i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. >> hurricane sally is creeping toward the gulf coast. the category 1 storm is one of four cyclones in the atlantic. sally's outer bands have already started impacting florida's gulf coast. the impact is expected to make landfall anywhere between the florida panhandle and south easternlouisiana residents have already started evacuating in mississippi. >> i don't want to be here when the water is that deep and be stranded that wouldn't be smart >> reporter: sally is churning at 3 miles per hour. forecasters say a slow moving hurricane like this one only means a prolonged impact and heavy rains, flash flooding and storm surges mandatory evacuations stretch from alabama the the bayou state. >>> janessa webb joining us now. she has the latest on this slow moving freight train >> hurricane sally is not moving and overnight the west side of the storm system has kind of collapsed. it will reorganize by the morning, but we are seeing it just really lashing across the eastern portion of the storm right now sustained winds, 90 miles per hour moving

i'm frances rivera >> and i'm philip mena the nation grieves the giant of the supreme court this morning the late justice ruth bader ginsburg inspired a nationr lase supreme court and across the country. but even before plans for a funeral are announced, her death is sparking a schism president trump and republicans are vowing to fill the vacancy and joe biden says a senate vote before the election could create a constitutional crisis. nbc's garrett haake has more >> reporter: democratic presidential nominee joe biden urging the senate not to act on any supreme court nominee the president may select >> the people of this nation are choosing their future right now as they vote to jam this nomination through the senate is just an exercise in raw political power speaking to those republicans out there, senate republicans, who know deep down what is right for the country and consistent with the constitution. >> reporter: this as president trump commits himself to selecting a woman to justice ginsburg and doing it soon >>ly be putting forth a nominee next week. it will be a woman the presiden

. >> and i'm frances rivera. a giant of the supreme court now casts a long shadow over the 2020 election. the late justice ruth bader ginsburg was truey an icon, an inspiration to a generation. her impact felt in the growing memorials outside the supreme court and across the country her death on friday has already torn open a fierce new political schism president trump and top republicans are vowing to quickly fill the vacancy, while joe biden says a senate vote before the election could create a constitutional crisis. former president obama echoed his running mate, calling on republican senators to honor the same standard they set with merrick garland 4 1/2 years ago. the stakes don't get any higher than this, tracy >> reporter: no, frances, they don't, because if president trump nominates a conservative to the court, it could tip the balance of the court and affect big decisions on social issues and other issues for years, maybe even a generation to come. that's why the stakes are so high here. president trump

"early today" starts now i'm frances rivera >> and i'm philip mena tropical storm sally is churning through the gulf coast the storm has shifted east overnight as it heads towards the louisiana-mississippi border, expected to make landfall early tuesday people living in those coastal cities are preparing for impact, as flooding and storm surges pose the biggest threat in those areas. and while sally's track is pushing away from florida, ft. myers was still feeling the storm's impact meteorologists say parts of southwest florida has received seven inches of rain and winds of 60 miles per hour >> let's check in with our meteorologist who is track thing storm. michelle, good morning -- -- >> this is going to be a slow-moving system so, yes, sally continues to strengthen and we'll see it continue to strengthen over the next 36 hours at least so let's take a look at the graphics here, because we are looking at a bunch of trouble in the tropics. it's not just sally, but that is the immediate concern. this is a peek into what is happening out there. conditions are ripe for development, and that's

. >> and i'm frances rivera. >>> a bombshell in the race for the white house with just 36 days until the election. the new york times with a headline for the history books today. trump's taxes show chronic losses the times obtained over two decades worth of the president's tax return data. according to the times, the president paid no federal income tax because he lost so much money and only paid $750 in 2016 and 201. the people called it fake news, while joe biden's campaign seized the opportunity comparing what the president paid to average americans. >> the campaign is selling stickers that say, i paid more income taxes that donald trump nbc's kelly o'donnell has more >> reporter: good morning, frances. president trump is disputing a developing story from the new york times that nbc news has not independently confirmed. that report says that in the year he was elected 2016, president trump paid $750 in federal tax. president trump refused to provide us with any specific figure for how much federal tax he actually paid and claims questions about his finances are simply resurfacing

next add vn chour is >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera >> even in death the late ruth bader ginsburg tray ai pots joining us with more >> and we know one more republican who want wants to support the republican they may be four short of what they need to slow it down. whether it was her final wish to push the no, ma'am naugs and confirmation process new mexico after the election >> i don't know that she saudi said that were was that written out. >> it should wait to see >> president trump's nominee for the vacancy will receive a vote on the floor of the senate it has more than sufficient time to process a nomination. >> the senate has never confirmed a nominee to the sup people court this close to a prt shl election and house speaker nancy pelosi has hin hinted about a second impeachment to slow kit down >> sources till president reportedly met with one contender at the white house yesterday. pete ywilliams has more. >> the front runner is barrett, at 48 she'd be the youngest justice. defenders of the row v wade. >> a democratic snathd torr said every demi corralic senate who has its

something most travelers can't stand "early today" starts right now >>> glad to have you with us i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. >> protests in portland are marred by violence we other seeing clashes between groups on opposite sides of the political spectrum across the country. >> reporter: protests literally turning into political battlegrounds. president trump blaming what he calls radical left mayors and governors and promising law & order ahead of a tuesday trip to wisconsin despite the mayor urging him to stay away. >> the wave of violence and destruction has occurred in sts dominated by the je point d kyle rittenhouse after killing two people, injuring a therd >> he was trying to get afrom them and they vie lantly attacked him >> joe biden condemning violence on both sides. >> a president that sews chaos. >> reporter: and blaming the president and his followers for the growing unrest >> he may believe mouthing the orr makes him strong but his failure to call on his followers shows how weak he is. >> reporter: the issue is much bigger and much deeper that conservative or liberal politi

"early today" starts right now >> glad to have you with us on this last day of september i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena, if this presidential debate is the first, we're in for a roller coaster into election day. occasionally some substance for voters chris wallace tried to keep this thing on the rails but it went for a free for all >> i'm not going to answer the question >> the question is -- >> will you shut up, man >> gentlemen, i think we've ended this segment we're going to move on to the second segment >> that was a really productive segment wasn't it? >> some sarcasm there. that came when president was asked to condemn white supremacy. >> are you willing to condemn militia groups and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities? >> i would say almost everything i see is from the left wing not from the right wing. i want to see peace. >> do it say it >> what do you want to call them >> stand back and stand by but i'll he you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left this is not a right wing problem. >> the prou

. >>> good morning i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. dangerous wildfires continue to force people out of their homes. strong winds are causing these fires to explode in size miguel is there on the ground with this report >> reporter: the rescues overmountains of fire and heavy plumes of black smoke became so perilous at one point the mission was called off they found nearly 150 people trapped loading them into choppers like they had done over the weekend. >> it was scary. >> reporter: for four days surrounded by pal walls of flames there were no safe roads in this was the only way out of the forest through the air dozens stepped off a helicopter reaching safety for the first time >> we love you >> families finally reunited >> i love you guys so much >> a feeling of complete and total elation. she waited all night for this moment >> i'm super happy i know i'm crying but they're happy tears. >> reporter: it's become a blow torch incinerating everything in its path this was the escape. >> everybody was just praying like god, let us get out

"early today" starts right now >>> good morning i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. the stakes are higher than ever as they deliver their dualing futures. it will cover everything from coronavirus to the integrity of the election itself. tracie potts joining us with a preview from d.c this may be one of the most anticipated debates ever >> this could be the debate. president trump and joe biden on the same stage for the first time in this fall presidential debate we are looking at debate prep but also expectations. a lot of the president's prep happens when he's quizzed by reporters frequently but we also know he has been working with rudy giuliani and chris christie to do some debate prep he's been drilling down on policy but also doing some homework on twitter and moat were asked about their expectations for tonight >> the debate is coming up how are you preparing specifically >> i think i prepare every day when you're president you sort of see everything that they're going to be asking >> it is going to be difficult i know the -- i mean, my guess is it's going to

"early today" starts right now >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. >> todayhe supreme court justice will be the first one to lie in state at the capitol. joe biden and his wife will pay their respects to the late justice today and they'll likely receive a much warmer reception than president trump did yesterday when he went to honor ginsburg >> tracie potts. >> that is what is leading to this latest controversy. he is questioning whether the outcome of the election will be legitimate because of states that are mailing ballots directly to voters as a result the president with direct questioning could not commit to a peaceful transition of power to leaving office based on the results of that outcome meantime we heard chanting when the president was visiting the u.s. supreme court yesterday with people who were saying vote him out as a result of all of this democrats urging the president to abide by the result >> remind him you are not in new york korea you are not in turkey and you are not in russia and you are not in saudi arabia. you are in the united states

"early today" starts right now >>> good morning i'm phillip mena >> i'm frances rivera. it's almost difficult to grasp the amount of devastation the west coast is experiencing dozens of wildfires is carving out a path of deconstruction 35 lives have been lost and that number will climb. erin mclaughlin has this report. >> reporter: in oregon, devastation and desperation after scenes like this massive fireball exploding million acres burned 16 active fires. entire towns in ruins. dogs searching for bodies. thousands evacuated and sheltering in parking lots >> i wased >> it feels like armageddon. >> reporter: this family lost everything >> we didn't have a destination. we didn't know where we were going. >> reporter: the single mother just staying with her boys at a hotel. their town leveled their home gone. dominic struggling to understand >> i was feeling sad and scared at the moment because i knew we would most likely lose our home. >> reporter: thousands lost their homes in california. firefighters recovered three bodies from the north complex fire now more than a quar

. >> and baby owe da, how it made the day for firefighters >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. >> the nation will begin to pay respect to the late ruth bader ginsburg today just down the street senate republicans are forging ahead to fill her seat in record time and now it appears the gop has all the votes it needs to approve a nominee. tracie potts has the latest. mitch mcconnell has secured a key swing vote here. >> reporter: right that key vote is mitt romney of utah he says he will side with the president on this. he was the lone vote for impeachment, the lone republican in the senate. this time he says he thinks president trump and the republican leadership is on the right path to replace justice ginsburg >> where a nominee of a president is from a different party than the senate, then more often than not the senate does not confirm. when there is a nominee that is a party in the senate they do confirm. >> we have tremendous support. it's never been this unified before thank you, mitt. thank you. >> so with romney on board, this all but kills the democ

i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. >> sally has now downgraded to a tropical depression. it's delivering record rainfall in georgia and in the carolinas. the storm scraped through the coastline leaving seaside towns in disarray. in pensacola streets turned to rivers 377 people had to be rescued more than 500,000 have spent the night in total darkness because of power outages and dozens of families will have the daunting task of cleaning up what's left of their homes. >> reporter: early wednesday morning hurricane sally came ashoreg a savage punch it hit the alabama, florida gulf coast, some of the storm's path caught offguard. >> we thought it was going to the alabama state line, thinking it was barely a hurricane and wake up to this, it's just like a nightmare. >> reporter: a nightmare that overwhelmed some coastal areas with water more than 30 inches in some areas. winds strong enough to push over this semitruck in mobile, alabama, and rip trees out of the ground in florida. one slammed through the bedroom of jeff english's 91-year-old father >> so fortunately he was do

i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. >> hurricane sally is lashing the gulf coast as millions wake up to torrential conditions. the storm is expected to make landfall in just a few hours the category 2 storm is packing a powerful punch it's ramped up overnight with wind speeds reaching 105 miles an hour. alabama is taking the brunt of the storm. these are 105-mile-per-hour winds ripping apart this building in gulf shores and the storm is not budging it's churning at only 2 miles per hour it's beating down on cities from the western panhandle to alabama. >>> over 200,000 people have lost power in alabama, louisiana and florida and you can see how critical the con digs are. the rising waters combined with heavy rain creating a torrential try f trifecta >> this hurricane is devastating flooding that's hitting the northern gulf coast. we are near 30 inches of fresh water flooding that is happening in this area right now still a cat 2 and hurricane sally it continues to intensify. woe ear seeing the pressure go down on this storm system. i will not rule out the possibility for landfall

. >> and i'm frances rivera. with just a month until election day, a new report could reshape the race for the white house this morning, "the new york times" headline says it all. trump's taxes show chronic losses, audit battle, and income tax avoidance. according to the report, the president paid no federal income tax at all for 10 of the past 15 years because he lost so much money and only paid $750 in 2016 and '17. the president fumed calling it fax news, comparing what the president said to average americans. the campaign is also selling stickers that say, i paid more income taxes than donald trump nbc's tracy potts joins us with the latest what else did we learn from that report >> reporter: so frances, a couple of things let's start with this $72 million refund the president got. he's at odds whether that was legit. sit the subject of an irs audit. the president has said he's not provided his tax returns because he's being audited, but the irs said they have no issue with that this examination also found, a

. >> glad you're with us on this monday i'm frances rivera >> and i'm philip mena dangerous tropical storm sally is churning through the gulf and could hit the u.s. as a category 2 hurricane. forecasters expect the storm to make landfall tomorrow night hurricane and tropical storm warnings are in effect from the florida pan mandzle to louisiana. here's the latest. >> reporter: the first glimpse of tropical storm sally. >> holy -- >> reporter: in the florida keys, torrential rains flooded roads, as high winds batted the coast. a powerful preview of what could hit louisiana while many are getting ready. >> this is going to be the real deal >> reporter: or getting out. >> i've been through a hurricane before, i don't need to go through another one. >> reporter: the path on a direct line to new orleans, where it is expected to make landfall as a hurricane. outside the city, flood gates installed since hurricane katrina will drop into place does the approach change whether it's a category 1 or a 5 >> no, no it does not. we have our gates that we close for every single storm >> reporter: f

. >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera we begin with a dangerous wildfires raging across california the el dorado fire has burned more than 7,000 acres in san bernardino county. officials say this fire began saturday morning and was caused by a smoke-generating device used for a gender reveal party temperatures in california climbed to record highs. and authorities say a woman died while hiking in the heat wave. this video shows hikers escaping the fast-moving creek fire they made it to safety, but there were many campers who had to be rescued. nbc's dan scheneman has this report >> reporter: in california fires are burning. residents are fleeing. >> that fire grew so quickly so fast it trapped people at mammoth pools reservoir up in the mountains. >> reporter: the creek fire in central california grew so rapidly it trapped some 200 campers. the national guard airlifted them to safety >> when they became trapped, they were doing what they could to rescue themselves and make themselves safe. some of which resulted in injuries including broken bones, lacerations, scrapes, bruises, tho

"early today" starts right now >>> good friday morning, i'm phillip mena >> i'm frances rivera. president trump hits the campaign trail dogged by revelations by the now bob wordward book. he reflected blame on the author >> reporter: president trump still underfire for telling bob woodward he was minimizing the coronavirus threat >> i still like playing it down because i don't want to create a panic. >> reporter: that he privately warned about >> this is deadly stuff. >> why did you lie to the american people and why should we trust what you say now. >> that's a terrible question in the phraseology. what i said is we have to be calm i put the ban on china so obviously outwardly i said it's a very serious problem and it's always a serious problem that doesn't mean i'm going to jump up and down in the air and start saying people are going to die, no. >> reporter: and now new excerpts on race recorded a month of the police killing of george floyd >> do you have any sense that that privilege has isolated and put you in a cave to a certain extent as it put me and i think lots of whit

tonight right here on nbc we've got your preview "early today" starts right now good morning i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. dangerous wildfires continue to flare up and force evacuations on the west coast. officials confirming at least six deaths in the last 24 hours. a strong winds cause these infernos to spread across multiple states. some of the images look like they're from another planet. these photos were taken during the day in san francisco the sunlight blocked by the smoke and embers more than 14 now firefighters are hard at work in california battling 28 massive fires that have already destroyed a record shattering 2.5 million acres >> washington state is facing de station. one town south of spokane was almost completely marked off the map. >> i remember sitting on my couch praying and crying for australia and praying and crying for paradise and yeah, you don't think it's going to happen to you. >> what did you lose inside? >> everything. >> oregon's governor is warning that this could be if greatest loss of life and property the state has ever seen. jake ward is on the groun

i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. >> the number of coronavirus infections continues to grow as this pandemic rages on there are now over 6 million infections in the u.s. and more than 186,000 covid related deaths >>> the series of international trials found that treating critically ill covid-19 patients with corticosteroids reduces the risk by 20%. >>> actor and former wrestler the rock johnson is the latest celebrity to be infected by the coronavirus. he announced his wife, two young daughters along with himself all tested positive about three weeks ago. this as a man in his 60s has become the first covid-19 death erelated to sturgis in south dakota >> reporter: it's the scene they fear will unfold in the days to come from pool side parties to bars and beaches these are the holiday hot spots often behind a spike in coronavirus cases. after memorial day, 4th of july and a motorcycle rally drawing hundreds of thousands, u.s. health officials sounding th in. please wear your masks >> top doctors warning americans need to take personal responsibility before making plans for labor

i'm phillip mena >> i'm frances rivera. the pandemic is front and center in the race for the white house. last night president trump defended his coronavirus response after joe biden went on the attack in a town hall. and joe biden picking up an endorsement from a member of the coronavirus task force. >> reporter: the biden harris ticket picking up an endorsement from a former aide she's now blasting president trump's leadership >> shfs shocking to see the president saying that the virus was a hoax, seeing that everything is okay when we know that it's not. the truth is, he doesn't actually care about anyone else but himself. >> i have no idea who she is she doesn't know me and it's just another person that leaves. >> reporter: the white house digging in against cdc director robert redfield whcoronavirus ve widely available for most americans until the middle of next year. >> while dr. redfield may have a timeline in mind to my knowledge he hasn't had intimate discussions with those processes. >> reporter: chief of staff ma

i'm frances rivera we dpbegin with breaking news fo california where multiple counties are under a state of emergency. more than 200 people were trapped in the mountains after the creek fire exploded to more than 45,000 acres. you can see the flames circling the group there. the fire department said the campers did what they could to get to safety, which resulted in some broken bones and other injuries the national guard airlifted the group to safety. the "frez nii bee" reports that at least six burn victims were admitted to a medical center >>> there are more than 20 active fires burning across california right now near san bernardino the el dorado fire has spread to more than 7,000 acres since saturday morning. officials now say it was caused by a smoke-generating device that was used during a gender reveal party as hundreds of firefighters work to try to contain the flames, they're also battling record high temperatures, into the triple digits. the state's largest utility is warning it may have to cut power starting tuesday >>> some trump supporters rocked the boat in texas. hundreds

frances rivera, thank you. >>> coming up, if you are dazed and confused, you need to listen to our nextl navigate choppy waters calling most of these market moves right. what does he see now stay tuned to find out dow futures are up eight ♪ we see companies protecting the bottom line by putting people first. we see a bright future, still hungry for the ingenuity of those ready for the next challenge. today, we are translating decades of experience into strategies for the road ahead. we are morgan stanley. ♪ i keep working my way fback to you, babe ♪ ♪ with a happiness that died ♪ i let it get away servicenow. the smarter way to workflow. ♪ ♪ ♪ the big events are back. xfinity is your home for the return of live sports. >>> more pain ahead on wall street and big tech. d.c. dread fears over contested election, dead lock congress, stalemate and giving investors cause for concern. have no fear some under the radar names up 40% this year thursday, september 24 this is "worldwide exchange" here on cnbc >> welcome good morning thank you for joining us here is how stock futures are looking as w

headlines including one of those devastating fires out west and remembering lives lost on 9/11, 2001 frances rivera> good morning, in california the wildfires rage on. officials in bute county have reported seven more deaths at least 20 killed in. in oregon is facing deadly fires and evacuations. >> president trump reflects blame on the reporter who made the recordings he said he didn't lie and he tried to avoid sparking a panic. >>> today, we remember those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attack vice president pence and his wife will visit ground zero as will former vice president joe biden. and in pennsylvania, honoring flight 93. they will pay respects in the afternoon. kamala harris will give remarks in fairfax, virginia a tough day for so many people so important that we remember. >> i don't know if you've been to the 9/11 memorial or if it is open right now i went a few months ago when it was open it is really powerful. >> the chills. still there. >> it literally is chilling. i lost three colleagues and a couple of friends. i'm sure we all did. thank you. >>> nasdaq will honor the lives of a

of the markets and get a check on some other top world and national news headlines with nbc's frances riverae. >> good morning. microsoft recently alerted the campaign advisory firm for joe biden that his suspended targeted by russian state hackers. the source saying, quote, they are well-defended and there has been no breach >> to california, 28 fires are wreaking havoc including the second, third and fourth largest wild fire in the state's history. more than 2.5 million acres have been destroyed three deaths across the states including a grandmother in original oregon and her grandson the mother suffered serious burns and is being treated in icu. >> this day, in 1991, the song released "smells like teen spirit." known as one of the greatest songs of all time. >> i have been a bad parent because i have not instilled "smells like teen spirit" into my children's heads. i have to do that today. >> i think you have to i think there has been one album that obliterated a genre hair metal went from this to zero in about one week after that album came out. "come as you are" best song ever >> we nee

i'm frances rivera in for ste stephanie ruhle.p next. ♪ you can't give them everything they want. but you can find lots of things they'll love at petsmart's labor day sale. get a $10 bonus card with every $50 purchase. petsmart. >>> good morning and welcome, officially to that final sprint to election day 2020. labor day, as you know, marking that traditional turn to the finish line in the general, and you know all attention is on the key battleground states. joe biden will meet with labor leaders in pennsylvania today and this afternoon you've got duelling events in wisconsin. kamala harris in milwaukee, she's making her first solo campaign appearance since being named joe biden's running mate. mike pence, he's going to be just three hours away in lacrosse. and president trump, back at the white house, wants some of the labor day spotlight too. he's just announcing an afternoon news conference as he is set to make his own swing state push this week, still fending off the fallout from reports he made disparaging comments about mil

accepted her invitation to address the french parliament independent journalist look at rivera he wonders however if france is in a good position to mediate. but you michael cannot play these role of mediator there should be somebody to mediate if any who is respect by all parties including mr question sorry to say so mediating is something that you can help do from position where he stands now offering after having taken a strong position in support of the opposition. call mediate anymore so i don't see anything happening on the side of europe in brussels already in paris so probably the situation will remain the same and europe will reduce its complaints and support this is the kind of scale full and her friends in the fray now for the coming years as a government in exiles. not long until the 2 main heavyweight candidates center they ring for the 1st round of the us presidential debates both are vowing not to pull any punches on will be hoping to inflict a knock blow this choose the even kill up and he's been looking now at the contenders. in the year of covidien out with the old and in with the new whe