you could not even see the street in some areas. it was covered in trees and roofs and just every kind of debris imaginable. >> the devastation on the u.s. islands of st. thomas and st. john in the virgin islands almost unbelievable. back in the u.s., the largest power restoration in u.s. history is under way with 20,000 workers on the job and 15 million without power in florida alone. a bipartisan dinner at the white house. at issue, tax reform. >> making our tax code much simpler than it is today. i hope we're going to find that there are democrats willing to work with us. apple unveils the iphone 10

which boasts fiace id at a startling price of $1,000. while sleeping next to your dog might be a very good idea. "early today" starts right now. good morning, everyone. i'm dara brown. >> i'm frances rivera. southeastern states are assessing irma's damage. it destroyed boats, tossed around debris and knocked down many trees. one shocking moment was caught on dashboard camera as a car driving along gets smashed by a falling pine tree right there. well, it lifted up the back end of the vehicle. the dash cam's owner says the driver was stunned, but otherwise okay. down in the florida keys, the navy is searching for other storm victims who might not be as fortunate. their helicopters are looking for the stranded and anyone in need. the keys were utterly devastated by irma. fema's administrator described the scope of the damage. >> 25% of the houses nushlly have been destroyed and 65% have

major damage. basically every house in the keys was impacted in some way or another. the human toll is becoming clear. in orange county, florida, three people including a child may have been killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. police believe a generator was running inside the house. now as more than 4.5 million people remain without power, nbc's gabe gutierrez has details on the recovery efforts. >> reporter: it's the largest power restoration effort in u.s. history. local crews plus teams from new york, pennsylvania, even minnesota working to light up the southeast. >> we've got 20,000 workers from 30 different states and canada here. >> reporter: courtney and her family are staying with friends after the temperature inside their home near ft. lauderdale reached a stifling 88 degrees. >> it feels very overwhelming, especially when i look outside and i see our house, our trees, ouf life, everything we've worked for and built is now kind of in jeopardy.

>> reporter: 15 million people lost power in florida alone. this time lapse shows the moment miami went dark. phillip says this generator is crucial for his sick wife. >> it's life-giving, literally life-giving. >> reporter: at this senior facility in ft. lauderdale, they're trying to keep the a.c. on. >> the biggest concern is making sure that you have enough fuel to continue to operate the generator. >> reporter: and it can be dangerous. in southwest florida, 20 people including 13 children were rushed to the hospital after carbon monoxide from a generator apparently got inside a home. in miami-dade county, firefighters tell us medical calls are up. >> we have people within the territory that are dependent on electricity for their lives, and once the power goes out, if they don't have a backup power source, they need to be taken to the hospital immediately. >> that was gabe gutierrez reporting. in the caribbean, an urgent relief mission is under way for the islands left in ruins by the force of hurricane irma.

thousands there are desperate for food, water, and other supplies in this still unfolding crisis. nbc's ron mott reports. >> reporter: in puerto rico, a coast guard cutter loading up with supplies, heading for some of the islands irma hit hardest. they're bringing everything on board they can to keep this relief effort growing. tsa officers on board with the critical goal of getting the airport on st. thomas up and running. whipped by category 5 winds. >> for a place that was once completely green and lush, everything now looks dead and bleak. >> reporter: still largely cut off, no cell phones, limited fuel. >> long line right here. this is a gas station and everything. there's so many people. >> reporter: the devastation on the u.s. virgin islands of st. thomas and st. john almost unbelievable. >> you could not even see the street in some areas because it was covered in trees and roofs and just every kind of debris imaginable.

>> reporter: from the air, stunning images now emerging. on tortola, pieces of homes strewn across the hillsides, boats piled up. >> this section of my mom's room, the roof came off. >> reporter: you can see it from space. st. martin before and now after irma came blowing through. buildings flattened. cars crushed. the urgent need for relief aid across this region is growing. residents struggling to get by. >> we need water and food. it's not -- it's not no maybe. it's for sure. >> reporter: others trying to get out. the kentucky air national guard has evacuated more than 1,000 americans from the virgin islands while royal caribbean is using their cruise ships to bring people to puerto rico. left behind, a tropical paradise now desperately trying to pick up the pieces. this morning we're learning the president is looking to travel to one of irma's hardest hit areas. the u.s. virgin islands in the next several days. and while the white house has not formally announced mr. trump's visit, a trip to the islands would be in keeping with his post-harvey visit to texas.

but this morning it's taxes, infrastructure, and more that's on the president's mind as he hosts lawmakers for a second straight day. for more, we go to nbc's tracy potts on capitol hill. good morning, tracy. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. he's got another meeting scheduled this afternoon too. the president's very much focused on taxes and tax reform. the white house says that he wants to lower corporate tax rates as much as possible. now, last night he met with that small group of democrats and republicans. afterwards, the democrats -- you see them here -- came out with statements detailing what they want, incentives for companies that keep jobs in the u.s. penalties for those that don't. they want tax policies that support families and a simpler tax code that doesn't raise the debt because remember congress now is not going to deal with the debt ceiling until 2018, until next year. meantime, democrats focused on health care. we'll hear more about that today. we'll hear more about taxes today, how speaker paul ryan

expected to unveil his plan or some details of what he's looking for in a live chat happening later this morning. as for democrats, they say they see some areas of compromise here with the president on health care. the big thing that they're looking for is support for cost-sharing subsidies, the extra help that's give to low-income families to help pay for their care. dara? >> tracy, thank you so much. now the newest iphones. they are finally here. apple unveiling three new models including the iphone 10. it boasts cutting edge features like face recognition, a hefty price tag to boot. nbc's lucy kafanov has the inside scoop. >> the future of the smartphone -- >> reporter: at apple's new steve jobs theater, the tech giant unveiling two updated iphones, the 8 and the 8-plus and an apple watch that lets you ditch the phone. >> we do have -- >> one more thing. >> one more thing.

>> reporter: but the star of the show -- >> this is iphone x. it is the biggest leap forward since the original iphone. >> reporter: it's light. it's sleek, and for the first time ever, there's no home button. the iphone x recognizes your face to unlock. but this new technology doesn't come cheap. the starting price, $1,000. >> this is the most expensive base entry price for an iphone ever, and i do believe you're going to find people who are going to jump all over this phone. >> reporter: the new phone offers a brighter display, better battery life, wireless charging, and animated emojis that follow your face. after a recent slump that saw android account for 67% of u.s. smartphone sales, apple is under pressure to get it right. >> it works like magic. >> reporter: it's been ten years since steve jobs unveiled the phone that would change everything. >> we can now reflect on him with joy instead of sadness. steve's spirit and timeless

philosophy on life will always be the dna of apple. >> reporter: the apple founder may be gone, but his influence is alive and well. lucy kafanov, nbc news, cupertino, california. >> that is something else. you think you're going to get the 10? >> i think i'll wait a little while. >> i'm always a few generations behind because god forbid something happened to it, especially with that big glass screen. >> i would drop it too often. >> you'd be so concerned, you'd be carrying it like this. irma is still causing some -- you know, not problems but it's still bringing clouds and rain to a few areas. what's left of it really disintegrated overnight. we really watched the moisture drying up so just some showers around nashville this morning. as we go through the day, we'll track some of this to the east. a couple showers and storms in ohio and indiana. then tomorrow, a lot of this moisture slides over into the northeast. it hasn't rained in a while. i'm sure the plants and grass would like it.

some hit and miss showers in pennsylvania. the rainfall amounts are really small, really nothing to be concerned with. it's still warm too. we're still very summer-like and hot. san antonio today, pulled over in

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in our house, we go through a lot of mom!et paper. so we switched to new charmin super mega roll. get six regular rolls in one with charmin super mega roll our longest lasting roll. guaranteed to fit. enjoy the go with charmin. seattle mayor ed murray has resigned after a fifth man, one of the mayor's cousins came forward to accuse mr. murray of sexual abuse decades ago. murray had already announced he would not seek re-election. even though he denied all the claims geragainst him. the democrat said in a statement it had become clear to me in light of the latest news reports t is best for the city if i step aside. >> now to san diego. 16 people have died and hundreds have been infected. crews began spraying on monday, focusing predominantly on areas where the city's homeless population gathers.

county officials declared a public health emergency last week. dozens of hand washing stations have also been deployed, and the county is also offering free vaccinations to the uninsured. police in south carolina weren't sure what to think when they pulled over the mayor of a small town driving a lawn mower in the dead of the night. county officers first pulled up behind the man and tried to get him to stop not realizing who he was. he kept going, taking them on a slow-speed chase. eventually they ordered him to stop, and he did. that's when they recognized him. he's john gardner, the mayor of anor. they also noticed an open beer can in the vehicle. officers didn't arrest the mayor nor issue him a ticket. the police chief says they are not investigating the incident. now to a study that finds hormone replacement therapy does not increase the risk of death, offering new reassurance for men pausele women who use or have used that therapy. nbc's stephanie gosk has more.

>> a major development regarding women's health and the very common treatment called hormone replacement therapy. >> reporter: in 2002, a landmark study warned most women should avoid hormone replacement therapy because the popular treatment taken for decades could be dangerous, elevating the risk of some life-threatening condition, including blood clots and breast cancer, discouraging women from one of the most effective ways to provide relief for menopause symptoms. a follow-up on the original study tracking the same women for 18 years eases long-held fears about the therapy, concluding that women who choose hormone replacement are no more likely to die years later than those who do not. >> science evolves over time, and we think we now have a clearer message about the balance of benefits and risks of hormone therapy. >> the most obvious of the symptoms are the hot flashes. my face turns red. i start to sweat.

>> reporter: lisa is suffering through menopause, but even with today's study, she worries. there is still a risk of breast cancer. >> running the risk of getting cancer isn't -- isn't worth it to me. >> reporter: her own gynecologist, who is on the therapy herself, says it needs to be a personal decision based on doctor's guidance. >> we take into account the patient's personal history, her family history, other medications and other medical diagnoses that she may carry. >> reporter: add to that new findings and some women who may feel helpless have renewed hope of relief. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. and just ahead, she became an accidental activist when the government came after her late wife's estate. remembering edith windsor, up next. (vo) more "doing chores for mom"

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tributes are pouring in for edie windsor this morning after the gay rights icon who took her case all the way to the supreme court and won died here in new york at the age of 88. former president barack obama honored the legend, writing, few were as small in stat you're as edie windsor and few made as big a difference to america. nbc's pete williams has more on her incredible life as she helped pave the way to legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. >> reporter: edie windsor didn't

set out to blaze a legal trail, but she ended up a hero to the gay rights movement in a landmark legal battle that went to the u.s. supreme court. after she got married in canada where it was legal between two women, her spouse died and left her the estate. but the irs did not consider her married and set a huge tax bill because a law, doma, the defense of marriage act, blocked the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. >> i couldn't believe that they were making a stranger of this person i lived with and loved for 43 and something years. >> reporter: in u.s. v windsor, the supreme court struck the law down saying it served no legitimate purpose. and just two years later, based largely on the windsor ruling, the court struck down laws that prohibited same-sex marriage nationwide. at first a reluctant public figure, she came to enjoy her celebrity status, in one of her last interviews she said she got rock star treatment at public appearances. >> what happens these days is

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fast forwarding in your day, the president and first lady will head to florida tomorrow after hurricane irma swept through the state. the trip will mark mr. trump's third hurricane response visit in just over two weeks. and the president has added another grandchild to the family after his son, eric, and wife lara welcomed little eric luke trump into the world. eric luke trump is the president's ninth grandchild. and in new york today a federal judge will consider whether to put martin shkreli behind bars. hearing arguments on the government's demand to jail shkreli for securities fraud while he awaits sentencing. dog lovers, listen up. should you or shouldn't you? i'm talking about letting your dog sleep on your bed with you at night. a new study is out, and we will tell you. that's up next. (vo) more "doing chores for mom" per roll

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student death mystery. a student at lafayette college degrees in a fall. now questions as investigators search for answers. cleared of charges. a judge drops the case against a man behind the controls in a deadly train derailment. the reason for the decision. stranded in the storm, a local deejay comes face to face with irma's fury. now the devastation left behind as millions try to recover. we have you covered with everything you need to know to get out the door. just before 4:00. good morning. this is nbc10 today, first look at 4. i'm tracy davidson. >> i'm via sikahema. and meteorologist krystal klei tracking rain this morning? >> that's right. we're tracking rain as a result

of the moisture that's left behind from irma. irma has totally fallen apart. you see scattered showers over a good half of the country or so. notice some of the moisture moving our direction. we are going to look at chances of showers today. on the back side, the actual center of what is left of irma, will spin up this direction. in the next couple of days, we'll have chances of rain in our neck of the woods. there's the picture for us now. clouds overhead. rain that's starting to approach parts of d.c. and notice there's not even yellows, oranges showing up on the radar return. this is not going to be a heavy rain. these are spot showers that will roll by. could you see steadier rain? yes. but not likely we will see too much heavy rain throughout the day. look at the temperatures. not a bad start. in fact, as i stepped out of my car walking into the building, didn't feel bad at all. usually chilly. 66 in philadelphia. wilmington, 62. the same in atlantic city. coming up, we'll talk more about temperatures the rest of your wednesday neighborhood by neighborhood. right now, we'll go to traffic with jessica boyington.

to start, we're on the vine street expressway. our cameras around 8th. we're showing construction a few minutes ago on the eastbound side. we did have that around 8th with lane restrictions. they cleared it out of the way within the last maybe two minutes or so. that's all clear. the vine street expressway is also open. open anyway. we have the construction project leaving. watch for extra construction vehicles. maybe just on the scene just in case. other than that, the vine is good moving around. watch around betsy ross bridge on 95 for construction there, too. 14 minutes now on the southbound side from woodhaven road to the vine street expressway. speeds into the 60s there. and we'll end with mass transit. we're on or close to schedule for septa, patco, and new jersey traffic. >> thank you. bullets pierced the window of a home in upper darby and sent a woman to the hospital. it happened around wild avenue. we're working to learn the victim's condition. police are looking for the shooter. this morning, qst