bp prepares a permanent plug for the ruptured oil well in the gulf. spring forth. lindsay lohan prepares for freedom after serving just a small fraction of her jail sentence. and picture perfect. a look at the first photos from chelsea clinton's fairy tale a look at the first photos from chelsea clinton's fairy tale wedding. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with fresh hopes

along the gulf coast. fingers are crossed along the gulf coast that bp engineers will finally be able to begin the process of plugging up the blown out oil we go for good with a process known as the static kill. for more we go to kristen dahlgren in venice, louisiana. good morning to you, kristen. >> reporter: good morning. one official called this a lethal injection. static kill, of course, was pushed back because of tropical storm bonnie and then delayed another day because of debris in the relief well. we may now be less than 24 hours away from what some are calling the beginning of the end. out at the well overnight, last minute preparations that could by tonight have hundreds of barrels of mud flowing into and filling the leaking well. >> the sequence of events that has to be followed before they can actually start pumping mud into the capping stack itself. >> reporter: mud will pour in from the top, the so-called static kill, followed by a bottom kill through the relief well in about a week. in louisiana's bayous this weekend, there were signs of a new beginning.

>> i would eat their food. the seafood out of the gulf here. and i would feed to my family. >> reporter: but for those who live here, the spill is still a dark stain on everything and their biggest fear now, being forgotten as work moves forward on the permanent kill. >> there's all this millions of gallons of oil that are in there hiding below the surface. you fly around, it might not look so bad, but i guarantee you, in the next couple years, we've got serious work to do. >> reporter: work they are now bracing for, even as they pray. >> asking god's protection on our water ways, as well, for the restoration, for the cleanup efforts, and for the safety of the men and women who are working. >> reporter: that this could really be the week that brings the them one huge step closer to the end. meantime there's also been some controversy over the dispersant that's been used and just how much the coast guard allowed bp to use.

in vulgs -- violation to what they were asking for. ed markey called it carpet bombing the gulf. thad allen responded by saying the coast guard did not ignore environmental guidelines but said it was done on a case-by-case basis. >> kristen dahlgren live for us this morning. thank you so much. tensions between israelis and palestinians build over this morning in gaza leaving at least 32 injured. a huge blast leveled a house of hamas commander in southern gaza and palestinian security officials are blaming israeli air strike. but israel's military is denying involvement saying there was no israeli activity in the area. the violence comes shortly after the arab league offered mahmoud abbas to enter into direct peace talks with israel. lindsay lohan was scheduled to be released from jail early this morning after serving a reduced sentence for violating the terms of her probation for two dui incidents in 2007. the 24-year-old actress managed

to slip out of the correctional facility undetected by the media after serving less than two weeks of a 90-day sentence thanks to overcrowding. the judge ruled last week that the hollywood wild child would report directly to morning side rehab facility in los angeles after her release. however, radar online is reporting lohan has been redirected to a treatment facility in west l.a. over security concerns about the orange county recovery center. no official word on what the troubled actress is being treated for, but her attorney is denying reports by tmz that lohan is addicted to methamphetamines. here is a look at other stories making news early today in america. in texas, a second floor balcony gave way early sunday morning sending 30 partygoers to the ground. at least 23 people were injured and five of those remain hospitalized. city officials are investigating whether proper safety procedures when the 400 foot

structure was built just one week ago. in chicago in the wee hours of the morning, fitness fans and friends of the american cancer society got their sunday off to a running start. i guess you could call it. some 25,000 participants crowded the windy city streets for the rock and roll half marathon. humidity made for less than perfect racing weather, but nbc's own al roker managed a calm cool finish despite those sticky conditions. congratulations, al. and in rhode island, one lucky fisherman pulled a rare find out of the water. a yellow lobster. experts say a golden colored crustacean only occurs in about one in 30 million lobsters. and bathers at one new jersey beach had some excitement to start out their weekend. home video shows this 5-foot sand shark snap and thrash on the sand after swimming all the way onto the shore. take a look at this video. he gave onlookers quite a show, i would say. the beach was closed temporarily until the feisty fish made its way back into the ocean.

and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning to you, bill. >> i've never seen anything like that before. that was crazy. >> did you see that video? did you see how close he got to the shark? >> he beached himself. like he wanted something from the ice cream man in the parking lot. i'm crossing that beach off my list. let's talk about yesterday. it's been an interesting dynamic this summer. the west coast, the story has been on the coast, how cool the summer has been. in the middle of the country, the story is how hot it has been. yesterday all the heat around dallas. look around san francisco and l.a. temperatures once again upper 60s to low 70s. some areas just got done with their coolest july ever. it does include areas around san diego. yesterday, 92 in valley there at sacramento, 91 in medford. there was some decent air. but seattle was only 69. we're talking sweater weather here as we're going through the middle of summer. today is not much different.

the flow continues to come down from the north." it's just a cool flow off the coast of british columbia. low clouds will linger, too. mild inland, cool on the coast. also, it was a very cool day yesterday in arizona because of the clouds and monsoonal moisture around. that continues today. call it 96 in phoenix. some showers this morning around flagstaff. in medford 92. the coastal area is you're still mild. 96 in fallon, nevada, 90 in sacramento and tucson about 96. hopefully we can warm it up for your tuesday on the forecast. that's coming up. what twitter can tell us

about the mood. early morning headlines ahead. can anyone stop leonardo at the box office. ryan howard feels the pain, deja vu for diamondbacks and laroche and stuart apple bes go mlf's aagic number. you're watching "early today." >> good morning, and welcome lf

back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. in pakistan, more than 1100 have people have been killed in devastating flooding across the country and now water did that born diseases are threatening survivors. the u.s. government has pledged $10 million in emergency aid. the netherlands have become the first nato country to end its combat mission in afghanistan, while the departure of the nearly 1900 dutch troops is not expected to have a major impact. it comes at a critical time. violence is on the rise helping to make july the deadliest month of the war for u.s. forces. nasa is planning a pair of

space walks at the international space station after its cooling system shut down this weekend. astronauts were forced to power down equipment after alarms went off throughout the outpost. officials say the six occupants were in no danger. and a new son-in-law has been welcomed into the clinton family. this weekend, amid high security, chelsea clinton married her long time boyfriend in upstate new york. in a statement, former president bill clinton and secretary of state hillary clinton said, quote, we could not have asked for a more perfect day. how sweet. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,465 after losing 1 point on friday. the s&p went up a fraction and the nasdaq gained three points. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, the nikkei added 33, while in hong kong, the hang seng jumped 382 points. a lot on tap in the business world this week. but the biggest hint about the

health of the economy and the recovery won't come until friday. several consumer staples took it on the chin last week and we'll get a feel for the strength or lack of it in consumer spending when companies like procter & gamble and clorox report earnings this week. starting off important data, today's manufacturing report expected to show a growth for the 12th straight month, but the big data everyone will be watching will be friday's unemployment numbers which looms large since job growth is considered the biggest hurdle for the recovery and stocks advancing. elsewhere, reports in germany say bp is seeking to sell its german gas station chain for around $2.5 billion to help cover gulf oil spill costs. and keep an eye on coke. bar ron's business weekly reported shares of coca-cola could rise 10% or more in the next year after the company pinpointed north america as a growth market. more than a million blackberry users may have key services in saudi arabia and united arab emirates cut off

as authorities pressure research in motion for access to encrypted messages sent over the device. and for some roughly 100 million users around the world, twitter was out of commission for a couple of hours early sunday for planned maintenance. just how important has twitter become for some? using millions of tweets between the site researchers at northern university has created a national twitter mood map. they found people happiest in both the morning and the evening, happiness peaks on sunday morning and dips thursday night. californians and southerners appear to be the most content. well, a diamondback power display, as low a round as you can play in golf, and the president enjoys lady's hoops. plus the newest bronx bomber breaks in his pinstripes. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. a heat wave will grip much of the country this week and also something should be forming in the tropics. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning to you. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, yesterday the tampa rays denied rodriguez his 600th homer and pulled within one game of the new york yankees in the american league east. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. as we head into august, the race in the al east is starting to heat up, just one game separates

the first place yankees and tampa bay rays. lance berkman made his yankee debut at first in the second inning. a bloop to berkman, tried to make the play. came up empty. fell right on his wallet. that scored a run and the rays were up 1-0. alex rodriguez remained stuck on a 599 homers, came into pinch hit and struck out looking. the rays won it 3-0. tied at three in the ninth, laying down the bunt, rinehart picked it up. in came the winning run. tigers threw it away. red sox won it 4-3. this is not what you want to see if you're a phillies fan. ryan howard rolled his anklel sliding into the second with the nationals. left the game with a severe strain. x-rays were negative. tied at 4 in the 11th, phillies lost their slugger, but won the game. 6-4. now new york, diamondbacks manager kurt gibson told laroche that he was due. and he was right. laroche hit a three-run homer in

the fourth, then in the fifth, again, a three-run homer to the right. diamondbacks won 14-1. stuart appleby shot a 59, winning the greenbriar classic. just the fifth to shoot a 59 at a pga event. and finally president obama is a big sports fan. what better thing to do on a sunday afternoon than catch a game with his daughter. the president sat courtside with his daughter sasha. looking over, hey, mr. president, give me five. that's not the hustle. that's the signal for traveling. of course obama is no stranger to the hardwood. i think these wnba players could probably take him. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. where did they finish at the box office? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus a high school tennis player who hasn't let his physical handicap hold him back one bit. you're watching "early today."

welcome back this monday morning. today is a warm day if you're away from the owing. that's been the bottom line all summer long. salt lake city in the 90s, boise the 90s, much of oregon in the 90s, including medford. vegas a little warm, not as bad as it's been. phoenix had a cool day yesterday with the clouds still only in the 90s today. say only. 82 in vegas. look, if you're right on the

water there, right from san francisco down, we're continuing to be cool. as far as what we're dealing with today and tomorrow, it's similar in all areas. if you're watching in colorado springs, colorado, sign up for animal encounters. where you can see the elephant and meet hippos and bears at the cheyenne mountain zoo. that's your pacific event of the day. >> good day there for the zoo? >> should be good. >> got to do something about 102 in vegas. my mom doesn't like it. >> they just had their hottest july ever. >> do some about that, bill. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. when it comes to the box office, as the old hollywood saying goes, leo has legs. leonardo dicaprio's "inception" remained number one for the third straight weekend taking in another $27.5 million to bring its total just south of $200 million bucks. a respectable debut for "dinner for schmucks" starring

steve carell and paul rudd. it finished second, with just over 23 million which was in line with expectation, but down from the $25 million start for carell's previous live action movie "date night." as for other debuts, "cats and dogs" opened fifth with just $12.5 million. and "charlie st. cloud" opened sixth with just over $12 million playing almost exclusively to efron's core audience of women. finally, lindsay lohan was release freddie jail this morning. she left the facility at linwood at approximately 1:30 local time. according to officials, she headed directly to a rehab facility. bill karins, the world is waiting with bated breath, did you make it off your couch? >> i did but i didn't see good

movies like you did. >> i went to see "dinner with schumcks." it was great entertainment. i can't say i highly recommend it. i'm such a fan of steve carell, such a fan of paul rudd, i'll go see them in anything. >> my instinct was right not to see it. >> i actually enjoyed it. this comes from wnbc 4 where a nearby youngster is putting his own spin on what it means to be disabled. 17-year-old gene hill was born without a right arm, but when it comes to the tennis court, don't feel sorry for him, feel sorry for his opponents. thanks to years of hard work, the high school phenom won all but two sets during last year's season. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today," just your first stop today on your nbc station.

one man in india took the high road when it came to raising awareness of environmental issues. a professional climber successfully scaled a 17-story building to convey a national message about water conservation and planting trees in india. the climber stopped at every story of the skyscraper to give a small plant to people to promote greenery. very nice. jordan's biggest party allows mideasterners a sample. after organizers reports conservative tribes to relocate from its original venue. next year the techno music party will be moved to either egypt or dubai. and in england, it was a

race for all the ages. ladies and gentlemen, start your lawnmowers. england's annual lawnmower race started as a 12 hour marathon back in 1978. but this year, it's been scaled back to four hours due to the tough economic times. none of that mattered to the team experiencing the thrill of victory at the finish line. bill, what do you think about that? that may be something to actually do to your neighbors. like against your neighbors while you're mowing your lawn. >> i think boys and their toys pretty much sums it up. >> looks fun, though. >> i'd do it. >> i would, too. thanks, bill. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. jury questioning begins in the trial of anna nicole smith's doctors and her lawyer. while they're not charged with causing her overdosed death, they're accused of illegally providing her with opiates and sedatives. charlie sheen is due in a colorado courtroom on charges stemming from a christmas day dispute with his wife. last month's hearing was

postponed giving more time to negotiate a plea bargain that would have required him to serve 30 days in jail. and today marks the 20th anniversary of iraq's invasion of kuwait. in 1990, saddam hussein's forces moved into the country, which led to the first gulf war. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. with just three months until the midterm elections, msnbc's joe scarborough weighs in on how president obama will affect democrats at the polls. and full fashion details from chelsea clinton's elaborate wedding you won't want to miss. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you so much for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com