we don't have a definitive date just yet back to you. >> miguel almaguer for us tonight. we appreciate all your reporting. >>> we'll turn to other news and new details about the deadly house explosion in pennsylvania that killed at least five people new video shows how destructive it was as officials try to figure out how it happened in the first place. emilie ikeda is there. >> reporter: tonight a western pennsylvania neighborhood in pieces after a deadly house explosion rattled the area the terrifying incident captured on a door bell camera. you can see debris shooting across the whole block and the fire ball that demolished several homes on saturday morning. >> we have a full building completely gone, copious amounts of debris. >> reporter: greg lives several doors down as a police officer, you hear an explosion and you run toward it. >> yes >> reporter: he helped carry his neighbor from the raging fire, who now he says is in critical condition. >> we're fighting through the debris, the rubble, the fire, trying to get our neighbor out of there not a second thought was

>> all right miguel almaguer from maui miguel, thank you. nbc news will of course be covering the president's trip tune in tomorrow on "today" where we'll have the first major poll of iowa voters ahead of this week's republican debate. >>> still ahead tonight, terrifying moments on the football field two nfl players taken out of preseason games on stretchers. one game stopped entirely >>> also, the wild celebrations after spain wins its first ever women's world cup. >>> as we gear up for football season we're back with a pair of frightening incidents at nfl preseason games this weekend two different players taken off the field on stretchers the incidents once again raising questions about player safety raf sanchez has the details. >> holmes in for the sack. >> reporter: this weekend not one but two scary moments in preseason nfl games. new england cornerback isaiah bolden colliding with a teammate >> calling for the medical team off the sideline. >> reporter: lying motionless on the field for several minutes. his fellow patriots taking the k

miguel almaguer joins us now miguel, what are experts saying about this >> reporter: well, lester, covid cases around the country are slightly on the rise, though not at a troubling rate, say officials, but authorities warn of the new variant ba.2.86. so far it's only been reported in a dozen cases worldwide. a handful of those infections, though, have been here in the u.s. ba.2.86 is a subvariant of omicron that appears to be more capable of causing infection even if you previously had covid or have been vaccinated while that's troubling, it doesn't appear the new variant makes people any sicker than before this comes as we get an updated booster rolling out next month. even if they're able to evade that vaccine, you'll still be better protected from severe illness, lester. >> all right miguel almaguer with important information, thank you. >>> we'll turn now to the shocking alleged crime caught on camera in florida. a tampa man accused of injecting a liquid opioid under the door of a family who lives upstairs the family saying the chemicals sickened their infant daughter. they believe

a hurricane hundreds of miles away that initially kept firefighting helicopters on the ground miguel almaguer made his way to maui and has this late report >> reporter: the apocalyptic scene in maui unfolded before sunrise, an island wildfire so explosive, flames poured into the pacific forcing the desperate to plunge into the ocean to escape the inferno >> careful right here. >> reporter: the coast guard quickly plucking roughly a dozen from the water as witnesses say the unstoppable blaze ripped across homes and took at least six lives. >> the smoke was just so thick, people were running around looking for refuge it was -- the heat was unbearable >> reporter: during the chaotic evacuation -- >> oh, my god. >> reporter: -- hospitals treating at least 20 burn victims quickly became overwhelmed. 911 service went down. cell coverage is out, and the national guard was ordered in to help >> it really took us by surprise. >> reporter: as 70-mile-an-hour winds fanned the flames, the air attack was grounded. quickly multiple fires erupted. historic sections of lahaina were swallowed by flames and en

so many families are waiting for answers from the ashes miguel almaguer, nbc news, lahaina, maui. >>> in georgia, the d.a. prosecuting former president trump on election-related racketeering charges is proposing his trial start march 4th. that would put it in the heat of the presidential primary season, one day before super tuesday, but many legal experts say a trial in this case is unlikely before the 2024 election. >>> in kansas, a stunning reversal today involving that small town newspaper raided by police, which raised alarms around the country about press freedom. stephanie gosk has late details >> reporter: missing cell phones and hard drives, publisher eric meyer says he barely got the weekly edition of "the marion county record" printed in the morning. >> there was a not so minor miracle that happened last night. we were here until after 5:00 a.m. >> reporter: then late today, the county attorney for this small kansas town said there was insufficient evidence to justify last week's police raid of the paper and withdrew the search warrant. all of the items seized now being retu

miguel almaguer with more in our series, "climate challenge." >> reporter: as one of the nation's most precious resources continueues to dwindndle, toninight a new w study coconfirms whahat researchers long feared, over a period of 21 years, the vital colorado river basin has lost 10 trillion gallons of water due to warming temperatures the staggering amount is enough to fill lake mead, the nation's largest reservoir, which today is dangerously depleted how concerned are you by what you've seen? >> i would say that this is a wake-up call in terms of climate change's impact on water availability for the colorado basin. >> reporter: with human-caused climate change, greenhouse gases pushing temperatures up, the colorado river has seen a 10% decrease in flow, compounding an exexisting ememergency, a a lack of water for the west >> do you think this crisis is only going to worsen? >> i think in the long term, yes. >> reporter: snaking through seven western states, the overtaxed river provides drinking water and irrigation to 40 million people the evaporating water supply could mean more re

an island paradise in a still-unfolding disaster miguel almaguer, nbc news, lahaina, maui. >>> history on holidad. lisa franchetti was nominated to be the first woman to ascend to the joint chiefs of t chiefs of sstaff. defense secretary lloyd austin blasted the senator calling the blockade unnecessary and unsafe. it's left the navy, army and marines without leadership for the first time in the nation's history. >>> the state department says the u.s. will provide ukraine with another $200 million worth and it will be the first transfer of a total of $6.2 billion of extra funds discovered after the military corrected an accounting error that overvalued the aid given to ukraine. let's go live now to our ali arouzi who's been following the latest on ukraine for us what is in the latest round of aid? >> reporter: good morning, jessica, this latest assignment's going to include around $200 million worth of defense munitions, artillery rounds, mine-clearing equipment and anti-armorcapabilities, according to secretary blinken, and it's all part of a $6.2 billion of funds earmarked for ukraine

so many families are waiting for answers from the ashes miguel almaguer, nbc news, lahaina, maui. >> evacuation orders are still in place in nevada county, california, where a small fire erupted in a rural area just across the border from reno. officials believe it may be one of many small blazes that began because of lightning strikes as of last night the fire was only about 5% contained, and a nearby town was still threatened >>> a federal court in new orleans on wednesday upheld parts of an earlier ruling out of texas on the availability of a widely-used abortion medication while the drug will be able to remain on store shelves, the fight over its legality is likely headed to the supreme court. we go to chris pollone in washington explain the decision by these judges on this vital issue >> reporter: yeah, frances, good morning. the bottom line on this is exactly what you just said the widely-used abortion drug mifepristone will remain on store shelves in the states where it is legal for now. and ultimately, the supreme court will have to get involved to decide whether it can remai

turning to the recovery housing a top priority and there is concern about toxic fumes and debris miguel almaguer has had rare access inside lahaina. and miguel, not all residents are getting back into the burn zone >> reporter: lester, residents who live outside of the burn zone are being allowed back into the area, but for those who live in the heart of lahaina the community you see behind me, they're not allowed to come back just yet fema is in there, and it's unclear when their work will be done as the smoke rises and the sorrow sets in, tonight this charred, desolate moonscape is the only hope and home many have left >> it's closed nobody can go in >> reporter: but the main highway into lahaina is shut down, and the perilous cliffside back road is the sole way in. >> the route they're trying to make us take is a dangerous route even o on a good dayay >> reporter: for so many residents the road to recovevery has hihit a maze of f blblockades. nearly a weeeek after the fires most still can't survey the damage to see what's been lost or spared. the randomness of this wildfire is evident in this

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miguel almaguer has the latestan out-of-control blaze >> reporter: facing an out of control blaze and extreme conditions, tonight, this ithe dangerous firefight for crews in california's mojave desert remote, but exploding in size, the york fire has torn across 80,000 acres the largest in the country so far this year, now spilling into nevada >> we were pretty concerned that it could start coming down at us >> reporter: as the unusual desert blaze destroys protected joshua trees and threatens endangered animals -- >> just heartbreaking. >> reporter: -- the erratic conditions here have created firenados, a vortex of swirling flames and smoke smoke. baking in triple digits, firefighters are battling an inferno while working inside an oven >> it gets really bad. it's hard to breathe >> reporter: if the heat wasn't enough, smoke is drifting across two states, smothering parts of las vegas, where a thick haze triggered flig delays, and is iming aiality. >> yeah, it's humid. it's hot >> reporter: for som 43 million today under he alerts, the conditions outside are stifling in july, phoenix

miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >>> the supreme court today revised the biden administration's restrictions on so-called ghost guns, those gun-making kits people can buy online that are harder to trace. the court ruled the restrictions will remain in place while lower courts consider the issue. the biden administration says ghost guns should be regulated like other firearms. >>> in the race for president, florida governor ron desantis has replaced his campaign manager. the latest staff shake-up as he struggles to gain traction against former president trump. the move comes after two previous rounds of campaign layoffs. >>> in ohio, boaters are turning out in force for a rare august special election. the reason, it could have huge implications on abortion rights in the state. ali vitali is there for us. >> reporter: tonight in ohio, high turnout for a highly charged special election that could determine the fate of abortion rights here. voters weighing whether to require a 60% threshold to amend the state's constitution, rather than just a majority. top republicans backing the c

nbc's miguel almaguer is right there in maui following these latest developments. ears to show the first of several wildfires that broke out in the maui area. it appears those fires were caused by downed power lines the power company, hawaiian electric says they are investigating the cause of the fire the fbi is now also involved, but this could be a troubling clue, as many have raised issues about the power company's involvement and their lack of turning off power during the height of the storms and of course, the spread of the fire meantime, this fire has now claimed about 111 lives. the death toll that is expected to rise over the coming days search teams are still going home-to-home, block by block, looking for the missing. they say that process will take several more days. by this weekend, it likely still won't be wrapped up. that will come just as the president arrives here in maui on monday. he's expected to meet with first responders and victims of the wildfire hoda, back to you. >> miguel almaguer for us. thank you. >>> we're going to turn to the weather no

here is "today"'s miguel almaguer on the ground this morning. >> reporter: good morning. as the death toll continues to rise, now at 55, authorities are concerned they'll find even more bodies. by one account, upwards of 1,000 people may still be missing, after 80-mile-per-hour winds first kicked up the blaze and pushed it out of control. the weather conditions are improving. meantime, firefighters are on the ground as they continue to gain the upper hand, and say they are still searching for the missing. back to you. >>> the firestorm hit so suddenly, many planes headed to maui late wednesday were caught completely off guard. this is video shot by a passenger and that passenger just flew over the worst of those flames. now empty planes are landing on the island to help transport thousands of those stranded travelers. >> some of those stranded travelers are members of a union city family who were staying just a few minutes from the now-destroyed town of lahaina. they are back home in union city. they say they were stranded at their resort with no power, no communication,

nbc's miguel almaguer has that story. >> as the smoke and flames finally began to clear tonight here. in this desolate landscape, the search for the missing and the dead. >> he mo kirk man has finally made it home. all he has found is heartbreak. >> oh my god. it's the most heartbreaking thing i've ever been through. >> we first met the kirkman's on thursday, like so many, families they waited for days on the side of the road are inside shelters for this chance to go home. >> why do you get emotional talking about your community? >> i love my community. they have raised my girls with me. >> the kirkman's have closure but far too many are haunted by the silence. tonight, there is no official number for the missing. some fear it may be as high as 1000, a stream of police coyote on social media. mothers, fathers, children, desperate to find loved ones. >> my mind, do i go over there and find my dad? no one knows. >> from california, kimberly is waiting for any word about her father. 79 year old shadow has not been seen since the flames overtook his neighborhood. >> four days ago, those

it's where we begin tonight with nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: the president's arrival in maui is his first up-close look at the devastation. on historic front street near the famed banyan tree and where search teams have scoured the debris field for the missing the heartbreak is still raw. >> the country grieves with you, stands with you and will do everything possible to help you recover, rebuild and respect culture and traditions >> reporter: the official death toll here stands at 114, but today we learned 850 are still missing, according to the mayor of maui county keyiro fuentes would have turned 15 yesterday. his family says his body was discovered wrapped around his beloved dog. >> i'll miss his -- everything his presence his -- his smiles. his laughters. >> reporter: as the president meets with survivors, only 27 victims have been identified so far. most are seniors, but many who perished are believed to be children >> every emergency responder put their lives on the line to save others. everyday heroes, neighbors helping neighbors. >> reporter: as mr. biden also spends

now, investigators say his wife appears to have been the target here's miguel almaguer >> reporter: as the chaos unfolded and 911 calls flooded in -- >> male came in and started shooting eight shots were fired. >> reporter: law enforcement sources tell nbc news the gunman, a retired police officer, opened fire inside this historic southern california biker bar, apparently targeting his estranged wife, killing three. >> i saw two bodies drop >> reporter: with shots fired just after 7:00 p.m., it took officers two minutes to arrive at cook's corner, an orange county venue popular with families. authorities say the shooter, identified as retired ventura county police sergeant joe snowling, was armed with multiple guns >> oh, my god, marie >> reporter: nbc los angeles speaking to a witness who was with the gunman's wife, marie snowling, who was shot in the jaw and survived >> he turns around and then he starts shooting at me and marie, his wife. when i saw people running, i'm like, oh, my god, i got shot at and i didn't die and i better run now before i get killed >> reporter: with six peo

nbc news is miguel almaguer are brings you the story as tropical weather is now spinning towards hawaii. >> you can help the people in maui by visiting our website. >> we have a full list of verified organizations collecting donations. you can find it in the trending bar at nbcbayarea.com. >>> up and asked, holding onto hope, how a mother is preserving her son's memory and fighting for answers in the 17- year-old cold case of his killing. >> plus workers at a popular east bay restaurant burglarized for thousands of dollars in tips. tonight we hear from the restaurant owner. en> and tracking raim every bubusiness deserves a a great deaeal. that's whyhy comcast b busins is lauaunching thehe mobile m made free e event. with ourur businesss ininternet, nenew and exisisg cucustomers cacan geget one yearar of unlimimd momobile for f free. it's our b best internrnet. powered byby the nextt geneneration 10g0g network ad wiwith 99.9% r reliabilityt. plus one l line of freree momobile for a an entire y y. it's's the mobilile made fre evevent-happenening now. get t started fofor jujust $49.99 9 a

our miguel almaguer reports. >> reporter: as the chaos unfolded in 911 calls flooding in, law enforcement sources tell nbc news the gunman, a retired police officer, opened fire inside this historic southern california biker bar, apparently targeting his estranged wife, killing three. >> i saw two bodies drop >> reporter: with shots fired just after 7:00 p.m., it took officers two minutes to arrive at cook's corner, an orange county venue, popular with families authorities say the shooter identify as retired ventura county police sergeant john snowling was armed with multiple guns >> oh, my god, marie >> reporter: nbc los angeles speaking to a witness who was with the gunman's wife, marie snowling, who was shot in the jaw and survived >> he turns around, and then he starts shooting at me and marie, his wife when i saw people running, i'm like, oh, my god, i got shot at and i didn't die and i better run now before i get killed. >> reporter: with six people hospitalized, investigators say the gunman immediately began firing at arriving officers who killed him in a hail of gunfire. >> all of

deaths of her 7 and 16-year-old children could have been the results of accidents or even suicides miguel almaguer has details. >> i do not fear death. but i look forward to it >> reading from notes moments before a judge ordered her to spend the rest of her life behind bars, lori vallowbell, th idaho mother convi conspi to murder her hud's fr wife, brher silence and remained defiant. >> no one was murdered in this case accidental deaths happen suicides happen. fatal side effects from medis i for a fact that my childree happy and busy in the spirit world. >> reporter: with vallow daybell claiming she has spoken to the victims in the afterlife, the tragic and bizarre case led to sensational headlines. dubbed the doomsday cult mom, vallow daybell claimed her children were zombies and she was a goddess sent to usher in the biblical apocalypse. the mutilated bodies of 7-year-old j.j. and 16-year-old tylee were found on the property of her new husband, chad daybell, a self-published author who wrote about doomsday and whose former wife he is also accused of killing >> i have always mourned the loss of

here's miguel almaguer >> all right, we're going to do a full squad 3 down here. >> reporter: as the grim search for the missing approaches its 11th day, and the death toll continues to climb, tonight maui's top emergency management official has resigned citing health reasons, herman andaya has stepped down amid withering criticism he literally failed to sound the alarm. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i do not. >> reporter: as the nation's deadliest fire in more than a century ripped through lahaina, andaya never activated the emergency sirens most often used for tsunami warnings saying had he done so, he feared the public would have moved towards the fire in the hills >> the state of hawaii will tell you that sirens have not been used for brush fires. >> reporter: but maui county's website lists wildfires are among the very hazards sirens can be used for. >> the siren i instant, immediate, it's going off, something is going on. i'm alert. it's sort of difficult to believe that you would be compelled to run toward flames. >> reporter: amid the growing frustration, a new

miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> the extreme heat has relaxed a little bit across the country, but the south continues to bake. over 47 million people are still under heat alerts. and parts of texas and louisiana are feeling temperatures as much as 15 degrees higher than normal they could see record-breaking highs as we close out the week >>> turns out the heat is only one side of the severe weather and angie is tracking storms and possible flooding. >> we've been dealing with heavy rain working through parts of the midwest for the last 24 hours. there's still heavy rain working through south of st. louis, illinois and kentucky and indiana. some of these spots were under intense drought. we see extreme conditions like kirksville, missouri, columbia take a look at where the worse of the drought has been and where we've seen the rainfall totals over 8 inches in harris, missouri columbia picked up 3 this is good new when is it comes to battling the drought but bad news when it comes to happening all at once. because it floods the river ways and waterways, and we're already seeing flood concerns

we begin with miguel almaguer who made his way deep into the disaster zone. miguel, i can imagine it is a shocking scene to view in person. >> reporter: it certainly is, lester, and the damage here is extensive. it stretches block after block and neighborhood after neighborhood. that wildfire just exploded here. this is actually the area where some people ran from their homes into the ocean about a block and a half away. but tonight far too many people did not escape the flames. as homes erupted into fireballs, the fast-moving inferno obliterated everything in its path. this tropical paradise becoming a death trap for dozens who couldn't outrun the flames. >> let's go! >> reporter: after this terrifying heart-pounding scene to evacuate, authorities now confirm at least 36 fatalities, the second deadliest blaze in recent u.s. history. >> no communication whatsoever. >> reporter: susan matera's son matthew is still among the missing. >> just know your family and friends are reaching out to everybody. your face is out there. we will find you. and just know that w

our miguel almaguer has more from california. >> reporter: facing an out-of-control blaze in extreme conditions, this is a dangerous firefight for crews in the mojave desert. remote but exploding in size, the york fire has torn across 80,000 acres the largest in the country so far this year, now spilling into nevada >> we pretty concerned it could start coming down at us the. >> reporter: as the unusual desert blaze destroyed protected joshua trees and threatens endangered animals, the erratic conditions have created fire nad oes, a vortex of flas and smok fireters are battling an inferno while working in an oven >> it gets really bad. hard to breathe. >> reporter: if the heat wasn't enough, smoke is drifting across two states, smothering parts of las vegas, where a thick haze triggered flight delays and is impacting air quality. >> yeah. hot. >> reporter: for some 43 million under heat alerts, the conditions outside are stifling. in july, phoenix averaged nearly 103 degrees. the warmest temps for any u.s. city in any year and across the west, the start of fire season was delayed bec

miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >>> new charges have been announced inmontgomery, alabam in connection with that violent confrontation on a river front dock and new video has now come to light, showing the incident. our sam brock has the latest >> reporter: three men in the middle of this montgomery brawl are facing assault charges sbl >> 13 individuals were detained and brought to police headquarters for questioning >> reporter: the trio of men facing misdemeanor charge, richard roberts, allen todd and zachary shipman. one person has already turned himself in with the others expected to. it's drawn national outrage. >> i don't think you can judge any community by any one incident >> reporter: the man seen tacked in the video is the rive riverboat co-captain he spent 40 minutes trying to get them to move the boat via a p.a. system. >> he was trying to move the boat just enough to where the cruise ship could park >> reporter: this new video shows other men coming to picket's aid, as the altercation escalates. the unfolding fight largely along racial lines, fueling que there's no evidenc

miguel almaguer starts us off this morning >> i do not fear death, but i look forward to it >> reporter: reading from notes moments before a judge ordered her to spend the rest of her life behind bars, lori vallow daybell, the idaho mother convicted of killing her two children and conspiring to kill her husband's former wife broke her silence and remained defiant. >> no one was murdered in this case accidental deaths happen suicides happen. fatal side effects from medications happen i know for a fact that my children are happy and busy in the spirit world >> reporter: with vallow daybell claiming she has spoke tonight victims in the afterlife, the tragic and bizarre case lid to sensational headlines, dushed the doomsday cult mom, she claimed her children were zombies and she was a goddess sent sent in to usher in the biblical apocalypse >> i have always mourned the loss of my loved ones. and i have lost many in this mortal world >> reporter: at judge admonished vallow daybell for showing no remorse, prosecutors say the motive was money, arguing the mother killed her children to collect

nbc's miguel almaguer has more >> reporter: the recovery teams here in lahaina complete their grim search, for some anger for the mountain of loss. >> i cannot do anything. we never receive nothing nothing at all. >> reporter: bracing for a death toll still expected to rise at least 2,200 buildings are gone, most of them homes the president expected in maui, but not welcomed by all. >> we don't need you don't come here. >> reporter: facing criticism for what some call a tepid response in the days after the fires. >> mr. president, any comment on the rising death toll in maui? >> reporter: white house staff says the president has been working behind the scenes to provide support and relief to those most in need. >> i was in complete communication with him throughout this event, helping him understand what i was seeing. >> reporter: fema offering meals, housing and an initial $700 payment to survivors who say it's not nearly enough to start rebuilding their homes and lives. >> stay out of our way get rid of the red tape. >> reporter: planning to meet with victims and response teams, the pre

images show the widespread destruction on the island at least 270 structures have been damaged our miguel almaguer starts us off. >> reporter: the apocalyptic scene in maui unfolded before sun rise an island wildfire so explosive flames poured into the pacific, forcing the desperate to plunge into the ocean to escape the inferno. the coast guard quickly plucking roughly a dozen from the water, as witnesses say the unstoppable blaze ripped across homes and took at least six lives. >> the smoke was just so thick people were running around, looking for refuge it was, the heat was unbearable. >> reporter: during the chaotic evacuation >> oh, my god. >> reporter: hospitals treating at least20 burn victims quickl became overwhelmed 911 service went down, cell coverage is out, and the national guard was ordered in to help >> it really took us by surprise >> reporter: as 70 mile per hour winds fanned the flames. the air attack was grounded. quickly multiple fires erupted, historic sections of lahaina were engulfed in flames and smoke. >> this is not a safe place to be on certain parts of maui we have shel

miguel almaguer now with what the victims are telling us tonight. >> reporter: tonight, eddie parker and michael jenkins say justice can be served now that the six white mississippi law enforcement officers who beat them for nearly two hours have entered guilty pleas. >> finally gave up. i knew how it was to give up. it wasn't a surprise. survive. it was hoping i'll make it to the end. >> reporter: prosecutors in mississippi say the officers tortured, used racial slurs and sexually assaulted the two black men inside a braxton home last january. court documents reveal reveal the officers who called themselves the goon squad broke down the door, beat, tased and threatened to rape parker and jenkins while calling them the "n" word and monkeys as they accused the men of sleeping with white women. >> they came to do what they wanted to do which was tortue us. they came to do what they did. >> reporter: the five rankin county officers were joined by richland police officer joshua hartfield. the federal complaint says one officer put a gun in jenkins' mouth, pulled the trigger and nearly ki