good wednesday morning. coming up on "early today," a white house insider ferreted out and fired for tweeting what was an embarrassing envelopes under an anonymous name. the brother of the nevada shooting hero speaks out for the first time. and the wildfires down under. it is christening day for will and kate's bundle of joy, prince george. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for wednesday, october 23rd. very good morning to you. i'm richard lui. a white house insider leaking details under an alias for two

years is finally found and fired. senior administration official with incredible access and information is now off the job. he was revealed as the voice of a twitter account using a fake name. his name is jofi joseph. he was on the white house staff but he was also famous in d.c. circles. the tweets began in 2007. he was said to have openly criticized administration policies. joseph had worked at the state department and for senators bob casey and joe biden. so far the first time, we are hearing from the woman in charge of healthcare.gov. kathleen sebelius admits there were concerns about the launch. >> the president said he was

angry about this. did you know when he first knew there was a problem? >> well, i think it became clear fairly early on, the first couple of days. >> not before that, though? not before october 1st? there was no concern at this point in the white house or hhs? >> i think we talked about having testing going forward. i think there certainly are some challenges. it could be smool smoother. it could be easier to access. that is what we are working on. >> sebelius will testify before congress. president obama has appointed jeff zients to lead the overhaul. and the white house expressing scrutiny over the drone program has resulted in civilians killed. the disclosure follows reports from two leading human rights groups accusing the u.s. of violating international law. the white house says there's a wide gap between u.s. assessments of casualties and nongovernment reports. >> to the extent these reports claim that the u.s. has acted

contrary to international law, we would strongly disagree. i think it's important to note by narrowly targeting our action against those who want to kill us and not the people they hide among we are choosing the course of action least likely to result in loss of life. >> however, human rights watch says drones have killed 57 civilians in yemen indiscriminately and international reports say the pakistan strikes killed a grandmother in view of her grandchildren. supposed to be tightly guarded, but now four air force officers are being punished for leaving the nuclear doors open. they were deliberately left open in this case while one of the two crew members slept inside, according to the associated press. the incidents happened twice this year alone in north dakota and montana.

while the violations are not criminal air force officials say the reprimands are considered career ending. police believe the 12-year-old boy who fatally shot a teacher brought the gun from home. the boy opened fire monday and injured two students before taking his own life. police in nevada say the boy's parents are cooperating and they say there is potential for charges if determined the gun has come from their residence. we are learning about michael landsberry acts of heroism. a student says he stepped between him and the gunman essentially saving his life. they say it bought time for students to flee. here is landsberry's little brother. >> it is unlucky, you know. doggone, it's sickening. but in hindsight, thank goodness mike was there, because it could have been a lot worse. >> officials say there is evidence the shooter tried to enter the school but failed.

today may be d-day in australia where dozens of wildfires, stretching more than 100,000 miles now. ian williams is right outside the city. good morning to you. what are the strategies being used to fight these fires? >> reporter: good morning, richard. this has been the biggest firefighting of its kind ever mounted in this part of australia. this evening, they are tentatively saying it has been a success, the disaster many have been predicting was averted. the waeeather was every bit as extreme today. we saw soaring temperatures and winds gusting at up to 60 miles an hour, creating fresh fires and it also meant that existing fires flared up even more intensely than before. pacific highways north of sydney was closed for a while because of one fire.

firefighters spread out. this evening, they are tentatively saying that their operation was a success. >> ian williams, thank you so much. as we watch that, it gets bigger and bigger. >> they made it through today, which is a big day. it was hot, windy. they're worried about these bigger fires that are uncontrolled. combining, mega storms. firefighters held the lines. yeah, it was a little minor victory. they're only in their spring season, going into summer there. they have a lot of work ahead. as far as our weather back here, watching cold air moving through the great lakes, temperatures in the west continue with another beautiful afternoon yesterday. phoenix with 94. there are some warm spots out there. this morning is a lot like yesterday morning. definitely the coast needed for much of northern nevada, oregon and washington state. san francisco is a little cool there at 50 degrees. here is an interesting view. it shows you the moisture in the atmosphere. there's been two upper level

lows that have been spinning, one off the coast of oregon, responsible for the warmer temperatures moving in. also upper level low now moving through southern california. that's got an onshore component to it in san diego. clouds are locked in at the coast a little bit there. you'll have more clouds than sun wednesday and thursday. that leaves and leaves you with a beautiful weekend ahead. that's a looks found in the desert southwest. when we break out the water vapor image and show you clouds moving through, that's when you know the crickets are chirping. >> it's a beauty, though. we'll take it. we go to london and the royal christening of prince george, next. plus, one football team

against the other necessarily bullying? one parent says yes. and would you like to go to the edge of space?

welcome back. it's a special day across the pond. future king prince george will be christened, and parents william and kate are breaking with tradition. outside buckingham palace for us today is annibel roberts. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. william and kate have chosen the james palace, a couple hundred meters away and the royal chapel there, which is small, sits about 50 people, which means they'll have a very intimate christening. they just announced their godparents, seven in total. william and kate have chosen close friends of theirs, who

they hope will help prince george have a very grounded upbringing. there's one exception. that is zhara phillips, daughter of princess anne. she won a medal for her equestrian sport last summer here in london. just a few more hours now until the christening starts. quite a few people are gathered outside, waiting to see the royals arrive. of course, one thing many people want to know is what kate has chosen to wear on this very special day. back to you, richard. >> always a fun spectacle. annibel, thank you. hopes were dashed and the mystery grew on tuesday regarding that little girl who may have been abducted by a roma couple in greece. interpol announcing the girl's dna did not match any profile in their database. over 10,000 tips have been sent in regarding the girl's identity. authorities are looking into

just eight to ten of them right now. in boston, a 90-year-old holocaust survivor made his debut with renowned cellist yoyo-ma. a new gallup poll showing majority of americans for the first time ever support the legalization of marijuana. the numbers jumped 10 points from the same poll doesn't just last year. tsa will start screening you right before you get to the airport, "new york times" saying the agency will accomplish this by using government and private databases. tsa says the increased scrutiny will help speed up the security process. and the horse carriages of new york city, a tourism staple, may soon be off the streets. mayoral candidates both say they plan on abolishing the horse-drawn carriages once they get in office. animal rights groups want to place the carriages with electric antique cars. now to business and cnbc's

kayla taush. good morning, kayla. >> hold off on reducing its vast bond-buying stimulus program for a bit longer mostly because of the disappointing september jobs report. goldman sachs thinks the fed will wait until march. tax filing season by a few weeks because of the government shutdown. that came during the peak time when the irs usually upgrades its computers with changes in the tax code. and nothing too good is free for long. now it will cost more to get free shipping from amazon. online retailer has raised the minimum order price from $25 to $35. it may prompt shoppers to sign up for amazon prime. for $79 a year you get free two-day shipping on all orders. >> kayla, thank you very much. a mere $75 will get you to

the edge of space for a few hours. world view enterprises will use a high-altitude balloon that will lift a capsule filled with passengers about 19 miles up for a whole new view of planet earth. coming up, details on rob gronkowski's football clinic for women, complete with the gronk-tini. according to this survey, what's the world's most popular car color? silver, black, blue or white? that answer when "early today" returns.

so before the break we asked what's the world's most popular car color? according to the latest survey, silver, black, blue or white? the answer is white. one of two car buyers chose it, up 3% from last year. love that gto there. let's get the latest in sports. tonight's world series will be kind of like a blind date. the red sox and cardinals haven't played each other all year and, for that matter, seen each other in five years. the two teams have met, however, three times in series history, '46, '67 and '04. the investigation started four years ago.

now miami university football and basketball program cited for a decade of violations. they will lose nine football scholarships, three for basketball. the allegations that the booster gave thousands of dollars to athletes. unofficial poll from general managers that the miami heat were picked to three-peat, king james to win mvp and houston's james hardin as top shooting guard. it is the first time in 12 years that kobe bryant was not picked. is a high school team that beats its opponent 91-0 a bully? a parent from the losing team in texas filed a bullying compla t complaint. state law requires it is fully investigated. they did beverage -- bench their players after three minutes. there is no mercy rule there. new england patriot rob gronkowski holding a clinic for

women. plus a gronk-tini. wonder what that drink is. here is what happened when james called his family about his scholarship via phone. >> are you serious? >> mom's gonna cry! >> oh, my god! >> got to love that. and this. a high school student in california got the chance of a lifetime, to make a 40-yard field goal, win a white 2014 chevy camaro. he kicked the ball, losing the shoe but nailed the field goal. he gets the car. run towards the car, my friend. betty white and a wrecking ball. what could be better? next.

hurricane raymond has weakened considerably over the last 48 hours. it's still sitting here to the south of acapulco, starting to fall apart this morning. good news for them. back in the west, more quiet weather. not too bad today in hawaii or alaska either. warmer temperatures in phoenix and tucson. up to the intermountain west. not exactly what you want to see if you're trying to get ready for a ski season, with these warm temperatures. we're still weeks away from thanksgiving. one of the cool spots, seattle, at 54. >> i know you want to talk about

wrecking ball. it's been at least, what, three days? >> give me my miley. >> exactly. >> it's betty white's turn to have some wrecking ball fun. >> that's not miley. >> it's still wrecking ball. in a new commercial, she gets on a wrecking ball and happily is wearing a white sweatsuit. wee! ben & jerry's has come up with a flavor for "anchory man 2." it is called scotchy scotch scotch. i love it. >> loves his scotch. mel brooks was on conan's web series last night talking about his friendship with hitchcock and talks about the critics of his off-color humor. >> we are doing "spring time for hitler" and a big guy stands up, starts yelling, coming to the stage. where the [ bleep ] is mel brooks?

jews and concentration camps. he says, i was in world war ii. i said, i was in world war ii. i didn't see you there. >> mel brooks, always a funny guy, and controversial sometimes. ellen sending her executive producer and one of her writers to the amc walking dead haunted maze. their reactions here are priceless. >> oh, my god! why are you making me go through this? >> i'm not. i'm protecting you! >> ahh! >> have you ever been to one of those? >> i have and i was -- i thought i played it cool and not be too scared, but it is. >> i went with my sister to one of those. and she was squealing. i mean -- >> and you weren't? >> no, i wasn't, actually. she made me look quiet. i'm richard lui. this is "early today," we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. >> really. >> it wasn't me.

leading the news in "the washington post," unusual trial to determine whether detroit is indeed eligible three weeks after bankruptcy filing. a judge will have to decide whether the largest public bankruptcy in u.s. history can go forward. and in the uk's "mirror," groom who staged bomb hoax to cover up forgetting to book wedding venue is jailed for a year. he could not face his excited bride, telling her that the wedding would not take place, so he decided on this drastic action there. really? stories that you might have missed. boston bombing documents reveal that dzhokhar tsarnaev was implicated in a suburban boston triple homicide. the allegation was first reported in june. the fbi had questioned his acquaintance, who said tsarnaev

was involved. an fbi fatally shot him in may. a $20,000 reward is up for grabs for information leading to the arrest of people who helped two prisoners escape with forged documents. they have since been rearrested. all in an effort to fix 1,300 cracks in the dome for an estimated $60 million. the last fix was way back in 1959, when eisenhower was president. some celebrities are getting a halloween facelift. mada madame tuseau's had kicked off

the celebration. lady gaga, einstein, president. he said carving einstein was easy because of his defining features. time for a look ahead. new mexico's supreme court takes up the issue of marriage equality on whether the state's constitution requires recognition of same-sex marriage. in ohio, a sentencing for matthew cordel, making headlines with his youtube video. he faces a hefty fine, jail time and loss of driving privileges for life. happy birthday to ryan reynolds, who turns 37. nfl doug flutie turns 51. pet treats that have made hundreds of dogs sick. keep it here for news, weather

and sports. i'm richard

. . new this morning, the city worker accused of running over a woman in front of her young daughter will be in court to face vehicular manslaughter. reopening the investigation, why officials say they will take a second look into a construction accident killing a worker at the new 49ers stadium. also, b.a.r.t. service interrupted yet again but not because of a strike. what federal investigators are doing today that could impact your commute plans. >> right now, we take you live outside. an early morning look spanning over the city of san jose. the sun has yet to come up