ericaed edwards, nbc news. >> for more information on this and other health stories, you can check outhe health page at msnbc.com. >>> coming up, the rangers slam the tigers. the cardinals knocked the brewers, and a cycling hazard you've definitely never seen before. plus, five games into the season and the detroit lions, yes, you heard me right, the detroit lions are undefeated. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. an airline has planes and people. and the planes can seem the same. so, it comes down to the people. because: bad weather, the price of oil those are every airline's reality. and solutions will not come from 500 tons of metal and a paintjob. they'll come from people. delta people. who made us the biggest airline in the world. and then decided that wasn't enough. she's supporting breast cancer programs for her neighbour's tennis instructor's daughter's 1st grade teacher who's also her mom. help fund breast cancer programs in your community. redeem your lids today >>> welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. in sports last n

erica edwards, nbc news. >> the last time a major earthquake hit turkey was back in 1999. it's when two earthquakes hit the northwest area of that country. 20,000 people were killed. >>> president obama is in las vegas right now talking about the troubled housing market nationwide. nevada has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country. a program to help stabilize communities that suffered from foreclosures and home abandonments. the president announced changes to the program to make it easier to refinance. >> we can't wait for an increasingly dysfunctional congress to do its job. where they won't act, i will. >> but some critics argue that the president's plan doesn't go far enough and doesn't help enough homeowners. steve handelsman is on capitol hill with details. >> reporter: this is an election context. that's barack obama's new political slogan, we can't wait. meaning he won't wait for republican approval on economic issues. he's ordering this new housing plan. president obama headed to nevada to unveil his mortgage refi program. it's for those who pay their

erica edwards. >> researchers say by measuring the surcomference of a waist they were able to tell ify had higher levels of fat around their internal organs. >>> the anti-smoking drug chantix is not impacting your mental health. new federal research supports the benefits of the drug. the studies were conneducted by the federal drug administration. it failed to turn up a link between depression and suicidal thoughts. the fda has been looking into reports of mood disorders and erratic behavior among users since 2007. >>> when news 4 at 4:00 continues, what police say lindsay lohan's father did to his girlfriend that landed him behind bars. >>> just how long do women feel sexy each day? a new study's out and cane is in the studio to talk about it. >>> plus, a puppy rescue. an incredible story. this puppy took a long trek on a train. >>> right now lindsay lohan's father is in jail after an overnight arrest. police in florida were called to his tampa home for a domestic violence complaint. officers arrested michael lohan for battery on his live-in girlfriend. police say the woman said loha

erica edwards has our report. >> reporter: the sights and sounds of flu season have arrived. protecting themselves from getting sick by rolling up their sleeves for a flu shot. but they may be surprised by new research that shows in healthy adults the flu shot works only about 60% of the time. >> that's surely a lot better than zero, but not where we need it to be in the 90 plus percent range. >> reporter: he led a review of research on the efficacy of the flu vacvaccine. he said evidence of strong protection was lacking most for the elderly. occur in age 65. the bottom line messages we knew better vaccines and fast. >> reporter: the centers for disease control recommends the vac even for everyone over age 6 months but even the director of the cdc says his study results are consistent with what she's seen. >> i think the biggest problem is how variable influenza is. it's not one disease. we get new viruses year by year and the viruses could change throughout the year. >> reporter: another new study, this one from the university of north carolina find the flu shot may not be a

. >> as erica edwards reports the new guidelines are helpful and maybe surprising. >> reporter: theynute or two but vaccines not only guard against illnesses like hepatitis, experts now say they can help protect babies from sudden infant death syndrome. >> babies who are immunized have half the risk of sids as babies who are not fully immunized. >> dr. rachel moon of children's national medical center in washington, d.c. is the lead author of new guidelines on sids prevention from the american academy of pediatrics. she says it's unclear why vaccines seem to have this protective effect but the evidence for such a benefit is strong. breast feeding is also now encouraged as a way to prevent sids. the key could be that breast milk is known to shield babies against some illnesses. >> we know that babies who have minor infections are at higher risk for sids. >> the aap guidelines also suggest parents get rid of all types of crib bumper pads, those fluffy, pillowy ones, and the harder pads because babies could become trapped. bumper pad ties could also pose a strangulation risk. >> the bab

erica edwards, nbc news. >>> when we continue, the nation's largest retailer is offering a big guaranteers. >>> new information comes to light in the case of a missing baby in kansas city. a >>> mount aetna erupted again. it put on an impressive display launching flames up into the air. it's the second largest city in sicily. the eruption caused disruptions at the airport but it reopened this morning. that is impressive. i have seen that in the daytime, but it only matters at night. that's when it comes alive. >> quite a sight. >> they have had a lot of trouble with that mountain over the millennium. we have sunshine out there now. it's not going last forever. we have showery activity. be ready for that. we are taking in the pet picks for halloween. if you have a picture of your cat, kitten or dog or pet bird wearing a halloween costume, send it into halloween@nbcwashington.com. outside right now, bright sunshine, at least in washington and points east. a little more cloud cover to the west. it's a mild day where the showers have not found you, yet. 67 degrees downtown. mild weather also

it also can cause to kantor appeared erica edwards explains -- it can also cause cancer. research suggests those efforts may have been misguided. it should have been aimed at their mother's. >> shows that the gestational exposure -- >> a doctor leada study of more that too legit mothers and their children comparing the levels of bha. pregnant women who led higher levels were more likely to have daughters with slightly elevated behavior problems. >> with a higher exposure had more depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, and aggression because there was no link found two boys. virtually every one of us has some detectable levels of bpa in our system. the chemical is in many plastic products and not shiny receipts. -- and on and it receives. it has been linked to cancer. because of the way it is processed in the body, it is unlikely that bpa could cause health effects at any level. >> this is typical of pregnant women in the united states. >> his study needs to be confirmed with future research. he plans to follow these children through age 9. >> behavioral differences found in

erica edwards, nbc news. >> it costs $70 per session.ents see improvements in their skin after a few seconds. can you imagine sticking your face in that? >> it was cool, though. >> it's cool, indeed. >> they say it doesn't feel as cold as an ice bath. >> that's the good part of it. >> it would be interesting to check it out. >>> here is doug with a final check on the weather forecast. >> minus 300 degrees, not bad. how about 68 degrees? that's good. plenty of sunshine out there now. another gorgeous afternoon. look at the temperatures arnds the region. 64 in pennsylvania and state college. that's the cooler air that slid down across the region today. we saw temperatures about five to six degrees cooler than where they were yesterday. out to the west, columbus, ohio, west virginia to the upper 70s. that's the air that's going to make its way toward us the next couple days. tomorrow, a high of 74. then we get to the warm air. 78 on saturday. 80 on sunday. monday, columbus day, looking at a temperature of 81 degrees. we'll update you on wha

erica edwards, nbc news. >>> a montgomery county executive says his county needs three times the amount of money allotted to pay for projects. they already got 28 million from the department. according to "the washington examiner," he says the county needs 40 million more to pay for the improvements and even that may not be enough. most of the money will be used to improve the flow of traffic. >>> maryland residents who took a hard hit during hurricane irene can now get help applying for disaster aid. they held the first in a series of meetings for hurricane victims. the next meeting will take place on wednesday in baltimore county. central and southern parts of maryland saw the worst damage from the storm. the emergency declaration covers the entire state except garrett county. >> that's good news. >> it is. >> so many trees down in st. marys and charles counties. they really got hammered by irene. the same counties, once again by tropical storm lee. it's great news. >> i do have great news. it doesn't get better than this as far as the weather is concerned. flowers -- you know what i

erica edwards has more. >> reporter: a dizzying array of food choices. a company claims fat and sugar, the institute of medicine proposed a system that goes on the front label of food packaging. it's intended to help consumers make quick and healthy choices. >> we are looking at an energy star system. >> reporter: she chaired the committee that devised the system. each and every food product earns three points if it has lower than recommended sodium, transfats and sugar. >> we are looking at components associated with chronic diseases. >> reporter: they reported a majority of americans exceed the daily recommended amount of sodium. most of the salt we consume does not come from a shaker. >> most comes from processed foods. >> reporter: the american heart association put their stamp of approval on the system. until a single system is established, competing health related icons will proliferate in the marketplace. >> i walk in the grocery store and am bombarded with choices. >> the facts up front labeling system lists calories, fat and sodium in each servi

erica edwards, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a malaria vaccine that could save the lives of millions of children in africa. it was tested on 15,000 children and found to protect half of those who got the shot. while 50% effectiveness is not as good as the researchers would like, it will still have a huge impact. it will be used in combination with mosquito nets and indoor spraying. if it seems your teenager excels at school one quarter and struggles the next, it could be normal. university of college -- university college of london tested iq in teenagers and found it rises and falls as the brain develops, correlated with changes in the brain. if verbal i.q. improves, there is an increase in brain matter in the area of the brain that handles speech. >> now, your forecast, with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> showers have been on the radar screen continually in some areas. the western part of the state drier than the eastern parts. in hagerstown, it is fairly cloudy, but no rain. south of baltimore, heavier showers out of virginia. perhaps thunder mixed in as we go to the evening. we could

erica hill. chris wragge is off this morning. >>> coming up, john and elizabeth edwards' daughter cate is getting the perfect time to plan a wedding with cate. >>> if you're putting your wedding or anything else on one of those social networking web sites, double-check the photos before you post them. turns out you should have the right picture. we know it's important to help get a job interview, maybe your roommate. maybe you're looking for love. did you know a bad photo could reportedly sink your chances even if it's on someone else's r website. what to look for in that profile shot. >> apparently, yours stacks up well. >> i cheated. >>> retailers are so spooked about the tough economy they are getting in the christmas spirit ten days before halloween. >> the good news here, it means big sales for you. big incentives to buy. they hope. business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis is here to tell us where we can find those deals. i mean it does seem, i have to admit, a little early. >> it is a little early. and things are always going earlier and earlier among the retailers. but the big t