overexposure to sun, sunlamps, extreme wind or cold may increase the risk forrritation. use of sunscreen and protective clothing is advised. go to epiduo.com and learn how to pay no more than $20 for your epiduo prescription. to learn more about epiduo gel talk to your doctor, call or go to epiduo.com. this morning on "early today," another look. reports say the justice department may be looking to prosecute cases of detainee abuse after all. line of fire. thousands flee as a massive wildfire threatens homes and ancient temples in greece. and what a mouthful. find out how many dumplings somebody can scarf down in just find out how many dumplings somebody can scarf down in just 10 minutes.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning, everyone. i'm dan kloeffler. and today we begin with a new spotlight. according to this morning's "new york times," there are new recommendations coming down from the justice department to reopen several cases of detainee abuse at the hands of the cia and private contractors. the move not only reverses the bush administration but also exposes those interrogators to potential prosecution. although president obama has esonvtittga ays,nenornew inti investigations, attorney general eric holder is learning detainees died in u.s. custody. sourcing a person personally briefed, the move would almost certainly call for the appointment of a prosecutor and the potential for a renewed criminal investigation. meanwhile, this morning's "washington post" as part of its

effort to revamp policy, the white house has approved a new plan to create an elite group of interrogators to question terror suspects in u.s. custody. a move that shifts control away from an embattled cia. new guidelines call for an end to tough interrogation methods employed under the bush administration that includes sleep deprivation. detailing the agency's interrogation program. for the first time in more than 30 years, social security payments are projected not to rise next year, leaving millions of older americans with a smaller monthly check. social security checks can't legally go down, but officials say there will not be a cost of living adjustment for the next two years. premiums for the medicare prescription drug program are expected to rise, which that means a shrinking benefits

check. 50 million americans receive social security. tragedy struck the coast of maine sunday when a deadly wall of water unleashed by hurricane bill suddenly swept some onlookers out to sea, killing a 7-year-old girl. the massive wave washed ashore on the rocky coastline at acadia national park, engulfing 12 people at all. rescuers pulled that girl along with two others from the churning waters. the death of a 54-year-old swimmer in florida saturday has also been blamed on hurricane bill. that deadly storm continues to weaken, though, as it moves out to sea. in greece, authorities have declared a state of emergency there over wildfires raging near the capital of athens. tens of thousands of people lifgs in suburbs have been evacuated as firefighters struggle with gale force winds. self houses have been destyed. no reports of any deaths or

injuries so far. the fires come two years after a deadl shthaty evastated thatco untry, leaving thousands of people homeless. now here's a look at other stories making news "early today" in america. florida police on a man hunt got a little help from a kranl yous local resident. a dui suspect was trying to escape from authorities on foot but a home owner tackled the man in his yard. the brave resident who was lyfoerrm a bouncer flagged him down and waved to helicopters. a bizarre freeway accident in california involved three cars and a plane. this was almost unbelievable. the small plane ran out of fuel and was forced to make an emergency landing on the highway. three cars ended up hitting that plane. neither the two passengers in the plane nor anyone in the cars were injured. elsewhere in california, one dog in san diego may be head and shoulders above the rest. a massive great dane appears to

be the world's tallest dog, standing 3'6" inches, up to r sh shoulders. thtap ly named titan measures one inch taller than the record holder who recently died. in los angeles, a very tall order for dumplings as competitors faced off to see who could devour the most. part of the annual japanese festival, joey chestnut, the reigning nathan's hot dog eating champion, put away 81 dump lins in 10 minutes. just in time for breakfast. n for a look at the national and the regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. >> shld have been made to use chop sticks. >> that could have been dangerous. they could be lethal weapons if used at high speeds. >> hurricane bill. let's talk about the latest with this storm. amazingly, dan, this storm held together and made landfall in

new foundland. it is exiting into the mid atlantic. the waves down at acadia national park down the coast of maine. here's nova shoesh that. still waves reported 10 to 12 feet. i know if you're going to the beach the waves will be a lot lower. rip current risk is still pretty high. waves off southern new england, 7 to 10-foot range. gulf of maine, right around the same. the waves are coming down but there still could be rip currents. as far as the forecast goes for today, as the storm pulls out, the humidity will go with it. dry high pressure will be coming in. coastal north carolina, still storms out there this morning from richmond back down virginia beach and the outer banks. otherwise, it's a gorgeous day today from chicago to new york, back down into the south. atlanta, what a fabulous monday it will be. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather

outside your window. well, in new england, after we watch the storm go by, we had heavy tropical rain. that front has pushed off the coast. concord, new hampshire, 82. watch for early morning rain in richmond. dan, i'll have a closer look at that rain in carolinas and virginia, when we come back. bell tolls for cash for clunkers. and big ben gives a boost to japan. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, speaking of clunkers was quintin stearns tina a dud this weekend. one swing, three outs. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome

back to "early today," everyone. i'm da kloeffler. and here are some of your top headlines this morning. nasa has given the green light to launch space shuttle "discovery" to the international space station early tomorrow. "discovery" will roar out of florida with a crew of seven. forecasters calling for 80% chance of favorable weather. cuban called recent footage of fidel castro yesterday apparently looking healthier and rested. the 83-year-old has rarely been seen in public since falling in three years ago when seating power to his brother raul. a gruesome twist, canadian twist said they found a reality tv star wanted for killing his bikini star ex-wife dead in a hotel. ryan jenkins has prompted an international manhunt after fleeing the u.s. apparently took his own life while hiding out at this out of the way hotel in vancouver. second year in a row, miss

venezuela is the fairest of them all. she beat out 82 others he t abobahamas last night. now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day today. the dow opens at 9,505 after jumping 155 points friday. the s&p gained 18. the nasdaq rose as well, 31 paints . in tokyo, the nikkei surged 342 points, while in hang congress the hang seng leaped 336 points. a great start to the work for overseas investors. they were swept by the hopes that a gloel recovery may finally be on the way. investors in japan recovered nearly all of last week's losses when the nikkei shot up 3.2% monday. asian stocks outside japan hit a 10-month high today thanks in part to the upbeat economic news to the u.s. on friday.

further optimistic comments from fed chairman ben bernanke. the head of the central bank who a little more than i week ago said the economy is leveling out now projects, quote, good conditions for near-term growth. also driving markets higher friday, jump in 7% of existing home sales. sparked a rally that sent markets to new yearly highs across the board. the wildly popular cash for clunkers program will see the finish line tonight. sales picked up speed over the weekend, forcing some dealers to close their doors early. for some it was due to lack of inventory. others, though, needed time to process the paperwork before 8:00 deadle tonight. wall street journal is reporting warner chill cot has made an offer to buyhe prescription arm of png's business. sales of duringable goods, new

home sales and perhaps of most interest to markets, the latest on consumer confidence. finally, a south carolina woman is $2 million richer. and, no, she didn't win the lottery. in fact, she won a lawsuit against her dentist, who was supposed to remove three of her teeth. instead, he pulled 16. so a full set or not, $2 million. definitely guarantees a pretty big smile. bronx bombers bomb boston. and a twin smacks twin homers in one inning. plus, in a game filled with bizarre plays, this one just qualified as, well, you know, run of the mill. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. with hurricane bill racing through the canadian maritimes, the weather on the east coast will be a lot calmer today. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang. it's back to school monday on "news 4 today." thousands of kids across our area are getting ready to hit the books. we're live with what parents need to know as students head back to class. >> plus, tired of slaving over the hot stove and want to save money? why so many local restaurants are offering deep discounts for people dining ou >> then a new warning about car seats and good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, there's been a lot of talk about home runs flying out of the new yankees stadium this year. the big problem for the boston red sox last night, the yankees were making them fly in bunches out of boston fenway park as well. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning.

in the 108 year of the red sox/yankeesever runs have been scored than the one this past weekend. first pitch of the game and there it goes. derek jeter with a solo shot. new york up 1-0. couple hits later, matsui joined the hit parade. in all, five home runs, matsui with two of them. team scored 58 runs during the series. kansas city where the twins jumped all over the royals. first time in minnesota history that one player had a pair of homers in an inning. twins scored 8 in the second and robbed the royals, 10-3. john smoltz made his debut for the cards against the padres. it was a good one. five innings of work. pujols continued his mvp campaign. cards beat the padres 5-2. they have now won 9 of the last 11. mets and phils. angel drove one to the wall. ball got stuck in the padding.

shane victorino thought it was a ground-rule double. all the way around for an inside the park homer. top 9, eric bruntlett with a shot to right. made the grab. or did he? umpire said no. he showed his glove. i caught it right here. he indeed made the play. the umpires had a meeting and made the right call. he was out but he would have the last laugh. bottom nine, francouer lined out to bruntlett at short. stepped on second for one and tagged the other for a triple play. triple play to end a game since 1927. phils beat the mets in dramatic fashion, 9-7. >> thank you, fred. this weekend's box office winner was number one around the world.

your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, saying thanks to california's firefighters and don't forget the hot sauce. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this monday morning. hope you had a wonderful weekend. we do have rain exiting the richmond area just to the south and east of fredericksburg.

also, it looks like williams burg, heavy showers popping up. in virginia and also north carolina, that's where you have a chance of a little bit of rain, especially the outer banks getting nailed this morning. in and around charlotte and winston-salem, we have showers, too. that's kind of the rainy spot. otherwise, just a really nice day today from chicago to detroit, cleveland, cincinnati, all of kentucky, tennessee. the southeast will be very nice. only travel trouble spot, miami with a shower or thunderstorm. well, if you're watching us on wrc nbc 4 in washington, d.c., head to the national museum of african art for a look at a collection of striking images depicting domestic and wild animals at the artful animals exhibit. that's your eastern event of the day, dan. >> thank you, bill. now here's an early look this morning's headlines in entertainment. brad pitt and quentin tarantino took the number one spot this

weekend with "inglourious basterds." overseas, it added another $27.5 million for a worldwide poll of just over $65 million. since the film cost about $70 million to make, it almost paid for itself after just the first weekend out. it was also number one in france, england, germany and australia. district 9 slipped to second with $18.9 million. nevertheless, it's well on its way to becoming the summer's $100 million sleeper hit. g.i. joez the rise of cobra stands at $120 million. finally, the robert rodriguez family comedy short starring william h.macy and james spader, sputtering into sixth with just $6.6 million. see any of those? >> i did not, actually. but i wasn't going to see the

brad pitt movie but'm hearing some good reviews. it did well this weekend. i may have to take it in. >> district 9. >> everybody loves a sleeper buzz movie. i haven't figured out the psychology of it. >> neither have the critics either on that. when the formula comes in, everyone will know. this comes from ksbw 8 where in nearby daf ebb port, firefighters got a well-deserved although slightly ironic thank you from very grateful residents. people living near the lockheed fire that store through the santa cruz mountains had the firefighters to, well, a barbecue. it charred 7800 acres. happy home acres gathered around the little fire, controlled fire with their heroes. i'm dan kloeffler. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today tod your nbc station.

our time right now is 4:54, 71 degrees here in the nation's capital. actually right out there, ronald reagan washington airport at which we are looking at this very moment, all lit up and ready for a workweek here in washington, d.c. good morning. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison this morning. we want to start things off as we always do with a look at weather and traffic. >> meteorologist tom kierein joins us now for our first forecast. >> we have some thundershowers rollin. gtin'son.th that's severe thunderstorm warning this morning for southeastern st. ry's county. those areas of red on radar, that's where we are getting the thunder and lightning. there is one thundershower showing up. you see there the part of st. mary county that's lit up in yehemaow tre uower a severe

thunderstorm warningni from tha one thundershower that's just now crossing the tidal potomac at the mouth of the potomac where it meets the bay. that is moving to the northnd east. it has winds of nearly 60 miles an hour and also some hail as well. so, southeastern st. mary's county, look out. aev terehunderstorm is coming your way and it's going to be moving in over the next 15 to 20 minutes with some very heavyhti gusts of ig p mesiler hour as well as some small hail. elsewhere, we have some light rain coming into western charles county and much of the northern neck now getting wet. i'll show did you forecast for today. that will be coming up in a couple of minutes. stay tuned. >> thank you, tom. >> now let's go to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. any early problems on this first day back to school for a lot of folks? >> that's right. watch out for the youngsters out there. pretty good shape. good morning, everyone. the trip south on 270 no early worries. had the overnight road work again in the overnight hours of the capital beltway twep the 270 spur and tysons corner. wrapping that up. wilson bridge right now quiet start.

back to you. >> jerry, thanks very much. it is indeed a very busy monday. here's a look at what's happening right now. tens of thousands of children are enjoying those final hours of perhaps even just minutes of sleep before the first day of school. students in the district, prince george's county, anne arundel, frederick, charles, spotsylvania, culpepper and fauquier counties return to the classroom today. we'll have team coverage coming up. >> 180 local restaurants hoping it will cook up some business. it's restaurant week once again in the district. you can get deals on three-course meals for lunch or dinner. if you plan to take advantage, don't expect to show up and get a table. some businesses have already received more than 200 reservations for monday alone. >> 3 billion tax dollars later, cash for clunkers is just about finished. the program is in its final hours, approaching tonight's 8:00 deadline. some dealers have already stopped participating. they need time to do all the paperwork required to get their money from the government. >> new home video of crashing waves caused by hurricane bill.

this comes from maine where a large wavewept a group of people out to sea. one of them a 7-year-old girl died. she and her father had been standing on the shore along with thousands of people who came to watch the surf. the hurricane is also blamed for the death of a swimmer who drowned in the waters off florida. >> well, the first family is in martha's vineyard right now, starting a week-long vacation. >> they're staying at a private estate on 28 acres, and while it's very secluded, others vacationing on the island are hoping to get a glimpse of the obamas when they venture out. byron barnett has more. >> reporter: stepping off air force one at the cape cod coast guard air station near fall moth, the first family arrives for vacation. also along for some r and r, the first dog bo. the obamas then flew to martha's vineyard. the arrival was private, but the public didn't seem to mind. >> i think that's fine. again, i think this man has a

right to a modicum of privacy. his whole life is so very public. give the guy a break. >> i think it's fine because he's got a lot of stuff going on his shoulders these days. >> reporter: this is where the obamas will be staying on the island. the sprawling blue heron farm located down this road. now, the obamas obvious want their privacy, so the sign to the farm has been removed so as not t attract so much attention. the lush 28-acre estate is loaded with several amenities for the family to enjoy. >> it is a full-on home that includes a barn, a swimming pool, as well as a basketball court. and it's a place where apparently the secret service feels the family can be well secured and very safe. >> i think it's lovely that he's going to stay here. it's a wonderful place. it's a very secluded spot where he's going to be. i've been there. it's on the pond. >> reporter: joe and mary, who own an art gallery next to the farm's entrance, promised the secret service she won