i always like to say there's a bull market somewhere. i promise to find it. see you tomorrow. this morning on "early today," tax tug-of-war. mitt romney reveals his tax rate, but ignores calls from the obama campaign to release his returns. living on the edge, a surging river in alaska puts one home on the brink of destruction. and body double. wax likenesses of prince william and his wife kate arrive in wax likenesses of prince william and his wife kate arrive in germany just in time for tea. 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 health and taxes. the battle over medicare continued on the campaign trail yesterday with teams obama and romney trying to convince voters young and old that their plan is the most financially fit.

meanwhile a mitt romney bombshell about his personal tax rate has sparked fresh controversy. nbc's claire leka joins us from washington with more on all of this. claire, good morning. >> good morning to you, lynn. yes, mitt romney called the interest in his personal tax returns, quote, small-minded, but if the obama campaign has their way they will keep the focus on romney's millions front and center. you could call it taxgate. republican presidential hopeful mitt romney says he won't release more tax returns. but while explaining how his medicare plan would work using a whiteboard in south carolina yesterday, he did give his clearest explanation yet of what he's paid to uncle sam. >> i did go back and look at my taxes and over the past ten years, i never paid less than 13%. i think the most recent year is 13.6% or something like that. >> romney has already made his

2010 tax return and estimates of what he paid in 2011 public. team obama isn't satisfied. they still want proof. >> this brought the income tax debate back to the forefront after we had spent so much time talking about medicare, about the ryan pick. >> meanwhile in ohio, romney's running mate paul ryan stayed on message, questioning medicare's current funding. >> do you think raiding medicare to pay for obama care is an achievement? >> no! >> neither do i. >> in richmond, virginia, romney tried to get the focus off his personal finances and back onto the hot button issue this week. >> my plan makes no change whatsoever for seniors. none, zero, zip. anyone 55 years of age and older sees no change whatsoever to medicare. >> now, the president and the vice president will attend a second day of meetings at the white house today while romney heads to his home state of massachusetts. paul ryan continues to campaign in virginia. in washington i'm claire leka.

lynn? >> all right, claire. thanks so much. well, ahead of what could be a close presidential election, a federal court has awarded four early voting days to five florida counties. last year florida's republican-led legislature slashed the number of early voting days for the entire state from 12 to 8. well, last night the u.s. district court, which has jurisdiction in collier, hardee, hendry, hillsborough, and monroe counties reinstated the extra days in those areas because it found the new law would make it difficult for some minorities to cast a ballot. elsewhere last night on nbc's "rock center," mitt romney's wife revealed a health scare she had during the republican primaries in march. ann romney said the stress and strain of her husband's campaign led to a, quote, little bitty flare-up of her multiple sclerosis. she told "rock center" it was just a reminder that she can't keep up that pace. romney was first diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 1998, and her condition had been in remission after treatment.

with wildfires raging in the west, oregon is the latest state to declare a state of emergency, authorizing help from the national guard. at least 70 major fires are burning in 13 western states. authorities say a fire in washington that's destroyed 70 homes and more than 200 structures is now 33% contained, and firefighters hope to fully contain it by sunday. meanwhile take a look at this. several structures in washington are being called miracle houses because they survived despite being surrounded by flames. almost surreal to look at that picture. it doesn't look real. all right. now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in alaska it's not a question of if but when this house teetering on the edge of a river will finally give way. the house is falling victim to erosion caused by rushing water, the result of an unusually large amount of glacial melt caused by this year's hot weather. well, crews are standing by to clear out traffic on bridges

along the river just in case the house stays intact and comes racing downstream. well, to pittsburgh where after planning it took just seconds to blow up a bridge. it's part of a construction project to build a new interchange. a barge and a crane will remove all the steel sent plunging into the allegheny river. in new york another kind of explosion wowed the crowd, but this one was strictly for entertainment. a film crew set off a blast to shoot a scene for the hbo series "boardwalk empire." and, finally, in new jersey, it is a commuter's dream come true. the lincoln tunnel was turned into a racetrack if only for a day. we do all dream of this. the formula one driver hit speeds of over 190 miles an hour. this was all part of a promotional shoot. just in case you were wondering the actual speed in the lincoln tunnel is 35 miles per hour.

now for a look at your national regional weather. here's bill karins. i feel like i need to remind you of this. >> i can't tell the officer, but it's safe to go 175. >> i saw it on "early today." it looks like i could do it. >> on the golden gate bridge, that would be very cool. >> it would be very cool. >> good morning, everyone. yesterday, another day of the heat and the fire. we like to get out of this weather pattern in the west. you can't count on much rainfall this time of year. maybe we can try to cool the temperatures down over your upcoming weekend. 105 yesterday in medford. 100 in portland. as advertised, the extreme heat all the way up to seattle. phoenix was 99 yesterday. you had some rain in the area. we've got more this morning. i'll show you shortly. notice the cool air. wyoming, 45. from salt lake city to casper, that's where our stationary front is. all this cool air will miss the west.

it's headed to the hartland. skies are clear. look down here in arizona, a lot of monsoonal moisture still bubbling up. we'll continue with the threat of showers and storms today. any time it's raining in phoenix it's a big deal. we got that this morning. a few lightening strikes this morning to the south and southwest of town. in phoenix, careful on the roads as we go throughout the next hour or two. another warm day in the northwest. easily mid to upper 90press cou. all the areas. dry throughout most of california. we'll be slightly cooler over the weekend. details coming up. thanks so much. coming up, building permits boom, another stumble for facebook, and what's the worst state when it comes to handling an iphone? your early morning business

headlines are straight ahead. plus, gray but still great action heroes in their advanced years return to the silver screen. coming up, the dodgers are fighting mad, adrian beltre does it all, and the best bobblehead night ever. 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. reuters is reporting the u.s. and its allies are discussing a worst-case scenario for syria that could require tens of thousands of ground troops to secure chemical and biological weapon sites following the fall of president bashar al assad's regime. ecuadorian officials have granted asylum to wikileaks founder julian assange wanted for questioning in a sex crimes case in sweden. assange is holed up in ecuador's london embassy. he's been there for two months. english officials say he'll be arrested when he steps off the premises. the centers for disease

control and prevention is recommending all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis c to see if they have the liver-destroying virus, which can go undetected for decades. >> in a surprise development, government officials say u.s. carbon dioxide emissions have dropped to their lowest level in 20 years, mostly due to many power plants using natural gas instead of dirtier burning coal. and it was tea for two in berlin where madame tussauds unveiled new wax figures of -- that's a little scary -- prince william and the duchess of cambridge. the wax royals were invited for afternoon tea at the english embassy. well, now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,250 after jumping 85 points yesterday. the s&p nudged up 9. the nasdaq zoomed up 31. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei climbed 69 points, while in hong kong the hang seng rose 153.

well, strong earnings from cisco and some upbeat economic data stimulated stocks thursday. cisco's impressive earnings report and boost to its dividend put the tech leader at the top of the dow thursday with a 10% surge. also getting investor attention, the biggest jump in building permits in four years, which signals more economic activity down the road. the housing report also helped push the price of crude higher for a third straight day. oil prices added more than a dollar to sell just below $96 a barrel. but the day's gains were capped by weak earnings at walmart, which the world's largest retail chain blamed on americans living paycheck to paycheck. walmart sank 3%. facebook fell to a new low thursday, sliding 6% after the social network's early backers had their first chance to sell since its botched ipo three months ago. sears said cost-cutting helped narrow its quarterly losses, but sales continue to spiral at the struggling retailer.

on the upside, petsmart climbed nearly 5%, thanks to better than expected earnings. the justice department approved verizon wireless's $3.9 billion purchase of wireless spectrum from four of the nation's largest cable companies, including comcast, the parent company of this network. however, strings are attached to the deal to protect consumers from a verizon monopoly. and just how clumsy are you with your iphone? well, blame it on the state you live in. one of the nation's largest warranty survivors, based on a study of everyday iphone breaks and damages, they found mississippi is the nation's clumsiest state. well, preseason football action, avoiding a big apple sweep, and coming through on your own bobblehead night. plus, a difference of opinion with the umpire gets a dodgers slugger and his skipper the boot. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in weather we have one of the coolest temperature weekends

of the summer. that's coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports the texas rangers rallied against the yankees yesterday, avoiding a four-game sweep. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines.

good morning. after losing eight straight in the bronx, the rangers finally got it right. they picked up a win against the yankees. adrian beltre did just about everything for texas. rbi single in the first, and the rangers had an early lead. but adrian's best stuff was in the field. ichiro laid down a bunt, beltre bare-handed it and gunned it down to get one of the quickest players in the league. then in the third, derek jeter with a shot down the line. adrian was there. threw out the captain from foul territory. beltre and the rangers won it, 10-6. 33,000 showed up for chipper jones' bobblehead night, and chipper put on a show for his adoring fans. belted a home run in the first. the 40-year-old still has some pop. 2-0, braves. then in the fifth, chipper again with a blast, this time to straightaway center. they need to have bobblehead night more often. braves beat the padres, 6-0 two for chipper and two for the mvp ryan braun. he hit a pair against the phils. brewers snap a three-game skid, 7-4. are you starting to see a trend here? the pirates' garrett jones also hit two homers.

took joe blanton deep in the first. then again in the fifth. dodgers not happy about the home runs or about umpire angel campos. don mattingly, matt kemp, and blanton, all ejected for arguing balls and strikes. dodgers lost the argument and the game, 10-6. how about some football? nfl season is about three weeks away. the packers' aaron rodgers looks ready to go. 20-yard strike to jordy nelson. that was it for green bay. they phoned in the rest. the browns won it, 35-10. falcons and bengals, andy dalton trying to avoid a sophomore slump. he found a.j. green in stride. 50-yard touchdown. cinci won it, 24-19. but it's only preseason. they'll start playing for real on september 5th. cowboys and giants kick off the season on nbc. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great weekend. i'm fred roggin. well, next we break down all the new films at the box office this weekend. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, the first couple not shy about public displays affection now have a monument paying tribute to their very first. you're watching "early today."

all right. welcome back to "early today." let me take you through your weekend forecast. temperatures will drop a little bit in a few spots this upcoming weekend. today is much like yesterday. wet weather in arizona and mexico. very hot from boise to portland, oregon. as we go through saturday we

finally get a break. seattle gets knocked down about 10 degrees, along with portland, 10 to 15 degrees cooler. more of a flow coming in from the water. we're very hot where the fires are more active in nevada and areas of idaho. sunday, not much relief salt lake city to boise. we are definitely cooler into the 70s sunday in the northwest. if you're watching us on knbc, los angeles, california, view impressionistic artwork to show california as it appeared nearly a century ago. summer of california. i'll be right there in the gold rush at the irvine museum. that's your pacific event of the day. >> bill, thanks so much. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. a group of aging action heroes -- i'm sure they're glad we're calling them that -- they're going for number one again at the box office this weekend. it's "expendables 2." it's a follow-up to the 2010 box office winner. it's expected by most experts to finish number one. sylvester stallone co-wrote the sequel and stars along with arnold schwarzenegger back in more than just a cameo for the first time in eight years.

dolph lundgren, jean-claude van damme, chuck norris, jet li, jason statham, and bruce willis also star. pretty good cast. it should take in $35 million to $40 million. >> i wonder if they laugh at each other? >> they're supposed to. all right. "sparkle" was supposed to be whitney houston's comeback film. instead it was her last. it battled for second with $15 million to $20 million. "paranorman" is a stop- action animated film about a boy who battles ghouls, witches, and grown-ups to save his town. it's expected to earn between $15 million and $20 million as well. and, finally, "the odd life of timothy green" stars jennifer garner, and it's about a couple without kids and they suddenly find a very unique one at their door. it's going to wrestle for a spot in the top five. >> am i the only one that doesn't know what stop animation? >> i didn't know that either. i'm going to go with it, bill. >> have to look it up now. >> that's the again ri.

everybody in hollywood is laughing it up. all right this comes to us from wmaq nbc 5 in chicago, which is now to the most unusual and romantic presidential landmarks. a plaque has been erected at the site where president obama and first lady michelle obama had their very first kiss. it was back in 1989 in front of an ice cream shop. the shrine tells the story in the president's own words, recounting a magic moment and how the curb served as a makeshift dinner table. very romantic. the obamas married three years later in 1992. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

a texas zoo has welcomed its new addition to the family. tattoo the giraffe was born to mother calla, weighing in at 165 pounds, measuring 6 feet tall. look at her. the baby giraffe's name comes from the swahili word for "three," and it's an appropriate name as tattoo is calla's third calf. once full grown, she will weigh close to 2,600 pounds. i tried to say this as many times as i could for you. well, another zoo has added new friends, this time in syracuse. two male snow leopards made their debut yesterday about two months after being born. weighing one pound each at birth, they've grown now to eight pounds. there are only 137 snow leopards at 63 zoos in the u.s., and only between 4,000 and 6,500 left in the wild.

finally one restaurant in denmark plans to start off your meal with some bugs. yes, true story. a world-class restaurant is now using ants in their recipes. they first used the bugs in an appetizer for a special dinner, but it was such a hit they're finding other ways to use them. not just any ant will do. chefs are after the orange ant. it's said to smell like lime and oranges. you see, this is why i don't dine at fine restaurants. >> you're not adventurous? >> no. i'll stick with the chicken and ketchup. >> just by mistake we've probably eaten a couple of bugs here and there. >> i'd like to rather not know about it. it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. the five security council members, russia, china, united states, france, and england, along with key regional players will meet to discuss syria. this as syrian rebels threaten if they don't get more support, they will accept an alliance with al qaeda. production with north

carolina on "iron man 3" shut down after roberdowney jr. hurt his foot during filming. marvel studios says downey's stunt injury will cause a short delay in production while he recuperates. it's set for release next summer. i can't wait for that. and actor robert de niro turns 69 years old. 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. in a rare interview, singer rihanna opens up about the night chris brown assaulted her. and the group 98 degrees reunites for a live performance on the plaza. 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. the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com