care worker who treated thomas eric duncan. this is now the second person infected. nurse nina pham remains hospitalized but her condition is improving. in arkansas, it's been two weeks since the body of a missing realtor was found in a shallow grave. now we are hearing from the suspect in her kidnapping and murder. >> i didn't kill her. i didn't murder her. and anything that did occur was an accident. i never denied her going with me as far as kidnapping. i've never kidnapped anybody. the kidnapping's false. i mean, if somebody goes with you of their own free will,

they're not being kidnapped. >> aaron lewis pleaded not guilty. he could face the death penalty. in st. augustine, florida, a memorial to honor a fallen canine. his name is barron, and he is the only canine to have died in the line of duty last week when he and his handler chased a suspect near a swampy area. >> a piece of my heart was left there where i found him in that swamp. i'll never get that back. rest easy, bubs. your job is done here. >> officials are trying to determine what role the suspect played in barron's death. prices at the pump, they are falling. texas actually may have the cheapest gasoline at $2.71 a gallon. and in columbus, ohio, this superfan is taking it off and turning it up. check out these dance moves. got to love his support for the blue jackets. and beer, obviously, too. and at one point, the topless fan got jiggy with someone in a

bear costume. yeah. that sight is going to stay with you all morning. well, a full hump day helping of "scrambled politics" is straight ahead. first, jimmy kimmel on the pope's new approach to not judging others. >> pope francis is a different kind of pope. he's placed a lot of emphasis on the concept of not judging others, which i don't know where he came up with that crazy idea. i mean, can you imagine a world where we don't judge others? it would ruin reality television. no. in the basement. why can't we just get in the running car? are you crazy? let's hide behind the chainsaws. smart. yeah. ok. if you're in a horror movie, you make poor decisions. it's what you do. this was a good idea. shhhh. be quiet. i'm being quiet. you're breathing on me! if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. head for the cemetery!

all around the world the dedicated people of united airlines ♪ are there to support you. ♪ that's got your back friendly. ♪ so i can reach ally bank 24/7, but there are24/7branches? it's just i'm a little reluctant to try new things. what's wrong with trying new things? feel that in your muscles? yeah... i do... try a new way to bank, where no branches equals great rates. (receptionist) gunderman group is growing. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money.

time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics. you're not doing anything hand, as fast as you used to. do you need help? what is that? swiffer dusters. i can extend it so i don't have to get on the step stool. it's like a dirt magnet just like my kids. i think swiffer definitely gave me some of that time back. my motheit's delicious. toffee in the world. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

less than three weeks until the midterms, so listen up. it is time for "scrambled politics," and it looks like democrats are giving up on kentucky. a day after her debate with senate minority leader mitch mcconnell, the democratic senatorial campaign committee has stopped its funding in support of alison lundergan grimes. from "the hill," middle class takes center stage in arkansas debate. opponents are calling senator mark prior out of touch for his estimate on middle-class income. >> well, you know, under the law, there's a lot of different definitions of middle class. but when i think of the middle class, i think of most of arkansas and maybe that goes up to $150,000, $200,000. there's different ways to judge it. >> according to "the new york times," $200,000 would put a family in the top 2% in arkansas. former arizona congresswoman gabby giffords is launching a nine-state protect all women tour for tougher gun laws. a political banner causes a

fight at a soccer game. a drone carrying a flag depicting so-called greater albania flew over the pitch. a serbian player threw it down, and they had to cancel the match after a brawl broke out in the stands and on the pitch. well, a columnist for russia's newspaper has tough words for australian prime minister tony abbott after abbott said he wanted to shirt-front vladimir putin, harshly confront him. the rebuttal states, quote, like any bully, there comes a day when you pick on the wrong person, you get your teeth smashed in and you go running home to mummy blabbering like a ninny. she is being called the hillary clinton superfan. 10-year-old macy friday freaked out when she met the former secretary of state this week. and from a former first lady to the current one. >> turn up for what? ♪ ♪ turn up for what yes, you will be singing that

all day. as part of a promotion for her let's move campaign. michelle obama released this vine video of her dancing her with a turnip to turn up for what. it's already been. l looped more than a million times. so i am joined by politico reporter katie glick. good morning, katie. >> good morning. good to be with you. >> these new polls, a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, most americans think the u.s. is ready for an ebola outbreak. 56% say that we are prepared. 42% disagree. does that surprise you? >> you know, it certainly signals that at this point, there doesn't seem to be any sort of widespread panic about ebola which, you know, may be a little bit counterintuitive to some people just sort of given the nature of the stories we've been hearing about, you know, the people -- >> yeah, the second health care worker now that's been infected with ebola that we're just

learning about today. >> right, exactly. so whether that ends up sort of changing the dynamics, maybe that poll reflected, you know, right before today, i think will be an interesting question and sort of as we see how far this goes and sort of what the processes are for, you know, hopefully keeping this under control. it will be kind of interesting to see whether those numbers stay steady. but, you know, it does seem to indicate that at least up to this point, people do have, you know, pretty relatively strong confidence in some of the organizations that are working on keeping this. >> which is a good sign. we definitely don't want undue fear out there. the polls also show more americans believe there should be more combat troops on the ground against isis. do you think that's going to happen? because the obama administration has repeatedly said that will not take place. >> absolutely. you know, the obama administration, from the get-go, has ruled that out, has taken a really strong position against that. president barack obama, of course, is the one who in 2008

very much ran on a platform of getting us out of iraq. and you know, for a long time, even going up to the summer, we saw a lot of national polls indicating that the american people wanted to really sort of draw back our presence on the global stage, wanted us focusing on issues here at home rather than sort of trying to expand that presence. so it has been really interesting to see what a number of these polls have indicated more recently. a lot of the nbc news/"wall street journal" polls over the last couple of months when it comes to how people want to deal with isis. >> katie glueck, thank you. we appreciate it. the new mrs. clooney and her gift to hubby, george. that's next.

why do i cook? because i make the best chicken noodle soup >>because i make the best chicken noodle soup because i make the best chicken noodle soup for every way you make chicken noodle soup, make it delicious with swanson® to map their manufacturings at process with sticky notes and string, yeah, they were a little bit skeptical. what they do actually is rocket science. high tech components for aircraft and fighter jets. we're just their bankers, right? but financing from ge capital also comes with expertise from across ge. in this case, our top lean process engineers. so they showed us who does what, when, and where. then we hit them with the important question: why? why put the tools over there? do you really need those five steps? what if you can do it in two?

whoo, that's an interesting question. ideas for improvement started pouring out. with a little help from us, they actually doubled their output speed. a hundred percent bump in efficiency. if you just need a loan, just call a bank. but at ge capital, we're builders. and what we know... can help you grow.

this morning, this quaint dallas community is on high alert after neighbors learned they're now living in a possible danger zone. >> wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. cleaning guys? you're digging in a high ebola danger zone, bros without a hose? >> on that note, here's some entertainment news. it is official, amal is now amal clooney. before changing her name, she surprised her new husband, jornjorn george, with handmade cocktail glasses. and amal is back to work. she's advising the government of greece on how to win back the elgin marbles currently held at the british museum. if you wear these out and you're photographed and post a picture of it, ulta will donate $10,000 towards breast cancer. >> oh, done deal.

>> and he did it. he wore those bright pink pants on monday while running around in l.a. good job, shy la ia la beouf. i'm betty nguyen. "way too early with thomas roberts" starts right now. breaking news this morning. a second health care worker testing positive for the ebola virus aftercaring for thomas eric duncan. the very latest for you. plus, mauve over, midterm candidates. new numbers on the race for 2016. but are there immediate families approval the biggest obstacle for their potential runs? then we unwrap the blue call for "way too early to call." we're serving up a special guest today who's always ready to dish my challenges. this is "way too early"! it is hump day. good morning, i'm thomas roberts. it's wednesday, october 15th.

welcome to "way too early," where riddles are yummo. can you figure out who our special guest is today? i bet you can after that. a lot of serious news before we get to it. and there is a lot to talk about, the breaking news overnight out of dallas where just moments ago health officials confirming a second health care worker who treated thomas eric duncan has tested positive for ebola. here's what we know exactly right now. the latest patient reporting a fever yesterday and was immediately isolated. and officials say they identified potential contacts who are currently being monitored. the cdc announced yesterday it would deploy a team of specialists wherever a hospital confirms a case of ebola. the agency's director now admits that type of immediate response should have occurred initially in the city of dallas. >> i've thought often about it. i wish we had put a team like this on the ground the day the patient -- the first patient was diagnosed. that might have prevented this infection. but we will do