erin mclaughlin has late details for us. >> reporter: it's a battle to save california's pristine coastline from devastation. just north of santa barbara the alisal fire burns out of control, shutting down a section of the famed pacific coast highway. its breathtaking views now marred by smoke. >> not only is this area prone to significant fires that have had significant damage in the past but it's also a beautiful area >> reporter: the fire doubling in size overnight. forcing evacuations from the forest to the sea. firefighters now defending the famed reagan ranch once known as the west coast white house. you can see those flames climbing up that hillside just feet away from this highway. fire officials say the dry fuel combined with the northerly winds are the reason why this highway will be closed for the foreseeable future 7,000 acres scorched, 0% contained threatening up to 120 structures the toll adding to the state's staggering fire season. almost 2 million acres burned so far. >> do you tie this to climate change >> you know, some people would we are seeing our fires burn differentl

erin mclaughlin in los angeles. erin, thank you so much. >>> president biden and congressional democrats hope to come to an agreement on their massive spending plans before the president leaves for an overseas trip on thursday. nbc's kelly o'donnell is at the white house with more on where things stand. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. the white house says negotiators are finalizing a deal, but they can't give a timeline. that sounds like some progress. and house leadership is telling members to be prepared for a vote this week. that's another signal. but this all comes after there have been months of tense negotiations within the democratic party. president biden's promised policy agenda in search of the finish line. >> look, it's all about compromise. >> reporter: compromise still at work this weekend, among democrats, who had to strip away wishful spending from $3.5 trillion down to an expected figure of less than $2 trillion for the broad climate and social programs. >> although it's a smal

erin mclaughlin is outside of l.a. how long have the oil been leaking, what have we know?ritical question, stephanie. it's critical to understand just how much oil leaked into the ocean. officials provide the number upward of 186,000 gallons to say they believe it's 144,000 gallons of oil spilled into the ocean. we know residents here in orange county first reported smelling gas on friday. it was not until late friday evening around 10:00 p.m. that state and federal officials reviewed oil records, there could potentially be oil spill off the coast of southern california. it was not until saturday morning that amplify alerted the coast guards, based on a visual inspection of the water. it was not until noon that the coast guard then alerted the public. that timeline is being heavily scrutinized right now, not only to ascertain when the oil started leaking but also the nature and speed of the response. in terms of the leak itself amplify yesterday said they believed they have found the potential source of the leak of 4.5 miles off the shore. confirming the leak have been fou

joining us from california with the latest is nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin. the race to contain the spill stand right now? >> reporter: geoff, it's an all hands on deck effort led by the u.s. coast guard. it's been a bleak 48 hours for these coastal communities that are so reliant on their beaches. but finally today, a glimmer of good news. we just had an update from wildlife officials who have been assessing the impact specifically on the bird population, which is always a concern in case of an oil spill. officials say they're cautiously optimistic. >> we have grave concerns about this impact. in our initial assessment of the area, the number of birds in the general area seems to be lower than we had feared. we do have active overflights from a specialized plane that the department owns that is going to be covering this area daily to look at animals, the locations, the concentrations they might be in, which will help us more target those areas. but at this point, we're cautiously optimistic. >> reporter: and it has to be said, though, that is only one compon

msnbc's erin mclaughlin has more on that. erin, to you. >> reporter: hey, alex. well, we are still no closer to understanding exactly how a live round capable of killing made its way onto the set of rust. this as disturbing allegations have been made against the man responsible for the film's safety. overnight a vigil held in albuquerque, new mexico, to remember cinematographer halyna hutchins. >> no one should die on a film set ever. >> reporter: the 42-year-old was killed this week on the set of the movie "rust" after super star alec baldwin fired a prop gun that was moments before declared safe. amidst the despair and sadness, the potential for serious legal consequences. days before the tragic shooting the gun in question was involved in other accidental misfires. the "l.a. times" reporting last week he accidently fired two rounds after being told the gun was cold, meaning not loaded. the same thing yelled at moments before baldwin shot and killed hutchins, injuring the film's director. a crew member telling the "l.a. times" there should've been an investigat

erin mclaughlin has details on that and more. erin, good morning. another school shooting.police say the shooting happened wednesday when a handgun was pulled during a fight inside a second floor classroom. we're about to show you some disturbing video posted on social media, which shows what police say they believe is the fight prior to the shooting in the end, four were injured, a 15-year-old boy is in critical condition following a manhunt, 18-year-old tim know simpkins arrived at the arlington police department with his attorney and was handcuffed in the parking lot. a .45 caliber handgun found in the streets of the grand prairie. police say they believe it could have been used during the shooting, but are testing to be sure. jose? >> erin, you're covering l.a.'s new vaccine requirements. >> reporter: earlier next month proof of vaccine will be required to enter any public indoor areas, restaurants, salons, even the laker game. those with medical or religious exemptions will need to show proof of a negative covid test within the last 72 hours or stick to outdoor areas o

erin mclaughlin has the details. >> reporter: it's a battle to save california's coastline from devastationviews marred by smoke. >> not only is this area prone to significant fires and has had significant damage in the past, but it is also a beautiful area. >> reporter: the fire doubling in size, forcing evacuations from the forest to the sea. firefighters now defending the famed reagan ranch, once known as the west coast white house. you can see those flames climbing up that hillside, just feet away from this highway. fire officials say the drive fuels combined with the northerly winds are the reason this highway will be closed for the foreseeable future. 7,000 acres scorched, 0% contained, threatening up to 120 structures. the toll adding to the state's staggering fire season. almost 2 million acres burned so far. you tie this to climate change? >> you know, some people would. we are seeing our fires burn differently. we're seeing them burn hotter and faster. they're more dangerous. >> reporter: rancher patrick brown's family owned this land for more than 80 years. he evacuated. are you

>> erin mclaughlin, thank you. like this unfortunately aren't new to the film industry? >> camera assistant sarah jones was killed by train on the set of the movie "midnight rider." a jury said it was due to negligence from multiple parties after the crew was placed on an actual live train track. >> joining us is jeff harris, the family attorney. >> good morning. >> do you see any similarities between the jones case and the incident here that happened in new mexico? >> well, based on the reporting that's coming out now, i do. it seems like this is another situation where you had a crew who was stressed, they were being asked to work long hours and most importantly, there were prop previous safety related problems that weren't taken seriously. those are some of the things that happened in sarah's case. i thought we were making progress in the industry after sarah's case because there was at least in my view a renewed focus on safety. what this incident tells us is any time you have something happen on set and people

nbc's erin mclaughlin is in huntington beach for us. >> reporter: well, shep, tonigh of southern california we're learning new details about when the coast guard discovered this massive oil spill off the coast of southern california according to a senior coast guard official, the coast guard was first alerted to the presence of a sheen on the watet around 7:00 a.m. went ou at around 8:00 p.m. on friday evening. they received another follow-up report, satellite imagery, detecting an anomaly in the overnight hours. the coast guard at first light around 7:00 a.m. saturday morning went out to take a look around and say they discovered the oil spill between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. it wasn't until around the same time that amplify says it discovered the oil spill and alerted authorities. during a press conference, the ceo of amplify was repeatedly pressed as to when exactly the company decided to completely shut down the pipeline also questioned as to whether or not they detected a change in the pressure of the pipeline neither question the ceo would answer, citing the ongoing invest

joining me with more, erin mclaughlin. good to see you. what does this declaration do for the state of california? >> hey, jose. governor gavin newsom made the statewide emergency declaration on tuesday, expanding the existing declaration to include some of the state's largest counties, including los angeles, san diego, and san francisco, boosting the governor's call to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 15% to put that goal in perspective, according to state water officials, california's cut water usage by just 5% in august, so more work is needed. however, you do see some businesses taking the situation very seriously. i was just up north in mendocino county, where some restaurants are stopping patrons from using indoor bathrooms setting up portable toilets to cut back on water use. up north in san jose officials are seeking approval to begin implementing drought surcharges for residents who do not meet that 15% conservation mark. california's hardly alone. according to the u.s. drought monitor, nearly 88% of the state and a good po

erin mclaughlin is in los angeles with more. >> reporter: tonight hollywood is on the brink of calling cut with 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers threatening to walk offset, potentially halting production of your favorite series and live shows. >> i'm not nervous about the strike i'm excited. >> reporter: the union alleging the explosion of streaming combined with the pandemic has elevated and aggravated working conditions, bringing those behind the scenes to the breaking point, creating what it says are excessively unsafe and harmful working hours and unlivable wages. also noting a consistent failure to provide reasonable rest. >> so they expect us to just continue working no matter the conditions, no matter how long we have been at it. >> reporter: now hollywood heavyweights are speaking out in support of the workers. >> it is staggering. i mean the amount of abuse that i have seen no one gives a [ bleep ], you know. and it's - i have seen a lot of that. >> reporter: the alliance of motion picture and television producers saying it deeply values the crew members and is committed to re

miyoka saclosta and erin mclaughlin, thank you to you both. >>> a senior advisor is stepping down afternued use of what's known as title 42. it's a trump era law to keep migrants from entering the u.s. he called the law illegal and humane, especially as it applies to haitian refugees. more than 7,000 haitian nationals have been sent back to the impoverished nation so far. that's according to the organization for migration. meanwhile migration officials are closely monitoring another log jam in south america. nearly 20,000 haitian, cuban and venezuelan migrants have crowd sbud a haitian beach town. joining us now from colombia is nbc news correspondent gabe gutierrez. gabe, walk us through what you're seeing and what's causing this bottleneck at that resort town where you are. >> reporter: hey there, jeff. this used to be a beach. as you can see behind me, it is now essentially a migrant tent camp. there is some 20,000 migrants in this town in colombia. if you walk with me a little bit, this camp extends pretty far. earlier today we were at a ferry dock where hundreds of migrants each da

nbc's erin mclaughlin joins me now. erin, what's the latest? >> reporter: hey, stephanie, well, beta offshore, the company responsible for the pipeline in question, says it's still searching for the source of the oil leak. they were searching with a team of divers throughout the day yesterday. they believe the leak is about 4.5 miles offshore, but the pipeline is located 100 feet below the surface of the water, complicating efforts. that said, they say they have managed to shut the pipeline down and suction it off, however, local officials say the damage has already been done, some 126,000 gallons of oil released into the ocean, and it's a damage that the company appears to have been aware was a possibility, according to a report that nbc has obtained a copy of dated to 2012. they were calling this a worst-case scenario, an oil leak in this area of that size, saying, quote, that it could cause significant and substantial harm to the environment because of its proximity to navigable waters and adjoining shoreline areas designated as environmenta

erin, mclaughlin nbc news. >> and when we come back there is other news from our natural world tonight of the beautiful variety. beautifu variety. (sfx: video game vehicle noises, horns beeping,) (engines revving, cars hitting one another.) (sfx: continued vehicle calamity.) just think, he'll be driving for real soon. every new chevy equinox comes standard with chevy safety assist, including automatic emergency braking. find new peace of mind. find new roads. chevrolet. did you know that your fabrics trap more than just odors? they also trap bacteria. better get new febreze fabric antimicrobial. its water-based formula penetrates fabrics to kill 99.9% of bacteria and it eliminates odors. spray it on your furniture, your rugs, your clothes - wherever bacteria and odors hide. you can even sanitize your car seats! for a deeper clean and a freshness you'll love... try new febreze fabric antimicrobial. last thing before we go tonight, that last report we just aired out of santa barbara california, had to deal with a tragedy unfolding in the natural world. this next story is about something

nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin has our story from los angeles, tonight. >> tonight, hollywoodrink of calling cuts. 15,000 hollywood workers threatened to strike, potentially halting production of your favorite series films and live shows. >> i'm not nervous, i'm excited. >> alleging the explosion of streaming, and the pandemic, has elevated an aggravated working conditions, bringing those behind the scenes to the breaking point. creating what is says are unsafe and harmful working hours, and unlivable wages. also noting a consistent failure to provide reasonable rest. >> they just expect us to continue working no matter the conditions, no matter how long we've been at it. now, hollywood heavyweights are speaking out in support of the workers. >> it's staggering, i mean the amount of abuse that i'm seeing. i've seen a lot of that. >> the alliance of motion picture and television producer, saying we deeply value the crew members and are committed to reaching the deal, it lions can -- anger over workers rights is hardly confined to hollywood. >> we're on the right side of history

>> erin mclaughlin reporting. >>> the first transgender rural health facility in the country. want to miss this can focu s on what matters most. whetit's ensuring food arrives as fresh as when it departs... keeping crews connected as they help build communities... or providing patients the care they need, even at home. we are the leader in 5g and a partner who delivers exceptional customer support and facebook advertising, on us. network. support. value. no trade-offs. unconventional thinking, it's better for business. (kids chatter) pnc bank believes that if your phone can help you track your pizza come on, cody. where are you, buddy? then your bank should help you track your spending. virtual wallet® with low cash mode from pnc bank. one way we're making a difference. still fresh unstopables in-wash scentnk. booster downy unstopables an official message from medicare what's up guys? mary and i just compared medicare plans. found one that's going to save us money all next year. james, i told you it was open enrollment. yes you did. so we used the plan finder at medicare.gov.

let's go to nbc's erin mclaughlin joining me with those developments.tell us about all this? >> hey, alex. we're still no closer to understanding exactly how a live round capable of killing made its way obt the set of "rust." this as disturbing allegations have been made against the man responsible for the film's safety. overnight, a vigil held in albuquerque, new mexico, to remember cinematographer halyna hutchins. >> now wn should die on a film set ever. >> the 42-year-old was killed this week on the set of the movie "rust" after superstar alec baldwin fired a prop gun that moments before was declared safe. baldwin seen on saturday comforting hutchins' husband and son. countless unanswered questions and the potential for serious legal consequences. nbc has learned days before the tragic shooting, the gun in question was involved in other accidental misfires. the l.a. times reporting baldwin's stunt double accidentally fired two rounds after being told the gun was cold. meaning not loaded. the same thing yelled out moments before baldwin shot and kille

erin mclaughlin is live in los angeles where the city just approved one of the strictest vaccinationd from idaho, the craziest fight ever is going on between vaccine requirements, between the governor and the lieutenant governor. and a professor of epidemiology with the field and school of public health. doctor, now that pfizer formally applied for emergency use authorization of the vaccine for kids, what kind of timeline are we looking for? >> this is great news. we're really moving forward in the right direction. it looks like they've scheduled a meeting for october 26th. that means we can expect this to go forward and potentially have the vaccine available sometime between halloween and thanksgiving. >> that is so awesome. erin, tell us how this new mandate is going to work in l.a. and how they're going to enforce it. >> reporter: well, beginning early next month, angelinas will wake up to a very different reality, stephanie. proof of vaccine required to enter any indoor public spaces from museums to restaurants to the laker game. now, there will be some exceptions allowed for med

nbc's erin mclaughlin is there with the latest.k about when this goes into effect and what this involves. >> reporter: hey, hallie, starting early next month those who are not vaccinated, well, their lives will get much more difficult due to the ordinance that the city council here in los angeles just passed. on november 4th, anyone trying to enter an indoor public space will need -- and they will need to show a negative covid test taken in the last 72 hours to enter museums, sporting events, the lakers game and it's about to get much more difficult for those not vaccinated and there's seemingly brought support. people here in answer remember just how pad it got. i was in the county hospitals and absolutely terrifying system tulli looks like. one man started requiring proof of vaccines back of july. >> this is living with covid and we all have to take our own measures and be responsible to make sure we're all is off. bottom line for me is the in staff and those who vo v been coming here. now we're hardly getting any resentment. we'

here is nbc's erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: hollywood on the brink of calling cut with 60,000 behindc elevated working conditions. bringing those behind the scenes to the breaking point. creating what it says are excessive work are hoare hours unreasonable rest. >> to expect this to continue working no matter the conditions or how long. >> reporter: now hollywood heavyweights are speaking out. >> it is staggering. the amount of abuse that i've seen. no one gives a [ bleep ]. i have seen a lot of that. >> reporter: the alliance of motion pictures say it deeply values the crew members and is committed to reaching a deal. the alliance is univeuniversal. anger overworkers rights is hardly confined to hollywood. from auto and agriculture to health care workers. it is all part of the growing nationwide showdown with employees and employers. sparked in part, experts say, by the pandemic. now spilling on to the silver screen. if ongoing negotiations fall through, thousands in hollywood are set to join the picket lines monday. >> erin, thank you. i have puzzles leftover from the pandemic. >>