at a town hall held by cnbc in the nation's capital, president obama held his ground while frustrated citizens took turns taking shots at his economic strategy. the president repeatedly defended his policies while fielding pointed questions from americans who fear the worse from the economy. nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> quite frankly, i'm exhausted. i'm exhausted in defending you, defending your administration. >> reporter: reporters laid into him live on cnbc's town hall. people like zelma hart. >> i voted for a man who said he was going to change things in a meaningful way for the middle class. i'm one of those people and i'm waiting, sir. i'm waiting. i don't feel it yet. >> reporter: the same from an out of work law school graduate. >> i really want to know. is the american dream dead for me? >> absolutely not. we're moving in the right direction. >> reporter: there's more proof of that. economists calculated our recession ended in june 2009, recovery began 14 months ago. but not for millions of us, the president acknowledged. >> the challenge is that the hole was so deep that a lot of people out there are still hurting. >> reporter: and when a wall street ceo complained -- we have felt like a pinata. maybe you don't feel like you're whacking us with a stick, but we certainly feel we've been getting whack with a stick. >> reporter: the president staged a comeback. >> i think most folks on main street feel like they've been beat up on. >> reporter: and he will not okay tax cuts for anthony caramucci and his friends. >> 86% of that going to people making $1 million or more and lowered the deficit at the same time. i don't have the math. >> reporter: but will he have the votes after november to keep steering the recovery? i'm steve handelsman. nbc news, capitol hill. house republican leaders plan to unveil a roughly 20 point governing agenjengenda fo next congress on thursday amid crucial elections they're hoping will give them control the chamber. the agenda is expected to focus on job, spending, heath care, national security and reforming congress. controversial topics like same-sex marriage and abortion rights are reportedly still up in the air. foibles say the agenda was crafted from a social networking project that let voters weigh in with their opinions on an agenda. democrats call the plan a return to bush era policies that led to the current economic turmoil. meanwhile, sources confirmed to nbc news that house leaders are considering adjourning at the end of this week so members can focus on their re-election campaigns. insiders say the decision would depend on whether congress can complete work on a stop gap spending bill that would keep the government running until after the election. the house must also decide whether to extend bush era tax cuts. an issue some lawmakers don't want to deal with before the election. it would be the first time in 60 years that the house has adjourned before september 30th in an election year. overseas now where nato says nine service members of the international fours in southern afghanistan were killed today when their helicopter crashed. it happened in the nation's volatile south where troops have been ramping up pressure on taliban insurgents. two other coalition troops, after afghan army soldier and u.s. civilian were hurt and the cause of the crash is under investigation. this has been the deadliest year for coalition forces since the war began. >> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america -- in georgia, traffic came to a near stand still after a small plane made an emergency landing on an interstate during rush hour there. no one was hurt. the single engine aircraft was damaged after making what appeared to be a belly landing. the cause of the crash is not yet known. a smokey fire under a bridge in new york left some commuters stranded for several hours. large plumes of smoke billowed into the air after an electrical transformer reportedly blew out, sparking the blaze. service was eventually restored after firefighters extinguished the flames and officials inspected the bridge. in texas, a first-time mom at the dallas zoo is said to be doing a great job taking care of her 2-month-old zebra named webster. he is the zoo's fourth. the largest of all zebras. a rarity in the zebra family with only 2,500 left in africa. and in ohio, being crowned king of the gridiron isn't just for burly football players. this is an amateur video and it shows in-state rivals rufus the bobcat and that's the mascot from ohio state university, and brutus the buckeye from ohio state. throwing fists in the brawl when the bobcat pounced poungsed twice. rufus came out on top. the student under the mask, though, has been banned from ohio athletics. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is bill karins with the forecast. you know, bill, i grew up in ohio. they've got their own set of pads to make sure they don't get -- >> like cartoons. >> every fight had you a padded helmet. a buckeye would be good. >> viewers would probably replay that video than listen to me. >> no, never. we want to know what the weather is, bill. come on. >> i'll believe you this time. 107 yesterday in phoenix. record heat once again. the old record was about 105. that was -- this going to come to an end. much of the country actually very warm. 90s widespread through the heartland. today on the west coast, not expecting anything too active. temperatures seasonable. yesterday in the 60s and 70s. today pretty much the same. it's cool. 53 in portland. that heat down in the desert, 84 in phoenix. not a lot of wet weather. weak systems kicking up in the northern portions of the rockies and a weak low off the coast that will slowly move onshore. a lot of clouds here in coastal areas of oregon and also just north of portland, just south of seattle. temperatures seasonable as probably at most, a little hotter than average from vegas down to phoenix. much of california looking at a typical late summer, early fall day. that's ay in oregon still cool, 65. we'll look at wednesday coming up, lynn. >> bill, thank you. well, anxiety ahead of the fed's meeting. job cuts at one big bank and the must-have toys this holiday season. your early biz headlines are straight ahead. plus, the truth comes out. who else was in on the joaquin phoenix hoax? the 9ers push the super bowl champs to the brink and a player takes out an unruly fan. you're watching "early today." good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. an update on that deadly helicopter crash in afghanistan. u.s. officials tell nbc news nine american service members were killed in that crash. u.s. officials say there was no sign of hostile fire, and deny claims that the taliban had shot down the aircraft. former president jimmy carter is trying to clarify comments he made to nbc's brian williams that his post-presidential work has been "superior to that of his successor." after his comments aired last night, carter released a statement saying that he was referring to opportunities from his organization, the carter center. a washington state woman who splashed acid on her face and claimed she was attacked is now facing charges. charged filed yesterday relate to nearly $28,000 in donations that were collected to help pay for the woman's treatment after the incident. an english woman who sparked international outrage after she was seen dumping a cat into a trash bin has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty. this could lead to a lifetime ban of keeping animals. and brazilian authorities say more than 100 people were hurt after a section of bleachers collapsed at a car race this week. police are still trying to determine the exact cause, but some officials think the bleachers had structural faults that caused them to give away. and now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day -- >> the dow opened as 10,753 after adding 145 points yesterday. the s&p gained 17 points and the nasdaq added 40. overseas, the nikkei lost 23 points and in tokyo the hang seng was up 25. stocks extended their unexpected streak yesterday, but the big question today -- how will the fed's comments on the economy affect the word on the street? investors are hoping for a sign that the central bank might make more moves to keep rates low and restore confidence in the recovery. investors welcomed word yesterday that the longest recession since world war ii officially ended more than a year ago. the s&p traded through the high end of its recent range, adding to the day's upbeat move. the upbeat mood. meanwhile, home builder lennar and discover financial services both traded higher thanks to better than expected earnings. ibm sparked more optimism with news of its $1.7 billion bid for natisa. a bitter battle between mark hurd and his former employer, hewlett packard, is over. the companies announced a settlement yesterday with hurd agreeing to keep hp's company secrets confidential. the "new york times" is reporting bank of america plans to cut several hundred jobs from its investment banking unit this week. meanwhile, walmart is planning to scale down the size of its super stores to squeeze into urban markets including new york and san francisco. london based online gambling company sporting bet has agreed to forfeit $43 million to avoid prosecution in the u.s. for illegally taking online bets from americans. finally, toys "r" us has released its annual list of hottest toys that will likely top holiday shopping lists this year following into the cute, collectible and cheap category, mattel's thingamajigs, and pillow pets. parents, get your note pads out. well, a san francisco treat, the boss is honored and a grand time in anaheim. your early morning sports headlines are just ahead. and it looks like mother nature is going to ignore the calendar. fall? no way. summer heat returns to much of the country. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports they retired jerry rice's jersey in san francisco last night, and then things really heated up. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. it was tight and it came down to the wire, but in the end, the super bowl champs escaped san francisco with a victory. it was a seesaw battle. down to final minutes. 49ers down 8, but they needed a two-point conversion to tie. smith to vernon davis ruled no good on the field. after review they overturned it. now just over a minute to play. >> just enough time for the saints to march down the field. it wasn't pretty, but the saints will take it, they won it, 25-22. in baseball, new york honored george steinbrenner, a plaque. very fitting for the larger than life owner who brought several series timgtss to new york. steinbrenner would have been proud of granderson's performance. a two-run homer in the third and then he did it again. the yanks beat the rays, 8-6. been this kind of year for the angels. bases loaded for juan rivera who ripped a shot to center. the rangers julio grabbed the ball and pushed it back into the park. and tasered by the security guard. remember? it happened again. this time a player stunned everyone. seventh inning. a fan wearing a spandex suit alerted security guards, and that's when the braves tripped him up. diaz kept it all in stride. tipped his hat to the crowd and they gave him a standing ovation. he said after the game that he saw a guard with a taser and thought the fan would rather be tripped than tasered. i think you're right. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. case closed for one of lindsay lohan's legal issues. much different story for the other. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, man's best friend gets a new buddy. you're watching "early today." welcome back. as we get ready to head into fall, friends in alaska, not long before winter. losing a lot of daylight nowadays. fairbanks not bad at 59. take it. anchorage, cloudy, 55 degrees. we see how chill any alaska. we can take 60s and 70s in much of washington and oregon. very warm around salt lake city. near record neat portions of arizona. not as hot as yesterday. 107 in phoenix sgrshgs you're watching on knse 739, san diego, california. travel through 39 million years of history and discover the world of history at the hands-on fossil mysteries exhibit at the san diego natural history museum. that's your pacific event of day. >> bill, thanks. now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. at least one legal issue is resolved for lindsay lohan. the actress has reportedly settled her $100 million lawsuit against e-trade. lohan accused the firm of making fun of her in a super bowl commercial. that refers to a milkaholic baby named lindsay, which the company denies. meanwhile, a judge has issued an arrest warrant and set a friday hearing to determine if the actress violated probation after failing a court-ordered drug test. lady gaga is going from pop to politics, again. the eccentric singer visited maine monday to urge lawmakers to repeal the don't ask don't tell policy ahead of today's senate vote. channeling his inner gordon gekko, michael douglas showed no signs of weakness at the debut of "wall street: nerver sleeps, despite battling stage four throat cancer. a writer fore"the late show with david letterman" says the host was in on the joke with joaquin phillips and the infamous exchange. did you see that? >> i'm not buying it. >> seems convenient. >> i want a letter from letterman saying he was in on it. >> well, this comes to us from kwwl news channel 7 in waterloo, iowa. one man turned a gimmick into big business. phillip hendricks says he stumbled into this monkey business three years ago when he saw a pet monkey riding a dog holding its ears. now the lawyer turned ring master has a show on the road showcasing what he calls the the banana derby. the greatest job in the world. never lose a video like that. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. classical music got a makeover at one party in romania to mark the would-be 200th birthday of chopin. artists around the nation gave the music a twist. that brought out a celebration of young and old, which organizers hopes attracts an entirely new audience to the genre. it's a far cry from being king of the jungle, but these lions are still commanding attention. in south korea, three lion cubs in a baby's crib celebrated the country's three-day thanksgiving holiday dressed in the korean traditional costume. they were on display at a seoul amusement park. visitors got a chance to pet the cubs and even shake their paws. here's a deep sea adventure you've probably never seen before. one diving club in russia marked the end of the season with a sea cycling competition. taking to the shallow end of the lake, the divers did their best to pedal the unusual terrain. despite their best effort, most barely managed to stay on the bike. but the good news here, no need to worry about scraped knees. and i don't think you need to wear the helmet, either. >> spongebob and patrick have bicycles, too. >> who? >> spongebob and patrick. >> bill, for those of us that don't have kids -- >> oh, no, i've watched that before. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. the senate plans to hold a procedural vote on the repeal of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. the law, which bans gays from serving openly in the armed forces is part of the defense authorization bill. getting under way in chicago, a summit on bedbugs. government agencies, along with bedbug experts from the private sector are expected to discuss how to battle the recent surge in infestations. in california, tinker bell gets her own star on the hollywood walk of fame. it will bes 2,418th star on the sidewalk. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. as money questions dog controversial senate candidate christine o'donnell, a look at whether her tea party will ultimately help or hurt the gop. and actress and best selling author tori spelling talks about her new children's book. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of today on your nbc station. have a good one.