this morning on "early today," tragedy at the track. a horrific crash claims the life of one of car racing's most well known drivers. remembering the dream, a civil rights icon is immortalized in the nation's capital. and end of the line, a show of solidarity after a young mother and her crying baby get of solidarity after a young mother and her crying baby get booted off a bus. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm veronica de la cruz.

today begins with the loss of a champion. today, the racing world is mourning the death of 33-year-old indianapolis 500 winner dan wheldon after his car was tangled in a massive multi car collision during yesterday's indy car race in las vegas. three other drivers were injured in the wreck including will power. here is nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning. an incredibly sad and tragic news from yesterday's indy car race. driver dan wheldon died from injuries suffered in a 15-car accident suffered at the he was one of several cars that hit the wall and then several cars burst into flames. the two-time indy 500 champ was air lifted to a hospital. he died with his wife and two children by his side. dan wheldon was 33 years old. we'll have more on this tragedy coming up in sports. for now, veronica, back to you. >> thank you, fred. we appreciate it. in a sign that the occupied wall street protesters are in it for the long haul, close to $300,000 in cash has been

donated. they also have a storage space filled with donated supplies for those camped out in lower manhattan. in chicago, at least 175 people were arrested as they joined the demonstrations against corporate greed, bank bailoutes and high unemployment. meanwhile, the movement has spread from lower manhattan to cities around the world. in germany, activists have been camped out in front of the european central bank in frankfort. and rome has been cleaning up its streets after protests turned violent. cars were torched and bank windows were smashed. dozens were injured and 12 people were arrested. at the supreme court yesterday, 19 people, including prominent princeton activist cornell winston were arrested. they had both anti-war and anti-corporate greed messages. tens of thousands gathered in washington yesterday for the official dedication of the martin luther king jr. national memorial. nbc's brian moore has the

details. ♪ >> reporter: on a brilliant autumn day on washington's national mall, dr. martin luther king jr. took his place alongside lincoln, jefferson and washington. >> you will stand for all time among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it. >> tens of thousands attended the official dedication of the king national memorial. an event that weaved together musical tributes with political calls for social justice. >> do what we must do to create a better world. >> reporter: it was a celebration of a simple minister turned martyr, a towering figure in american history who stood barely 5'7" tall. >> now he's 30 feet tall along looking down on everybody.

>> reporter: for dr. king's children, it was a day to celebrate a legacy that lives on. >> so while we commemorate his memory today with this great memorial, let us not confuse or forget what he stood for and died for. >> reporter: a day to honor a man and a dream of peace of racial equity that echos across time. >> the true measure of any man is how his message continues on. >> reporter: a message now etched in stone in the nation's capital. brian moore, nbc news, washington. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. portland transit officials are in damage control mode after a bus driver kicked a passenger off because she couldn't quiet her crying baby. it led to several leaving the bus in protest. in response to the early october incident, the company has issued an apology but has not fired the driver. it was an emotional day for thousand necessary maryland who

honored 89 fallen firefighters. the special service at the national firefighter memorial paid homage to those who died in 2010 and 17 who per rushed in past years. the names of each firefighter was added to the memorial wall. the walking dead roam the streets of atlanta during the annual zombie walk on sunday. hundreds made the downtown area look like it had been taken over by the undead as they marched in make-up and costume. this was the fifth year of the event. and finally, over the weekend, hundreds hurled themselves off the longest steel bridge in the western hemisphere to take part in west virginia's bridge day. with thousands watching, base jumpers took flight from 876 feet above new river. adrenaline junkys have jumped from the bridge over the years, but bridge day is the only day it's legal. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel

forecast. i don't know. i'm speechless every time i watch that video. >> would you do a tandem jump with a professional? >> no. i have had the opportunity to do it and i have chickened out twice now. >> it's not for a lot of people. weather across the west very quiet to start the work weekend. just a warm weather pattern continuing. i have family who lives in arizona and they can't believe they have 100 degree heat now into the middle of october. they are waiting for their break. it may weaken a little bit and flatten out. we may get some rain towards the end of the week. the beginning of the week is high pressure and warm. yesterday's high temperatures was 97 in phoenix. vegas was 94. these are very summer-like heat or close to it. we are mild in california. 80s inland. northwest is a little cooler. that was really about it. as we start your morning today

you definitely need a jacket. maybe a light coat or a sweater. we will be carrying a lot of sweaters and jackets home. with sunshine it will be very warm. a little weak system is kicking through the rockies. that's gone and high pressure replaces it. maybe wednesday we will get a little rain in the northwest, but that's about it. just a gorgeous day. near 100 in phoenix. in la, you look to be 80 to 85 all week long. that's aany areas. pr can't really complain. a nice weekend in the west. >> i should go visit mom.

90 degrees in vegas? >> if you want to swim in the pool still, yeah. >> i do o. the week ahead on wall street, a deal to help shore up kodak and why your boss need not worry about ambition from below. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, this movie and its big stars made big news this weekend for all the wrong reasons. you're watching "early today."

very good morning to you and welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. iran's supreme leader and warning the u.s. any action taken against his country will result in a resolute response from iran. accusations iran was behind the plan to kill the saudi ambassador in washington are an attempt to distract people from the occupy wall street protests.

a commander says it was time to, quote, tear down the symbol of tyranny. several days of heavy rains killed at least 66 people in central america, including el salvador, guatemala and honduras. evacuations are under way due to more rain. this weekend, sesame street's youtube channel was reportedly hacked and replaced with pornographic images. sesame street issued an apology and said the site was compromised. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,144. the s&p gained 20 points. the nasdaq rose 47. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei was up 131 points while in hong kong, the hang seng jumped 372. it's going to be a busy week on

wall street. but don't be surprised if investors top priority is overseas. pressure is mounting on european officials as the clock ticks closer to a self-imposed deadline to resolve the financial crisis by november -- october 23. stocks are higher. back on the street, a slew of earnings could push the dow even further into positive territory. quarterly reports will roll in from heavyweights apple, microsoft, intel, and after the bell today, ibm. on the economic calendar, two readings on the troubled housing market. numbers on construction and existing home sales for september aren't expected to show much improvement. in deal news, the recent national gas boom has filled kinder morgan's offer to buy rival el paso. elsewhere, kodak has struck a deal that could help keep it

afloat. it will reportedly receive $10 million plus royalties from imax in exchange for its laser technology. walmart could feel the effects of two tops resignations from its china operations the. and finally, in honor of national bosses day, give your boss a boost of confidence with a new survey that finds 76% of employees polled have no interest in taking their boss's job. the world series matchup is set. and an upset even coaching squaring off fighting in the nfl. plus, more on the tragedy that stunned the world of auto racing. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and just what the east coast needs, more rain. i'm joking. we've had enough. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, back with more now on yesterday's tragic, fatal wreck at the las vegas motor speedway. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. as we reported earlier, with indy car driver dan wheldon

tragically killed yesterday in a 15-car accident at the las vegas speedway. here is the vice president from wheldon's car. you can see smoke from an accident in front of him that triggered a massive pileup. wheldon clipped paul tracy sending him airborne. his car burst into flames. wheldon was air lifted to a hospital and later died from the injuries he suffered in the crash. indy officials canceled the race and the drivers returned to the track for a five-lap salute. he is survived by his wife ask two children. dan wheldon was 33 years old. now to baseball, the rangers will face st. louis in the world series. they made the playoffs on the last day of the season. now they're national league champs. world series begins on wednesday. nfl, tom brady put on a clinic against the cowboys. down three with two minutes to play. brady drove down the field for the touchdown. the pat's won it.

the 49ers had their win of the season. everybody was talking about what happened after the game. both head coaches got together. jim schwartz not happy about the way jim harbaugh shook his hand and patted him on the back so he went after him. the eagles were plagued by issues yesterday. rex grossman picked off for times. bears and vikings. one of these days, the teams will learn not to kick it to devin hester. until then, here is another punt return for a touchdown. bear won it, 29-10. who needs a qb when you can do this? jacoby ford down the sideline, 101 kick return. raiders passed the browns. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. reports of a new hollywood

super couple? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. if you're lucky, it's a once in a lifetime moment you'll never forget, but only the most fortunate get to renew those vows nearly three quarters of a century later. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. thanks for joining us on this monday morning. temperatures still feel like

summer in the desert southwest. a few spots have a chance of hitting 100 today. lots of sunshine. probably one of the best days you will have this week. by the time you get to wednesday and thursday, we will introduce the showers to you. we're dry in california. and tomorrow looks just as warm. there is no changes in the forecast as we mentioned until at least wednesday. if you are watching us on nbc 11 in california, explore how kids at play are portrayed in 50 original peanuts cartoons. that's your pacific event of the day. want to kick the football? >> remember that? >> yeah. the teacher. >> exactly. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. makes make it two in a row for the big screen's rock em sock em robots. it earned $16.3 million.

the remake of the 1980s dance classic "footloose" came up just short with $16.1 million. in third, another remake. "the thing" which reportedly cost just under $40 million grabbed a week $8.7 million. and in what could be the flop of the year, starring steve martin, owen wilson and jack black landed in ninth place with just over $3 million. looking ahead this week, lindsay lohan must appear in a probation assessment hearing. row lan could face nearly a year and a half in jail if the judge decides she didn't live up to her probation commitments. tmz has confirmed that bradley cooper and jennifer lopez are quote/unquote casually dating. >> how many hollywood people date just for pr?

>> considering how many of them date each other. i can't keep track. wasn't she just with mark -- anyway. who knows. this comes to us from wvit connecticut, 90-year-old helen and 99-year-old stanley couldn't think of a better way to celebrate 72 years of marriage than to say i do again. they along with hundreds of other couples renewed their vows at a sunday mass. married since 1940, they've managed to stay together through ups and downs by performing a daily ritual that includes saying i love you each and every day. so sweet. >> i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day on your nbc station.

it's hard to believe, but the swiss known around the world for their chocolate have never had a chocolate fair, until now. it took place this weekend at focus on the fine artistry of chocolate making. roughly 4,000 enjoyed tastings as well as chocolate workshops. at one hair show in china, two swedish wing walkers battled the show battling deafening noise and wind speeds. the women performed breath taking acrobatic maneuvers that drew round after round of cheers from the crowd.

known for their agility and focus, two very valuable skills for wing walking. very interesting. this weekend, england held its 59th town cryer championships. cryers were the nation's news casters. reporting on wars, judicial rulings and other important proclamations. there are actually still 300 or so worldwide. those who compete are judged on diction, clarity, inflexion and dress. they do look pretty snazzy. >> i'd like to think we've upgraded since those days. i'm not so sure. >> i want to see your impersonation, though. >> hearye -- >> the hat would be the key to the whole outfit. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in new mexico, richard branson will attend the christening of a hangar at virgin galactic airlines.

the company says that flights could possibly start by 2013. spalding will donate the dress that she wore at the nobel peace prize ceremonies as part of its women in jazz initiative. spalding was invited to perform by president obama. finally, rapper eminem, he turns 39 years old today. happy birthday. 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. a behind the scenes look at a day in the life of secretary of state hillary clinton. plus, racing legend michael andretti remembers fallen start indy 500 champ dan wheldon. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm veronica de la cruz. 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 terrific monday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com