this morning on "early today," election sprint. president obama and mitt romney criss-cross the country trying to reach every possible voter. what is the cure for romnesia? [ laughter ] >> well, obama care covers pre-existing conditions. >> wow! hurricane sandy is prime to pack a late-october punch for much of the east coast into new england. and pablo sandoval is major league baseball's new mr. october. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. i'm lynn berry. well, with less than 300 hours until election day, the candidates are campaigning hard in several key states.

and according to a new "time" magazine poll from battleground ohio, it is paying off for president obama. in a survey taken earlier this week of both likely and early ohio voters, the president leads governor romney 49% to 44%. late last night, katy perry fired up the crowd before the president took the stage in las vegas, where he pushed his message of moving forward and criticized his republican rival's policies as backward-looking. meanwhile, governor romney stoked his supporters in iowa with attacks on the president's economic agenda. >> they have been unable to lay out an agenda for what they're going to do to help america. they have been unable to defend and describe what they do to get our economy going again, and that's why with a president that's out of ideas and out of excuses, why on november 6th, you're going to make sure to put him out of office. also in iowa, president obama sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with our own brian williams. the president told brian that

his campaign is doing better than some have expected. >> folks in your business were writing me off a year ago, saying there's no way i would win. so, you know, these things go in ebbs and flows. the one thing i've tried to always be is just steady in terms of what i believe in, who i'm fighting for. >> and you can see more of brian williams' exclusive interview with president obama on the campaign trail this morning on "today" and tonight on "nbc nightly news" and "rock center." it's another busy day on the campaign trail. president obama speaks at events in florida and virginia before heading to his home state of illinois, where he is going to cast his ballot early. that's the first for a presidential nominee. the president will end his day in cleveland. governor romney travels to three events in ohio, while his running mate, paul ryan, campaigns in virginia. well, president obama is weighing in on the controversy surrounding indiana senate candidate richard mourdock's

comments about rape. during a debate tuesday night, the republican contender answered a question on abortion, saying even when a birth happens as a result of a rape it's, "something that god intended to happen." well, appearing on the "tonight show" with jay leno the president brought back some of the language and the same language that he used in august when scolding missouri senate candidate todd akin. >> i don't know how these guys come up with these ideas. let me make a very simple proposition. rape is rape. it is a crime. [ applause ] and so, these various distinctions about rape, and you know, don't make too much sense to me, don't make any sense to me. >> meanwhile, mitt romney's campaign says he continues to support mourdock, although romney disagrees with mourdock's opposition to abortion in cases of rape or incest. now to the atlantic, where hurricane sandy looks to become

a menace for folks all along the u.s. east coast. it's expected to bring high winds and heavy rain, even snow to some areas. early this morning, sandy slammed into cuba as a strong category 2 hurricane, packing winds of 110 miles per hour. the storm is being blamed for two deaths so far, one in jamaica and one in haiti. bill karins will have more on where this storm is headed, coming up in weather in just a few minutes. but first, here's a look at some of the other stories making news "early today in america." let's begin in philadelphia, where an airport gate crasher is now headed back to prison. back in march, the 25-year-old man crashed his suv through a gate and raced down the runway at philadelphia international airport at speeds topping 100 miles per hour. he's been sentenced to 16 months in prison and must pay $92,000 in restitution. and now to missouri, where

one thief armed with an unusual weapon robbed a kansas city restaurant. the suspect there is dressed in dark clothing, and he's caught on surveillance video wearing and entering a store wielding a samurai sword. he calmly walks up to counter with the sword and waits for the money. thankfully, no one was hurt in the robbery. a legal battle is brewing in oregon over who should care for this little guy, obi. he's a dachshund that made national headlines for his enormous size. the ohio datsun rescue is suing obi's foster mom, saying she hasn't had the dog's best interests in mind. and finally, florida's mystery monkey has finally been captured. the famous primate has been on the lam for over two years, even gathering over 86,000 facebook likes. he's been alluding state wildlife officials, but yesterday in tampa bay, the

monkey was spotted, quickly tranquilized and evacuated by the vet. now, once the monkey is given a clean bill of health, he will be given a new home at a local animal facility. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> i'm kind of rooting for the monkey on that story. >> you know what, let him run around! he's having fun. >> just return him to the wild. there really is no wild habitat for monkeys in this country anymore, is there? >> no, unfortunately for him. >> good morning, everyone. down in cuba, it was not a pretty scene last night. hurricane sandy intensified right before landfall. santiago was right in the brunt of the eye. and the pictures out of there won't be pretty once they come out today. about 75% of jamaicans without power and even haiti. of course, that could be very prone to flash flooding and they're getting bands of heavy rain. even the dominican republic is, too. so, where is this storm heading next? it will be a problem likely for the mid-atlantic northward, paralleling the coastline around

florida, but i really think new england will be the troublesome spot. now, as far as the west goes, we're okay today. we get our little break. the storm has moved through overnight, snow in many areas of idaho, trying to head up now towards wyoming. the next storm is already on the map. you can see the clouds. warm front will bring showers probably late tonight and tomorrow into the northwest. so, i think you get one dry day today. so, the forecast is cool. temperatures are definitely chilly, only in the 50s in many areas for highs in oregon, in washington, in idaho, some of these areas only in the 40s. we're still pretty nice in the desert southwest, but even vegas has cooled off with a high today only of 68. but that's nice, nice little break. that's a look at y night tonight and then tomorrow. unsettled weather pattern after that. so, the west little colder this

morning. definitely feels like late fall. >> all right, bill, thanks. well, voter fraud in florida? the fbi investigates. also, scientists mixing male and female embryos. is this a good idea? your early-morning headlines are straight ahead. plus, if you're a customer at bank of america, they could be taking a huge hit. details are next. you're watching "early today."

stories making news this morning. u.s. officials confirm that authorities in tunisia have arrested a man who may be connected to last month's deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. meanwhile, there are reports an egyptian militant also suspected of involvement has been killed in clashes in cairo. the fbi and u.s. postal service are investigating reports of fraudulent letters being sent to florida voters in at least 28 counties questioning their citizenship and their eligibility to vote. pakistani police say nine people have been arrested in connection with the shooting of

malala yousefzai, the 15-year-old activist who spoke out against the taliban. the main suspect is still at large. scientists in oregon say they have created embryos with genes from one man and two women using a controversial technique that could one day prevent babies from inheriting certain incurable diseases. researchers point out the embryos are not being used to produce children. and some good news for all of us who call earth our home. government scientists say the hole in the ozone layer over the antarctic is the second smallest it's been in the past 20 years, likely thanks to warmer temperatures and less chlorine compounds in the atmosphere. good news there. to health now where a new study finds that green tea drinkers have lower cancer rates. older women who drink green tea at least three times a week were 14% less likely to develop digestive system cancers including colon, stomach, and throat. since green tea drinkers are generally healthier, it's unclear what exactly is causing

the lower rates. the antioxidant found in green tea may be responsible for warding off cancer-causing cells. the study was done by the american journal of clinical nutrition. >> announcer: early today health is brought to you by vagisil ph balanced wash. well, wall street starts thursday with the dow at 13,077 after losing 25 points yesterday. the s&p was down four. the nasdaq fell eight. in overseas trading today, in tokyo the nikkei rose 100 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng was up 46. well, the earnings roller coaster continues on wall street. after the bell, best buy spiraled after warning weak earnings in same-store sales. meanwhile, online gamer zynga reversed earlier losses after raising the lower end of its 2012 outlook. sales of new homes jumped to the highest level in nearly 2 1/2 years in september, giving homebuilders stocks a healthy boost. for better or for worse,

there were no big surprises from the fed's latest policy statement. the central bank vowed to stick with its latest round of stimulus until the job market improves. the government is suing bank of america for $1 billion, claiming its countrywide financial unit knowingly sold defective mortgage loans to lenders fannie mae and freddie mac, which are now owned by the government. former goldman sachs director was sentenced to two years in prison yesterday for insider trading. american airlines says it plans to hire 2,500 pilots over the next five years as it ramps up international flights. new census data finds more young adults are leaving the nest and moving out of state. americans between the ages of 25 and 29 showed the most mobility in 13 years as they strike out on their own to test the job market in big cities. all eyes will be on microsoft for its big windows 8 launch in new york this afternoon. and it's a hacker's dream come true. last year's top three most

commonly used passwords are still on top this year. incredibly, number one is still just the word password. two and three are the numbers 1 through 6 and 1 through 8. and a few newcomers -- jesus, ninja and mustang. we're giving away all bill karins' secrets. coming up, quick, what do bob marley, elizabeth taylor and peanuts creator charles schultz have in common? plus, baseball's best pitcher is shelved by the newest mr. october. your sports headlines are straight ahead. and all the ingredients are coming together for a historic weather event sunday and monday coming up the east coast. forecast details are coming up. you're watching "early today."

well, talk about an exciting night at the world series. a new mr. october is crowned. detroit pitcher ace justin verlander took a beating in game one as the man of the night, giants third baseman pablo sandoval, had the game of a lifetime tying a world series home run record. >> count's 0-2. and sandoval hits it into center. back at the wall. come on! wide ball into left. back at the wall. he's homered again!

wasn't activated until the third week of august. into center! at the wall! another! pablo sandoval with a three-homer game in world series game number one! >> and that was it. sandoval's three homers in world series game tied the record held by babe ruth, reggie jackson and albert pujols. the final score, giants 8, tigers 3. game two's tonight with madison baumgartner starting for the giants and doug fisker starting for the tigers. even though a full season isn't a reality for locked-out nhl players, the new york islanders have announced the team is going to move 26 miles to the brand-new barclays center in brooklyn as soon as 2015. the nfl has embraced pink all throughout october for breast cancer awareness month, and during sunday night's jets/dolphins game, referees will be throwing pink penalty flags instead of yellow. this was an idea dreamed up by an 11-year-old boy from new

jersey. good idea. diego maradona was one of of the greatest soccer players of all time when he helped argentina win world cup championship. well, these days, maradona looks quite different at age 51, as he put on a show at a soccer stadium in india yesterday, dancing for the crowd. the man voted the top soccer player of the 20th century, he still has some mad soccer skills, so no complaints there from him. just ahead, the world's oldest facebook user and you're into the going to believe how rich certain dearly departed celebs are. plus, actor tom cruise goes nuclear against the tabloids. we'll have details for you next. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." of course, the big news being sandy and its initial impact in cuba and later this weekend into areas of the mid-atlantic, but for the west, everything is relatively quiet. the big storm we've been dealing with the last couple days is moving to the intermountain west with some snow, so we are watching a dry day in many areas of the northwest and even california. cooler in vegas, but mild from phoenix to l.a., not bad at all. looking towards tomorrow, more wet weather returns with a warm front in the northwest and everyone else remains status quo. >> bill, thanks so much. and now to entertainment news. tom cruise has filed a $50 million lawsuit against "style" and "intouch" magazines,

claiming they defamed him in headlines that he has abandoned his 6-year-old daughter suri, which the suit maintains is a vicious lie. fans have already reportedly formed a music store hoping to get a ticket. and it's that time again. who are this year's top earning celebrities according to forbes? number five, singer bob marley with $17 million. number four, peanuts creator charles schultz with $37 million. number three, that's pretty predictable, right? king of rock and roll, elvis, with $55 million. then king of pop, number two, with $145 million. and number one, elizabeth taylor. look at that, $210 million. this is all thanks to that record-breaking auction of her jewelry, artwork and costumes. that was a big deal this year. >> jackson will be back at

number one next year, and maybe for many, many years. >> thank you for making the prediction. you just teased our show for an entire year. >> stay tuned. >> please. >> mark your calendar. this comes to us from kob in albuquerque, new mexico, where one woman might be the oldest user on facebook. maria metzker had recently celebrated her 105th birthday with friends in her living room and with her 85 friends on facebook. maria can't even display the actual year of her birth on her page because the social media site doesn't actually include an option that dates back that far. we like this. we like that story. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today your nbc station.

in ireland, one bird was able to ruffle quite a few feathers during a morning commute. a white swan wandered across a busy dublin street, slowing traffic for many drivers. luckily, a former farm hand was able to coax the bird off the street and on to a nearby sidewalk. that comes in handy, right? in the end both the swan and the passerby seemed to be quite amused by the whole ordeal. all right. send in the clowns. it's time for a convention. sometimes it's called the festival of laughter. it is the 17th annual international clown convention. it took place in mexico city. clowns from all across latin america show up with all the same goal, to clown around and pick up some new tricks from one another. why mexico city? well, clowns are actually a common site there, often entertaining motorists who are stuck in traffic. >> i see a clown every morning. >> good one. boom.

and finally, one girl's wish sparked an international effort. a 10-year-old diagnosed with a rare brain disease at a few months old. well, when she was offered a wish, she wished for lots and lots of rainbows. well, a stranger heard the plea and posted her wish online. get this, soon over 5,000 rainbow drawings were sent from all over the world. her response? right there. that's her trademark happy dance. mom says she's always in a good mood. >> do you have a happy dance? i don't, but i'm thinking about adopting one now. >> everyone has a happy dance. >> really? >> i do the twirl. i do the twirl. >> i think you're the only one. well, it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. vice president biden will travel to sioux falls, south dakota, where a wake and viewing will be held for george mcgovern. mcgovern served four years in the house, 18 years in the senate and lost the 1972 presidential election in a landslide to richard nixon. the late senator died last week.

he was 00 years old. first lady michelle obama will make her first appearance on late night tonight with jimmy kimmel, where she'll encourage americans to get out and vote. and happy birthday to singer katy perry. she turns 28 today. 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, convicted d.c. sniper accomplice lee boyd malvo speaks out from behind bars. and "the voice" coach and maroon 5 front man adam levine is in the studio with all the latest dish from season three and a live performance. 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 good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com