good morning. coming up on "early today" -- >> air strikes continue overnight between israel and gaza disrupting a wedding in israel and killing dozens of palestinians. we have the latest details. storms are responsible for at least five deaths since last night. is more severe weather headed your way? >> president obama faces the child immigration problem head on, but not before he hits a colorado bar and is offered some pot. plus george clooney takes on the media claiming outright family lies. also, germany demolishes brazil in the world cup. and a man almost loses an arm to a croc. it's wednesday july 9th. "early today" starts right now.

and good morning. i'm richard lui. it is day two of the israeli offensive in the gaza strip. a high volume of rocket fire littering the skies there. today alone more than 160 sites in gaza were attacked says the israeli army. tuesday israeli assault killed at least 25 people. these attacks come as militants have fired more than 160 rockets into israel in recent days as well. now one of those attacks interrupted a wedding in israel. sirens start going off and people begin to scatter. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is asking israelis to be patient while the army broadens its operations in gaza. ayman mohyeldin is in israel. >> reporter: there are sirens wailing across israel over the two largest cities. >> look, wow. >> reporter: missiles over tell averve intercepted by the defense system the israeli's call the iron dome.

but in gaza there were no sirens warning of israel's assault on the strip. a woman escaping with her children. a man is heard shouting where is the world? others just running by the wounded. in the rubble of israel's air strike a man is trapped. with a little help he is rescued. the might of israel's military unleashed on gaza targeting suspected launching sites and homes of militants. authorities say this one strike killed seven including three children. >> it will be very bad and very harsh for us but what we can do? what we can do. >> reporter: hamas said it's prepared to fight. the israeli military released this video it showed palestinian fighters launching a daring amphibious assault storming an israeli beach head before they were killed by the army. the israeli military has called up thousands of

soldiers and the prime minister told the military to take their gloves off. an indication israel is going on a war front. families in southern israel are preparing for the worst. israel lindin's family is spending their nights in this cramped bomb shelter that they've made look like a bedroom with toys for their children. >> last night we all slept here. >> you all slept here last night? >> yeah, several times sirens. >> missiles and rockets light up the skies. all right. nbc's ayman mohyeldin reporting there. to president obama who travels to texas but not to the border area where an immigration crisis percolates. several top officials including homeland security secretary jay johnson are in quality mall la hoping to stem the tide of undocumented immigrants into the u.s. while lawmakers digest $3.7 million to help the border crisis. tracie potts is in washington, d.c. for us. a lot of moving parts here. what is the white house saying about why the president is not going to visit the border.

>> they're saying he does not want to politicize it but does want to deal with it, hence the funding request that congress is considering at a hearing today. from denver to texas this afternoon, president obama will meet with state leaders and governor rick perry in dallas, not at the border. >> the president i would not travel to the border and i would not do that. >> either the president doesn't understand this border crisis or he simply doesn't care. >> reporter: the united nations insists these children are refugees and should stay. the u.n. found 60% were victims of extreme gang violence. >> they believed that they couldn't access any protection from their own government and their only choice to survive was to actually leave and these are painful decisions that families are making. >> reporter: while the president's in texas the house appropriations committee holds a hearing on capitol hill today to consider his $3.7 billion emergency request for more border agents, food, clothes and

medical care for the thousands of children being detained, and a campaign to convince central american parents not to send their kids here. the expedited process to approve that money could still take weeks. >> nbc's tracie potts in washington thank you for that report. a line of severe thunderstorms tearing through the northeast tuesday evening spawning at least three tornados from ohio to new york. officials saying four people were killed including a child after high winds ripped apart four homes in smithfield new york. the national weather service is trying to determine if it was a tornado. in maryland a child was killed when a tree fell at a summer camp. the storms damaged homes, toppled trees and left hundreds of thousands without power. a disturbing admission from federal health officials. they revealed working clearing out a storage room at the national institutes of health in maryland stumbled across vessel

viles of smallpox that were not locked. it's the second time in a month that there have been concerns about the handling of a deadly virus at federal labs. the cdc said last month more than 80 workers were potentially exposed to anthrax. a former pharmacy chief at a new york city hospital is accused of stealing millions of dollars in painkillers. prosecutors say 47-year-old anthony dell san dro took 200,000 oxycodone pills that ended up on the black market. they have a street value of $5.6 million. he is being charged under a state drug kingpin law normally used for big time street dealers. also in new york city, brooklyn da to stop low-level weed prosecutions. it's being done to ease the burden on the courts and jails. this new policy will not apply to 16 or 17-year-olds or people caught smoking in public or near children. in washington state the first recreational pot shops

opened for business tuesday where customers found long lines and limited supplies. here is your wednesday weather. nbc 4 new york meteorologist raphael miranda. better weather? >> good morning, richard. depends. >> cooler? >> not really, sorry. don't have a lot of good news in the west especially. the heat continues and the flood threat continues, monsoon season in effect across the southwest. a look at the satellite and radar picture, heavy rain continues, flood threat continues for the four corners region, showers and storms into the overnight hours. southern arizona some very heavy rain along i-8 from the west heading out of tucson towards yuma. watch out for localized flooding there. major heat in the northwest, especially 100 degrees for your high temperature in medford later on today. it will be quiet along the immediate coast, los angeles, san francisco, a pleasant day in northern california. phoenix, albuquerque, salt lake city, steamy and stormy at times with the monsoon showers and thunderstorms. 107 in las vegas and high

humidity as well. that's a look at your national forecast. tucson watching out for showers and thunderstorms, high temperatures in the mid 90s. and that's a look at your steamy wednesday forecast. >> the northwest getting a little heated up there. they're not used to that stuff. thank you so much. angry george clooney fires back at a media tabloid for attacking his family. ahead of tackling immigration, president obama offered a hit of marijuana while in colorado. you're watching "early today." ♪ fill their bowl with the meaty tastes they're looking for,

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sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering so, i'm walking down the street, x: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering just you know walking, sfx: sounds of marching bandnd and crowd cheering and i found myself in the middle of this paradeeet, x: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering honoring america's troops. sfx: sounds of marching bandnd and crowd cheering which is actually in tquite fitting becauseadeeet, x: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering geico has been serving e military for over 75 years. aawh no, look, i know this is about the troops and not about me. right, but i don't look like that. who can i write a letter to about this? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. welcome back. ahead of president obama's trip to texas today to focus on the massive immigration issue including the almost $4 billion he's asking congress for he was in colorado where he met with a

few locals to discuss wages and the economy. mr. obama stopped in a bar by the governor where he greeted patrons including this man wearing a horse head. finally a game of pool and a pint. someone offered him a hit of the state's newly legal marijuana. the president laughed it off. before . back in washington, four va whistleblowers testified before congress. they accused the agency of retaliating against them for exposing problems. one of them claims he was publicly mocked at a company party. >> in front of close to 300 individuals i was labeled a rat. the slides that follow this so heinous that i can't even show or discuss it today. >> in all the government is investigating 67 claims of retaliation. just hours ago, an american is one of two people gored this morning on the third day of the running of the bulls.

bill hillman, he tripped, the animal's horn went into his leg. last month he co-authored here a book called "how to survive the bulls of pamplona." did he read his book? i don't know. a friend says he is doing well. george clooney is striking back at "the daily mail." the british tabloid recently published a story about his fiancee's mother and how she opposed the marriage for religious reasons. clooney accused the tabloid of making up story lines adding, quote, when they put my family and friends in harm's way they cross far beyond just a laughable tabloid and into the arena of inciting violence. let's get down to business with bertha coombs. >> good morning, richard. citi group is reportedly close to a $7 billion settlement to settle charges it sold bad mortgages in the run up to the financial crisis. the deal could be announced next week. part of the settlement will likely go towards consumer relief which citigroup would modify mortgages for some homeowners.

the labor department says companies advertised more job in may than any month in the past seven years. that's a sign of stronger hiring, but employers have been slow to fill those jobs. suggesting they're having trouble finding skilled workers. 7-eleven celebrates its 87th birthday on friday and will hand out free slurpees all day long. the convenience store chain is extending the freebie fund into next week, but richard, customers can get free cookies and big gulpps only if they download 7-eleven's app. back to you. >> all you had to say was free cookies. just ahead, donald sterling gets downright surly, that and the rest of your sports highlights next.

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this morning on "today," it's been one year since the british royals gained a new heir. a look at prince george's life and plans for his first royal birthday ahead on "today." let's take you to sports. it was the largest landslide in the world cup semi history. germany destroys brazil five goals in the first 30 minutes alone and then this. an utter humiliation. >> ouch. germany goes up 7-0 there. a moping brazil somehow musters

one goal, but germany trampels 7-1. the odds of that happening, by the way, 1 in 20,000 says espn soccer power index. it's brazil's first competitive international loss at home in 39 years. more semifinal play today, netherlands and argentina. donald sterling took the stand tuesday against his wife. he argues his wife who removed him a co-trustee of their family trust could not unilaterally sell his los angeles clippers because the trust was already revoked. sterling's emotions range from anger and sarcasm to choking up about his wife. both sides claim sterling's performance help their case. >> just as you saw the real donald sterling and we saw the real donald sterling the judge sees the real donald sterling now. he sees this guy makes stuff up. >> i think the claim that he lacks competency is a sham, it's absurd. two university of miami

football players were arrested on sexual battery charges. the 20-year-olds ad mitted to buying a 17-year-old girl drinks taking her back to a dorm room and performing sexual acts on her while intoxicated and without her consent. they are dismissed from the team and suspended from the university for now. i finish with an airline safety video with super models. >> life jackets are inflated by pulling on this red tag. >> should only do so once you exit the aircraft. >> that's from air new zealand that celebrates the 50th anniversary "sports illustrated" swimsuit edition. 11,000 signed a petition asking for the, quote, culturally insensitive video to be removed. the airline saying it's changing it to a new clip this week because it had completed its run. you can keep on watching. just ahead the loss of a disney legend and where are they now? arthur j.k. rowling gives us a

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this is love for your lips. revlon and unlike other fibers, you'll aonly know you're taking fiber by the way good digestive health makes you look& and feel. benefiber. clearly healthy. welcome back, everyone. good morning. still dealing with the monsoon moisture in the southwest. showers and thunderstorms expected in places like phoenix, albuquerque and salt lake city. flooding concerns as well especially around the four corners region. flash flooding problems today and maybe again tomorrow. west coast looking good right along the coast, 80 degrees in los angeles, but major heat continues, 98 in boise, 100 for

your high in medford. tomorrow we're watching as that monsoon rain shifts east of it, so maybe a dry break for phoenix just for a day or so. albuquerque stormy on your thursday. salt lake city, 94 with a few showers and storms and the west coast still pleasant, 79 in los angeles, 99 medford and seattle looking good as well. 80 degrees with clouds and sunshine. no showers for seattle for a change, richard. >> sunshine, but you're kind of sunshine like today even though your team lost, brazil. you're brazilian-american. >> i'm keeping the pain hidden. >> i'm wearing green for the team. i was a big fan. now for some entertainment news. harry potter is back and he is now in his 30s with a couple of threads of silver. in a short story j.k.rowling wrote about ron, hermione and harry for the first time since her last book. it was published on her website. in the daily profits gossip column. in the new story, it crashed the

website tuesday morning. potter heads are staying strong. the u.n. women website when they announced emma watson will be their goodwill ambassador. more harry potter magic as well, at universal studio in orlando the wizarding world of harry potter now includes the night bus, bank, the leaky call drop and the escape 3d ride. ♪ you can see there are no things on me ♪ richard percy jones, known as dicky jones was the voice that brought pinocchio to life. he died at 87 on monday. # in 2000 he was inducted as a disney legend. jones did not know how big pinocchio was going to be. but he said this, i count my lucky stars that i had a part in it. stevie knicks will be advising adam levine's team on "the voice" for the seventh

season. it will return september 27th. alice cooper inducted into white castle's craver hall of fame. the induction took place at the restaurant's headquarters. when he was a kid he said his father would share white castle burgers with him. are you a fan of white cast until. >> growing up around new york city, white castle is a mandatory thing after a night out. >> shall we say we'll all get the whole crew, get in the car and head to white castle. >> not from the supermarket. from the actual restaurant. >> as well you should. >> right. >> you have to eat them fresh and in dozens i hear. i hear. >> nice. >> i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day, right here on nbc. they say as a boy mr. clean really looked up to his grandmother who was stronger than people twice her size. and that strength inspired his incredibly powerful liquid muscle.

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leading the news on msnbc.com. new study links oklahoma earthquakes to fracking. the evidence that fracking may cause earthquakes is mounting. the magazine science outlines a strong link between the placement of fracking, waste water in underground disposal wells and seismic activity. in the "washington post," sarah palin just joined the impeach obama crowd. that's bad news for the gop. her national following could raise the bar and force other republicans into uncomfortable territory by pressuring them to answer the impeachment question when they're on the trail. also making news, more than 500 memphis police officers have called in sick over the past week but it's not an on going illness. it's a protest over a new plan to reduce health care subsidies. about a quarter of the force is out of work because of the so-called blue flu. a woman in florida faces a

murder charge after she admits on facebook to brutally beating her roommate. in a posted video she described the fight. a miss report says the two were arguing over loud music and a dog. an animal trainer is attacked by a 12-foot crocodile. this sids from our australian partner the 7 network. take a look. >> the handler offers the 3.7 meter salty a juicy steak. then this. the crock latches on to his left hand and won't let go and with incredible strength drags him away. visitors scream as john slams trent into his fence. >> that scares me. the man's hand punctured in several places but he's alive and okay. >> amazing. >> is this a child's dream or what or a parent's worst nightmare? a park near detroit was

transformed into a sea of mud. look at the smiles on these kids' faces. the event included wheelbarrow race, mud limbo, curious what that is, and even naming the king and queen of mud. at the end of the day local firefighters saved the day hosing them down. they loved the hosing down. >> it was fun getting clean and dirty. former new orleans mayor ray nagin could face more than 20 years in prison when sentenced today. he was convicted on federal corruption charges in february. prosecutors say he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for helping city contractors during his two times in office. happy birthday to fred savage, 38, courtney love 50, and tom hanks turns 58. i'm richard lui along with raphael miranda. thanks for watching "early today" from the entire time have a great wednesday.

. well, very good morning to you. it's 4:30. i'm scott mcgrew. look who's back. >> yes, i found the road here. i'm laura garcia-cannon. we want to check that forecast with christina loren. getting tongue tied after being on vacation. >> that clock is right, 4:30, my friends. we have this interesting pattern taking shape. you can feel the humidity out in the bay area. for us, we're mostly dry. look at this, in chico, all the way up to reading, getting these light showers. that will continue to be the