i'm jim cramer. i will see you tomorrow. this morning on "early today," the race is on. mitt romney launches his attack on president obama as the official gop presidential nominee. on the wane, isaac weakens to a tropical depression as it trudges north of the waterlogged coast. and harvard scandal. widespread cheating allegations rock one of the nation's most widespread cheating allegations rock one of the nation's most prestigious institutions. 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. and today we begin with the republican nominee. in what may be the most important speech of his political career, mitt romney accepted the gop presidential

nomination in tampa last night, arguing he is the hope and change candidate, not president obama. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: the warm-up act was clint eastwood, more swagger, a gravelier voice, but the romney message about barack obama. >> when somebody does not do the job, we've got to let them go. >> reporter: in the most important speech of his life, mitt romney first tried to first talk voters watching at home out of sticking with president obama. >> i wish president obama had succeeded because i want america to succeed. we deserve better. my children deserve better! my family deserves better! my country deserves better! to the majority of americans who now believe that the future will not be better than the past, i can guarantee you this. if barack obama is re-elected, you'll be right. president obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet.

my promise is to help you and your family. >> reporter: romney said he was molded by his family, and he vowed to focus on what families need now. he claimed his economic plan, more u.s. oil, gas, and coal production, less debt, and tax cuts for business would mean 12 million jobs. >> that future is our destiny, it is out there, it is waiting for us. our children deserve it! our nation depends on it! the peace and freedom of the world requires it, and with your help we will deliver it! let us begin that future for america tonight! >> reporter: i'm steve handelsman, nbc news at the rnc in tampa. well, elsewhere clean-up and recovery are under way in the gulf now that isaac has been downgraded to a tropical depression, but the heartache and hard work have only just begun. just hours ago two bodies were found floating in a flooded home in hard-hit plaquemines parish,

and officials fear there may be more. nbc's jay gray reports from louisiana. >> reporter: while the wind and rains have finally eased, the tensions and frustration from isaac have not. >> it's really discouraging, really sad. >> reporter: and for many, a difficult trip home, trudging through standing water to salvage whatever they can or coming back by boat when the only way in is through an attic window. and in many places, even harder to figure out how to move on. across the gulf south, trees and power lines have been snapped and tossed to the ground. hundreds of thousands are still without electricity right now. and as the system moved through, it spawned tornadoes in mississippi, this twister splintering homes in pascagoula. but the biggest problem continues to be all of this water, taking the place of roads in neighborhoods swallowed by the storm. and in some areas, more could be on the way. >> now's the time to get your family and yourself out of harm's way.

>> reporter: while others are going back to face the realization of just how little is left now. >> it's what you do when somebody needs help. you plan to help them. it's all neighbors helping neighbors. we've done this before. >> reporter: a harsh reality that still doesn't make this time any easier. jay gray, nbc news, new orleans. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in philadelphia, a mysterious shooting was all caught on surveillance video. now, you can see there the victim running after a gunman opened fire. the shooter then gets out of the suv and then continues repeatedly firing at the man. the victim apparently escaped with just a graze. the police are searching for the gunman. in arizona the skies near phoenix were clogged with yet another massive dust cloud in thursday evening. the nearest haboob lowered visibility to half a mile in some areas, and wind from the storm hit 40 miles an hour.

well, in san diego the only thing cuter than a panda bear is a baby panda. for sure. this little critter is just a month old. so young the veterinarians don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. what they do know is that the cub is okay after a checkup, and right now it only weighs about 2.2 pounds. >> and, finally, in texas, how tasty does chicken fried cactus sound? it's just one of the extreme appetizers being served in a contest at the state fair there. the chef behind it say while it's good to get rid of all those pesky thorns, it's also important not to add too much water while cooking. he says they did that the first time and the fried cactus exploded in the fryer. that's happened to me cooking. you only make that mistake once. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. happy friday, bill. >> it is. >> i'd like to do that rather than the fried butter.

>> oreos. >> i'd rather do the fried cactus. >> i think you're the only person on the planet. >> i didn't like it. of course isaac continues to be the big national story. we'll get some benefits. we're seeing plenty of rain. the hardest hit in the drought. arkansas into missouri. somewhere into little rock. the bands of rain will continue. that's two days. we won't see torrential flooding in these areas, but we will get maybe three to six inches of rain. the ground in most areas should be able to handle that. the storm will slowly die itself out over the ohio valley. here's the latest drought map zoomed in on this region. unfortunately, nebraska, kansas, oklahoma here, no rain for you. we're watching the center of that heavy rain today coming up in this general area where the drought's in the exceptional range, especially in arkansas.

as far as the weather in the western u.s., we saw some storms yesterday in nevada and utah. they'll be hit and miss this afternoon. temperatures still above 100 in phoenix. nice in many areas. 88 in me in flagstaff. yakima, washington, nice day for you too. enjoy. holliday weekend forecast coming up. >> love it, bill. thanks some. well, coming up, big ben finally speaks, sears gets a bounce, and the billionaire who gives to others on his birthday. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, is this movie set to break a record at the box office this weekend for how low can you go? coming up, the nationals have a timetable on steven

strasburg, andy roddick calls it quits, and the jets finally score. 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. iran has installed 75% of the nuclear centrifuges needed to complete a site for producing nuclear fuel, this according to international atomic inspectors. the white house warns the window to resolve the dispute over iran's nuclear program will, quote, not remain open indefinitely. in iran egyptian president mohamed morsi urged the world to support the syrian rebels. that prompted the syrian delegation in the nonaligned summit to walk out in protest. a federal court blocked the voter identification law in texas that would require a photo i.d. before casting a ballot,

saying it would likely curtail the ability of minorities to vote. the department of defense sent a letter to a former navy s.e.a.l. regarding the book he's about to publish about the raid on the osama bin laden's compound in pakistan. the pentagon says the book is in violation of nondisclosure agreements he signed, and the military is considering legal action. and a cheating scandal at harvard university as dozens of students are being investigated for possibly copying answers on a take-home final exam. if found guilty, they face a reprimand or suspension. well, now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,000 after tumbling 106 points yesterday. the s&p dropped 11. the nasdaq sank 32. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei stumbled 143 points. on hong kong, the hang seng fell 70. later this morning fed chairman ben bernanke finally gives the speech that has kept

wall street frozen all week. investors have been waiting to see if bernanke gives any clues as to a next round of stimulus from the central bank. he'll speak in wyoming at an annual symposium. thursday those betting bernanke will offer a third round of bond buying to spur the recovery as well as many bracing for no stimulus at all. bought treasuries 2-, 10-, and 30-year bond prices rose and yields fell. recent healthy economic data suggests to some the fed may wait to see on another stimulus boost. thursday's data included unemployment holding steady last week. also, july's consumer spending was the highest in five months, and a separate retail report showed spending continuing in august with better than expected sales at a range of outlets, including target, macy's, costco, and limited brands. still stocks fell because investors worry high gas prices may short circuit that increased consumer spending. >> sears tumbled almost 8% after the company learned it will be

removed from the s&p 500 index. chemicals maker lyondellbasell, which will replace sears, rose almost 4%. pandora media surged 14% a day after reporting higher adjusted earnings and raising its full year outlook. elsewhere the world bank says drought in the united states and eastern europe pushed food prices around the globe up 10% in july. and, finally, marking his 82nd birthday thursday, billionaire investor warren buffett pledged another billion dollars of berkshire hathaway b-shares to his three children's charities. well, college football kicks off, gang green finally sees the goal line, and a surprise retirement for a tennis great. plus, baseball's giants kick around their opponent for a third straight game. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. isaac's rains will continue right into the holiday weekend, and that holiday weekend forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports the washington nationals placed a pitching limit on their ace yesterday in the star right-hander's first full season after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines.

good morning. stephen strasburg is having a career year. his surgically repaired elbow feels better than ever, but that's not good enough for the nationals. they are going to shut him down to protect his elbow, announcing he'll have two or three more starts and that's it. he's done. so to make sure strasburg doesn't miss any games, the nats are going to make him miss some games. go figure. they're confident they can make an october run without their ace. nobody's been able to shut down bryce harper. third home run in two games. if their offense plays like this, they don't need pitching. nats beat the cards, 8-1. slugfest between the cubs and brewers. chicago scored three in the ninth. alfonso soriano with a walk-off single. milwaukee's jonathan lucroy drove in seven, but that didn't matter. the cubs won it, 12-11. wild play, the giants/ astros. marwin gonzalez, a comebacker to the mound. the pitcher kicked it to third. pablo sandoval gunned out gonzalez as he went flying over first, hit the bag awkwardly, and was down and out. the giants won it, 8-4. apparently 30 is the new 65. andy roddick turned the big 3-0

yesterday and then called it a career, announcing he'll be retiring after the u.s. open. one of the greatest american tennis players, roddick won the open in 2003. how about some college football. number 9 south carolina and vanderbilt. that's jordan rodgers, the brother of packers' aaron rodgers. that's marcus lattimore heisman hopeful with all the right moves. 29 yards to the house. south carolina started the season with a 17-13 win. and, finally, it took four preseason games, but the jets finally scored a touchdown. mark sanchez and tim tebow had nothing to do with it. third string quarterback brett mcelroy to terrence gannoway. there's grumblings that mcelroy should be the backup and eventual starter. he proved his worth against philly but couldn't do it all. jets lost again. the regular season cannot start soon enough for new york. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great weekend. i'm fred roggin. well, a star checks into stress rehab, and "jersey shore" is no more. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, in good times and in

bad, in sickness and in health for 77 years. you're watching "early today."

well, welcome back to "early today." if you're lucky to get out early, no problems on the road. thunderstorms will pop up from vegas, utah, nevada.

temperatures pretty seasonable for most of the country. hot in the desert. as we go throughout the forecast, pretty nice, 70s in the northwest, 80s, 90s interior valley. if you're watching us on knbc 4, in nearby santa barbara, see how portraits can both reveal and hide the subject's true self at portal in lynn berry. >> don't throw me into that. no, that's not frar. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. at the box office this weekend one film seems set to break a very dubious record. according to "entertainment weekly," "the oogieloves in the big balloon adventure" could have the worst opening ever by a film playing on over 2,000 screens. in its debut on wednesday, the film averaged $47. that's just six tickets sold per

theater. >> i feel like i have to see it now. >> support your local theater. well, the closest thing to a favorite in this low energy box office weekend is "the possession" horror fans looking for one last scare before the summer ends should earn this one from $10 and $15 million in first place. elsewhere country music star leann rimes has entered a 30-day in-patient treatment facility to cope with anxiety and stress. a statement to the media from her rep, deadpan quote, while privacy isn't expected, it's certainly appreciated. i'm sure. mtv has canceled "jersey shore," known to some as the show that saved mtv. for those of you not rejoicing, there is still a whole new sixth season. it's set to premiere on october 4th. and this comes to us from kget 17 news in bakersfield, california, where in nearby wheldon it is the romance that just keeps on going. this is adorable.

>> this is the story i was waiting for. >> this is sweet. oliver and bud are 97 years old. but even more impressive, they just celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary after saying "i do" in 1935. their first date consisted of a movie and dinner that cost a total of 25 cents. that would be fun to date back then for all of you guys. >> yeah. >> today their family includes 17 great grandchildren. so what's the secret to their success other than being frisky? bud says he lets his wife be the boss. bud's got it all figured out. and his wife lets him play golf. >> i want them back for the 80th. >> no kidding. good luck to them. i'm lynn berry, this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

thailand massaged its way into the record books. for 12 minutes 641 thai masseuses shattered the guinness world record for most people being massaged at once. thailand's prime minister was even on hand to start the record attempt. thailand is known as the massage capital of the world. after nearly doubling the previous record, they've certainly earned that title. one historic russian landmark has changed owners from revolutionary fervor to flashy pop indulgence. the metropol hotel has endured a long life with different roles. yesterday it was purchased by a major russian hotel chain for $275 million. a single occupancy at the hotel starts at 450 bucks a night to over $3,000 for the presidential suite.

that's ambitious of you. and, finally, one french company is making computers fit for a king. forget the uniform black and gray plastic that dominates the modern desktop. instead one manufacturer has created a line of luxury -- we knew this was coming, right -- complete with gold screens and marble bases. even leather clad keyboards. the pretty processors will set you back a pretty penny priced at over $21,000. >> that's the tackiest thing i think we've ever shown on this air. >> whoo, how do you really feel about it? what do you think about a bejewelled computer? have you ever thought about that? >> have you ever bejewelled anything? >> my jean jacket in the mid-'80s. >> do you still have it? >> no. i wish i did though. it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. a private funeral will be held for neil armstrong who died last weekend at the age of 82 from heart surgery complications. armstrong was the commander of the july 1969 "apollo 11" mission that saw him become the first man to walk on the moon. flags will fly at half-staff at

the white house, military bases, and u.s. embassies around the world in his honor. 15 years ago today england's princess diana died tragically in a car crash in paris at the age of 36. her sudden and unexpected death brought about a flood of worldwide tributes and memorials. and happy birthday to richard gere. he turns 63 today. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and more 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. ann romney tells savannah about the role of women in her husband's presidential campaign, and singer/songwriter jason mraz performs live on the plaza. and 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. have a great holiday weekend. station. have a great holiday weekend. have a great holliday weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com