as nbc's ann thompson explains, many employers are offering big-time perks. adam's auto repair shop is firing on all cylinders. what's the difference working on an engine today than ten years ago? >> technology. >> reporter: lu says it's not easy to find qualified workers so he's offering a salary of up to $120,000, health care, and a $5,000 signing bonus for master automotive technicians. >> we're definitely in need of great talent, and that's difficult to find right now. >> reporter: perks may be the answer. 30% of american companies are increasing benefits, from wellness retreats to reviving pensions. >> it's a great time to be an american worker today. workers really have the leverage to choose where, when, and how they work. >> reporter: america's name brands getting creative. target increasing parental leave pay for hourly workers. kroger offering tuition reimbursement to grocery baggers, and for starbucks expectant workers, six weeks paid maternity leave. benefits only go so far. >> we do expect companies will have to pull the lever of wages to attract

anne thompson, nbc news, galway, ireland. >>> to politics now. president trump is spending the weekend at his private club in bedminster, new jersey. with 101 days until the election, he's looking to the future, strategizing about how to keep republicans in congress. with democrats fighting for a blue wave, the president and his party are bracing for a fierce battle ahead. nbc's kelly o'donnell breaks it all down for us tonight. >> reporter: presidential pitchman. >> you got to vote republican, folks. >> reporter: donald trump talking big with an ambitious new midterm mission revealed on radio with sean hannity. >> i'll go six or seven days a week when we're 60 day also out. >> reporter: trying to activate his own base to benefit other republicans with control of congress at stake. >> i will be campaigning for all of these great people that do have a difficult race. >> reporter: an nbc news poll finds voters in michigan, minnesota and wisconsin clearly favor democrats in congressional races. though trump won two of those states, his disapproval r

nbc's anne thompson gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how the world was gripped by this match. >> reporter: at least for a few hours our divided world united. [ cheers ] gripped by world cup fever. even here. though the usa is m.i.a. >> it's coming home. >> reporter: at new york's rockefeller plaza fans watched a broadcast in spanish. [ cheers ] cheering for croatia -- >> i know croatia is a small country but we have big dream. >> reporter: and england. >> how nervous are you? >> oh, my heart is beating fast. >> reporter: the gundersons with the same fervor for soccer that many american fathers and sons share for baseball. >> well, i remember my dad saying he was at the last one in 1966 when they won it. and that's what -- you know, 52 years. and so it's so momentous to get there. once in a lifetime. >> no matter how it ends i think everybody in engds england is proud of how far the english team have come. >> reporter: but this win was as elusive as david beckham at this miami watch party. >> croatia. >> reporter: croatia, the size of west virginia with as many people as oregon, i

anne thompson, n news, new york. >> amazing underdog story right there. >>>ust ahead, prince harry makesg surpris admission. plus why some are taking issue with kylie jenner's spot on "forbes'" list of richest sell self-made women. "early today" will be right back. jimmy's gotten used to his whole room smelling like sweaty odors. yup, he's gone noseblind. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it... ...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresistible freshness. febreze unstopables. breathe happy. okay, i never thought i'd say this, but i found bladder leak underwear that's actually pretty. surprised? it's called always discreet boutique. it looks and fits like my underwear. i know what you're thinking. how can something this pretty protect? hidden inside is a super

anne thompson shows us the perks that those companies are now offering. >> adau' auto repair shop isat, say, 10 years ago? he offering a salary of up to $120,000, health care, and a$5 00 signing bonus, for master automotive techtechnician. >> we're definitely in need of great talent and great talent is hard to fight right now. >> 30% of ameri ns are increasing their benefits, everything from wellness retreats to reviving pensions. >> it's a great time to be an workers worker today, have the leverage to choose, where, when and how to work. >> parents getting parental leave pay for hourly workers, kroger offering reimbursement for tuition. t benefits only go so far. >> we do expect companies will have to pull the lever of wages to attracttalent. >> seeking the right combination of perks and pay for the benefits that drive america's economy. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. > one neighborhood against speed bumps. >>> caught on camera, an unwelcome guest appears on a viewer property. that's a bear. >> that's so cute. >> you think that's cute? it's a nuisance bear. >>> imagi seeing this

ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> still ahead as we continue t dramatic menurt as a kidnappin survivor comes face-to-face with a serial killer who for months held her captive. >>> also, papa johns founder feeling the heat. the offensive remark he's apologizing for tonight. >>> we're back now with the courtroom drama in south carolina today. a kidnapping survivor confronting the man the serial killer, that murdered her boyfriend, sexually assaulted her and held her captive inside a storage container for months. nbc's kerry sanders with what happened to face-to-face. >> reporter: tables turned on a convicted serial killer, kayla held? >> 6 five days. >> reporter: two years ago, detectives broke into a steel box on his property, they found kayla shackled to a wall, then 30 years old. she had been kidnapped and raped. her boyfriend who had been with her shot and killed. >> he shot him in the chest. >> reporter: today on the stand. >> the action of the defendant during those 65 days cause you pain? >> yes, sir. >> there was a part of me that wanted to issue my own justice on him. he is the

ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> still ahead as we continue tonight, dramatic moments in court as a kidnapping survivor comes face-to-face with a serial killer who for months held her captive. >>> also, papa johns founder feeling the heat. the offensive remark he's apologizing for tonight. >>> we're back now with the courtroom drama in south carolina today. a kidnapping survivor don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis, the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor if eliquis is what's next for you. your hair is so soft! car

nbc's anne thompson shows us what they're offering.or >> rr: adam lou's auto repair shop is firing on cylind cylinders. what's the differenceforking on an engine today compared to 10 years ago. >> there's a lot more technology involved in auto work this these days. >> reporter: that's why he's offering $120,000 a yearnd a signing bonus. perks may be the answer. nearly 30% of americanar compans increasing their benefits. everything from wellness retreats to reviving pensions. >> its a goat time be an american worker today, workers really have the leverage to choose where, when and how they work. >> america's name brands getting creative. target's increasing parental leave pay for hourly workers, kroger offers temtion reimbut to grocery baggers. but benefits only go so far. >> we do expect that employers will have to pull the lerage of wages to attract worker >>>okay, so still ahead, one neighborhood against speed bumps. >> controversial. plus caught on mera, an unwelcome -- oh, man. a bear. >> it's a bear. >> he on man's local property, why officials think cuddly, they're calling it a

anne thompson and danny cevallos. thank you. >>> big plan for the trump administration. it comes as nbc news report that north korea has increased its nuclear production. plus, reunited. the moment the guatemala mother and her 7-year-old daughter saw each other for the first time. we'll take you inside the process of reuniting. >>> the code to abolish ice, it is a new rallying cry to the left. is it a winning message? we'll have our former i.c.e. agent, standing by. business, but i really love it. i'm on the move all day long, and sometimes i don't eat the way i should. so i drink boost to get the nutrition i'm missing. boost high protein now has 33% more protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals. and it has a guaranteed great taste. man: boost gives me everything i need to be up for doing what i love. boost high protein. be up for it. boost high protein. my familyoh!in there. how did you get in the building? jumped off a super crane. what? whoa! skyscraper. can't fix it with duct tape, then you ain't using enough duct tape. rated pg-13. >>> one single year.

ann fennelly. grisham writer-in-residence, megan abbott. pendarvis, you know. poet chiyuma elliott. wright thompsont ace atkins. poet derek harriell is originally from milwaukee. crime novelist billy boyle from brooklyn. downstairs, currence's restaurant city grocery cranks out many delicious things. the man known as big bad chef, aka "johnny snack", is sending some of those goodies upstairs as there's nothing professional writers like more than free food. usually you put five writers in a room it's a ugly hell broth of envy, hatred. >> writer: we all hate tommy. >> writer 2: no, that goes without saying. >> tom: even me, i hate me the worst of all. >> jack pendarvis: around here anyway, the writers are really supportive of each other. for writers to argue would be like arguing over a piece of dirt. i mean, what are we fighting about? the stakes are so low, why would you be a jerk about it. >> anthony: if mississippi were a country and there were a national hero, uh, dead or alive, by consensus, statewide, who would -- who would the statue be of? >> wright thompson: elvis. >> anthony: really? would