"jimmy fallon" happening right [ cheers and applause ] this morning on "early today," north star. senator lisa murkowski claims victory in her alaska re-election bid, but it may not be over just yet. race against time. a 3-year-old girl falls 75 feet down an irrigation well in argentina. and hooter's horror. restaurant surveillance video captures an off-duty cop getting physical with a 54-year-old captures an off-duty cop getting physical with a 54-year-old grandmother. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with beating the odds. after losing her state's republican primary, alaska's incumbent senator lisa murkowski launched a seemingly desperate write-in campaign to keep her seat. now after weeks of wading through stacks of hand-written ballots, she's being called the apparent winner. nbc's tracie potts joins us now from washington with the latest. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. and it was a hard-fought win. not since 1954 have we had a senate candidate to win and come to washington on a write-in campaign but it now appears that lisa murkowski, after losing the republican primary, to a tea party backed candidate, may do just that. she came out and spoke with reporters yesterday, calling this a miracle. this is a huge loss for the tea

party in sarah palin's backyard, in alaska. here's part of what she said during her victory speech last night. >> alaskans knew exactly what they were doing, and they showed their intent with every letter that they put down on that ballot. >> another hard fought win here in washington, nancy pelosi of the bay area, it appears, will continue to be in leadership with the democrats here in the house. she won the election for house minority leader after her party lost big in the recent elections. but polls -- recent polls show, in fact, the latest nbc poll shows almost half of the country, 48%, like the idea of having republicans in charge and having a divided congress. also, as we move forward, harry reid, the senate majority leader, still with the democrats on the senate side, saying that after thanksgiving they have a heavy agenda, included on that agenda will be a vote on the don't ask, don't tell policy.

lynn? >> tracie potts there in washington. tracie, thank you. well, two years to go before the 2012 presidential election, and things are already getting interesting. once again, sarah palin is involved. in an abc news interview, the tea party favorite says she's seriously considering a white house run. palin, who has been busy filming a tv sears and watching her daughter on "dancing with the stars" says she's trying to figure out if jumping into the race would be good for the country and her family. when asked whether she thinks she would beat president obama, palin said, quote, i believe so. a mixed verdict in the case of a former guantanamo detainee, the first to be tried in a civilian court, is reigniting the debate over how terror suspects should be prosecuted. yesterday a new york jury acquitted ahmed ghailani on all but one of over 280 charges against him for the deadly bombings of two u.s. embassies in 1998 that left 240 people dead, including 12 americans. he now faces 20 years to life in

prison for conspiracy. several lawmakers reacted, saying the decision shows why civilian courts should not be trusted to handle cases of al qaeda terrorists. still, supporters of civilian trials point out that ghailani will serve a lengthy sentence and have fewer arguments for appealing his conviction. in the trial the main witness against ghailani was disallowed by the judge because investigators found out about him after ghailani was abusively and coercively questioned. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. an illinois woman is in a maximum security prison following a confrontation with a hooter's restaurant security guard who happened to be an off-duty cop. she was allegedly disputing her bill when things escalated after the cop reportedly used a racial slur. he grabbed the woman and shook her, later testifying that the woman spat on him. she has filed a civil suit against hooter's and the cop. a texas man is protesting

about the level of force used against him after he was pulled over for speeding. dash cam video shows the end of a seven-mile chase where a deputy tackles the man off of his motorcycle. the police department defends the officer's actions, claiming they were consistent with their use-of-force policy. california animal control was called in after someone saw a snake under the hood of a car. it took rescuers about 40 minutes to remove the 10-foot-long red-tailed boa constrictor. no one knows how it got there, but the critter is now up for adoption. and in washington state, workers are busy cleaning up a sea of salmon that had spilled across the highway following an overnight semi truck accident. it's not clear what they'll do with the salmon, but there are suggestions that some of them may be salvageable. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. >> i'm digging deep in my bag to

try to find -- remember any why did the salmon cross the road jokes, but i just don't have one. >> i'm not going to help you out with that one. as i always say, let's leave that to bill. >> yeah. >> you've got one. come on, you've got it. it's there. >> let's -- leave the grizzlies alone. let's talk about the huge storm in the west, lynn. it's been windy in oregon overnight. heavy snow. the if anyone will be driving through the passes and cascades, it will be quite a sight. now this is heading southward. we have winter storm warnings even for the areas of the central and northern sierra mountains into california. this is a storm system we haven't really seen so far this winter. it's got enough cold air with it that we're spreading snow. spokane is changing into snow. yellow snow is going to get significant snow. donner pass will get snow in the days ahead. high elevations will be looking rather white in a day or two

ahead. the system will inch its way down the coast. with it, the moisture. all the white here is the snow. you can see the spine in the cascad cascades. portland for you, the heavy rain is over with. showers the rest of the day. seattle, cool. on and off shower activities. highs only in the 40s with breezy conditions. you will see that rain shifts through the south. e to stay in the 70s. arizona is trying to stay in the 80s. we are going to watch the chilly air, but no snow in areas like pendleton and seattle. we'll show you where the storms are heading next on friday coming up later, lynn. >> bill, thanks so much. also coming up, target takes off, new home construction sinks, and gm's big ipo gets ready to hit the road. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead.

plus, the uproar over bristol palin's advancement in a tv dance contest goes way beyond talk around the water cooler. all right. coming up here, one of the worst soccer plays you will ever see, and an nhl goalie scores -- on himself. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. the first case of cholera linked to the outbreak in haiti has reached the united states in florida. the case involves a woman who recently visited her family in a region at the heart of haiti's epidemic. she is expected to make a full recovery. there's been no sign of a missing pilot of an air force f-22 fighter jet that crashed in alaska during a training exercise. rescue aircraft have spotted the wreckage and are continuing the search for the pilot who was

equipped with survival gear and trained to survive in an arctic environment. well, an american convicted in the death of his wife while scuba diving on their honeymoon in australia will be deported to alabama after officials promise not to impose the death penalty if he is convicted in the u.s. gabe watson was released from prison last week after serving an 18-month sentence for the 2003 manslaughter of his wife. and argentinian firefighters are being hailed as heroes after rescuing a 3-year-old girl who fell 75 feet down an abandoned well. crews spent more than six hours trying to pull little vanessa to safety. when the operation was finally over, she was taken to a local hospital where doctors say she was shocked but otherwise unharmed. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,007 after falling 15 points yesterday. the s&p was up a fraction.

the nasdaq added 6. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei climbed 201 points, while in hong kong the hang seng gained 422. get ready to hear every painful car pun you can think of because the talk on wall street today is going to be all gm all the time. that's because general motors is rolling out its new-again stock at the high end of its proposed range with shares priced at $33 apiece. down the road we'll find out exactly how much cash the bailed out automaker brings in. estimates currently top $23 billion, which should drive down the government's stake by nearly half and make it the largest ipo in u.s. history. overseas this morning, it's been announced ford will end its run as mazda's biggest shareholder with plans to slash its 11% stake down to 3.5%. on the street investors will keep an eye on weekly jobless claims today and any new developments out of europe.

worries that a bailout could be the only cure for ireland's troubling debt had investors on edge yesterday. also weighing down markets, the government reported construction of new homes fell nearly 12% in october, hitting an 18-month low. financial struggled on wednesday on news the fed is stepping up its efforts to keep tabs on 19 of the nation's biggest banks with a fresh round of stress tests. however, the flat day did have a bright spot. retail stocks climbed higher after target forecast its best same-store sales in three years. earnings from limited brands could extend the upbeat pace in the retail sector today. the victoria's secret and bath & body works parent reported impressive earnings after the bell, sending its shares up nearly 5%. and, finally, want to do your part to boost the global economy? how about gifting a gold and diamond encrusted coin of the taj mahal this year? the french-made coin weighs in at a whopping two pounds, but you'd better act fast. only 29 will be sold for the

bargain price of 135,000 big ones. don't hold your breath. well, coming up, the heat eclipse the suns, and the spurs continue to make noise, and a soccer gaffe of mammoth proportions. plus, on the ice, it's a goalie's dream come true and his worst nightmare all in one. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. typical fall-like weather for most of the country, but a big storm in the pacific northwest. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports all season the miami heat have been waiting for one of their three superstars to produce. and the wait is finally over. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. so far miami's big three has been more like the big two. lebron james and dwyane wade have both had huge games this season, and last night chris bosh finally joined the fun. against the suns, bosh with a jumper here, a jumper there, a jumper everywhere. he did most of his damage away from the basket. had 22 by the half and finished with a season-high 35. of course, what's a miami highlight without a little lebron james. the steal, the lay-in, the foul. the heat won, 123-96.

hornets and mavs, third quarter, chris paul, the alley-oop to trevor ariza. new orleans was up ten. dallas came back, had a chance in the final seconds. but david west stole the ball from dirk nowitsky, and the hornets held on to win it, 99-97. like the hornets, the spurs only have one loss. tony parker and eva longoria announced they're getting a divorce, but it didn't affect his game. he dropped 21 on the bulls. spurs won it, 103-94. in hockey, the penguins' sidney crosby doesn't get a lot of penalties, but maybe he should. he stepped out of the penalty box. the puck came right to him, and there he goes all alone and scored. even when crosby is penalized, he figures out a way to make it work to his advantage. penguins beat the canucks, 3-1. crazy goal between the red wings and blues. a harmless shot on the net. the goalie made the save. the rebound went straight up, and he swatted it into his own net. one more look. he tried to bat the puck out of midair, but batted it in for a red wing goal. that was the beginning of a bad night for the blues. they lost it, 7-3. finally, they call soccer the beautiful game. nothing beautiful about this. watch closely.

it's being called the miss of the century. uzbekistan gave the ball away. so qatar's 18-year-old striker took it, and looky here. wide open net. i'll kick that. oh. kicked it right into the post. he couldn't believe he missed it. and, frankly, neither could anyone else. i mean i'm no soccer player, but even i would have made that. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. >> me, too, fred. well, what might be next for george clooney? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, in a matter of only days, now everyone wants to be like kate. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this thursday morning. even in paradise you get a little bit of rain. from honolulu to maui and lihue you're going to see a chance for rain. forecast on this thursday, also in the west, we already talked with a big huge storm here into medford and boise. from i have gas to l.a. to phoenix, you're dry today. tomorrow we see the rain shift further south wards. san francisco wet weather in your forecast on your friday. if you're watching us on minus, florida, check out the greatest legends. road in style at celebrity automobiles at the national automobile museum. that's your pacific event of the

day. >> bill, thanks. well, now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. is george clooney getting ready to say uncle? a day after the "hollywood reporter" said director steven soderbergh was in talks to bring the '60s tv spy series "man from u.n.c.l.e." to the big screen, reports say clooney is in talks to play the lead agent napoleon solo. elsewhere, you knew it was just a matter of time before the tv musical series "glee" took on michael jackson's "thriller." and "entertainment weekly" reports it will happen in the show's post super bowl. and, finally, you thought you were upset when bristol palin advanced to the finals of "dancing with the stars?" well, 67-year-old steven cowan of wisconsin was so enraged with with the outcome he took out his shotgun and blew away his television. next, he threatened his wife with the gun. eventually he had to be coaxed out of his house by police after an all-night standoff with the s.w.a.t. team. he was charged with second-degree reckless

endangerment, and bail was set at $1,500. >> just goes right along with my theory that reality tv is all put on by the dark side. >> and it's an addiction, apparently. but it's just a tv show. it's okay. life will go on. >> untofortunately you should he talked to him yesterday. >> i'll call him later. well, this comes to us from wnbc 4 new york where the diamond district is abuzz with the new royal blue trend. jewelers are racing to keep up with demand for replicas of the royal engagement ring that now sits on the finger of prince william's bride-to-be. one store in new york sold 30 in 24 hours. there are even reports that the national sapphire company's website crashed. feeling like a princess isn't cheap. copies of the diamond-and-sapphire stunner can cost over $100,000. look at the thing. huge. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

here's something to toast to. food experts in finland have the tough task of tasting the world's oldest drinkable bottle of champagne. the bottle had been discovered in a 200-year-old shipwreck. expert palates detect hints of honey and peach in the vintage bubbly, and 168 additional bottles were saved from the wreckage, and they're valued at $70,000 each. well, prince william and kate aren't the only ones

excited about their upcoming nuptials. their engagement is expected to cause a sales bonanza in commemorative memorabilia. manufacturers have been quick to jump on the growing market with mugs and plates depicting the couple. it's estimated the engagement could be worth up to $28 million in merchandise sales. russia's prime minister vladimir putin is trying to show a softer side. the russian strong man was presented with a puppy as a gift from his bulgarian counterpart. now he's taken to the web soliciting the public's help to name his new friend. the pup is cuddly now but may grow into putin's macho image. the bulgarian shepherds are rare guardian dogs. very cute, but that's a big commitment. i hope he knew ahead of time he was getting a dog. >> he actually has two other dogs. any idea for a name? medvedev? >> comrade? >> well, it's time now for an early look at some of the

stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. smokers, it's time to kick your nicotine habit. today is the 35th annual great american smoke-out. smokers are encouraged to skip the cigarettes and make a plan to skip for good. around the world, records are being attempted on this guinness world records day. last year's annual event produced records for the largest gingerbread man, the most people lassoing, and the most people hugging. >> and happy birthday to an american favorite. it's mickey mouse's 82nd birthday. on this day in 1928, walt disney's creation appeared in "steamboat willie." all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and more as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up today on the "today" show. lisa murkowski talks to matt lauer about being the first apparent winner in a write-in campaign in more than 50 years. and the latest details on the royal wedding plans across the pond.

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. the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com so why use a dirty dishwasher? hidden dirt can build up. for flawless results, use finish dishwasher cleaner to remove grease and limescale. and a cleaner dishwasher means amazing dishes. finish, the diamond standard.