its position on domestic violence and greg hardy. >> i'm erica hill. we begin with breaking news and the growing controversy over the house benghazi committee. a former investigator is now accusing the committee's chairman of violating government confidentiality rules and federal law. bradley poliskis claims that committee was more interested in investigating hillary clinton than looking in the 2012 attacks on the u.s. consulate. he plans to file a lawsuit alemming he was let go because he objected to the investigation's changing focus. allegations the chairman of the committee congressman trey gowdy denies. >> it's a damn lie. that's not a word that i often use but rarely is it so easily proven. he was a lousy employee. that was evidenced by the fact he mishandled classified information and wouldn't do what his supervisors instructed him to do. >> this afternoon, another twist as lawyers for the former investigator now say gowdy is leaking confidential information about the former investigator. news of that lawsuit comes as "the new york times" report

. >>> i'm erica hill. right now breaking news. president obama speaking just over an hour ago in roseburg, oregon where he made a brief comment after meeting with the families who lost loved ones in the community college shooting there last week. >> i'm going to be very brief here. i just want to first of all say thank you to mayor itch arich. i want to thank governor brown and the entire community and the state of oregon for coming together at this terrible time to support the families. i just had a chance to talk to them. obviously, in moments like this words aren't going to bring their loved ones back but the one thing that they share is how much they appreciate the entire ucc community coming together, how much they appreciate all their neighbors, friends and people all across the country who offered to help, sent thoughts and prayers. i just told the mayor that if there is anything we can do at the federal level to help the community heal from this loss obviously we will be there. i know that flying out here with some of the

i'm erica hill. >> i'm harry smith alongside dylan dreyer. >> i'm over here on the left. >> she showed up. >> and frances rivera.. good morning.g. it is l le riding a bike. >> you're gogo. you're steady. >> let's get going. >> the first wobble in the middle. >> feeling good. take a look outside. this is amazing. everybody in the building and people around town and across the country, so excited that tracy morgan on "saturday night live live." >> they are lined up hoping to get a ticket live to see it. if not, you c c watch it here on nbc. >> i hear there iss a baseball game. >> not far from us. >> i heard a thing or two about the game. >> they are getting ready at citifield. we have preparations happening on the plaza. oh, look, it's mr. met. mr. met is here. we called chicago. clark, the cubbies mascot was engaged this mornrng, but the offer and invitation was extend extended extended. >>> let's get to the top story. millions of people getting an early taste of winter. waking up to the holdcoldest weather this season. some seeing the first snowfall. dylan is here to get us up to speed

its position on domestic violence and greg hardy. >> i'm erica hill.eaking news and the growing controversy over the house benghazi committee. a former investigator is now accusing the

i'm erica hill. >> i'm craig melvin alongside sheinelle jones and dylan dreyer here. our friends along the east are getting hammered. this is greenville, south carolina. this is upstate south carolina. a lot of folks dealing with ooding that is border line biblical. >> this is with joaquin staying far >> away from the east coast. a totally difrent set up. >> which is incredible to tnk about that. that is the top story this morning. that storm and other things affected by it including the dangerous ht for a cargo ship that disappeared in hurricane joaquin. 33 crew memrs on board. 28 are american. kristen dahlgren joins us from jacksonville, florida where the ship set sail. good morning. >> reps ter: good morning, erica. at first light, search planes will be back up. they know the ship was taking on water. ey knowrthe eye of hurricane joaquin passed close to the ship's last known location. family members are holding out hope that the crew members were >> we don't know their status. 140-mile-an-hour winds. it could have destroyed other communications. >> reporter: missin

i'm erica hill in for thomas robert this is hour. today, u.s.ying to syria. boots on the ground against isis for what the white house is attempting to characterize as a shift, not a change, in its strategy and intensifying as we've been hearing. there will be we're told 50 than fewer special operations forces who, will quote, train, advice and assist kurdish syrian fighters. white house press secretary josh earnest spoke earlier. >> i certainly wouldn't underestimate the capability and capacity of our u.s. special operations forces to be an important force multiplier anywhere around the world they're deployed and the president does expect that they can have an impact in intensifying our strategy for building the capacity of local forces inside of syria to taking the fight on the ground to isil in their own country. that has been the core element of the military component of our strategy from the beginning. building the capacity of local forces on the ground. >> this news comes as press secretary john kerry is in vienna together gathered with glo

let's go to new york, and erica hill and craig melvin to see what they have got for us. good phoeurpmorning, guys. >> new details this morning in the case of a texas city councilman tasered by police outside his home. >>> some think he's already out-of-bounds even before stepping on to the field, greg hardy will play for the first time this season following his four-game suspension for domestic violence, but his recent comments about tom brady and his wife have some wondering if he learned his lesson. >>> also getting attention, amy schumer's comments in germanhe log. >> the psychological thriller "misery." we will have that and much more when we get started. >> impossible to forget that scene. thanks, guys. >> 25 years. doesn't seem like it has been that long, does it, ted? >> no. >>> the way our tax dollars are spent to help the homeless is changing and not everybody is happy about it. mitch blacher has a first look at a story you will see tuesday afternoon at 4:00. >> the goal is to eliminate homelessness. >> the federal government and local programs helping the homel

but first, this is "today" on >>> one of the reasons we love fridays is because erica hill stops by. >> erica. >> thank you. >> we love you. >> i love you guys. i like it's especially when you let me come in the kitchen on friday. because you know i'm happy to sample any time. we have this really cool story coming up this weekend that harry smith shot for us. he was telling us about it last weekend. you may have seen you can go to the opera at the movie theaters, something the mets are doing all around the world and harry was backstage and not only was he backstage with some of the performers he was in the truck with the director. and he was saying it is like directing a football game. it's really much more like directing a sporting event. >> have something like 20 cameras. >> totally wild. >> and the director has done the macy's thanksgiving day parade. a really cool story. we'll have that for you coming up. uggle with type 2 diabetes, you're certainly not alone. ely, many have found a different dicine that lowers blood sugar. rimagine what it would be like to love your discover once

i'm erica hill. >> i'm carson daly alongside jones. we have the latest with the breaking news from ron mott in london. >> reporter: good morning, carson. metro jet flight disappeared from russia radar over egypt 23 minutes into the flight from the city of sharm el sheikh in egypt en route to russia. the officials confirm to nbc news it crashed in the sinai peninsula and jets located the wreckage of the plane. it is too early to pinpoint a cause of the crash. the area where the plane went terrorists clashed this summer. according to the associated press, quoting the egypt committee, the pilot reported technical difficulties and inn text tension to be land at the nearest airport. the 18-year-old airbus a-321. the jet was descending at the rate of 6,000 feet per minute before the signal was lost. the air russian transportation official said 217 passengers and crew members were on board and it was handed off to cyprus officials, but they never made contact with radar. it is suspected that many of the passengers are russian tourists returni

. >> reporter: erica hill, nbc news, san francisco. >> i love it. erica tells us andy's first big purchase was a piece of a meteorite from mars. if you'd like to read some of "the martian," we have an excerpt on today.com. dylan has our fans of the day. >> you guys are from jacksonville, florida. they're on a mother-daughter trip, which i love. it's not just you guys, there's a whole group of you. >> yes, it is. >> they're all sleeping in the >> they are. >> ranging from 80s to 4. i guess it's making sense. you're missing out. still to come, living life on the fly after battling breast cancer. the retreat helping happy anniversary i'm messing up every dish, pot, and plate... ...to show my love. ta-da! all this devotion only calls for a little bit of dawn ultra. grease cleaning power of two bottles of this other liquid. you still got it, romeo. a drop of dawn and grease is gone. (queen's "you're my best friend" plays) ooh... you make me live, whatever this world... at petsmart, we know that pet adoption changes lives. that's why petsmart charities hel

. >> erica hill and harry smith, joining us live from new york. >> good morning. morning on "today," you'll probably feel it where you are, so will we, this big chill that will hit the country this weekend. >>> also coming up this morning, is this the weekend? will he or won't he? vice president joe biden, it's like hamlet, right? make a decision already. he supposedly is going to make it, we'll know this weekend. >> we've heard that before. >>> tracy morgan's big night out, the comedian preparing to his return to "saturday night live" after that horrific car crash last year. we have a preview. >> we were just talking about that. >>> the halloween costumes that will many parents to shame, not that it's a competition. >> but it is. >> how one mom is dressing up her 3-year-old in crazy cute ways. >> if you want to see crazy cute, i should tell you this. >> please. >> follow angie on instagram. her kids are adorable. i have a feeling adora and bob will knock it out of the park. >> we've done a dry run, erica. >> i'm not entering the competition because i would lose.

i'm erica hill. >> i'm craig melvin alongside dylan dreyer and sheinelle jones. the peace rally outside turkey today. the nbc chief correspondent richard engel is in istanbul. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this was an absolutely an troesh yus event. students and peace activists gathering in ankara this morning to gather for the peace demonstration. a low level conflict going on with the turkish government. these people were coming to say that fighting needs to end. the country needs to pull together and as the crowds were growing, witnesses say two one can be seen while people dancing in the foreground. more than 100 injured were carried away on the peace banners they were bringing to the rally. so far, there has been no responsibility. this attack bears all the attack. the opposition parties and many people at the rally do not support the government. say that the timing is very suspicious. in three weeks, there will be important elections in the country and opposition parties accuse the government of not doing enough to protect them. craig. >

. >>> the "today" show at 7:00, and let's see what they are working on with erica hill and carson dalyrning. >> good morning. just ahead here on saturday morning on today, we have the latest on the breaking news just happening in the last few hours, learning about the crash of a russian passenger jet and on the ground in texas this morning where heavy rain and possible tornados slammed that state overnight. >>> ahead, a brand new poll puts republican rivals trump and carson in a dead heat. we're in iowa where bush and marco rubio are campaigns later today. >>> plus, did you know last night on television the first ever live exorcism was broadcast, the same house that inspired the exorrist. what happened when they went inside looking for demons. >>> we are expecting the plaza, and wait to see what we wear. that is not all. there's another halloween surprise. that's when we get÷ú started, rosemary, here on saturday morning, halloween on "today." >> looking forward to it, thanks, guys, see you at 7:00. >> you got it. >>> time is now 6:49. of course, the big news in our area is the temple o

. >> erica hill and carson daly joining us live from new york. >> good morning, guys.ween. we have a busy day, a lot of news to get to. we'll get to the latest on the crash of a russian passenger jet. we're also on the ground in texas where heavy rains and possible tornadoes slammed that state overnight. >>> a brand new nbc online poll puts ben carson and donald trump in a dead heat. and also, bad news for jeb bush. >>> did you know that theç fir ever live exorcism was performed on television last night? happened at the same house that inspired the movie "the exorcist." see what happened when the ghost hunters went inside looking for demons. >>> and we have a halloween extravaganza. we're expecting terrific costumes out on the plaza. wait until you see what we'll dress up as. we have a big surprise. all that when we get started here on halloween. >> no hint? >> and the music, too, i like that. >> and we have creepy music. we don't even know what the surprise is. >> we'll stand by for that. >>> the fire chief says this tree right here blocking a flaming school bus stop

. >>> it is 6:51 and it's time to go across the street and check in with erica hill and a very sp tecial co-anchor today. mary smith is with you today. hey! i'm coming over! >> you should. you know, there is always room for you here, pat. >> thank you, erica. hi, harry. >> good morning. >> just ahead here on a saturday morning on "today," we're talking about the big chill awhich we're all excited about in new york city. if you're traveling, how many layers you need to bring with you. >>> coming up, they say this is the weekend we're going to find out -- will we find out? that's really what the report is going to be about, whether or not we're going to find out if vice president joe biden wants to run for president or not. >>> also ahead, tracy morgan's big night. the comedian preparing for his return to "saturday night live," plenty of peo e camped out when we got into work this morning, hoping to see that live. >>> apparently there's some bantseball game that is supposed to happen in the greater new york metropolitan area, right? >> within a burrough. >> within the metroplex. the mets-c

. >> reporter: erica hill, nbc news, san francisco. >> erica tells us andy's first big purchase, by the way, fter signing his book deal, was as piece of a meteorite from mars. if you'd like to read some, we have an excerpt on today.com. now to dylan and the plaza fans of the day. >> i'm joining by adele and kathy. you're from jacksonville, florida. ey're on a mother/daughter trip, which i love but it's not just you guys. there's a group of you. >> there is. >> they're all sleeping in the hotel room. ranging from 80s to 4. i guess it makes sense they're >> ill leep. but you're missing out. still totcome on "today," living life on the fly after battling breast cancer. the retreat helping survivors recover after these messages. in' i'm messing up every dish, pot, and plate... ...to show my love. for a little bit of dawn ultra. now even more concentrated. ju ist one bottle has the grease cleaning power of two bottles of this other liquid. you still got it, romeo. a drop of dawn an pd grease is gone. (queen's "you're my best friend" plays) ooh... you make me live, whatever this world... at p

we check in with erica hill and harry smith live from new york with more on what they are working on.good morning, guys. >> hey, good morning. >> we're back. >> we are in new york. we are. >>> coming up on "today," big chill across the country, and how many layers we'll need. >>> also coming up, is this the week -- they say it's the weekend -- that joe biden decides, yes, no, yes, no, maybe so. >> maybe. >> we'll have the story in a bit. >>> tracy morgan's big night, the comedian's return to "saturday night live," we have a preview for you. >>> you know, not that moms in particular are competitive about this stuff -- >> never. >> halloween costumes putting parents to shame, and how one mom dresses her 3-year-old in the cutest ways. >> those stories and more, rosemary, when we start. welcome back, and congratulations. >> yes, thank you. just got back from the honeymoon thursday from beautiful hawaii, and now back to what feels like especially like fall. cold here in philadelphia too. >> a big wakeup call for you weather-wise. >> yes, definitely. thanks, guys, see you at 7:00. >> nice t

i'm erica hill. >> i'm jeff rossum alongside the ladies again. >> janelle jones and dylan dryer. speaking of very tough video to watch. >> oh, my goodness. >> out of oklahoma state university. that is our top story, a speeding car barreling into a crowd at the oklahoma state homecoming parade. new video has emerged showing it happen as the death toll rises. nbc's jacob rascon on the scene for us. jacob, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the list of victims including the injured has grown to 51. four people died including a toddler and a graduate student as the driver remains jailed and police search for more witnesses. overnight oklahoma state came together to mourn as posted online showing the moment of impact. [ screaming ] no brake lights appear visible in the video as the gray sedan plows into spectators. >> i just saw something black, and i didn't know what it was. the car hit me as i was stopping and then it went over strollers. >> we're going to need a bunch of help. the driver, 25-year-old adacia chambers was out of control after the crash. >> i have a person who t

i'm erica hill. >> i'm craig melvin alongside chanel jones. let's get right to our top story. those two deadly blasts at a peace rally in turkey today and the death toll is rising this morning. nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel is in insstanbul with the very latest. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this was an absolutely atrocious event. young people, peace activists, students this be gathering in ankhra this morning. they were leaving the train station to gather for this peace demonstration, which there is a low-level conflict going on right now between the turkish government, the turkish military, and kurdish fighters. these people were coming to say that that fighting needs to end, that the country needs to pull together and, as the crowds were growing, witnesses say two explosions went off. one can be seen while people are dancing in the foreground. and some of them 100 injured were actually carried away on the peace banners that they were bringing to this rally. so far, there's been no immediate claim of responsibility, but this attack bear

. >> erica hill and jeff rossen join us live from new york. happy saturday, guys. >> happy saturday to you. just ahead on a saturday morning on "today" live on the ground in mexico assessing the damage after hurricane patricia. the strongest ever recorded in the western hemisphere slammed ashore. we'll take a look at what's left of the storm and how much of it could make its way into the southern u.s. >>> also ahead, a big weekend in the race for the white house. hillary clinton taking a virtual victory lap while jeb bush searches for answers in a campaign and donald trump is on the attack against ben carson. >> never a dull moment. the latest on the manhunt for a couple accused of robbing banks up and down the east coast. they're being called a modern day bonnie and clyde. >> angie, this is for you. one week to go until halloween. great pet costumes for you. the best out there. all of that and much more when we get started. look at that cute little pooch right here on "today." >> that doesn't help me. my pooch is 100 pounds. it's hard to find

i'm erica hill. >> glad to have you with us. i'm craig melvin alongside sheinelle jones and dylan dreyer. a lot of folks are talking about the dodgers-mets game last night. check this out here. this is late in the game, critical play, seventh inning. chase utley sliding into second, or was he at all? he took out miguel. >> ouch. >> broke his leg. mets fans, furious. the play was under review. ruben, excuse me. that triggered the comeback. >> i understand trying to interfere with the play so the double play doesn't happen. you can't knock out a catcher anymore. >> no. >> you can't take out the baseman to -- >> you should at least -- >> and he's injured. >> -- be trying to go for the bag. we'll look at that later, as well. >> yes. >>> let's get to the top story. the new reports justifying the actions of the ohio police officer who shot and killed a 12-year-old ohio boy who was carrying a pellet gun. >> those reports were released, or the report was released on saturday by the prosecutor's office. what they say is an effort to be t

. >> i think it's erica hill. >> i should throw the football because my aim is probably worse. >> a couple dollars each and decorated them with crepe paper. >> she's going to go to the smaller hoop, go one smaller. >> and hold it far away from your body, right. >> nice. >> this is the ultimate challenge. >> the small hoop. do it. >> very nice. >> impressive. >> there we go. >> like the team. >> happy tailgating. >> nicely done. >> this is an amazing sandwich. isn't that smart? >> and these brownies are ridiculous. >> nicely done, amy. >> thanks, guy. >> don't miss all the action this sunday night, "football night in america." when the cowboys take on the saints. coverage begins at 7:00 eastern. up next. >> don't go anywhere because there's more food, if you can believe it. al has -- one of the best chicken dinners that you will ever eat. what was it? chicken, chicken. >> winner winner moms know their family's mouths often need a helping hand. after brushing, listerine total care helps prevent cavities, strengthens teeth and restores tooth enamel. it's an easy way to give listerine total ca

i'm erica hill. >> i'm harry smith here with dylan dreyer and frances rivera. good morning, everybody. >> welcome back. >> did you stay up? >> i didn't want the entire show but i watched the first 40 minutes or so. the first sketch suz so great, right? all these people from rock center that tracy morgan starred with, tina fey, alec baldwin. great. >> lots of funny stuff. we'll have all kinds of highlights for those of you who couldn't stay up. >>> right to our top story. the chaos in ft. myers, florida, when gunfire rang out in the middle of a zombie convention. nbc's dara brown is here with more. >> good morning, harry. thousands of people were all drszed up as zombies out talking the streets for this big festival, but their fun turned to terror when someone opened fire, killing at least one person. >> reporter: people were celebrating zombie-con in downtown ft. myers just before midnight when shots rang out. [ gunfire ] the gunfire sending masses of people running for their lives. >> oh my go. >> reporter: witnesses reported hearing firecrackers going off bef

i'm erica hill. i will see you tomorrow morning on today and monday night at 6 p.m. "hardball" starts right now. >>> on wisconsin, paul ryan, let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. people keep bringing up that grouchy marx line about refusing to join a club that would choose him as a member. it's that bad. if you are vaguely influential in the house caucus you are not above suspicion of being a washington establishment type who won't answer the grass roots demand to stand the line. it is quite a situation. there is no sign it is going to end even if they find someone to walk the plank and take the job of speaker. republican establishment begged paul ryan of wisconsin to rescue the party. >> i actually think paul ryan will get into this thing. i really do. i'm like a reporter i can't reveal my sources. >> paul is under tremendous pressure because he is the only candidate that we can agree can get to 240 votes on the floor consistently. >> paul is looking at it but it's his decision. if he decides to do it he would be an amazing speaker. >> he could bring a lot of fo

i'm erica hill. >> and i'm jeff rossen. happy to be here with you and alongside sheinelle jones and dylan dreyer. and you're tracking the top we have our team fanned out across the country, both here and in mexico. category 5 storm hitting overnight, the eye narrowly missing the resort area of puerto vallarta, where tens of thousands of americans were believed to be before the storm made landfall. >> and while it is too early to tell just how widespread the destruction is, sunlight will help us with that. here's what we do know at this hour. patricia weakened to a category 1 hurricane early this morning with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour. it is expected to turn into a tropical depression as it crosses mexico's mountains. now, incredibly at this hour, no reports of any deaths. and just over the mexican border, much of texas, as we know, is under a flood watch with what's left of patricia, the concern there that it will bring, of course, even more rain to a state that has already been pounded. >> our correspond

erica hill picks up our coverage. >> right now on msnbc, breaking news, a house divided. kevin mccarthy, the front runner to lead house republicans pulls out of the race for speaker. hero attacked. one of the men who helped stop a terror attack on a paris train is fighting for his life after being stabbed. >>> and the controversial tweet from robert murdoch about ben carson and president obama. we begin with that breaking news in congress. house majority leader kevin mccarthy dropping out of the race to replace john boehner as speaker. >> i think there is something to be said for us to unite we probably need a fresh face. i will stay on as majority leader. the one thing i found in talking to everybody, if we are going to unite and be strong we need a new face to help do that. >> that statement, of course, a remarkable turn around from hours earlier. >>. >> good morning. >> according to other members of the house no one saw this coming. >> i think it's pretty obvious that all members of the delegation of the conference were shocked. >> i think a lot of people were shocked.

. >>> i'm erica hill. right now breaking news.peaking just over an hour ago in roseburg, oregon where he made a brief comment after meeting with the families who lost loved ones in the community college shooting there last week. >> i'm going to be very brief here. i just want to firstf

as erica hill has been reporting for the past hour or so, we have been passing along the exclusive reportingl about an increased presence by the united states, specifically special forces, in syria. let's start out as we await to hear this announcement from the white house of this change in stance, a more robust mission there. richard engel is standing by in istanbul. richard, as people tune in, aware of this news, tell us again from the top what it is you know and how the u.s. presence is going to change. >> reporter: so for the last year, brian, the u.s. has been fighting against isis mostly from the air, but also working with partners like the iraqi government, sometimes working with partners like the kurds in syria. but the u.s. has been careful not to have american boots on the ground in syria. and effectively, that strategy hasn't been working. so what we're going to see and hear today from the white house quite soon, in fact, is the announcement of a three-pronged strategy. all of them involving deeper u.s. military involvement, all of them talking about a more robust effort against i

up next, erica hill hosting "andrea mitchell reports." ah! come on! let's hide in the attic. no.. 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! irresistible moments deserve irresistibles treats. new from meow mix with real salmon chicken or tuna. the only treat cats ask for by name. and i'm still struggling with my diabetes. i do my best to manage. but it's hard to keep up with it. your body and your diabetes change over time. your treatment plan may too. know your options. once-daily toujeo® is a long-acting insulin from the makers of lantus®. it releases slowly to provide consistent insulin levels for a full 24 hours. toujeo® also provides proven full 24-hour blood sugar control and significant a1c reduction. toujeo® is a long-acting, man-made ins