[ cheers and applause ] this morning on "early today," illinois impasse. a federal jury deadlocks on all but one charge against former governor rod blagojevich. toddler tragedy. a south carolina woman admits to killing her two young boys and then staging their deaths. and hi anxiety. a stunt plane plunges from the and hi anxiety. a stunt plane plunges from the sky at an argentina air show. 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 lynn berry. and today we begin with try, try

again. prosecutors say they're planning a retrial in the corruption case against rod blagojevich after a deadlocked jury agreed on only one of 24 counts. blagojevich could face a maximum of five years in prison and a $25,000 fine for the single guilty charge. still the ousted politician-turned celebrity is calling it a victory. nbc's leanne gregg has the story. >> governor, are you concerned about what's to come, governor? >> reporter: rod blagojevich, back home and greeted with celebrity fanfare after a jury's decision on his alleged political corruption crime spree. after two weeks of deliberations on 24 charges, a mistrial on all but one count. >> this jury just shows you that notwithstanding the fact that the government threw everything but the kitchen sink at me, that on every count except for one, on every charge except for one, they could not prove that i did anything wrong. >> reporter: the jury did find blagojevich guilty of lying to the fbi. >> i did not lie to the fbi.

i've told the truth from the very beginning. this is a persecution. >> reporter: among the charges the jury failed to agree on, that blagojevich tried to sell the senate seat vacated by obama. u.s. attorney patrick fitzgerald says there will be another trial. >> we are in the mode of being close to jury selection for a retrial. >> reporter: blagojevich didn't testify as promised at the beginning of the trial, but the jury did hear audiotapes of the alleged corruption. >> i've got this thing, and it's [ bleep ] golden, and i'm just not giving it up [ bleep ] for nothing. >> reporter: now partial vindication for the former politician with rock star status who as of yesterday is also a convicted felon. leanne gregg, nbc news. well, a south carolina mother will be arraigned today on charges that she murdered her two young sons and then tried to cover up the evidence. authorities say shaquan duley confessed this week to suffocating the toddlers,

strapping them into her car, and then rolling the vehicle into a river. investigators say she was unemployed and fed up with her mother's complaints that she couldn't care for her children. the drownings are eerily similar to the 1994 case of another south carolina mother ,susan smith, who's serving life in prison for killing her young sons by rolling her car into the lake. well, a texas man seemingly bent on mass murder is dead after opening fire on a suburban police station yesterday. investigators say 29-year-old patrick gray sharp drove his pickup truck and a trailer full of explosives into the building's parking lot before setting it on fire in an apparent attempt to lure people outside to kill them. the heavily armed gray died after a shoot-out with police, although, it's still unclear whether he was killed by an officer's bullet or one of his own. no one else was hurt during yesterday's clash. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america.

a teenager girl is recovering after falling over the side of a cliff in washington state. tape of the amazing rescue shows just how close the blades of a navy helicopter came to a 450 foot-tall bridge. the girl is being treated for hypothermia and some minor injuries. in connecticut, a woman charged in connection with a recent connecticut shooting has landed in hot water for attacking members of the media with bug spray. he was arrested shortly afterward and charged with three counts of reckless endangerment, three counts of assault, and carrying a dangerous instrument. in texas kfc celebrated it's 70th anniversary in a big way. they didn't quite fill this giant bucket, but 2,000 pounds of the colonel's original recipe was served up for lunch to hungry louisville residents in an attempt to set the world record for the largest-ever serving of fried chicken.

thousands of pieces of chicken were donated to a local food bank. and in utah some fierce competitors played for some serious bragging rights in the backhoe games. they fished, they golfed, they bowled, anything with a backhoe. sure it may not be that physical, but it does involve delicate touch. as you can see. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc's meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> good morning, lynn. since i'm already salivating and hungry enough and you had to show the kfc story, let's picture lynn berry with all the sides in front of her, potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese. which do you eat first? >> can i shovel a little of everything? i like this picture. >> i'll have it delivered. let's talk about the west

coast, ideal conditions in many areas. we have some showery-type weather in northern arizona and upstate areas, especially northwest corner of washington state and oregon. that's about it. we're not seeing a lot of wet weather. for the most part, upper-level low, cause of showers over oregon. those are the showers i was talking about. monsoonal showers ended in arizona. what still is the endless broken record story is i drew this gray line in here, shows where the marine layer is. along the coast, clouds will linger, you'll have drizzle. it's been an amazingly cool, cloudy, drizzly summer in all of coastal california, especially around the san francisco area. this going to go down as one of the coolest summers ever. here is a look at the radar. pendleton, light showers activity, from i-5 you look dry back up into the washington state. there's the warm weather, san francisco at 61 degrees. your temperature is not going to go up much. maybe mid-60s, upper 60s at

best. we'll call it 68 there. cooler in the northwest today after a hot, around 100, will be the 70s in oregon. especially the salem area around 7. still warm in spokane at 88 degrees. lynn, just for the record, i always take the biscuit first and dunk it in the gravy. that's my first bite. >> i'm thrilled to know that. i'm glad we cleared up kfc cravings. i'm sure the folks at home wanted to know that. >> if there's a big bucket on my desk when i get back, i'll be happy. also coming up, home depot builds, kraft sours, and still more auto recalls. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, you won't believe what lindsay lohan is reportedly earning for her first interview

since jail. brett favre is back in minnesota, jim thome powers the twins, and a good reason to take a cab to the ballpark. you're watching "early t

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. during president obama's trip to seattle yesterday, fighter jets were scrambled after a small private plane flew into restricted air space. a passenger on the plane said the violation was not intentional. air force one was on the ground at the time of the incident during which the jets set off sonic booms. 228 million eggs are being recalled after being linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning. the eggs are from an iowa supplier, and they're sold at a handful of stores. several people in colorado, california, and minnesota have gotten sick. in texas a former gang leader convicted in the rapes

and murders of two young girls has been executed. peter cantu died by lethal injection for the 1993 killings. two other convictions in the murders have also been executed. after coming under fire for repeatedly using the "n" word on her radio show last week, dr. laura schlessinger says she'll be leaving her program to, quote, regain my first amendment rights. schlessinger, who has since apologized for what she said, will end the 30-year show at the end of the year. and high-sky drama at an air show in argentina. a plane's wing snapped off as the pilot performed acrobatic tricks. somehow that pilot was able to get out of the cockpit. he deployed his chute just in time. fortunately the plane crashed outside of the spectator area. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,405 after gaining 103 points yesterday.

the s&p climbed 13, and the nasdaq rose 27. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei added 78 points, but in hong kong the hang seng fell 114. a little bit of good news went a long way to reassure investors on wall street yesterday. traders welcomed a jump in industrial production figures twice what experts predicted. meanwhile better than expected new home construction numbers were able to offset a troubling drop in permits for future projects. home depot started the day off with earnings that beat the street's expectations. the number one home improvement chain was up 3% by the closing bell. adding to the optimistic tone, walmart also weighed in with upbeat earnings, thanks to its growing global presence. kraft was one of the day's few losers after news that warren buffett's berkshire hathaway fund has been reducing its stake in the food maker. reports this morning say bhp plans to bypass potash corp's

board and take its $39 billion takeover bid directly to shareholders. potash corp shot up 27% yesterday after the world's largest fertilizer company shot down bhp's, quote, grossly inadequate unsolicited offer. more corporate maneuvering saw the maker of hefty trash bags agree to be purchased by the reynolds group in a $6 billion deal. general motors has recalled 250,000 crossover vehicles over potentially defective seat belts. meanwhile mazda is recalling 215,000 vehicles with potential power steering problems. and, finally, the result of this year's mindset survey may be troubling or just make you feel old. the study compiled by two researchers out to prove that cultural references have a short shelf life found that most college-bound american kids can't write in cursive, think there have always been reality tv shows, and that beethoven is a dog. frightening.

well, the yanks are grand, the twins walk off, and brett favre is playing -- we think. plus, the red sox smash more than just the ball in their win over the angels. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. your weather headlines feature heavy rain in the mid-atlantic and a heat wave that just won't end in texas. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

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good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, bread favre is back in minnesota, and it looks like he's getting ready to get back in his uniform. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. hey, there. good morning. brett favre's on-again/off- again relationship with football appears to be on. the future hall of fame quarterback flew into minnesota on a private jet. he then met up with good friend and vikings' kicker ryan longwell, who drove him to the team's headquarters. there's no official word from favre if he's returning, but according to longwell, brett is back. baseball, yankees and tigers. cc sabathia picking up his 16th win of the year and getting a little help from his friends. curtis granderson lays out for the grab. next inning, granderson gets it done with his bat. 12th homer of the year. yankees cage the tigers 6-2. dramatic finish between the

white sox and twins after chicago takes the lead in the top of the tenth. jim thome returns the favor in a big way. flat out crushes a game-winning home run. twinkies win, 7-6, and now have a four-game lead in the a.l. central. the giants' pat burrell made his return to philly and receiving some brotherly love from the fans. tips his hat to the crowd. then he hooks someone up with a souvenir, a home run to left. giants up, 2-0. the phillies bust it wide open in the eighth. carlos ruiz with a wall banger that scores a pair. phillies put up five in the inning and beat the giants, 9-3. finally back to the a.l., red sox and angels. adrian beltre with a shot to right. torii hunter tracks it down, leaps at the wall, and robs beltre of a sure home run. great catch by the gold glover. then in the third, darnell mcdonald put a towering homer over the green monster. you'd have to jump pretty high to catch that one. take another look from the outfield cam. watch the ball. travels over the ball and wham! hits a car, busting out the back window. darnell mcdonald is a smashing success in boston. they win, 6-0. and that's your look at sports

on "early today." i'm mario solis. >> early today sports is brought to you by just for men moustache and beard. keep your edge. well, the prenup between an actress and a pro athlete to protect his wealth. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, it's a tough job for any man or woman to take charge of the world's largest naval base. you're watching "early today."

well, welcome back on this wednesday morning. forecast time. not as hot in the northwest. temperatures down a little bit. more clouds around. temperatures in the 70s. still cloudy in the morning from san francisco down the coast. we'll get rid of some of those clouds in the coastal areas but not a lot, temperatures still remaining cool. vegas, chilly. 31 consecutive days anchorage, alaska has seen measurable prescription. today is cloudy with an isolated chance of a shower. we'll see if they break that streak today. at least not a lot of heavy rain. if you're watching khtv 6 in spokane, change your perspective and see the city like never before, reflections on skyscrapers. spokane reflections exhibit.

all right, bill. thanks. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. in an effort to rebuild her tapped out finances, lindsay lohan has big plans after she gets out of rehab. the "hollywood reporter" reports lohan has been offered $1 million by "ok! magazine" for her first post-jailhouse interview. lohan also will reportedly charge $25,000 to $100,000 for appearance fees in new york stock exchange and los angeles. and when in vegas, she's expected to ask for a cool million. a dna test has determined the late world chess champion bobby fisher is not the father of a 9-year-old filipino girl. iceland's supreme court ordered fisher's body exhumed after a woman, who had a relationship with fisher when he lived in the philippines, made a claim on his estate. finally the "new york post" reports that actress hilary duff and hockey star mike comrie signed a prenup before getting married last weekend, but not for why you're probably thinking. it seems comrie also comes from a famous canadian business family with an estimated worth

of half a billion bucks. >> wow. i'm not typically a big fan of prenups. when you told me what you did to protect your fortune -- >> we signed on a rock with a sharpie. >> that rock was a diamond. >> don't start rumors. and this comes to us from wavy-tv 10 in norfolk, virginia, where one navel captain has reached another milestone in the history of women in the military. captain mary jackson became the new commanding officer at virginia's norfolk naval station tuesday, the world's largest naval installation. jackson, who has also been commanding officer of a destroyer, has worked her way steadily up since graduating from the u.s. naval academy in 1988. congratulations to her. i'm lynn berry and this is early today, just your first stop of the day today onnbr yc ta.tion ti

one festival in japan casts a light on an age-old tradition. a thousand women lit up the night sky at the annual lantern festival. the sea of paper lights were perched atop the heads of dancers who performed in front of huge crowds. dressed in summer kimonos, the women swayed to local music in a centuries-old tradition. every fisherman dreams of reeling in the big one, but not like this. a 68-pound carp fish named two-tone for its skin color died of old age and floated to the surface in england. the 45-year-old fish is believed to be the largest of its kind and had many admirers who plan to hold a burial on sunday.

what does a baby bear get when it crosses the road? food, apparently. at least that's the case for mishka who's been looking to passing drivers for treats. veterinarians think the baby bear was abandoned by its mother and can't feed itself. good thing for these good samaritans who handed over their sweets. fortunately mishka is not the aggressive type. that is, unless you don't have any twinkies. then she may not be so happy. >> i don't think that bear is going to have any trouble getting enough food. >> because it looks so cute? >> if it was near me, i'd feed it, wouldn't you? >> well, it's adorable. of course. i don't know if i would get out of my car. maybe just roll down the window and stick something out the window. >> i'd bring a big jar of honey. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. getting under way in china, the world cancer congress. experts are meeting to discuss issues such as prevention, screening, and early detection.

just this week a new report said that cancer is the world's costliest disease. today marks the 90th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which guarantees all women the right to vote in the u.s. the long difficult struggle by suffrage supporters ended in 1920. that's when tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, passing the final hurdle of obtaining the agreement of three-fourths of the states. and a special day for one hollywood legend. today actor and director robert redford turns 74. 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 jury foreman from the rod blagojevich trial speaks out about the dramatic deliberations, and ann curry reports from flood-ravaged pakistan as the country awaits much needed aid. and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry.

thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.