♪ this morning on "early today," midwest mess. severe weather spawns a monster storm that batters the nation's midsection. double disaster. parts of indonesia suffer a deadly duo of natural catastrophes. and amazing amazon. scientists discover hundreds of new species in the south american rainforests. 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.

today, we begin with wild and wicked winds. a savage storm system is barreling east this morning after causing severe winds and damage all across america's heartland yesterday. more than two dozen tornadoes have already been reported in this record-breaking storm. here's nbc's kurt gregory. >> reporter: fall's fury being felt from wisconsin to eastern states. in wisconsin, the national weather service says a funnel was on the ground even before it appeared on radar. the twister ripped a roof off a tractor plant. >> that was a terrible experience. >> reporter: another touched down in central indiana. farm buildings were flattened homes heavily damaged. >> the steel starts rattling. >> reporter: howling winds across the hoosier state knocked down power lines, toppled trees, even semi-trucks. high winds across the great lakes produced huge waves. waves that topped nine feet on lake michigan. >> impressive.

this is one angry lake. >> reporter: pounding winds and gale-force winds made for a rough day in the windy city. hundreds of flights in chicago cancelled or delayed because of the high winds. and while residents in eastern states brace for a fall storm, forecasters already called the worst in decades. folks in colorado are getting an early taste of old man winter. kurt gregory, nbc news. now with less than a week to go before the midterm elections, exhaustion is setting in for both the candidates and american voters. and in one crucial race, things have taken a dramatic turn with a health scare for a candidate locked in an extremely tight contest. nbc's tracie potts is in washington with more. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. carly fiorina, the republican for the senate in california, was hospitalized her campaign says with an infection that was related to breast cancer surgery that was completed shortly before the campaign began. they do say, however, they expect her to be back on the

campaign trail soon. she is locked in a very tight race with senator barbara boxer. right now she's down only by six points. a lot different than democrats had expected. moving on now to florida where we saw another debate there last night it was a very interesting one. independent governor charlie crist defended himself for leaving the republican party, saying that it was a heart-felt change of views that the party has moved far right. his republican challenger, marco rubio, questioned whether or not that move was political. now on to kentucky where outside that debate last night, the senate debate -- actually, this was monday night. there was a scuffle between a volunteer for the republican candidate, rand paul, and a moveon activist. that volunteer has since apologized, but he lost his job in the campaign. and in illinois where president obama has now cast his absentee ballot, president bill clinton was there campaigning for the

democrats for both governor and senate, both locked in tight races there. >> tracie potts in washington, thank you. >> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america -- an odd spectacle brought new york's sixth avenue to a stand still yesterday. tourists, commuters, and everyday citizens slowed down for a parade of two camels, two sheep and a donkey. the animals were at the radio city music hall posing for the first day of the christmas spectacular. the animals will appear in a living nativity scene. a show tradition since 1933. and not to be outdone, zombies paraded the streets of new york. the living dead sauntered through times square and the brooklyn bridge, milling about with commuters and tourists. it's promoting the holiday premier of a new tv series. finally, returning to our lead story on severe weather

that hammered the midwest and southeast, perhaps hardest hit was indiana, where the unrelenting furry left in its trail sent structural damage, downed power lines and piles of degree bri. nearly every county in the state reported severe wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. of course, all the details on the wicked weather we've seen here in the midwest. >> good morning to you, lynn. an amazing picture from outer space his morning of this monster storm, and one of the bigger storms you'll ever see. and it's going to be historic for, its low pressure. talk about low pressure, high pressure. we're talking about barometric readings. one way to measure how strong the intense storms are. this is one of the strongest we've seen in the lower 48. now it's located up here. north of the border, in the southern portions of canada. the influence of the storm is from the east coast all wait back here into montana.

blizzard conditions this morning with snow three to six inches in the dakotas. winds gusting 50 to 60 miles per hour in some cases. in the last hour 45 in minneapolis. and snow in bismarck. this storm is influencing the region, although the severe weather is over with. the next storm system is just starting to come on to the map here. one nice day here in the pacific northwest. it's going to be partly cloudy. clouds increase late in the day. the rain returns tomorrow. enjoy one little day here of a break of your umbrella weather. california and arizona looking nice on this wednesday. that's a look at arizona. eve be the deserts today, only in the upper 70s to low 80s. take a look at thursday's

forecast and that next storm coming up. >> bill, thanks so much. ford rides smoothly. limewire crashes, and cuddling up in the sky. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, conflicting versions of charlie sheen's wild night in the big apple. the lakers get their rings. and a psychic octopus didn't see this one coming. 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. rescuers in indonesia are trying to cope with twin disasters today after a tsunami and volcanic eruption hit the island nations hours apart yesterday. at least 272 people have been kill and scores of others remain missing in one of the world's most seismically active areas. arizona's convicted murderer

jeffrey landen last night, the state's fifth execution in five three years. he died by lethal injection after the u.s. supreme court lifted a stay issued by a federal judge this week on concerns of the effectiveness of the execution drug which is in short supply across the country. a federal appeals court has struck down a 6-year-old arizona law requiring citizens to prove their citizenship to vote. saying it conflicts with the national voters registration act. the court has determined that voters must still show identification before casting a ballot. and a new report by the world's wildlife fund highlights the rich diversity of the amazon rainforest saying a new species is essentially covered every few three days. over the past decade, many species were found including an anaconda as long as a limousine. how about that?

now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. my health news daily looked up 37 popular halloween candies and found the five best and worst for your health, based on fat and sugar content. the worst was a mr. goodbar, which contained 250 calorie, 17 grams of fat and 23 grams of sugar. the best were jolly ranchers. three of which contained 7 calories, no fat and 11 grams of sugar. for more on this and other health stories, check out the health page at msnbc.com. "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil. bring yourself back. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,169 after adding 5 points yesterday. the s&p went up a fraction. and the nasdaq gained 6 points. taking a look at overseas

trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei rose 9 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng plunged 436. investors on wall street played it safe tuesday with the midterm elections and more stimulus from the fed looming on the horizon. weak forecasts from bristol-myers squibb and texas instruments sent both their lows but those losses were offset by a better than expected rise in consumer confidence. steelmakers u.s. steel and a.k. steel both delivered skeptical forecasts for the rest of the year. u.s. steel lost more than 3% while a.k. steel slumped 4. dupont raised its full year profit view and earnings beat expectations, but shares fell is 1%. on the plus side, ford paid down debt and its quarterly profit topped estimates, sending shares up 1.5%, hitting a six-month high. ibm gained slightly after boosting its stock buy back program. coach, the upscale leather

goodsmaker posted higher than expected quarterly results and shares jumped almost 12%. keep an eye today on netflix. shares rose more than 6% on rumors the company may be bought by apple. also making rumors, northern trust jumped more than 4% on buzz that hsbc, europe's biggest bank, may be making a bid. elsewhere, federal prosecutors announced glaxosmithkline will pay $750 million to settle allegations it knowingly manufactured and sold adult rated drugs including the antidepressant paxil. the poplar online file service limewire has been shut down by a u.s. federal court following a lawsuit by the music industry. and finally, air new zealand will soon introduce what's being called cuddle class. for long flights between los angeles and new zealand, passengers can purchase seats that turn into couches, perfect for couples who want extra room

or families with small children. making the skies more friendly. to the victor go to spoils. portland comes up roses and good-bye to a soccer legend. plus, lebron james and miami's terrific trio had their moments, but the heat ended up cold in bean town. your early morning sports headlines are just ahead. our tornado threat has ended, but rain will greet everyone on the east coast while a new storm moves into the west. your wednesday forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." [ male announcer ] carly fiorina.

she's against banning assault weapons... and that's reckless and dangerous. she's for risky new oil drilling that could threaten our jobs. fiorina's plan would mean slashing social security and medicare, which would devastate seniors. and she'd make abortion a crime. no wonder fiorina is endorsed by sarah palin. carly fiorina. just too extreme for california.

[ boxer ] i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message. good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports last night, the two-time defending champion los angeles lakers opened up their season, receiving some new bling in tinsel town. near's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. before the season even started, people were handing the nba championship to the miami heat. last night, put up or shut up, and the celtics hit them right in the mouth. lebron and the heat looked like they needed more process. celts led by 15 at the break. the heat did make a run in third. james laid it down, 53-57 miami down.

da lebron did his best to keep them in the game. heat finished with 31. but miami couldn't get over the hump. ray with a dagger from the corner had a team high 20. the old big three beat the new big three. celts spoiled lebron's debut, 81-80. and unveiling the championship rings. this one went down to the wire against the rockets. around minute to play. brian found a wide open lake who knocked down the three. lakers up, 112-110. last chance for the rockets. brooks up and under but it was rejected. no harm, no foul. lakers rallied from 15 down to win it 112-110. portland, suns and blazers close until the final minutes. minutes later, it was nick batune from downtown. blazers ended the game on an 18-1 run and end it 106-92. now some sad news from the soccer world. paul "the psychic" octopus passed away yesterday.

you may remember during the world cup, paul correctly predicted the outcome of eight games. he made one last prediction, picking england of the host country as the 2018 world cup. paul died of natural causes at the ripe old age of 2 1/2. he'll now be predicting soccer predictions from davy jones' locker. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. who just got voted the most influential man of 2010? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, it's the number one species consumed by americans. but at least one member of the species is safe and sound. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this wednesday. we're getting a break from stormy weather in the pick northwest after four or five days in row of rain showers or heavy rain. today a little bit of a break then another storm right behind it. today partly cloudy temperatures in the 50s. lots of sunshine from albuquerque to vegas. look how chill pip coolest of the season. 6 in vegas and a peak at your thursday forecast, where all the rain moves on to the west coast, thursday. we'll track that storm for you tomorrow. if kwur watching us on krnb my news 4 in reno, nevada, explore the pioneers of punk rock music scene viewing three decades of album covers at the wrong side of reno at nevada museum of art. that's your pick event of the

day. >> nice. >> you're a punk rocker. i can tell i. love it. all right, bill, thanks. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. charlie sheen is back in los angeles this morning after a headlinemaking night in new york. he was briefly hospitalized after plaza hotel security called police reporting he was disorderly and breaking furniture. police found sheen drunk and naked. his publicist blamed it on an allergic reaction to medication. no court charges filed. a court rejected the bid of michael jackson's father to challenge the bid for his estate. a cameraman is suing sasha baron cohen claiming he was roughed up by his filming crew in 2008. finally, jon stewart wag named the most influential men

in 2010. this was in askmen.com's survey of its half a million readers. bill karins what do you think? >> oh, number five this year inspect. >> simmer down. and this comes to us from kansas city, missouri, where one chicken escaped the hatchet thanks to a daring high school student. whitney only expected her livestock and poultry class to teach her where food came from. she wasn't expecting slaught slaughtering 40 chickens. when her protests fell on deaf ears, she took a chicklet home. she was suspended. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

when you think of b.u., this school probably doesn't come to mind. welcome to bouncer university in argentina, the first of its kind school that teaches bouncers how to navigate the nightclub circuit with classes like non-violent intervention and human rights. the idea came after the founder's son was shot and killed by a bouncer and it may become a requirement to work as a bouncer in that country. and the ears of commuters in the netherlands. the country's orchestra staged an impromptu concert. the musicians hope to get out a larger message of the importance

of the arts and commuters didn't skip a beat to take in the free concert. for fans of a certain british spy, this auction may be for your eyes only. james bond's 1964 astin martin is up for auction in england. the model, featured in "gold finger" and later in "thunder ball" is expected to go for nearly $1 million. a selling point? some of the gadgets still work like the removable roof panel, but not the ejector seat. and you do need a license to drive. >> which one would you rather have, the astin martin or the delorian from "back to the future"? >> ooh, astin martin. that's such a no-brainer. although those car doors that spun open, that was pretty cool. it is time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in washington, an update on problems in the u.s. housing sector. a panel for the government's troubled asset

relief program hold hearings on t.a.r.p.'s foreclosure program. secretary of state hillary clinton kicks off a tour in asia. some countries experienced strained relations with china. the trip includes vietnam, cambodia and new zealand, and a late add, a stop in china. and a special day in new york city's history. on this day in 1904, the big apple's subway system opened. back then, it cost just a nickel to ride. 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. al roker will have the latest on the powerful storm system that tore through the midwest. and hear from a jetblue flight attendant who made headlines this summer after walking, or jumping, off the job. 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 i was supposed to retire there. carly fiorina changed all that. [ cheri ] fiorina laid off 30,000 people. and she shipped our jobs to china. and india. i had to pack my bags and i was out the door that night. we even had to train our replacements. she didn't need 5 corporate jets. [ farrell ] one hundred million for herself. fiorina never cared about our jobs. not then and not now. [ boxer ] i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message.