this morning on "early today," benefits flat line. word that social security recipients will go without a cost of living increase for a second straight year. end of the tunnel. engineers in chile make final preparations for the rescue of the 33 trapped miners. and flying solo. the world's first commercial spacecraft reaches a new milestone. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hi, everybody. good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm thomas roberts.

we begin with more fuel for the anti-washington fire. as if voters don't seem angry enough this election year, the government is expected to announce this week that more than 58 million social security recipients will not get a cost of living increase in their monthly benefits next year. that would mark only the second year without an increase since automatic adjustments for inflation were adopted back in 1975. the first was this year. although it's not their doing, the timing couldn't be worse for democrats as they approach an election in which they are in danger of losing their majorities in both the house, as and the senate. the end of a two-month odyssey is finally near an end for the 33 trapped miners in chile as rescuers have finished drilling an escape shaft and made final preparations to bring the men to the surface. if all goes according to plan the first miner is expected to be lifted to safety as early as wednesday morning. nbc's kerry sanders has more now from copiapo, chile. >> reporter: the drill turned 622 meters into the earth and that was it. it punched through to the trapped miners.

[ bell tolling ] and on the surface, the celebrations began. engineers, as if they'd just won the playoffs. a rush of emotions. some wives and daughters pushed past police to thank the team who never gave up. >> we could see the video feed of the miners going crazy. we were going crazy. and just the fact that we did it. because, you know, we knew we could do it. >> reporter: at the controls, when the drill finally made it through some of the hardest rock on earth, american jeff hart, who had only six hours' sleep in the last three days. >> this is the most difficult, most stressful well we've ever drilled. there's 33 lives at stake. you put an unbelievable amount of pressure on yourself to make it happen every single day. >> reporter: knowing that the moment everyone wants is now that much closer makes these next days that much more difficult. engineers have decided to reinforce the shaft with a steel sleeve. a pipe that will go down 315 feet.

the idea is to encase the hole to prevent rocks at the top falling down as the capsule comes up. government officials here will not say an exact date that the miners will be brought to the surface, but it's shaping up that it's going to look like probably wednesday. kerry sanders, nbc news, copiapo, chile. in new york city, eight suspects have been arraigned and one is still being sought in what police say was a vicious anti-gay gang attack. it happened early this month in the bronx. police say gang members beat and tortured a teen recruit for hours after learning he was gay. police say they then attacked another teen and oversaw the brutal torture of a 30-year-old man. the suspects are facing hate crime charges but have not yet entered pleas. just hours after that arraignment hearing, new york republican gubernatorial candidate carl paladino fired after anti-gay remarks speaking to orthodox jewish leaders. paladino said he doesn't want

children to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is acceptable. paladino went on to criticize his democratic opponent, attorney general andrew cuomo, for marching in a gay pride parade earlier this year. cuomo later released a statement condemning paladino's "stunning homophobia." now here's a look at some other stories -- in montana a large piece of rock broke off from a hill, rolled and crashed right into a home, causing it to shift about two feet off of its foundation. the homeowner was inside at the time but not injured. damage caused by the 25-foot-wide boulder is so extensive the home is uninhabitable. local authorities are currently investigating the cause. in california, spaceship two made its first solo glide flight offering a glimpse into what space travel could be like. the more than 25 minute test flight the space vehicle was brought up to 45,000 feet and then released by its mother ship, but it did not fire its rocket engine if it had it would

have been climbing into space. it's part of the spaceship's regular test before its maiden voyage. more than 39,000 couples tied the knot yesterday on the date of 10-10-10. some came here to the little white chapel, lining around the building, waiting, hoping that exchanging nuptials on the so-called lucky day will result in marriage that is the perfect ten. we wish them the best. and after marriage, well, came babies. a california couple welcomed their new baby emma marie into the world yesterday on 10-10-10. weighing in at 7 pounds 10 ounces. but her lucky streak didn't stop there. emma lee was born at 10 minutes after 10:00. a lot of 10s there. now for a look at your national and regional forecast here's nbc's bill karins with the weather forecast. >> a lot of fun for the 10-year-olds that turned 10 yesterday. beautiful. >> a good date. >> a lot of people have a lot of different meaning in the numbers. who knows. let's talk about other numbers.

the temperature, warm around the country this weekend. not a lot of trouble from weather. a cutoff low in the middle of the country a cold front through the pacific northwest and northern rockies. that's about it. a little break before our next storm system comes into the northwest. temperatures cool behind this front. there are showers on the front. nothing 200 bad. showers rolling through idaho and it looks like some of those are now heading through the heart of montana. high pressure is in control. the four corner region. nevada is nice. on the warm side in arizona and much of california. the radar, isn't a lot of rain on here. boise had showers overnight. moving down 84 around twin falls, a chance of showers and also idaho falls. forecast for today, it's going to be cool start. in the 40s now. that means later this afternoon, it's not going to be all that warm. especially if we don't get a lot of sunshine. only upper 50s to low 60s today from seattle southwards down the sound into the portland area. look like california, this is the return air from the warm side of the high. that looks like nice in vegas,

phoenix, paul spring, sacramento all the way into san francisco should enjoy a gr coast. interior areas easily into the upper 70s and 80s. look at your tuesday forecast coming up. >> all right, bill. we look forward to it. thanks. traders await the next step from the fed. the dollar feels the heat, and at what age do people get grumpy? your early morning business helines are straight ahead. plus, did katherine heigl's new romantic comedy live up to the box office expectations this weekend? and sports coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning, everybody, and welcome back to "early today." i'm thomas roberts and here are some of your top headlines this morning -- tens thousands of north koreans got their first look at their leader in waiting after he made his first national appearance yesterday. kim jong-un joined kim jong-il in a massive military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the ruling workers' party. the wife of jailed nobel peace prize winner liu xiaobo says she's barred from communicating with media and friend. she says she was detained after visiting her husband in northeast china yesterday. he won the nobel last week for seeking greater rights in the nation. a gay rights rally in serbia descended into violence yesterday after police clashed with thousands of anti-gay

protesters. dozens were injured and several rioters were arrested in the country's first gay rights parade in nearly a decade. and the population of the international space station has doubled. a russian spacecraft brought three new members over the weekend. two russian cosmonauts and american astronaut for what will be a nearly six-month stay at the orbiting lab. now here's an early look at how wall street is going to be kicking off the day. the dow opens at 11,006. the s&p rose 7 points and the nasdaq added 18. as we take a look overseas at trading in tokyo, the nikkei closed for the holiday. while in hong kong the hang seng climbed 263 points. wall street will likely be stuck in low gear this week as investors await what they now believe is inevitable action from the government to pump cash into the markets to boost the economy. after friday's surprisingly anemic job numbers, the likelihood the federal reserve will buy more assets like treasury bonds to stimulate the economy while investors are sitting, waiting and paying attention to practically nothing else, most analysts agree the employment situation leaves the fed with little choice, after saying last month it was

prepared to intervene. with the only question now being "when?" the release today of the minutes of last month's fed meeting could give hints into their thinking on new stimulus measures. this week's data, including consumer and producer prices, trade deficit numbers, retail sales and consumer sentiment are unlikely to sway cautious traders until the fed makes its move. the anticipation of further action from the fed has also taken a heavy toll on the dollar. the dollar recently has hit new lows against key currencies. the dollars's decline coincides with increasing fears of a global currency war, with many nations already intervening to stop their currencies from rising, while china faces mounting pressure to allow its currency to appreciate. even big named earnings results out this week from the likes of intel, jpmorgan chase, google and general electric are unlikely to have trading sways in either direction. and finally -- a survey for an english cable channel pinpoints 52 at

the age when people start to get grumpy. somehow the survey also figured that infants laugh up to 300 times a day while teens laugh on an average of 6 and those over 60 chuckle only 2 1/2 times a day. which is basically not enough. so how "sweep" it is for the phillies. a ray of home for tampa and mistakes lead to losses in the nfl. and speaking of mistakes, a series of errors has atlanta's second baseman hoping for a second chance after one of the worst playoff performances in history. your early morning sports headlines straight ahead. it's going to be a warm fall day with a few wet spots. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

hi, everybody, good morning. if you're just waking up this is "early today." in sports -- the philadelphia phillies are about to do battle for their third straight national league pennant thanks to another ace in the hole. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. back-to-back world series appearances have sure gotten philadelphia fans used to winning. a third may be in the horizon after the phillies swept the reds game three in cincinnati. fifth inning, chase utley, into the stands, a solo shot and the phils were up 2-0. that's all the all-star cole hamels needed. complete game shutout. he struck out nine. phils won 2-0 to sweep the reds. philly advances.

now we go to atlanta game three. braves and giants. san francisco down 2-1 in the ninth. in fact, they were down to their final out. but huff slapped a single to right. a score and the game tied at 2. the next batter was buster posey, ripped the grunter to second. right between the legs of brooks conrad. his third error of the game. freddy sanchez scored the game winner. giants held on to win 3-2. they lead the series 2-1. in texas, looking to send them packing. adam longoria snapped out of his postseason slump. a two-run shot in the fifth. the rays avoid elimination, forcing a game five in tampa on tuesday. now to the nfl eagles visiting san francisco. the niners with five turnovers down seven, smith couldn't find an open receiver and fumbled the ball. a costly mistake. a 52-yard return for pay dirt. philadelphia held on to win 27-24. saints visiting the cards. late in the fourth. new orleans down three. drew brees picked off by dominic rodgers-cromartie.

he went 28 yards for the score. brees threw three picks. cards beat the saints 30-20. the super bowl champs fell 3-2. big problems in big "d." dallas hosting tennessee. tony romo threw three pick of his own. a return setup for a touchdown. the cowboys would tie it, but then chris johnson in for the go-ahead score. titans won it 34-27. dallas drops to 1-3. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great one. i'm fred roggin. >> "early today" sports is brought to you by just for men hair color. live forward. no film ran away with it this weekend at the box office. but which one bombed? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus -- could a 34-year-old killer whale give birth to her seventh calf? you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this monday morning. alaska's forecast. cold air starting to build as you'd expect this time of year. end of last week, snow reported. anchorage at 42. cool air sent down through british columbia cloo jeand bil 59. beautiful weather down here in california. high pressure is going to protect you for much of this week. looks warm and dry. not hot like its been recently. very enjoyable. even as we look at tuesday. 91 in san francisco.

9 in vegas and 94 in phoenix. rare to see a potential for san francisco to be one of the host spots on the map. that's the case with the way the winds set it up on tuesday. california's bay area, the hottest shows can often be the priciest. why not take advantage of a free night of theater? performances around the bay area, that's your pick event of the day, tom. >> bill, you're speaking my language. free. i like that. >> really? >> yeah. >> if it's free, yeah. >> free? >> yeah. that's my language. >> some of the best things in life are free. >> bill, thanks so much. now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment for you. whatever americans were doing this fall weekend, not many were going to the movies. that actually helped last weekend's box office champs "the social network" remain at the top of the heap. $15.5 million. raiding its ten-day total just

over 46 million. expected to win aeshs life as we know it" starring katherine heigl and josh duhamel opened close but disappointing second with $14.6 million in sales. the horse racing drama "secretariat" starring diane lane did somewhat better than most predicted, crossing the finish line in third at $12.6 million. the one film experts were mixed on was "my soul to take." horror fans must have had some better things to do this weekend, because this one opened weak, in fifth place, unable to get past a meager $7 million. so nice out, people probably out and about enjoying -- >> pumpkins picked and apple cider. all that fun stuff. i expected "secretariat" to win. >> "the social network" is doing pretty good. and one of nature's miracles witnessed. look at this.

a 34-year-old killer whale went into labor, giving birth to her seventh calf this weekend. as is typical in labor, the newborn's tail just out, just before it emerges. the seven foot long 350-pound calf comes after a 17-month-long pregnancy. and just days after the unexpected death of her 25-year-old daughter. and mom and calf are healthy and strong, swimming and bonding with one another right now. you've got to believe, bill, that katina is relieved. 17 months of pregnancy. >> think that happens in the wild every day is incredible. >> absolutely beautiful. everybody can check it out. bill, thank you. i'm thomas roberts. this is "early today." just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

yesterday, one of sydney's iconic landmarks turned into the world's largest picnic area. more than 6,000 lucky ticket winners attended the sydney harbor bridge breakfast, sipping on their coffee 160 feet above the water. with traffic stopped and turf laid over the bridge for the annual event. despite the heavy rains they had, most stayed to enjoy the views, as well as enjoy the breakfast. covered up properly, we see. daredevils from around the world met in malaysia this weekend to experience the ultimate adrenaline rush. in another annual event, 120 base jumpers from 22 countries leapt off the country's tallest tower, a 1,400 foot jump. some performed aerial acrobatics on the way down, doing back flips and spins.

while for others, facing the free-fall head-on was extreme enough for them. pretty cool, though. one gathering in china was left about extreme and much more about the fun. over 40 teams from around the world took part in a man-made flying machine contest. some better than others. participants launched their devices from nearly 20 feet high hoping to fly the furthest. rough weather kept most from smooth sailing with many barely making it off the runway. but as you can hear, the hoots and hollers there would make you think everybody had a lot of fun. good times had by all. bill, what do you think about that? shouldn't they go a little bit lighter if they're going to try to get off that platform instead of all those heavy-looking machines they made? >> i think it's almost like a second competition for who can actually go the least amount and fall the hardest. >> right. who has the most glorious splash in the water. all right. it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we're going to follow throughout the day right here on nbc -- across the country, schools, banks, and government offices are going to be closed for columbus day. the holiday commemorates the landing of italian explorer christopher columbus in the

americas in 1492. while most americans may have off today, politicians will not be taking a break with time running out before the midterm elections. candidates will face off in debates in kentucky, wisconsin, indiana, as well as colorado. and congratulations to everyone over at "saturday night live." get this. the nbc show debuted on this day in 1975, and george carlin was the host. so congrats to all the hard workers over there. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. 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. new information in the case of a man gunned down on his jet ski along the u.s./mexico border. and the boy band stars of the nickelodeon show "big time rush" perform live on the plaza. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm thomas roberts. thanks for watching "early today." just your first stop of the day

today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com