it for you right here at "mad money." i'm jim cramer. see you tomorrow. this morning on "early today" change of subject. mitt romney and paul ryan dogged by questions about abortion and rape try to zero in on the economy. unsung heroes. tragedy strikes as several good samaritans rush to help a los angeles crash victim. and out for a spin. nasa scientists takehe mars rover curiosity for a test nasa scientists takehe mars rover curiosity for a test drive. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> this is "early today" for thursday, august 23rd, 2012. a very good morning to you. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. today we begin with damage control. with todd akin vowing to stay in the race mitt romney and paul

ryan try to refocus on the economy, but the uproar over the abortion comments won't die down. claire leka joins us with the latest. claire, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, veronica. republicans are dealing with two kinds of storms, the abortion storm as well as worries about a possible hurricane that could bear down on florida just as the convention is getting started. call it the perfect storm, abortion and the threat of a hurricane hitting florida during the republican convention. >> contingency plans are in place should a worst case scenario happen, but again, we're moving forward and fully expect to put on a convention here next week. >> reporter: but tampa's mayor says the city is prepared to call it off if necessary. >> if things continue the way they are, we would do something in terms of an activation early

saturday. >> reporter: over the past few days, the romney/ryan ticket has been trying to distance itself from the todd akin legitimate rape controversy. that forced paul ryan to clarify his position on abortion for the first time on the campaign trail. >> the president sets policy. his policy is exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother. >> reporter: he tried to keep focus on the economy. >> we've had four years in a row with a president that's built trillion dollar deficits. it's bad economics. >> reporter: there's no way to tell how quickly the akin distraction will go away, but democrats are hoping to make it last as long as possible. and case in point, president obama took time to poke fun at the akin controversy at a fund-raiser in new york city last night with michael jordan.

he did comment on how could a congressman who is on the science committee get his medical facts wrong. in washington, i'm claire leka. veronica, back to you. >> claire leka, thank you very much. lawmakers could throw the nation into a recession next year. that is the prediction from the nonpartisan congressional budget office which warns of capitol hill stalemate over expiring bush era tax cuts could send the economy off the much talked about fiscal cliff and cost the country two million jobs. meanwhile, a new pew center study finds the american middle class has suffered its worst decade in modern history with 62% of those surveyed saying congress is to blame. well, the number of west nile virus infections have jumped more than 60% over the past week in what federal officials say is one of the biggest outbreaks in u.s. history. so far there have been more than 1,100 cases, about half of them in texas. that is four times the usual cases for this time of year. 41 people have died from the

virus so far. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. in los angeles two women were killed last night after trying to rescue the driver of an suv that slammed into a fire hydrant and a powerline. the victims were electrocuted after gushing water from the hydrant combined with live wires. at least five other people were also treated after apparently getting shocked. in michigan a suspected car thief took off leading to a chase through city streets, but the real surprise came when the driver bolted from the car with a toddler in his arms. he then handed the little boy off to the child's mom right before getting arrested. police say the bandit had been babysitting. in chicago a baby monkey was born this weekend, and we do mean baby. it is a tiny bolivian gray teetee monkey. it weighs just a few ounces.

it is so small the zookeepers don't even know its gender yet. finally, in wisconsin they're beefing up the race for the white house. both president obama and mitt romney have been honored with their likenesses made in, get this, beef jerky. the artist who created the tasty tribute says it took 50 bags of jerky to create his meaty masterpiece. now if a look at your national and regional weather, here's bill karins. what will they think of next some. >> i don't know. i'm trying to remember the last time i had beef jerky. it's been a while. maybe i'll keep the streak going. good morning, everyone. speaking of politics, everyone still wondering what's going to happen in tampa and tropical storm isaac. they're both on track for a monday night visit. as far as what we're looking at this morning, still a disorganized storm, very large

storm. a long ways to go to become a big beast of a storm. it will have land interaction over the next couple days. may not be until sunday or monday when it intensifies. over the island of haiti and cuba, mountains in its way. probably a weak tropical storm by the time it's done with that, and then over the warm waters and possibly out here into the very warm waters of the eastern gulf of mexico. this is not where you want to see a storm. so that's why all concerns will be on florida and possibly the northern gulf as we go throughout next week. yesterday worst weather pie fby was in las vegas. thunderstorms created numerous problem, washed out a highway. one of the wettest days in las vegas history. we even have rain this morning pushing right through arizona. so this little upper level low that's spun itself here and brought us the wet weather will slowly be working its way out today. best chances of those rain showers and storms will be from phoenix towards albuquerque,

also a chance of some showers in the northwest where it remains a little cool you san diego, morning clouds, afternoon sunshine. looks like a drier day tomorrow clouds, afternoon sunshine. looks like a drier day tomorrow. >> my mom was very unhappy with you. >> one day of rain. new hope for fed dollars. and more airline fees. you still won't believe this one. plus believe it or not, one of the children of hollywood's real couple is already making their showbiz debut. coming up, another suspension in baseball, a first for derek jeter and a pair of hat tricks on the diamond.

you're watching "early today."

good morning to you. welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. the army of damascus are showing that they're too weak to defeat rebel groups. opposition information forces slip away only to resurface elsewhere to fight another day. in california governor jerry brown declared a state of emergency in three northern california counties due to a wildfire that has destroyed 64 homes. more evacuations have been ordered as firefighters battle the blaze that has already burned more than 24,000 acres. a federal indictment charged 40 people in an outrageous scheme that saw a methamphetamine ring run by inmates as well as two guards. the two inmates in charge conference called with a third

man about pooling their resources to purchase heroin from a source in chicago. a new study finds older fathers are more likely to have children who are autistic. research shows that for each decade of a man's age, his chance of fathering a child with autism goes up 22%. it wasn't exactly a marathon trip, but the curiosity rover on mars went for a drive on the martian surface. curiosity rolled forward about 15 feet from its landing site leaving fresh tracks in the ancient soil. now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow will open at 13,172 after losing 30 points yesterday. the s&p was up a fraction. the nasdaq added six. and taking a look at overseas trading, the nikkei gained 46 points while in hong kong the hang seng leaped 244. minutes from the fed's latest meeting gave investors a little bit of hope on wednesday.

the s&p rebounded on hopes the nation's federal bank might soon be ready for another round of stimulus. the big question now is improving data released after that caused members to change their mind. talk of more stimulus which could potentially weaken the dollar sent the price of gold up $14 an ounce to its highest level since may. on the economic front news reports showed july home sales and prices were up. the rate of home sales, however, was lower than expected. high-end homebuilder toll brothers reported impressive quarterly numbers thanks to the improving housing markets. after the bell hewlett-packard reported another rough quarter as dwindling demand for pc's took a toll on its bottom line. meanwhile, weak pc sales also dragged down dell, which was the s&p's biggest loser. discover financial services got a boost from its new partnership with pay pal. beginning next year more than seven million discover card merchants will process pay pal payments. facebook's acquisition of

instagram has been ok'd. qantas posted its first loss in two decades, and, finally, how much does it cost to print out a few pieces of paper? well, if you are flying ryanair, apparently it costs about $75. a lesson one traveller recently learned the hard way when she was charged, get this, $370 for boarding passes for her family of five. ouch. the mariners sail, the white sox leap, and yet another doping debacle in major league baseball. it is hats off for a catch by one met fan. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. another look at isaac coming up, and your friday forecast. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you are just waking up, this is "early today." in sports one texas slugger hits three homers last night in a dominant ranger victory over the orioles. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. last october the ranger's adrian beltre hit three home runs against the rays, and yesterday he did it again. this time against the orioles. the straight-away center, and

the rangers were up 1-0. he started the fourth with his second home run. in fact, the rangers were scoring so much, then another at-bat, and he hit another one deep. capped off a nine-run inning with his third homer. that's a hat trick, and the rangers won big 12-3. speaking of three, derek jeter hit a home run in his third straight game. hard to believe it's the first time he has ever done that. white sox swept the yanks with a 2-1 win. mariners quietly winning game after game. they swept the indians 3-1. it's now for two teams heading in reverse. red sox and angels. mark trumble with an rbi single. albert pujols scored. angels won it 7-3, and lost pujols. it was cabrera, and the a's pitcher tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. colon suspended 50 games. the tennessee rally in their

final at-bat against texas. cole carter gave them a lead with an rbi single, and tennessee was up 4-3. texas last chance. butler made the play of the game. tagged the runner, and then fired to first. ended it with a double play. tennessee advanced to the u.s. championship with a 4-3 win. finally, forget about adrian beltre's three home runs. this was a real hat trick last night. tough to be a mets fan these days unless are you doing this. watch closely. a fan stuck out his hat and made the grab. i tip my cap to you. that was the catch of the night. that's your early look at sports on early today. i'm fred roggin. an actor stumbled into a real life crime, and not so fast for nicki minaj on "american idol." your entertainment headlines are straight ahead. the nuclear missile silo was a cold war mainstay, and now can you imagine calling one home sweet home? you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today."pressive rains yesterday, most of the moisture will push off towards the east. a little bit of wet weather if in arizona this morning. should be heading in to new mexico later came. slight chance of a sprinkle or shower in seattle. temperatures very comfortable along coastal areas.

still pretty warm inland, but not the extreme heat leak we've had. 75 tomorrow in portland, 81 in boise. so getting back to more typical late august weather. if you're watching us this palm springs, few work in pop culture at the palm springs art museum. and that's your pacific event of the day. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment news. you knew it had to happen someday, but this quickly? 4-year-old vivian jolie pitt will play a princess in the upcoming film. >> they own their own production company. they can do what they want. >> there you go. l.l. cool jay has real crime

fighting experiences. the 44-year-old caught a suspected burglar at his california home early wednesday morning. >> i guess the burglar was pretty beat up. julian st. john says that he had a sex with a then 20-year-old kim kardashian at a los angeles swingers party in september of 2001. a rep for kardashian denies the claim. justin bieber did voiceovers for a cameo on the simpsons that will air next year. nicki minaj may not be on "american idol" after all. she recently dumped the powerful agency representing the show's finalist and host ryan seacrest, and mariah carey reportedly wants to be the only female judge on the show. >> i believe it. if you have to sit next to nicki minaj, it's like sitting next to a blinking billboard. nobody will notice you. >> why do they keep changing the judges?

>> they're still trying to find the right person. >> exactly. this now comes to us from wptv news channel 5 in new york where in nearby sarnack you can buy a piece of cold war history and call it home. a house that sits on an abandoned nuclear missile silo is now on the market, has two massive underground structures that once kept a one mega ton warhead at the ready. the weapon is, of course, long gone, but the giant vault remains with an airstrip. asking price $750,000. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

one zoo in portland is celebrating the arrival of a new litter of the world's largest rodents. usually born in litters of two or three, so zookeepers were pleasantly surprised see five born in this one. they're very social animals so, they usually live together in families, despite the fact that young ones become very independent very quickly. in london it was time for the weigh-in. from birds to bugs, creatures of all shapes and sizes step on to the scale and up to the measuring stick. the measurements show the health of both fur and feather covered beast, and it's a good indicator for pregnancy. it was easier with some rather than with others i guess you could say. also, in london there is one guy who can really hit a low note.

oh, my goodness. tim storm is an american singer who boasts the world's deepest voice. he also holds the record for having the widest vocal range. ten octaves. the lowest pitch the human ear is unable to detect sound. how low can you go? >> i can go not quite very low, but that didn't sound good. >> well, let's hear you try it. >> i would have to warm up. >> oh. okay. okay. casey anthony will be free to leave the state of florida at midnight. that's when her one-year probation for a check fraud conviction expires. she was acquitted last july of the murder of her 2-year-old daughter caylee. the federal emergency management agency will celebrate

the one-year anniversary of the d.c. quake that hit one year ago today. it will provide an update on restoration process from damage caused by the quake. and nba legend kobe bryant turns 34 today. all day stay on top of the latest developments on those theories and other as they break on msnbc. 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. from the london olympics to the red carpet, ryan lochte opens up to matt about his new celebrity lifestyle. and carly ray jepsen performs her hit song "call me maybe" on the plaza. keep an eye on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you for watching early today. just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific thursday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com