this morning on "early today," up hill battle. a new poll finds the obama administration is losing support when it comes to health care reform. high-priced hope. a new study reveals shocking findings good organic foods and juvenile joyride. watch what happens when a 7-year-old utah boy wants to watch what happens when a 7-year-old utah boy wants to skip church. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning.

i'm christina brown. today we begin with losing ground. it has been a furious two-week push for the white house. now new polling from the wall street journal and nbc news, shows president obama's build for health care reform see to be losing traction. 42% say the president's proposal is a bad idea, a 10-point jump from just last month. when it comes to quality of care, 39% believe the s plan wod actually make things worse. that's up 15 points from april. the good news for the president, his overall job approval still remains high at 53%. down just 3% from last month. well, faced with those slipping numbers, it is no surprise the white house is embracing yesterday's health care breakthrough on capitol hill. nbc's steve handelsman reports.

>> reporter: the deal struck among house democrats seemed to reenergize president obama. he made his health care pitch in raleigh and went after republican critics. >> if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan. these folks need to stop scaring everybody. >> reporter: what had scared the president was 50 conservative blue-dog democrats who blocked health care votes in the house. ross got what he demanded. >> a huge victory on not only our part for the blue-dogs but on behalf of every member in congress. >> reporter: ross says 86% of small businesses will be exempt from having to buy health insurance for employees. the uninsured can choose a public option or a co-op poll. meanwhile, on the senate side. >> we have good news. >> reporter: key democrats say their bill hits the target on coverage and coverage costs.

>> covers 95% of all americans by 2015. >> reporter: meaning paid for. all good news for the president, who is selling his plan to the skeptical who have coverage. he promised no discrimination for pre-existing conditions. no annual or lifetime caps on coverage. guaranteed insurance renewal. >> whether or not you have health insurance right now, the reforms will seek will bring stability and security that you don't have today. >> reporter: and now the obama plan is more politically secure on capitol hill. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. if you've lived in or visited the pacific northwest, you probably have become accustomed to cold and rainy weather there. this summer it is a different story. seattle recorded the hottest tir in its history yesterday, a

swelt i 103 degrees. portland, oregon fell 3 degrees short of its record breaker at 106. while an excessive heat warning remains in effect through much of western washington through friday, meteorologists are calling for gradual cooling. we will of course have much more on that in a moment in weather. now here's a look at other stories making news "early today" in america. police in utah were led on a low-speed chase by a very unlikely driver, a 7-year-old boy who just didn't want to go to church drove off his parents's car. he blue through multiple stop signs. once he found his driveway police got to see exactly who they were pursuing. occur va answer camera caught a new mexico couple stealing, well, surveillance cameras. they cased the scene before the man pulled the camera from the building. his face is actually caught again later when he performed

the same crude theft. t the man was soon arrested but police, however, are still looking for that woman. while burglars successfully executed an atm heist in georgia, the smash and grab robbers chained the cash machine to their pickup truck and dragged it through the store window. police believe this group may actually be connected to four other nearby atm robberies. one tow truck driver in new york took his flatbed for a dip. the truck driver was speeding when it collided with a car and barreled into a backyard swimming pool. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel foreca. never a good idea to text and drive. >> no. never is the easy way of putting it. good morning to everyone out there. seattle story really is the big

national headline weatherwise. the 103 yesterday is just an incredible record. not like it's a daily record. it's the warmest temperature ever. the temperature records go back to 1894, surprisingly, in the seattle area. this is the warmest temperature they've seen there in about 120 years. so that's just incredible. and it broke the old record by 3 degrees. not like they barely did it. they crushed it. that record will probably stand for all of our lifetimes. thimorning it's still a warm, soupy air mass. those thunderstorms just wouldn't stop yesterday through the mid atlantic and up through new england. the rain continued a little bit early in new england. but that should clear out. many areas will be better today than they were yesterday. the humid air will be in the southeast. that's where the thunderstorm concentration is going to stay today as this next frontal system moves on through. really nasty storms in dallas this morning. atlanta, rain will spread through your area. you'll have a better chance of

strong storms. here's the forecast today. early rain new england. you dry out. you're dry most areas in the southeast. then your storms come a little later. that's your national forecast. nowhere's a look at the weather outside your window. well, storms will be on and off today in areas like cincinnati, ohio. also in columbia, south carolina, you'll be dry out. watch out later this afternoon, you could have storms roll through your area. and it's going to be warm and humid in many spots. well, christinchristina, everyo begging for the summer pattern to arrive now they're left scratching their heads. honda hums, the search for madoff millions. and if you can't sell your house, why not try robbery? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. she may be glamorous, but you will not believe the unglamorous place eva mendes goes to find peace.

former cy young winner not what you think and michael phelps shatters another world record. 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. according to aew nbc news/wall street journal poll, a whopping 67% of americans do not want to see former alaska governor sarah palin become president. 43% of republicans responding to that survey were against palin becoming president. a judge has ordered the release of a kuwaity at guantanamo bay for nearly eight years. authorities say he was arrested in pakistan after visiting afghanistan where he was doing charitable work. prosecutors remain he was supporting al qaeda. the justice department is deciding whether to appeal the decision. astronauts aboard space

shuttle "endeavour" inspected the thermal shield and didn't notice any damage. a new study shows organic food is no healthier and no more knew trishl than ordinary food. a reveal of 50 years of research showed no major difference between the two. consumers paying higher prices for the perceived health benefits of organic food helped create a global organic market worth $48 billion in 2007. and now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 9,070 after losing 26 points on wednesday. the s&p dropped 4 points. and the nasdaq was down 7 points. taking a lookat overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, e nikkei added 51 points to close at a nine-month high, while some ho kong the hang seng gained 98 points.

stocks fell wednesday after a much high partnership of two major companies landed with a thud on wall street. yahoo! shares plunged 12% after the announcement of an advertising a search engine deal with microsoft. microsoft shares rose 1.4%. shares of google, the company they are going after, fell 1%. the fed reported wednesday it sees signs the economy is stabilizing, though the economic situation is still fragile nationwide. markets were down slightly at the end of the day weapons, but the bigger news is they haven't given up any major gains from recent rallies. despite a two-day drop, the dow is still on track to record its best july in 20 years. cost-cutting japanese automaker eek out a surprise profit last quarter. profits from april to june dropped but by much less than expected.

conservative strategies helped honda raise its full-year focast. attached with recovering aspects of victims of bernard madoff announced he will sue mrs. madoff. court documents claim ruth madoff has been living a, quote, life of splen door. a stock to watch later this morning, visa. after the closing bell, they reported better than expected quarterly earnings but shares fell 1% in after-hours trading. and in southern england, if you're in the market for a $2 million home, you're in luck. as part of a new trend called extreme home selling, one man is so desperate to unload his place he's offering a cash reward of $100,000 and a new combination speed boat car. interesting. baseball trades, walk-off winners, and the yanks keep marching on. plus, michael phelps proves an age-old fashion clice.

it's not what you wear. it's how you wear it. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. a record-setting heat wave in the northwest is coming to an end. where is that heat headed? i'll tell you. you're regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm joe krebs. straight ahead on new s take, a massive fire destroys the home of a well-known washington tone i can't and once head of the d.c. school board. why firefighters took so long to get the flames under control. plus the training camp kicks off. what you need to know before. and as fall approach, there's growing fierce about the swine flu. who

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, the philadelphia phillies are chasing a second straight world series title. and after the deal they pulled off yesterday, you can't say they aren't giving it all they've got. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the phillies acquired a former cy young winning pitcher but his name is not roy halladay. cliff lee. 7-9. halladay is still a blue jay. didn't help his trade value against the mariners. gave up three runs in a season high 11. solo blast by jose lopez in the fifgs. halladay most likely will be dealt before tomorrow's deadlines. scoreless until the 10th. randy winn scorched a single down the line. giants win it 1-0. after the game the pirates told their second baseman freddy

sanchez to stay in san francisco. tigers, justin berliner had himself quite the game against the rangers. 12th victory of the year. granderson not too bad either. led off with a homer. tiger win, 13-5. sixth inning, taking matt garza for a ride. 3-0. that's all the offense chamberlain needed. he was lights out. gave up three hits in eight scoreless inings of work. they have now won 11 of their last 13. plaxico burress spent three hours in front of a grand jury investigating weapons charges against him. you may recall he shot himself in the thigh in a manhattan nightclub in november. michael phelps in the world swimming championships in rome. got back on track by setting a new world mark in the 200 meter butterfly.

that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. is kelly clarkson a copy cat? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, we brought you hair-raising world record attempts before, but this one is di ridiculous. you're watching "early today."

well, good morning and

welcome back. we are watching things very unsettled in the southeast. showers and thunderstorms in the forecast. temperatures are going to be mild and it's going to be muggy. in the northeast, early morning showershould give way so it should be a warm afternoon. outside shot at its first 90-degree day of the summer. chicago,oue at 80. a peek of your fday forecast shows more showers and storms. really wide coverage over the next two days. well, if you're watching charlotte, north carolina, grab a blanket and stretch out under the stars as you watch aliens attack in the sci-fi thriller independence day. that's tonight's presentation at movies on the green. that's your eastern event of the day. we'll try to keep the thunderstorms out of that. could possibly. it's a tough forecast. you should be able to keep it on it of the film, radio it? thanks, bill. now, here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. kelly clarkson is in

full-fledged damage control. clarkson blames her co-writer the song already gone. now, later that same writer ended up with the suspicious halo by beyonce. spokesperson cfirmed to ew.com that an unnamed woman that he's no longer in a relationship is expecting his chide in the fall. jessica simpson confirms prior to their relationship going sour she gave former boyfriend tony romo a $100,000 speed boat. asked if she would take it back simpson replied, quote, i'm not an indian giver. speaking of politically incorrect, kid rock, who hates twitter, started a language rubbing us by summing up his feelings about the site. in a rolling stone interview sayingying, quote, it's gay. finally, eva mendes tells england daily mail she loves cemeteries. in fact, she finds them

beautiful and peaceful. among her favorites, oscar wild grave's. this comes from wrc nbc 4 in washington, d.c. where one man's hobby is raising more than a few eyebrows. the deep sea resident is hoping to claim the title of world's longest eyebrow hair. his bushy brows have twice lost out to the current record holder who is in japan who actually logd one of her follicles at 7.1 inches. he is grooming his latest lengthy strand for greatness. already at 6.5 inches, he's hoping to pluck the world record very soon. i hope he plucks, tweezes, clips. >> i never really thought of that being gross, but that's -- >> quite the accomplishment, isn't it? >> yeah, good morning. >> i'm christina brown. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day

our time is 4:54. 72 degre outside. good morning and welcome. we're glad it have you with us this morning. i'm barbara harrison. i'm joe krs. let's get things started as we always did with a first forecast from chuck bell into tom this morning. i almost didn't make . hoi54ug tht t 4:54, i thought theho shew starn i en.ow>> t rleaen outside, a humid day is on tap. 74 degrees. that's our current temperature here in washington with just a few clouds around. dew points are still near 70,o it still feels veryt thbu sestof ayt buayete storms of yes. we'll be lef nego. we'lbeef l l with hazy sunshine, plenty of heat and humidity today. highs low to mid-90s. >> as we all know in this city,

4:54 is close now government work. >> that's correct. >> so they say. >> well, we all made it. let's head out to the roads with jerry and see how things are looking. good morning to you. good morning. i've bn standing here since noon yesterday just waiting for you guys to show up. nah. let's see how we're doing. hopefully we'll have a better commute this morning than we did 24 hours ago with that mess in alexander. no worries right now. 270 is fine. we'll check things out to the wilson bridge. looking good. southeast corridors all moving nicely and no hangups on the beltway in any jurisdiction. back to you. here's a look the at four big stories happening today. district fire officials are investigating a massive fire that destroyed a d.c. home. the two at larm blaze ripped through the home on chain bridge road in northwest around 9:00 last night. firefighters had to go to neighboring areas as they encountered problems with the water supply. no one was home at the time of the fire. president obama welcomes two

men to the white house today for a couple of beers. harvard professor henry lewis gates jr., massachusetts police sergeant james crowley, and the president will talk about gates' controversial arrest. the three will meet around the picnic table outside the oval office around 6:00 p.m. the word is the president will have a bud light. a hearing will be held today at the ronald reagan building trying to raise awareness about lyme disease. doctors who treat the disease and victimses are expected to testify. the centers for disease control is also increasing its funding for research and for treatment of lyme disease. and today the redskins players start the long trek toward the beginning of the soap. head coach jim zorn opens training camp in ash burn. we'll have live coverage starting at 4:00 p.m. when vacationing at the beach, most families don't consider the ocean to be a health hazard. >> but new research suggests that beach goers could be exposing themselves to serious

illnesses. brian mooar has more on a new warning. >> reporter: it's the height of vacation season and beaches are packed. >> swimmers, with sunbathers, and sometimes also with human and animal waste. >> reporter: the natural resources defense council released its 19th annual report on america's beaches and it's not a pretty picture. >> nationwide, 7% of beach water samples are so contaminated with humor animal waste that they're not safe f swimming. >> reporter: much of the pollution is caused by rain runoff and there's been zero improvement over the past three year, meaning some beach goers are risking illnesses ranging from a rash to hepatitis. the nrdc raided 200 of the nation's most popular beaches. among the best? >> delaware, new hampshire, and virginia. with alaska, north carolina, hawaii right behind them. >> reporter: shall didn't fair nearly as well. >> most contaminated last year

were louisiana, ohio, indiana, and illinois. >> reporter: those at great lakes had some of the worst rated beaches, the nrd says chicago is a shining example. >> we test our beaches five times a week or more if necessary and then notify the public of those results as soon as possible. >> reporter: but in these tough economic times, some communities are cutting back on testing, meaning a day at the beach might not be the good clean fun it once seemed. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. the nrdc offers some tips to avoid a bad beach experience. avoid going to a beach after a rainstorm and don't go in the water when you have cuts or scrapes. stay with us. "news 4 today" continues now at 5:00 a.m.