jimmy fallon happening right [ cheers and applause ] this morning on "early today," immigration intervention. a judge blocks part of arizona's controversial immigration law. so, what happens now? fast-food nightmare. what a burger franchise cook is accused of slipping into meals. and feeding frenzy. hundreds of alligators swarm a georgia waterway for cw time. 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. and today, we begin with struck down.

a federal judge in arizona has backed the obama administration's high-stakes challenge of arizona's controversial immigration law just hours before it was set to become law. while some provisions still go into effect today, key parts of this new legislation have been blocked, setting the stage for a lengthy court battle with arizona's governor already saying she plans to appeal. nbc's tracie potts is in washington with that story. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. arizona was ready for this fight. they have been ready for a few months now. and now a federal judge has weighed in. so, the law is in effect. it is now the law of the land in arizona, but not quite as tough as it was intended to be. >> what do we want? legalization! when do we want it? now! >> reporter: from the white house to california to the hot seat of this issue, arizona, people are furious over the state's new immigration law and the judge's decision to put its most controversial provisions on hold.

>> i found the judge's decision absurd. >> we cannot continue to criminalize parents who want to be here with their children. >> reporter: what takes effect today is a watered-down version of the law. police cannot arrest people for not carrying legal papers. >> i was worried personally that i would get stopped and asked if, you know, where's your documentation? >> reporter: arizona sheriff joe arpaio says law or not, he'll continue his campaign against illegal immigrants. >> if they arrest 1,000 tomorrow, which they won't do because of this ruling, but if we do, i've got room for 1,000, 2,000. i have no problem. >> reporter: of the much of the outrage is directed at arizona's governor, but she's unfazed. >> i look at this as a little bump in the road. >> reporter: and just the beginning of what could have a big impact on upcoming elections. >> it's going to keep this matter, i think, in a very high-profile situation through november. >> reporter: and that's the

concern here on capitol hill. comprehensive immigration reform is not expected to happen this year, but a lot of these lawmakers are in very tough re-election campaigns, so they may have to answer for this issue anyway. lynn? >> tracie potts in washington. tracie, thank you. well, this morning's "washington post" reports the obama administration is trying to make it easier for the fbi to access an individual's internet activity without a court order. in order to get the data, federal agents would have to deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation. government lawyers saw the proposal would apply to the addresses to which a user sends e-mail, the times and dates e-mail was sent and received and a user's browser history. they were quick to point out it does not include the content of the e-mail. still, critics say the move is a threat to privacy and civil liberties. meanwhile, fbi director robert mueller is defending the bureau against allegations that hundreds of agents cheated on a

test about domestic surveillance. testifying on capitol hill yesterday, mueller acknowledged that an undisclosed number cheated, but said he is waiting on the results of an inspector general's investigation to determine how widespread the problem was. the issue is whether some of the agents took the open-book test together, violating rules calling for them to take it alone. during yesterday's hearing committee, chairman patrick leahy said he was "amazed" at the scope of the scandal. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in florida, a former fast-food employee will spend the next five years in prison for slipping painkillers into a customer's sandwich. surveillance video shows the worker appearing to reach into his pocket, pull something out and place it on the food. police say it was a highly potent narcotic that caused the person who ate it to suffer a seizure. a georgia fisherman captured video of what experts say is a

rarely seen alligator-feeding frenzy. hundreds of alligators can be seen thrashing in the water as they try and snap up fish at a wildlife refuge. one biologist said a feeding like this only happens once every three or four years. and back in florida now, where one homeowner was in for quite a shock when he discovered a bear rummaging through the trash outside his third-floor apartment. the quick-thinking resident snapped a few photos of the raid before the four-legged creature ran off to enjoy his feast. and also in georgia, a newborn hybrid animal is take a close look at that little guy. she's a zedonk, a rare cross between a zebra father and a donkey mother. zoo officials say she has zebras' instincts, though, since she sits up instead of lying on her side, a sign that she's staying alert for predators. and now for a look at your national and regional weather,

here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. i hear the giggle already with the forecast. when you take your little ones to the zoo, you can kill two birds with one stone, you know? hey, kids, look, it's a donkey and it's a zebra. does that work or is it kind of creepy? >> the how is the longer conversation. >> the birds and the bees. let's start not even there. >> no, not even, or the petri dish. let's chat about what's happening weatherwise around the nation. good morning, everyone. weather's been rather stagnant. we've had the same weather pattern in the west for the last couple days, and that continues today. some monsoonal moisture up through arizona with some showers, and we're also watching for the most part right along the coast of california those clouds continuing to linger. we're not going to see much of a change. we're not going to be too warm, not going to be too cool. everything's going to be right in the middle. as far as arizona goes, phoenix, showers around town. coastal clouds are lingering here. and this little system is going to head out and weaken. a lot of areas will be dry today, but in arizona, you will have a chance of a sprinkle or storm. you can see just a little bit of

the shower activity near the valley. some of that's probably not even reaching the ground. so, forecast today, there will be a chance for rain on and off, maybe this morning in arizona, then hot this afternoon and sunny. and look at the temperatures. cool on the coast. 94 in medford's pretty warm, but cooler than we'd like up in the pacific northwest. so, overall, it will be a lot like yesterday. that's a look at your thursday 92. sacramento, what a perfect summer day, sunny and 82. we'll take a peek at the friday forecast, and maybe, lynn, if you're lucky, just maybe, i'll take a look at saturday to start the weekend. >> all right. i'm sitting at the edge of my seat, bill. thanks. >> i know you are. orders fall, manufacturing falls and stocks take a dip. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, angelina jolie's wild past comes back to haunt her.

cardinals and mets need 13 innings, a walk-off in san francisco, and remember, you need three outs in baseball. you're watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. in southern california, firefighters say dozens of structures have been lost to a series of wildfires fueled by strong winds and sun-scorched earth. governor arnold schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in kern county where native mountains in the mojave desert have been shrouded in plumes of thick black smoke. officials say one of the blazes is 25% contained. so far, no word on what sparked those fires. also in california, governor schwarzenegger brought back furloughs for thousands of state employees yesterday to address the state's $19 billion deficit. the cost-cutting measure forces

state staffers to take three unpaid days off per month starting in august. schwarzenegger issued a similar order last year. in arizona, all three people onboard a medical helicopter were killed when it came crashing down yesterday. federal aviation officials said air traffic control received no distress call from the chopper. a witness on the ground said the pilot appeared to keep the aircraft from hitting a house in its path. in china, rescuers pulled people to safety as catastrophic floodwaters continue to rage in many parts of that country. torrential rains have caused a staggering number of deaths this year, nearly 1,000 with hundreds more missing. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,497 after dropping 39 points yesterday. the s&p lost 7, and the nasdaq fell 23 points. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei dipped 57 points, but

in hong kong, the hang seng nudged up two. news confirming fears the economic recovery is sputtering sent stocks lower wednesday, first in what traders took as an unmistakable sign economic recovery has cooled in the second quarter. new orders for long-lasting manufacturing goods fell unexpectedly for a second straight month in june, posting the largest drop since last august. adding to the disappointment, the federal reserve's beige book, a periodic summary of national economic conditions. while the fed found manufacturing expanded in several regions, in about half, manufacturing had slowed or leveled off. boeing added to the gloom, forecasting full-year earnings slightly below estimates. the plane maker's shares fell almost 2%. home builders fell sharply a day after meritage homes reported a 22% sales decline following the expiration of the federal home buyer tax credit. meritage shares fell more than 6%. cvs caremark reported weaker

quarterly earnings. it lowered its profits forecast, but shares rose, thanks to a huge pharmacy services contract struck with aetna. the 12-year contract, which cvs caremark called the largest and longest in the industry, will bring in revenue of over $8 billion next year. on the plus side, defense contractor general dynamics and conocophillips, america's third largest oil company, both posted stronger-than-expected quarterly profits. sprint nextel added subscribers for the first time in three years in the second quarter, and its revenues slightly topped forecasts. and, finally, officials in greene county, ohio, have just decided to give up when it comes to replacing the frequently stolen signs put up on wildman road. the county engineer says he figures they've done enough helping to decorate bedrooms, garages and dorm rooms. well, the cardinals go extra against the mets, the giants walk off in florida, and a mariner gets the silent treatment.

plus, the red sox get out their brooms and slam the angels. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in your thursday weather, the southern half of the country continues to bake. 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, chicago cubs' first baseman derrek lee is staying put and has no intention of becoming an angel. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the l.a. angels are in desperate need for a power-hitting first baseman. thought they had a deal in place to trade for the cubs' derrek lee. lee said, uh-uh, not happening, rejected the trade. apparently, missing the playoffs for the cubs is a whole lot better than missing them with the angels. angels also could have used some relief against the red sox. tied at three in the eighth, the sacks full, marco scutaro. if it's fair, it's a grand slam, and there it goes. second grand slam of his career. red sox won it, 7-3. angels now 8 1/2 back in the west. another game, another missed opportunity for alex rodriguez to hit home run number 600. the yankees' robinson cano has not had any problems hitting the long ball. a solo shot, his 19th of the year. yanks blow out the indians 8-0. mets and cards played a marathon in new york.

finally in the 13th, the cards took the lead. who else? albert pujols got it done with an rbi single. cards won it, 8-7. mets are the league's worst, 11-21 in one-run games, and that ain't good. to san francisco. the giants blew a seven-run lead, but managed to pull out a win against the marlins in the tenth. sacks are full. andre torres ripped a fly ball to left. all the marlins could do was watch it drop. no way they would have got a runner tagging at third. giants made it interesting. they won it, 10-9. it's almost as rare as a buffalo nickel. seattle's sean figgins hit a home run against the white sox, first as a member of the mariners. look at the guys in the dugout. they gave him the cold shoulder treatment. i wouldn't know what to do either. unfortunately it wasn't enough. the mariners lost it, 6-5. finally, a funny moment to show you from milwaukee where reds' starter travis wood struck out joe inglett to retire the side -- or so he thought so. travis began walking off the field. travis. oh, hey! you know what? only two outs. get back out there. you've got to get one more. reds' skipper dusty baker had a

good laugh since he won it, 10-2. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. well, who's taking over for simon on "american idol?" your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, is farming a dying occupation? not if these kids have anything to say about it. you're watching "early today."

well, welcome back. here's a look at your thursday forecast. starting with showers near phoenix this morning. the afternoon should be dry. we will continue to watch dry conditions in much of california and temperatures will be near seasonal averages. the exception will be along the coast. it's been a very chilly summer in san francisco, and that continues into your friday. boise will be hot and salt lake city. notice some of the heat's really starting to build again into the weekend in the interior. and salt lake city will be near 100 by saturday. also along the coast of california, i don't have any changes for you, even into the weekend. well, if you're watching us on kget, that's channel 17 in bakersfield, california, bring the family to learn all about the history and the future of oil at the fun and interactive "black gold: the oil experience." that's at the kern county museum. that's your "pacific event of the day." bill, thanks. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. in showbiz, some say no publicity is bad publicity. angelina jolie probably

disagrees. still out promoting her new film "salt," the latest issue of the tabloid "star" features what it bills as x-rated photos of the actress. the photos of a scantily clad jolie reportedly taken years ago by a friend also allegedly show her smoking heroin. meanwhile, reports say jolie and brad pitt have just bought a 15-bedroom mansion in northern italy for $40 million. well, tmz reports jessica simpson's had several meetings with "american idol" producers about taking over simon cowell's judging duties. that follows other reports which say that both justin timberlake and elton john have turned down offers to fill cowell's seat. and, finally, the website popeater reports a big reunion is in the works for season ten of "dancing with the stars." and everyone's invited, everyone, that is, except kate gosselin, because according to a source, she never returns anyone's calls or e-mails. she's a busy lady. she has eight kids. well, this comes to us from

wvit nbc 30 in hartford, connecticut, where in nearby west simsbury kids are skipping the traditional summer camp in favor of getting life lessons on the farm. for two months, children get to learn firsthand about the hard work it takes to keep a farm running. they take part in everything from collecting eggs to taking care of animals, and despite the challenges, kids say they still have fun. and best of all, they say they learn something new every day. that's all you can ask for, right, bill? >> yeah, have you ever worked on a farm? >> i haven't. i've been to a farm and done sort of similar things where you, you know, learn how to do everything. but working on a farm for a summer would actually be a pretty cool job. >> i did it. i got to feed the little baby cows. it was really cute. >> absolutely. well, i'm lynn berry and this is early tod"early today," first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

technology may be the enemy for those in their golden years, but in japan, engineers hope it becomes their best friend. robots for the elderly were unveiled in tokyo. some make grasping bottles and glasses easier. others have programs for face recognition and memory to help dementia patients. with one of the world's fastest aging societies, the hope is to help the elderly maintain independence. wine lovers get a special taste of france at one hideaway school. wine-tasting classes can be found deep underground through a tunnel connected to the louvre museum. the path was originally an escape route for king louie xv

when he hosted the king's court. now tourists look to leave with a more sophisticated palate. we know who you don't want in your bowling league. rhinos are hoping to get a lucky strike at one zoo in kansas. walking on four legs makes it a little tough to use a ball, but that's what horns come in handy for, and while their scores may not be great, the cause is very worthy. money raised goes to a rhino foundation aimed at protecting their species. see, bill, i would do such a better job if i just used my head. >> suppose i take you bowling today. i'm not talking about bumpers. no bumpers for you. >> no. >> what are the odds that you'd break a hundred? >> i think the fact that i'm not exactly sure what breaking a hundred means probably gives you a good indication of how well that would go. >> yeah. maybe 50. >> yeah. let's stick with easier sports for me. time now for a look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in arizona, despite a judge's ruling to block the most controversial parts of the state's new immigration law, several groups will still go ahead with protests in the

state's capital as part of the national day of noncompliance. on capitol hill, a hearing is still scheduled to take place, laying out allegations of ethics violations against long-time new york congressman charles rangel. rangel's lawyers had been working to settle the case before details are made public today. and in beverly hills, actor mark wahlberg will get a star on the hollywood walk of fame. 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. biden one on one. the vice president gets candid with ann curry. and tragic mix-up. hear from the parents who were told their daughter had died in a car crash when, in fact, she was still alive. 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. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com