good wednesday morning. coming up on "early today," hhs secretary kathleen sebelius faces congressional grilling on the rollout debacle of healthcare.gov. while president obama talks up the program. remember the movie "casablanca"? the leader of nsa intelligence likens the wire tapping controversy to theilm. say it ain't so. a wine shortage is predicted for our future. only minor injuries from this crash. a woman plans to give overweight children letters, not candy, on halloween. and the triple dog dare that had us asking if your tongue would stick to a pole in freezing temps.

a monument for "a christmas story." this is "early today" for wednesday, october 30. good morning. obama care will be on the spot light again today on capitol hill. hearings tuesday were filled with hated exchanges. for the first time the administration issued a direct apology for the problem-plagued healthcare.gov website. tracie potts joins us with the latest. just a matter of hours before they get moving again. >> reporter: exactly. today you will hear from kathleen sebelius, the head of health and human services. her department is in charge of the site. s this is her eight-page opening statement to congress today where republicans will likely grill her not the only about the failures with the site but about whether americans can afford the insurance plans. >> the new law is more than a website. >> reporter: she'll tell congress they have had 700,000 applications. from her medicare chief no word

on how many have been able to get past the error messages to actually buy insurance. >> we will not have the numbers available until mid november. >> reporter: opponents are unconvinced that the faulty website and insurance itself are a good deal. >> there is no way to fix this. >> it is a public relations nightmare. >> it's not time for sanding to take place, but a chainsaw needs to come out. >> reporter: today, president obama heads to massachusetts to highlight how health reform worked there. he's under fire for promising americans could keep their insurance. for millions plans are being cancelled because they don't meet minimum standards. >> now they are told they can't. that's a lie. >> he didn't say anything wrong. >> reporter: the white house is tweaking the story. >> if you wanted it and it was available you could. >> reporter: so far 2 million people received cancellations. that may be just the beginning. there are 12 million out there who went out on the market individual plans who may be

getting cancellation letters as well. a lot going on in washington. thank you. it looks like the spy games run deep on all sides. james clapper, the top intelligence official in the nation says the u.s. spying on friendly foreign leaders is common. he said it's been going on for years and our allies spy on us in return. >> it's invaluable to us to know where countries are coming from, what their policies are, how that would impact us across a whole range of issues. >> clapper suggesting the outrage and surprise expressed by allies in kre recent days is either naive or disengenious. >> some of this reminds me of the movie "casablanca". my god, there is gambling going on here. it's the same kind of thing. >> the capitol hill grilling followed overseas reports on spying in france, germany and spain. general keith alexander calls

the reports false. the claims false. alexander and clapper defended the data-sweeping program as lawful and aimed at foreign terrorists and successful in saving lives. a german member of the european parliament tells nbc news that confidence is destroyed. today a german delegation is expected at the white house to meet with security officials. overnight a domestic dispute in south carolina ends in an apparent murder-suicide with six people shot dead including two children. police say a man called 911 tuesday night telling operators he was feeling edgy b and wanted to harm himself. as deputies responded, a neighbor said she found a gunshot and that children from a nearby home were fleeing to hers. police confirmed the gunman had released four children before the shootings. >> it is a situation that just takes your heart. it is sad. it is horrific.

your heart has to go out to everyone involved. >> police treated the incident as a hostage situation but when the s.w.a.t. team entered the home it was too late. a massive dust storm leads to a deadly pileup on an arizona highway. at least three people are dead. there were multi p pl crashes on a dust-covered stretch of interstate 10. several others suffered injuries when a combination of low visibility and human error set off a chain reaction of collisions. approximately six tractor-trailers smashed into over a dozen vehicles leaving some survivors trapped in a heap of metal and glass. helicopters air lifted the severely injured to hospitals. an annual tradition got messy in ohio. at first participants roll pumpkins down the hill but it became a smashing over the years. this year police cut the tradition short after 45 minutes and made several arrests, some

for under aged drinking. one participant slipped on the hill which was covered in pumpkin guts. that's a lot of pumpkin. bill karins joins us, our meteorologist. >> halloween forecast looking good. alaska had fascinating weather toefr past year. i was reading discussions out of the fair banks area. last winter wouldn't end. now they wonder when it will begin. they get storms from the south. you can see the blue clouds. the storm from the south again had warm southerly winds and temperatures have been well above average. for most people in the lower 48 the arch is supposed to 20. it rained the other night which is rare. rain again today. there is no sign of real extreme cold coming that way. who knows when winter will begin. over much of the west we watched the big spinning upper level low over arizona and utah.

that's moving out. we left behind cool air. it's a chilly morning out there. a lot of people need their jackets from seattle to spokane, boise and nevada. it's a little bit cool in the vegas. 48 in san francisco. we'll see dry weather in most locations of the west. a warm front in the pacific northwest yields showers for seattle and portland. not rain in california. ternoon. dry. the halloween forecast is coming up. >> thank you, bill. chris brown heads to rehab. one woman's halloween crusade to deny candy to obese trick or treaters and a $40,000 extortion plot over this super bowl ring. details next.

welcome back. singer chris brown checked himself into a rehab facility following his arrest in washington, d.c. last weekend for allegedly punching another man. brown's rep said his goal is to gain focus and insight into his past and recent behavior. brown is on probation for the 2009 assault of rihanna. a funeral was held tuesday for 13-year-old andy lopez who was killed by sonoma county california deputy last week. his toy pellet gun was said to look like a rifle. several hundred marched calling for an end to plits brutality. ray kelly facing a tough crowd during a lecture on policing at brown university. wpro video shows student protesters booi ining over the and frisk program and intelligence gathering on

muslims. the event was cancelled. russia has broken its zero waste pledge. it promised the sochi olympics would be the cleanest games ever. the a.p. saying tons of construction waste are being dumped in the middle of a water protection zone. a north dakota woman said instead of candy she'll hand letters to children she thinks are over weight. the woman made the announcement on a local radio station. >> i just want to send a message to the parents of kids that are really overweight. i think it's just really irresponsible of parents to send them out looking for free candy just cause all of the other kids are doing it. >> reaction has been swift. one psychologist saying the letters could do more harm than good. i triple dog dare you. >> you may recall this scene from "a christmas story" when flick gets his tongue stuck to a flagpole.

the indiana town the story is based on has immortalized the moment with a bronze statue. child actor scott swartz was on hand for the dedication. christmas is around the corner. now for business and seema mony. >> the dow hit a record high on tuesday. it is anticipated the fed are will hold off on reducinging stimulus programs today. amid renewed concerns about the economy and the budget fight in washington. speaking of the fed, senator rand paul uh told majority leader harry reid he plans to hold up janet yell yellen's nomination. they want to increase the transparency of the fed. and kathie lee and hoda, we could be facing a wine shortage. there is decreasing production in europe while demand is constant. >> what will hoda and kathie lee do? thank you very much.

forget airline tickets. the real money is made from fees, food, sales and booking hotels. revenues are projected to reach $43 billion before adding in what they charge for the ticket. nfl hall of fame receiver lance allworth reported his 1972 super bowl ring stolen 21 years ago. two weeks ago he got a call from a guy who said he'd sill him his own ring for $40,000. the ring was found at auction and returned to the former dallas cowboy. ahead, all your sports highlights including a look at a fiery motorcycle wreck. first some world series trivia. in f the boston red sox whip one more, it will be the first home turf world series victory since what year? 1918, 1953, 2004 or 2007. the answer when "early today" returns.

before the break we asked if the boston red sox win one more, it will be their first home turf world series victory since what year? 1918, 1953, 2004 or 2007. the answer is 1918 when the sox beat the chicago cubs in game six at fenway park. now the latest from sports. opening night for the nba. before the tip off the myheat getting the rings for last year's second straight championship. i'd kiss that, too. in the game chicago's derrick

rose back in action. on the scoop he scores the first basket of the season. lebron james on a fast break goes left and scores on a swoop of his own. in the fourth james slammed the door with a jump shot. the heat win this one 107-95. a giant foot high larry bird statue was raised last night. the pacers paul george catches them from behind. it may have helped them win. the pacers paul george catcheses him from behind. indiana beat it is magic 97-87. a big wave surfer almost drowned in waves as high as 70 feet. surfer carlos burle rescued her on a jet ski. she was later resuscitated. burle is the surfer that conferred this estimated 100-foot wave, the largest ever ridden. what a guy. now to a world series wait.

the cardinals spending six hours on the tarmac because of plane mechanical problems. they finally got to boston around 11:00 p.m. tonight's game six tickets average a record more than $1,800. another big number, historically with the series at this stage the home team wins 77% of the time according to espn. nfl costume watch. brady and wife dressed up as -- >> >> cowardly lion and dorothy. this is bill belichick and girlfriend, linda. they were pirates. which do you like better? fiery motorcycle crash in new zealand. this is the helmet video. as the racers collide turning a last lap corner. fuel flies. a fire starts. there are no serious injuries. "early today" is sponsored by -- just for men mustache and beard, champions of racial hair and proud sponsor of moo vember. incredible video from the

front lines in syria and something so rare in that civil war. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this wednesday. everybody wondering what the halloween forecast looks like. there is a chance of showers for the northwest. everyone else in the intermountain west and much of california looking dry and perfect considering how wet and rainy it will be in the eastern half of the country. the this is the future cast. the white is cloud. the green is rain.

that's today. the system with the warm front moves to the rockies. we have left over showers for 7:00 p.m. maybe a hit or miss shower in extreme washington state. maybe a few in oregon. halloween looks great. >> weather is important. i remember when i was wearing my ghost costumes, you couldn't see and it was slippery. the worst. >> i want pictures. >> it was a dirty, short little ghost coming to your door. nicole kidman dishes about her relationship with tom cruise in vanity fair saying, i was so young, i was a child really when i got married. i needed to grow up. get your plinko chips ready. bob barker will be back on the set of "the price is right" for his 90th birthday. check out the trailer for "the wolf of wall street." it opens christmas day the. we have leonardo dicaprio, kyle chandler, matthew mcconaughey and much more. should be a good one.

"glamour" magazine puts lady gaga on the women of the year issue with the pop diva calling herself a tortured soul. >> reporter: guy fieri was in court testifying against a teenager who stole his yellow lamborghini and attempted to kill his former classmate and girlfriend. >> people would call. we'd get reports. my attorney would hear. come to find out he was driving it. brave kid. >> x-men releasing the first full length trailer for the upcoming film "days of future past." the movie is set to hit theaters in may 2014. an australian girl getting a surprise when she looked through her photos from a beyonce concert. what do you see? the 15-year-old -- >> a famous lady singing. ever seen her before? >> the photobombed by the queen b herself. maybe she knew she was there. >> i don't think so. >> do you ever photobomb? >> no. >> i do. and kanye west is trying to

compare kim kardashian to michelle obama saying it's not fair for vogue to feature the first lady on the cover. >> there is no way kim kardashian shouldn't be on the cover of vogue. she's like the most intriguing woman. barbara walters is calling her every day. of course we are the most interesting. collectively influential, even with clothing. nobody is looking at what obama is wearing. >> kim is influential in my household. >> mine as well. i'm sure when he got home he was influential for saying that. this is "early today ". we hope it is just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news on nbc news.com in rare instance of cooperation syrian forces, rebels let 1800 escape besieged town. the video posted by syrian rebel group shows what it's like in the trench there is as a tank fires a shell at the camera. in usa today, yes men do ogle women's bodies. uh, yeah. using eye tracking technology men spend time looking at chests and waists. >> i like shoes. >> ears for me. >> safe bet. >> it's not just men. women look at other women's bodies more than their facial features. foreheads? >> i don't know. don't be staring at people. >> some stories we are watching

for you so bill and i can stop talking. israel frees 26 more palestinian inmates convicted of crimes against israelis about 20 years ago. thousands of palestinians remain in israeli custody. the release could ease tensions. there is anger in israel where many view the men as terrorists. and a settlement in alabama. known to have among the toughest regulations against undocumented immigrants in the country. the state and the american civil liberties union have agreed to end the federal lawsuit over the controversial 2011 law. the proposal follows the supreme court's decision to reject alabama's appeal to revive parts of it. key sections include a revision requiring schools to check students' citizenship status. to paris now. the 18th annual salon du chocolate opened with the

catwalk overrun with women decked out in decadent chocolate. even last year's wimbledon champion. you can eat what you are wearing. the clothes were designed by world famous chocolate makers and they have edible cup cakes attached. many if you wear those you will not fit them later. >> as long as the a.c. work, you're all right. a meeting on the controversial name of the washington redskins. roger goodell will talk with the leader of the american nation who wants the name changed. on this day in 1938 the war of the worlds, orson wells's radio play about martians landing caused panic as people thought the u.s. was under attack. happy birthday to irgs vanka trump. actor harry winkler turns 68. singer grace slick of jefferson airplane is 74. have a very good wednesday.

. . . this morning, another round of protest and a vigil taking protest in santa roe so to honor andy lopez. young friends and family of the 13-year-old boy shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy carry his casket at his funeral. gun control taking center stage in the south bay. the controversial measure pitting sunnyvale against the nra campbell police releasing new surveillance video in hopes of catching the man they say shot an employee at a popular nightclub. i want to take you outside giving a long look spanning over sfraents. very crisp and cool. please, dress accordingly on this wednesday, october 30th. this