[ cheers and applause ] this morning on "early today," a free woman. casey anthony will be sentenced on lesser charges after being acquitted of her daughter's killing. enough is enough. president obama calls lawmakers to the white house to talk about the debt ceiling, but will they all play nice? and run for your life. the daring take to the streets in camplona for the running of the bulls. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello. a very good morning to you. welcome to all of you including

those of you in the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz. casey anthony will learn her fate in a florida courtroom this morning when she's sentenced for lying to investigators. the only charges she was found guilty of in the murder trial of her daughter caylee. nbc's kristen dahlgren is in orlando for us this morning. cristen, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, veronica. yeah, casey anthony could be waking up in jail for the last time this morning. huge crowds expected out here at the courthouse today as the judge will decide how much longer she should stay behind bars. each of the four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators carries the potential one-year sentence, but almost three years after casey anthony was first arrested judge perry could sentence her to time already served, a far cry from the death penalty anthony could have faced if convicted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, caylee. and far from what many who watched the case thought should happen. but in an exclusive interview with abc news juror number

three, jennifer ford, said they just didn't have enough proof it was murder. >> it doesn't feel good. it was a horrible decision to have to make, but i had to do it based on the law. >> reporter: casey's parents, george and cindy, were seen leaving their house wednesday with a police escort after receiving death threats. meantime, anthony was subpoenaed in jail in a defamation lawsuit filed by zanida gonzalez, the woman with the same name as the fictional nanny she claimed kidnapped her daughter. >> as soon as i heard the verdict, my reaction was game on. >> reporter: even as anthony waits to learn when she'll go free, her legal troubles may not be over. while in the court of public opinion, she is so far not finding much sympathy. now prosecutors have petitioned 2 court to have casey anthony repay them for the search for caylee. meantime, almost 18,000 people have liked the "i hate casey

anthony facebook page." as for when she'll be leased, they have security in place. >> kristen dahlgren in orlando. thank you. in washington the president doesn't appear to be backing down on his demand for some tax hikes even as republicans show signs of softening their stance ahead of bipartisan budget talks at the white house today. nbc's brian mooar has the latest now from washington. brian, good morning. >> good morning, veronica. the meeting is less than four hours from now. before that president obama was unusually blunt saying he doesn't believe the debt ceiling should be a gun held to the head of the american people. going into this meeting each side has firm demands, but there does seem to be a path for compromise opening up. republicans, especially house majority leader eric cantor, are talking about the possibility of now accepting the end of some tax loopholes as part of a bigger compromise. it will be a crowded room today, but two voices will be heard above the others.

president obama and house speaker john boehner, who will not only have to negotiate some sort of deal, but then sell it to members of their own party. veronica? >> brian mooar in washington, thank you. tragedy struck at yellowstone national park whether a man hiking with his wife was mauled to death by a grizzly. the first fatal bear attack there in 20 years. park officials say the couple surprised the female grizzly who was apparently trying to defend her cubs. the man's wife told park rangers the bear picked her up by her backpack before dropping her on the ground. a group of hikers nearby heard the woman's call for help and used a cell phone to call 911. now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. police in san francisco are hoping a snap shot of an unidentified man will shed some light on a brazen art heist. investigators believe this is the man who walked into a gallery and stole a pablo picasso drawing in broad daylight. the artwork is valued at $200,000. a black bear stalled

wednesday morning traffic on a virginia highway. the bear streaked across a few lanes before being cornered and shot with a tranquilizer gun. the 350-pound animal was transported to an area where it could be released into the wild. in quebec, canada, one log ster was captured as if it has already been cooked. most lobsters are green or brown, but this rare lobster was pulled from the ocean bright orange. because only one in 10 million lobsters are believed to be this color, the crustacean was given a stay of execution and donated to the local aquarium. finally in north carolina, take a look at this minor league right fielder who made a big play on tuesday. he stole the show robbing a player of a home run by making a miraculous catch despite taking a nasty tumble over the wall. there he goes again. oh! miraculously, the player didn't suffer any injuries. oh, my goodness.

now for a lock at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. that couldn't have felt good. i mean, no injuries, but -- >> especially because the fence was only waist high. >> he took a tumble for sure. >> good morning, everyone. around the country today, the heat is the story. there's going to be showers in store, but nothing too dramatic. not too bad in phoenix yesterday after a historic dust storm from two nights ago. temperature very well, look at that. we are at 91 still at this hour in phoenix. we are 60s up around portland and medford. as we mentioned, not a lot of bad weather out there. there were some showers and scattered thunderstorms in the rib country of northern arizona. now we are still watching that flow, nothing is really changed, but the only thing that has changed is the front and the weak storm system coming through the pacific northwest. this will cool you off with temperatures dropping in the days ahead. otherwise, many of the same throughout many areas of the west. here's the forecast for today. first this looks scary, but these are the typical late-day

thunderstorms. not everyone is going to get hit. i would say they are not even scattered, isolated thunderstorms from salt lake city to boise and vegas and phoenix. notice much cooler behind the cold front in seattle only at 65 with the chance for showers. very warm in the interior california, coastal areas very seasonable with temperatures in the 70s and 80fallon at 96. interior california warm in the mid-90s. nothing much is going to change heading into the weekend. still a lot of nice weather. >> i just was in vegas and it was 105. and because of all the rain, it feels more like 80. so i guess that's the one good thing. >> sometimes during the summer it will cool you off. >> not bad. trucking on wall street, a stock sinks a scandal and the politically-correct company

accused of not paying pc wages. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, kim kardashian proved the public relations warning, never make a statement that can be taken out of context. >> coming up, debate raid, shaving cream and a swing and a miss. you're watching "early today."

a very good morning to you. welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. there's a ban on openly gay members serving in the military. a stay had previously been issued as the policy made its way through the courts. the ruling merely hastens plans by pentagon officials to formally scrap the policy by the end of this month. in california authorities say three former pta mothers recruited investors in a $14 million ponzi scheme. two have been arrested.

one was already in jail. it's believed they spent some of the money on lavish vacations, new cars, and gambling. prince william and wife catherine took a detour from their official itinerary on their trip to canada yesterday to visit a town recently damaged by a wildfire. they met with rescue workers and displaced residents. and it is that time of the year in pamplona, spain. run for your life. the first of this year's running of the bulls got underway this morning. in today's run, at least two people suffered minor injuries. now here's an early look at wall street. the dow opens at 12,626 after gaining 56 points yesterday. the s&p nudged up one. the nasdaq rose eight. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo the nikkei fell 11 points, but in hong kong the hang seng added 12. whether it was true market

confidence or just light summer trading investors shrug off bad news wednesday, and wall street managed slight gains across the board. on the data front business growth on the service sector slowed in june. on the plus side, june marked the 19th consecutive month of growth in service companies, which employ the majority of americans. major banks fell sharply on fears of their exposure to possible bond defaults involving portugal. bank of america fell almost 2.5%. trucker conway was up 6% and led the dow transportation average to an all-time closing high after restoring employee benefits due to the economy improving. software maker compuware rose 5.5% after buying dynatrace predicted next year's sales will more than double. >> rupert murdock's news corp. owner of "news of the world" the tabloid at the center of the scandal involving hacking phones of war fatalities was down over 4% after several advertisers

pulled ads in protest. the scandal could also short circuit a takeover of a hugely profitable pay tv firm. u.s. album sales grew in the first six months of the year from a year ago. the first gain in seven years. and today watch for weekly jobless claims and june's private employment report. finally, starbucks may be a corporate leader in pc marketing, but employees at outlets in chile plan to walk out today because they say wages are so low they can't afford lunch. albert returns. jeter counts down, and a crusher in women's soccer. plus, try as he might to avoid a celeb a terror face plant, the marlins' mike stanton eats it. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. today will be another day with summertime showers and thunderstorms and more hot weather in texas. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

well, good morning. if are you just waking up, this is "early today." in sports wednesday the st. louis cardinals welcome back one of the greatest players from a brief injury absence. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. if you woke up with aches and pains today, keep in mind the cardinal's albert pujols recovered from a broken forearm

in two weeks, an astonishing month ahead of schedule. keep in mind pujols makes $14.5 million a year, and that can make anyone feel great. there he is, the three-time mvp back in the lineup. an immediate impact. rbi single in the seventh. they tied in the ninth. however, they couldn't get over the hump. hernandez doubled in the go-ahead run to the 13th, and the reds hung on to win it 9-8. another game. another hit for derek jeter. doubled off the wall in the eighth. a bright spot for the yanks. they lost 5-3 to the indians. jeter needs three more hits for 3,000 as the yanks head back to new york. after losing out twice, the sting of peongchang in south korea was awarded the 2018 winter olympics. they've become the first asian city outside of japan to win the games. rough day for the u.s. drive down the swedish forward in the box. that's a penalty kick. you won't miss too many of those. the u.s. down 1-0. minutes later off a free kick

the ball deflected into the net. forgetful day for her and the u.s. they lost it 2-1. they'll play brazil on sunday. winner moves on. loser goes home. before we go, former marlin outfielder mike stanton is forecasted to be a future star, and maybe it is because of his quickness. in florida he had his first career walk-off homer in the 10th against the phils. in his big interview after the game, here comes a gatorade. oh, nice move. we now move again to the shaving cream. swiss and a miss. he can't be that quick, can he? finally, fatigue set in. he said, let me have it. mike stanton did his best, but in the end he still got creamed. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. >> narrator: early today sports is brought to you by touch of gray. get rid of some gray, never all. one star names her baby, and reports an ex-super couple has reunited. your entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, they're coming to america, but are they ready for hollywood?

coming up, a not so prim and proper tribute to the royal couple. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." your thursday forecast, not too dramatic. showers and thunderstorms are possible in the inner mountain west. the humidity is up in areas like phoenix and tucson.

that's why we are sparking storms late in the day. same for vegas. a little dry in much of california, but just a slight chance for a shower in seattle with the cold front really cooling off temperatures there in the 60s. tomorrow better, 70s for the northwest. notice the thunderstorm threat diminishes and heads to the midwest. if you are watching us on kenb, the event of the day is the art exhibit. that's your pacific event of the day. >> you were skipping around there. >> it is an opt call course. >> you are graceful. nice job. >> here's an early look at today's headlines in entertainment. the latest entry for strange hollywood baby names has a classical, but still a pretty weird ring to it. "people" magazine reports natalie portman and her husband benjamin have named their son alef. i don't know.

it is like an olive but with a ph, oliph. >> it's the first letter of the hebrew alphabet and means the number one. oliph. >> justin timberlake and jennifer beal have been rekindling their romance. they decided to give love another try. and this one sort of makes charlie sheen's new tv show will be based on the movie "anger management" and charlie will be playing the jack nicholson character. finally, talk about walking into one. although she means that she always feels she's on display, the jokes are already flying over kim kardashian's quote from her upcoming cosmopolitan cover story. she says, "sometimes i feel like a zoo animal." >> what does she mean by that one? >> her quotes are not proper for

tv, but i think she means taking pictures and the hysteria. >> when you make as much money as she does, you can't complain. the three sisters make more than $60 million. >> not bad for a caged animal. from beverly hills in california where tinseltown is in a tizzy anticipating the arrival of prince william and catherine. the real question is, is the royal couple ready for hollywood? their trip to the west coast has inspired one unique artistic expression, take a look at this. unveiled yesterday it features the newlyweds and a hovering angelic princess diana. the proceeds will go to three charities, including one chosen by the couple themselves. i'm veronica de la cruz, this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

one pet shop owner in germany is positive two heads are better than one. a python that was born with one body but two heads and brains has become something of a local celebrity there. the snake has become so popular the pet shop owner doesn't think he can part with the slithery creature. it's believed to be one of only two two-headed snakes in the world today. archaeologists have uncovered sculptures in mexico that are helping them peek into the past. the 1,300-year-old limestone sculptures were modelled after mayan warriors who were taken as prisoners. there are detailed alliances between early cultures at the time.

experts believe other relics recently found served as scoreboards during ancient sporting events. and they might be little, but they have made a big debut. lynx triplets born at one zoo in poland made their first public appearance this week. on their first outing the shy ones didn't venture far from their mom, but their caretakers think they will become the zoo's next big attraction. the cubs are part of a special breeding program of wild animals native to poland. to say they're cute would be an understatement. i mean, they are adorable, right? >> of course. >> time for an early look at some of the stories we were going to follow throughout the day here on nbc. a mexican citizen convicted of rape and murder is scheduled to be executed in texas unless the supreme court intervenes. the man was never informed of his right to speak with mexican officials after his arrest, and his execution would put the u.s. in violation of an international treaty. the final harry potter film

"the deathly hallows part two" premiers in london. thousands have been camping out just for a peek at the film's stars. and happy birthday to beatle ringo starr who turns 71. he urges friends and followers to say, tweet, or think of words peace and love at noon wherever they may be. all day long you can stay on top of the latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. it is sentencing day for casey anthony after years in jail. will she finally get her freedom? and can president obama and congressional leaders put aside their differences and finally work out a deal on the debt? house majority leader eric cantor speaks out. now, keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you so much for watching

"early today." just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific thursday. [ male announcer ] you don't make the world's best chicken by pressing a button. it takes a cook. we're kfc and we've got a certified cook in every restaurant freshly making the colonel's original recipe, today and every day. 11 herbs and spices, hand-breaded, hands down the world's best chicken. today is a kfc day. so bring home a real meal -- 10 pieces of that famous chicken, 3 large sides and 6 biscuits. enoued a family of four or more, just 20 bucks. today tastes so good.