state of emergency. thousands are evacuated as a wildfire consumes thousands of acres near los angeles. and the big chill. why president obama has postponed his meeting with the why president obama has postponed his meeting with the dalai lama. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm christina brown. today we begin with the high cost of war. there is a bitter new reminder of the battle raging in afghanistan as eight more american soldiers have died there in a fierce firefight. it happened in an attack over the weekend. the taliban is now claiming responsibility for. jim is in afghanistan with details. >> reporter: the surprise attack came in the most rugged mountainous region of eastern afghanistan. about 80 enemy firefighters

bottom boarded the outposts from the surrounding mountains in a nearby mosque. the fighting so intense apache attack helicopters retreated under heavy fire. this hostile region, with its soaring mountains and war lords, has seen the fiercest fighting of the war. eight american soldiers were killed. but the u.s. military claims 50 enemy dead. >> they fought a hard fought. they fought it very well. >> reporter: regional commander took nbc news by helicopter to the area. this battle scene briefing showed the rugged terrain was as big an enemy as the taliban. the outpost appeared vulnerable at the bottom of a winding river valley, surrounding on three sides by sharply rising mountains where the enemy launched their attack from heavily protected positions. >> you have very sheer cliffs around you, a lot of rocky, mountainous terrain with trees,

hard to see people. and the enemy can move about using that as protection. >> reporter: general stan mcchrystal has ordered many of these smaller remote bates shut down and the soldiers moved to provide protection in more populated areas. even then the violence and killing in the short run is expected to rise. >> we have a stiff fight in front of us in the coming 18 months, whether imbedded in the population or fighting the frontier. these are very dangerous, tough people. well, working under a state of emergency, hundreds of firefighters right now are battling a stubborn southern california wildfire that threatens a popular resort area. the fire has scorched more than 11 square miles in the san gabriel mountains east of los angeles. a mandatory evacuation order has forced thousands from their homes. so far cooler weather is aiding in the fight, but officials warn

the fire could kick up at any time. it's now about 20% contained. according to this morning's "washington post," the white house has pushed to delay a meeting between president obama and the dalai lama in an apparent effort to curry favor with the chinese. the dalai lama's visit this week will mark the first time since 1991 that he has not met with the president while in washington. the post sources which include diplomats and government officials say the meeting has been pushed back until after president obama meets with china's leader next month, as part of a broader u.s. strategy to improve ties with beijing, concentrating on financial policy and moving to new criticism of china's human rights record. now here's a look at some other stories making news "early today" in america. it is barely october, but folks in oregon are already digging out from the first major snowfall of the year.

several inches fell across the state, snapping branchs and power lines. officials estimate that about 8,500 customers lost power at some point in the storm. mother nature, though, was also wreaking havoc in washington state, this time in the form of crippling dust storms. visibility was so poor there police closed a number of roads on a stretch of interstate 90. while the strong winds have now subsided, authorities, however, are warning drivers to be extra careful this morning. well, it was a dog eat dog world at one competition in indiana. and you see why. more than 450 lightning-fast canines duked it out in a contest. it involves relay races where they have to run hurdles where they can release a ball. the fastest team wins. the owners and the pets always know the real goal is, what else, to have a ball. one return in chicago went the extra time in a

long-distance run. he was leading the pack when he decided to run over to his girlfriend's place, drop down on one knee and proposed. his girlfriend was somewhat surprised but calmed down enough to say yes. the couple later -- actually crossed the finish line in about 30th place but they did it together. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. so what if they came in here the bottom of the pack. >> what's he doing? he's setting the bar way too high for all of us guys. >> that's right. sure, he is. >> let's talk a little bit about your monday forecast. hop you had a wonderful weekend. some people got out and enjoyed the leaves especially in the great lakes and northern new england. down in the southeast, it's been soggy. and the rain continues this morning from atlanta over to columbia, south carolina, all through the coastal areas. get ready for a soaker today. myrtle beach, very little golf

being played. rain augusta southward, northern florida through the day. high pressure builds into the great lakes. should be for a pretty nice period of weather here from about chicago all the way over into the northeast. the wet weather today covering the south. nothing severe. just a soggy morning for everyone down there in georgia and south carolina. here's the forecast for today. very nice boston, new york, d.c., philly. big cities, no problem. okay from detroit to chicago. still on the cool side. but the wet weather is definitely here in the deep south. that's a look at your monday forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. we're going to continue to watch partly cloudy skies through michigan. maine not too bad. the leaves are pretty much at peak from vermont, new hampshire and maine. hopefully you can get out and enjoy it with temperatures in the 60s. well, christina, that's your monday forecast. i'll show you what tuesday looks like a little later.

>> all right. thanks, bill. asian stocks tumble, greenspan spews, and the lucky lottery embezzler. your early morning business headlines straight ahead. lindsay lohan tries to shake off her karma by trying something new. it didn't work. saints and jets battle for perfection. sometimes 162 games just isn't enough. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm christina brown. and here are some of your top headlines this morning. the head of the international atomic energy agency says u.n. inspectors will visit iran's newly disclosed uranium enrichment site on october 25th. they held weekend talks with iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad. he said while he has concerns

about tehran's intentions, they are moving toward cooperation. billions of dollars that the u.s. intended for pakistan's fight against militants never reached the pakistani army. between 2002 and 2008, 500 million of $6.8 billion made it to the military. pakistani officials say troops were left without crucial equipment as monday was siphoned to other sources. two new 1250udz indicate 1 in 100 children from awe advertising disorders. that's higher than a previous estimate of 1 in 150. the new research would mean about 673,000 children have autism, which is a condition in which children have trouble communicating and interacting socially. and it proved to be an unlucky trip to las vegas for one visitor. a 66-year-old million skeleton refused to sell.

there was an offer but it fell short of minimum bid. now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 9,487 after dropping 21 points on friday. the s&p fell 4. the nasdaq lost 9 points. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei dipped 57 points, but in hong kong the hang seng gained 53 points. investors abroad sent markets lower today on concerns that friday's jump in u.s. jobless rates could spell bad news ahead. that rising u.s. unemployment rate had asian investors worried that cost cutting will continue to be the theme when a fresh round of earnings roll in during the week. alan greenspan put in his two cents sunday, predicting the jobless rate will surpass 10% and most likely stay there for some time. bank of america will reportedly

be ready to nam an emergencies replace the in case ken lewis, who announced he is stepping down next week is forced out of the front office by the end of the year. keep an eye on shares of prudential. it hinted sunday it may be set to sell its investment and fund management businesses in south korea. a deal like that could bring in as much as $850 million. alcoa will will kick off third quarter earnings the this week. looking for companies to post solid revenues based on increased sales as opposed to savings from belt tightening and layoffs. an industry report on the state of the service sector, data from hospitals, retailers and financial institutions has dragged for the past 11 months. finally, we all know crime doesn't pay. in a case of a man who embezzled $88,000 to support his scratch-off habit, it just might. the former radio executive found

out that one of those lottery tickets had won him $96,000. well, that should certainly make it easier for him to pay back his former employer. well, how did baseball's red hot down to the wire pennant race end yesterday? it didn't. plus, sounds like a rodeo result but the broncos rattled the cowboys in football yesterday as well. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. your monday morning features two storms, a big one in the southeast and also rain and, yes, snow in the northern plains. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, even though the regular baseball season ended yesterday, the race for the american league central division title isn't over yet. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the tigers and twins played an entire season and it still was not enough to decide the a.l. central. avoided a total meltdown by beating the white sox. the second put the tigers up 5-0 and they went on to win it 5-3. so it was up to the twins. they employed the royals.

twins won 13-4. after 162 games, the a.l. central will be decided by a one-game playoff. twins ask tigers tomorrow in minnesota. football, cowboys and correct me if i'm wrong kobroncos. he started the season in the dog house. could get the key to the city after that. zigzag 51 yards for the score. denver up, 17-10. last chance for tony romo and the cow boimpts romo's pass fell incomple incomplete. they remain undefeated. to new england, pats and ravens. randy moss caught his fist touchdown pass of the year. pats won 27-21. mark sanchez, worst game of his brief career. three interceptions, this one in the second quarter. returned 99 yards. second behind hall of famer rod woodson who had 12. now in pittsburgh, steelers men

den hal ran circles around the chargers and is probably still running as a speak. he had 165 yards on the ground and two scores. steelers won it 38-25. bengals and browns. the receiver formerly known as chad johnson. second td of the game. extra point was for the lead but it was blocked. shawn rogers got a hand on it. shane with another chance to win it and he nailed it in o.t. browns are now 0-4. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. a hollywood star notches his personal best at the box office this weekend. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, it's what you get when you mix beautiful colors and a lot of hot air. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this monday morning. i'm meteorologist bill karins. let's prepare you for when you step outside today. you will need the umbrella in many areas of the deep south. you're taking it from charlotte south wards, savannah, myrtle beach, columbia, atlanta, tallahassee, jacksonville. to the north, it's going to be nice. two nice days in a row from boston to new york. but unfortunately tomorrow will not be great from detroit back to chicago. rain in your forecast. well, if you're watching wfla

news channel 8, beautiful tampa, florida, swing into primate world and look up to see not only monkeys from the trees but other endangered animals as well at tampa's lowry park zoo. that's our eastern event of the day. >> thanks so much. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in enter statement. first of all, things were really dead at the box office. actually make that undead. zombieland, a movie about coping with zombies took the top spot, harrelson's best ever opening. cloudy with a chance of meatballs slipped to second with 16.7 million. the "invention of lying" opened slightly better than expected in fourth with 7.4 million. while drew barrymore's "whip it" tied for seventh, not even breaking 5 million.

elsewhere, radar online reports hours after telling larry king that he wanted to be friends with his estranged wife, kate, jon gosselin allegedly withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from their joint bank account without kate's knowledge. she's going to court today. finally, lintd sdsay lohan d a way for bad press. lohan as create i have designer. among the reactions, women's aware daily called the collection, quote, an embarrassment. ouch! >> i've seen a lot of fashion shows. you know, some of it is unique to the user. let's put it that way. >> all right. that's a very nice and diplomatic way of putting it, bill. well, this comes from kob tv 4 in albuquerque, new mexico, where it was that time of year to go up, up, and away. check it out. hundreds of hot air balloons lifted into the skies of new mexico in the world famous

albuquerque international balloon fiesta. in all, about 600 balloons took part in the event. but it's not just the high flyers who enjoy the views but also of course the thousands of spectators who lined local streets for a glimpse at the airborne display. well, i'm christina von brunn, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

>> good morning. looks like the weather is going to be nice and quiet as we kick off the workweek. partly cloudy right now.

temperature is upper 40's and low 50's. fairly comfortable. 55 downtown. 50, by by him. 55, annapolis. you're going to see a little cloud cover. high, thin clouds no. precipitation expected. pleasant temperatures this afternoon. highs will climb into the upper 60's and low 70's. we have a little bit 6 rain in the seven-day forecast. we'll show you that in a few minutes. >> thank you very much. we'll get the official welcome in a couple of minutes. 4:57. here's a look ahead to 11 news today. >> i'm jennifer franciotti. live at police headquarters, detectives know more about the body of a woman found inside a man hole. details are next. >> i'm brook hart in washington. in afghanistan this weekend, the deadliest gun fight for u.s. troops in more than a year, just as president obama contemplates an overhaul to u.s. strategy there. >> and if you're getting ready for your morning commute, we do have one accident of note and some fire activity.

i'll get you an update. pepto-bismol. nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea. yeah, my buddy's got all that. ouch. we've done corn dogs, pizza, and nachos. put it down. [ moans ] dude! pepto guy: sorry to hear that. everything ok? no, we are a little strapped for cash. do we need to buy a bunch of different medicines? pepto guy: oh, no, pepto alone relieves all five symptoms. it's a real value. plus gas too. dude. we're covered. you guys enjoy the game. easy. pepto guy: pepto-bismol. yup, you're covered.

[captioning made possible by constellation energy] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> good monday morning. i'm mindy basara >> and i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today >> we'll get to our big story. first, let's get a check of the forecast. welcome back. >> welcome back. >> thanks. it's good to be home. it feels like coming home. it's been a long time since i was sitting in this studio. actually, this studio was someplace else. >> all together different >> years ago. >> just to bring us up to date, you were here for how many years? >> seven or eight >> then you went down the road for a limb bit, but you stayed in baltimore. >> i've been living in baltimore the whole time, just driving up and down 95. >> you're tired of that >> i'm tired of driving. so, again, it's good to be home. thank you. i appreciate it some good weather to start the workweek. a couplecl