today," political firestorm. controversy over a planned mosque near ground zero trails the president. what went wrong? investigators look into a deadly crash at an offroad race in california. and stuck in a jam. help arrives for a curious bear and stuck in a jam. help arrives for a curious bear cub in florida. 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 battleground zero. president obama's controversial comments about a proposed

islamic mosque near the site of the former twin towers lit a political firestorm over the weekend that doesn't appear to be dying down any time soon. kristen dahlgren is live for us this morning in washington, d.c. with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. yeah, the president first took up the issue on friday night. by the sunday morning talk shows, that controversy was taking center stage. far from the world trade center site on his trip to the gulf, president obama could not get away from comments over a controversial mosque. >> muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. that includes the right to build a place of worship in a community center on private property. >> reporter: by saturday, he clarified saying he wasn't commenting on the wisdom of putting a mosque there, just the american right to religious freedom. >> washington, the white house, the administration, the president himself, seems to be disconnected from the mainstream of america. >> reporter: the proposed $100 million project is two blocks

from the site of the world trade center, would include a community center, mosque and memorial to the 9/11 victims and was unanimously approved by the city commission. >> it is only insensitive if you regard islam as the culprit as opposed to al qaeda. >> these people's wounds are being torn apart now. they are heartbroken over this. and that's what i think the imam and muslim leadership should take into account. and i do think as officials we have the right to speak out. >> reporter: the controversial project now also the center of political debate. >> it's still unclear how heavily this will weigh on voters as we head into the new elections. a new poll shows 70% of americans across both political parties are opposed to the mosque project. veronica. >> very interesting. live in washington, kristin dahlgren. thank you so much. police say there are no plans to arrest the driver behind the wheel of a deadly truck crash in an offroad race in california's mojave desert. a memorial has been set up at

the site where eight people were killed after a vehicle lost control and slammed into spectators. a dozen others were hurt. the driver was not among the injured. it is not clear why he lost control of the truck, but authorities say alcohol was not a factor. off the louisiana gulf coast, the fall shrimp season opens this morning, but in the wake of the gulf oil disaster, getting back on the water is only the first step. some shrimpers going back to work today are lowering their net for the first time since bp's well exploded four months ago. while many of these lifelong fishermen are anxious for their first catch, a sea of uncertainty surround the once booming industry, including low prices and lingering doubts about the presence of oil. and now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in california, deputies and concerned citizens managed to corral a zebra that was on the loose after it got hit by a car. a second zebra was caught after it was found at an apartment complex swimming pool. the two zebras had escaped their owner's home where they were

being kept as pets. the owner said neither animal was seriously injured. in florida, a black bear cub now known as jarhead is lucky to be alive after it got its head stuck in a plastic jar. ten days and several attempts later, officials finally caught you up with the elusive cub to remove that jar. thousands of fans are flocking to graceland to pay homage to the king of rock and roll on the anniversary of his death. elvis presley fans led a candlelight procession from the gates of graceland to his gravesite capping off a week long series of events. elvis presley died on this day in 1977. and one california woman is trying to break the world record for the most weight deadlifted in one hour for a second time. the 5-foot 100 pound powerhouse had already set the record, but it has since been broken. now the nutritional scientist is hoping her newly developed drug and diet will put her over the 90,000 pound mark. and now for a look at your

national and regional weather forecast, here's bill karins with that weather channel forecast. bill, i say you put your hat in the ring for that. >> i can honestly say i spent some time at the gym when i was younger and i never ever did that exercise. >> did you see her? look at her go. she was moving so fast. it was unbelievable. >> i think it's a little more than the thighciser. how happy was everyone to have a nice weekend. it was too hot for some but with air conditioning it was nice. 96 in seattle, only topped by the big heat wave in texas. some of the heat will stick with us by the beginning of the week. by the end it will be gone. 99 in medford, 97 in portland. vegas and phoenix are hot, too. the exception, the california coastline. this is an unbelievably cool summer. it will not stop. you see a swirl here. that area of low pressure keeping an on-shore flow.

that's going to keep the clouds locked in this morning. you'll be lucky to get afternoon sunshine in some areas. you'll get a little more today than you did in the last couple days. temperature in san diego, 78. to put it in perspective, the hottest temperature this month, 71, the average high we should be, 72. we've been below average every day. we can't get an average day in san francisco, let alone a hot day. by the way, the record high today is 90. we haven't been close to anything like that all summer long. we will be near record highs in 99, bakersfield 99.in med for.

we'll take a look at alaska's forecast when we come back later. anchorage set a dubious record we'll talk about. >> arizona, i used to live there. i remember temperatures, sometimes climb up to 115. >> dry heat. >> all about that dry hot. thanks, bill. the new number two in the world economy and a financial firm gives back. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, sylvester stallone squares off with the ultimate chic flick at the movies. a no-hitter is broken up in an unlikely way and a brutal gaffe at the pga championship. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. authorities say the man known as the craigslist killer committed suicide in a boston jail.

over the weekend. philip markoff was accused of killing a masseuse he met through the website craigslist. he pleaded not guilty in the case and was awaiting trial. general david petraeus is signaling that the withdrawal date of july 2011 for troops in afghanistan is not set in stone saying the decision will be based on conditions on the ground. meanwhile the number of foreign military deaths in afghanistan has now topped 2,000. that's according to the website i-casualties.org. u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon says he's never seen anything like the flood disaster in pakistan. 20 million people have been left homeless by the flood. a popular catholic shrine in france was evacuated yesterday after a bomb threat. 30,000 pilgrims including many gravely ill had gathered at the shrine which contains spring water which some believe has healing powers. the shrine reopened about five hours later. and zsa zsa gabor's publicist says a priest has been called in to give the

93-year-old her last rites. she's been hospitalized due to complications from a broken hip. and now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. a provocative new study is challenging the assumption that sexually active teens don't do as well in school as those who abstain. researchers found that teenagers in committed relationships do no better or worse in school than those who don't have sex. however, students who have casual flings do get lower grades and tend to have more problems in the classroom. for more information on this and other health stories, check out our website, health page at msnbc.com. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,303 after losing 16 points friday. the s&p dipped 4 points and the nasdaq fell 16. taking a look at overseas trading, in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 56 points, but in hong kong, the hang seng added 40. well, slow and steady may not be the only way to win a race.

after three decades of record growth, new numbers out this morning show china's rapidly expanding economy has reached a new milestone. china passed japan in the second quarter to become the second largest economy behind the united states. the recognition comes from government figures that show japan's economy grew far less than forecasted. while this isn't the first time china has overtaken japan, it is the first time the country is expected to hold on to the number two spot for the rest of the year. news of japan's stalled economic growth took a toll on exporters during today's trade helping to drive the nikkei nearly 1% lower. meanwhile the chinese market got a boost from banking stocks when the agriculture bank of chin secured the title of the world's biggest initial public offering with total proceeds of $22.1 billion. back on the street. companies reporting earnings include home depot, target and walmart and tech bellwether hewlett-packard. also on deck, we'll get the pulse of new home construction with new housing starts.

and permits for future building. new bank rules go into effect this week. no more costly overdraft fees unless customers opt in for coverage. the new rules also allow banks to decline a debit card transaction or atm withdrawal if there's not enough money to cover it. and finally, financial services firm maxim group has been donating to charity for the last eight years, but now the company wants to make individuals' wishes comes true. once every quarter. maxim is accepting applications for anything from an overseas trip to see long lost relatives to a summer camp getaway for a child in need. that is definitely the kind of bonus that we need to hear about. could have been on the mound at the twins as game and a controversial and costly call. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. down on the gulf coast, we'll continue to watch what happens with the remnants of tropical depression number five and the heat continues in the northwest. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, a major mistake knocked out one of the contestants. here is a look at all the sports

headlines. >> yesterday's golf over shadowed by a gaffe. dustin johnson, a one-stroke lead, hits into the gallery on 18. among the fans he walks up to the ball, puts his club down, gets his shot. his approach way left and into the rough, but that wasn't the issue. we'll come back to it in a second. after pitching on to the green, johnson had this putt to win the trophy. steak knives. but he still had a chance for a three-way playoff, or so he thought. however, after finishing the hole, a rules official comes to johnson, tells him the bad news. ruling that the second shot from the gallery was actually out of a bunker. no big deal except your club can't touch the sand in a bunker. johnson had no clue he was even in a bunker and let the club touch the ground like any other shot. that's a two-stroke penalty for

grounding his club. johnson no longer tied for the lead and now out of it. so from three down to two. bubba watson and martin kaymer in a three-hole playoff. watson needs to make this to put the pressure on kaymer. flag stick. watson stunned kaymer with a short putt for the pga championship on a day that will be remembered for a controversial ruling on 18. baseball, strange call ended the twins bid for a no-hitter. after seven innings of no-hit ball, the manager pulls his pitcher to protect his ailing elbow. they beat the as 4-2 in what could have been the sixth no-hitter of the year. rockies and brewers tied at five in the ninth. the boy named troy, rbi single up the middle for troy. dexter fowler comes in with the winner. rockies roll 6-5. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm bill steward. which former disney star got hitched? your "early today" morning

entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, how a group of sick children are experiencing life in the fast lane. you're watching "early today."

the cool spot along the

california coast. in san francisco we'll try to get you afternoon sunshine. anchorage, alaska, you broke your record of the most consecutive day of rainfall, 28 days in a row you've had a trace of rain. today's forecast more showers in the forecast. it's warm up in fairbanks. near record highs. down along the coast here anchorage, you've been very cloudy and gloomy weather pattern. if you're watching us on kgw news channel 8 in portland, oregon, explore the life and legacy of albert einstein at the world through his eyes exhibit at the oregon museum of science and industry. that's the pacific event of the day. imagine looking at the world through his eyes. my brain would probably hurt. can't take it. here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. sylvester stallone outmuscled julia roberts over the weekend to score the biggest opening of his career yet. the action hero's thriller "the

expendables" was a big hit with male audiences. it debuted with an expected $35 million. that's thanks to an all-star ensemble cast that includes bruce lee and mickey rourke. julia roberts career almost as cold as stallone's, "eat, pray, love" followed at a distant second about a woman's worldly search for herself opened with $23.7 million, also in line with expectations. >> rounding out the top three was will ferrell's the other guys. that was $18 million down 49% from its debut. and then coming in at fifth place was this weekend's third new opener, scott pilgrim versus the world. and that took in a dismal $10.5 million. finally, lizzie mcguire is all grown up. 22-year-old disney diva, hilary duff married her long time beau, pro hockey star in a sunset ceremony in santa barbara on saturday. you were talking about "the

expendables" and said people were standing up and cheering. >> i didn't see it. people said there was cheering. all guys in the theater. you don't take it serious. it almost laughs at itself. >> i watched "eat, pray, love" it wasn't happening in that theater. well, this comes to us from knbc 4 in los angeles where one group of brave kids got to go on a very special ride. 50 seriously ill children were treated to a hollywood tour in a fleet of lamborghinis, all with the help of volunteers and team of medical professionals. their illnesses took a back seat to the joy ride achieving what is normally close to impossible even if just for one day. very cool. i'm veronica de la cruz and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

thousands gathered in germany this weekend for an impressive show of hot air. the 12th annual balloon glowing festival was held west of berlin to the delight of hot air balloon enthusiasts from across europe. dozens of colorful balloons were illuminated at night, some even decorated with funny faces. some spectators even got a chance to check out the balloons from the inside. and in london, it was an old fashioned track meet with a twist. check this out. participants competed in the third annual sumo suit athletics championship. thirty of these fierce athletes battle it out for the top prize in the fine athletic competition

wearing bulky sumo wrestling suits. obviously this particular competition is less about winning and more about having a good time. definitely looks like they're having some fun there. the philippines may have a president, but they're not forgetting the king. in manila they donned sequinned suits to celebrate the anniversary of elvis's death. 22 elvis impersonators gyrated as hard as they could. trying to channel the icon. the annual competition ended in a tie with the winners surely saying thank you, thank you very much. i don't know, i can't get the lip thing. i can say the thank you, i'm not even going to try. >> have you ever been to graceland? >> i haven't. >> it's probably the place to be to celebrate elvis' birthday. >> i'm sure. absolutely. a week long celebration as well. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. jurors in the corruption trial of former illinois governor rod blagojevich enter a 13th day of deliberations. last week the jury appeared to be stalled after saying it had been able to agree only on two of 24 counts against him. former alaska senator ted stevens will be remembered at a

memorial mass. in anchorage. stevens died in a plane crash last week along with four others. and as we just mentioned today marks the 33rd anniversary of the death of elvis presley. on this day in 1977, the 42-year-old was found dead in the bathroom of his graceland estate. 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. the very latest on the president's comments about building a mosque at ground zero. and meet a woman who is literally stuck in the past and can't remember anything after 1994. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific monday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com