this morning on "early today," the growing fallout. england's phone hacking scandal claims the country's top cop and rupert murdoch's former chief executive. horror in ottawa. severe weather causes a stage to collapse at a music festival in canada. and the agony of defeat. japan stuns the u.s. in a riveting women's world cup japan stuns the u.s. in a riveting women's world cup final. 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 the domino effect.

the casualties from england's newspaper phone hacking scandal keep piling up, as england's top-ranking police officer abruptly resigned, and one of rupert murdoch's most trusted executives was arrested and questioned by police for 12 hours. nbc's stephanie gosk has details. >> reporter: london police chief resigned under intense pressure after it emerged that scotland yard hired a former "news of the world" editor as a media consultant in 2009. the same year investigators decided not to further pursue the phone hacking case. the former editor, neil wallace, was arrested last week in connection with the scandal. >> i have a suggestion that we must have suspected the alleged involvement of mr. wallace in phone hacking. let me say unequivocally that i did not and have no reason to do so. >> reporter: even with the head of police preparing to step down, scotland yard continues to make arrests. today, it was rebekah brooks, former head of rupert murdoch's

newspaper arm here in the uk, who resigned herself on friday. it was just a week ago that murdoch flew to london and stood by her side, all smiles. brooks had a meteoric rise at the company, becoming editor of "news of the world" when she was only 32. it was in 2002, with brooks at the paper's helm, that "news of the world" reporters allegedly hacked the phone of murdered teenager milly dowler. a case that shocked and infuriated this country. brooks denies any knowledge of phone hacking and has apologized. restoring confidence in news corp may be difficult. something the company admitted in a second full-page ad in british papers this weekend. "apologizing for our mistakes and fixing them are only first steps," the statement says. "it may take some time for us to rebuild trust." >> and that was nbc's stephanie gosk reporting. and rupert murdoch and his son james will face tough questioning in parliament tomorrow. rebekah brooks is scheduled to

appear, as well, but her spokesperson says her arrest will change that. to washington now, with the showdown over raising the nation's debt ceiling is fast approaching the august 2nd deadline with no resolution in sight. there are plenty of plans, but no consensus. and while some of those proposals are headed for a vote, the white house suggests that the bare minimum may be all that's possible. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington. brian, good morning. >> good morning, lynn. the white house says it is confident will meet that august 2nd deadline, but right now it's not at all clear how that's going to happen. today on capitol hill, senator tom coburn unveils the most ambitious plan yet to break the debt ceiling stalemate. >> oh, i wouldn't expect it to pass. but i would expect people to look at it. >> reporter: he's taking aim on $9 trillion in government cuts. >> pick half of them. half of them solve our problem. >> reporter: it's just one of several competing republican

efforts to beat the august 2nd deadline to raise uncle sam's credit limit. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell is crafting what looks like the leading contender. but critics say it may be too much of a compromise. >> well, look, mcconnell plan doesn't have 218 republican votes, no way. >> what it does is it says, we the congress will not take responsibility or accountability for our own decisions. >> reporter: before moving forward the tea party is getting a vote on a balanced-budget amendment. >> so the real deal to limit spending and get us in balance would be an amendment to our constitution. without that, we're just going to talk to each other and run america into the ground. >> reporter: plenty of plans, but right now, no clear way forward. the balanced-budget amendment is unlikely to pass, but it could clear the way for another bill that will. lynn? i'm brian mooar. >> brian, thanks so much. now here's a look at some other stories making news "early today" in america. a bus trip headed to niagara

falls ended in tragedy when two people were killed and 35 injured in a horrific accident. according to preliminary reports, a tire blowout caused the driver to lose control and crash into a group of trees on a wooded median. a reconstruction team is expected to confirm the cause of the accident once their investigation is complete. in the white house, the first family had their eyes glued to the tv like many of you at home, watching the women's world cup final between japan and the u.s. while the president, first lady, and their two daughters look optimistic in this photo, like most americans they experienced the agony of defeat following america's crushing loss. of course, we're going to have much more on the game coming up in sports. and finally, in california, a cluster of bees turned into a major buzzkill for fans and one particular player at the giants slash padres game. the swarm moved through the stadium, forcing some fans to

retreat from the stands. no injuries were reported, kind of annoying there. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. bill, good morning. >> trying to figure out what they were eating while they were watching the game. >> nachos. did you see that? good choice. >> i did see they had two big tv remotes. typical american family. good morning, everyone. hope you had a wonderful weekend. let's show what you the big weather story is. it just dominates the weather map. from canada, southwards to texas, now starting to move into the eastern half of the country. that's an historic heat wave. if you're on the west coast and joining us, you're saying give us a little taste of that. we'd just like a little bit of heat. but that's not the case. often we get those cutoff flows in the northwest. that's been the pattern. portions of 11 different states have heat warnings that will extend all week long.

so its a long duration event. you can see where the cutoff low is. you can see tlgt spin. there's another one that's been left behind. this is going to keep it rather cool in the area and a little unsettled along the coastline of washington and oregon. you may have a thunderstorm. we're dry in other areas and a little cooler today in boise after a hot day yesterday. so the heat wave not quite through the west. i think you're going to see a big warm-up out there in a week. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. coming up, wall street feels the debt ceiling heat. news corp shares tumble. and who's the fairest of them all on facebook? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, a record shattering

box office busting winner of the weekend for the boy wizard, and his pals. an unlikely winner, a riveting finish and a $1 million shot. 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. another blow to afghan president hamid karzai's inner circle, after gunmen killed one of his close advisers as well as a member of parliament. the taliban is claiming responsibility. it comes less than a week after the assassination of karzai's half-brother. some terrifying moments in canada, when a sudden and violent storm caused the main stage in ottawa blues festival to collapse. the performing band, cheap trick, managed to escape unharmed, but at least five stage volunteers were hurt, one

seriously. and, first it was mila kunis, then justin timberlake. now 90-year-old actress betty white has been invited to the marine corps ball. in a youtube video, sergeant ray lewis called the legendary golden girl funny, sweet and mature, the all-around perfect woman. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,479, after gaining 42 points on friday. the s&p rose 7 points. the nasdaq climbed 27. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei added 38 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng dropped 70. this week, along with the future of america's economy, traders on wall street will largely depend on what gets accomplished at the negotiating table in washington. with the debt deadline fast approaching and ratings

agencies already threatening to downgrade america's aaa rating, the jitters will intensify as long as time ticks by without an agreement. in fact, worries about those stalled negotiations, along with europe's debt problems, have already sent gold and the swiss franc to record highs today in asian trade, with nervous investors seeking safe havens. also in focus this week, earnings season resumes after last week's solid beginning. major financials goldman sachs, morgan stanley, bank of america and american express will report. also weighing in, tech heavies this week, the united auto

workers begin contract negotiations with detroit's big three automakers. chrysler, ford, and general motors. the first contract talks in four years, and the first since gm and chrysler emerged from bankruptcy. housing highlights this week, economic data with june housing starts tuesday, and existing home sales on wednesday. and finally, lady gaga is no longer the queen of facebook. rihanna is now the social network's top-ranking female celebrity with just above 40,800,000 likes. well, america's women fight ravely, but go down in flames in the world cup final against japan. for one brief and shining moment, it seemed like it was all theirs. the early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and well-advertised historic heat wave is under way as it spreads during this week. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, after a handful of heart-stopping comebacks, the u.s. women's soccer team ran out of luck yesterday, just ahead of the world cup finish line. here's nbc's bill seward with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> hi, everybody. it was a heartbreaking loss in

germany felt coast to coast here in the united states. the u.s. women's soccer team had the world cup title within reach, but could not close out japan. to frankfurt, germany, we go. after a scoreless half dominated by the americans, they finally break through late in the second. alex morgan scored her second goal of the tourney. u.s. up 1-0. they were ten minutes away from winning it when disaster struck. sloppy play in the box, aya miyama took advantage, ties it at one and we go to extra time. another 30 minutes, and another lead for the u.s. morgan connects with abby wambach, her fourth straight match with a goal. stars and stripes up 2-1. japan got the equalizer in the final minutes off the corner. homare sawa with a perfect redirect past hope solo. the resilient japanese force penalty kicks. that's when the u.s. completely felt apart. missed an unheard of three straight shots. the americans were stunned. saki kumagai for the win. got it! a reason to celebrate for a country that has been through so

much this year. japan, lifts the world cup trophy and the spirits of a nation for the thrilling come-from-behind win. to golf, darren clarke had a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the open and phil mickelson made him sweat it out. drilled the long eagle on 7. lefty pulled even but couldn't get over the hump. clarke with room for error on 18. two-putt for the win. at 42 years of age, the irishman finally wins his first major, taking the open by three strokes. and the shot of the day wasn't from the open. former colorado avalanche joe sakic on the million dollar 17th hole. he shoots. he scores! 500,000 for him and another 500 grand for charity. not a bad day on the links. that's your early look at sports on "early today," i'm bill seward. >> "early today" sports is brought to you by touch of gray. get rid of some gray, never all. well, an iconic american director sneaks in a personal milestone on harry potter's big

weekend. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, endangered by environmental pollution, and banged up by abusive boaters, they're making their bid to stick around no matter what. and they may have found their poster boy. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this mondayto "early today." hope you had a wonderful weekend. forecast-wise, nothing too dramatic out there. temperatures on the cool side. i thought we'd take a pique eek alaska. 60s for anchorage and for fairbanks. sometimes alaska is a lot warmer. just not the case right now. portland, san francisco, once you get interior, much warmer. salt lake city 94. even tomorrow the interior west will be a lot warmer. if you're watching us on khnl watch sea creatures capture their meals at a special feeding. marine munchies at the waikiki aquarium. >> like a mini-nemo. we know all about that. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. this weekend in theaters, the harry potter film franchise said good-bye to its fans and hello

to the record books. "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2" took in over $168 million, beating the previous best opening weekend record of $158 million held by 2008's "the dark knight." it also set the record for best opening day with $92 million. and best midnight show debut with $43.5 million. overseas the film earned $307 million since opening day wednesday. the best international debut ever, including record openings in england and australia. "transformers: dark of the moon" number one on the two previous weekends slipped to second with $21 million. for now, at least, it remains the year's top domestic pick. finally some facts for you film fans out there. woody allen's midnight in paris" raised its total this weekend to 41.8 million, a personal revenue record for allen, beating his

previous high for 1986's "hannah and her officers." this comes to us from wfla, news channel 8 in tampa, florida, where in nearby bradenton, a treasured member of the state's wildlife community officially became a party animal, celebrating a major milestone. over the weekend, snooty celebrated his 63rd birthday in style. a 63-year-old manatee. the manatee received cards and well wishes from all the folks there, then enjoyed a special birthday treat made of all his favorite fixings. snooty may be the oldest known manatee in captivity but all the signs point to him bringin( smiles to faces for years to come. i'm lynn berry and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station.

combining their love for each other with a love of the sea. one couple in mexico tied the knot underwater. it may be hard to see, but the bride wore a gown and the groom wore a beau tie. accompanied by 200 other divers, they said their vows and kissed about 16 feet below the surface. they say their goal was to bring attention to the plight of endangered sharks. in london, the so-called gentleman is not a dying breed. dressed to the nines in their finest hats and bow ties, the men competed in the chap olympiad. the idea is to preserve the art of being a gentleman, which some

worry has fallen out of style. since chaps don't ever break a sweat, competitions included a pipe-a-thon, sitting tennis, and drinking. this next competition turned some heads, but for a different reason. london held the first-ever backwards running championship on sunday. even seasoned backward runners say that the sport has its challenges since it uses completely different muscles than forward running, and it's difficult to maintain balance. still organizers have high hopes that it will someday be an olympic sport along with patting your head and rubbing your belly. >> i have a funny story about this. i had just taken up jogging recently again and i got passed by one of these people. >> that is not a good sign, bill. maybe you could work on that. >> really tried to catch up but i couldn't stay with him. >> that is so sad. it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. president obama will be with members of the giving pledge, including co-founders warren buffett and bill and melinda gates.

the pledge encouraged the wealthiest of people in the u.s. to give the majority of their money to philanthropic causes. the african-american civil war museum is reopening in a new location, providing more space for exhibits. it now includes media and research centers to help visitors understand the contributions of black soldiers during the war. and happy 93rd birthday to nelson mandela. today the anti-apartheid icon urges people to perform acts of charity. 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. the latest details on the growing phone hacking scandal after former executive rebekah brooks' arrest. could rupert murdoch be next? and making headlines for more than just their new movie, find out if justin timberlake and mila kunis will attend a marine ball. 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.