to become a mother. we'll bring you updates on this case as we get them. if the government shut down were not going on in washington. one of the biggest political stories in the country. you otherwise may not have heard about it.space. "first look" is up next. good wednesday morning. government shutdown cuts off death benefits to military families. pressure cooker. president obama turns up on the heat on speaker boehner and republicans to reopen the government. meanwhile, eight house democrats are arrested at an immigration rally. plus, miley cyrus does something not offensive or sexually explicit that is actually quite entertaining. and we are going to tell you how to score free starbucks coffee over the next three days. good morning, i'm betty nguyen. so it's being called disgraceful and embarrassing. the government shutdown is halting military death benefits for families of the fallen. at least 17 service members have

died since the shutdown began october 1st including four sunday in afghanistan. and there is clear outrage from military families this morning. among those lost, 24-year-old private first class joseph peters. his wife and mother of their 20-month-old son released a statement saying, quote, yes, it is upsetting because my husband died for his country, and now his family is left to worry. my husband always said if something happened to him, we would be taking care of. i'm a stay-at-home mom which is what my husband wanted me to -- why he wanted me to take care of our son. now, among the benefit s currently denied, $100,000 known as the death gratuity within days of a death. also, 12 months of basic housing allowance and burial benefits. in the senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle voiced their anger. >> let's sit down and get out of this so that these families whose loved ones just died --

just died will receive the benefits at least that would give them some comfort and solace. >> appalling, frightening, everyone can come up with their own description, but it's time for us, members of this august body, to stand before the american people and publicly discuss the path forward. >> now, republican aides say they are drafting legislation to restore the benefits. a vote could come as soon as today. in the meantime, though, the fisher house foundation has offered to cover advance grants until the government can reimburse them. and on government shutdown day nine, we are one step closer to the nation's debt ceiling. if congress does not raise it, economists say the results would be catastrophic. both president obama and house speaker john boehner are still at odds. >> the only thing that i will say is that we're not going to pay ransom for america paying

its bills. we're willing to pass at least a short-term budget that opens up the government at current funding levels. >> what the president said today was if there's unconditional surrender by republicans, he'll sit down and talk to us. that's not the way our government works. >> and take a look at this. an oversized credit card even made a symbolic appearance tuesday. republican senator tom coburn cut and ripped the display to express his frustrations with america's debt. the fiscal conservative says it's time to cut up the nation's credit card. house budget chairman paul ryan pinned an op-ed in today's "wall street journal" saying, quote, if we miss this moment, the debt will spiral out of control. he wants a budget agreement. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. good morning, tracie. is everyone else on board with what paul ryan wants? >> reporter: well, a budget in place to end the shutdown, yes.

the issue is the conditions. everyone has different conditions, and that's what's hampering progress here. the latest is that the house is offering a working group. both sides, both parties to try to figure this out. but democrats say you can't hold the economy hostage and then negotiate. so no working group, no negotiating until people are back at work. and of course, all of this is running into what could be a deadline as early as next week for us to hit the debt ceiling. and here's what one economist says could happen if we hit that ceiling. >> it will cause a very sharp contraction in the amount of money the government is paying out to private sector contractors who are helping the defense, to social security recipients, and the contraction, some estimates i saw, are as high as 16% for the quarter which is, you know, about double the worst of the great recession. >> so the bottom line, congress set to act on military families but not yet on this budget as we

get ever closer to the debt deadline likely as early as next week. betty? >> it is frightening. okay, tracie, thank you. so in the middle of all of this, what is the last thing you expect to see the army buy during a government shutdown? how about a mechanical bull? that's right. on monday, utah's national guard contracted to buy a mechanical bull for $47,000 claiming it's needed to attract new recruits. last week the government sent home close to 800,000 workers due to the shutdown. but at least we can still afford mechanized cows. so some big news now and an historic first for one of the oldest boys clubs in america. this morning president obama will nominate janet yellen to chair the federal reserve. she'd be the first woman to head the central bank. the 67-year-old has served as its vice chair since 2010. her nomination has been expected

ever since larry summers withdrew his name from consideration last month. current chairman bernanke's term expires in january. an undercover member of the nypd is charged in that motorcycle road rage case. his na he's a 32-year-old and a ten-year veteran of the force. he'll be arraigned today on charges of riot and criminal mischief. police say video clearly shows him pounding on that suv. the investigation started after he wasn't exactly forthcoming with information. he is the sixth arrest in the case. another man was arrested tuesday. cops say he was the one who pulled the driver from the car and assaulted him. now for your look at business news. and with that we go to cnbc's courtney reagan. good morning. >> good morning. the irs says just because it's closed during the shutdown doesn't mean you don't have to pay your taxes. people who got a six-month extension must still file those returns by october 15th. and a tie-up involving suits

and ties may be in the works. reports say joseph a. bank has approached men's wearhouse about a possible partnership, although it's unclear if that means a full-on merger. and starbucks wants congress to come together and resolve its differences and the chain believes its customers can set the right example. it's giving out free coffee to anyone who buys another person a drink. analysts say this probably won't change any minds in d.c., but it makes for good marketing and stewardship. >> hopefully we can come together on all this. thank you. we do appreciate it. neiman marcus's 2013 christmas book is out with some very cool items including, check it out, a $750,000 indian larry's wild child motorcycle. also a santa polished 2014 aston martin at just over 344,000 bucks. i'll take two. no, not really. i can't afford any of those. now let's get to sports with richard lui who can afford, what, four of each, maybe?

>> you're being greedy. just take the one aston martin. >> i'll take it if you buy it. >> i'll buy it and you can drive it around. >> you heard it here, folks. let's start with the american league playoffs. game four, red sox at rays. not that one. all tied up in the seventh. then boston's shane victorino with the run of the night. boston goes up 2-1. and they don't look back. the red sox from worst to first headed to the championship series. next to game four, oakland at detroit. the tigers' victor martinez hits it deep to right field. it appears to go over the wall, but watch this up with closely. hang on a second. a fan tries to catch it. after reviewing that, the umps call it a homer. detroit stays alive with an 8-6 win, series tied at 2-2. game two of the wnba finals. minnesota firing on all cylinders. minnesota's augustus leading the charge like this hoop-to-hoop score. atlanta loses 88-63. the largest margin in wnba

finals history. following her cuba-to-florida record swim, diana nyad is back in the water this time at a manhattan intersection. >> already in the water again. >> she's planning a 48-hour swim to raise money for hurricane sandy victims. she dove into the 120-foot two-lane pool around 9:00 a.m. eastern tuesday. >> a little chilly at that time here, too. >> oh, it's warm to her and has no stingrays, my friend. at least $42,000 has been raised so far. meet boogie. he's not man's best friend, though. >> why? >> not when it comes to half marathons, betty. he ran one in indiana this weekend without his owner. he ran it solo. police say that's a first ever. on your right-hand side, the son of boston's david ortiz and big papi after getting hit where it hurts by little papi. >> that will sting. >> let me show it to you again. here we go. boom. and on the ground. like father, like son. >> that kid's got some aim. >> where it hurts. >> ouch. okay, thank you. now for a look at the weather with nbc meteorologist

bill karins. i was mentioning it was chilly here, you know, we had the swimmer there in new york city. >> yeah, can you jump in and actually swim. >> forget about it. >> no, you can swim next to her. put a little wet suit on. >> no, thank you. it's a little too cold just to be walking outside today. >> yeah, going to be raw, too. we've had such a beautiful fall on the east coast. and all of a sudden now this, like, mini-nor'easter, an early-season ocean storm is just going to crank high pressure to the north, low to the south. it's just an on-shore flow. and it's going to keep the clouds and rainy, gloomy-type weather from the virginia area through north carolina today. all the way up to new york. probably thursday through at least saturday. look at the winds gusting on the coast right now, 20 to 30-mile-per-hour winds and rain in some spots. you can just see this forecast, but take it all the way out through friday through saturday. the high and the lows really don't move. it's called a blocked weather pattern. it's going to lead to a forecast that looks like that. that's philadelphia. but it's pretty much the same as new york and d.c. so yeah, enjoy the sun today if you see it because it may be a while. >> if you see it is the key word

there. thank you. more on the outage over those frozen military death benefits. plus details on why these u.s. lawmakers are being hauled away outside the capitol. [ female announcer ] stop using filters to make your skin look flawless.

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now here's your first look at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." eight house democrats, yes, eight of them, were arrested outside the capitol tuesday after a rally for immigration reform. they include washington veterans john lewis and charlie rangel. for lewis, it was his 45th arrest. 200 other demonstrators were also taken in as part of what police call civil disobedience. there were no knockouts during new jersey's first gubernatorial debate, but at times, it seemed more focus on what governor christie plans to do in the future. last night he refused to rule out a 2016 presidential run. >> the fact is after 2017, i'll

be looking for a new job anyway. so as we go forward, i'm going to continue to do my job the best way i possibly can. and i am not going to declare tonight, christine, for you or for anybody else that i am or i'm not running for president. i can walk and chew gum at the same time. the pentagon has named a permanent envoy for the closure of the military prison guantanamo bay. paul lewis currently serves as a lawyer for the house committee on armed services. one of president obama's second cousins wants to follow in his footsteps. but as a republican. milton wolf will primary challenge kansas senator pat roberts next year. wolf is related to the president through his great-grandfather who is also mr. obama's great-great-grandfather. and california governor jerry brown has been named the greatest bald man in the bay area by "the san francisco chronicle." what an honor there. after winning the contest, he sat down for an interview. and in it, he says he would

probably never wear a hair piece. brown also says the bald eagle is his baldness role model. and that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." time now for our first look at politics. for that we are joined by syndicated columnist bob franken who has all his hair. good morning, bob. >> good morning. hearing a lot of baldfaced lies recently. >> let's talk about that because the government shutdown is delaying death benefits of fallen soldiers, and many say this is downright shameful yet both sides keep pointing the finger. when is this going to end, bob? >> well, there is some legislation which will probably pass which should restore it. it should be pointed out that some private charitable groups have come in and tried to fill the void financially, but it is a stark example of the way that this political gamesmanship affects real lives. this is shameful to use the word that many others are using. >> absolutely. so how far does the stock market and all these other things have

to go? the stock market has plummeted. we've seen it day after day. how far does that have to go before lawmakers decide to open the government? i mean, is that really the only way we can get things done when americans feel it in their wallets? >> well, the only way that we can get things done is to realize that there is a connection between government, or the lack thereof, and the people. the stock market's falling is not just a result of the government shutdown. in fact, it is probably more a result of the possibility -- the emerging possibility that the united states of america is going to default on its sovereign debt. talk about shameful. and that one is just a little bit over a week away. >> do you really think that's going to happen, or again, are we looking at this political game of chicken? do you really think that's going to happen? >> well, i can only hope not, but the problem with the game of chicken is if one side miscalculates, then they collide or go over the cliff or whatever. this is a big problem. the problem could be solved, but right now people are playing their negotiating games, and

before all things are said and done, yes, we could go tumbling down that precipice into what would probably mean international second-rate status. >> the problem is -- we keep talking about it -- and using the word "games." it seems that all that this is. but when we talk about the debt ceiling, that's not a game. that can be catastrophic, correct? >> well, yes, but you have some republicans who have come up with a fantasy that this isn't going to be particularly damagi damaging, that there are ways of getting around it. there are all these discussions going on. but right now what you have is a negotiating game going on. and when john boehner says that barack obama is seeking unconditional surrender, he's probably right. but the problem with that is if you gets it from the republicans, then they will be looking for ways to embarrass him in the future. >> all right. bob franken, thank you so much for your insight today. we always appreciate it. >> good morning. thank you, betty. well, heating bills, they are going up this winter. we're going to tell you how much. plus, bizarre details of the

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ask your doctor about the only underarm low t treatment, axiron. stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the flexcare platinum. new from philips sonicare. some stories making news this morning. the supreme court is looking to once again change limits on federal campaign contributions. after hearing arguments tuesday, it seems the justices are split on whether they should lift the legal limit one can give to political candidates. president obama weighed in. >> there aren't a lot of functioning democracies around the world that work this way, where you can basically have millionaires and billionaires bankrolling whoever they want, however they want, in some cases

undisclosed. and what it means is ordinary americans are shut out of the process. remember that 9-year-old boy who was able to sneak onto a flight last thursday? well, reportedly he also stole a car a few weeks ago. the boy's father says he's been a problem child for years and blamed airport security for not stopping him. a georgia tech fraternity -- listen to this -- has been suspended after an e-mail penned by one of its members went public. now, the message offensively titled "luring your rape bait" gave members vulgar advice on how to take advantage of female partygoers. and americans should expect to pay more to heat their homes this winter. the government is estimating natural gas users will see a 13% increase over last year. so you have been warned. well, coming up, bill karins and richard lui will be here for our first buzz. we're talking robots and a shutdown catch-22. plus miley cyrus teams up

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so jimmy fallon has partnered with miley cyrus and the roots to create a twerk-free a cappella rendition of miley's "we can't stop." ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ we can say what we want ♪ it's our party we can love who we want ♪ ♪ we can say what we want ♪ to my home girls with the big butts ♪ ♪ shaking it like we at a strip club ♪ ♪ remember only god can judge us ♪ ♪ so get your haters 'cause

somebody loves ya ♪ >> i love that. she sounds really good. >> jimmy fallon's hilarious if you just watch him in the little box. >> that's good for maybe about 30 seconds. >> and then you're done with it? well, okay. so we don't want to mess up your groove, but let's talk about the shutdown, shall we? >> the shutdown's gone too far. >> what's it done now? >> the deadliest catch-22 season may be in jeopardy. on the 15th, it's the start of king crab fishing season, and it's only a four-week season. and because the government is shut down, the government issues the permits to the fishermen, and they can't get their permits right now. so the production starts -- take place and it could be in jeopardy and let alone the prices could be in jeopardy, too. they literally can't drop the pots in the water without the government permits. >> it's affecting all of us. >> i think they need to do a vote now to get these approved. >> that's all you care about. >> for your dinner, bill karins. >> i watched all the seasons of

"deadliest catch." >> there's an interesting study on when children understand sarcasm, as bill never is, as we know. the study finds out that ages 8 to 9 are when kids understand sarcastic comments. it comes from a study from the university of calgary. and the key barometer is when kids understand empathy. >> so when my kids are bad and i say, i'm really happy you just did that, they don't get it yet. >> they don't get it yet. >> not yet, but they will. wait till they turn that on you. >> they feel empathy for answer spiders getting killed, for instance, then they'll understand sarcasm earlier. >> that is an interesting study. hey, speaking of studies, the pentagon has funded this really neat one where it's created this robot that just absolutely refuses to be knocked down. check out this video. that thing is called the atlas. it's a humanoid robot. it can cross rough terrain, and it can actually balance on one leg even when it's hit. there's also a four-legged robot that can gallop untethered up to

16 miles per hour. all of this is really fascinating. >> looks cool. >> in fact, these robots are going to start competing in december. and they're going to be crossing uneven ground. they're actually going to be driving rescue vehicles and using power tools. >> i picture one day one of those will be walking on mars. >> they'll be doing our jobs one day, in fact. i'm betty nguyen. stay tuned. "way too early" starts now. >> you came to him back in july and offered to pass a clean government funding resolution, no obama care amendments, that was $70 billion below what the senate wanted. they accepted it. and now you've reneged on that offer. >> no, clearly, there was a conversation about doing this. >> several conversations. >> several. >> and you offered a clean resolution. >> i and my members decided that the threat of obama care and what was happening was so important that it was time for us to take a stand, and we took a stand. >> did you [ bleep ] hear that?