"jimmy fallon" happening right [ cheers and applause ] this morning on "early today," almost home. 33 miners trapped for months in chile may now be just hours away from their freedom. hot button issue. which topic is dominating political debates across the nation ahead of election day? and the big one. chilling predictions on a long overdue earthquake in california. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hi, everybody. good morning. great to have you with us an welcome to our view es across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm thomas roberts. today, we begin with the final hours before freedom after enduring more than two months underground, chile's 33 trapped

miners are now less than 24 hours away from being brought to the surface. tonight, rescuers are expected to begin hoisting the men up to what will be no doubt a huge celebration. nbc's kerry sanders filed this report for us late yesterday from chile. >> reporter: teams here conducted a test. the escape capsule traveled 20 feet inside the steal pipe without a problem. so they went a step further and sent it down the shaft within feet of the trapped miners. >> we didn't send it down because we could risk that somebody could jump in. >> reporter: some of the equipment is still being anchored into a concrete slab. soon the escape pod connected to the ski chair lift cable will be hook up to a heavy duty winch. the capsule travels down the shaft for the first 183 feet inside that steal reinforcing pipe. past that, driven simply by gravity, it sides down the rock

walls 1,567 feet through slight s turns. the trip up is expected to take no more than 15 minutes. >> who comes up first? the list remains secret tonight. what we know is that the men down below were all fighting for positions. each wanted to be last, a sign of their brotherhood developed over the last two-plus months. kerry sanders, nbc news, chile. back here in the states, the clock is ticking down to elections just a few weeks away. the debate over health care was hands down the hot topic of the night. tracie potts has details for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. in the context of what was spent on health care in this economy and how to fix the economy, what we're seeing is democrats trying to distance themselves from washington.

>> they came right out and said it. >> this election is about here. >> reporter: winning big it is about washington. republicans are trying to tie democrats to promote the obama and big spending. namely, health reform. >> this health care bill is one of the prime examples of what is wrong with washington. >> the health care bill was just incredibly expensive and complicated. >> reporter: eve n if the gop wins some say health care isn't going away. >> obama health care is going to be there as long as obama is there. >> reporter: democrats argue some of that big spending helps the economy. >> the stimulus package did put a floor a bottom to the free-fall. >> reporter: now the issues tax breaks. who gets them? even some democrats are backing off to let taxes go up for the rich.

>> not for raising taxes. >> we can't raise taxes. taxes are counter productive. >> reporter: rare agreements in an election where both sides are trying to dissidence themselves from what they say is in washington. now, president obama is still a big fund-raiser for the democrats. incom in fact he was in miami doing just that. because approval ratings are low, getting a big name democrat out there. former president bill clinton to raise money. thomas? >> tracie, thank you very much. >> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america -- producers and crew on the film set of "transformers 3" got some unscripted action when the bumblebee got side swiped by a police vehicle. some bystanders thought it was part of a real scene from the movie. the wreck temporary halted production, but the filming will continue all week. a florida woman is going to get some help from a problem that's been buzzing over her.

a company specialized in africanized bees will remove a huge 30-foot high beehive in her tree after several others said they couldn't help. even the city refused because it was on private property. she warns neighbors to stay inside. at a competition in california, a gorgeous guard tipped the scales at 1,53 a pounds. this is the first time it's taken the winner. the winner's secret -- pumpkin seeds donated by a previous winner. >> the first time it's ever made sense the pumpkins are so huge. >> an inherited complex. >> genetics. >> yes. >> hurricane paula down in the tropics. into the western caribbean. looks like it's headed for the gull of mexico but won't make it there. dying out near the western tip

of cuba. the ninth hurricane in the atlantic basin. none have headed for the united states. this one won't either. as far as the forecast and much of the west goes, relatively quiet. pretty good cold front down through montana and now going into colorado. it's going to be a cool -- type day in denver. a storm system further off the coast. that energy will move onshore more or less up in british columbia, most of the drier side. high pressure doman nats wet weather near colorado. temperature, cold behind that front. 38 in boise. 40 now in billings. vegas, just 72. milder air back in the desert. even medford a little cool for you at 43. today's forecast, relatively simple and quiet. not a lot of wet weather out there. let you travel in through colorado. san francisco actually with that wind in that direction, going to see a very warm day today. one of the warmer spoets. actually, in all of the west. that's a rarity.

that's a look at your tuesday forecast. now he a warm fall in california, especially the san francisco area. prescott, pretty warm today too. looking at wednesday coming up. >> bill, look forward to it. thanks. wall street is ready to ring in record play. who thinks playing with the boss will get you a promotion? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, courteney cox and david arquette are making news with their marriage. what's the real deal with one of your fave rids "friends." the giants try to finish off bobby cox and the braves. plus, could brett farve put aside all of the distractions and help the vikings beat the jets? you're watching "early today."

>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm thomas roberts. here are some of your top headlines this morning -- president obama is promising an investigation into failed rescue attempts by u.s. special forces that ended in the death of a british aid worker held captive in afghanistan. after reviewing surveillance footage, nato said yesterday it was possible an american grenade mistakenly killed 36-year-old linda norgrove, not her taliban kidnappers. and killed in eastern afghanistan. no word on the cause of that blast. for the first time ever, doctors are treating an unnamed patient with embryonic stem cells in a government approved stud pip an unnamed patient recently hurt with a spinal cord injury is now helping scientists determine the safety of the procedure. and the san andreas fault is

long overdo for a massive shift meaning it could trigger an 8.1 quake along the 341 mile stretch between monterrey county and the salton city. now here's an early look at one of your top headlines on msnbc.com. linked to hormone problems. hormones 21% more likely to develop kidney stones. the study's lead author suggests women thinking about using hormone therapy to ease menopause symptoms consider problems it's been linked to including breast cancer, heart attacks and stroke. for more information on this and other health stories check out the health page at msnbc.com. "early today" health is brought to you by the vagisil screening kit. let's you check for vaginal infections at home, wall street kicking off the day at 11,010.

s&p and nasdaq up a fraction and we look overseas now. trading there this morning in tokyo. nikkei fell 200 points. in hong kong, hang teng dropped 85. bond markets close ford columbus day and stocks barely bumped but it wasn't quiet everywhere on wall street. corn futures soared 5% higher monday marking the commodities biggest two-day move in more than 20 years. the rally sparked friday when the usda slashed ats crop outlook. driving fears of food and biofuel price hikes. ibm was on the rise yesterday. big blue closed just shy of $140 apiece. athts ak a little acquisition action on the street -- children's clothing region he tailor gymboree agreed to purchase bybane capital. goldman sachs is joining the ranks of several banks to put the brakes on some foreclosures. meanwhile, mercedes is

recalling some 85,000 vehicles in the u.s. over potential power steering problems in some 2010 and 2011 c and e class models. microsoft unveiled a lineup of smartphones powered by its revamped windows 7 software. the updated system displays tiles instead of icons on the home screen and boasts a camera button that works even when the phone is locked. "the wall street journal" is reporting that despite the still struggling u.s. economy, paychecks on wall street are on track to break a record high for the second straight year. according to the journal, nearly three financial firms are set to pay 4% more in compensation and benefits over last year. finally, it seems a large number of american workers favor mixing business with pleasure. a recent so-called best boss survey found that 17% of those questioned think sleeping with the boss will help you get ahead. and 7%? well, they were speaking from experience.

bobby cox takes its curtain call with the braves. plus, they say everything is birth in texas. bigger in texas. that includes trick shots that you don't want to mess with. your early morning sports headlines are just ahead. well, the weather pattern in the northeast is only going to get rougher as it goes towards the end of this week. your regional 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 atlanta braves manager bobby cox made his final farewell last night an 29 years in the dugout. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. we start with the baseball playoffs where it was the end of an era last night in atlanta. in a thrilling back and forth game, bobby cox's braves could not avoid elimination against the giants. game four in atlanta. pick it up in the sixth, braves leading 1-0. a no-hitter in this pitch to cody ross, deep and gone. ross' solo shot tied the game for one. in the seventh, ross came through. a base hit to johnny venters. a score, pat called out at home. giants, however, back in the lead, 3-2. we go to the ninth. braves down to their final out. two men aboard for cabrera. brian got a ground out.

that did it. the giants beat the braves 3-2. they win the series. and that is the final game of bobby cox's incredible career. he now heads into the retirement. in the nfl -- the vikings and brett favre putting the distractions behind him. farve fumbled a handoff to adrian peterson. the ball is loose and the jets recovered. favre's second fumble leading to a jets' field goal. later in the third, this time farve delivered to randy moss, their first as teammates. farve's 500th career touchdown pass. 12-7 jets. ahead to the forth, jets leading, 22-20. a minute 40 to play. farve tried to rally the vikings. he was picked off by lowery who went 26 yards for the score. farve and the vikings lose it, 29-20. they're now 1-3. the jets are 4-1. with basketball season right around the corner, we thought we would get you in the move by this incredible trick shot. the dude called dude perfect. from the top deck of cowboys stadium, nailed it. one more look.

if it's a fake, it's an incredible fake. it looks pretty real to me. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. and the sexiest woman alive title goes to -- all right. got to wait for it. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, a soldier's return home from iraq is one of several reasons to celebrate. you're watching "early today."

welcome back.

a look at your tuesday forecast. very nice conditions in the west oesh the next two days. a storm bypassing to the north leaving much of the region dry an also very war. look at san francisco. 92 today. relatively warm is phoenix. toast any albuquerque, 70s. kansas city beautiful, 64. excuse me. salt lake city, 64. tomorrow, 69 and wednesday looks better around much of the west with clear skies and warm conditions continuing. so what a stretch of fall weather. if you're waging on kc 24 news in cheek oh, california, bring the family to cobb ranch corn maze and pumpkin patch. enjoy hay rides and pick all the perfect pumpkin. that's your pacific event of the day. now's the time. >> keep an eye out for the supersized ones. right? now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. the major marriage of popular hollywood couple is coming to an

end. courteney cox and david arquette are calling it quits. they separated months ago, but the two remain friends and coparents to their 6-year-old daughter, coco. "esquire" magazine has named its sexiest woman. 36-year-old minka kelly stars on nbc's "parenthood." in real life, she is girlfriend of derek jeter. kelly's issue of "esquire" hits the stands november 19th. and be sure to set your dvrs for thursday night. you never know what will happen on a live show. this week's episode of "30 rock" is doing just that -- airing live. details for the script of the nbc comedy are under wraps, but the cast is expected to get visits from guest starts like john hamm, matt damon. and tina fey's emotionally challenged boyfriend sometimes comes out. recurring role. third time coming back on "30 rock." >> any moment they start

laughing. they can't control it. >> those are the best. that's my favorite part on "snl." that makes me laugh. >> trying to crack each other up, too. >> i bet they will try and do that. this next story -- a soldier's girlfriend got the surprise of a lifetime. army specialist steven cantarzi returned from iraq to the cheers of his family, friends and his girlfriend, kayla, who thought she would surprise him at the airport. well, the surprise was actually on her when he popped the big question using her grandmother's diamond ring to actually do it. thankfully, she said yes, and the two plan to marry before he heads to korea for a tour of duty. that's coming up in december. so not a lot of time for them. congratulations to them. i'm thomas roberts, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

one famous street in london is buzzing with traffic. we are not talking about automobiles. take a look at this. a flock of sheep is calling london's fashionable saddle row home this week. it's part of a campaign launched by prince charles to promote the fiber and sheep farming of the country. the sheep get to graze on specially laid pastures tended by farmers wearing, of course, wool suits. cool for shoppers. a tug of war can be more than just fun and games. take a look at this. in japan an estimated 270,000 people attended a tug of war match. participants pitted against each

other. but the rope weighed 42,000 tons. in the end, it wouldn't budget. and the battle? well, that was declared to be a draw. finally, there might be proof that everything is better fried. at the state fair of texas everything from lemonade, caviar, cookie dough, even beer hit the deep fryer, leaving some unsure about whether to eat or drink the treats. there was even an option for the more health conscious. there is fried salad. bill, how do you do beer? fried beer? >> i don't know. maybe they put it in something first. >> hopefully it's out of the can first. >> yeah. i'm still trying to adapt to the fried oreos. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in norfolk, virginia, the u.s. navy will hold a ceremony to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the "uss cole." a decade ago, 17 soldiers killed on the destroyer in yemen.

continental airlines joins other carriers in charging customers for food. the change applies to most economy passengers on domestic flights. day bug around the world, former south african president nelson mandela's book, "conversations with myself." and 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. former secretary of state condoleezza rice sits down with meredith for her first interview on her new memoir. and in a "today" exclusive, ann curry travels with actor george clooney through war-torn sudan. 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