this morning on "early today," congressional disrespect. a lawmaker heckles president obama as he delivers his critical address on health care reform. terror on the tarmac. more than 100 people in mexico are held on a plane by a man claiming to have a bomb. and space speck qaa cal. a revamped hubbell telescope beams back stunning images from a revamped hubbell telescope beams back stunning images from outer space.

captis paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm christina brown. today we begin with fighting back. faced with the greatest challenge of his young presidency, barack obama took to the highest stage last night in a joint session of congress. he laid out his plan for an overhaul of the nation's health care system. confronting his critics and call for compromise, the president addressed not only policy but also public perception. nbc's steve handelsman joins us with the latestment steve, good morning. >> reporter: christina, thanks. good morning. he couldn't end the partisanship with a single speech even with such a setting. and the president even got heckled at one point. but he made his case and he hopes restarted this debate. >> the president of the united states. >> reporter: barack obama came to address a joint session of congress to grab the attention of those watching on tv.

or live on facebook. americans concerned that he's reaching too far on health care reform. >> i believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn't rather than trying to build an entirely new system from scratch. >> reporter: the president said americans have been scared by bogus claims and lies. >> well, the time for bickering is over. the time for games has passed. >> reporter: to people with health coverage he promised no change of plan or doctors. >> what this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you. we will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. because in the united states of mesh, no one should go broke because they get sick. >> reporter: he pushed public option to force down private insurance costs but disagreed with democrats. >> the public option is only a means to that end. and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal.

and to my republican friends, i say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have. >> good evening. >> reporter: still, this was the gop response. >> the president had a chance tonight to take the government-run health care off the table. unfortunately, he didn't do it. >> reporter: but mr. obama, unlike some democrats, says he still wants to work with republicans. republican joe wilson of south carolina, the house member who heckled, shouting at one point, you lie, later a pal jized. the president, trying to take the high road, quoted the late senatored kenned who said, what's at stake in this health care fight is the character of our country. from capitol hill, i'm steve handelsman, nbc news. christina, back to you. well, following that unprecedented outburst, representative wilson called the white house to apologize for

demonstrating by his own admission, a lack of civility. the congressman's behavior, which he may face punishment for, caps months of raucous debate which most have been seen in town hall meetings. senior white house adviser david axelrod reacted to the outburst. >> well, it was certainly an unexpected moment. i'll let congressman wilson describe what he had in mind there. i've never seen it before in a presidential address. and it was unfortunate, but i think the president soldiered on. he was undeterred by that. >> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. surveillance cameras captured an arsonist dangerously at work. a restaurant security system shows the man igniting a dumpster, which was just 10 feet from an apartment complex. the man repeatedly walks by toen

sure it lights and is ngolvi leaving just as calmly as he arrived as it explodes into flames. fortunately the fire was contained to the dumpster. maryland police, however, are searching for a suspect wanted in a string of school robberies. in one indent the suspect is seen taking a crowbar to a vending machine. at least 11 schools in the area have been broken into and have money stolen from the vending machines. authorities are now hoping someone will recognize thisan in the hall way heist. a lightning-fast cheetah in ohio is uncatchable by any other land mammal at least. the 8-year-old fee medical named sarah broke the world record for the 100 meter dash. chasing a fluffy toy attached to a fishing line, sarahoc dcl in at 6.13 secos. a south african cheetah previously held the record. four bears were caught out to lunch in california. they were seen raiding a garage

behind a burger restaurant. now, it didn't look like it was the most comfortable place, this garbage dumpster, but they all happily dove head first into the feeding frenzy. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc's meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. >> you like that story? >> we've got a lot of animals today. but i think the cutest is probably the dumpster divers, the bears. >> dumpster diver padding ton the bear. let's talk a little bit about the forecast. good morning to you on this thursday. we have wet weather to talk about. thankfully yesterday we got wet weather in the hard-hit drought region of texas. rain in the last couple days in south florida. hasn't been the best weather in miami or the keys. that's going to continue today. the big story, area of low pressure just off the coast. high pressure northern new england. large waves, a raw day for the

mid atlantic region once again. and it's going to rain pretty good in the delmarva, up into southern jersey. northern new england, the high pressure will keep you clear, but it's a chilly morning out there. so here's that wet weather. some in jersey, some off virginia beach. this is going to continue, and if anything, get worse later today. be careful any boats along the coast 56 in boston. we have 40s up there in northern maine. here's your forecast today. rain expected florida, jackson, mississippi, also from d.c. here especially over towards the coast. it's not going to be pretty. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. showers and storms, they'll be plentiful today in florida. we'll warm it up a little bit, to the upper 80s. should be good downpours later. all the areas expecting perfect sunshine, northern new england with the high pressure in there, low 70s. well, christina, that's a look at your stormy thursday forecast. >> all right. thanks so much, bill.

stocks jump, a foreclosure's fall, and the return of steve jobs. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, already a sitcom and talk show success, ellen degeneres looks to add another jewel to her crown. pew polls downs the brewers and a dek jer tesi a yankee great. you're watching "early today."

>> good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm christina brown. here are some of your top headlines this morning. a bow live yann religious fanatic is under arrest this morning after trying to highjack a plan from cancun as it landed in mexico city. police say the 44-year-old used a juice can he claimed was a bomb to hold 103 sxaernlgs crew on the tarmac for more than an hour wednesday.

fortunately everyone was released unharmed. investigators say the highjacker was motivated by the date, 9-9-09, which he believed had divine significance. a suspected serial killer in milwaukee linked to the slayings of nine women since 1986 is being held on $1 million bond after an initial court appearance wednesday. so far walter ellis faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, but more charges are expected. summer storms in florida may threaten tonight's scheduled landing of the space shuttle "discovery" and its crew of seven. if the schultz cannot return tonight, nasa will consider a landing but not only friday at the latest. and the refurbished hubbell space telescope is back in action and showing spectacular new images. thanks to a billion dollar repair mission, we're now able

to see crystal clear images of stars light years away. >> and now here's a look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 9,547 after climbing 49 points on wednesday. the s&p inched up 7 points. and the nasdaq rose 22 points. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei spiked 201 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng zoomed up 218 points. wall street was up for its fourth straight day wednesday after investors heard some good but not entirely unexpected news from the fed. the nation's central bank released its so-called beige book findings on wednesday. overall, while not every region is out of the woods, the economy is definitely stabilizing. but the labor market is still struggling and retailers have yet to see an increase in sales. the dow had its second highest close of the year. industrials led with cat piller shares up 3%.

broader s&p had its best day of the year. boeing saw its shares soar 2% after a company executive said its air cargo traffic should pick up next year. tech stocks also jumped wednesday. ebay got a 4% boostfter an analyst upgrade saw improvement in online auctions and used auto sales. apple ceo steve jobs made his first public appearance in months since recovering from a liver transplant. however, shares well 1% following continued condition over the state of his health. keep an eye on texas instruments today. they raised their third quarter forecast after stock went 1% higher. monthly foreclosure filings were down slightly in august, a sign that efforts to help struggling homeowners may be paying off. finally, a south african company got fed up with his snail-paced internet service and decided to demonstrate how slow

its connection is by sending a file to one of its branch offices by e-mail and carrier pigeon. the pigeon won. the rockies continue to roll. the impossible dream comes to an end. plus, with the big bats the st. louis boast. they made big plays with the glove. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. fall weather settled into the east while it still feels like summer in the west. your rureonal forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang. straight ahead on "news 4 today," no, it's not a terror threat, but police might be out in a major way during your commute. the reason behind the show of force. >> plus, getting back on track. metro gets ready to get a wish list. >> and there's more than one reason they call him joe

six-pack. why drinking could help you get in shape. good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, new york yankees captain derek jeter is chasing history. and last night he took one step closer to being crowned hit king of the famous franchise. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. after being held hitless for three games, derek jeter finally pulled even with lou gehrig on the yanks's all time hit list. three hits against the rays. tied gehrig's all time mark with a single to right. gehrig held the record for more than 70 years. he now shares it with one of the classiest players in the game.

don juan jorge posada a three-run homer in the eighth. jeter's next chance to break the mark is tomorrow night against the orioles. rockies and reds, ninth inning. scott row land put cincinnati on top. reds up 3-2. but the rockies came right back. sacks full. seth smith a shot to second. phillips couldn't handle it. two came in to score in extra ball game. 5-4. four-game lead in the n.l. wild card. to milwaukee. cards and brewers. pujols continued his mvp campaign with a pair of homers. numbers 46 and 47 if you're counting at home. adam wainwright, what a year he's leaving. league-leading victory p. cards swept the brewers, 5-1. nba coming up, the worst year of his career. iverson agreed to a one-year contract with the memphis grizzlies. $3.4 million, far less than the $21 million he made last season.

a 1-0 win against trinidad & tobago. clark with a lone goal the 61st minute. americans lead their qualifying group after mexico beat honduras. for the first time in the tournament, the 17-year-old came out flat. dropped the first 14 of 18 points, never recovered and lost in straight sets. men's side, roger fedor advanced. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. we'll tell y why grey's anatomy star katherine heigl is taking time off from complaining. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, a lot of people around the world chose yesterday, 9-9-09, to get married, but not the way these two did. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this thursday. rain linger anything south florida. a little thunder shower moving on shore between ft. lauderdale and miami. a little wet weather to start your morning. other areas with wet weather today possibly all through the florida peninsula. the worst of it will be right along the coast between a wedge of high pressure and a storm off the coast from norfolk just about to atlantic city, new jersey. rough conditions today and wet. well, if you're watching wdiv local 4 in detroit, see

a&experience detroit 100 years ago through as sieer of photographs and newspaper articles and images from the past. that's at the detroit historical society. that's your eastern event of the day, christina. >> all right. thanks so much. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. the show's producers have responded with a bold and surprising move. talk show queen, comedian ellen degeneres has been named the show's fourth judge. she dances daily on her talk show, which she will continue. nevertheless, admits to having no musical background. the move ends speculation that the show's producers plan to bring abdul back using the controversy surrounding her contract dispute to refire interest in the show. elsewhere, paris hilton's former b.f.f., nicole richie, has given birth to her second child, a boy named sparrow. katherine heigl and husband

josh kelly are adopting. radar online reports it will be a 10-month-old little girl from korea. robert de niro, bruce springsteen and mel brooks will be celebrated at this year's kennedy city honors. and "playboy's" hugh nephher finally getting around to divorcing kimberly conrad for whom he's been separateded since 1998. and this comes from wmaq nbc 5 in chicago, where one couple took their love of heights to a whole new level. the rock climbing enthusiasts tied the knot while standing on a pane of place 1,300 feet in the air. the lofty ceremony took place on the ledge. a sky deck in the willis tower, formerly known as the sears tower. for the high altitude lovers, it seems only fitting to walk down the aisle 103 stories above the ground. i'm christina brown, and this is "early today," just your

first stop of the day today on your nbc station. 4:54 is the time right now. 67 degrees on this 10th day of the ninth month of 2009. looks like we might have, what, some cloudy skies out there. we'll check with tom in just a moment. good morning. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang in for barbara harrisony.dato kiton erm erisei te hhein udio and he'll tell us if we're goi teto g anymore rain today. i>>is breezy and cool as we get going on this thursday morning. we have a cloudy sky at this hour and temperatures around the region are in the 60s and as we cae ca look at the radar,n w see some showers to to met thti .r ufs ais right n outigont crymey, montgomery county, getting some ick county, weste r ot wtyrnes lighshowers crossing theinhe bay, near the bayt bridge justy wno movin iwnto anne arundel co no o

necipitation. tempatreures a in the cool 60s. 67 in eswashington, now in the d- ismi montgomery, fairfax, prince george's county. this persistent easterly flow coming from an area of low pressure that's just east of ocean city and as a result we are going to continue to have clouds around this morning for the bus stop forecast. in the 60s, a chance of sprinkles through the morning. just a slight chance. but then a greater chance of rain this afternoon. details on that as well as a look at the weekend. that will be coming up in just a few minutes. >> looking forward to it. thank you, tom. >> thanks very much. let's go to jerry edwards now and say good morning and take an early first look at the roadways. >> good morning. already a bit busy out there. first, the good news. the overnight road work on the beltway as you make the trip over the american legion bridge wrapped up so lanes are open there. accident outer loop of the beltway at central avenue, a couple of travel lanes are closed so making the drive north from andrews, trying to get to greenbelt, heads-up for that. wilson bridge looking good. back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. >> thank you, jerry. >> the time for bickering is

over. that's what president obama said to congress last night about health care reform. he addressed a rare joint session of congress. he avoided getting too specific about what he wants exactly, but he did tell lawmakers that he wants changes that will cost about 900 billi$900 billion. >> metro's board will be meeting today to discuss the agency's budget. among the items on the agenda are safety improvements. a possible fare hike is also expected to be discussed. >> metro riders may notice an increased police presence at stations in montgomery county today because law enforcement agencies will be conducting a training exercise on how to respond to terrorist threats. around 150 officers will be spread out at various metro and marc train stations. this is a planned exercise and is not in response to any specific threat. well, the sprayed of the h1n1 or swine flu on the rise. there are some steps that you and your family can take to get ready in case the bug does strike at your home. >> that's right. the release of a vaccine against

the virus is still weeks away, maybe even months so health officials are offering survival tips. >> reporter: in indianapolis, 12-month-old joey was hospitalized with a soaring fever after both his parents came down with swine flu. >> the doctors said rotate tylenol and motrin. we're doing that every three hours, retating. still 102, 103. then he stopped eating and drinking. >> reporter: joey pulled through, but half away across the country, 27-year-old police officer ryan johnson died. >> i just want people to know that this is happening. without any underlying disease, you know? that it can happen. just prepare for it. >> reporter: flu season has barely started, but swine flu cases have already begun to surge. experts say vaccines won't be ready for weeks but people should start preparing now. >> we really want our residents in the county to be responsible for themselves, especially

during emergencies. >> reporter: montgomery county health department nurse manager says people nd to gather key items to create a swine flu survival kit. it should include fluids with electrolytes, fever-reducers as well as cough and cold medications. >> many of us have these items already in our homes, whether it's in a closet or under lock and key, but over the years, like last year you might use them. they might have an expiration date on them or you might not have certain items you thought you had. >> reporter: she says the kit should also have items to prevent spreading the flew virus, things like hand sanitizer, possibly even face masks, specifically the n-95 mask that health officials say health care workers should be wearing. >> many times we are at different places. we don't have water and soap available, so hand sanitizer's very important, at least