good tuesday morning, everyone. coming up on "early today," we learn the names of the 19 elite firefighters who lost their lives. as the community gathers to remember them. desperately seeking asylum. edward snowden applies almost everywhere for refuge while president obama meets with george w. bush in africa. ultimate num egypt. countdown between protesters and supporters profit morsi. plus, a russian rocket crashes on launch. serena cracks at wimbledon. and this nfl athlete clocks in at 25 miles per hour. "early today" starts right now. flrs this is "early today" for tuesday, july 2nd. >> good morning. i'm betty ngyuen. a massive wildfire in arizona just continues to burn

as a close-knit mountain community comes together to remember 19 fallen firefighters. a candlelit vigil was held in phoenix for the men as we learn more about just who they are. they were members of an elite group known at the granite mountain hot shots. they ranged from 43 to just 21. many were fathers and their chief said all of them died as heroes doing what they were called to do. last night a grieving community came to pay their respects. >> so heartbreaking for the families. >> they are all our brothers. they are all our sons, our fathers. and any policeman, anybody that will put their life on the line to protect other people that they don't know, i think we should be willing to come and pay tribute to them. >> andrew ashcraft, 29. anthony rose, 23.

>> at the vigil, the names of the 19 firefighters were read aloud as people left flowers and flags. the remains arrived back in a caravan of white vans. jan brewer has ordered all flags statewide to fly at half staff. the fire that took their lives, the yarnell hill fire, it is still burning out of control northwest of phoenix. it has now grown to 8400 acres and remains 0% contained. 500 firefighters are battling the flames with more expected to join the fight today. two important witnesses took the stand monday in the case against george zimmerman on trial in the death of trayvon martin. the witnesses were sanford police investigators who conducted multiple interviews with zimmerman. they shared their thoughts on his version. sara dalhoff joins us from

florida. >> george zimmerman may still take the stand or may not. but the jury heard his own version through taped interviews and a video walk-through of the scene. >> i tried to sit up and that's when he grabbed me by the head and tried to slam my head down. >> monday prosecutors played video of george zimmerman walking investigators through what he says happened the night trayvon martin was killed. in initial interviews, officer doris singleton and officer chris sereno nailed down his verson of events. including why zimmerman didn't identify himself as neighborhood watch to martin. the investigators questioned why zimmerman got out of his car and why martin looked suspicious to him. they illustrated the physical stature of 17-year-old martin.

>> was the purpose in showing this photograph to the defendant to show how skinny, as you stated in your recording, trayvon martin was in comparison to the defendant? >> one of the purposes, yes. >> reporter: during cross-examination, serino testified when he told zimmerman someone may have taped the fight, zimmerman expressed hope that was the case. the defense seized on to that with follow-up questions. >> you think he was telling the truth? >> yes. >> reporter: the trial ran an hour long during serino's testimony. >> the state finally put on some witnesses that began to push back against george zimmerman's self-defense theory. the police had interviews with him that were recorded and you could hear their questioning of some of the things he had brought up as to why he was doing what he was doing there that night. >> reporter: serino returns to the stand this morning as the defense continues their

cross-examination. and those videos very interesting to everyone in the courtroom yesterday. the judge assured the jury that they will have access to them during deliberations. betty, back to you. >> sarah, thank you very much. there are new developments in the hunt for edward snowden. the former nsa contractor has reportedly withdrawn his application for political asyl num russia after vladimir putin said he'd have to stop leaking u.s. secrets in order to be accepted. nbc's tracie potts is in washington. good morning. this is an interesting twist in this story. >> reporter: well, it is an interesting twist, betty, especially in light of the fact that early this morning we learned through wikileaks, the group helping snowden, that he made new applications to 19 more countries. but take a look at this map. take russia off because that one is now reportedly been withdrawn. and take india off as well because we've learned in the last hour or so that india has rejected his application. in fact, several -- about half dozen of these countries say

they can't even consider granting asylum to edward snowden until he's on their soil. either able to get on a plane and get to that country or get to the embassy which he's been unable to do because he's stuck literally in the transit zone of the moscow airport. early this morning there was a meeting between secretary of state kerry and his russian counterpart. some discussion of snowden but apparently no decisions made between the u.s. and russia on what to do about snowden. snowden says that president obama and the obama administration are holding essentially holding his passport hostage. he is as he puts it, a stateless man. >> we'll continue with the saga and continue to follow that as well. thank you, tracie. we appreciate it. and another victory for same-sex marriage. this time in the sunshine state. for the first time ever, a same-sex couple has had a green card petition approved. a lawyer for a bulgarian man and

his american husband says though their marriage isn't recognized in florida where they live, he can now eventually apply for u.s. citizenship. the coup whole got married last year in new york say they feel vindicated. once again the weather channel's todd santos is in for bill karins. and todd, this has been a record of a week so far. where does that leave tuesday? >> still record forecasts for places like boise, idaho. we're seeing more of the extreme numbers. yesterday only one degree away from an all-time record for boise, 110. today the forecast just a couple degrees above the record there. see some of the excessive heat advisories. the orange. excessive heat warnings. as we get through the next couple of days, we'll slowly so the heat back off. a lot of those advisories and warnings drop off into tomorrow. temperatures right now 95 in vegas. 94 in phoenix. that's a warm start. 83 in boise. that's a warm start for you. could see a chance for a fire or thunderstorm to fire up later in

the afternoon. that may be the one issue as far as the yarnell hill fire is concerned. winds in general should cooperate. may see some of those showers pop up around the southern edge of the four corners. and erratic wind behavior. there's a look at the forecast. a very warm one through a good stretch of the area. certainly some of the northern interior valleys of california for the heat. there's a looatures. tucson, arizona, one of the places that could see an afternoon storm. so again, coming up, we'll take a closer look at the forecast the next couple of days. slightly lesser heat. >> you still want to stay inside under the ac if you can. don't venture out unless you need to. egypt could be headed for a major showdown. plus an arrest in the nanny

cam robbery. and a major malfunction for a russian rocket bringing satellites to space. details in two minutes.

welcome back, everyone. now to egypt where a 48-hour last chance ultimatum appears to be the final straw. the military wants president mohamed morsi to meet the demands of millions of protesters who want to oust him or they say generals will intervene and impose their own plan for the country. and overnight, the white house confirmed president obama called president morsi this morning encouraging him to respond to protesters' concerns. nbc's ayman is live in cairo. what's the latest there? >> good morning. the stage is set in egypt for what is shaping up to be a very serious political showdown between president mohamed morsi and the political opposition. it's one that's also playing out on the streets of egypt. now days after millions took to

the streets of cairo and across the country demanding president morsi step down from power, while the military issued an ultimatum giving president morsi 48 hours to try and end this political crisis. otherwise they would intervene and chart a road map to end the political stalemate. however, today president morsi and his islamist supporters are trying to rally their base of support out into the streets there organizing rallies here in cairo and other provinces. they want to show the military and the world that president morsi is still the democratically elected leader of this country. he still enjoys a tremendous amount of popular support and that there is no need for him to step down. so still about 30 hours left to go on this ultimatum but certainly one that is increasing the tension here on the streets of cairo and all across egypt. back to you, betty. >> the clock is ticking. thank you, ayman. the texas state capitol was packed with demonstrators on both sides of the controversial abortion bill.

state senator wendy davis who rose to the national spotlight last week during the 11-hour filibuster thanked the crowd for their enthusiasm and support. texas isn't the only state in a fight over abortion. ohio governor john kasich filed a bill into law for anyone seeking an abortion. pro-life groups are calling the bill historic while state democrats say it's controversial uh-uh popular. former arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords fired a gun for the first time since she was shot in the head more than two years ago. giffords and her husband, both long-time gun owners, are currently asking for extended background checks for gun purchases. the man involved in a brutal home invasion is to be arraigned today. he faces attempted robbery, burglary and child endangerment. it was captured on a hidden nanny cam in the victim's home. that is just hard to watch. an unmanned russian rocket

carrying navigation satellites crashed just seconded after liftoff early tuesday. the rocket began to tear apart midair before smashing into the ground in a giant fireball. by now you may have heard a lot of hype about 3d printers. that new technology is helping one duck at a tennessee sanctuary get back on his feet. buttercup is his name. he was born with an inverted foot. it's a birth defect so painful it had to be amputated. thanks to a 3d printer, a foot was made out of plastic and this ducky has a new spring in his step. "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil. bring yourself back. for an early look at business we turn to cnbc's seema moody. good morning. >> betty, the big automakers report their june sales numbers today. june could be the best month since december 2007 before the

recession began as consumers replace their aging cars and trucks. what's in a name? a judge grants kraft a temporary injunction blocking cracker barrel from sending its meats and cheeses in their stores. jeep tops the list of the most patriotic brands in a new survey. jeep was the only car brand in the top ten which includes hershey's, coke and disney. >> thank you, seema. straight ahead, sports highlights are next. you're watching "early today."

in sports, baseball honored the 19 firefighters killed sunday in yarnell, arizona. moments of silence were held for the elite team of firefighters before major league games last night. the arizona diamondbacks hung a jersey in the dugout with the name yarnell and the number 19 on the back. very poignant. andy pettitte broke a franchise record for career strikeouts last night against minnesota. he now has a whopping 1,958 strikeouts and that puts him ahead of hall of famer edward "whitey" ford who spent his entire career with the yankees and had ten world series victories, the most of all-time. alex rodriguez hopes to

return to the majors soon. he is scheduled to play tonight in his first minor league game on a rehab assignment after his hip surgery. in washington, d.c., in his first game back from injury, the nationals bryce harper made a dramatic return. doesn't get any better than that. he hit a blast over the left field wall for his 13th home run of the season. well, a huge upset at wimbledon as women's top seed and defending champion serena williams was knocked off by 23rd ranked sabinlisicki of germany who won with a powerful forehand shot that could not be returned. just in case you missed it, robert gill of the nfl's arizona cardinals revved up the treadmill and ran an amazing 25 miles per hour as he trained to get ready for the season. not sure if he's getting ready for the kentucky derby or nfl but we advise you not to try that at home. that's incredible. just ahead a quick look at your weather. see which primetime network is

going biblical.

welcome back. a very warm day across a good stretch of the west. well over the averages for this time of the year. boise, if we hit 107, that will be a new record. 93 in portland. maybe a few storms during the southern edge of the four corners, especially once you get down towards the phoenix area. tucson as well in through the afternoon. getting into wednesday, notice the heat backs off a little bit through a number of these areas.

still really in what's considered the hot range. well above average. 80 towards los angeles. maybe still an isolated thunderstorm. 87 in portland. and backing the heat off more into the fourth of july. >> that kind of heat in vegas. we hope what happens there, stays there. keep all that heat. we don't want it. oliver stone, danny glover, shia labeouf, roseanne bar and john cusack joined the campaign pushing for ecuador to grant edwardsnow den political asylum. that's an interesting twist there. the history channel is losing its religion to nbc. yeah, the peacock network picked up they is dwoel the widely successful mini series "the bible." no air date set yet. a fitting final resting place has been selected for rich i havens. next month the folk rocker's ashes will be spread across the legendary site of his breakout performance at the 1969 woodstock music festival. and remember him? ruben studdard is getting a

second round of reality television. the season 2 "american idol" champion will be featured on nbc's weight loss show "the biggest loser" this fall. actress gabrielle union has the internet buzzing about her new film "being mary jane." she plays a tv news anchor which is fitting since she grew up a news hound reading three newspapers a day. i have to tell you, this is a hard job. this is not easy, right? >> the hours are a little different. i feel like hollywood is a lot easier like that. >> she has a whole cast. we have a little makeup. they help us with these bags under our eyes after waking up in the middle of the night but, yeah, it's definitely not that easy. we make it -- you make it look easy, though. >> you do, too. >> i'm betty ngyuen. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

here's a look at headlines. this morning's lead in the "san francisco chronicle." holiday travelers could end up taking a hit. many bay area travelers may be revising their plans with the b.a.r.t. strike under way. and breaking news in the press of atlantic city. jewelry store at borgata in atlantic city. on the night of a tenth anniversary concert, thieves walked off with $500,000 in merchandise. topping our news, a cand dlelt light vigil took place as the community mourned the 19 men who lost their lives in a raging arizona wildfire. we're learning more about who they were, and most of them were just in their 20s. many were fathers. as family and friends describe them, one word resonates. and that's heroes. russian news agencies say edward snowden has withdrawn a

request for political asylum in russia. president vladimir putin said monday the self-professed nsa leaker could seek asylum in his country only if he stopped, quote, harming our american partners. snowden is still holed up in a moscow airport. switching gears now. the sports world seems to be getting a little crazier by the minute. in england this past weekend, teams from all over competed in the world egg throwing championships. did you know that there's such a thing? who knew. the traditional egg toss and events a little stranger like russian egg roulette. really? and here's a sport that's a bit more daring. this cliff diving composition took place in denmark last week and events will continue throughout the summer into the fall. i tell you what. just watching that makes me a little queasy. i can't even imagine. and i think the thing that i fear the most is them possibly hitting something if they dive into the water. >> i assume you are already a professional if you are jumping

in the red bull cliff jump. >> you never know when a belly flop could occur. that's not fun at all. president obama completes his africa trip in tanzania. the president joins former president george bush to lay a wreath at the site of the 1998 u.s. embassy bombings. and first lady michelle obama, she and laura bush are together at the african first ladies summit. three anniversaries in aviation to tell you about today. in 1937, amelia earhart disappeared while trying to fly around the world. in 1982, larry walters used a lawn chair and weather balloons to soar over 16,000 feet high. yeah, don't do that at home. in 2002, steve fossett flew a balloon solo around the world. also happy birthday to actress lindsay lohan who is 27. larry david turns 66 and racing legend richard petty, 76. deep right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm betty we tooty ngyuen. have a good day.

breaking news. day two of the bart workers strike. a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza where cash lines just starting to form. we expect to see more of the same today. >> we are looking live at that golden gate bridge. you can see fog as traffic at this point flowing smoothly right there. you can expect ferries to be packed up all day long. brace yourselves and be warned. it is 4:30 right now. thanks a lot for joining us. i'm jon kelley. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> we are talking about bart strikes for the second day in a