"early today" starts right now i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. all eyes are on president biden on the last leg of his trip to the middle east. he had meet with nine heads of state including the saudi crown prince there's no other way to put it this is g, given everything that'sin going on >> reporter: while president biden is facing political land mines on the human rights front as he gets ready to meet with mohammad bined bin salman or mbs khashoggi fiance called the trip a betrayal, asking why are they given a pass, is that the price of oil president biden doubled down defending his human rights record >> i always bring up human rights but my position on khashoggi has been so clear. if anybody doesn't understand it, they haven't been around for a while. >> reporter: he insist his purpose is to promote u.s. interests, including getting the kingdom to ramp up oil production, hoping to bring down vl gas prices here at home. >>> now to former president trump who as announced the passing of his first wife ivana. the former president called her a won

i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow.. >>> if there's only one thing i can tell you is there were multiple systemic failures >> a damming new report detailing fail ure after failur to responding to the shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers at robb elementary in uvalde >>> breaking overnight, terror at a mall near indianapolis. the mass shooting was stopped short by a heroic good samaritan. >>

. >> i'm frances rivera. a scathing new report is out 19 students and two teachers were tragically killed the results of the preliminary investigation released by the texas house of representatives found systemic failures and egregious responses. they failed to prioritize saving the lives of innocent victims over their own safety. surveillance video shows the moment the gunman fired on two classrooms and police retreated. >> the investigative committee noted 376 law enforcement officers arrived on scene there. the city's mayor announced he has placing the acting police chief of uvalde on leave. >> there will be an internal investigation regarding our police department's actions and policies and procedures. the city has placed lieutenant pargas on leave. >> overnight body cam footage from officers on the scene was released this footage here shows inside the school another angle of law enforcement retreating after shots were fired. >> we've got to get in there we've got to get in there. he keeps shooting. >> th

cassidy hutchinson'stestimony, trump's white house counsel has agreed to testifyunder oath >> i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip miena. >> the 21-year-old charged with murdering seven people has confessed to his crimes and revealed he considered carrying out another attack in madison, wisconsin. a newly-released photo shows the powerful weapon inside crimo's car when he was arrested >> the seven victims have been identified one of his daughters says she doesn't know how the family will go on without him. meanwhile, there's been an outpouring of support for the 2-year-old who lost both his parents in the shooting. a gofundme has raised nearly $3 million. jay gray has more from highland park >> reporter: as the memorial grows at the site of the massacre, authorities now say the man responsible, robert crimo iii has confessed to killing seven and wounding more than two dozen at a fourth of july parade. >> he went into details about what he had done he admitted to what he had done. >> reporter: apparently identifying himself in video from the scene, acknowledging dressed like a woman to hide tattoos

i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. ths to swelter with millions of americans at the mercy ofbeable heat e died from heat-associated deaths and while it may feel like the hottest summer ever, the heat wave of 1936 was actually the hottest on record in the country. an estimated 5,000 people died as temperatures hit 121 degrees in north dakota. according to the national oceanic and atmospheric association, there have been 92 instances of record temperatures >> president biden doubled down on his efforts on climate change >> this is an emergency. an emergency and i will i will look at it that way i said last week and i will say it again loud and clear. as president, i'll use my executive powers to combat climate, the climate crisis in the absence of congressional action >> the president authorized more fema spending on climate-resilient infrastructure, expanding energy assistance for low-income families and is looking into the possibility of wind farms in mexico we turn to michelle grossmann, who is tracking these extreme

it's wednesday, july 20th, and "early today" starts right now i'm phillip mena >> i'm frances rivera. the country is states hit recors >> triple digits in several city, making it unbearable >> it feels like i want to die >> it feels like i am on the sun. >> it feels like a sauna but you really didn't want to be in it. >> i definitely drink a lot of water and stay in the shade. and wear sunscreen, because like >> yes >> experts say outdated power grids in texas and across the country are under a real threat. >> the biggest challenge to our grid is that it was built for a climate of the past. and now that grid is aging it's being pounded by floods, high winds, hotter temperatures. >> as if those temperatures weren't bad enough, the dry heat is also sparking fires, forcing hundreds of people to it flee their homes. >>> meanwhile, across the pond, britain is burning the front pages calling it hellfire as temperatures reach a record high. it's blanketing europe as the heat wave is heading toward belgium and germany where they expect temperatures to reach 104 degrees. how long will the heat

"early today" starts right now good morning, i'm frances rivera >> i'm phillip mena. former japanese prime minister shinzo abe has been shot and wounded. he was delivering a speech in nara when shots were heard he was airlifted to a hospital officials say his heart had stopped and he wasn't breathing. a subject is in custody. let's go right to janis mackey frayer good morning what do we know about abe's condition this morning >> reporter: phillip, there is no update on shinzo abe's condition. it remains unclear but he is fighting for his life. doctors are said to be trying everything they can to help him survive. he was airlifted to hospital in a state described as cardio pulmonary arrest after the shooting his brother, who is also a politician says that he's receiving a blood transfusion. to recap what we know. around 11:30 this morning japan time, abe was campaigning. two shots were heard and you can hear them in the video footage by japanese broadcaster enhk abe went down. he was bleeding, hit in the chest area he lost consciousness and was airlifted to hospital. t

i'm phillip mena >> i'm frances rivera. we begin with red hot inflation which surged 9.1 p % in june. costs are skyrocketing for consumers. natural gas is up 40%, and gasoline up nearly 60% analysts are saying that more interest rate hikes from the federal reserve are on the horizon. >> the fed is going to say oh, my goodness. we've got to stop this snow ball from getting bigger and bigger >> the fed could fike hike as ma a full percentage point. >> as pressure builds on president biden to lower gas prices here in the states, he is in jerusalem today meeting with israeli leaders to talk about security he landed in tel aviv, fist bumping with yair lapid but shaking hands with benjamin netanyahu. the president is hoping to strengthen ties with israel. what assurances is he giving them >> frances, good morning the president offering two main assurances he says he's committed to israel's ability to defend itself by itself, and he spent part of yesterday looking at this very advanced israeli missile defense system frances, it us

. >> i'm cori coffin >> i'm frances rivera the justice department is investigating former president trump for criminal actions on january 6. they seized phone records of top aides. trump has not commented on the post's report. lester holt spoke exclusive with merrick garland about the probe. >> the indictment of a former president or perhaps candidate for president would arguably tear the country apart do you have to think about things like that >> we pursue justice without fear or favor. we intend to hold everyone, anyone who is criminally responsible for events surrounding january 6 for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to the other accountable. that's what we do. >> these new revelations come as the former president returns to the nation's capitol for the first time since leaving the white house. brie s >> reporter: good morning, frances. former president trump delivered a fairly dark message about the view about his view of the country, while speaking about law and order to a group of conservative activists he also repeated his false cl

sf >> i'm frances rivera. the white house has been working all week getting ahead of what could be grim numbers that spark fresh recession fears. for the latest, let's get right to brie jackson in d.c what are we expecting to hear this morning >> reporter: good morning, frances, cori. the biden administration won't like it, but gone are the days of nearly 7% growth, like we saw in the fourth quarter of last year according to cnbc, some economists are expecting to see maybe, maybe an incremental amount of growth in this morning's second quarter gdp report, while others are forecasting another decline. if it is the latter, it would mean back to back quarters of negative growth, which has historically signaled a recession. but the strong labor market could prevent an official declaration. on monday, president biden told reporters flat out we're not going to be in a recession but a senior administration official told nbc news that the concern is the fear of one would be a self-fulfilling prophecy causing consumers

santana collapses on stage what caused it "early today" starts right now good wednesday morning i'm frances rivera> and i'm phillip mena. we are learning much more this morning about the seven lives lost in the horrific july 4th attack on highland park. jacki sundheim is remembered for her kindness and warmth as a preschool teacher. nicolas toledo >> and leaving behind a 2-year-old boy left unharmed in the attack a gofundme for the family has raised more than $2 million. >> and katie goldstein was at a parade with her daughter cassidy and saying she spotted the gunman and told her mom to run she's how cassidy described her mom to nbc's lester holt >> she was just a good mom and i got 22 years with her. and i got to have 22 years with the best mom in the world. >> the 21-year-old shooting suspect has been charged with seven counts of first degree murder the state's attorney made it clear that there will be more charges coming >> these are just the first of many charges that will be filed against mr. crimo. i want to emphasize that there will be more charges we anticipate dozens of more charges, cen

today >>> and a warning to boaters to be extra careful after a tragedy in san francisco >>> i'm frances rivera americans are fweerg up for a busy july 4th weekend. aaa is predicting nearly 48 million people will travel for the holiday, close to pre-pandemic numbers and despite high gas prices, car travel could set a record. but there may be some turbulence in the skies delta airlines warning of operational challenges, they're calling it, as pilots hit picket lines across the country the airline is waiving rebooking fees ahead of the travel surge as it continues to face staffing struggles. >> reporter: walking information picket line, off-duty delta pilots in contract talks say they're working excessive overtime as they try to fly without enough pilots. >> working as hard as we can >> reporter: delta, united and american have struggled since memorial day more than 3,000 total cancellations just since sunday morning. >> we don't have a lot of money. we don't have a lot of time. when you do that, there goes your vacation. >> reporter: in an e-mail to customers, delta ceo said this level of uncert

. >> i'm frances rivera. we begin with international intrying between the world's two super powers president biden is planning to meet with xi jinping for the first time since taking office the two leaders agreed on a face-to-face yesterday during a two-hour call, but it also came with a stark warning from china. brie jackson is in d.c. with the latest the president is walking a tightrope here with beijing. >> reporter: a tightrope indeed. this call comes amid new competition between the two world powers president biden and xi jinping spoke about cooperating on issues like climate change and global food security they also spoke about russia's war in ukraine, which beijing has refused to condemn so far. and then there's the biggest point of contention, taiwan. mr. biden told xi that america's position has not changed but china did not mince words after the call the country's minister of foreign affairs saying, quote, those who play with fire will perish by it the latest pressure point is house speaker nancy pe

"early today" starts right now i'm phillip mena >> i'm frances rivera. the january 6 committee wrapped up up its hearing with prime time bombshells the committee gave a minute by minute account of the attack on the capitol and the actions taken and not taken by the former president chris pollone joins us, good morning. what did we learn in these latest hearings? >> reporter: some of the most chilling testimony came from a white house security official whose identity was obscured. this person described calls from the secret service detail protecting former vice president mike pence the agents feared for their lives. >> members were starting to fear for their own lives. there were calls to say good-bye to family members, so on and so forth. for whatever the reason was on the ground, they thought this was about to get very ugly >> reporter: the primary focus of the hearing was a minute by minute account of former president trump's conduct as the violence escalated at the capitol. they used testimony from former white house officials to describe the presiden

. >> i'm frances rivera. >>> breaking this morning, los angeles police on a manhunt after two were killednd five others injured in a shooting the gunfire erupted yesterday afternoon during a car show in pan cedro's pet park authorities say about 500 people were there, including children it began as a fight between two parties. it's not known if this was gang related. police did find some guns from the scene. they believe multiple shooters were involved. >>> since they began friday, california's oak fire has been spreading rapidly. the inferno burning 15,000 acres, claim is at least 10 structures nbc's miguel almaguer has the details. >> reporter: another wave of destruction, the oak fire more than doubling in size, now the state's largest wildfire of the year ravages everything in its path >> the fire has gained exceptional acreage overnight. >> reporter: peak fire season hitting hard in the rural community of mariposa. over 6,000 forced to evacuate, as governor gavin newsom declared a state of emergency. with containment nowhere in sight, the billowing plumes of smoke are visible from ou

. >> i'm frances rivera. >>> a fast-moving fire near yosemite national park that began on friday exploded over the weekend. the oak fire burning more than 15,000 acres in california the blaze is now the largest in the state, and the plumes of smoke so large, they can be seen from the international space station. governor newsom declared a state of emergency and more than 6,000 residents have been forced to evacuate >>> at least ten structures have been destroy asked five others damaged so far nearly 3,000 other buildings are at risk from that fire more than 2,000 firefighters are fighting the flames, but so far the massive fire is 0% contained. >>> in los angeles, two killed and five injured in a shoogt yesterday afternoon. this happened near a car show in san pedro's pet park authorities say there were about 500 people there, including children it began as a fight between two parties. it's not known whether this is gang related police found guns at the scene and believe there may be more than one shooter involved. they are still searching for the suspects. >>> president biden is staying

let's get up to date on the top headlines outside of money and business for that, let's get to frances riveranew york good morning, frances. >> brian, good morning the seventh round of the january 6th hearings kicks off this afternoon. they will layout how the mob was formed the top committee member says the primetime hearing expected thursday is pushed to next week because of the influx of new information. a source familiar with the investigation says a man who pleaded guilty will testify today. steven ayers posted a tweet from trump saying to go to the capitol on the 6th >>> tops market will reopen after being closed for two months on may 14th, the supermarket was the scene of the mass shooting that killed 10 and injured 3 others a moment of silence and prayer will be held for the victims and community members and employees impacted >>> in scotland, tiger woods is warming up to prepare for the open the 15-time major winner hasn't played since pulling out of the pga championship it kicks off thursday on nbc sports >>> we are a few hours away from seeing more secrets of the universe the first

including the likely crushing traffic set to hit this weekend and the brittney griner saga in russia frances rivera is in new york with that. >> good morning, brian brittney griner is set to stand trial today in russia. if convicted, she could face up to 10 years in a russian prison. she was arrested outside moscow at the airport she was holding a cannabis oil in her luggage griner was ordered to remain in custody for the remainder of her trial. secretary of state has been in contact with her wife and is actively trying to bring her home. >>> americans are looking for a fourth of july weekend aaa says airlines have been struggling since memorial day with 3,000 cancellations since just sunday morning. and there will be volatile weather in the southeast leading to more delays. >>> nasa scientists are scratching their heads after a mystery rocket crashed into the moon they misidentified it last year before it made impact back in march. it left behind two craters totaling 90 feet wide. no agencies or governments have claimed responsibility for the object when we say agencies governments within planet e

world of business and money for a moment and get a check on the key headlines this friday morning frances rivera new york with those good morning, frances. >> good morning, brian there are new developments this morning in the january 6th investigation. according to a letter obtained by nbc news, the secret service erased messages from january 6th, 2021 and the previous day the inspector general said the messages were deleted after requested as part of the investigation into the attack on the capitol. the secret service issued a statement the insinuation they were deleted is false. before any inspection was opened, they reset the mobile phones as factory settings. >>> one week after pleading guilty to drug charges, brittney griner was back in the russian court. some teammates appealed as character witnesses. the team's director said she played a big role in the club and russian basketball. >>> the spacex capsule is headed to the international space station. the 25th commercial mission to the iss. the rocket blasted off carrying 6,000 pounds of supplies and equipment. it is expected to dock at the

for that, frances rivera has more good morning. >> good morning am bombshell report by "the washington" the justice department is investigating former president trump's actions in its criminal probe of january 6th two people familiar with the matter told "the post" they're examining mr. trump's conversations and seized phone records of top aides trump has now commented on a "post" report. >>> in just a few hours brittany grinder is expected to testify in a russian court a vape cartridge with less than a gram of cannabis oil was found in her luggage at the airport. she plead guilty but denies charges that it was done intentionally. she faces up to ten years in prison her supporters have stepped up calls for them to do more to free her, fearing she's being used as a political pawn >>> the mega millions jackpot swells past the $1 billion mark. no winners nabbed the $830 million jackpot in last night's drawing. the grand prize stands at $1.2 billion and growing for the next drawing friday night that's the third largest jackpot in mega millions history and the power because is sitting at $1