and today we begin with heat exhaustion. portions of the country are waking up to the start of the summer's fourth heat wave this morning, and while there is relief in sight for some areas by the end of the week, the effects of this year's dry scorching temperatures and conditions will be with us for weeks and months to come. nbc's chris clackum has details. >> reporter: the parched dirt and dry lake beds confirm what forecasters now say. nearly 60% of the country is in some stage of drought condition. >> the heat has been a big factor. the lack of rainfall combined with that have created a tremendous deficit in moisture across a vast swath of the lower 48 states. >> reporter: it's so dry more than 1,000 counties in 26 states have been declared disaster areas, the biggest such declaration ever. mostly farmers are feeling it for now. more than half of the corn crops in trouble and little left to harvest. >> it's probably going to cost

more than fuel and oil will end up getting out of it. >> the soybeans, you know, are a little more resilient than the corn. if we can get some rain, they'll be okay. they'll come out and bloom again. the corn won't. the corn is done. >> reporter: it's already threatening to drive food prices to record levels because corn has an impact on 75% of what's sold at the supermarket. >> that doesn't mean that the price at the supermarket's going to go up tomorrow, but it is going to go up next week, and it's going to continue to rise for a number of months. >> reporter: by a slight margin, the current drought actually covers more area than the dust bowl-era drought of 1936. it's bad, forecasters say, but not as bad as back then. >> well, we're certainly not to the point of a dust bowl era or the 1950s yet. >> reporter: the latest forecast, though, calls for the drought afflicting at least the midwest to actually worsen. chris clackum, nbc news. well, the war of words is

heating up between president obama and presumptive republican nominee mitt romney. now, the candidates were campaigning in different parts of the country yesterday, trading verbal attacks. nbc's jennifer johnson has more from washington. >> reporter: out of washington and on the campaign trail in the key battleground state of ohio, president obama held a town hall meeting accusing mitt romney of planning to cut taxes for the wealthy and outsource jobs. >> we don't need a president who plans to ship more jobs overseas. i want to give incentives to companies who are investing in you, the american people, to create american jobs, making american goods. >> reporter: romney attended a fund-raiser in louisiana. the issue of whether he'll release more tax returns won't go away. some conservatives are encouraging romney to just do it. others say the focus should stay on the struggling economy. >> americans aren't concerned about mitt romney's tax returns. they're concerned about their tax returns and the new taxes that obama is putting on the american people.

>> reporter: romney is pushing the same message in this latest web ad, that 23 million are struggling for work as unemployment sticks to 8.2%. the obama campaign is also not letting romney off the hook on bain capital. filings show romney was the sole owner and ceo of the private equity firm until 2002, but romeny says he had nothing to do with bain's dealings that led to layoffs, bankruptcies, and outsourcing in 1999. romney says it's just another failed tactic for the president. >> things are not going in the right direction. no wonder he wants to try to change the subject. >> reporter: portman, a possible romney running mate, campaigned for the presidential hopeful in his home state, ohio. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. what has become an increasingly controversial topic this election year, organizations pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into campaign ads can still keep their top donors and expenditures secret. for now. in a 51-44 vote last night,

senate republicans united to prevent the so-called disclose act from advancing to the senate floor. democrats backed the legislation, which would require independent groups to disclose the names of contributors who give more than $10,000 to political campaigns. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in new york, a heart-stopping rescue. a 7-year-old girl plunged three stories, but was saved after a bus driver came home just in time to catch her. the hero says he saw the girl standing on top of an air conditioning unit and tried to convince her to go back inside, but when she fell, thankfully he was there to make the grab. in florida a thief was willing to steal anything he could after smashing his way into a pizza hut. so when he yanked the cash register off the counter and found it empty, he did what he thought the next best thing would be. he went in the back and stole two boxes of mozzarella cheese.

police hope someone will recognize the pizza-topping bandit so they can deliver him to jail. and, finally, near boston highway workers got a surprise when they found a young deer hiding behind concrete barriers. hue did he get there. >> oh, dear. >> good one, bill. they were about to move barriers to give morning commuters an extra lane. they rescued the fawn, giving her a ride in their truck while they went back about their work. the deer was later set free in the wild. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. >> stuck in traffic for a buck. >> you've been thinking about that all morning, weren't you. >> waiting for that story to pop up. >> that was an edgar allen powe moment. >> poetic. >> very much. as the heat wave of course is the story in the middle of the country and the eastern half of the nation. the story all summer in the midwest is cooler temperatures. upper level low nearby bringing

showers and storms. we still managed to get into the 80s in most areas. upper 70s from medford to seattle. 92 in boise. the exceptional heat was not found in the west. we do have showers and storms two mornings in a row now i've been tracking thunderstorms near poe can, washington. you have a few showers right over the top of you now. a few lightening strikes back here in northern idaho. a larger area of rain from davenport to harrington. showers and storms. eureka, you have a flap coming in with showers and storms. it will go through pretty quickly. should be gone during the peak of the rush hour. interesting that upper level low still bringing us some spokes of moisture. otherwise, a pretty quiet and warm day. lots of sunshine. pretty nice day in arizona. th out.

a good deal of sunshine in between. it looks like the chance of showers will remain but it won't ruin anyone's day. >> bill, thanks so much. well, wall street eyes stimulus, yahoo! gets their woman, and the 9-year-old master who's already made a million. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, all for show? reports say the "idol" judges didn't agonize over their exits. they were fired. coming up, a rough night for a pair of all-stars, the dream team gets a scare, and no one is safe from the kiss cam, not even the president. 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. a u.s. navy ship opened fire on

a small boat that was racing toward it yesterday in the waters off dubai. the navy says one person was killed by machine gunfire when the smaller boat did not turn away. meanwhile the aircraft carrier "uss stennis" is being ordered to leave the pacific four months early to make sure there are at two carriers in the middle east. the carriers "enterprise" and "eisenhower" will stay in the persian gulf region until "stennis" arrives to relieve "enterprise." >> in syria armored government vehicles fought with rebels in damascus in what's being called the heaviest fighting in the capital since the revolt began 17 months ago. the food and drug administration has approved truvada for use as a preventive drug for people at high risk for hiv infection. truvada is the first drug to reduce the risk of getting hiv, the virus that causes aids. and this is unreal. a canadian news crew was leaving in a boat just as a giant

landslide in british columbia knocked down trees and covered the area right where they had been standing moments before. the crew had been covering an earlier landslide that killed at least one person. well now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,727 after falling 49 points yesterday. the s&p was down 3. the nasdaq dipped 11. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei was up 30 points, while in hong kong the hang seng skyrocketed 333. the s&p fell for the seventh day out of eight, thanks to monday's decline in retail sales. it was the third consecutive monthly drop, but analysts had forecast a small increase. adding to the gloomy outlook, the international monetary fund trimmed its 2013 global growth forecast down to 3.9% from the 4.1% it projected in april. but this morning asian markets rebounded on hopes all the

dismal data will warrant some hint of monetary stimulus from fed chair ben bernanke during his semi-annual report to congress today and tomorrow. on the earnings front citigroup beat the street's estimates. england's drugmaker glaxosmithkline is buying biotech firm human genome sciences for $3.6 billion. a scathing new u.s. senate report accuses hsbc of a, quote, pervasively polluted culture, alleging the bank failed to prevent billions of dollars in transfers believed to be linked to drug gangs and terror groups. delta airlines is working with the fbi and dutch authorities after what appeared to be sewing needles that were found in sandwiches on four separate flights from amsterdam to the u.s. on sunday. yahoo! appointed longtime google executive marissa meyer as its fifth ceo in as many years in an attempt to turn around the struggling search engine.

and, finally, a 9-year-old landscape artist from england just passed a million pounds in lifetime earnings after selling 24 of his paintings for just under $400,000. well, coming up the tigers rally, a twin gets down and dirty, and a tie-breaking grand slam. plus, what the president and first lady did when they can were caught on the kiss cam. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and this heat wave is finally going to come to an end for the areas in the northern plains and the great lakes. it's about time too. 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 last night, red won out in the battle of the sox, spoiling the return of the three-time all-star kevin youkilis to fenway. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. kevin youkilis made his return to fenway, but even a near perfect night at the plate couldn't get the white sox a win. let's go to boston. youkilis received a standing ovation, an emotional moment for him, and he fed off the electricity. three for four with a pair of doubles. but adrian gonzalez spoiled the homecoming. three-run shot that landed on top of the green monster. that gave the red sox the lead. and here's a sign you're

getting old. david ortiz injured his achilles while rounding the bases. he'll have an mri today. boston won it, 5-1. one all-star down. how about two? the blue jays' jose bautista, routine foul ball against the yanks. immediately left the box clutching his wrist. left the game. no broken bones. he'll have an mri today. that was the beginning of the end for the jays. bottom of the inning, sacks full. raul ibanez, that one's not coming back. a grand slam put the yanks on top. they went on to win it, 6-3. a great catch to show you from the twins' ben revere. adam jones laced it to right. revere on his horse leaps and makes the diving grab. check it out one more time, and look at ben's eyes. they were big as saucers as he tracked it down, laid out, and made the grab. twins had everything going for them, and beat the o's, 19-7. and, finally, president obama on hand to watch team usa in their final game before heading overseas. the dream team got off to another slow start, down ten to brazil when they finally got it going. and at the half, a 20-5 run. lebron james led the way with

30. summer love definitely in the air. nobody safe from the kiss cam, not even the president and the first lady. after missing an opportunity in the second quarter, they got it right in the fourth. a presidential smooch. the crowd roared and started chanting four more years. team usa kissed off brazil, 80-69. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. well, the premiere of "the dark knight rises," charlie sheen gives away a million bucks, and who's beyonce a fan of? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, the nation's capitol is on the lookout for a happy couple. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." some rain moving on shore. currently northern california near eureka. keep that in mind. some thunderstorms near spokane. otherwise it's a dry morning for everyone else. there will be a chance for scattered showers and storms. then if you look at our wednesday forecast, still very chilly on the coastal areas. san francisco, very chilly lately. looks to change. if you're watching us on kgw, see impressionist master pieces by claude monet. at the portland art museum. that's your pacific event of the

day. lynn. >> did they tell you to do that? >> they didn't. they should have. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. well, charlie sheen is giving a million dollars to the uso. that's its largest donation ever. sheen also says 1% of the profits from his new show "anger management" will go to support the organization. beyonce has recorded a video reading a letter she wrote to first lady michelle obama earlier this year, praising her as, quote, a strong example of a strong african-american woman. well, reports say jennifer lopez and steven tyler were both actually fired by "american idol," but allowed to spin it as if they left by choice. apparently not anymore. perez hilton quotes sources who say lopez asked for a $2 million raise -- i believe that -- and was shocked to be told instead she was being let go. >> with tyler, his option was simply not renewed. >> is this possibly true? >> i'm going to go with inconclusive.

and, finally, the countdown is on. "the dark knight rises" had its world premiere in new york last night. it opens friday worldwide. and this comes to us from washington, d.c., where the nation's capitol is all abuzz with intrigue, although, it has nothing to do with politics. the search is on for this couple. they were caught in a moment of a lifetime while standing at the d.c. war memorial. a woman standing about 100 yards away snapped an image of what looks like a happy conclusion to a marriage proposal. well, this morning the photographer who captured that moment is going to be on the "today" show for an exclusive interview right here on this nbc station. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. well, in bolivia, you're

well, in bolivia, you're going to need a bigger fork. a team of 85 bakers spent a week to make one mountain of a cake. at 16 feet tall it took more than 11,000 eggs, ten sacks of flour, seven sacks of sugar, and 400 cake molds to bake the sweet treat. a large crowd gathered to take a look, and anyone with a sweet tooth was in luck. there were 10,000 slices to go around.

well, a london landmark took center stage for one performance. daredevil stunt dancers performed on the spokes of the iconic london eye as part of the city's cultural olympiad leading up to the 2012 games. 16 american and 14 british extreme stunt dancers dangled from the famous riverside ferris wheel, performing choreographed moves performed at over 400 feet in the air. and, finally, in england the power of the puff was put to the test. tobacco connoisseurs lit their pipes hoping to take top spot at the british smoking championship. contestants are given tobacco, a pipe, and two matches and five minutes to prepare and a minute to light up to see who can puff away for the longest. the winning puffer lasted just over 58 minutes. and we should put like a little disclaimer, we do not condone smoking. >> i don't know of anyone that smokes a pipe anymore. i had an uncle growing up that did it. >> there's a certain smell to it. i don't know. 58 minutes of it? not so fun. it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. kerry kennedy, daughter of the late senator robert f. kennedy and ex-wife of new york governor

andrew cuomo, is expected to appear in court in north castle new york. kennedy was arrested friday morning after the car she was driving collided with a tractor-trailer on a freeway. she is charged with driving while impaired by drugs. actress jada pinkett-smith will lend some star power to a senate formal relations committee on human trafficking. the actress and activist founded the organization "don't sell bodies." and happy birthday to comedic legend phyllis diller. she turns 95 today. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and more 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. an exclusive interview with the photographer who took that washington proposal shot we told you about. and musical legend elton john opens up to matt sharing his personal memoirs "love is the cure." 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. the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

>> reporter: fog and wind were a problem here yesterday. we are back live at sfo to keep an eye on flights for you. i'm christie smith coming up in a live report i'll tell you how they are doing. >> yahoo!'s new ceo has her first day on the job this morning. why the tech world will be watching marissa mayer closely. >> also after revealing an affair, struggling with addiction, then resigning from a position, nadia lockier finds herself faced with a divorce filing. >> a live look outside. look at the bay bridge on this tuesda