for happy 4th of july everybody. coming up on "early today," hurricane arthur made land fall overnight along north carolina's outer banks forcing thousands to retreat inland on this holiday weekend. with a storm throwing a kink in independence day celebrations up and down the east coast, that hasn't stopped many from celebrating. plus, was the georgia father sexting while his son was dying in a car? the prosecution speaks. >> plus a dust storm covers phoenix. >> and tom brokaw with angelina jolie and an american hero. happy 238th birthday, america. "early today" starts right now.

good morning, everybody. i'm betty nguyen. breaking news as hurricane arthur makes land fall. here's what we know. arthur strengthened to a category 2 hurricane last night with winds of about 100 miles per hour. the worst appears to be over for the outer banks of mcincome azar thur heads into the atlantic ocean. the hurricane made landfall just after 11:00 p.m. near cape lookout. north carolina governor declared a state of emergency for 25 coastal and ajoining counties. >> we're going to darkness, and we've just been notified that this is a category 2 hurricane, which we want to warn our citizens up the coast and thousands of tourist that is may be dealing with this for the first time. this is a serious storm. >> indeed it is. bill karins with a look at that.

it appears we've done pretty well. as i said, the storm is racing out. the sun is racing out into the lower portion of the outer banks and soon we'll have all the power crews that will get in there this morning, and it really won't be much of an issue. we are watching it right now about 71 miles southeast of virginia beach. pressure at 90.73. still ae category two with 100-mile-per-hour winds. that's the estimate highest winds near the center. as it leaves the coast, it now appears to be getting a little more disorganized. there are still bands of rain from virginia beach up through the coastal areas of maryland, ocean city, maryland, all the way through delaware and up the southern portion of mnl new jersey right now. it's kind of a ruined fourth of july morning for a lot of those beach areas. the waez are obviously raw, and the rip currents.

people aren't being allowed in the beach wrar. as it parallels the medicine atlantic coast, we will see the rain heading up into areas of new england and later tonight up towards cape cod. rainfall was not a problem. fast-moving storm. that helps. now the wind is dying down too. 20 to 30 to 44-mile-per-hour gusts. we've seen even portions of north carolina. a little bit of damage, and it does not appear to be devastating. >> that's such good news. thank you, bill. dozens of counties in nblg income have been the hardest hit by hurricane arthur. thousands of people had to leave their homes ahead of the storm abandoning their long holiday weekend plans. nbc's cris malone is tracking the storm from kill devil hills, north carolina. the winds are picking up a little bit out there. how is it going? >> betty, much better than it was a few hours ago when the eye wall was passing over here, but it appears that we're in the last tloez of arthur at this point. yes, there are some gusts and

some bands of rain that are coming by every now and then, but that's to be expected as the tail end of this storm moves fully out to sea. now, earlier is a far different story. about seven, eight hours ago the storm made landfall just after 11:00 eastern time. several hundred miles south of here, and it slowly moved up the north carolina coast across very heavy bands of rain and winds over 100 miles an hour. now, the good news, as you were just talking about, is that rib there are about 25,000 power outages in north carolina. we'll need some numbers to put that in perspective. it appears that that's not a very high number given the speed of the wind and how big a storm this was. is that -- you know, does that say that this damage that as teams go out and take a look around won't be too bad? hopefully that is the case here. business owners certainly hope that they can get things reopened very quickly and get more tourists in here. many did evacuate.

many did stay. if folks head to restaurants and whatever, then the business owners here will certainly take that. betty, back to you. >> absolutely. they want to get on with the fourth of july holiday weekend. okay, chris. thank you so much for that report. speaking of fourth of july holiday, president obama will continue the tradition of hosting a white house naturalization ceremony. today's event will be held for active duty military members, reservists spshgs spouses who are immigrants. it comes as the president prepares for a showdown with congress over securing our country's borders. i'm joined by tracie potts live from washington d.c. happy fourth of july to you. what's the latest with this immigration issue? >> reporter: hey, happy fourth. the latest is that today we're going to see two different pictures. really a demonstration of why this situation is so complicated. we've been looking at those pictures from text tickets, california, arizona. today we'll see immigrants who serve this country being honored

at the white house. >> the constitution of the united states. >> reporter: later today president obama welcomes immigrant soldiers and reservists and their spouses at a naturalization ceremony at the white house. >> this independence day will be their first day as american citizens. >> reporter: president obama dealing with the 52,000 immigrant children who come here on their own. the u.s. is pending $1 million on a new ad campaign in sfral america warning parents it's dangerous to send kids to the u.s. alone. so far this year the government says 220 people have been found dead trying to cross the border. >> the message is if you come to the united states, this government is going to let you in and you're going to be able to stay there forever. that's not how our immigration laws are intended to work. >> reporter: one california town against the bunches of immigrants headed their way. >> this is an invasion. why is the national guard not out there stopping them from coming in?

>> reporter: a congressional hearing in texas thursday governor rick perry offered a solution. send them home. >> nobody is doing any of these children the slightest favor by delaying the rapid return to their countries of origin. ♪ america >> reporter: independence and freedom being celebrated today. for thousands of immigrant children it's close, but not close enough. >> now, that ad campaign that the u.s. is launching in central america, they're also going to be running those ads here in major u.s. cities with large immigrant pop layiulations. trying to get the word back home. >> thank you, tracie. would you get a tattoo of your favorite team logo if it guaranteed you free tickets for life? plus, america's roads, bridges, and tunnels are in dire need of repair, as our highway trust fund runs dry. what's congress doing about it? >> another haboob in arizona.

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>> i want to say a special thanks to the men and women of our armed forces and the families who serve with them. especially those service members who spent this most american of holidays serving your country far from home. you keep us safe, and you keep the united states of america a shining beacon of hope for the world. for that you and your families sdefsh not only the appreciation of a grateful nation, but our enduring commitment to serve you as long as you serve us. have a great weekend. >> that was a portion of president obama's fourth of july address. judge denied bail for the georgia dad accused of killing his 22 month old son by leaving him in an suv for hours. police say justen ross -- justin ross harris sent nude

photographs and was sexting to women that day and wanted a, quote child-free life. there was no proof the death was intentional. >> out west, two weather events are causing significant disruptions. a dust storm known as a haboob barrelled through arizona. all flights at phoenix's main airport were grounded or diverted until it passed. the remnants could make it hard to see the fireworks. that is quite a sight. >> and in california the napa fire is still burning through rugged terrain. reinforcement crews arrived to help. flames scorched more than 6.5 square miles. >> are you going away for the holiday weekend? watch out for the potholes. it's one of the busiest travel times of years but many roads and bridges aren't up to snuff. thanks to a recent movement by chris, nbc senior white house correspondent chris jansing has more. >> reporter: 8 hour a day tony

johnson operates heavy equipment at a plant at a makes asphalt to make roads. >> it's always hot and nosey. it's been good to me. i just need to keep it going. >> reporter: but work could dry up. congress went home for the holiday without replenishing the highway trust fund which help states pay for road, bridge, and rail projects. from fixing the broadway bridge in boise to new buses in columbus and in west virginia all road construction could grind to a halt. one thing that's everywhere, potholes. and when they don't get fixed it costs you money. $324 a year per driver. that's coringed to one study. in extra operating costs and repairs. >> without the trust fund, 700,000 workers could lose their job. >> are you nervous about work drying up? >> definitely. >> the president has been pushing congress to make a deal. >> that doesn't just put construction workers back to work? that puts engineers back to work. that puts landscape architects back to work.

>> it would seem to be a winner since federal dollars have been a huge chunk of highway budgets in almost every congress member's state. more than 40% in ohio and alaska, more than half in ohio and oregon. 39% in florida. the most obvious fix is raising the gas tax but tax hikes are never a popular option in election years and frustration is running high. >> i don't know why people of congress think they can come to work every day and not do anything at all. >> a political tug of war over crumbling infrastructure searching for a deal that won't fall apart. chris jansing, nbc news, the white house. just ahead, new details on hurricane arthur's path of destruction and the passing of an incredible american. tom brokaw on this man's amazing life. >> and the rest of your sports highlights, that's next. want a fiber that's clearly healthy? benefiber is clear, taste free, and dissolves completely. and unlike other fibers, you'll only know you're taking fiber by the way good digestive health makes you look& and feel.

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look at those fireworks. boston pops fourth of july concert and fireworks show took place last night. the festivities were held a day early thanks to concern over hurricane arthur. it didn't put a damper on the fireworks as you can see. thousands turned out for the show. now to the latest in sports. a potential crisis for the world cup german soccer team. seven players are showing flu-like symptoms. specific players are not named. the coach saying it's not that bad at the moment.

germany plays france later today. >> miami dolphins player deon jordan is suspended after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. he will be out for four games. the defensive end said he gained 17 pounds of muscle since last season and takes full responsibility for the test results. >> tyson gay is back on the track after serving a one year doping ban. he finished second behind olympic gold medallist justin gatlin but it's a long way to go for gay who five years ago tied for the second fastest 100 meter time behind usain bolt. oakland taking on toronto. an overturned sxaul a protest. toronto's second base runner is tagged, but called safe. the ump says it was out at home. a replay challenge overturned that call giving toronto the run. oakland disagrees, tweeting from their account, "the a's are officially playing this game

under protest." the a's go on to win 4-1. the mlb will likely debate the plays in the coming days. zirchlg the minor league team awarded the promotions to the first 36 tatted fans in the gate and to prevent counterfeit the tattoos featured a special marking that could only be seen under black lights. boy. that is some dedication. just ahead, the story of a patriotic american that you'll be telling your friends and family about today. that's next. ♪ milk and cereal ♪ cereal and milk ♪ k -- e -- double -- l -- o-- double good ♪ ♪ protein to help you rebuild like you should ♪ ♪ great tasting grains to help you recharge ♪ ♪ put a spring in your step ♪ so you keep livin' large ♪ milk and cereal ♪ cereal cereal ♪ milk and cereal ♪ cereal cereal .... make your morning shine with delicious kellogg's cereal and milk.

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you're full of suds after all. now drop and give me twenty spaghetti bowls! [ female announcer ] dawn does more. [ sponge ] so it's not a chore. in the "new york times" birth control ordered deepen divide among justices, following the controversial hobby lobby decision. arguments over birth control coverage continue in washington. three female supreme justices disagreed with the high court yesterday over a decision that would prevent a christian college from some contraception coverage. sflirchlgt in the chattanooga times free press knoxville businessman is $259.8 million powerball winner. roy cochran, that lucky man, has won the largest prize ever. he plans to accept a lump sum payment of $115 million. not too shabby. well, unbroken until the

end. a war hero, an olympian, and later star of a best-selling book. louie lived an extraordinary life. one that took him from california to japan, even to nazi germany. he died wednesday from pneumonia at age 97. tom brokaw has the details. >> reporter: when we met earlier this year i reminded him that a friend passed along a message to him. >> we were hearty. >> and no one was heartier. he began life as a swift juvenile delinquent. so fast afoot he turned to track and become a world class miler, running in the berlin olympics where hitler wanted to shake his hand. >> for us he was a comedian. he looked like a comedian and acted like a comedian. >> what did he say to you?

>> the boy with the fast finish. >> his track career was interrupted by world war ii and the legendary tale of survival at sea and in a japanese prison camp where he was tortured daily. >> there's no way i could. i would rather be dead than what we call a turn coat. >> after more than two years he came home a hero but then his story was largely forgotten until "unbroken," the epic best seller. enter another legend, angelina jolie. >> i miss you. i miss you honey. >> louis's new friend. he has not lost my sense of humor. >> she's my gal. fortunately for her i'm not 21. >> jolie is the director of "unbroken," the film that premiers later this year.

>> you train, you fight harder than those other guys and you win. >> the resilience and the strength of the human spirit is an extraordinary thing and men like louis teach us it can be all right and we can pull through. >> we were the heartiest generation. >> they were hearty. >> the lesson of louis's life. >> never give up. >> at 97, louis didn't give up. he just ran out of time. >> an amazing man. i'm betty nguyen and this is "early today." we hope it's your first stop of the day on nbc. want a fiber that's clearly healthy? benefiber is clear, taste free, and dissolves completely. and unlike other fibers, you'll only know you're taking fiber

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a look ahead and a look back. the macy's fireworks will light up the skies for the new york brooklyn bridge show. arianna grande and the zach brown band will be on hand to celebrate, and you can watch the show at 8:00 p.m. eastern only on nbc. on this day in 1939 baseball legend lou gehrig just diagnosed with als retired from the game in a touching announcement at yankee stadium. >> today is the day i consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. also i want to say happy birthday to first daughter maliyah obama who celebrates her sweet 16.

junk bond king turned philanthropist michael milkin, and radio host geraldo rivera turns 71. let's get another update on the hurricane arthur from bill karins. good morning. where is it right now? >> the storm itself is off the coast of north carolina. that's great. we don't have to deal with it in eastern north carolina. cape cod and nova scotia. we do have a fourth of july that's going to be pretty much ruined in new england. you're going to get a lot of the rain out of this, but they canceled all the fireworks. boston pops, they it last night, and they're doing a lot of the fireworks on saturday there. let me take you through the rest of the country. what you are going to daily with for your fourth of july plans. we're not going to do too bad here. we're going to see a few monsoonal afternoon showers and storms. tucson area. all the way through albuquerque and northern new mexico. a few of these storms. watching very warm conditions interior west. 97, salt lake city. there is hot stuff out there for the fourth. heading to the pool, would be a

good day to do that. cooler temperatures in san francisco. whammer in l.a. as far as the rest of the country, if anyone is doing any travel out there, not seeing a lot of airport problems today or anywhere really for that matter. florida some afternoon storms. middle of the country is very warm. no problems in denver also in dallas. as we head through the upcoming holiday weekend, we're going to be watching any big storms thankfully. tropics remain quiet. may get severe storms in the northern plains, but it remains quiet. seattle, boise, san francisco, portland no problems. we kind of get rid of your rain threats in the phoenix area, and even through sunday's forecast, we're really not looking at many issues. it's nice quiet weather pattern, considering what we just dealt with, especially over the east coast. as far as anyone returning from their holiday destinations on sunday, i don't think we're going to have any issues at all. >> that's the bright spot. the light at the end of the tunnel, right? >> perfect around the country. it's just too bad, you know? >> just the fourth of july may be wet and rainy. okay. happy fourth of july to you, bill. >> you too. >> keep it here for news,

we

from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." well good morning everyone. i'm not going to ask what you're doing up at 4:30 in the morning on the fourth of july, but i'm scott mcgrew. >> you're getting the pork bites on the smoker. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon is getting her butt on the smoker, hopefully. >> i feel like i'm always in that position for some reason. this morning temperatures in the upper 50u7, we have a gorgeous day shaping up for you. we're going to be in the 70s, low 80s again for the south bay, and as we let freedom ring tonight, temperatures will be comfortable. we're also expecting a clear shot of the fireworks from most spots. the one place that i am wang