it's wednesday morning. coming up on "early today," a full-court press on obama care from the right and the left. bill clinton bully supports it. senator ted cruz argues it's too expensive. we'll have the details next. israel's benjamin netanyahu warns not to be fooled by iran's, e, soothing words when it comes to nukes. at the gas pumps, prices could drop another 20 cents a gallon. plus, bono does his best bill clinton imitation.

"early today" starts right now. this is "early today" for wednesday, september 25th. good morning. senators ted cruz and mike lee are leading the charge against that effort. live pictures from the senate floor right now with florida's marco rubio joining in, speaking in an effort. he started this just before 3:00 tuesday afternoon. let's get straight to tracie potts in washington. what is expected today? >> we expect this to go on for a while. it's going for 16 hours. we also expect at some point that vote that had been scheduled for early. we'll see if it gets delayed as a result of this all-nighter they've been pulling. three of them now. the bottom line, there's a concern that delaying this vote could lead to a government shutdown. >> i intend to speak in support of defunding obama care until i

am no longer able to stand. >> reporter: there he was, at 2:00 tuesday afternoon, at 8:00 last night, when he apparently ran out of things to say. >> do you like green eggs and ham? i do not like them, sam, i am. >> reporter: early this morning, his colleague, mike lee, of utah, took over. >> the american people have never been enthusiastic about om care. >> reporter: but by 3:00 this morning, cruz was back. he actually supports the plan up for a vote today, stripping the money from health care to avoid a government shutdown. but democrats in charge plan to change the bill and keep the health care funding. if cruz keeps talking, they may never get to vote and the government could shut down. he's not the only one talking. >> the most important thing, obviously, is to get people enrolled in this. >> reporter: president obama and clinton broke down the affordable care act at a forum in new york last night, including next week's open enrollment for the new health insurance exchanges. >> they're going to be able to

shop, just like you shop for an airline ticket or a flat screen tv and see what the best price for you, what's the plan that's best suited for you. >> cruz says it will cost too much. that's why this morning he's still talking. they have been egged on by conservatives. the leadership not particularly happy about this all-nighter. they fear it could squeeze the time to get something done before a government shutdown next week and that according to some polls, the party may get blamed for that. paige? >> tracie potts, thanks so much. there were some lighter moments in politics tuesday. at the meeting of the clinton global initiative, the delayed bill clinton kept a few vips waiting so bono jumped in with a spot-on impression. >> when i first met bono, he

walked into the oval office and i thought it was a member of his own road crew. he wasn't really dressed right. actually, i felt like the rock star on that occasion. >> i must be really easy to make fun of. >> three decades later and still no photo-op between the u.s. and iran. u.s. officials say iran ultimately deemed the meeting between the leaders as, quote, too complicated. both president obama and rowhani spoke separately at the united nations tuesday, calling for improved relations and resumed nuclear talks. >> that can serve as a major step down a long road toward a different relationship, one based on mutual interests and mutual respect. >> translator: our national interests make it imperative that we remove any and all reasonable concerns about iran's

peaceful nuclear program. iran poses absolutely no threat to the world or the region. >> but israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says not so fast, alluding to deep skepticism with iran. >> israel would welcome a genuine resolution, but we will not be fooled by half measures that merely provide a smoke screen for iran's continual pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the world should not be fooled either. >> president obama is tasking secretary of state john kerry to pursue a nuclear weapons agreement with iran with a first meeting set for thursday. and hunger is now a growing threat to 4 million syrians as that deadly civil war stretches into its third year. save the children says one in 20 children in areas around

damascus are severely malnourished. one mother says her children have cried, growing to sleep hungry. today marks the first of three days of national mourning in kenya, the four-day siege at nairobi's westgate mall now over. about 175 people were injured, including americans. kenya's president says 11 suspects are in police custody, but many questions remain including the fate of an unknown number of hostages. the death toll from a massive 7.82 earthquake in pakistan spiked overnight. officials say 200 people died after mud houses collapsed. this morning there are reports of strong after shocks. meanwhile, a broadcast aired images of what's being reported as a new island. take a look at that. they believe the formation is a

mud volcano that is only temporary. bill karins has the forecast. >> i never heard of that before, an earthquake bringing up an island? >> yeah. >> it's actually a decent size, too. i guess we'll have to see if it's temporary and slowly slips back into the sea. let's talk about what's going on with the weather in the west. it is chilly in the northwest, storm systems kicking through, bringing snow to the northern rockies in the days ahead. temperatures this morning, probably a light jacket, sweater for the kids. warming in areas of california. you can kind of see the weather pattern, watch the clouds as they dip down the west coast and race up through idaho and montana with a big dip in the jet stream, bringing our wet weather to the west, cool temperatures and eventually the snow to montana, especially montana in portions of idaho, too. winter storm warnings, the first of the season, are up there in northern portions of the rockies. right around from boseman to

butte, you will be doing shoveling as we go throughout tomorrow morning. one of the coolest days from seattle all the way down to medford, portland and everywhere in between. in boise, look at that, 56 degrees today with cloudy skies and showers, as a cool fall weather pattern has made itself present. that's a lookone will move in. >> paige, as dreary as it looks in the northeast today, there is better weather ahead. >> that's good news. plus, it is fall. >> yeah. >> thanks a lot, bill. brazil calls out the u.s. over nsa eaves dropping. why now is the time to plan your holiday travel. we're back in two.

stories making news on this

hump day. the pentagon has denied a multimillion dollar plan to upgrade the facilities at guantanamo bay. military officials cite a lack of congressional support. brazil's president canceled a state visit to the u.s. over those nsa programs and tuesday she let that anger boil over on the world stage. >> translator: tampering in such a manner in the affairs of other countries is a breach of international law and affront to the principles that must guide the relations among them, especially among friendly nations. >> earlier this month, it was revealed brazil had been tapped into by the nsa and so far there has been no public apology. a 28-year-old british rower has become the first woman to row solo from japan to alaska.

when she finally arrived, she celebrated with a much-deserved bottle of champagne. according to kayak.com, the cheapest air fares are now through mid october. and after nearly 20 years, miss piggy and kermit have been reunite reunited. more than 20 muppets were donated to the smithsonian museum. they were gifts to the smithsonian on what would be jim henson's birthday. now let's check in with seema mody. good morning, seema. stocks dropped for a fourth straight day on tuesday. analysts cite falling consumer

demand and slumping crude oil prices. amazon unveiled a new kindle fire tablet, with faster process and mayday button for 24/7 live video text support. paige, back over to you. >> thanks, seema. all your sports highlights, next. but first, what is the most expensive movie of all time when adjusted for inflation? waterworld, titanic, pirates of the caribbean:at world's end or cleopatra?

so what is the most expensive movie of all time when adjusted for inflation? "waterworld," "titanic," "pirates of the caribbean: at world's end" or "cleopatra"? the answer? "pirates of the caribbean: at world's end." it cost $332 million to produce, but took in a staggering $960 million worldwide. wow! and in sport, the dramatic battle for the america's cup is down to one race. oracle team usa is still alive after an incredible comeback with new zealand needing one victory. the americans won both on tuesday that ties the series at eight wins each. today's exciting race will decide the winner of that cup.

in baseball two outs in the ninth inning in st. louis and cardinals pitcher working on a no-hitter. washington's ryan zimmerman hits a chopper over the mound. and zimmerman is safe at first base. it ended in a one-hitter, cards over the nationals 2-0. pittsburgh is still chasing st. louis. pirates pounded the cubs 8-2 last night. the pirates now lead the national league's wild card race and clinched the first playoff spot since 1992. in cleveland bottom of the ninth. indians trailing and jason giambi hits a two-run homer for a win over the white sox. earlier in the season he became the oldest player to hit a walkoff homer. giambi is now the oldest to hit two in a season. thousands of fans lined up to get free marriano rivera

bobblehead dolls, but they were delivered late. during the game the fans finally got the bobbleheads of the closer who will retire after this season. cruising around in mccovey cove. the driver bumped into a boat, but fortunately no major damage. next year ncaa will restore five of the 20 football scholarships taken away from penn state in the wake of the jerry sandusky scandal. the rest will be given back in future years. jay paterno tweeted ncaa gives back some psu scholarships? why not all? any football sanctions are still an affront to the truth. police dash cam video shows lions wide receiver burleson walking into an ambulance with a broken arm after a car accident in michigan on monday.

no alcohol was involved. police say burleson lost control get this, when two large pizzas were falling off his front passenger seat. nick pelinas racing towards the goal. the defender took massive measures, diving save with a perfectly timed depants'ing.

welcome back on this wednesday, the hump day of the week. northwest is dealing with a storm. we mentioned that earlier. we also cooled things off in the desert southwest and southern california. that's not going to last. let's look at the temperatures as we go throughout the day today. 73 in l.a. along the coast. warmer interior sections. as we look at tomorrow, we jump it up a little bit, phoenix, right around 90 degrees. really as we head toward the upcoming weekend. l.a., 83 friday, near 90 saturday. it looks like some warm temperatures, very summer-like conditions as we end our september in the west. >> nice to get that last gas of sun. thanks, bill. in entertainment, a new law signed in california will cause greater problems for paparazzi. with a push from celebrities like halle berry and jennifer garner, those who harass celebrity parents could face up to a year in jail and a fine.

the wrongful lawsuit against aeg is coming to a close. only nine of the 12 jurors must agree for a verdict to be handed down. fast and furious fans you should get excited. posting a picture from the set of a new film, kurt russell. in a new interview jennifer lawrence talked about how her sudden catapult into stardom is similar to her hunger games character, katniss. she says it's hard to say you identify with someone who's facing life and death and war, but there is the connection in that she doesn't feel like part of the town anymore. who are the wealthiest hip hop artists? shockingly, nicki minaj is the only female in the top 20, listed at number four. very respectable. harry and lloyd are at it again.

a new picture of the "dumb and dumber" duo was released yesterday. i have to say, that was when jeff daniels was funny, pre"newsroom" era. >> when they're on the scooter, freezing cold. that's classic one. the bathroom scene. >> sounds like you've seen this a few times. >> i'm looking forward to it. i hope they have some that have chemistry and magic left. >> i do, too. >> how about beyonce not being on the hip hop list? maybe she wasn't considered hip hop. >> i was shocked by that, especially given that jay-z was number one. >> maybe they don't consider her in that category. i'm sure she makes enough. >> i'll get on that and give you the answer to that, bill. i'm page hopkins. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop on nbc today.

leading the news in the "chicago tribune" exclusive, hundreds of u.s. security clearance records falsified, federal cases show, what some lawmakers call systemic weaknesses in the granting of clearances. and nbcnews.com, impossible and mesmerizing view of rotating moon. using the orbiter, scientists created a stunning video showing a full rotation of the moon recorded over a lunar month. 113 countries sign a pledge against sexual violence. the declaration prohibits amnesty for violence and peace agreement and allows suspects to be apprehended wherever they are in the world. pope benedict xvi denies

covering up sex abuse. in his first writing since retiring, he wrote, quote, i have never tried to hide these things. 99-year-old audrey crabtree receives her high school diploma. the honorary degree comes 80 years later. she was one credit shy of graduating. crabtree says she left school because of a swimming accident and the need to take care of her sick grandmother. crabtree quiped she feels so much smarter now. she looks great. calling all cat lovers, this might be the perfect place for you. a home is sharing the love of feline friends with customers. the cat friendly cafe targets customers who aren't allowed to have cats in their homes. customers are allowed to play and relax with the felines. on opening weekend the lines were so long that hundreds were actually turned away.

leave it to the french. >> i don't get it. i had a cat for years. i'm not going to a restaurant to pet cats and eat. it seems like a horrible combination. >> exactly. an interesting idea, for sure. lawmakers return to the floor this afternoon and members have been advised they may remain in session throughout the week and possibly the weekend to consider a budget bill to keep the government operating. on this day in 1981 sandra day o'connor was sworn in as the first female justice on the supreme court of the united states. happy birthday to actor will smith, whose 45. catherine zeta jones is 44 and her husband, michael douglas, is 69. and barbara walters is 84. happy birthday to all of them. meet a dad in georgia who has become a star on social media. and willie geist talks to michael j. fox about his return

to tv and his battle w

. . . new this morning, aseanaairlines under investigation for not providing victims with proper help in the hours and days following the disaster. details next a south bay school teacher in jail accused of having sex with a minor. what the district is telling parents this morning on the brink of eviction in a little more than an hour. a fraens coupsan francisco coup yanked from their home a live look at san francisco. the city by the bay, all lit up on this wednesday, september 25th. this is "today in the bay." how do