Early today starts right now. Good morning. Im dara brown. In the war on terror, a new enemy and a new face of evil. He is muhsin al fadhli, he is the boss of khorasan. The terror squad that is small, just under 50 soldiers, but their specialty is so frightening it has the u. S. Worried. Heres Nbcs Richard Engel. Reporter its a crowded battlefield in syria with dozens, perhaps hundreds of extremist groups drawing members from across the world. They fight against the assad regime and against each other. The Khorasan Group is just one of them. Its a Splinter Group of al qaeda which moved to syria to locate and recruit westerners among the thousands of foreign fighters in the country. The Khorasan Group is considered a threat to the u. S. Because american intelligence Officials Say it wants to bring down airplanes with explosives, a traditional al qaeda objective. The groups leader is this man, muhsin al fadhli, age 33, born in kuait. He ran al quaedas cell in iran, reportedly fought in afghanistan and chechnya, and was a top aide to Osama Bin Laden said to be one of the few people to know about 9 11 before the attacks. Now al fadhli and his organization are under attack, so is isis, and there are many more in syria just like them. That was Nbcs Richard Engel reporting. Certainly a lot of moving parts this morning in the war on terror. Lets bring in nbcs jim aceda from london bureau. Jim, i know we have breaking news to talk about, reports of new air strikes in syria. Thats right, dara, according to a syrian Monitoring Agency on the ground, two more waves of air strikes took place, the first near the Syrian Border with iraq near the town of albu kamal. The second near the Turkish Border near kobani. Its been in the news, the heart of a fierce battle as isis tries to gain control of that strategic border area. As many as 150,000 kurdish refugees have reportedly fled the fighting in recent days. It appears the fighter planes that were in that operation were not syrian, which would suggest these were Coalition Strikes on isis. Jim, if we can move on to core san. U. S. Says a threat was imminent. Just how close . They were getting close. But imminent can often mean sooner rather than later. U. S. Officials clearly were concerned about khorasan. Some intelligence sources telling us the group was not likely ready to launch an attack at a specific target, at least not yet. While khorasan may be new to Many Americans including myself, its been watched closely for about two years now. Theres plenty of good intelligence on the group. Consequently, at least 50 khorasan fighters, according to one reliable source were killed in those Cruise Missile strikes with u. S. Officials confirming that this attack on al qaeda was more a target of opportunity running parallel with the on going strikes on isis. Dara . Jim, one more question. Isis, with them under attack, are there any concerns theyll amp up talk of lone wolf attacks here in the west . Yes. Remember isis warned just yesterday that the first wave of air strikes there would be retribution and there is a big fear in the west that isis will now try to carry out orders from its spokesman calling for all isis members to strike, americans, brits, allieds like the arab members of the coalition. Lone wolf attacks are a real danger. Thats why the u. S. Called on Law Enforcement agencies just yesterday to be more vigilant and be prepared for that possibility. Dara . Jim, thank you so much for that update. Jim accede da live from london. Today president obama will take the fight against isis to the United Nations general assembly. It will be a unique stage to make his case for taking on the terror group and expanding air strikes into syria. The president is also expected to press the Security Council for action on limiting the travel of foreign fighters. Nbcs tracie potts joins me from washington, d. C. Tracie, it could be an important day for rallying the world against isis, correct . Reporter exactly. Thats what a white house official tells us president obama plans to do. The theme of his speech in a few hours will be American Leadership backed up by member nations of the u. N. And hell talk not only about isis or isil, but more broadly about extremist ideology and sectarian conflicts around the world that give rise to those types of groups. I will never apologize for doing everything i can to protect the american people. Reporter president obama will urge other countries to join the fight. Thank you very much for everything youve done. Reporter hes thanking the five arab nations that helped with air strikes in syria. In fact, there have been two more since the first round. Lawmakers say air strikes alone are not enough. He should not be ruling out boots on the ground. Ultimately thats going to be required. Reporter this afternoon the president chairs a u. N. Security Council Meeting focused on stopping Foreign Terrorists from crossing borders. Were talking about fighters recruited from our own communities and radicalized sufficiently to go fight in wars that are not their own. Reporter the campaign is also targeting a group called core san. The pentagon said they were ready to attack. These strikes were undertaken to disrupt imminent plotting. Reporter air strikes are just the beginning. Ged ready, folks, were going to be doing this for a long time. I would think of it in terms of years. Reporter they admit isis is well funded and will regroup. The concern, of course, is if they regroup, they can also retaliate. Dara . We will be following those events today. Tracie potts, thanks so much. Learning more about who Police Believe was the last person to see missing student hannah graham. Police say they have enough evidence and has charged him with abduction. Matthew, who was a campus employee, was also a parttime volunteer with the Football Team at a private school near the uva campus. But now that school has informed parents that he, quote, will no longer be working with the football program. Police insist they are still actively searching for the missing 18yearold, last seen by her friends nearly two weeks ago. More help for crews battling one of californias largest wildfires. Its right on time. An additional 2,000 firefighters were brought in yesterday, bringing the total to 7,4006789 fire officials and weather forecasters say todays combination of wind gusts, warm temperatures and low humidity can cause the fire to spread rapidly. It has already consumed nearly 90,000 acres. Firefighters have made progress. The fire is now 35 contained, double the amount from monday. That is good news. Right now nbc meteorologist bill karins huge fire. It hasnt burned too many structures, a few. But the size of the fire, just incredible. The rain is moving to the northwest. Thats good. We have a change in the weather pattern advertised for a while. It is a rainy morning commute for you from the eugene area to portland up to seattle. Thats a solid shield of rain thats moved through. It will turn more showery as we go throughout the afternoon. You can see how that storm system cranked offshore. That front will push onshore. Some of the rain is trying to push into northern california. So thats good. Well take it where we can get it. You can see the expected rainfall prediction. It does show as much as an inch possible there in northern california. We may get some showery weather down around san francisco. But were not expecting a lot of wet weather in the central portion of california. Thursday forecast, the Rainy Weather is was, especially in the morning, seattle, portland, medford, everywhere in between. As far as Southern California goes showery weather this afternoon as the steady rains will be ending. Where the king fire is, were not expecting any rainfall. Actually before the front goes through, some gusty winds. Hopefully the firefighters will keep it under control. Bill karins, thank you for the update. Apple ios 8 users beware of a major scam. Do you recognize this music legend . No way. A major return for ma kas premier luxury car. Youre watching early today. About us and, uh, i just cant fight it anymore its bundle time bundle mm, feel those savings, baby and thats how a home and auto bundle is made. Better he learns it here than on the streets. The miracle of bundling now, thats progressive. This is how it feels to hotwire. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat . Campbells healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ mm. ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. Campbells healthy request. Mm mm good. ® try zyrtecd® to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. So you can breathe easier all day. Zyrtecd®. Find it at the pharmacy counter. Welcome back. A dead body has Clemson University partially suspending all 24 of its fraternities. A sophomore was found dead in a lake on monday. Tucker hipps allegedly went missing during a run with fraternity brothers. The core nor says he died of a fall. No indication yet of phasing. A new look at the toll that years in prison have taken on a music legend. This is phil spector pictured through his murder trial of actress Lana Clarkson in the 2000s. Notice the various wigs. Nearly two years, these are the new photos, slightly more gaunt, this is just last year. He is currently serving 19 years to life. Feckless, incompetent and cure osly pass thif. Thats how nbcs bob costas describes the Baltimore Ravens handling of the ray rice scandal. Nfl players are involved in criminal activity much less than the general population. However, the criminal offense of which they are most frequently guilty is domestic violence, and there the graph moves closer to society overall. And obviously since each of these are generally reported and this one has gone viral in every sense, theres a chance here no matter how badly theyve dragged their feet in the past, no matter how badly theyve bungled in the initial stages and right up to this point, theres a chance that this could be a cultural turning point. And a new fake ad is circulating on twitter. It says you can charge your iphone faster by putting it in the microwave. Its so realistic the lapd tweeted yesterday, this wave capability is a hoax. Dont be fooled into microwaving your iphone 6. As a Public Service announcement, reminder, this could happen if you fall for it. Ouch. Now its time to get down to business. General motors is making cadillac a separate Business Unit and they will move the Luxury Brands headquarters out of detroit and into trendy soho in new york city. The big three soda makers announced they will cut calories by 20 over the next 11 years. Koerks pepsi and dr pepper facing growing pepper to fight obesity. They made the announcement at the clinton global initiative. Police in japan have seized hundreds of pairs of sneakers with voir cameras built into the toes. The purpose of the cameras, to capture upskirt moments for perverts. How would you like to own a woolley mammoth. Its expected to fetch up to 500,000. Just ahead, a penalty shootout for the ages and derek jeters finest moments . Thats coming up just ahead. Car. Yeah, Everybody Knows that. Well, did you know that playing cards with kenny rogers gets old pretty fast . You got to know when to holdem. Know when to fold em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run. You never count your money, when youre sitting at the ta. What . You get it . I get the gist, yeah. Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent more on car insurance. Morning hank. Icks qlearquil what a day, huh . Hey morning hank. For people who dont have allergies every day, just on allergy days. sneeze new qlearquil. The powerfully effective, take it only when you need it, so you can be you again, allergy medicine. Boo haha. All right, see you buddy and introducing qlearquil nighttime, the new allergy medicine for night. Qlearquil, powerful sinus and allergy medicine from the makers of vicks nyquil and dayquil. Turn to roc® retinol correxion®. One week, fine lines appear to fade. One month, deep wrinkles look smoother. After one year, skin looks ageless. High performance skincare™ only from roc®. This morning on today, an exclusive interview with president Obamas National Security advisor, susan rice. Shell give some insight on the current threats the u. S. Is facing. Thats ahead on today. In sports, the fall classic is starting to take shape with another Team Clinching a playoff spot. The pirates rally from behind to beat the braves 32. They clinch a second straight playoff appearance grabbing a wild card spot. Its the bucs 11th win in 13 games. They sure know how to celebrate. To soccer now. An incredible finish between liverpool and middlesboro. The game was tied 22 in extra time. So it came down to penalty kicks. Make that 30 penalty kicks if you are counting. That lasted in a marathon shootout. An amazing 27 penalties were converted before liverpool prevailed 1413 in that league cup. League world series Monet Davis Las earned a place in the hall of fame. Shes donating her jersey, becoming the first girl to win at the Little League world series. From kayaks to steamed crabs, yankees captain derek jeter has been showered with gifts during his tour. The free gifts come with a hefty price tag. The Chicago Tribune estimates the gifts are worth 33,000 in which he could end up owing about 16,000 in state and federal taxes. The 12 million hes made this year alone should cover it. A special contribute reenacting his highlights in legolike form. Its great. Take a look. Deep to left field. Looking up. See ya, 3,000, history with an explanation point. Tipping his hat, yes. Just ahead, say it aint so. Saturday night live turns 40, up next. On his game. Morning double bogie. Hey, three putt. And starting each day with a delicious bowl of heart healthy kelloggs raisin bran. Hows your cereal . Sweet tastes like winning. How would you know what winning tastes like . Dave knows its also a delicious source of fiber and one more step towards a healthy tomorrow. You eat slower than you play. Youre in a hurry to lose, huh . Oh okay invest in your heart health, with kelloggs raisin bran no crying today. How do commercials work . You need a team, working together, doing all kinds of jobs. See these people . Theyre not acting. Theyre real professionals. And we hired them all on the site where more people get jobs than anywhere else. Indeed. The worlds 1 job site. But do you know whats the in your skincare . Neutrogena naturals. A line of naturally derived skincare with carefully chosen, clinically proven ingredients and no harsh chemicals. Healthy skinstarts from within. Neutrogena naturals. Its not every day that you find yourself at the corner of a little flu shot and a world of difference. When you get any immunization at walgreens, youll help provide a lifesaving vaccine to a child in a developing country through the un foundations shot life campaign. Thanks to customers like you, last year we helped supply three million vaccines to children in need. This year, help give even more. Its easy at walgreens. Simply get a shot. And give a shot. At the corner of happy and healthy. Welcome back. Got plans for the day . Lets take you through the forecast. Throughout the day well watch rain continuing and pushing inland into areas of oregon, washington state, northern california. Were still very warm in the Desert Southwest for thursday and friday, vegas and phoenix still feeling very much like summer. We will cool off a little bit in those areas into friday. A new system will bring showery weather into the northwest. As far as the firefighting efforts go, a much more more humidity in the air, a little cooler and a little rain especially in the northwest. Hopefully we can get a lot of those blazes under control and no new ones, too. Its a good news day for wednesday. Well take that, thank you bill. For entertainment news. Miley cyruss home was burglarized in june. The two pleaded guilty to one count of felony residential burglary and doing jail time of one to four years respectively. Live from new york, its saturday night. Snls 40th season premier promos were released, featuring chris pratt and lots of pixels. Hi, im chris pratt, i am hosting the season premier of saturday nightlife, this week with musical guest ariana grande. Your last name is pratt, huh . Isnt pratt a swear word in england . It is, its spelled differently. Okay then. Netflix wants you to spoil yourself by playing their game. Netflix launched a website that will spoil popular shows an movies biggest moments in just 20 seconds. Only enter if you dare. Hbo announced Collin Farrell will costar in true detective vince vaughn starring with him. Vaughn will play a career criminal. On his first day on instagram, leo dicaprio was welcomed by 113,000 followers as the newly appointed messenger of peace, his first Instagram Post was of him and the u. N. Secretary general. Thats a great shot. I dont know about the beard, though. No. Im dara brown. This is early today. We hope its just your first stop of the day on nbc. What im wearing, aniste i tell them aveeno®. Because Beautiful Skin goes with everything. [ female announcer ] aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion has active naturals® oat with five vital nutrients naturally found in healthy skin. Where do i wear aveeno® . Everywhere. Aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion. And try the body wash too. Aveeno®. Naturally beautiful results™. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat . Campbells healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ mm. ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. Campbells healthy request. Mm mm good. ® leading the news in the Chicago Tribune, in pennsylvania heroin easier to get than wine, cheaper than beer. The report says a packet of heroin capable of producing a fivehour high costs 10 or less. Nearly 3,000 pennsylvania residents have died over the past five years because of heroin or other opioid abuse. And an interactive in usa today, are your pipes safe . See gas leaks near you. By entering your zip code you can see statistics on the number of deaths, injuries and incidents caused by gas leaks nearby. Gas explosions have killed 135 people over the last decade. Police in birmingham have identified the former u. P. S. Employee who reportedly killed two supervisors before turning the gun on himself. According to officials, terry joe testny was fired the day before. His pastor says he was troubled by finances. Over 750 infants may have been exposed to tuberculosis, administrators near the hospital where the infected employees works should have done more. She discovered symptoms in july but didnt get tested for more than a month. For the first time in decades, the federal prison population has dropped. According to attorney general eric holder, the number of inmates is down by 4500 last year. He say it is data indicates the trend will continue. Check out this new competition that makes kite boarding, sand surfing and running, a great combo. Challengers in this race were given the task of crossing this lagoonfilled desert in northern brazil, but with no official course, it was up to them to find their way to the other side. This race is as much about finding the right way as a complete physical challenge. The scenery itself is picturesque, let alone you have to have the skills to somehow kite board on the sand. And surf. Not sure how the running goes into that. Any way to get across, right . It looks like its a fun game. I think well be seeing more of it. Now time for a look ahead. The recently closed Atlantic City casino revel is expected to be auctioned off in new york city. One developer offering 90 million in cash for the glass resort that opened in 2012. Revel is one of four Atlantic City casinos to close due to heavy debt and weak gambling revenue. Happy birthday from nia very dal liss, shes 52. Hercules kevin sore bow is 56. Football hall of famer mean joe green is 68. Thanks for watching today. Keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. Im dara brown. Announcer from nbc bay area, this is today in the bay. First check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. Good morning. Good morning. Clouds increasing. A storm system on the way. Thats right. Ten hours away from rainfall here in the bay area. Well talk about that throughout the morning hours. Also an interesting pattern change looks to be taking shape for the bay area. Cool, cloudy days ahead. Well talk more about that coming up. But first, want to get you off to a good start. Halfway there. Heres mike and your drive. All right. Good morning. Halfway there with a song and a dance. Across the golden gate bridge,