internal documents given to the government and the s.e.c we will tell you what we found >>> our emilie ikeda takes us inside the supply chain crisis into the heart of the matter

here's emilie ikeda. >> reporter: truck after truck, that's unmanned and unused in total transportation's mississippi parking lot. >> it's the worst that i have ever seen. >> reporter: how many tractors do you have parked here because there is not a driver to fill it. >> we have 910 tractors total in our fleet and today we're sitting at -- as of this morning, we're at 47 open. >> reporter: and ceo john stom says his worker woes are minor compared to some of his competitors. the industry is short a record 80,000 drivers according to the american trucking association, further aggravating the nation's troubled supply chain just ahead of the holiday season trucks in the u.s. haul 12 billion tons of freight a year. >> everything you eat, touch, wear comes from a truck. and it takes a driver in this truck to get it to him. >> reporter: but where there is need, there is opportunity and the face of trucking is changing. >> this basically controls the brakes of the trailer. >> reporter: more minorities and women like alicia hudson are getting behind the wheel at the dsc training academy in jackson

internal documents given to the government and the s.e.c we will tell you what we found >>> our emilie ikeda takes us inside the supply chain crisis into the heart of the matter truckers and the need for thousands more. >>> and as we approach veterans day, a tribute to an unknown soldier who became a symbol for so many. it's tuesday, october 26th "early today" starts right now >> good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> glad you are with us. i'm frances rivera >>> we begin with a coast-to-coast severe weather. a nor'easter is beginning to batter the east coast. and the west is still reeling from a bomb cyclone. some areas of california seeing historic amounts of rainfall which has triggered landslides the heavy rain and high winds extended into washington state for more on the conditions there, we are joined by reporter ted land with our king 5 affiliate. ted, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, frances and phillip. this latest burst of bad weather toppled trees and power lines all across western washington state. take a look at what happened here in the city of bellevue a giant tree fell ont

jose >> emily ikeda in los angeles, thank you. >>> we've been telling you about shortages of productsng to store shelves. as we enter the holiday shopping season, there's still a shortage of workers on top of that, retailers are trying to hire additional staff to get them through the season what does it mean for your shopping experience when they just can't hire enough here's senior business correspondent stephanie ruhle. >> reporter: it's a sign of the times. here at new jersey's freehold raceway mall, a problem being felt nationwide. small stores struggling to hire workers ahead of the holidays. >> the applicant pool isn't as deep as it could be. >> it's been very challenging. >> it's hard to compete with some of the bigger companies. >> reporter: as big box stores like walmart, target, best buy offer signing bonuses, even cold, hard cash, to hire hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers, smaller stores are forced to think outside the box. like showcase, which sells this year's hottest items seen on tiktok. >> we can't offer as many hours or the perks so we have to kind of create o

joining me now from los angeles is nbc news correspondent, emilie ikeda. ind this drop? >> reporter: hey, there, jose. a lot to consider. many experts consider chinese students here in the u.s. a very important part of america's economy. in fact, they're a top service export of the u.s. to china, but researchers say that that cash flow could be at risk. because the number of new applications coming from chinese students is not rebounding since the start of the pandemic like it is from other foreign students. amy jan arrived from china to pursue a master's degree at ufc. together, they and their chinese classmates make up the largest group of foreign students currently in the u.s., but their presence is shrinking. there was a severe largely anticipated drop of international students at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, but this year, applications from foreign students started to rebound, up 9%. while chinese student applications fell by 18%. the luster of higher education in the states, arguably, fading. amid a spike in anti-asian hate, rising tensions

emilie ikeda reports. >> reporter: horror after a mistake.ails released about the moments about the tragic and deadly accident. >> bonanza creek road. >> reporter: alec baldwin seen in anguish after firing a prop gun on the "rust" scene. killing halyna hutchins. according to a search warrant, another crew member, assistant director, grabbed the prop gun and yelled cold gun. unaware it was loaded with live rounds. hutchins took a lethal shot to the chest. souza was wounded in the shoulder. documents reveal the person in charge was the armorer is new to the role. following in her father's footsteps. >> i'm still learning. dad has taught me everything. i think loading blanks is the scariest thing to me. >> reporter: a safety bulletin says live ammunition is never to be used. except for the rare occasion with special conditions such as notification made on the call sheet which did not appear to be the case for the movie "rust." >> if it was a live round, where did it come from? >> reporter: nbc news heard the prop gun has misfired on set before.

. >> emily ikeda, thank you so much. >>> nearly half of all u.s.the last decade is thanks to the growth in the latino community. and as that voting bloc has grown, it's shifted into a key demographic of swing voters, especially at the local level. while the hispanic vote might seem like a clear vote for democrats, it's not a monolith. it all gets a little more complicated as you known locally. in california and new york, we saw the hispanic vote land solidly democratic in 2020, by over 50 points, but the picture looks different in places like texas and florida, where the margin for biden was less than 20 points. joining me now to talk through all of this is victoria defrancesco soto, an associate dean at the university of texas austin and an msnbc contributor. victoria, great seeing you. first off, let's talk about the incredible growth in the hispanic community. does voter turnout matchup? >> not exactly, jose. but this is something to look at in terms of the future potential of the latino vote. so we know that looking at the census numbers, there

nbc news correspondent emilie ikeda will join us live from los angeles next hour with more details.s telling their officers who have reported their vaccine status that paid days off will be limited in the next couple of weeks. as we await to see the true impact of the showdown between the city and the union. chicago stop attorney says people till tuesday to figure out what exactly punishment officers could face for not complying with the city's covid vaccine mandate. now the city could be facing a potential police shortage. by the way, this is amid a rise in violent crimes there. joining us right now in chicago with the latest is nbc news correspondent wendy woolfolk baker. wendy, good morning to you. okay type of consequences are these officers potentially looking at? looking at >> good morning to you, lindsey. mayor laurie lightfoot who says officers refused to update their vaccination status on that city portal will be put on unpaid leave. but the temporary restraining order against the union president gives essentially the city a little bit of extra time to figure out exactly ho

. >> emilie ikeda in connecticut, thank you. >>> president biden is expected to head to connecticut to promote his build back better plan and there's word that the white house is getting impatient with negotiations over it. we're live with the latest. >>> and we're keeping an eye on the fda and its meeting over the j&j booster shot. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." g "jose diaz-balart reports. i discovered some very interesting documents on ancestry. this is the uh registration card for the draft for world war two. and this is his signature which blew me away. being able to... make my grandfather real... not just a memory... is priceless. his legacy...lives on. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medic

joining me now is nbc's emilie ikeda, who has been following this for us. what more can you tell us about what the armorer is saying here. >> reporter: like you said, this is the first time we're hearing from the armorer since the deadly shooting on the set of the production of "rust." her lawyer releasing a lengthy statement saying that hanna gutierrez reid had no idea where live ammunition came from. she said it was extremely difficult for her to focus, because she was hired for two positions on the film. she said she and the prop master gained control over the guns and she never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds with these guns nor would she permit that. they were locked up every night and at lunch. there's no way a single one of them was unaccounted for or being shot by crew members. hannah still to this day has never had an accidental discharge. that according to her attorneys. investigators say hundreds of rounds of ammunition were recovered from the set, including suspected live rounds. the santa fe sheriff's office told nbc news the investigation r

nbc's emily aca -- ikeda joins us from the scene. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. the debris field from the plane crash stretches an entire block. you can see behind me charred and burned out vehicles and homes that took the brunt of the impact. firefighters describing the scene as brutal. >> go. >> reporter: terror on the ground after a small plane crash caught a san diego suburb completely by surprise. >> the second alarm for an aircraft crash into a structure and vehicle. >> reporter: security cameras capturing the small twin engine cessna falling in a near nose dive monday afternoon. moments before, air traffic control pleading with the pilot. >> low altitude alert. climb immediately. climb the airplane, maintain 5,000. >> reporter: the impact killing at least two people and igniting a fire that engulfed multiple homes. >> we believe injuries are nonsurvivable for anyone that was on that plane. >> reporter: a thick plume of smoke seen from blocks away, residents watching in horror. >> is anybody home? >> reporter: neighbors rushed to rescue an elderly couple tr