this morning on "early today", behind the attack. differing assessments about what happened the night four americans were killed in libya. royal mess. england's duke and duchess of cambridge prepare to take legal action over the release of topless photos. and balancing act. three chinese tight rope walkers go down in high wire history with a daring record attempt. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning to you. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with lingering questions.

there are conflicting versions from the obama administration and libyan officials about who exactly was behind last week's deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. nbc's brian mooar has details. >> reporter: was the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya spontaneous or did terrorists use a protest over an anti-islamic film as cover? >> opportunistic extremist elements came to the consulate as this was unfolding. they came with heavy weapons, which unfortunately are readily available in post-revolutionary libya. >> reporter: libya's interim president says it was coordinated, but not by libyans. >> it was planned by foreigners, by people who entered the country few months ago. >> reporter: libyan officials say they've rounded up dozens of suspects. the fbi is hoping to deliver a definitive answer on what happened, but has been unable to reach the consulate in benghazi because it's still too dangerous. the waves of anti-american protests from north africa to asia appear to be ebbing, but critics of current u.s. policy say the protests are not the problem, they're a symptom.

>> if we all decide to rally around the video as the problem, we are going to make a serious mistake. >> reporter: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says this is bigger than diplomacy, it's about the existence of the united states and israel. >> for them, we are you, and you are us. and at least on this point, they're right. >> reporter: brian mooar, nbc news, washington. attacks in afghanistan over the weekend claimed the lives of both civilians and american soldiers. eight nato troops including six americans died in assaults by taliban insurgents or afghan government forces. one attack may have been directed at the location where england's prince harry is based. and the nato coalition has apologized for an air strike that killed eight afghan women. they were gathering firewood in the same general area as 45 insurgents who had been targeted. lawyers for england's duke and duchess of cambridge will appear in a paris court today to file a criminal complaint against the photographer who took topless photographs of the

duchess. prince william and kate are in the solomon islands on the latest leg of their far east tour. our correspondent is traveling with them. >> reporter: if there are storm clouds gathering in europe over the publication of those photograph, it wasn't apparent here. william and kate were given the solomon islands version of a royal parade. traveling through the streets in a canoe on a pickup truck. officials insist the couple are up beat, the smiles real, but with court proceedings starting in france, there's clearly concern about who else will print the pictures. for all their angry statements and threats of legal action, palace officials know they can't stop the publication of these pictures overseas. the only question now is whether or not the floodgates will open. this italian magazine is ready with the headline "the queen is nude" and 26 pages of

photographs. william and kate went to pray at the island's cathedral. the power failed. huge crowds strained to catch a glimpse of the couple. and it was decided to file a criminal as well as a civil complaint in the french courts. william and kate hoped the photographer who took the pictures can be identified. they played pan pipes for the duke and duchess at dinner and william responded with some local dialect. >> we look forward with great anticipation to learning more about these magnificent islands and meeting more of its delightful people over the coming days. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: and for the photographers, a couple determined to keep smiling

through adversity. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in kentucky, there were back-to-back armed robberies over the weekend. first, a gunman made his way through back door of a pizza joint, then headed right for the front register. a few hours later and just blocks away, someone else robbed a hotel. police say so far, they can't link the two crimes. in nevada, the show went on with a heavy heart. the reno air races were held this weekend. sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the tragedy there last year when a p-51 mustang fighter crashed into the crowd, killing the pilot and ten others. tens of thousands attended this year's event, which included a memorial for the victims. finally, in massachusetts, they are the arms that just won't quit. one man has muscled his way into the guinness world book of records for having the largest biceps and triceps. his arms are a whopping 31 inches in diameter and it is the

result of working out seven days a week, two houra day. he lifts 80-pound dumbbells. he can curl 400 pounds. he can bench press 500 pounds. >> i should hope so. >> let's take a look at the national regional weather and welcome nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer with the weather forecast. the rain in the center of the country is spreading eastward. for most areas from washington state all the way down to southern california and stretching even into denver you will start to see some improvements, even though there are a few scattered showers out there right now, you will see those push to the south and east. we are looking for crystal clear blue skies and nice warm temperatures. the cold front is bringing a couple of showers through minneapolis area.

that is going to continue to push to the south and east, and we'll see temps cool off a little bit. it will start to warm up again through the rest of the week. from seattle, portland, medford, or regan, southern california, las vegas, too, lots of sunshine and very warm temperatures. in vegas we are at about 79. but you'll top out in the upper 90s this afternoon. 100 degrees in phoenix today. even seattle enjoying a gorgeous day this afternoon. lots of sun and h now the the upper 90s. it is looking hot across most of the west coast. that's the latest check on your weather, veronica. >> gorgeous day, though, for lots of the west. you brought the sunshine. thank you. >> i did what i could.

the administration tackles china. down goes samsung. it's lost, there's a reward, but you probably don't want to find it. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus what happened to one of the most be loved family movies of all time wasn't so be loved this weekend. coming up, the biggest upset of the season, the best hair dmut the nfl and coaches gone wild. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. union teachers are still on strike in chicago and will meet on tuesday to consider a proposed contract offer. mayor rahm emanuel will try to get a court order for what he calls an illegal strike. for the first time it's been confirmed that the fighting in

syria's civil war involves members of iran's military. the commander of iran's revolutionary guard says his forces are providing nonmilitary assistance, but says iran would get directly involved if syria came under attack. a roougs sigh russian capsule landed safely in kazakhstan returning one american and two russian crew members from a four-month stay on the international space station. a new high wire world record in china as three tight rope performers walked on a wire at the same time. they safely completed the daredevil stunt more than 1,100 feet above a canyon without a net. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,593 after gaining 53 points friday. the s&p added five. the nasdaq rose 28. taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo, the nikkei jumped 164 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng was up 28.

the clock is ticking on a major strike possibility. canadian auto workers have targeted ford as the u.s. auto maker most likely to work out a contract agreement before tonight's midnight strike deadline. the union hopes to use a ford agreement as the basis for deals to be negotiated with gm and chrysler. the union represents about 18,000 employees. the obama administration will announce a trade complaint against china today as the president campaigns in ohio alleging illegal subsidies of auto and auto parts exports. samsung fell in asia after losing another patent battle against apple, this one before the u.s. international trade commission. jp morgan chase is the subject of a u.s. regulatory probe focusing on the bank's anti-money laundering systems. the zynga feud mushroomed friday when zynga alleged unlawful business practices. one other note, last week we incorrectly identified zynga's ceo as stepping down.

it was actually their chief marketing officer joining the chief operating officer and chief creative officer as top executives who have quit since august. data this week will be dominated by housing. a bloomberg survey predicts august housing starts increased at the fastest pace in almost four years. finally, halliburton is offering a reward for lost oil field equipment, but if you find it, stay away. the equipment lost by a crew somewhere in west texas contains dangerous radioactive material. authorities say if you find it, stay at least 25 feet away and do contact the authorities. the panthers pounce, the pats spit the bit, and the bengals throw three touchdowns and a shoe? plus, the philadelphia eagles hurdle to a one-point victory. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. we are looking at another nice day across the northeast, but heavy rain is going to start moving in for your tuesday.

you're watching "early today."

very good morning to you. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, a wild week two of the nfl season saw some teams get themselves back on track, while others fell into an even deeper early season mess.

here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. from upsets to comebacks, week two of the nfl season had a little bit of everything. let's start in philly. the eagles were flying high against the ravens. brent celek soared over the ravens' ed reed. he wasn't the only thing flying through the air. michael vick threw for over 300 yards, but in the end, he got it done with his feet. the go-ahead touchdown with under two minutes to play. the eagles squeaked out another win 24-23. if you had the patriots in your survival league, your season is over. the cardinals pulled off the upset of the week. pats had a chance in the final seconds. steven gostkowski for the win and not even close. the cardinals held on 20-18. giants and bucs. eli manning picked off three times in the first half, but it's not how you start, it's how you finish. ended up with three touchdowns. 510 yards. after the game, tom coughlin let the bucs' greg schiano have it. he won the argument, but giants won the game.

the jets laid an egg in pittsburgh. ben roethlisberger let it fly. steelers made it look easy 27-10. that's the face of a football player. alex smith battered and bloody. this will make the pain go away. a touchdown to vernon davis. the 9ers caged the lions 27-19. the rookie of the year versus the mvp. cam newton got the best of drew brees. saints drop to 0-2, the panthers won it 35-27. chargers retired the honor of junior aeau. one of the coolest haircuts you will ever see. chargers beat the titans 38-10. and finally, the best tackle of the day goes to the bengals pickle. the best tackle of the day. he wrapped up trent richardson, then grabbed his shoe and chucked it. you can't play without your cleats. he can be the backup quarterback with that arm. ben gamgs won it 34-27.

that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. a new candidate stakes her claim to being hollywood's current bad girl. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, florida's oldest restaurant normally packs them in, but not like this. besides great food, something else drew the crowds this weekend. you're watching "early today."

warm spots across the west coast. in las vegas, we're at 79 degrees right now. it is going to be a warm one as we go through the day today, especially across the southwest. temperatures stay up around 100 degrees. seattle enjoying a gorgeous day today. tomorrow, too, not really seeing much change across the west coast with continued sunshine through tomorrow as well. if you're watching us on kmtr news source 16 in eugene, oregon, in newport see how aquatic species can take over at "invasion of the habitat snatchers" at the hadfield marine science center. >> always love the aquarium. >> i love the names, too. >> the touch tank, my favorite. >> that's awesome. here is an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment news. there was a no doubt about it upset this weekend at the box office. "resident evil: retribution"

debuted with just over $21 million to take the top spot. the 3-d re-release of "finding nemo" was expected to dominate with as much as $30 million, but the family favorite sank to the runner-up position with just $17.5 million. that's actually dylan's favorite film. >> it is. >> that and "the lion king." the weekend's biggest box office news came from just a handful of theaters. "the master" which stars joaquin phoenix and philip seymour hoffman played on just five screens but collected over $725,000, a phenomenal average of just under $150,000 a screen, the best limited release opening of the year. >> i think it's the actors and the topic. >> absolutely. something i want to check out. finally, already facing a dui charge, two hit-and-run counts, and her license suspended, actress amanda bynes was pulled over by police yesterday driving in burbank. she was given a misdemeanor citation. her car was impounded.

this comes from fla news channel 8 in tampa, florida, where a historic restaurant took its customers back in time, at least when it came to the bill. an iconic span ishl eatery rolled back prices to what they were back when the restaurant open in 1905. that meant most of the entrees were going for less than three bucks. a pitcher of sangria cost less than five bucks. flaun was 50 cents. it claims to be the oldest family-run operation anywhere in the country. i'm veronica de la cruz, just your first stop of the day on your nbc station.

in china, one festival gives the phrase leap of faith a whole new meaning. base jumpers from more than 13 countries came together on china's longest suspension bridge for asia's largest base jumping event. participants leaped nearly 1,100 feet from the bridge, performing free fall stunts on the way down before parachuting to safety. just turns my stomach. china recently held its first ever goldfish beauty pageant. over 3,000 of the shimmering fish were judged in the international goldfish championships. judges looked for body shape, swimming gestures, and of course, the all important color. the favorite to take the title weighed four pounds. it was the biggest goldfish one of the judges had ever seen. that guy can barely swim. things got a little hairy at

one competition in england. from mustaches to mutton chops, more than 100 of the country's burliest beards battled it out in england's first beard and mustache championships. contestants vied in 11 categories, ranging from full beards to manicured mustaches. many entrants also dressed in lavish outfits, matching their wild whiskers. what was going on there? >> i don't know. one thing you don't see, wives in that picture. so yeah. >> i take it you're not a facial hair person. >> no, not really. >> the scruff is okay, though. >> scruff is fine. but not all the way out to here. >> i'm with you. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll fol throw throughout the day on nbc. protesters will mark the one-year anniversary of the occupy wall street movement with rallies in more than 30 cities around the world, including a march on the new york stock exchange. in honor of the 225th anniversary of the signing of the constitution, 225 new u.s.

citizens will be sworn in at the national archives right in front of the constitution, the declaration of independence, and the bill of rights. and on this day in 1976, nasa unveiled the first space shuttle enterprise, though it was a prototype and never made it into orbit. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up later today on the "today" show. richard engel reports live from afghanistan as anti-american protests continue to break out around the world. and the inspiring story of a san francisco teenager who overcame being bullied in high school and set out to help others. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you so much for watching "early today," just your first stop today on your nbc station. have a terrific monday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com