good night and good luck. . world stage. president obama prepares to address global issues at the opening of the u.n. general assembly parents' worst nightmare. millions of cans of infant formula are recalled in south florida, a spinout, dramatic ending to a high-speed chase, the streets of miami. good morning, i'm arana sohn. those stories are more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. we begin this morning with global positioning. president obama will address the united nations general assembly today where he'll talk up steps this nation has taken to

strengthen its global ties. the president's broad-based speech will urge the worldwide partnership to work toward common goals such as the global economic crisis and peace in the middle east. nbc's michelle franzen is outside the united nations in new york. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: good morning. this will be president obama's second speech before world leaders at the general assembly on the eve of the general assembly's speech, the president spoke about the u.n. goals to reduce poverty and disease by 2015. he said the u.s. had developed its own policy changing the way it does business to help the country as well as the world reach those goals. today he is expected to focus on continuing rebuilding international relations and also paying attention to much of what's going on in the middle east, many of the foreign policy issues left over from the bush administration that are still ongoing that include the situation in iraq, combat units, of course, left there at the end of august but still 50,000 u.s.

troops remain there training security forces, of course, troops in afghanistan have also been increased as well as the attacks from insurgents that have also increased in that region and, of course, there is also talk with north korea and iran that they're defying international pressure to stop their nuclear weapons programs and, of course, peace talks between israeli and palestinian leaders, got a jump start earlier this .but so far no more direct talks are planned. a lot for the president to tackle in just a few hours. >> michelle, thank you. for many today additional health benefits go into effect on this, the six-month anniversary of the passage of the landmark health care overhaul. yesterday that legislation was back in the spotlight with president obama looking to clear things up while republicans unleashed plans to repeal and replace the health care overhaul. with their own ideas. for more we go to tracy potts in

washington. tracy, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. president obama says he blames himself for not doing a better sales job with this new health care law and republicans are now trying to repeal it but major provisions of that reform kick in today. for example, no more lifetime limits on insurance coverage and children can no longer be denied for pre-existing conditions. the adult portion of that will kick in about four years from now. preventive care, checkups now have to be covered and this is a big one, adults can stay on their parents' insurance up to age 26. now, for some people that kicks in this week. for others when their insurance rolls over in january, the president, again, on a sales pitch trying to get u.s. support and public support for this plan. republicans have insisted that they wanted repeal, that it's a $2.5 trillion mistake according to the chair of the republican national committee.

today they're unveiling what they call a 21-page pledge to america. in addition to repealing health reform, it includes tax cuts for everyone including millionaires ending bailouts, ending government control of freddie mac and fannie mae and want to cut government spending back to 2008 levels. this is the plan they're hoping will help them in november. amara. >> tracie potts reporting, thank you. a hot topic on "the rachel maddow show." she asked governor ed rendell why the health reforms aren't pore popular. >> the health care reform bill was popular when you broke it down into segments. it got spun out of control and people don't like the concept or the idea but they like the individual stuff. i was in pittsburgh today at a senior center talking about the 250s. i'm in harrisburg tomorrow with

some 24-year-olds who are now being covered through their parents. they lost their jobs but they're covered by their parents. people see that stuff and say, oh, yeah, the high-risk pool. the pre-existing condition and for small businesses, you know, the republicans have been saying, absolutely lying saying this is going to drive up costs for small business, well, in pennsylvania, there are 150,000 small businesses under 25 employees, if they give health care to their employees they're going to get a 35% tax credit this year for the money they laid out this year. we ought to be talking about these individual things. they're all very, very popular. >> don't miss "the rachel maddow show" right here on msnbc, the place for politics. in new york last night after barely completing one sentence at a democratic fund-raiser president obama was heckled by activists for aids funding and gay rights. the protesters were so loud they forced the president to go off

script several times insisting his administration has increased aids funding and is working to overturn the law on gays serving openly in the military. he then went on to tell demonstrators to go shout at republicans after they voted against advancing a bill repealing don't ask, don't tell earlier this week. here's a "first look" at some of the other news going around america today. in florida, a high-speed 20-minute chase came to a dra theic end when officers chasing burglary suspects in what they believe was a stolen car clipped it sending it into a stationary vehicle. one tried to run away but was quickly grounded with a stun gun. the others were dragged by the vehicle and taken into discuss di in new mexico, an amateur astronger captured a rare sight traveling across the night sky, a bright meteor moving north traveling right past the moon. the amazing footage was captured with an experimental all-sky optical video camera specifically sensitive to the near infrared flashes that

meteors create. state wildlife officials captured a nearly 12-foot-long, 550-pound alligator, a rare find especially in west texas. the animal was recovered from a local ranch where it's thought to have survived on wild pigs and ducks. the gator will be moved to a new home on a 15-acre alligator farm. and in louisiana, patrons lined up to get a piece of the 5,300-feet-long and more than 86-pound long king cake that could wrap around the superdome twice according to the bakers. guinness officials are expected to verify soon whether the cake qualifies as the world's largest king cake. now for a look at the national weather we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> good morning. did you get to check out the harvest moon last night? >> i didn't get a chance. >> you missed it. it was absolutely incredible. a lot around the country got to

see it. when it rose last night and the sun was setting, moon was rising it looked so huge on the horizon they call it one of the biggest harvest moons we've ever had. as far as today we have a couple different weather stories. equally as hot in the southeast and very wet in the northern plains. yesterday was 95 in d.c. this was middle of the summer type area, areas of tenet healthcare and memphis easily into the mid to upper 90s. alabama, mississippi, this looks like the middle of the summer. we can't cool things off finally but eventually it will happen. it's a very warm morning from kansas city to atlanta. temperatures in the 70s this d.c. there's really not much in the way of cool air out there east of the mississippi. now, the rainfall today. you need your umbrella definitely up here in the northern plains. a lot of heavy rain likely from minneapolis to rochester, minnesota, northern wisconsin will get drenched of the later on this afternoon big thunderstorms likely around kansas city, also pushing up through iowa. you have a slight risk of severe storms but down in the southeast, just an incredible

amount of heat. huntsville, alabama, yesterday had their 100th 90-degree day of the calendar year. typically they only have 50 so i mean we're talking just unprecedented heat in many areas this summer. as far as that rain goes, here is rochester, minnesota, a lot of flash flood warnings there in central wisconsin. minneapolis, just light rain for you at least so far. forecast calls for as much as 2 to 3 inches of rain today and tomorrow, minnesota and northern wisconsin and that's why we had the potential for river flooding and maybe even some flash flooding. forecast for the today. nice day in boston. definitely cooler, cooler in new york city who by the way got hit by pretty big thunderstorms last night and down in the southeast, continuing very hot. so you didn't see the harvest moon but i'm sure you saw the flashes of lightning in new york city last night, pretty impressive storms. >> if i did see the moon i would have been stuffing my fave with that moon cake. thanks bullish on bonds. grabbing up gold and who is tops

when it comes to the richest americans. piers first at business headlines straight ahead twins are ready for the playoffs. three swings, three home runs for lopez and one of the best double plays you'll ever see. you're watching "first look" on nbc. when i was seventeen, i was not good to my skin. what i wouldn't do for a do-over. [ female announcer ] neutrogena® clinical skincare helps restore collagen depleted skin to undo the look of a year's worth of skin aging in just 4 weeks. clinical skincare. neutrogena®.

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welcome back to "first look." i'm arana sohn. here are some top stories making news ab bat laboratories is recalling as many as 5 million containers of similac due to concerns it may be contaminated with insect parts charlie crist says he will end a ban on gay adoption. a current and former official of the bell, california, suburb had their first hearing. among those arrested was the manager who paid himself $800,000, almost double the yearly salary of the nation's president.

the eight did not enter pleas. their arraignments will be held next month scientists say they've discovered fossils of two new dinosaur species in southern utah. both had several horns on their head and close relatives of the triceratops it may not have been the ideal celebration, but one of the 33 miners trapped underground celebrated his 32nd birthday yesterday. original estimates had the men being rescued sometime around christmas but barring unforeseen complications rescuers can now reach the miners in the second week of october. now, here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,739 after losing 21 points yesterday. the s&p fell 5 points and the nasdaq dropped 14. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei sank 35 points but in hong kong the hang seng added 45. investors put faith in the fed yesterday and placed their bets on the bond market.

traders took the central bank's promise to boost the economy as a sign it could step up its bond purchasing program down the road. as a result, investors bought up bonds. meanwhile, gold prices hit yet another record high. elsewhere in metals aloom maker alcoa surged 5% helping the dow offset the day's losses. tech stocks took a beating on the s&p and nasdaq after adobe systems plunged 19% in the wake of a weak revenue forecast. microsoft shares took a hit after they said they would up quarterly dividends for the first time in two years but apparently not as much as some expected. this morning's "wall street journal" warns blockbuster video could file for bankruptcy protection as early as today but is working with a deal to keep some stores open. a month after starbucks said it would absorb the skyrocketing cost of coffee now close to a 13-year high. they will raise the price of its

larger and more labor intensive drinks. keep an eye on bed, ba bath & beyond, they climbed 5% thanks to higher than expected quarterly profit. facebook's ceo mark zuckerberg is donating $100 million to help improve newark, new jersey,'s public schools. according to "forbes" magazine, he can afford it. he is one of the richest 400 richest americans. numbers one and two are bill gates and warren buffett, same as last year the raise saved face the phils sweep the braves plus, three in the magic number for jose lopez. your "first look" in sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. bankers are known to be a little bit in love with themselves.

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. welcome back to "first look." i'm arana sohn. in sports as the baseball season winds down and the pen apartment races heat up one team knows which pitcher will start their postseason. here's fred roggin. >> the twins were first to clinch and even though the playoffs are two weeks away, they named francisco lariano their first starter. great play by a.j. burnett. he snared the comebacker with his glove. he was done after two innings because of a delay.

evan long gar ya took goadin. no glove needed here. knocked it down with his leg. playoffs can't start soon enough for the twins. jose lopez had quite a game against the blue jays, hit three home runs to bring it to ten. mariners have been waiting for this all season after he hit 25 last year. lopez hit solo shots in the third and sixth and capped off the trifecta with a two-run bomb. not a bad day at the office. mariners won it 6-3. funny moment here. oswalt wanted a new ball and hit prado. about the only contact they had. they held them to one hit. ibanez's hit and phils win after a 1-0 victory. great double play there.

peralta barehanded it. a 4-6-3. doesn't get better than that. one more time when you have a speedster. you have to pull off something special to turn two. that's exactly what they did and won it 4-2. that's your "first look." i'm fred roxgin. now for another quick look at the weather, here's meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. >> those thunderstorms last night did damage across pennsylvania and d.c., the maryland area got hit good and outside of new york city, storm reports. areas where there was tree damage and power outages. one of those cells went through central pennsylvania up into the border of new jersey and into new york city. another one of the cells came just south of pittsburgh and then down towards the d.c. area. today we won't see anything like that. well off the coast. you can see them as they pushed offshore. lots of sunshine from about philly southward. there will be a mixture of sun and clouds from new york city through new england.

temperatures are a little cooler today than yesterday. especially around albany but it's going to be another steamy day around d.c. and baltimore. should easley be up there around 90 degrees again. just another -- just an amazing summer. philly, 86. new york, 80. tomorrow we do it again, another surge of warmth that's going to come up. this will probably be our last warm day we'll see for awhile. areas around d.c. could easily be into the mid-90s. 94 or so. we'll do that on friday. saturday we cool it off for a nice weekend. almost done with what has been an incredibly hot summer 90 today and 94 tomorrow in d.c., amara. >> bill, thank you. which artist has been banned from "sesame street" before her show even aired? . joaquin phoenix is a whole new man with david letterman. first look at entertainment straight ahead. [ male announcer ] febreze changed how you freshened fabrics.

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. welcome back to "first look." i'm arana sohn. last night on "late night with jimmy fallon" he jumped on bob woodward's new book with his own administration conversations. >> everybody is talking about bob woodward's book "obama's wars." in the book he says joe biden called richard holbrooke the most egotistical bastard i ever met. rahm emanuel is like, what, am i invisible. spencer pratt posted a video online of him shaving off his beard. yeah, if you watch it, i would just like to remind you can never get that time back.

. finally on november 9th, susan boyle is going to release her new album "the gift." although you may know about it by the regift. i'm just kidding. the first track is called keep the receipt. >> tonight, jimmy welcomes amy poehler and pavement, musical guest weeknights at 12:35, 11:35 central time on your local nbc station. time for your "first look" at entertainment news. a slimmed down clean-cut joaquin phoenix made his return to the show. he apologized to the host for his bizarre apeernls a year and a half ago. both made an effort to stress that letterman was not in on the joke despite one of the writers recently saying he did know. as for what's next, "new york" magazine says he's in talks to appear with leo dicaprio in the upcoming film about j. edgar

hoover and his love. was levi johnston glued to the tv watching "dancing with the stars." tmz said he was too busy reading up on local politics for his run for mayor of wasilla. a youtube clip of a "sesame street" performance featuring katy perry with elmo left them to cancel it after they complained about her cleavage. do you think it would have bothered you? >> i haven't seen it yet but, you know, if you're going to get something kind of pure and innocent you'd want it on "sesame street." >> maybe she's just trying to stick with the theme california girls they're unforgettable. >> they just get voted the number one hottest celebrity so maybe she's just playing up her role. >> yeah, exactly. well, i'm arana sohn and this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned "way too early with

willie geist" starts right now. . happy six-month anniversary. get me anything. many of the law's provisions go into effect the same day they roll out their pledge to america. what is the gop have up its sleeve for us? we'll look into it. big story "the new york times" says facebook founder mark zuckerberg prepared to donate $100 million to help public schools in newark, new jersey. the question is what role does oprah have to play in this deal? joaquin phoenix makes his return to david letterman with much less facial hair. how did he explain his legendary appearance with dave last year. it's "way too early" for this. good morning,