> thisorning on "early today," world stage. president obama prepares for his first address to the u.n. general assembly. amazing escape. a yung girl in washington state is nearly crushed by careening vehicle. and sydney stand still. an epic dust storm blankets eastern australia in a cloud of an epic dust storm blankets eastern australia in a cloud of red. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

hello and good morning. i'm christina brown. today we begin with addressing the world. this morning president obama will speak to more than 100 foreign leaders gathered at the united nations general assembly some new york city. it marks his first major address to the world body, and there is certainly no shortage of topics for him to tackle. nbc's michelle franzen is live outside the u.n. this morning for an early look at the day ahead. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: good morning, christina. it has already been a whirl wind visit for president obama here in new york, full of high-level talks and a few speeches. but today will be his biggest, and the world will be listening. this morning, president barack obama addresses 130 heads of state at the u.n. general assembly. his first as president on the u.n. world stage and a speech expected to mark a change in foreign policy from his predecessor george w. bush.

the speech follows a night of diplomatic mipg elling with world aders. a speech at president clinton's global initiative. and a marathon day of high-level talks. in an effort to jump start the mideast peace process, he broeshgd a meeting between netanyahu and mahmoud abbas. he urged both leaders on moving toward to ending the violence and creating two separate states. >> it is pastime about starting to talk about negotiations. it is time to move forward. >> reporter: another issue at the president's agenda, how the u.n. security council should handle iran's defines on developing a nuclear program. mahmoud ahmadinejad is also expected to address world leaders, but he is not expected to cross paths with president obama. meanwhile, moammar gadhafi is creating controversy on his visit to the u.s., setting up a tent in the posh community of

de bedford, new york. at the same time, the president is faced with uphill battles at home. a growing opposition to the wars in iraq and afghanistan and whether to send more troops along with the ongoing debate over health care. key domestic and foreign issues that could end up defining obama's presidency. following the speech here before the u.n. general assembly, the president will join other world leaders for a luncheon. he'll then continue those high-level talks this afternoon with both japan and russia. christina. >> all right. thanks so much. michelle franzen joining us live this morning. well, as the president weighs the war in afghanistan, he faces not only tough decisions about troop levels, but also what new polling shows. public support for the battle there is eroding. according to nbc news and "the wall street journal," just 28% say they are more confident with

the war. the war will actually come to a successful conclusion. however, 59% are pessimistic about its outcome. reflecting that diminishing support, a majority of americans, 51%, are opposed to sending more troops to afghanistan. in fact, only 44% favor adding additional forces. well, with no easy option before him, this morning's "new york times" is reporting that president obama is now considering alternatives to adding a surge of troops to the afghan battle front. in fact, according to the report, one plan under review would actually scale back the u.s. presence, something advocated by vice president joe biden. in fact, he calls for a under surgical approach, concentrating u.s. strikes on al qaeda targets, mostly in pakistan. while the president has rejected that apprch in the past, the new review suggests the white house is once again considering all possibilities. now here's a look at some

other stories making news "early today" in america. an incredibly close call for a child in washington when a car nearly crushed her. take a a look at this image. the 4-year-old was actually walking towards aonvenience store when a speeding car barrels directly toward her. now, thankfully, a parking pole helped lift the car into the air over the child, just narrowly missing her. security video, however, in texas catches a parking lot hit and run on tape. police are now searching for the woman seen climbing into her suv, slamming into a man walking to his car, and then fleeing the scene. the victim was crushed under his vehicle and suffered six broken bones. six broken ribs, in fact. one tennessee mayor had a uniquely american greeting from the dalai lama. you see, memphis mayor myron lowry showed the dalai lama how

to fist bump. he welcomed the buddhist spirit wall leader with the informal greeting, hally, dalai. they found a poisonous passengerer inside their grapes. they found a black widow crawling inside their grapes. the poison is especially dangerous to children. a california cat is walking tall this morning, standing 17.1 inches from shoulder to paw. scarlet magic officially claimed the title of world's tallest cat. the now famous feline s plenty to purr about. >> here's ryan phillips from wtvj in miami with today's forecast. good morning, ryan. >> christina, good morning to you. a chance to dry out in the southeast. that's good news. though the flood warnings still continue in the atlanta area. this morning more showers building through the

southeastern states. northeast yesterday, an increase in cloud cover. but we were able to stay dry. this morning, though, across the mid atlantic, an influx of moisture here. one to two inches possible again today. wilmington, myrtle beach, charleston, wet weather day ahead here in the mid atlantic states. clouds will be on the increase. fairly warm here in the northeast. mid to upper 60s for morning time temperatures. lower to middle 70s and muggy for more temperatures in the southeast. another morning and afternoon of storms in florida, central and south florida. but in the mid atlantic, mostly cloudy with highs in the lower 80s. that's a check of the regional forecast. now the forecast close to home. cleveland, ohio, good morning to you. an increase in cloud cover. maybe a stray shower. highs at 80. charleston, spotty showers 80s there. savannah, highs of 92. overall, the first full day of

fall today but still feels like summer across much of the region. christina. >> all right. thanks so much, ryan. the fed finishes up, google finishes higher, and banks rush to act before congress does. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, you won't believe how this hollywood star spends her spare time helping out at her daughter's school. the blue jays rally, the rays are eliminated, and plaxico burress is no longer a freeman. 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. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad said he will, quote, seek maximum leniency for hikers that went across the border. they have been held since july when they mistakenly slipped into the country from iraq's

kurdish reason. a new york town ordered work be stopped on a tent being erected from moammar gadhafi because it violates town regulations, according to an attorney. gadhafi, who has already been turned away from pitching a tent in new jersey, is due to speak at the u.n. today. in honduras, soldiers used tear gas and water cannons to chase away thousands of protesters gathered outside brazil's embassy sport of honduras's ousted leader zelaya. he managed to sneak back into the country monday and is hold up in the embassy building. the orbiterer has beamed back stunning images from saturn. scientists thought the rings were nearly completely flat but they were surprised to find bumps some as high as the rocky mountains. a massive dust storm swept across parts of australia, engulfing sydney.

the clouds caused major problems on the roads and the airports. hundreds of people also reported breathing problems. now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day the day. >> the dow opens 9,829 after gaining 51 points on tuesday. the s&p added 7. and the nasdaq rose 8 points. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei was closed because of the holiday, while in hong ng, the hang seng dropped 05 points. a weakened dollar sent commodities higher tuesday, giving investors a reason to shop for stocks and place bets that the fed will leave things status quo. investors were confident the nation's central bank will keep interest rates steady and leave its current economic policies unchanged. they will be listening this afternoon when the fed wraps its two-day meeting and issues a report card on the health of the economy. google was nasdaq's big mover after one analyst raised its price target citing internet

ad sales sent to make a come diagnosis back. shares broke the $500 mark, its highest level in more than a year. bank of america shares rose 2% after analysts upgraded its stock. it announced plans to overhaul overdraft fees, including a cap on total fees charged and no fees for customers who exceed their available funds by less than $10. jm morgan chase will revamp amid criticism banks are overcharging customers who unknowingly go above their limit. a bill will soon be moving against the practice. and the option to enroll in overdraft protection, a service currently that's automatic for most new customers. in earnings news, carnival cruise line reported brighter earnings on the horizon sending shares up 5%. keep an eye on general mills.

the top-selling food maker will report first quarter earnings before the bell today. finally, one chinese farmer's breakout idea to grow appears shaped like babies is helping him cash in on the fruit market. each is molded for six months before hitting the market for $7 each. wow. 18,000 have sold so far and orders for next year are four times that number. well, who is still marching towards baseball's playoffs? and who just got officially knocked out. plus, can slick fielding keep the twins on top of the white sox? your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. storminess southeast. hot out west. some things never change. stick around. your forecast is still to come. you're watching "early today." .

good morning to you.

i'm joe krebs. >> i'm barbara harrison. straight ahead on "news4 today," new details nearly three months mo after the deadly metro crash. what the recommendation rs to keep your safe. growing fears about a possible swine flu outbreak on college campuses. why health officials may soon be able to track the spread of the disease. it improves your good morning. if y're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, nervous, jittery new york yankees fans are feeling just a little bit better after last night's games against the angels. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the yankees may have the best record in baseball, but winning in anaheim in new easy task. yankees lost four straight in angels stadium. this would help change their

fortune. alex rodriguez with a towering blast to dead center. girlfriend kate hudson approved. angels would rally and tie the game. althoughhe yankees had the last laugh. bases loaded sac fly in the ninth gave new york a lead. it wasn't pretty, but they'll take it. yanks won it 6-5 and they're the first team to clinch a playoff spot. trevor crow a blooper into left. laporta tried to score and that was a mistake. nailed laporta at the plate. game remains scoreless. here he is with a bat. solo shot the opposite way. tigers up 1-0. they went on to win 3-1. twins also won. now, to tampa, mariners and rays. tied at three in the eighth. lopez stepped in and stepped out. seattle jumped on top. they beat the rays. they are eliminated from postseason play. blue jays and orioles. toronto down one when bautista

took one for the team. jim johnson plunked them. that tied the game at five. aaron hill has never been a 100 rbi man until now. blue jays rallied from four runs down to beat the orioles, 6-5. after catching the game-winning touchdown, plaxico burress now wearing a different kind of uniform. sentenced to two years in prison for a weapon. he began serving the sentence immediately in hopes he could turn to the nfl once he's done. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. plus, one business makes sure when it comes to health care local seniors get the bare essentials. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." we're watching some showers moving through central ohio, through columbus. these will head to cleveland a little bit later this morning. mostly cloudy skies in the northeast today. could see a stray shower in new york. up to 80. 82 inhe nation's capital. 84 in charlotte. more of the same tomorrow. still warm and sticky here but dry across the southeast. your eastern event of the day on wave 3 in louisville, kentucky,

open your mind through books from centuries past by ground breaking scientists dealing with the stars above at fathers of a tron my at the frazier international history museum. that's our eastern event of the day. very neat museum in a very cool city. >> thanks so much, ryan. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. still three months before the debut of the new sherlock holmes movie. brad pitt is in discussion to play the detective's infamous rival more artie. robert downey jr. plays holmes and jude law dr. watson. sarah michelle gellar and presidenty prinz jr. are the proud parents of a baby girl, the couple's first child. heather lock lear, who played a scheming ad executive in melrose place will play a new version of the same role in the new show.

jennifer garner manages to do it all. seen here in a gucci gown at the hollywood premiere of her new film, the invention of lying, she volunteers for tasks, including cleaning toilets at dr. violet's boston elementary school. she said when husband ben of flex finishes his film, he's cooking macaroni and cheese for the school's wot luck. from wesh 2 in orlando, florida, anda, an neural combin of social responsibility and raw capitalism. one so-called gentleman's club is offering an unusual service to its patrons. for the sixth year, the strip club is giving senior citizens free flu shots and compntary lunches. the manager says with a straight face, it's a way of giving back to the community. with rising health care costs and all, some seniors certainly found it an attractive offer. i'm christina brown, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

4:54 is our time. 72 degrees. kind of warm and muggy out there this morning as we look at a beautiful picture of the capitol dome. this 23rd day of september, 2009. welcome to "news4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> i'm barbara harrison. we're glad you're with u we want to start things off as we always do with a look at weather and traffic. let's say good morning to tom kierein who is here with his forecast. >> good morning, barbara and joe. we have clouds that have lingered overnight, but not producing any precipitation, nothing showing up on radar. temperatures are mild and it is rather humid. it's right near 70 all around the region except in shenandoah valley. in the mountains cool 50s. low 70s on the eastern shore. a slight chance of a shower. details at5:01. stay tuned.

>> we will. thank you. tom. let's go to ashley linder and the news4 traffic network. >> good morning, barbara and joe. no surprises as you can see. the headlights are headed southbound along 270. no beltway problems. 66 in great shape. 395 a quiet start and no problems on 95 leaving fredricksburg headed towards springfield. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, ashley. here is a look at some of the top stories happening today. president obama will address the united nations where he'll focus on foreign policy. other issues up for discussion will be terrorism, nuclear weapons d global pover i have t. yesterday he met with israeli and palestinian leaders and challenged both sides to work harder to achieve piece. vice president joe biden will host a discsion on health care reform in montgomery county today. today's event is taking place at 10:00 at leisure world in silver spring. meanwhile members of the senate finance committee started

revising the health care reform bill. they home for a final version by the end of the week. the weather in the southeastern united states is improving. heavy rain caused at least nine deaths and caused hundreds of millions in damage. many streets and schools in northern georgia remain closed this morning. the state's governor has asked the presint to declare a state of emergency. there they were dealing with water. on the other side of the country, a wildfire burning in southern california has grown to 8500 acres. some residents in the city of moore park have been evacuated. crews are using jets and helicopters to fight the flames from the air. they're concerned, however, that the hot, dry winds may cause it to spread further. now that fall has dropped in on us, it may be time to pay for some of the sins of summer. if you spent your july and augu frying out on the beach, your skin could be paying the price in the form of dark spots and wrinkles. >> there are ways to turn back

the clock. nbc's renee chenault fat tao shows us how. it seems like a good idea, a summer sizzle under a sizing sun. more than vacation memories remain when the tan fades. >> by the end of the sixth day on vacation, i started getting a brown spot, a dark spot. i'm like what is this? it's never been here before. >> 30-year-old christina gonzalez spent her summer vacation at the beach. she said she couldn't understand how her skin looked so bad after such a short time. >> it doesn't take a lot before you harm your skin ir reversely. >> she says even in as little as five days skin becomes inflamed, lowering defenses against further sdin destruction. >> every time you burn you double your risk of skin cancer. >> the doctor says african-americans and those with darker skin think they're protected. it's a dangerous misconception.

they're still getting uva which is 95% of our sun exposure. so those people still get cancer and wrinkles and further damage. >> christina, who is an investigator for the new jersey department of corrections said she did a little investigating of her own when it came to fixing her face. she decided on photo dynamic therapy. it's expensive, almost $4,000, requires a few days of downtown. but christina says it was worth it. >> it's perfect. >> reporter: the doctor says there are cheaper prescription products, rhett nay and skin bleaches that help. several inexpend issive over the counter products are worth a try. she says look for products that contain an anti ox can't like vitamin c. >> it gives a double layer of protection of free radicals like little pacman for your skin. >> this is not an optn