this morning on "early today," poll position. our new nbc/wall street journal poll reveals a new gop front-runner. outage outrage. blackberry users around the world are cut off as the company's whole system crashes. and mountain majesty. a tiny himalayan nation hosts a fairytale royal wedding. 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 stealing the lead.

a new nbc news/wall street journal poll indicates how volatile the republican race for the white house has become. the data shows there's a new front-runner among presidential hopefuls, unsettling news for some in the republican party. tracie potts is joining us from washington with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. republicans in this poll are siding more with the candidate who shares their views as opposed to the one who can win. that led herman cain to surge to the top with 27%. a lot of his support coming from tea partiers and those who identify themselves as very conservative. he does very well in those areas. cain says it is because people are starting to take his 999 flat tax plan seriously. the poll indicate that is people like the fact that he's a businessman and not a politician. mitt romney who had been the front-runner still at 23%. he's holding steady. it is not that republicans don't like him, they seem to think

he's acceptable. rick perry, though, has slipped 20 points just in the last month or so. he's in third place at 16%. meantime, president obama's approval rating, 44%. lynn? >> tracie potts for us in washington, thank you. a routine trip to the hair salon turned horribly tragic for several people yesterday in a quiet town in southern california. in seal beach a gunman opened fire, killing eight people. one person was critically wounded. authorities say the alleged shooter was arrested without incident half a mile away and admitted to having multiple weapons with him. friends of the salon owner say the gunman was the ex-husband of a stylist working there and neighbors of the suspect say he was in a custody battle over his young son. well, if you notice more people than usual staring down at their smartphones with a frustrated look for the past day

or so, there's a reason for that. it's because of a massive blackberry outage that's hit devices here and arnold the world. nbc's tom costello has the story. >> reporter: from coast to coast, a day of aggravation and frustration for blackberry users, from air travelers in l.a. -- >> so phone calls work, text messages work but no e-mails. >> reporter: to new york's rockefeller plaza. >> i couldn't use it for a couple hours. really wasn't too happy with the service. >> well, you know, if you can't count on it, i need a business tool that i can count on. >> reporter: to the halls of congress and a mom in atlanta who missed a kid's activity. >> i don't have time to go home and check my e-mail. >> reporter: blackberry's most serious disruption in years began overseas on monday when a router switch failed then a backup system crashed. >> i have had no communication or e-mails for two days. >> reporter: the company insists it wasn't hacked and the problem is fixed, but the data traffic jam is massive. >> the backlog of messages, the things, the traffic they missed is making the system go down in bits and pieces as well. and apparently that's the reason

why it spread through the united states today or last night. >> reporter: 70 million customers worldwide rely on blackberry's record of reliability from executives to families, emergency workers to the white house press corps, even president obama. but in the last year the company's stock has fallen 65%. >> wall street just doesn't believe in the growth story here. they don't believe the management of r.i.m. has a handle on the future and will continue to grow. >> reporter: as blackberry struggles to resume normal operations, it's also under enormous pressure to prove it hasn't lost its touch. tom costello, nbc news, washington. now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. a 70-year-old woman could go to prison for five years for attacking a teen on a florida school bus. footage of the attack captured on camera last june shows the former school bus attendant attacking and biting the boy after separating him from another child. the woman says the 14-year-old has threatened her in the past. and is claiming self-defense.

the owner of a myrtle beach restaurant drew backlash from his multicultural community after posting this controversial sign. it reads, if you can't read this, go back to your crappy country. the owner known for putting up humorous signs realized he offended people and quickly changed it. a strip club on wheels has made its last run in detroit. authorities impounded the party bus known as the booty lounge after observing illegal activity, claiming various city ordinances were violated during the detroit lions monday night football game. and finally, it's beginning to look a lot like christmas in new york city. with a less than a month to go before the first show, the rockettes allowed us in for the radio city christmas spectacular. they have performed in the show since 1933. not that particular dancing

troop, just the troop itself. >> they look good. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. >> i think everyone in southern california yesterday that was near 100 degrees, they are like, christmas, we are talking about this already? ridiculously hot yesterday. it was 99 in los angeles. i mean, one of the hottest spots in the country, one of the hottest days we have had in the entire year. and we are going to do it all over again today. there were a couple spots that hit the triple digits. even the beaches were in the 80s. it doesn't happen that often this time of the year. everyone was pretty mild from san francisco southward, even san fran, 78 was a warm day by your standards. the except up there in the northwest where we are watching the jet stream bring in clouds and occasional showers. this weather pattern hasn't changed for today. you can see the active jet stream. the clouds streaming in to the northern portions of oregon and washington state. not much in the way of shower activity today. we are going to get a little bit of a break from that, but with this area of high pressure and this ridge, with the winds blowing out of the canyons, it

will continue to warm the air as it sinks down to the ground. it will be just as hot today, 97 in l.a. vegas near 90. we should be easily into the 90s near phoenix, too. this is the last day of this for l.a. we'll go back to normal temperatures going throughout the weekend, but, yeah, a little taste of late summer, i forecaster. partly cloudy to cloudy skies oregon northward as moisture continues to stream off the water. we do cool it off tomorrow in l.a., but quite a nice stretch. >> some people love it. they finally get to enjoy heat. it was cold there for a little while. >> most of the early summer. very good. stocks march higher and so does the price of peanut butter and an auction involving saddam hussein? you have to stick around to hear

that. your early morning business headlines are just ahead. and the suspect is nab bed who took information from scarlett johansson and other stars. coming up, the cardinals take the lead and the defining moment that changed the alcs. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. congress has overwhelmingly approved long-awaited free trade agreements with south korea, colombia and panama. the obama administration says the three pacts could boost exports by $13 million and support tens of thousands of american jobs. in detroit, a stunning end to the trial of the so-called underwear bomber. he changed his plea to guilty on all eight charges, including conspiracy to commit terrorism.

and attempted murder. he faces a likely life sentence. in mexico at least five people are dead after hurricane jova slammed into the country's pacific coast with 100-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rains. a tropical depression further south has unleashed steady rains that contributed to 13 deaths in guatemala. and the nation of buthan celebrated a wedding as a man married a commoner and student. now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,518 after gaining 102 pints yesterday. the s&p was up 11 points. the nasdaq added 21. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei rose 84 point while in hong kong, the hang seng jumped 428. more battle-weary investors

returned to stocks yesterday as europe took further steps to shore up it's financial rescue fund. traders were jumping on the band wagon of what they hope will be a lasting rally. the dow closed at it's highest level since late august. the s&p 500 is enjoying its largest seven-day rally since march 2009. slovakian lawmakers ratified more powers for the rescue fund, easing global recession fears. that drove banks to lead stocks higher. citibank gained 5%. a clearer sign stocks are regaining traction, treasury prices fell and their yields rose. in earnings alcoa fell a day after kicking off the season with disappointing results but pepsi jumped 2% on its outlook and better than expected earnings. liz claiborne skyrocketed 34% on plans to sell its namesake brand and several others, hoping to reverse years of losses. elsewhere, minutes released from the latest fed meeting showed the central bankers considered

another round of big bond purchases with at least two members still lobbying for a so-called qe3. and a sad sign of the times, harrisburg, pennsylvania, a debt-laden capital city filed for bankruptcy on wednesday. and moms be prepared to shell out more for peanut butter soon. a hot, dry summer in key producing states has shrunk the peanut crop this year. finally, you can't make this up. the bronze buttocks from the statue of saddam hussein toppled in baghdad after the u.s.-led invasion will be auctioned off in england. the former english soldier who grabbed it at the time hopes saddam's rear-end will sell for as much as $15,000. where would you put that? on the mantel? i'm just not sure. coming up, the cardinals peck away at milwaukee. hockey's flyers remain undefeated while the columbus blue jackets can't catch a break. plus, one of baseball's most

excited plays is a play at the plate. last night this one was make or break for both teams in the american league championship series. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. we're watching a collision in the middle of the country. that's where storms are in the forecast. they're all heading east. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, including the preseason, after roughly 200 games, the texas rangers stand just one win away from baseball's world series. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headline. good morning. the rangers took a commanding lead in the alcs with another extra innings win. we will go to game four. it began after a two-hour rain delay. pick it up in the seventh. tigers down a run when brandon inge hit a bond to left. the game is tied 3-3. to the eighth, and this play changed the entire game and probably the series. delmon young with a sac fly to right. cabrera tagged from third. nelson cruz came up throwing and cabrera was out by a mile. detroit squandered a golden opportunity and we are off to extras. mike napoli gave the rangers a lead in the second. bloop single scored hamilton. cruz capped off the win with a three-run shot and becomes the first player in history to hit a

pair of extra inning homers in the series. rangers won 7-3. to the n.l., they say the early bird gets the worm. the cards wasted no time against the brewers. albert pujols with an rbi ground-rule double. cards scoring four in the first inning. milwaukee chipped away at the lead. mark kotsay not known for his power, but he put a charge into that. the brewers are down 4-3. that was as close as they would get. jason mott struck out casey mcgee. the cards took a 4-3 win. hockey, the phillies are done but they have the flyers. they remain unbeaten with a 5-4 win over the canucks. if no one shows up to watch a hockey team lose, does it still count in the standings? that's what the blue jackets are asking. just under 9,000 turned out to see them play the avalanche. smallest crowd in franchise history. when this happens, you can't really blame the fans. colorado tied it in the final minute it and won it in a shootout. unlike the flyers, the blue jackets are winless after a 4-3 loss. that's your early look at sports on "early today."

i'm fred roggin. beyonce is doing baby business and ashton kutcher falls deeper into the dog house. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead, plus, surviving an encounter with one of these will get you lots of attention. for one boy, that was the problem. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early

today" on this thursday morning. warm temperatures and beautiful weather continue throughout much of the desert southwest. a little hotter than you would probably like in southern california. a little windy in the canyon. salt lake city, gorgeous. denver, too. to the northwest, it won't rain today but the high clouds are blowing off the pacific. that's how you keep temperatures in seattle, portland and all through the olympic range cool. friday a chance for showers there. we do cool it off in l.a. going throughout friday into saturday. well, if you're watching us on kmir 6 palm springs, california, visit the imperative style in the blast from the past 60s and 70s geometric art museum. that's your pacific event of the day, art and math. >> hmm, interesting. well, now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. turns out johnny depp's role in the upcoming "21 jump street" movie may not be a cameo. the outline reports denp de, p

could be resurrecting the role he played in the '80s. cast and crew are under strict orders to keep details a secret. under the heading of the rich getting richer, expectant mother beyonce has announced plans for a new line of maternity clothes, of course, under her own fashion label. >> $1,000 bet a kids line comes next. >> no kidding. expect more stories about problems between ashton kutcher and demi moore after "us weekly" detailed interview with the 22-year-old woman who claims to have spent the night with kutcher on his and moore's sixth wedding anniversary. >> that wouldn't be good. >> bad taste. and finally, scarlett johansson's embarrassing nude photo leak has apparently been solved. the fbi has arrested a florida man who allegedly hacked into numerous celebrity phones and then distributed photos and information to third parties. he says not for the money, just because he got a kick out of it. >> leave my girl scarlet alone.

good thing they found him before i did. >> wow. what let you earn the title there, that's the interesting part. >> and this comes to us from wgm news in quincy, illinois, where in nearby pike county one boy's tall tale of fending off a wild animal spun out of control. the 14-year-old found himself in the media spotlight after claiming he had had a dangerous encounter with a mountain lion. well, turns out he made the whole thing up. because he was afraid his parents would ban his solo hunting trips. he admitted the scratches he got came after falling from a deer stand. he won't be charged but he's learned that big lesson about honesty being the best policy. i'm lynn berry. and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

it looks like lady liberty might have a little competition. a replica of the statue of liberty was unveiled yesterday in manhattan. the statue resembles the original in almost every way except it stands only nine feet tall and is made of bronze, not copper. according to french law the model can only be copied 12 times and only until recently could be duplicated using digital technology. one family in china had an unwelcome guest in their apartment. they discovered a cobra had moved in unannounced. experts were brought in and they tried to remove the nearly five foot venomous snake. first it escaped through the

window and dropped eight stories to the ground below but there was a guy there. he apprehended it and it was safely taken away in the bag. for one super fan in the philippines, dressing up like his idol was not enough. herbert is undergoing plastic surgery to make himself look like the iconic superhero. he's had procedures on his nose, cheeks and chin. even had his skin whitened. up next he wants special metal leg extensions to make himself taller so it seems the man of steel will really be made of steel. next up, therapy. >> he is just a little mini me right now. >> just needs some therapy. he says this is a good lesson. he wants to teach kids about -- >> superman in platform shoes. >> yeah, i don't get it. time for an early look at the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. the occupy wall street protests are spreading to college campuses. a movement called occupy colleges has organized a student walkout in protest of student

loan debts and a bleak job market. over 90 colleges and universities across the nation have confirmed they are taking part. u.s. officials will return a painting to france during a ceremony in washington. nearly a century after it was stolen by a german soldier during world war i entitled "a fisherman's daughter" the stolen work wasn't discovered until 2000 when it was put up on the auction block. and happy birthday to paul simon who turns 70. 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. in a "today" exclusive, secretary of state hillary clinton speaks out on allegations of an iran-linked plot to assassinate a saudi diplomat here in the u.s. and legendary actor/singer and civil rights activist harry belafonte shares memories with ann. 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. have a good one.