>> jay: thanks so much. [ cheers and applause ] hurricane irene picks up steam as it churns toward the east coast. calling it quits. the visionary ceo behind apple's massive success decides to step down. and, diamonds in the rough. a dog swallows a rather expensive meal at a georgia jewelry store. >> this is early today for thursday, august 25th. welcome to our viewers across the nation.

i'm lynn berry today. officials in the bahamass are getting disturbing damage reports from hurricane irene as it batters the islands there and heads towards the u.s. right new irene is a powerful category three storm an it is only expected to get worse. for the very latest on the storm's path we go to meteorologist bill carens. >> reporter: it will be moving away from the bahamass today paralyzing the east coast. large ways will still be felt. rip currents along the beach and south shoreline. the storm should peak in intensity. then it will get cooler. at the same time the storm is going to be accelerating to the north. the winds go from 125 to 115 to somewhere about 110 when it

makes landfall in eastern carolina. then it is going to go to the ba bank. it is going up into southern new england and weaken into probably a category 1. it is going to be a big rainstorm and big wind storm. this is almost guaranteed to be a billion dollar disaster. >> thanks so much, bill. as irene picks up route to the u.s., evacuation orders are in effect and residents are boarding up homes. nbc's kristin dorg -- dolgren has more. >> reporter: state of emergency is in effect. mandatory evacuations also

underway. to my south, the southern outer banks. we are along the northern outer banks right now. officials say they are going to be watching very closely throughout the day. of course, everybody watching what's happening in the bahamass. we are getting reports of some significant damage. everybody watching very closely irenes path, still uncertain as it comes toward the u.s. tens of millions of people now getting the ready. lynn. >> christin, thank you. nbc's brian moore is in washington with the latest in libya. good morning, brian. >> reporter: good morning, lynn.

last pockets of government resistance in the capital of tripoli. they are urging supporters to fight on for victory or martyr them. we are learning the health minister is the latest to join sides with the rebels. safe passage out of libya is unlikely he says. we're learning that foreign journalist who had been held have been freed. and italian newspaper reports are free too. >> thanks so much, brian. here is a look at other stories making news. a california fire once feared for potentially catastrophic consequences continued to burn on wednesday, but more than 24

hours since the propane tanker burst into flames officials no longer fear an explosion. one washington hospital, visiting rules were tested by a member of the wild life community. don't see that everyday, do you. a deer gained access to the medical center through its automatic doors. it made appearances in the emergency room and patient dining room before exiting. just hanging out there. and finally in georgia, one dog dined on a very expensive meal when $10,000 worth of diamonds came up mising. they proved the store's mascot was the culprit. the dog ate the diamonds left on a back office desk. well, after nature took its course the owners were able to retrieve and clean the merchandise. i'm sorry.

put the cereal down. now for a look at your national and regional weather again. once again, it's bill carens. >> reporter: expensive meal. let's break down your forecast. it's been hot as of late. yesterday was 114 in phoenix. looks like our end of our summer is kind of making up for some lost time. 84 in seattle. warmest stretch of the summer with areas in the west. tonight coast we got up into the low 80s. not a lot has changed. showers in northern idaho. we will repeat all of this once again,ed to. it will be 91ed to f ed t91 for you.

of course irene is going to steal all the headlines over the next couple days. >> we're watching it. bill, thank you so much. a huge resignation shakes wall street to silicon valley. plus, a new message on jim carrey's website has followers wondering. coming up, plenty of love in a.otes you're watching early today.

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kristin.

good morning and welcome backed to. i'm lynn berry and here are some of this morning's headlines. there have been at least five aftershocks from the earthquake in virginia, including oned ed ttoday measu 4.5. most powerful women, last year's latest michelle obama now ranks eighth while lady gaga is number 11. martha stewart, katy couric all fell out. a rocket crashed minutes after takeoff. nasa says the station crew is not in any danger, however. aaa estimates 31.5 million

americans will travel 50 miles or more over labor day weekend, a more than 2% decrease from last year. here is an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. time spent social networking increases the risk of teens smoking, drinking and using drugs. social network savvy teens are said to be three times more likely to use alcohol and twice as likely to use marijuana than teens who don't spend any time social networking. for more information on this and other health stories check out the health page on msnbc.com. here is an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,320.

tokyo, nikkei inched up 132 points while in hong kong hang seng climbed 285. another booming day on wall street was overshadowed by an icon of american business stepping down. legend steve jobs issued a stunning resignation as chief executive of apple, the company he co-founded in a garage. the 56-year-old survived cancer. he has been elected chairman and tim cook will serve as ceo. jobs said he could no longer, quote meet my duties and expectations as apple's ceo. earlier a big jump in july durable goods orders, twice as much as expected eased double

dip recession worries. many still holding out hope, chairman ben bernanke will announce it in a speech tomorrow. gold, one of the steepest falls ever. after hitting a two and a half year low tuesday, bank of america shot up 11% calling speculation of a merger with rival j.p. morgan chase baseless. home builder toll brothers rose 4%. else where, google will pay half a billion to settle a criminal probe into pharmacies that led to inlegal imports. collective brands, the parent of payless shoe source an stride rite is closing almost 500 stores and looking to sell. finally, at 500 tweets per second, tuesday's east coast earthquake traffic set a twitter record, beating out news of

osama bin laden's death. hard to imagine there. a wild pitch, wild catches and wild walkoff winners. plus, a baseball glove. who needs a glove. your early morning sports straight ahead. >> reporter: all eyes continue to be on hurricane irene and the millions of people she's going to affect down the east coast. your forecast is coming up. you're watching early today.

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is early today. in sports the red hot race to the american league east. here is fred rogan with all your morning head leans. >> reporter: good morning. david ortiz wasted no time. they beat the rangers 13-2. cocoa crisp knocked the yanks out of first place. his second bomb gave them a lead. they win it 6-4. rockies and astros tied at 10. rodriguez, in came a run.

rocks won 7-6. if you have a 3-d tv, this one is for you. the camera followed it and followed it and here it comes right in your living room. fly ball into foul territory. he tumbled over the wall. marlins beat the reds 6-5. foul ball down the line. baltimore overran it. he managed to reach up and snag the ball with his bare hand. way to play baseball. mar lens beat the twins. former cy young winner mike flanagan passed away yesterday. a member of the world series team. he was found dead at his maryland home. he was 59. finally, the kids who play for the love of the game, california and montana in extra

innings. walkoff home run, first pitch of the inning. montana advances. they will play either pennsylvania or california on saturday. that's your early look at sports. i'm fred rogan. a report shows a one high rolling reality tv star gets the ax. your early morning headlines are straight ahead. plus, is there anything that could possibly make you feel better sitting in this? it mayrl.d tobe re watg earlind to.

welcome back. here is a look at your thursday forecast. we're looking at nice conditions but hot. salt lake city, 95. possibly some record highs in a few spots today. vegas, 109. phoenix about 111. the northwest wearm but not hot. relief areas in san francisco today. l.a., looking about 87 today. if you watch kge, see one artist. a full spectrum of vivid hues. bakersfield, california. thanks so much. here is an early look at

this morning's entertainment. anne hathaway thinks the duchess is great and would play the princess if offers. new york's magazine reports paris hilton's the world according to paris is not returning. real sorry about that. jim carrey is head over hills for 22 actress emma stone and doesn't care who knows it, even if he sounds a little stalkerish. the 49-year-old makes fun of getting older saying he would marry stone if he was age appropriate, only to include he is not. probably an accurate assessment.

>> creepy but may not be appropriate. would bit okit be okay if you d >> are you saying i have. one construction worker is showing how the simple things in life can help make a traffic jam a lot more tolerable. >> smile, wave and a good morning makes your day. i look forward to seeing them. >> morning after morning drivers are greted by the man they call mr. happy. each day he aims to rid frustrated drivers with a wave and a smile to help start drivers off on a great day. i'm lynn berry and this is early today, today on your nbc station.

in ewe crane -- ukraine, now a tourist destination. folks can get an up-close look at war heads all deactivated of course. now from a few nukes to a whole bunch of yukes. the third annual yuke fest in maryland. show casing the underappreciated

instrument. they attempted to break the record for biggest strum along previously set at 851 players. one yoga class in hong kong brings new meaning to a downward dog pose. it's yoga for dogs or doga. it spread across the world. those who practice this new take on the old exercise say it is gray for well being, self-confidence and soothes person and pooch. you going to get on that? you have a pup, don't you. >> reporter: no. thank you. now it is time for a look at other stories we will follow throughout the a. facebook will give its more than 750 million users new tools about who can see them on the

social network. a design motivated by users' request. google plus, easier access. as the six anniversary of hurricane katrina approaches, the ellis marsales center will be open. it will aim to preserve the musical heritage. happy birthday to sean connery. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with nbc night lie news. here is a look at what's coming up later. mandatory evacuations begin as hurricane irene barrels toward the u.s. al roker is in north carolina with the latest. and, details on the fire that destroyed billionaire branson's home. i'm lynn berry.

thanks for watching early today. just your first stuff of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.