the days' long deluge comes to an end. texas continues to recover after deadly flooding swept the state. the latest on the damage, as well as where the severe threat is heading next. breaking overnight, a new

warning from israel urging thousands to evacuate from a major city in gaza. what this could mean for the ongoing ceasefire negotiations. imagine riding into the danger zone without a pilot. the air force is harnessing cutting edge technology to forever change how it patrols the sky. what it could mean for the future of the armed forces. magic in cleveland. the first round of the nba play-offs officially comes to an end, with the cavs pulling off an historic comeback. we have all the hard wood action just ahead. and graduate gratitude. how first generation college students are paying back the people who helped get them there before one of the most important days of their lives. it's monday, may 6th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm frances rivera. catastrophic flooding continues to plague the houston and dallas areas of texas after days of relentless rainfall.

a boy died sunday after the car he was traveling in was swept away by floodwaters. this body cam video shows houston police rescuing a man and three dogs after being trapped in at least eight feet of water in a flooded trailer park. in dallas, passengers were struggling to escape rushing water on a roadway. since friday, hundreds of people and pets have been rescued across the state. and this river nearly swallowing an elevated roadway, and an explosion of electricity along power lines is likely caused by the wet weather. and for those in the flood zone, the threat isn't over yet. major river flooding is expected to last for the next few days. this is more dangerous weather is taking aim at the region today. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking it all for us. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, francis. this is a monday you need to stay alert. softball sized hail and long stracking tornadoes that could happen in the evening nighttime

hours. you can see a lot is going on. we have some thund and lightning in portions of the tennessee valley. back to the west we have cooler air working in. that's going bring mountain snow in some spots. this is the big weather story today. 15 million people looking at the threat for severe weather. again, really large hail. especially where you see the red area into the orange. so kansas city, wichita, oklahoma city, down to wichita falls. this threat extends from texas all the way to the dakotas. winds gusting over 80 miles per hour. that's hurricane-force winds. that will bring down some tree, some power lines, causing some power outages. we also have heavy rain working in as we go throughout the day here. that's going bring the chance for flooding and flash flooding. we're going see continued concerns for the texas rivers. but in terms of the flash flood risk, a slight risk to kansas city back to miles city near rapid city as well. this is why. we're looking at the chance for heavy rain with any of these storms. could see 2 to 3 inches in some spots, especially where you see the darker areas, where you see the darker reds and oranges. this is why we have an area of

low pressure, a strong storm system moving throughout portions of the plains. that's going bring the storms. and you need to have your tornado plan in place. we'll talk more about this. also look at the week ahead in a few minutes. >> that region gets a break. okay, michelle, thank you. there are more police crackdowns on college campuses this weekend. the lapd clearing out a long-running protest at usc. university officials say they called in police about 12 hours after warning the encampment was a violation of policies and the law, and that protesters could face arrests. this is happening as campus protests against the war in gaza spread to the graduation ceremonies themselves. in ann arbor saturday, nearly 75 protesters interrupted the beginning of commencement at the university of michigan. usc has canceled their main graduation ceremony, while others have increased their security measures. breaking overnight, israel is warning thousands of civilians to begin evacuating from the city of rafa in the southern gaza strip ahead of an

imminent invasion. nbc news can report that cia director burns is heading to israel this morning in a last-ditch effort to salvage truce talks between israel and hamas. our meagan fitzgerald has the latest from the region. >> reporter: another massive blow to the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in gaza. israel shutting down the kerem shalom crossing after they say hamas fired rockets towards the border. hamas says they targeted idf headquarters. the closure a significant setback. in an exclusive interview on "meet the press" this morning, the head of the world food program saying parts of the enclave already gripped by famine. >> so what i can explain to you is that there is famine, full-blown famine in the north. and it's moving its way south. >> reporter: this as the latest round of negotiations on the ceasefire ended, hamas calling for an end to the war, a complete withdrawal of idf troops, and for people to be able to return to their communities.

prime minister benjamin netanyahu this morning doubling down, saying ending the war in gaza would keep hamas in power. and a source with knowledge of the party told nbc news cia director william burns is in doha and will travel to israel this week. meanwhile, the israel cabinet voting to shut down broadcast company al jazeera from operating in the counrty. al jazeera releasing a statement saying in part, we will make sure we report both sides, despite the fact that we have lost the coverage from inside israel. meagan fitzgerald, nbc news. a driver has died after crashing into a security barrier at the white house. police are investigating saturday night's incident as a traffic crash. president biden was spending the weekend in delaware, and the secret service said there was no threat to the white house. former president trump is back in court again today, kicking off week four of the high profile proceedings. mr. trump is charged with falsifying business records.

prosecutors allege he paid hush money to porn star stormy daniels to cover up an affair in the final sprint to 2016 presidential campaign. last week, he was fined $9,000 for contempt of court after repeatedly attacking jurors and witnesses in public statements. and on friday, we heard testimony from one of mr. trump's closest aides. hope hicks talked about the chaos that followed the release of the infamous "access hollywood" tape. three bodies found in mexico have been identified as the three surfers who went missing last week. according to authorities, they were killed in an apparent carjacking. family members confirm they are jake and callum robertson from australia and jack carter rhoad, a u.s. citizen. their remains were found in a remote well that was about 50 feet deep. a fourth body was also discovered and may be part of an unrelated case. marissa parra has the details.

>> reporter: new details on what mexican officials are calming a robbery again out of hand. just over a week after three tourists vanished on a surfing trip to mexico. a local attorney general saying the three bodies discovered in a water well 50 feet deep are likely that of jack carter rhoad, callum robinson, and his brother jake, saying this appears to be an attempted carjacking gone wrong, and there were signs the men tried to fight back and met a violent end. the medical examiner's office in ensenada saying the cause of death for the bodies found, gunshot wounds to the head. mexican investigators seen combing through evidence, finding blood, bullet casings, and drag marks near the men's campground and a white pickup truck badly burned. police have arrested at least three people, including a woman who was found with what appears to be a cell phone belonging to one of the men, but police believe there may be others who were also involved. >> it's tragic. very tragic. >> james knew callum robinson. >> callum was a good guy. a surfer. i knew he played rugby, and he is from australia. >> reporter: callum and his brother jake, both from australia, loved to surf, bringing their friend american jack carter rhoad to ensenada, a known surfer haven within the mexican state of baja california.

marissa parra, nbc news. police in harford county, maryland are investigating a fatal party bus crash on i-95. one person was killed and a total of 23 injured, several of them seriously. the investigation is ongoing, but authority says the driver apparently lost control and hit a guardrail. some good news for thousands of commuters in the northeast. i-95 is back open this morning. the highway reopened ahead of schedule, just days after this fiery crash in connecticut closed the road. crews worked throughout the weekend to demolish a bridge in norfolk that was damaged by the fire. i was sparked after a car hit a fuel truck on thursday. i-95 is one of the country's busiest highways. and some good news before you fuel up for the workweek. for the first time this year, gas prices are dropping, down about 2 cents nationwide. that's according to a trilby-bund lundeberg survey. the average price down to $3.75

a gallon. expert ace lower crude prices and weaker demand due to inflation are what is driving down the costs. let's check back in with administration measure who has the forecast for the week ahead. >> hi, frances. it's going to be another busy week because we're looking at a lot today and tuesday and wednesday also have the threat for severe weather. we're look at the potential for severe weather outbreak throughout the plains. that threat exists from texas all the way to the dakotas. could see really large hail. the hans for long tracking tornadoes, damaging winds. back behind it, we have cooler air working into the pacific northwest, an area of low pressure that will bring some rain. also spring-snow could, be heavy wet snow throughout portions of the cascades. further to the east, we're also unsettled throughout the ohio valley, into the midatlantic, parts of the northeast as well. then as we near wednesday, we're looking at that severe threat, into the ohio valley. rain falling throughout the great lakes as well. record highs in the south along the gulf coast. into the 90s for some of us in texas. all the way along the gulf coast

of the southeast. the snow continues in the intermountain west. could be heavy at times. looking at the chance fosome rainr i . also portions of the gulf coast into the southeast. we're look at 84 degrees in sleeve port. and that's your monday forecast. >> okay, michelle, thank you. >> sure. out west, a zebra's daring escape has come to an end. the last of four zebras was finally captured yesterday. sug was on the run for a week. animal control officers earned their stripes after corralling the zebra about three miles east of seattle. they said sug seemed to be in good condition despite her six-day adventure through the woods. tonight, the magic is gone

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it. >> up until now, there has not been a pathway for machine running agents to control the flight critical systems of an aircraft. >> reporter: on thursday, the air force secretary made an unannounced trip to edwards air force base, suiting up and going for a ride in a mock dogfight, flying nearly the speed of sound separated by one thousand feet from the unmanned fighter jet. he says the technology doesn't always work. >> making good progress. >> some pilots aren't sure. >> the artificial intelligence is robot. they're so new, and we don't fully understand how they work. >> so you don't trust the aircraft to be flown by ai at this point? >> no, not really. >> reporter: like drones, they could fly ahead of manned aircraft during combat, conducting strikes too dangerous for human pilots. but unlike drones, the computer will be in charge, not an operator thousands of miles away. and even though humans will still be involved in making key

decisions, this raises serious questions. is that a possibility, really, this kind of technology going rogue? >> i think it's too early to say it is or it isn't. >> do you ever see a point of fully autonomous weapons? so u.s. air force aircraft that are fully autonomous weapons? >> we're not going unleash killer robots on the battlefield that can do anything they want. that's not going to happen. we're going toe make sure we comply with the laws of war. >> reporter: kendall says the future is not far away. ai could be in cockpits in a few years. computers flying missions once considered too complicated for anything but the human mind, son changing the face of combat aviation. courtney kube, nbc news, edwards air force base. new york city is suspending body cameras for its correction officers after a device caught fire on friday. a captain at rikers island suffered burns and smoke inhalation and had to be rushed to the hospital. the manufacturer did not reply

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here's mitchell against suggs. gets to the paint, foul, tie game and a free throw is coming up. donovan mitchell taking over here in the third. >> the cleveland cavaliers found some much needed magic on sunday, and we're not talking about the team they were facing on the court. the cavs trailed by 18 points earlier in their decisive game seven matchup with the orlando magic. powered by a 39-point game from sir donovan mitchell, cleveland fought back to end the magic's season. it completed the biggest game seven comeback in over 25 years. the battle-tested cavs clinched

their first play-off series since 2018, and they move on the face the top seeded celtics in the semifinals. so a sweeter victory for the cavs. the first series they've won since lebron was with them. >> can they beat the celtics? probably not. >> we'll see about that. and also tonight the pacers and the knicks. >> awesome. to a thrilling finish on the racetrack in south florida. formula 1's miami grand prix came down to a two-way race on sunday between mclaren's lando norris and max verstappen. verstappen, one of the biggest names in the sport held the lead right out of the gates, but norris was able to take advantage verstappen falling behind a safety car in the back of the race and didn't give up the lead after that. after competing in 100 races without a win, he earned his long-awaited victory and verstappen the runner-up spot. leclerc came in third. >> a lot to watch. the derby on saturday. all kinds of good auction

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>> brenda bernese gonzalez rosario. >> reporter: the walk across the stage is usually the emotional moment for graduates, but for brenda gonzalez, it was this walk that meant the most. >> yeah! that's her, days before graduating, surprising her mother, ana lucia, in her break room at her job at a meat factory. and putting that symbol of hard work and accomplishment, the cap and gown, on her. >> and i'm like, you did it, mom! we did it! she made my dreams come true. she paid my college. >> oh, my god. >> a heartfelt thank you to the single mom of five from mexico who worked three jobs to keep the family afloat. >> she deserved it more than i do. >> reporter: so many first generation college grads delivering the same powerful message to their parents.

we did this together. that's ivan hernandez graduating from graceland university, when he put the cap on his dad, who was overwhelmed with emotion. at azusa pacific university in california -- >> lizzette flores. >> reporter: you see the parents of lizzette flores when she walked across the stage. she's the first in her family to graduate college. >> do you think you could have done it without your parents' support? >> i definitely don't think so. >> when she had her official grad photos taken, she knew what she had to do. >> i definitely felt like i needed to include my parents, because they were such a big part of my educational journey. >> reporter: this graduation season, now a season of gratitude for students like celeste zamora. >> it wasn't just me who graduated. my parents also graduated with me. >> we did it, we did it! >> remember brenda and her mother? that's them after graduation, celebrating what they both

accomplished. >> because of her believing in me and her sacrificing a lot of stuff, to make sure my dreams come true, it's like her dreams came true. >> the places they'll go from here. our thanks to hallie for that. coming up on the "today" show, jenna bush hager sits down for an exclusive interview with the one and only anna wintour. the fashion legend will have a preview of tonight's met gala, and how she and a curator came up with a theme for this year's big event. thanks

devastation in the lone star state. torrential rains sweep across texas, unleashing flooding from dallas to houston. at least one person dead in the storms while hundreds more had to be rescued. and more severat