"jimmy fallon" happening right ppcheers a this morning on "early today," raising the stakes. another ominous credit rating threat for the u.s. as debt ceiling negotiations take a break. federal case. the fbi opens an investigation into whether rupert murdoch's news corp tried to hack the phones of 9/11 victims. and reefer madness. mexican soldiers bust the country's largest marijuana mexican soldiers bust the country's largest marijuana plantation ever. 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 the hard bargain. as the nation's deficit clock ticks closer to default, lawmakers will regroup today after a week of tense white house negotiations. the president will hold a news conference this morning while on capitol hill a backup plan proposed by senator minority leader mitch mcconnell appears to be gaining momentum. nbc's kristen dahlgren has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. we'll hear from the president in just a few hours. his second press conference this week. he's really taking it to the american people, as he told lawmakers that they have until saturday to try to come up with some type of plan moving forward. yesterday's meeting was described as civil. it focused mostly on taxes, republicans standing firm on their pledge not to raise taxes. meantime, republican and democratic leaders in the senate are trying to work together on that backup plan.

it's a complex plan, but it would put raising the debt ceiling on the president's shoulders and give some lawmakers a way to save face to allow them to vote against raising the debt ceiling. harry reid said they're still interested in a grand plan but they're searching for all alternatives. standard & poor's says it thinks about lowering the nation's credit rating as well. the stichs high. both sides meeting with their caucuses today. then there's the possibility they can get together this weekend. the outrage and inquiry into the phone hacking scandal are growing. an american probe has been launched in addition those taking place in england. speaking in australia, u.s. attorney general eric holder confirmed the fbi is investigating allegations murdoch's news corp tried to hack into the phones of 9/11 victims. those and other accusations

of bribing police for information led murdoch to shut down his "news of the world" tabloid earlier this week. meanwhile lawmakers in london were forced to issue a summons to murdoch and his son james after the pair refused to appear before parliament to answer questions in its inquiry into the scandal. both quickly complied, a sign from the once fearless father and son that their reign of unchecked influence in england may be waning. this morning news international ceo rebekah brooks, a murdoch favorite, one-time editor of "news of the world" has resigned. continued controversy swirls around the military's don't ask, don't tell policy banning openly gay service members despite congress voting to end the 17-year-old policy last year. yesterday the obama administration asked an appeals court to reconsider an order it made for an immediate end to don't ask, don't tell. the court had ruled since the process of repealing the policy

was well under way, there was no reason to continue enforcing it. but the justice department is arguing ending the ban now would eliminate a timetable established last year that was designed to promote an orderly transition. now here's a look at some of the other stories making news early today in america. a severe storm led to a tragic turn of events in utah. heavy rain washed away a road, creating a massive sinkhole, causing a father to crash into the edge of the 30-foot deep and 40-foot wide crater, instantly killing his daughter. another motorist drove into the sinkhole but suffered only minor injuries. if anyone is in need of a long weekend, it's this seattle window washer. the man dangled 65 feet above ground after slipping out of his seat. spectators feared the worse, but

firefighters arrived on the scene and safely returned him to the ground. bad planning is being blamed for an eruption of chaos in dallas early thursday morning. thousands scrambled to get a shot at housing assistance, making a mad dash for a limited supply of vouchers. several were trampled including children. at least eight people suffered injuries before police restored order. and finally, in florida, at one south beach restaurant, they serve up dishes with such outrageous decorations that diners pull out their cameras before digging in. the hot spot has generated a strong following that keeps coming back for all those over-the-top presentations as well as the food. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> what's more important, appearance or taste? >> taste. yeah, i'd eat just about anything if it taste good. it can be in just a brown box and i'd eat it.

>> maybe they do both there. >> maybe. >> good morning, everyone. the weather pattern hasn't changed. actually a little change in the northwest. we got rid of your rain. but everywhere else, what you had yesterday will be your today. temperatures continue on the comfortable side. you may want a light sweater or jacket as you head out the door. l.a. right now 64. portland, we're at 60 degrees. as far as the weather goes, you can see the marine layer down here along portions of southern california. then we have clouds lingering there. our upper level low that plagued us is now opening, but there's another one sinking down to replace it. that's why we have this trough in cool air. the rest of the country will bake and be in this really crazy heat wave while the northwest remains in a cooler weather pattern. 92 in salt lake city. boise at 90, billings at 92. we'll deal with clouds and temperatures a bit below

average. over the weekend just a little chance, one day, we're going to have a little bit of rain in the northwest. i'll tell you where when we come back. >> also when we come back, big ben takes the wind out of wall street sails. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus a huge, record shattering weekend for this big screen installment of harry potter. the nfl lockout is nearing an end. the roger clemens' trial is over and is there such a thing as an all-star game hangover? the if you're the yankees, the answer is yes.

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are the top headlines this morning. two delta airlines planes collided while taxiing on the runway at logan international airport causing damage to one of the plane's tails and the other's wing. one passenger was treated for a possible neck injury. federal prosecutors say an army private was arrested in arizona after trying to board a united airlines flight with half an ounce of c-4 explosives in his baggage. the government says he stole it while attending a training course, but there's no evidence he planned to detonate it. the fbi has released images of bundles of cash and dozens of weapons seized from the home of james "whitey" bulger. authorities are trying to figure out how the former fbi most wanted fugitive lived for years

in california without police knowing. soldiers in western mexico discovered the country's largest marijuana plantation ever. a huge field covering almost 300 acres, four times larger than the previous record. and visitors to yosemite national park will be treated to a rare nighttime phenomena this weekend. a moon bow appears when light from the full moon shines through mist released by the park's many waterfalls. here's an early look at how wall street will kickoff the day. the dow opens at 12,437 after falling 50 points. in tokyo, the nikkei rose 38 points but in hong kong the hang seng lost 64. stocks fell thursday as fed chief ben bernanke backed off hints more fed stimulus could be on the way.

clarifying statements that drove markets higher wednesday, bern nangy stressed the central bank would inject more money into the economy only if things got much worse and now is not the time. that immediately sent stocks falling led by techs and financials. wall street so-called fear index rose, also thanks to no progress in stalled debt ceiling negotiations. after the bell, standard & poor's warned that even if lawmakers do reach the deal the u.s. will lose its aaa credit rating in the next three months has risen considerably. news corp fell 3% after the fbi said it would investigate the phone hacking of 9/11 victims. jpmorgan chase rose reporting higher than expected profit. the only s&p financial to close higher. after hours google shot up 12% on earnings that blew past expectations. conoco phillips rose after the country's third largest oil company said it would split in

two. one the oil producer, the other a refiner. billionaire investor carl icahn offered to buy clorox for about $10.2 billion. with a reported stake of just over 9%, he's already the company's largest holder. and yesterday anglo australian firm bhp bill laton said it's buying petro hawk energy for a little more than $12 billion. and finally after one casey anthony juror reportedly sought thousands for an interview, a florida lawmaker has proposed making it a felony for jurors to profit from civic service. the blue jays and the yankees, hope for the nfl and the first day of the british open. plus being a good athlete doesn't necessarily mean you'll be a good golfer. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead.

with no rain in the forecast, nice to be outdoors heading into the weekend.

good morning. if you are just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, prior to last night for nine straight years, the new york yankees had won their first game back after the all-star

break. last night, eight blue jay runs in the first inning put an end to that streak. here's mario solis with an early look at all of your sports headlines. >> good morning. the all-star break is over and it's time for the second half of the baseball season. someone forgot to tell that to the yankees. chalk this up as an all-star break hangover. bartolo clone giving up eight runs in the first inning. the blue jays can stop playing after that. they won 15-7. greg dobbs putting florida up on top with an rbi double. duane white falls down rounding third. the throw gets away from the catcher and he jogs in to score the go ahead run. the nfl lockout is nearing an end. the league and the players have agreed to a $120 million salary cap. all that's need side to hammer out a few more issues and the lockout could be over as soon as tonight. after a second day of testimony,

the judge declared a mistrial in the roger clemens perjury case after the judge could not guarantee a fair trial because prosecutors showed a jury evidence that had been ruled out. a major blunder by the government prosecutors turned into a home run for roger clemens. after day one of the open, thomas bjorn shares a lead with a kid half his age, tom lewis. the second round is under way in england. aaron roger, tony romo and michael jordan attempting to hit off at a celebrity golf tourname tournament. it didn't go well. after a swing and a miss, rogers breaks the tee in half. take that. romo does get distance, but not with his ball. you are up. jordan makes contact and the ball flies on to the green. just one problem. it was the green on the hole behind him. will someone please end the lockout in the nfl and the nba? these guys need to get back to their day jobs.

that's a look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. a look at the specific records harry potter hopes to break this weekend at the box office. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus cartoon angry birds may be all the rage on smartphones, but coming up we'll show you one very angry bird in real life.

welcome back on this friday. let me take you through your weekend forecast. we're looking good today. not too many issues. temperatures a little cool with the clouds earlier today, hoping it will break out in sunshine this afternoon. a weak system heads to the northwest. we'll see showers especially in the higher terrain. maybe on a period of rain on saturday. temperatures warm in medford, 84, still cool in l.a., san francisco. it will warm up interior california. phoenix saturday at 110, vegas at 102. those coastal areas will remain a little cool. if you are watching us in salinas, california. take a walk down the yellow brick road and the american classic "the wizard of oz" at the children's theater a favorite. thanks so much. now here is an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment.

the debut of the long awaited final film in the boy wizard franchise, "harry potter and the deathly hallows part two" is a set for a record smashing weekend. the main records part two is looking to break the midnight debut opening day and opening weekend. considering how many theaters it's in and screens it's on and the presales figures, they think it will break the first two but just fall short of "the dark knight's" opening weekend total of $158 million. this weekend figure potter to finish at number one with roughly $150 million. after two staggering weekends of earnings, "transformers: dark of the moon" will be humbled with a second place finish in its third week out, but not with a too humble $20 to 225 million bucks. finally the surprisingly r-rated comedy "horrible bosses" should

finish third with over $15 million. from local 4 news in michigan where in grand rapids, morning strollers ended up feeling like they were in a famous hitchcock film. pedestrians in the downtown area ruffled the feathers of one grand rapids resident. folks heading to work or to the gerald ford museum to pay respects to the late first lady betty ford ducked and did their best to dodge the wrath of a red-winged blackbird. >> that's the best right there. >> who attacked anyone who was approaching its perch. >> everybody is really afraid of the birds. >> it's only that big. not much damage that a bird can do. but in new york city, we see the pigeons. >> usually we have an agreement with the birds. we don't ooet hit each other. >> i'm lynn berry. this is "early today."

the skies over paris lit up for a national holiday, bastille day. hundreds of thousands watched and danced to music from "my fair lady" and "singing in the rain." only clear skies for the best view. it's not quite 101 dalmatians, but it's plenty. one dalmatian in england has 16 newborns on her hands, or paws. the mother was also born into a litter of 16. the owners were shocked and had no idea they were about to

inherit so many puppies. their vet even had to write a letter so the kennel club would believe they were all related. so cute. in japan, the drinking age may be 20, but there is no limit to become a drink expert. a 10-year-old has become the youngest certified saki expert. she doesn't actually drink the rice wine but uses her nose and knowledge to perfectly match which sake would go best with your meal. having a keen scent for saki runs in the family. her mom is also an expert and is a sake bar owner. she grew up by her mother's side at the sake bar since she was a baby. this gives her a leg up on the competition. >> you might think i live under a rock but i've never had sake. >> you have never had sake did you ever have sushi? >> yes. >> try it. a former national security agency official who admitted to

leaking information on a failed project to a reporter will be sentenced today. he said he wanted to blow the whistle on agency waste and has asked the judge to sentence him to a year of probation. paul mccartney will play his first of two concerts at yankee stadium tonight to tens of thousands of fans. it kicks off the former beatle's summer on the run tour at ballparks. and msnbc, which launched on this day 15 years ago. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." here's a look at what's coming up later on the "today" show. hear from a senator involved in the deadlocked negotiations and chris brown reports for the summer concert series. keep it locked here. 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.