authority track down a man suspected of firing shots at the white house. blown away. a dash camera captures the sheer power of hurricane-force winds. and making a splash. meet an amazing dog that goes to great depths for his favorite meet an amazing dog that goes to great depths for his favorite toy. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a would-be assassin. a 21-year-old man suspected of opening fire on the white house is expected to appear in a pennsylvania courtroom today. the suspect reportedly obsessed with president obama is currently facing weapons charges, but a far more serious count of attempted assassination has not been ruled out. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: family members are shedding light on what might are

motivated a 21-year-old idaho man, suspected of opening fire on the white house. a nationwide manhunt led to this hotel in western pennsylvania, where authorities arrested oscar hernandez. authorities say he had a history of criminal and mental health issued. his father tells nbc's spanish news network that he was obsessed with the date 11-11-11. he thought the world might end on that day, and that is when the shooting took place. the shooting happened friday evening, while president obama was traveling in california. minutes later, and a few blocks away from the white house, police found ortega's wrecked vehicle and inside authorities say they found an ak-47 style assault rifle and several spent rounds. it wasn't until tuesday that the secret service discovered the white house had been hit. one slug reportedly was stopped by bullet proof glass.

federal evidence technicians focused on the truman balcony, outside the president's residence. well, elsewhere after a recent surge in the polls, gop presidential hopeful newt gingrich is on the hot seat over his ties to bailed out mortgage lender f eer freddie mac seen b as playing a key role in the housing crisis. tracie potts joins us. >> reporter: more scrutiny at the top. gingrich says he doesn't remember how much he earned between 1999 and 2007 from freddie mac but records show it was somewhere between $1.6 and $1.8 million, initially on a monthly accurate but then earning as much as as $300,000 a year as a consult antd in the years leading up to the housing crisis. critics and opponents say this may not sit well with opponents who are very frustrated with

washington but gingrich says it could boost his popularity letting people know he has inside washington experience. he says he served as an historian warning the agency of what could happen but insiders who have spoken with the associated press who dispute that, saying that he actually never lobbied or contacted lawmakers but may have helped shape policy. >> tracie potts there for us in washington, thank you. well, communities across a number of states in the southeast are surveying the damage this morning after a deadly storm system swept through the region. strong winds spawned several possible tornadoes, blamed for at least four deaths, including one in northern georgia where fallen trees struck and killed the driver of an suv. thousands are still without power from louisiana to the carolinas. in eastern alabama, the fierce weather tore into a pair of mobile home parks, leaving a trail of debris scattered across the nearby auburn university campus.

well, now here's a look at some other stories making news "early today" in america. awe heat exchange erupted between student protesters and police on the campus of cal state long beach university. the rally against a $500 tuition increase turned violent after demonstrators shattered a glass door. police used pepper spray to push back the crowd. four people were arrested. heavy winds in alaska could have turned a bathroom break into a bad break. a dash cam captured 50-mile-an-hour winds whipping around a port-a-potty. fortunately, no one was inside. surf's up for hundreds of dogs at one bizarre california casting call. rose bowl organizers went looking for a cool canine who could catch a wave. the top dogs at the audition will ride aboard a wave-simulating float filled

with 7,000 gallons of water during the january 2nd parade. finally, a massachusetts woman and her husband were forced to sift through piles of garbage after she accidentally through her great aunt's diamond ring in the trash. the couple headed to the city dump to retrieve the family heirloom and with the help of some employees, they were actually able to find it. and it's a really nice ring. hopefully they cleaned it off. now for a look at our sidekick over here who's been interjecting all morning, no introduction is needed. >> i should wait until you introduce me. >> bill karins with your weather channel forecast, by the way. >> that was a big ring. i think i could have found that one. >> glistening. >> yes. good morning. yes, severe storms. every november we usually get one tornado outbreak. it really happens as we get the big first cold shot of air coming down from the north. we had 17 tornado reports. i mean, very impressive number. i think the worst was up in

north carolina, davidson county, and also rock center, south carolina, that's where we had a lot of homes damaged and one falg fatality. they went from new orleans across the southeast. they're not as strong this morning. it has died off a little bit. although still a lot of lightning strikes. that's the white flashes out here. from jacksonville to gainesville and eventually this will sink down on i-4. that's where the front will get hung up today. no tornadoes but we could see strong storms. the big story out there is now that the cold front has cleared the east coast, the door is open and the cold air is plunging down from the north. windchill is 9 in minneapolis. denver, 23. dallas the windchill is 37. all that chilly air is spreading now to the eastern seaboard. for today's forecast, temperatures in the 40s and 50s. still showers for along the coast but those will be exiteding during the day. look at the middle of the country, sunny and nice. that's a look at the national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window.

areas like new york city, slight chance of a shower today but all the heavy rain is over with. still cloudy and cool. we will watch in orlando, that's where the front will get hung up. no complaints in new orleans, 66 and a little breezy. of course, as we look towards tomorrow, lynn, heading towards the weekend, nice, calm weather pattern. nothing too dramatic. >> thanks so much. coming up, euro fears hit banks. data shows recovery continuing. and you don't think you can retire until when? probably not going to like this. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, he's been named the sexiest man alive. >> right here, lynn. >> but we're going to tell you about the fans of another hollywood hunk, not bill, but they are up in arms. coming up, the houston astros are on the move and the first big upset of the college basketball season. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. neither penn state to police or state college city police say they ever received a report from former graduate assistant mike mcqueary alleging sexual assault by jerry sandusky on a boy in 2002. in an e-mail to former teammates, mcqueary claims he had a suggestion with police about what he saw. he's currently on administrative leave. earlier today president obama told service members in darwin, australia, that america is here to stay as a pacific power. the president is visiting a base where up to 2500 marines will be stationed within five years. on a visit to philippines, secretary of state hillary clinton's motorcade came under attack by protesters throwing eggs, rocks and balloons full of

red paint. protesters are against a military treaty between the two countries. federal authorities say they've discovered a major drug tunnel on the u.s. border with mexico that linked warehouses in san diego and tijuana. about 17 tons of marijuana were seized. and four americans space pioneers were honored by congress in the capitol rotunda. they were all given the congressional gold medal. now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,905 after falling 190 points yesterday. the s&p tumbled 20 points. the nasdaq dropped 46. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei was up 16 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng lost 143. a late date warning on american banks transformed a relatively quiet day on wall street wednesday into a plunge.

fitch, one of the three main credit rating agencies, warned it may reduce stable rating on u.s. banks but they could be greatly affected if europe's debt crisis spreads further. morgan stanley lost almost 8%. the new focus is on france. the benchmark rate on france's ten-year bond is now creeping toward 4%. worries are deepening europe's second largest economy could lose its aaa credit rating. fitch pointed out that the top five u.s. banks have a total of $114 billion tied to french banks. those same french banks have large holdings of bonds from greece and italy. also worrying investor, the price of oil crossed above $100 a barrel for the first time since july. on the plus side, output in october at factories, utilities and mines rose at the fastest pace in three months. consumer prices held steady last month, actually dropping 0.1%.

an index of builder sentiment rose to the highest level since may 2010. in stocks, abercrombie & fitch plunged over 13% on short earnings. dell dropped on late tuesday's report of revenue that fell short. reuters quotes a source saying citigroup may cut 3,000 jobs. in a statement the bank said it would be making, quote, targeted head count reductions. finally, a new national survey shows 25% of people questioned expect to keep working into their 80s because they won't have enough money to retire comfortably. not a picture you want to paint. coming up, a possible rare league switch in baseball. the sport also names its managers of the year and a wrap-up of all the action on the ice. plus big upset win for the long beach state 49ers. they won't soon forget. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. well, severe weather is over

with but the west coast and northwest is dealing with a pretty big storm. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, a stunning upset last night in college basketball. with the top ten team defeated on their home court.

here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. our lead today should have been, celtics and heat or maybe carmelo anthony's return to denver but thanks to a snafu called the nba lockout we'll start with college hoops. pittsburgh, unranked long beach state slayed a giant. ware with career 29. long beach won it 86-76, pittsburgh's first home loss since 2005. baseball, diamondbacks kurt gibson won manager of the year and joe maddon took home honors in the a.l. astros is up for sale and if businessman jim crane buys the club they'll move the astros to american league. martin brodeur is working back after a shoulder injury. pominville with the glove.

the 39-year-old has still it. ilya kovalchuk scored his first goal in a month. devils put it together against the sabres winning 5-3. blackhawks and canucks, meeting of the last two western conference champs, tied 1-1, patrick kane, trick willinged past goalie. they added three more in the third. blackhawks with the best record in the west winning 5-1. to montreal where the price was right. canadiens price not only shut out the hurricanes, assisted on the game-winning goal, slapped the puck around the boards, bounced out to plaque nick at center, and price did it all, assist and 25-save shutout. canadiens won it 4-0. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. not so fast. the fight is not over when it comes to fatherhood and justin bieber. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. known as man's best friend,

we know dogs are very talented animals but not many show off their talents under water. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this thursday morning to "early today." forecast update. thunderstorms will be rolling through areas of florida today. not too severe but you will have gusty winds and lightning around orlando and tampa later today. showery weather along the east coast from maybe the chesapeake

up through areas around delaware and maryland. that will clear out during the afternoon. the other story out there is the cold air in the central plains. tomorrow that will be sweeping to the east coast. well f you're watching us on news channel 36 in charlotte, north carolina, prep for the season with cooking and decorating tips at a holiday extravaganza. the other than christmas show at the park expo and conference center. that's your "early today" event of the day. >> it's that time of year, bill, thank you so much. well, now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. what seemed impossible months ago has once come back. ricky gervais will be back as globe host. he posted jabs at several stars as well as foreign hollywood press association had the world convinced there would be no way he would be back. he's not only back but gervais tweeted a clip from last year's opening monologue promising this ten times.

contrary to reports, the justin bieber paternity suit is not over, just on hold. the woman who claims bieber is the father of her baby boy says the lawsuit has been withdrawn as both camps wait for the singer to take a paternity test. they're trying to settle with bieber's camp out of court. finally, reaction has been very strong over "people" magazine naming bradley keeper the sexiest man alive. if you can believe it, ryan gosling fans plan a protest later today in new york outside the corporate headquarters of "people." for the record, i won't be there. but i support them, fully. and this comes to us from kget tv 17 in bakersfield, california, where one dog goes to new depths to pull off a poolside stunt you just have to see to believe.

we'll show you. bob the diving dog's plunge into his family pool has skyrocketed him to stardom. the canine became an instant celebrity after his owner posted a video of retrieving a toy on youtube. he uses a unique spiral motion to make an eight-foot descent to the bottom. he has also made quite a splash with everyone. bill's jaw has dropped. i'm lynn berry and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

our time is 4:28. we have 49 degrees, cooler this morning and drippy out there a little bit. good morning to you. >> welcome to news 4 this thursday for november 17th, 2011. police are bracing for what all street occupiers call a day of action. tens of thousands of people are expected to participate in a number of rallies. they even hope to disrupt the opening bell on the new york stock exchange. this will be the first demonstration since police arrested protesters from zuccotti park tuesday. one occupy wall street protester will not be taking place in today's demonstrations. police arrested him after they say he made terrorist threats.

>> that is 29-year-old incruma continuesly. he was arrested yesterday in lower manhattan after being seen in this youtube video. police aren't sure if he had any bomb making materials, but they say they were concerned enough to want him off the streets. here in d.c., an occupy protest in march could cost cause big traffic problems later today. demonstrators are planning to march to the key bridge and to protest there. demonstrators say that the deterioration of our public fruk and public services. a fire in fairfax county happened last night in the 2300 block of freetown court. one family was