this morning on "early today," rumble in reno. the most powerful senate democrat and his challenger go on the attack in a bitter political matchup. life after near death, chile's miracle miners begin leaving the hospital to return to their lives. and home run, a florida man tries a different type of diamond for his unique weddin proposal. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pick time zone. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a fight to the finish.

sparks flew in las vegas between a much-anticipated debate between senate majority leader harry reid and sharron angle. the two of back-to-back in the race for the senate seat. last night, it was angle who came out swinging. nbc's tracie potts is in washington with the details. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. there were a few viewed but none watch eed more closely than tha showdown in nevada. senator harry reid took the gloves off first on tv. >> she's wild. and with the wild ideas schae we would never get anything done. >> reporter: at the debate, sharron angle came back swinging. >> signature and date. >> reporter: nevada's biggest problem and the nation is jobs at 14.4%, nevada has the nation's highest unemployment

rate. >> my job is to create jobs. what she's talking about is extreme. >> it's not your job to create jobs. it's your job to create policies that create the confidence for the private sector. >> reporter: they clashed on immigration, foreign policy and health care. >> and it creates jobs. thousands and thousands of jobs. >> forcing someone to buy something that they don't need is not the way to solve a problem. >> reporter: and what to do about the tax hikes that will happen in january if congress doesn't act. >> i around gerch thuarantee ev there will be no increase for middle class people in america. >> votes with over 300 tax increases, senator, we can't trust you with our taxes. >> reporter: a tea party favorite taking on the senate's most powerful democrat. and they don't have long to make their case. early voting in nevada starts this weekend. lynn? >> tracie, thank you. well, the justice department is asking a u.s. district judge to allow the military don't ask, don't tell policy to stay in place, at least for now. that action came two days after

the judge ordered the pentagon to stop enforcing its ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. in court papers filed yesterday, the government argued that allowing the ruling to be implemented would disrupt military preparedness and complicate ongoing reviews of the law. speaking at a town hall yesterday, president obama reiterated his opposition to the policy. >> this is not a question of whether the policy will end. this policy will end, and it will end on my watch. >> the administration has also said that congress and not the courts should change don't ask, don't tell. the 33 chilean miners who spent over two months trapped underground are now adjusting to celebrity status in chile. the first three of the men left the hospital last night and were joined by a mob of photographers. most of the miners are just fine, although one was treated for pneumonia and three others

have had to have surgery for dental problems. earlier in the day, the men got a visit from chile's president, sebastian pinera, who called the rescue a miracle. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america -- in florida, the happiest place on earth turned ugly when a guest attacked a driver on a disney world shuttle bus. it happened when the driver told the guest that the bus was full. things escalated when the hot tempered man lunged at the driver even though he was holding a baby. officials say the driver is on paid leave while the confrontation is being investigated. in rhode island, it took firefighters eight hours to put out a massive blaze that gutted a mill. the mill was mostly vacant and there are no injuries reported. officials are looking into how it all started. an oregon man is behind bars this morning for a bizarre burglary attempt. authorities say the man was trying to break into a rocks and minerals museum by digging a hole through a wall dressed in

head to toe camouflage. the museum's caretaker discover the hole and called police. the 33-year-old man is charged s with burglary and criminal mischief. back in florida, one girl received an over the top proposal from her love struck boyfriend. the romantic man rented a baseball field and used ten gallons paint to write out his proposal. after taking her for a helicopter ride, he found out all that work paid off when she sarah said, yes. and now for a look at your national weather, let's take a check with nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> got to do what you've got to do. >> how can you say no to that? like having a proposal in the jumbotron. no pressure. you know, painting a field is also -- a great gesture. >> a big, big diamond. >> yes. let's talk about what's

happening weatherwise. all of these tensions of at big storm system heading up through new england. a nor'easter up there bp heavy rain and mountain snow in areas of investment and new hampshire. the rest of the country, pretty much storm-free. a cold front move through the pacific northwest cooling you off a little bit. a couple more clouds. cutoff low down in baja, california, continuing to get clouds down into tucson. wet weather, not much. a couple sprinkles in northern idaho. that front is moving through pretty dry. not a lot of wet weather with it. and cooler in the puget sound. radar, a couple showers. that's about it. as far at the forecast goes, yesterday another hot day. it was 100 yesterday in phoenix. today is going to be cooler than that. much of the areas of california more than 90s dropping sboun into the 80s. the cooler air arrived, especially portland. late herbs, 80 in san francisco.

100 yesterday. 94 in phoenix is much more enjoyable. cooler weather definitely in su. a cool air mass only 54 in spokane. weekend forecast coming right up. >> ah we love that one. bill, thank you. banks take a hit. the government is seeing red, and a barbie doll with bling. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, it's a battle of the generations at the box office this weekend. who will come out on top? a homecoming for the red wings mike madano, rangers and yankees ready for the alcs and another tough day for brett farve. you're watching "early today."

>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning -- nbc news has learned that seven of eight nato native service members are killed in afghanistan yesterday were americans. at least 42 nato troops have been killed in afghanistan so far this month. violence in afghanistan is at its highest level since the overthrow of the taliban nine years ago. a reopen this morning. two visitors after being shut down by protesters three days. yesterday police clashed with government workers upset over unpaid wages and layoffs. authorities used tear gas to clear the demonstrators who barricaded themselves inside and padlocked the entrance gates. after nearly eight years of work and at cost of $240 million

a bridge that let drivers bypass the hoover dam along the arizona-nevada border is ready to open. at a dedication ceremony yesterday, ray lahood says it's one of wonders of the year. he hopes the structure will become another. michael callaghan and iraq hero pat tillman opens next week. and for just one night, the white house became the pink house thursday. this in honor of breast cancer awareness month. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,094 after dipping one point yesterday. the s&p slipped 4 points, the nasdaq fell 5. taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 83 points. while in hong kong, the hang seng lost 94. bank stocks took a beating investors worry the fallout from

the nation's investigation could take a toll on the nation's rally. the nation's biggest banks were hit hard yesterday on fears that mounting mortgage problems could add up to a big bill. an unexpected rise in jobless claims added to the cautious tone as investors hedge their bets ahead of this morning's speech by fed chief ben bernanke all listening for clues to confirm the fed is about to pump more cash into the economy. meanwhile, the obama administration is waiting for the announcement that the deficit topped $1 trillion for the second year in a row. however,s that projected figure is down $125 billion from last year. apple's ipad hits verizon shelves laters this month in time are the holiday rush. the iphone could be next. federal authorities have slapped cvs with $75 million in fines for allowing repeated purchases of pseudoephedrine in its stores. the decongestant is the main

ingredient to make methamphetamines. keep an eye on google today. they blew past earnings after the bell thanks to strong ad sales that fueled a 25% jump in revenue. and another stock to watch today -- general electric. the current owner of this network, reported third quarter earnings that beat the street's estimates earlier this morning, but revenue forecasts fell short. and finally -- move over ken. barbie has a new accessory that's turning heads. the blonde icon is sporting a decadent diamond choker with a 1 karat pink diamond in the center. she will be auctioned off this month for an estimated $250,000 to $500,000 for breast cancer research. star power and a gut check forebrett favre. and pulling off the token ladder play last night helping the

mountaineers roll in mountain town. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. as we head into the fall weekend, nice weather conditions from coast to coast. your national weather forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today."

and in sports -- the baseball playoffs are down to the final four and tonight, the american league championship series gets under way in texas. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the alcs starts tonight. the yanks advantaged to the world series a staggering 40 times throughout the world. rangers slugger josh hamilton thinks enough is enough. >> how many times could they win it? you know what i mean? there's got to be a change at some point. so, you know, it's nothing that we're going to back down from. everybody on the outside looks at this and says, obviously, the rangers are underdogs. we don't look at it that way. we look at how we've played them this year. we've played them pretty good. >> ought to be a pretty good series. game one tonight, 8:00 p.m. eastern. cc sbaftia for the yanks. hockey in dallas, an emotional homecoming of sorts for mike modano. he played 20 season for the

stars' organizations. after this one, you probably wishes he played 21. madonas returned with a win. college football, randy to ladder for protection in the second quarter. geno smith tossed it to sanders who lateraled it. this has been a rough week for brett farve. the vikings continue to struggle. he fought off allegations about sending sexy text messages and, now he's nursing a sore elbow. on top of it, he's been hit where it really hurts. somebody tossed him the ball and it hit him in a tough area, the same area that's been in question all week long. eventually got back up and resumed has he was doing. the old gunslinger. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great weekend. i'm fred roggin.

can a stunt movie steal friends a social network movie this weekend? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plurt, overseas, one hero marches to a different beat. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. time to prepare you for your

weekend forecast. not a lot of wet weather and temperatures comfortable. perfect for picking out that perfect pumpkin. 64 in portland for high it's today. into the areas of california a lot of 80s. not as many 90s as the last couple of days. heading through saturday, cooler air remains in the pacific northwest through the northern rockies. still near 90 from vegas down into phoenix and tucson. l.a., about 75 as we go through saturday, and a peek at your sunday, lots of sunshine. pretty dry. a little cooler, too. san francisco back into the 60s. if you're watching on knv on nbc 24, action news in cheek o chico. that's your pacific event of the day, food and fitness farmers market. an early look at this morning's early headlines in entertainment.

a third installment of don't try this at home stunts will take things to the next level which experts predict will pay off hand solemnly this weekend. "jackass 3d," starring johnny, stupid human tricks should cash in to take the top spot. the three-quel is much younger that than its early competition. "red" an action comedy about a team that comes out of retirement and gets back into action. a slew of professionals, like morgan freeman, bruce willis, the two films aren't likely to compete for audiences. "red" is expected to take second place. meanwhile, "the social network" is still expected to compete this weekend, rounding out third with $10 million. it always helps when the subject of the movie has, like, 500 million followers.

that always helps. >> is it the over 30 crowd? >> i do hate to throw us into that demographic, but it's here, bill accept it, embrace it and we'll move on. this comes to us from wnbc 4 new york, one former marine is telling his war stories through ballet. an artistic outlet during deployment in iraq, now he's become his own muse, transforming from a dancer and marine into beautiful choreography. the response has been heartfelt. hill fare family, active military men and women thank him for telling the story they all share. i'm lynn berry, this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

it's back to the future in japan. take a close look. you might miss it. this is not an actual woman. it's a robot. not only does she look human, she acts the part, too, with flexible silicone skin. she mimics human expressions like blinking, frowning, even breathing. researchers hope the robot can one day provide companionship for patients at hospitals. creepy there. the war of lions and clashes of swords will not seem a thing of past in rome. soon tourists will be able to wander the dark and eerie dungeons underneath the colosseum. after extensive restoration work and the need for more space, officials will unlock the hidden corridors once home to

wild beasts before being lifted into the gladiators' fighting arena around 80 a.d. here's one competition all of us early risers could probably win. a nine-day sleepoff in spain was no snooze fest. kmeters met up for an afternoon nap challenged by sunlight and roaring crowds, all while doctors monitor to see if they're actually asleep. points are awarded for sleeping positions and even snoring. top prize? shoods 14,000. bill i know you're with me. i think we could do that for free. >> a little drool on the pillow. >> just a chance to sleep and anyone watching probably understands us early risers. >> yes, they do. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. today, it's expected to be announced that more than 48 million americans who get social security checkless go without

cost of living increases for the second year in a row. today, your tax deadline is up for those who filed extensions in april with the 2009 forms with the irs. one year ago, the nation was captivated by reports of a colorado boy trapped in a run away balloon and it turns out it was all a stunt that landed the child's parents in jail. 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 nor'easter that's slamming the east coast. and nbc's natalie morales reports live from chile with details on what's next for those 33 rescued miners. 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. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

why risk they'll end up faded or stretched ? try woolite complete. it's for all your clothes