-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com this morning on "early today," nick of time. lawmakers finally reach a deal to avoid the nation's first ever financial default. brutal crackdown. dozens are reportedly dead as syrian forces launch an assault on protesters. and fire in the hole. on protesters. and fire in the hole. a rumbling mt. etna. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and very good morning to you. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific

time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with a budget breakthrough. president obama announced last night that lawmakers in washington have reached a last-minute agreement to raise the nation's debt ceiling before tuesday's deadline. nbc's tracie potts joins us with details. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. they've come up with a deal that would allow us to raise the debt ceiling, cut the deficit, begin to cut the deficit and deal with some of the tough questions before the 2012 elections. the white house and top democrats and republicans agreed on over $2 trillion in budget cuts, allowing the u.s. to borrow that much more. >> it will allow us to avoid default, allow us to pay our bills. it will allow us to start reducing our deficit in a responsible way. >> reporter: here's the deal. almost a trillion in cuts now, of of it from the military. another $1.5 trillion decided by a panel of democrats and republicans in the fall including tax reform and

medicare. if they don't agree or if the government overspends, automatic cuts kick in. >> the united states of america will not for the first time in our history default on its obligations. >> this agreement won't make every republican happy. it certainly won't make every democrat happy either. >> reporter: this morning leaders meet with their members to convince them to vote yes. some are reluctant. >> some may not be able to support us. >> on the surface it looks like a sandwich. >> reporter: but the markets are happy. asian markets opened up on the news that it looks like the u.s. will be able to pay their bills after tomorrow. this was put into the deal to get more republican support, congress will also be required to vote on a balanced budget amendment before the end of this year. >> tracie potts in washington. thank you. to syria now where for a second straight day zurt forces have reportedly unleashed a brutal crackdown aimed at crushing anti-government

protests. amateur video posted on the internet shows the chaotic scene in ha hama. the sound of sniper fire rang out across city streets. bashir al assad has been credit krit sized. the death toll between 75 and 140 people is expected to climb. in norway this morning, there is reason to believe that attorneys for the gunman at the center of last week's deadly attacks could be looking for a new defense strategy. that of a forensic panel that will evaluate anders breivik's state of mind says it is unlikely the admitted assassin will be declared insane because he appeared to be in control of his actions at the time of the attack. it would be difficult to conclude they were the work of a

delusional madman. josh fatal and jashane baue have been held after straying across the border into iraq from iraq. a third hiker sha er sara shour freed on bail and released last year. now, a look on stories making news in america. in ohio a test flight of a wright brothers replica plane led to a tragic end for two pilots. both died after their plane crashed in a rural area. authorities were notified of the crash an hour after the plane took off. the cause is under investigation. in washington, a father and son snapped photos of a giant jellyfish they discovered while exploring tide pools. the pair initially thought the four-foot gelatinous creature was an alien, but luckily an internet search confirmed its sea life origin. in california overcast skies

failed to put a damper on the annual u.s. open of surfing. a large crowd watched as surfers battled choppy water to catch the perfect wave. the event lasts all week and is expected to bring out world class competitors who will be vying for the grand prize. finally to new jersey, over 100 balloons there of vibrant colors and special designs soared over the weekend. oh. thousands were captivated at the annual festival of ballooning. the event is billed as the largest hot air balloon event in north america. now here is a look at the weather with bill karins. you've been up in one of those. >> i did. >> i looks kind of scary. >> very peaceful. >> but when your basket tips like that. >> when you land. there's no wheels. you literally hit, then tip over. >> and you're stuck under the balloon. >> it's a fun process. good pilots will get you

through. >> all right. >> let's talk about what happened this weekend. around the country, the forecast hasn't changed. the same old story with the heat. we got done with record heat. the month of july is going down in the record books as one of the hottest ever for areas like baltimore, washington, d.c., oklahoma city, dallas, texas, wichita falls. now, as we head to august, we're going to have another week as an historical heat wave races through the heartland. so this is where the heat has been and this is where it stays. we keep having these troughs the up here in the northwest. that's why our temperatures continue to struggle. with all the heat in the middle of the country, we need a shift to the west to get out of that pattern. 111 in phoenix, 100 in boise. but seattle and portland that's where it continues to be cool right look the coast of

california. the monsoonal flow, it peaked up through southern california. we also had unusual rain in areas around seattle, especial toll the east of seattle. high pressure kept many areas dry. looks like a decent day today in many areas. that, of course, is a peak at your monday forecast. >> and not too bad along the west coast. >> no, they've actually had a cooler than normal summer, unlike the rest of the country. >> yuma, arizona, the hottest spot on the map. >> it would be close. how will the markets react to the debt deal? major job cuts at a bank and a home of a hollywood legend hits

the market. plus, everyone's favorite little blue guys managed to smurf up a big surprise at the box office. plaxico burress is back in the nfl. the red sox make franchise history and need a laugh? we got you covered.

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. in southern afghanistan, ten police officers and a child wer: killed in a suicide bombing in a police compound. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. in egypt, former president hosni mubarak has been formally summoned to appear at his trial over the country's 18-day uprisi uprising. he's accused of ordering the killing of protesters. activists say his health has been used as an excuse to avoid

proceedings. in mexico, the leader of a brutal drug gang has been arrested. jose antonio acosta fernandez admits to the killing of 1500 people. they believe he was behind the murder of a consulate worker. in ohio today the sentencing phase begins for an ex-marine convicted of killing 11 women. anthony sowell had pleaded not guilty. he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. and in sicily, mt. etna sent lava above its 11,000-foot peak. the volcano has come back to life with eruptions that are attracting concern. and now here's a look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12143 after

falling 96 points friday. the s&p was up 8, the nasdaq lost 9. in hong kong, the hang seng added 223. investors breathed a sigh of relief on news of a debt deal in washington. the question now how long will relief last. markets in asia rallied as much as 2% by midday. oil futures shot up you alongside riskier events after tumbling in the wake of friday's revised gdp. the price of gold fell 1% from its record highs reached during ofcc1: recent weeks. wall street futures also dumped on the debt deal news signaling a strong start to the trading week. experts are raising caution flags for the weeks ahead warning that once the initial relief wears off, investors will focus on sluggish economic

growth and the continued threat of a credit rating downgrade. jobs will be a big focus ahead of july's employment numbers due out friday. traders are hoping for more than disappointing 18,000 new jobs. also this week, automakers out their monthly sales figures for july. it should be better than june. belt tightening has europe's biggest bank slashing 25,000 jobs. the bank also announced it is selling nearly 200 of its upstate new york branches for about $1 billion. if you are in the market for a house with a hollywood history, you can buy katharine hepburn's former connecticut estate for a cool $28 million. oh, yeah. which mlb players will be packing their bags for home and close but no cigar for justin

verlander. plus two timely double plays off the cubs end a five-game losing streak. in weather, the big story is the heat wave in the middle of the country. also temperatures in the intermountain west finally cooling off. cc1:

very good morning to you. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports lawmakers were in a race against time with a debt deadline, major league teams had a deadline of their own to beat. here's mario solis with a look at your sports headlines. >> good morning. the trading deadline has come and gone but not before a flurry of transactions around the league. play of the night turned in by kerry wood. he snags it. red sox acquired pitcher erik bedard from the mariner, then h: completed his best july in history. dustin pedroia. sox win their 20th game of the month beating the white sox 12-3. ubaldo jimenez to the indians. too bad he couldn't pitch against the royals. raul ibanez with a date to

remember hitting two home runs against the pirates. then he ends it with an rbi single. pirates didn't make a splash. detroit up 3-0. but check out as he tosses his bat, showboats as he trots to first. weaver's not having that. weaver throws at his head. he's eject and not very happy. he struck out nine. tigers win 3-2. plaxico burress is officially back in the nfl after spending two years in prison. he signed a one-year deal with the new york jets. nascar, paul men ard won the brickyard 400. then a mix between supercross and enduro. all spills and thrills. all kidding aside, it's a very

difficult sport. that's your look at sports on "early today." the final harry potter film reaches a magical milestone. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. we'll introduce you to a marine. :

welcome back. forecast pretty simple. doesn't look too bad out there. the areas that got monsoonal showers yesterday will have a chance again today. arizona, phoenix, some up through areas of utah, where temperatures will be cool wer the clouds today. seattle looks all right. 77 partly cloudy. once we burn off the clouds a nice sunny afternoon in most california.1: the interior sections will be the warmest area. the weather pattern won't change this week. if you're watching us on nbc 4 in los angeles, california, nearby santa ana where you and the family can learn about one of our most precious resources. that's water works. that's water. at the discovery science center. that's your event of the day. not diamonds, not gold, it's water. >> they have the best weather. >> i thought you were going to say the best water? >> no, i think new yorkers have

better water. here's an early look at this morning's headlines and entertainment.cc1: cowboys, aliens and smurfs ended in an unexpected tie. in $4 s and aliens" tookcc1: million short of expectations. those were slightly disappointing numbers considering its big budget and big stars. cowboys got smurfed by the competition. despite horrendous review, the smurfs took in about 15 million more than projected.cc1: a box office high could shift as those final numbers come out. "crazy stupid love" came in fifth behind captain america and harry potter. harry spotter and the deathly hallows part two keep working its magic. it's crossed that $1 billion mark worldwide after only 17 cc: days. only eight other films have reached that milestone, the most

recent being "pirates of the tides."n:so on strangercc1: >> she's a billionaire now. >> there's a park in florida. this comes to us from news channel 5 in st. louis, missouri where one marine is recovering from his battle injuries by hitting the road. an ied in afghanistan took off l all four of corporate todd nicely's limbs, but his recovery has shifted into high gear. he recently passed his driving test which put him back in the fast lane on the road to some of life's simple joys. absolutely incredible. i'm veronica de la cruz.

one of those exercise videos on television. that's exactly what happened in venezuela. an interesting video has urfaced of president hugocc1: chavez, who is currently battling cancer, exercising with members of his cabinet. it may just be his way of trying to prove that he is overcoming his illness. zookeepers in thailand have found an unlikely little helper. one baby chimpanzee there apparently has some motherly instincts. it has been trained to feed tiger cubs at the zoo using a bottle. the chimp has been practicing

the skill for over a year. larger, tiger cubs are cc1: they will be separated to keep both parties safe. in china one man uses his stomach for more than just a hearty happen tight. the man suctioned a bowl to his belly that was attached to a car of people. yes, this really happened. he was able to pull that car over 65 feet from a dead stop. now he's practicing his special skill in hopes of achieving a guinness world record. i'm putting 20 bucks on it that you, too, could do that. after the show today. >> what will you use for a suction cup? a plunger on your belly? >> the whole thing is so bizarre, i have no idea. the woman accused of stealing a bracelet and other items from "jeopardy" hoegs's alex trebek's hotel room will be arraigned today. she's been charged with burglary

a . an effort to bring basketball's current lockout to an end. first time both sides will negotiate since a work stoppage began last month. suzie spacek will receive a star on the hollywood walk of fame. also you can stay on top of the latest developments as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." later on the "today" show a live report from scotland on the royal wedding and james franco is live in studio to talk about his new movie "rise of the planet of the apes." now keep it on this channel. thank you so much for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific monday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com