. >> i'm frances rivera. we begin with the decision from the pennsylvania supreme court that shocked the me too movement bill cosby is released from prison after the reversal of his sexual assault conviction. the court saying prosecutors violated a deal meant to shield crosby from criminal prosecution. >> reporter: francis, so bill cosby is back at home. a man once known as america's dad who became known as a convicted sex offender now has a clean record he's a free man. >> we love you mr. cosby. >> reporter: bill cosby is a free man, his conviction tossed out, his record wiped clean he cannot be retried. he appeared before reporters. >> today reporter: the pennsylv supremt to fundamental fairness and it violated his due process. cosby calling into a radio show. >> this is for all the people who have been imprisoned wrongfully regardless of race, color or creed, because i met them in there. >> reporter: the 83-year-old was serving a 3 to 10 year sentence after a jury found him guilty in 2018 at the time cosby

. >>> good friday morning, i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena.e begin with the latest on america's vaccination efforts against the coronavirus. the nanation is seeing an 11% up tick in hospitalizations and covid-19 cases this surge comes as pharmaceutical company pfizer says it t is developing a covid9 booster shot intended to target the delta variant, which is now dominanant in the u.s. but two of the nation's top health agencies say that may not be necessary in a joint statement the cdc and the fda both said that fully vaccinated people don't need covid boosters nbc's miguel almaguer has more >> reporter: pfizer says a booster shot, a third dose of its current vaccine could offer americans s five to ten times me protection against covid given six months after the second dose, pfizer believes those inoculated would be highly protected against the delta variant, which is now exploding across the u.s the company expects to deliver new data to the fda within weeks. and is also working to develop a delta-specific version of its vaccine. it comes as

good morning, i'm phillip mena >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera we are seeing very troubling evidence this morning that a fourth wave of covid has begun the highly contagious delta variant now accounts for 80% of new cases. the u.s. is averaging 20,000 new cases a day, and deaths are up 50% compared to last week. >> an urgent warning has been issued in st. louis. they're pleading with everyone to return to wearing masks at indoor public places whether you're vaccinated or not covid hospitalizations in southwestern missouri have already started to surpass the surges that that region saw in the winter >> the delta variant first took hold in india, and a new study estimates that the true covid death toll there may be about 4 million. that's ten times higher than the official number. the center for global development in washington, d.c. studied the excess deaths during the first six months of this year >> and a study from boston children's hospital found that covid may have orphaned more than a million children around the world. they defined orphan of losing at least one parent o

i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. >>> one more thing before we go, this is paris last nightbastille day, their equivalent of our independence day those fireworks over the iconic

i'm phillip mena >> and i'm frances rivera. on "today" an exclusive l.a.:30, more fallout from the delta variant. another bay area county changing its stance on masks. >>> will they stay? the fate of the oakland a's will be decided today. what you need to know ahead of the key vote. >>> minutes away from a joy ride in space like no other. we're testing live or taking you live there this morning. this is west texas where a historic space launch is 90s minutes away, on board the richest man in the world. "today in the bay" starts now. >>> you said

i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin with that breaking news police in haiti believe that they have arrested one of the masterminds behind the assassination of their president. a haitian man who was living in florida is being accused of traveling to haiti in a private jet and contacting a private security firm to find people to carry out the attack so that he could replace jovenel moise as president. that suspect was identified as christian emmanuel sanon he is the third person with ties to the u.s. to be arrested in this case. according to haitian officials, 26 colombians were also involved in the assassination 18 have been arrested. three were killed. and five are sill on the run >>> president biden is setting his sights on gun violence today he will meet with the attorney general, law enforcement and elected officials about how to cut down on gun crime nbc's tracie potts joins us with more and trace jie, this is shaping up to be a major issue in the midterms >> reporter: a big political issue but also an issu

i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. that breaking news this morning, police in tucson, arizona are unraveling the details of a shooting spree that left first responders fighting for their lives. >> this is highly tragic, really horrific incident, with many unknowns at this time that's going to involve a lengthy and complex investigation. >> here's what we do know. a man shot two emts who were at a park one of those emts, who's only 20 years old, is in extremely critical condition the gunman then drove to a nearby house fire where he again opened fire. one firefighter was hit in the arm, and a neighbor who was there trying to help was killed. the suspect then rammed into a police car a shootout with that officer ensued, and that left the gunman in critical condition. one person also died in the house fire >>> we are just days away from the start of the 2020 olympics in tokyo but there are already signs of trouble in the world's biggest sports stage as at least three athletes have now tested positive for covid-19 one of t

frances rivera is in new york with those good morning, frances. >> good morning. the company is in jeopardy today. the manhattan district attorney's office and attorney general's office have indictments against the trump organization and allen weiselberg last week, an attorney for the trumps called the impending charges outrageous they were pursued because weiselberg did not cooperate with investigators. >>> and britney spears has a request to remove her father as the conservator over her estate. spears detailed the abuse in the financial grip over her life according to her lawyers, she is afraid of her father and refused to perform as long as he is in charge he has raised concern with jody montgomery, the other conservator who oversaw personal and medical treatment. >>> and yale university said it received a donation so big, it will cover current and future drama students david geffen with $150 million the school also said it will rename the school of drama as the david geffen the school of drama. you think they would throw that in with the $150 million price tag

including a massive weekend in sports that had millions glued to the tvs we have frances rivera in new york with those. good morning, frances. >> good morning, brian we start off with former president trump who is the elephant in the room for republicans. he hasn't committed to a run in 2024, he was the top pick with 70% in the straw poll of the conservative political action conference in dallas ron de santis came in second. >>> the biggest anti-government protest in decades demonstrations all over the island as cubans reach the breaking point they have been enduring an ongoing crisis with the rolling blackouts and lack of food and now covid vaccine shortages. >>> in a national speech, the president pointed the finger at the u.s. claiming trade sanctions created misery >>> djokovic pulled off an historic win tying roger federer and rafael nadal for the most ever for men. if he wins the u.s. open in september, he would be the first to win all four in more than 30 years. >>> it did not come home it went to rome. england with the defeat over italy in the euro cup finals it was a whirlwind

frances rivera, they are atop the n.l. east.when trees fall, apparently, they do make a sound ppinwi thaeng thhe insane lumber year i'm evie's best camper badge. but even i'm not as memorable as eating turkey hill chocolate chip cookie dough creamy premium ice cream and chasing fireflies. don't worry about me. i'm fine. you can't beat turkey hill memories. look...if your wireless carrier was a guy, you'd leave him tomorrow. not very flexible. not great at saving. you deserve better - xfinity mobile. now, they have unlimited for just $30 a month. $30 dollars. and they're number 1 in customer satisfaction. his number? delete it. deleting it. so break free from the big three. xfinity internet customers, take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings or visit an xfinity store to learn how our switch squad makes it easy to switch and save hundreds. >>> will it be a dow 35,000 kind of tuesday stocks punch new records as earnings is set to hit the table. >>> that is with the banks and likely to post huge numbers and likely w

. >>> welcome back let's get a check of the headlines with nbc's frances rivera in new york great to see you >> frank, good morning we start with house speaker nancy pelosi who announced sunday that republican congress member adam kinzinger of illinois will serve on the select committee over the january 6th riot the first hearing is set for tuesday. >>> more than 80 wildfires are burning in 13 states the dixie fire in california has burned close to 200,000 acres and destroyed ten structures more than 5,000 firefighters are battling the blaze. >>> japan is bracing for a tropical storm it is expected to make landfall tomorrow packing heavy rain and winds. up to nearly 40 miles an hour winds. it is unclear if it will hit tokyo. organizers are talking about changing event times rowing cleared the schedule for today and tomorrow frank, at one point, covid was the main concern in watching and throwing a loop in the games now it is the form as well >> degree of difficulty of the olympics is 10 for sure. if it was a medal, every athlete would win right there. frances rivera, thank you. >> su

we have frances rivera in new york with the latest >> frank, good morning we are hours away from theor the bipartisan house select committee to investigate the deadly january 6th insurrection at the u.s. capital. the police officers will first testify as they sought to protect the complex and lawmakers on that day. speaker nancy pelosi has appointed republican congress member adam kinzinger to join liz cheney. >>> as the delta variant fuels a surge in covid case, officials confirm booster shots could be needed for americans 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems and pfizer and moderna are expanding the size of the vaccine studies in children age 5 to 11. this is after the report of heart i nflammation in younger a t adults. >>> and this fire ball across the sky may be part of the p perseid meteor shower expected next month back to you, frank. >>> thatnk you, frances rivera if you miss "worldwide exchange" check us out on apple or spotify or other podcast apps. we will be right back. ble as eag turkey hill chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream with real cocoa. well, th

. >>> good morning i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. >>> hearts are heavy in surfside today after the search and rescue operation sehifted into recovery mission dozens of first responders prayed alongside public officials and faith leaders. the painful decision made after two weeks of digging. >>> miami-dade's mayor, daniella levine cava, hugged grieving families severaling breaking down at the memorial wall. cava said the decision was incredibly difficult. >> nothing we can do can bring back those that were lost but we can and will do everything in our power possible to identify all the victims and offer closure to the families in this time of unimaginable grief >>> rescuers hauled away more than 7 million pounds of concrete and debris. yesterday 18 more victims were found in the rubble, bringing the death toll to 54 haiti where police say four suspects were killed and two others arrested after the assassination of president, jovenel moise. officials reported they also freed three police officers who were held hostages they're blaming mercenaries for the attack that left the pres

i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. breaking news at this hour, another suspect in custody police in texas responded to calls about a man acting strangely and carrying a large gun. the standoff quickly turned deadly after the officers tried to make contact. >> he was very hostile it was only a matter of minutes after that contact that the suspect opened the front door to the residence and began firing on the lvelland police police officers >> a s.w.a.t. officer was killed and three other officers were hurt police used a robot to take the suspect into custody just hours ago. he is also injured >>> rising covid cases are casting a dark cloud over america's summer of recovery the delta variant is fueling new spikes in nearly every state yesterday the biden administration leveled part of the blame on tech companies to crack down on covid misinformation >>> also posing a problem, the breakthrough cases positive covid tests forced the yankees to postpone their game against the yankees yesterday. several players who tested pos

i'm phillip mena >> glad you're with us, i'm frances rivera >>> a shooting spree in tucson, arizona, puts first responders in the fire. two emts shot. they were 20 and 21 years old and one is in extremely critical condition. the subject's next target was a house fire where neighbors were arriving to help. >> one of the firefighters is in fact struck in the arm he is in good condition and one of the neighbors is shot in the head and he is deceased. >> next the gunman rammed into an arriving police car the shootout with the officer left the suspect in critical condition. police say one unknown victim also died in that house fire and there were two or three children in the household who are unaccounted for. law enforcement say this will be a very complex investigation. >>> breaking in the west, wildfires continue to explode out of control 80 large wildfires burning across 13 states new evacuations have been ordered for the bootleg fire in oregon which is the largest in the nation burning nearly 300,000 acres. it's 22% contained meanwhile, the tamarack fire is not contained at all it has

"early today" starts right now >>> good to have you with us i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin with a dire emergency growing in the west. heat waves with record-setting highs and devastating drought conditions are helping to fuel an already very active fire season it's putting lives and homes in immediate danger nbc's miguel almaguer has more >> reporter: these are the apocalyptic conditions firefighters in northern california face. a perfect recipe for disaster fueled by scorching temperatures and extreme drought. the beckwourth complex fire doubled in size saturday, grew by 20,000 acres sunday and forced some to run for their lives. >> i planned on staying, but when you see the firemen running like that, it's probably a good idea to go ahead and leave >> 58 wildfires are burning across the west. the bootleg fire in oregon, the nation's largest is racing fes, not until august or septemg the region >> this is a climate crisis. scientists say this is a clear hallmark of climate change after the hottest june on record, records were hit of 117 degrees. death valley an un

i'm phillip mena >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera thousands of cubans are screaming for freedom in the biggest anti-government protest in decades demonstrations erupted all over the island as cubans reached their breaking point they've been enduring an ongoing xlik crisis and are frustrated with the rolling blackouts, lack of of food and now vaccine shortages. over the weekend the island set a grim record, surpassing 6,000 covid cases in just 24 hours in a nationally televised speech president miguel kanell pointed finger at the u.s. claiming trade sanctions have created economic misery in the communist-run country. and those rallying cries were heard in florida from orlando to tampa to miami, hundreds of cuban americans swarmed the streets in solidarity >>> the pharmaceutical company pfizer is expected to make the case to u.s. officials this week that a third vaccine shot is needed to ward off the contagious delta variant and one country announced plans to do just that. nbc's kathy park has more on the story. >> reporter: hey, phillip. good morning to you. we certainly have com

i'm phillip mena >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera we begin with breaking news. a deadly shooting in tucson, arizona that spans three crime scenes first police say a did notman opened fire on an ambulance near a park two emts were shot they're only 20 and 21 years old. and one of them is in extremely critical condition the suspect's next target was a house fire where first responders and neighbors were arriving to help >> one of the firefighters is in fact struck in the arm he is in good condition. and one of the neighbors is shot in the head and he is deceased >> next the gunman rammed into an arriving police car the shootout with the officer left the spookt" suspect in critical condition police say one unknown victim also died in that house fire and there are children in the household unaccounted for. law enforcement are just starting to dive into what's expected to be a very complex investigation. >>> the nation seems to be backtracking in its progress against covid-19 every state in this country is now seeing an uptick in cases, especially in areas with low v

i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. breaking overnight, call it a new new deal senate democrats are laying out a road map to rethink infrastructure but it wouldn't come cheap last night party leaders unveiled their $3.5 trillion reconciliation plan to bolster the country's social safety net. nbc's tracie potts joins us now with more. tracie, good morning president biden will get a firsthand look at that proposal today. >> right this is going to be a plan that the president takes a look at today at lunch he's headed to capitol hill to talk to democrats and then back to the white house to meet with governors and mayors to try to get their buy-in on infrastructure take a look, this new democratic priority plan unveiled overnight would include expanding medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing coverage it would include more money for clean energy programs and promises not to tax people and businesses who make under $400,000 a year. the pay for, that has been a big concern for republicans on both the traditional bipar

you expect "early today" starts right now >>> glad you could be with us early this morning i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. a fourth wave of covid is wrapping up with alarming speed as the delta variant spreads across the u.s our nation is averaging roughly 1,000 new infections every hour. and about 20% of them are down in florida, where nearly 9,000 cases were reported in just 24 hours. many of the outbreaks are happening in states with vaccination rates of 45% or lower. nbc's gabe gutierrez is tracking the effort to vaccinate. good morning >> reporter: philip, good morning. this is one of the city-run hospitals here in new york that will now require its employees to either be vaccinated or to get a weekly covid test.a handle on the delta variant. as the u.s. sees a thousand new covid infections every hour, a new study suggests that the one shot johnson & johnson vaccine may be less effective against the delta variant, and that the 13 million people who received it may need a booster. the cdc does not recommend that, and the study is facing backlash because it has not been peer revie

. >>> welcome back nbc's frances rivera is in new york with the latest good wednesday morning, francesi, dom president biden is delivering an empassioned plea to protect voting rights. he blasted republican actions as a test of our democracy. he called on republicans in congress to help stand up to prevent undermining the elections saying have you no shame? >>> the federal law banning handgun sales violates the second amendment the fourth circuit court of appeals voted 2-1 to declare it invalid. the law was signed by president lyndon johnson in the united states it allows them to buy rifles and shotguns the ruling applies in only five states, virginia, maryland, west virginia, north and south carolina the decision is likely to be appealed and could eventually reach the supreme court. >>> this one is just shocking. you've got to watch it watch this golfer in san antonio texas. he hit that shot when lightning struck the ball in midair. the ball jolted him all the way back the video slow down here, you can see the moment the lightning bolt hets the ball no one was injured but, hey, they h

nbc's frances rivera is in new york with that and more. >> good morning, brian we are starting to finder cut off from the world for several days, the cuban government restored internet to the island here is what they didn't want us to see raids, assaults, police breaking into homes, drags residents out, just for protesting and people being beaten in the street the washington post reporting 200 protesters arrested. >>> and a victory for britney spears she scored a win over her father's conservatorship they will be able to choose her own attorney >>> and the nba finals are all tied up. the bucks beat the suns. chris paul put up 40 points, including ten straight down the stretch. 109-103, brian >> yeah. i don't know about you, frances, i said up and watched the entire game which is why i look the way i do go bucks >> as long as it keeps going on. you have your late nights coming up >> i know. milwaukee's been in the finals once you have to root for laverne & shirley. see you soon take care. >>> on deck, fighting cyber crime. the new steps the white house may take to go after ransomware at