[ cheers and applause ] this morning on "early today," fighting words. president obama and republican presidential hopefuls trade barbs over the economy. trickle down effect. a new military report charges millions of u.s. taxpayer dollars are ending up in the hands of afghan crooks. and wild ride. a couple of thrill seekers get more than they bargained for at a couple of thrill seekers get more than they bargained for at the iowa state fair. 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. today we begin with it's all

about the economy. as the president prepares to make the final stop on his economic bus tour today, his republican rivals are on the road and on the attack over the nation's economic slump. nbc's steve handelsman has our report. >> reporter: on his campaign style swing through the midwest president obama was in iowa, the state that put him on the path to the white house in 2008. the path rick perry hopes he's on for 2012. the texas governor was in iowa targeting barack obama. >> mr. president, you have tried now for 2 1/2 years of government creating jobs. >> reporter: here he brags about his jobs record. texas unemployment is a point lower than the u.s. average. oil companies are profitable. tax revenue has not dropped in texas. and in fact, almost all of new texas jobs are government jobs.

some call perry reckless. he's standing by this charge against the federal reserve. >> printing for money to play politics at this particular time in american history is almost treacherous -- or treasonous, in my opinion. >> reporter: the president hosted an economic forum. >> we're going to make it easier for people in rural areas looking for work to find out about companies that are hiring. >> reporter: mitt romney was in new hampshire talking jobs. >> i spent 25 years in business, and in that process, i was part of helping create jobs. i'd like to do that for the nation. >> hi there. >> reporter: in south carolina michele bachmann joked her jobs plan is to replace president obama. and she noted the date. >> let's all say happy birthday to elvis presley today. happy birthday. >> reporter: elvis, a bachmann favorite, died on this date.

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. china is rejecting reports pakistan gave it access to the stealth helicopter that crashed during the u.s. raid that killed osama bin laden. this weekend the "financial times" reported that pakistan let chinese military engineers photograph and take samples from the radar-evading chopper before giving it back to the u.s. in its first response to the accusations, china's defense ministry said, quote, this report is baseless and preposterous. it comes just ahead of vice president joe biden's five-day trip to china. he arrived in beijing just a short while ago. english media is reporting news corp. boss james murdock is likely to be called to parliament again over his testimony in the phone hacking scandal at "news of the world." documents released by english lawmakers have former murdoch lieutenants poking holes in the

testimony delivered by rupert and james murdoch last month. the files suggest reporters and top editors at "news of the world" approved of the interception of voice mails. the revelations contradict claims the murdochs have been kept in the dark by subordinates about the hacking. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a crew of brazen thieves use their get-away car to execute an atm heist early monday morning. the suspects gained entry by launching their truck into a gas station store front. they struggled with the 500-pound machine but eventually manage to escape with it. no arrests have been made. a traffic stop in texas has left one driver with the burden of answering some questions valued at close to half a million dollars. police discovered rolls of money stuffed in a propane tank and television after a canine

dog alerted officers to the stash. charges against the driver are pending. a pair of siblings dangling 90 feet in the air became the biggest attraction at an iowa fair monday. unfortunately, this was no act. the brother and sister were left suspended in the air on a malfunctioning ride. after two hours emergency crews used a crane to pull both from the ride. once safely on the ground, the relieved pair even starred in their own news conference. and, finally, also in iowa food trucks and vendors are churning out another year of fun times and, of course, all that fried food we love at state fairs. attendees have all smiles and they're guilt-free as they pile on the pounds eating fried candy bars, fried mac and cheese, pork chop on a stick and the state fair staple, fried twinkies. everyone can use a fried

twinkie. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. i don't think anyone was paying attention to the two siblings suspended in the air. they were eating their corn dogs. >> i got stuck on a ride at a fair once. >> i would imagine not a fun experience. >> interesting times. at least i was right side up. they were, too. it could be worse. good morning, everyone. an amazing stat from portland yesterday is they still haven't hit 90 degrees yet. yesterday was in the 80s. a pretty decent day. but can you believe we've gone through a summer without hitting 90? it doesn't seem like we'll hit it soon. typically oregon has 1 13 90-degree days. the interior west, we've been very warm the last week. that continued yesterday. deserts were hot. california was in the 90s. most areas in the 60s.

san francisco at 58. but overall a pretty nice tranquil morning. no rain heading this way for the next couple of days. just monsoonal showers each afternoon in arizona and new mexico. the forecast today, mid to upper 70s. it will be dry and warm in the interior west. i'll have your forecast for tomorrow coming up. >> bill, thanks so much. also coming up, the euro summit disappoints. earnings somewhat make up for it, and endorsements for slacking off at work? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, just when you think you've heard it all and she's done it all, she's got another surprise up her sleeve.

a walk-off grand slam, and yep, another triple play. 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. an estimate by the u.s. military of combat support and reconstruction contracts given to afghanistan says about $360 million in u.s. taxpayer money has ended up in the hands of the enemy. the analysis found only a small percentage went to the taliban and insurgents. the bulk was lost to profiteering, bribery and extortion by criminals and power brokers. in florida eight people were injured yesterday by a lightning strike at a sea world water park in orlando. a spokesman says none of the injuries were life-threatening. a man who scaled a tulsa, oklahoma, tv tower last week has finally surrendered to police after a six-day standoff.

the 25-year-old who authorities say has a history of mental illness was treated for dehydration. no word on whether he will be brought up on charges. and a rare handwritten letter personally signed by president obama has sold at auction for a record $8,600. the note, a response to a letter in which the president assures a constituent he is doing all he can to quell the 2009 financial crisis, had been previously sold by its recipient to pay for a medical procedure. now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opened at 11,405 after falling 76 points yesterday. the s&p skid 11 points. the nasdaq dropped 31. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei lost 50 points, but in hong kong the hang seng was up 76. a familiar wave of worries hit wall street tuesday as europe's debt problems undid a

three-day winning streak. in paris yesterday a long-term debt reduction plan from german chancellor angela merkel and french president nicolas sarkozy did little to calm worries about europe's economic problems. investors had hoped for the introduction of a single euro bond. instead, the two leaders proposed a new tax on financial transactions. that took a toll on bank stocks here at home and dragged down shares of new york's stock exchange parent nyse euro next. meanwhile an uptick in global manufacturing offset concerns over the still sluggish housing market as investors sold off oil in fears of weak demand. some surprisingly upbeat earnings limited some of the day's losses. walmart shot up 4% on its rising income and higher full year forecast. likewise, home depot rose on the heels of healthy earnings and a boosted year end outlook.

that retail optimism may fade this morning after dell's late day earnings failed to impress investors. google shares took a hit after standard & poor's downgraded its stock from buy to sell after its decision to buy motorola mobility. bank of america is reportedly in talks to sell off some real estate assets to the blackstone group to the tune of $1 billion. and, finally, cyber loafers rejoice. according to a new study out of singapore, a moderate amount of mindless web surfing actually boosts productivity later in the work day. i knew it all along. well, coming up, the night of the walk-off. walk-off single, a walk-off homer and a walkoff grand slam. plus, the odds of a triple play occurring are high enough, but how about one happening two nights in a row? your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in weather we're still dealing with intense heat in

texas, in florida, thunderstorms this afternoon.

good morning. if you are just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, in baseball's dog days of august, there's at least

one thing you can usually count on. a first place battle between the yankees and the red sox. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. as september approaches, it appears the yankees and red sox will go down to the wire for first place in the a.l. east. here we go to kansas city. yanks and royals. robinson cano is heating up at just the right time. home run derby champ belted his first in the last six games. gave new york the lead in the fourth. they go on to win it. 9-7. double-header for the red sox and rays. jacoby els bury took james shields deep in one. they won it 3-1. defense took center stage in the nightcap. sean rodriguez, a shot to left. lowry on to first for a triple play. around the horn and the second triple play in as many days. unfortunately, not enough. rays won it 6-2. yanks now lead the east by a half game. walk-off, anyone? how about five? dodgers and brewers. bases juiced. mark kotsay at the plate. all he needed do was hit one in

the outfield, and he did just that. in came prince fielder. milwaukee won it 2-1. the braves have won more games in extra innings than any other team this year. that didn't bode well for the giants. prado ended up with an rbi sing until the 11th. atlanta increased their lead for the wild card with a 2-1 win. white sox and indians needed 14 innings. two aboard, but all they needed was one. juan pierre with an rbi single. white sox walked off with an 8-7 win in 14. pirates and cards after pittsburgh tied it in the ninth. they won it in the 11th. garrett jones, game over, walkoff home run. pirates 5-4 in 11. we saved the best for last. the astros have had a forgettable season. they'll remember this for a while. down three to the cubs. pinch hitter stepped in and stepped out. a walk-off grand slam. just his second home run of his career and first gatorade shower as a pro. the astros won a wild one 6-5. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. >> "early today" sports is

brought to you by just for men hair color. live forward. most 18-year-old girls would love a shot at acting. one on primetime tv says she's going to quit forever. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, what would you do if you were suddenly in charge of city hall? we'll tell you about one 11-year-old's choice as mayor for a day. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. a look at your forecast has more quiet weather. only chance for showers and storms through new mexico, maybe southern arizona. but phoenix today, you're going to be hot. 109. a warm stretch here along with your friends in vegas. that warmth has spread up through idaho. not quite in the northwest. it's sunny. you really can't complain. but temperatures tomorrow and today both in the 70s. low 80s tomorrow around portland. if you're watching us in eugene, oregon, brush up on your science by designing flying objects, solving puzzles and learning about atoms at brain builders bonanza. that's at the science factory. now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. if you haven't seen 18-year-old taylor monson in an acting role chances are you never will. despite reports the producers of

cw's "gossip girl" forced her off the show due to her wild behavior, she claims she quit the show and has quit acting forever to concentrate on her band pretty reckless. they say when you got it, flaunt it. and salma hayek flaunts it all in "allure's" upcoming issue. married to a billionaire, she says she's happy her daughter will be privileged. she's proud of her chest. and she's never had any treatment of any kind on her face. finally, there will definitely be something different this christmas about new york's holiday window displays. starting in mid-november the city's iconic men's clothing star barney's will feature gaga's workshop throughout its fifth floor. and in the store's madison avenue windows. lady gaga will be head decorator, and she'll design gift items in the workshop with 25% of the sales going to charity. who knows? maybe it's like bizarro world.

like you go into her house and it's shabby chic. nothing crazy. >> no, it's not. the windows will be fascinating. >> and more traffic. nbc 5 in dallas, texas, where in nearby fortuny, one pint-sized politician is giving her small town a big makeover. caroline gonzalez won the mayor for a day contest. the 11-year-old's experience doing community service made her a natural fit. she used her political power as wisely as any preteen might setting aside partisan politics for more important city business, which included temporarily renaming one street justin bieber way. if only politics were that simple. i'm lin berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

moving at a snail's pace is actually encouraged at one race in france. that's where the slimy creatures competed in the 43rd annual snail racing championship. speed is all relative but the stakes are high. the first 15 to cross the finish line are pardoned by the town's mayor to compete next year. the losers end up being cooked and served for dinner. well, here's a good reason to clean out the attic. that's where one man in france stumbled on an amazing discovery. a painting by the famous french artist paul gauguin. at first he wasn't sure of the find. under layers of dirt he saw the signature.

after professionals examined it, they confirmed it was indeed an original. the man hasn't said what he plans to do with the artwork next. marriage proposals are supposed to be a surprise, but the actual wedding? it was a double whammy for one woman in canada who was shocked when her boyfriend popped the question and even more surprised to discover he'd planned the entire wedding for the same day. everything went off without a hitch, and the bride says she wouldn't have had it any other way. >> the only question is the dress. i mean -- >> he had one in the -- i know. >> most women have to go for three or four fittings. that dress looked fantastic on her. >> don't even get me started. my husband would have had queso and been wearing jeans. an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. nearly three months after the tornado that devastated joplin, missouri, students return to school for their very first day of class. the twister killed 160 people and destroyed much of the city, including the high school.

for now some students will attend class in a vacant department store at the mall. on this day in 1998 then-president bill clinton testified he had an inappropriate relationship with intern monica lewinsky. it was the first time a sitting president had testified before a grand jury investigating his behavior. happy birthday to robert denear pope today the actor turns 68. 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. tea party tactics changed the presidential race as texas governor rick perry challenges president obama's patriotism. details in a live report. they hit the charts and ruled the ratings in the 1960s. the monkees perform a special number. 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