"jimmy fallon" coming up right now. this morning on "early today," all plugged up. bp manages to turn off the oil in the gulf, but will it last? out of bounds. a former bush aide reveals cia a former bush aide reports cia exceeded legal limitsith harsh interrogations of detainees. and order in the court. tempers flare outside a murder arraignment in ohio. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone.

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with "finally." at least for the moment, the spewing oil well in the gulf of mexico has been plugged. for the first time in nearly three months after untold millions of gallons of oil fouled the gulf of mexico, bp has gained control over one of the biggest environmental catastrophes in history. nbc's kristen dahlgren joins us live now from venice, louisiana. good morning, kristen. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. you know, this may not be the last time we ever see oil leaking from the well. but so far this morning we see no evidence of any oil leaking out of the well. it is the sight so many had waited for, a stop to the geyser of oil that has been shooting into the gulf for almost three months. >> i am incredibly ecstatic about it. >> reporter: it was yesterday afternoon when engineers shut down the new capping system, closing off the flow. but though the pictures appear to show a cap that is holding back the crude, bp was quick to warn it is still just a test and still may be temporary.

>> but i have to stress we have to manage our expectations because depending on what the results are could depend on what happens next. it's possible if the pressures are low that we'll have to reinitiate the flow. >> reporter: engineers will monitor those pressures for up to 48 hours, watching to see how the well holds. >> i think it's important to know whether the well has leaks or not. and it could be an important issue for them to watch while they're doing the kill operation itself. >> reporter: that kill operation, the relief wells, remain the ultimate solution for permanently closing off the well, and with so much oil already in the gulf, an end to the flow is by no means an end to the fight. >> i think, you know, the battle is still out there, you know. the beast is still out there. it's already gotten into the water. >> reporter: into the water and everything else here. >> now that it's stopped, we can start the healing process. >> reporter: a process that is

just beginning, even if the new cap really can end the leak. now, if all continues to go according to plan, the tests will last until saturday. at some point after that, officials will decide whether to leave the flow of oil shut off, or to try to siphon some, if not all, of the oil to the surface. kristen, thanks. well, nearly two years after the start of the wall street meltdown that put the global economy on the brink of collapse, yesterday congress passed a sweeping overhaul of the financial sector. the bill, hailed by democrats and slammed by republicans, now heads to the president's desk for his signature. nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> conference report is agreed to. >> reporter: it was 60-39. financial reform passed the senate on a mostly party line vote. democrats broke a republican filibuster. >> and thank you. thank you, american people.

finally! >> reporter: president obama hopes voters applaud. >> in short, wall street reform will bring greater security to folks on main street. >> reporter: to protect consumers, the so-called finreg bill sets up two new agencies and tougher rules, to regulate banking and crack down on risky investing after wall street's near meltdown of 2007. >> to fix this system so this does not happen again. >> reporter: republicans were passionately opposed. >> this is precisely the kind of thing americans are tired of, a government simply out of control. >> reporter: democrats say their finreg bill blocks the way back to the scary days of '07. i'm nbc's steve handelsman, capitol hill. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in new york, newly released video shows a routine traffic

stop can turn deadly. dash cam footage shows a suspect taking off as police pursue him on foot. at one point the driver hits one of the officers and pulls him under the vehicle before he's fatally shot. both of the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing for using deadly force in the incident. in ohio two men will be arraigned on charges of disorderly conduct today for allegedly taking part in a brawl outside a courtroom. police say the fight broke out between the family members of a murder suspect and a victim. the judge says the altercation highlights the need for more security at the courthouse. back in new york, archaeologists are racing to salvage an unexpected find at the world trade center site. construction workers came across the hull of a ship dating back to at least the 18th century. it was likely buried there to fill in land in an effort to extend lower manhattan. and a frozen salmon popsicle may not sound that appetizing to you, but for florida lions trying to beat the heat, there's

nothing tastier. big cats at a local safari couldn't get enough of the treats that were packaged in cardboard animals. so in addition to cooling off, the lions got a little pouncing practice. showing off for people there and looking adorable. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's meteorologist rafael miranda from nbc station wnbc new york with the forecast. we're going to need a lot of ice pops this weekend. >> that's right, lynn. good morning. anything frozen is going to be a great idea this week, especially across the southwest. the heat continues. light spotty showers in arizona. high pressure keeps the hot feeling around for most of us. take a look at radar, spotty activity from phoenix to tucson. temperatures already in the mid-90s in phoenix and las vegas. 71 in las vegas. near record highs in phoenix and las vegas. 92 in los angeles. we're expecting more of the same. for that reason heat warnings in

effect for phoenix, desert southwest and portions of inland los angeles later this afternoon of this is why. you can see high temperatures approaching that 115 mark in phoenix. oncebluff, california, scorching 108 with sunny skies. sacramento over that 100 mark. santa rosa, california, looking good. 86 with sunshine. >> lynn, back to you. >> all right. thank you goldman settles, bp caps, and what's apple going to do about the new iphone? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, will other worldly special effects and one of hollywood's hottest stars make for a winner this weekend at the box office? a record low at the british open, and you're not going to believe what got a rider kicked out of the tour de france. you're watching "early today." good morning.

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. a minor earthquake shook residents in around the nation's capital. the magnitude 3.6 quake could be felt in four states. so far no injuries or damage have been reported. a spokesperson for the u.s. geological survey says it's the d.c. area's largest quake on record. an ex-bush justice department official who approved brutal interrogation methods by the cia says he never signed off on some of the tactics detainees claimed were used on them. the revelation came in congressional testimony made public yesterday. in it he said that approved techniques such as waterboarding were used excessively and that the cia never asked for approval of other tactics, including

punching, kicking, and dousing them with cold water. according to u.s. army data last month, about a soldier a day committed suicide. june saw a record number of suicides. despite aggressive counseling programs, the number of those taking their own lives is up 12% from last year. new data shows the last month was the hottest ever recorded on earth. according to measurements that go back to 1880, average mercury was 61 degrees, up more than a degree from the 20th century average. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,359 after losing 7 points yesterday. the s&p added a point, and the nasdaq lost a fraction. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei fell 277 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng lost 5. ironically two of wall

street's biggest recent bad boys saved thursday from being a total wipeout. trading picked up late on word goldman sachs agreed to a settlement over civil fraud charges over misleading buyers of mortgage-related investments. goldman will pay the securities & exchange commission fines of $300 million and $250 million to compensate investors. also late in the day, bp shares zoomed on word the company succeeded in stopping the flow of oil into the gulf. shares rose even higher after hours. earning news continues to be good. second quarter profit at general electric, the current owner of this network was up over 16%, beating wall street forecast. the news has sent shares of ge higher in premarket trading. jpmorgan easily beat analysts' expectations, reporting its second quarter net income soared 77%. the earnings exception, google, the company's second quarter earnings missed wall street's

target as higher expenses in the european debt crisis dragged down the internet search leader. keep an eye on advanced micro devices today. after the bell, amd reported better than expected quarterly results, which sent its stock higher after hours. also today, apple's expected iphone news conference. experts say three things could happen. apple denies there's a problem with signal dropping in the new model, unlikely. apple recalls the new model for fixing. so costly and damaging, highly unlikely. finally, apple gives owners of the new model a free bumper case, which seems to alleviate the problem. experts think this is most likely. and, finally, it was inevitable. paul the "psychic" octopus who so successfully predicted world cup matches is now an iphone application. it's described as a fun way to randomly choose between any two options.

he's got a good success rate. well, a red-hot opening round in the british open, and baseball returns from its mid summer snooze, or does it. plus, sportsmanship reaches a new low in the tour de france bike race. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. sizzling temperatures continue across the southwest. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, after the opening round of golf's british open, all the big names are chasing after northern ireland's record-breaking 21-year-old rory mcilroy. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good friday morning to you. he may be only 21, but rory mcilroy accomplished something few have seen at golf's oldest course. here we go to st. andrews where the kid was all right. in fact, he was great. got things going on 9 when he drove the green and rolled in the putt for eagle. he has a two-stroke lead after tying a majors mark with a 9 under 63. the last guy to do that, tiger woods. using a new putter on 13, tiger got the bird to fall. he is four strokes off the lead. john daly looked great after losing about 100 pounds. his fashion sense, another story, but take nothing away from his game. his approach on 6 stopped within a few feet of the pin. he is three back. but with the good come the bad. anders hansen, on the famed road

hole bunker, we sped up the video to ease the pain. it took him four shots to get out of the sand. he finished with a quadruple bogey. i think we've all been there before. round two of the open is under way in scotland. baseball, somebody's got to tell the brewers' zach braddock that the second half of the season has started. wake up, zach! we're playing again! nothing sluggish about the way the braves have been playing. martin prado and chipper jones both hit solo homers in the third. atlanta has won five of their last six after beating the brewers, 2-1. twins and white sox, chicago with runners on the corners. alex burnett with a pitch -- or not. he did everything right except let go of the ball. that's a balk in anybody's book. in came the tying run. when a.j. pierzynski finally got a pitch across the plate, he ripped a go-ahead double rbi. the white sox win it, 8-7. and, finally, who says cycling's not a physical sport. mark renshaw became the first person to be kicked out of the tour de france for headbutting another rider. yep, he headbutted someone. renshaw tried to make a path for his teammate, mark cavendish, and took it a step too far. funny thing, it worked. cavendish won the stage, but

renshaw's tour is over. talk about a bonehead move. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great weekend. i'm fred roggin. well, which proven box office star isn't expected to do well this weekend? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, they're some of the greatest baseball players we've never seen getting some much deserved recognition. yo're watching "early 'ry."da

welcome back. we're expecting another sizzler across the southwest. the hundreds in phoenix, high 90s for los angeles. the heat continues in the southwest, 92 in l.a. a bit cooler, sunny and clouds in san francisco. the heat doesn't take a break in the southwest. if you're watching on knsd, nbc 7/39, the kids can mix a soundtrack and make a video in unique zebra stripes at imprinted disks exhibit at the children's museum. your pacific event of the day. >> i like that. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. at the box office this weekend, two big new films, both featuring a box office headliner. but while one is expected to fly high, the other is expected to

fizzle. "inception" stars leonardo dicaprio and a mind-bending world where technology allows one to enter the human mind through dream invasion. it's gotten rave reviews, but experts wonder how it will play in mid-america. those same experts worry about its two-hour-plus running time. nevertheless, the effects filled thriller is expected to take the top spot with up to $60 million. "the sorcerer's apprentice" stars nicolas cage as a master sorcerer who recruits an everyday guy to help defend new york from his archenemy. experts blame muddled marketing for low interest, and don't expect the jerry bruckheimer-produced film to land better than third place with around $15 million. and, finally, analysts expect another strong showing from last weekend's champ, the family-friendly animated comedy "despicable me." it should take second place with around $30 million bucks. you know, i've heard so much

about this movie, "inception" a lot of good reviews. i have a feeling that's what i'll be dragged to. >> that's probably a good idea with the heat and humidity. >> get out of there. this comes from action news in kansas city, missouri where the u.s. postal service is honoring hundreds of unrecognized players who gave so much to america's pastime. new postage stamps commemorating negro league baseball were unveiled yesterday. one stamp an action scene. the other a portrait of the businessman who founded the national negro league in 1920. a 77-year-old former player who autographed the stamps said it was, quotish the most beautiful thing not to be forgotten. that is for sure. i'm lynn berry, this is early today, just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

offers are pouring in for the world's most famous and so-called psychic octopus. paul the octopus, made famous for predicting the world cup outcomes perfectly, including spain's win, is a wanted man. spain already named him an honorary citizen and now wants him to call the triumphant country home, but officials at his german aquarium say not so fast. paul is not for sale. one hotel will stop you in your tracks, literally. converted train carriages from the '20s and '30s are now a luxury bed and breakfast in england. the homage to the golden age of rail offers plenty of modern amenities.

the pullman carriage cost around $200,000 to remodel, but with only 100 originals left in the world, this concept could pull in a lot more. it is man versus machine, and both win. an innovative company in new zealand unveiled one-of-a-kind bionic legs. the design, known as rex, is giving one paraplegic a chance to walk again after being paralyzed from the waist down dow to a motorcycle accident. the hope is to offer rex worldwide for around $150,000, but with benefits that are priceless. isn't that amazing when you see him walking like that? that just gives hope to an entire group of people. >> >> that's right. triumph over tragedy. >> absolutely. remarkable. well, time now for a look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. the teenager known as "barefoot bandit" will be in a miami courtroom where a judge will decide whether he should be released on bail. the 19-year-old faces charges

for an alleged two-year string of crimes, including thefts reportedly carried out shoeless. iphone 4 owners may get some answers from apple. the company holds a news conference, presumably about customer reception problems with the new device. and in new york, the yankees will play in the team's first game since the death of their owner, george steinbrenner. the yankees will hold a tribute before tonight's game against the tampa bay rays. 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. nbc chief white house correspondent chuck todd goes one on one with president obama about the economy and the midterm election. and the plaza heats up as enrique iglesias performs in the summer concert series. and 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 the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.