>> "free wired." [ cheers and applause ] >> jay: far east movement. thank you, gentlemen. thank you, guys. nice work. i want to thank my guests, james franco and, of course, meghan mccain and far east movement. tomorrow night, anne hathaway will be here. "jimmy fallon" happening right now. see you tomorrow. this morning on "early today," minimal risk. a report on the highly anticipated pentagon study on lifting don't ask, don't tell. major oops, an ohio smokestack implosion doesn't go quite as planned. and chocolate lovers, bew confectioners issue a dire warning about the world's confectioners issue a dire warning about the world's chocolate supply. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

he low. very good morning to you. welcome to our viewer ace cross the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with limited liability. this morning's "washington post" study concludes that a pentagon study has concluded the pentagon can lift the ban to openly serving gays risk. that's according to two people familiar with the draft of the study due to be completed on december 1st. p in addition, the post says more than 70% of respondents surveyed sent to active duty and reserve troops said the effect of repealing don't ask, don't tell would be positive, mixed, or nonexistent. those results led the authors to conclude that objections to openly gay colleagues would drop once troops were able to live and serve alongside them. elsewhere in washington, a fire storm of feedback from all sides is being aimed at a presidential commission with the unwelcomed task of slashing the budget deficit. among the list of unpopular proposals, tax hikes,

medicare cuts and raising the retirement age. kristin dahlgren has more for us from washington this morning. >> good morning, veronica, cuts in taxes increases, a couple of controversial proposals by this so-called deficit commission, to-chairs unveiled the proposals to bring $4 trillion in deficit reductions by the year 2020. they called debt a cancer that needs to be fixed. the proposals were immediately attacked by both the left and the right. speaker pelosi calling them unacceptable. from korea, president obama weighed in urging people to gather up facts before they make their decision on this. he said, quote, we have to be straight with the american people. and he also said that tough choices would be needed. but the proposals may not survive their own commission. 14 of the 18 commissioners does

have to approve it before it even gets to congress before they vote. some are skeptical it will get that far. veroni veronica. >> nice to see you. thank you so much. the passengers whose cruise ship destination inching closer to land. all they can do is wait and eat the pop tarts and spam that's been flown in for them. >> reporter: the carnival "splendor," under tow and heading home to southern california. >> our focus has been totally centered on the safety of the guests, the safety of the crew, and getting everybody home safely. >> the cruise ship lost power early monday after an engine room fire triggered an electrical shutdown. the ship drifted off baja's coast for more than a day before tug boats arrived. carnival has delivered food and drink supplies by naval helicopter to the ship's passengers and crew. passengers and officials admit conditions on the ship have been less than ideal.

>> it's a little bit stuffy. we have some passengers that have full service restored as far as water and bathroom services, but no light, no power, no electricity, no air flow. >> reporter: a team of five tugboats is expected to have the stricken ship off the shores of san diego by dawn. carnival says the tugs will then slowly guide the ship through the harbor with arrival at the dock expected around mid day. kurt gregory, nbc news. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a wisconsin driver is behind bars after leading police on a high speed chase. an officer was reportedly trying to pull over the man for no taillights, but he took off. at one point the man jumps out of the car and into the bushes, while the unmanned vehicle nearly clips an officer. the man has been charged for multiple offenses, including possession of methamphetamine. demolishers in ohio had an embarrassing mishap when an old tower imploded and came crashing down in the wrong direction.

apparently one of the detonators didn't go off. it downed power lines and left over 4,000 customers in the dark. high flames and thick, black smoke shot up into the air at one california refinery. a power outage in the area forced workers at the plant to release large amounts of gas which caused excess flaring. health officials warned nearby residents to stay inside, but have isn't since lifted that order. in new jersey, a 13-year-old girl may have reeled in a record catch for the international game association hasn't confirmed it yet, but with the last junior female record weighing in at 47 pounds, her 50-plus pound striped bass appears to have blown that out of the water. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. bill, did you see the size of that thing? it was bigger than she is. >> i know. that must have taken her at least an hour, maybe two hours to reel in. i've been striper fishing.

they fight, too. >> massive arm strength involved. >> no workout that day. as far as the west coast goes this morning, good morning on this veterans day. we are watching pretty tranquil weather conditions. a little fog plaguing us in the portland area like it did yesterday. that should break up here shortly. there's not a lot going on. one storm system is headed into the mid of the country. a little storm system is kicking along the coast here. just clouds with it. no rain. you don't have to worry about wet weather this morning. underneath the logo here, that's going to come onshore later this afternoon and bring a chance of showers. temperatures are chilly in most areas. 30 in salt lake city. boise at 31. portland and medford are on the chillier sides, into the 30s. vegas, at 51 now. you're not going to warm it up much this afternoon. high temperature this veterans day, 50. phoenix, cooler side. 70s, wide spread to fr san diego to l.a. san francisco is looking nice today. as far as the rain goes in the northwest, it's only a chance of showers during this afternoon.

it's not going to be a big with morning fog. that should break up. chance of showers this afternoon. as far as roseburg, oregon, mostly cloudy with your forecast. we'll chat about that friday forecast coming up, veronica. >> i want to be in l.a. or san diego. did you see the forecast? >> it's going to be beautiful for a bunch of days in a row. >> amazing. thanks, bill. cisco stumbles, unemployment improv improves, and why you might find yourself on a flight sitting next to a famous actor. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, the country couple that has it all now has even more. the jazz do it again, another first for john wall and possibly the worst way to lose a game. you'ating tlyod

>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. speaking at today's g-20 summit, president obama said the united states and china are making progress on negotiations to tackle sensitive issues like the openness of the chinese economy and reforming the country's currency. earlier in the day, the president marked veterans day by saluting american troops who fought in the korean war. english prime minister david cameron is condemning students who protest the government's plans to triple tuition fees. cameron said today those involved were, quote, bent on violence and destruction, and should face prosecution. amazon.com is drawing outrage over its decision to sell an e-book that builds itself as a guide for

pedophiles. it cited the right to free speech, but as of last night, the book had been reproved from its site. and how much would you pay to satisfy your sweet tooth? industry experts claim in just 20 years chocolate will be as expensive as caviar. that's because african farmers who produce the bulk of the world's supply are abandoning their farms in search of better pay. and now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. nearly one in ten children in the u.s. have adhd, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder which makes it hard for kids to pay attention or control behavior. over a few years, government scientists attribute that to growing awareness and better screening. the new government study reports that two-30s of children t. children who have adhd are on medication. for more information on this and other health stories, check out the health page online 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 11,357 after adding ten points yesterday. the s&p edged up 5 points and the nasdaq gained 15. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei rose 30 points while in hong kong, the hang seng climbed 199. markets made a modest comeback yesterday, but a weak outlook for a bellwether could spell a rough start for the day. cisco had its worst earnings decline ever. in response to a weaker outlook than expected. elsewhere after the bell, kohl's shares were up after the department store reported quarterly earnings in line with estimates. also late yesterday, gm weighed in with its largest quarterly profit since emerging from bankruptcy in july of last year. the dollar will be front and center today in the wake of the

fed's first easing program purchase. as the u.s. builds criticism for keeping interest rates low from global leaders overseas. on that front, treasury secretary tim geithner told cnbc today the u.s., quote, will never seek to weaken the u.s. currency as a tool to grow the economy. on the street yesterday a dip in jobless claims filled optimism the economy is on the mend. a new report shows a not so surprising drop in the amount of foreclosures last month after lenders temporarily stopped foreclosure filings in the wake of an industry wide fraud probe. google in back in the hot seat over allegations its street view mapping tool violated privacy laws. this week, it's being investigated just two weeks after the federal trade commission closed its inquiry. boeing shares took a dive after shutting down the dreamliner to determine what caused cabin smoke in the cockpit on tuesday. and finally, you could soon be sitting next to your favorite

actor in coach. if approved, a proposed union deal could require screen actors to fly economy class in exchange for a pay hike and more benefits. a wall with no bricks, a sweet big apple return, and a major blunder in high school football. plus, the utah jazz make noise again coming up with yet another shocker in the sunshine state. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. on have veterans day, we're expecting wet weather in the middle of the country, but a lot of beautiful blue skies up and down the east coast. your veterans day forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, utah played two of the nba's best team on back to back nights and the jazz were smooth in each of them. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. so after coming back from 22 down against the heat on tuesday, the utah jazz did it again last night in orlando. this time, utah was down 18 and rallied in the third. paul millsap double clutched the bucket and foul. tray they trail by nine after three. jazz went off in the fourth. darren williams from beyond the arc, utah within one. williams from long range. it's not how you start, it's how you finished.

that t. jazz outscored them. jazz win it, 104-94. wizards and rockets, second quarter, gilbert arenas up, threw it down. whiz were up by seven at the half. we go to the fourth. wall with the steal and the dish to thorton. wall's first triple double. wizards won it, 98-91. warriors david lee got a standing ovation in his return to new york. knicks probably wish they would never have gotten rid of him. lee had a season high 28 points and 10 boards. ris he plahis replacement in ne york, stoudemire. last chance for new york, wilson chandler for the tie, brick. warriors held on, 122-117. baseball national league gold gloves awarded yesterday. the reds first baseman honored for the eighth time. check this. high school football from orlando. attending to run out the clock. instead of kneeling down, taking a knee in the final play, he ran

around the end of the field and finally stopped. the other team said, thank you, i'll take that. he grabbed the ball and ran it in for the game-winning touchdown. that's tough. basically just handed them the game. jake's team is now headed to the playoffs. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. pink may be seeing the stork, and one celebrity chef is seeing red. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, she was one of the all-time greats in tennis, but apparently that wasn't enough for martina navratilova. you're watching "early today."

you're watching "early today." welcome back on this thursday morning, veterans day. we are watching a chance of showers in portland. not a big wet weather system so i wouldn't worry too much about rain today. watching beautiful conditions this afternoon, in california and arizona. a little chilly. feels like winter in vegas. highs in 60, 70. tomorrow's forecast, more of the same. if anything, it should be worry about it. 77. if you're watching us on knsd nbc 7, 39, san diego, california, support our servicemen and women. head to the veterans day parade at cedar street and pacific highway. that's your pacific event of the

day, veronica. >> perfect. here is an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. last night was a night to remember to country music's it couple and brad paisley at the country music association awards in nashville. miranda lambert and blake shelton who got engaged in the spring celebrated lambert's birthday by taking home several awards. lambert won three, including show person of the year. paisley, the show's co-host alongside carrie underwood cheerfully accepted the award for the year's best country entertainer. elsewhere, "us weekly" quotes a source who says pink is 12 weeks pregnant with her first child. congratulations. and married celebrity chef delorentas is fuming after a report saying she was seen cuddling up with serial dater

john mayer. calling it a lie and she wants a detraction. finally, last night in nashville -- ♪ because i'm country strong >> gweneth paltrow not only survived her live singing debut, she got a standing ovation. one, she sounds good. but, two, she has an unfair advantage. her husband is chris martin from cold play so she has singing lessons. >> he wasn't next to her. >> she was great. she was great. this comes to us from new york where tennis legend where martina navratilova has dominated for years but now has another goal to ace, scaling up 19,000 feet up the treacherous steps of mt. kilimanjaro raising money for a sports charity for disadvantaged youth. the 54-year-old 59-time grand slam champ is still in amazing shape. she prepared with a 54-story

climb up a new york building, a workout she called easier than expected. i'm veronica de la cruz, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

as it gets colder, did you know just like birds, butterflies head south of the winter? millions of monarch butterflies have begun arriving at one of mexico's wildlife reserves. they hibernate and to reproduce. to escape the cold weather, some butterflies travel as far as 2,000 miles to reach mexico's warm mountain region. it is a gem of an auction item, and a pricey one at that. a rare pink diamond will be up for grabs at an auction in switzerland.

the virtually flawless 24 karat stone is said to be as high in quality as a diamond can get. it's expected to sell a new world record if it sells at its estimated price, $38 million. and japan's newest star is charging up to take the stage. she's a robot actress making her debut in tokyo. controlled by a human, she is meant to look as real as possible, programmed to even blink and keep her chest moving up and down as if she were breathing. the actress will likely nail her first part playing, you guessed it, a robot. pretty tough job there. >> pretty creepy. horror movie. >> a little weird, right? >> yeah. they shouldn't look that realistic. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. americans pay tribute to all who have served the united states on this veterans day. the government estimates that there are more than 22 million veterans in the united states.

secretary of state hillary clinton will be meeting with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu in new york this morning. their meeting comes as middle east peace talks have been complicated. and a big night in latin music. in las vegas artists will be honored at the latin grammy awards. 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. kanye west speaks out in response to what george w. bush called the low point of his presidency. and a look back at the career of "today" show critic gene shallet. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm veronica de la cruz.

thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific thursday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com can cause coma andider's even death. the african black mamba can kill a man with one bite. but there's an even deadlier predator cigarettes, produced by big tobacco, which take a life every six point five seconds. don't be big tobacco's next victim.