good morning. i'm dara brown. ferguson, missouri, once again looking like a war zone. military tanks, tear gas, stun grenades. moments ago a completely different tone as a press conference by the ferguson police began with a prayer. captain johnson saying that bottles like the ones you see here were thrown at police by a tiny minority of lawbreakers and distinguished them from protestors. >> protestors are people that are respectful. protestors don't clash with police. they don't throw molatov cocktails. it is criminals who throw

molotov cook tiles and fire shots and endanger lives and properties. >> two people were shot. police did not fire any shots, despite being attacked by protesters. he added there were 31 arrests and two fires. last night was the fist night that the curfew was lifted since it was put in place on saturday. est also the first time the national guard was on scene to help restore order. our team in ferguson reported police were telling them they were trapped by barricades. while trying to leave the area. the driver of this truck was trying to help protestors get away when they were approached by police. police picked up what appeared to be a bottle with a piece of cloth sticking out of it before placing the passengers under arrest. one of our reporters taking the picture of police raising their guns of a group of journalists on the ground with their hands up.

take a listen to chris hayes describing to rachel maddow the scene at 11:00 p.m. central time. >> it looks like flash grenades. there's smoke rising up. we see protestors hurling things at, i can't tell what they are. they are popping in the sky. they look like fireworks. they could be flash grenades or tear gas here, frankly. there's smoke now rising up into the sky just now we have now entered what now seems the inevitable. now everyone is booking. >> running. down canfield. >> everybody is booking down canfield, and there's -- people are also lobbing -- i'm not sure what the heck they're lobbing back. it think that was someone throwing a tear canister back. we have the loud crowd noise. it's complete, complete chaos

here as the crowd disburses in the midst of this smoke that's now bill lowing out and rising up. i can start to feel it a little bit on the eyes. >> nbc news jay gray is in ferguson. jay, good morning. can you tell us about your wild night out there? >> hey there, good morning, dara. it's almost like a vicious cycle. police changing their strategy and tactics every night here. it includes now the national guard that is a part of the effort, but so far they've been unable to stop the violence. >> reporter: the streets in ferguson exploded with violence again overnight. smoke and tear gas filling the air as police and protesters clash. the situation was at its worst around midnight. >> there are numerous reports of shots fired. we had two fires. one at a business and one at an

unoccupied residents. in the area of west bart and canfield, our officers came under heavy gunfire. our officers confiscated two guns during a car stop near the media staging wrar. these are not acts of protesters. these are acts of violent criminals. >> reporter: rocks and bottles were among several things apparently thrown at officers along the frontlines. 31 people were arrested during the chaos, including a group inside this pickup where police found what appears to be a possible molotov cocktail. the violence continued. despite another change in strategy and response by police that included national guard troops to secure the police command center which allowed for more officers on the ground and for the first time on roof tops. despite another showdown, police are confident they can restore order in ferguson. >> i'm going to tell you, we're going to solve this. we're going to have to do it

together, and i am not going to let criminals that have come out here from across this country or live in this community define neighborhoods. >> reporter: a neighborhood that continues to be on edge. >> now, early this morning captain johnson asked that protesters make their voices heard during the daylight hours so that what he calls the criminal element can't hide behind their message and the darkness of night here. that's the latest in ferguson, missouri. i'm jay gray. dara, back to you now. >> thank you, jay. attorney general eric holder prepares to meet with justice department officials tomorrow, the nation is weighing in on the aftermath of michael brown's shooting, and is once again showing a racial divide. 52% of whites have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in the investigation, while only 18% of blacks feel the same. meanwhile, the mother of explain teen trayvon martin whose killing galvanized the nation wrote a letter to the family of

michael brown. "if they refuse to hear us, we will make them feel us. some will mistake that last statement as being negatively provocative, but feeling us means feeling our pain. , imaging our plight as parents of explain children." "i would hate to think that our lawmakers and leaders would need to lose a child before protecting the rers of them and making the necessary changes now." it has been a busy start to the week for president obama who has taken a break from his vacation for two reasons. first, the situation in ferguson. the president is calling for unity and understanding following the death of michael brown. second, the crisis in iraq. mr. obama is calling the latest boost of u.s. air strikes in iraq a major step forward. nbc's brian moore joins me now from the nation's capital. good morning, brian. >> later today the president resumes his vacation after coming here to washington to do what he intended to do, which is essentially make two promises. justice for ferguson and no u.s. war for iraq.

>> good afternoon, everybody. >> reporter: taking a break from his vacation, president obama addressed the arab crisis, fighting in iraq, and the racial unrest in ferguson, missouri. >> let me call once again for us to seek some understanding rather than simply holler at each other. >> reporter: he promised a full investigation of the killing of michael brown, an unarmed african-american teenager by a white police officer. >> the attorney general himself will be traveling to ferguson on wednesday to meet with the fbi agents and doj personnel conducting the federal criminal investigation. >> reporter: on iraq he praised the u.s. military assist wrans that helped iraqis retake a key dam from isis militants. he pledged, this is no longer america's war. >> we're not the iraqi military. we're not even the iraqi air force. >> reporter: critics say the united states has little choice. >> my friends, these people are planning to attack the united states of america. >> we're going to be engaged if

we rye to pretend that we won't, i think we'll pay a big price. >> reporter: one president, two unfolding challenges. >> later this afternoon the president returns to martha's vineyard to resume a vacation that has been anything but restful. dara. >> thank you, brian moore, from d.c. we'll see how the day unfolds. now to the eastern ukraine where a new attack against russian rebels claims they took out a convoy carrying refugees. it happened. dozens were killed, including children. russian rebels deny any responsibility. in the middle east fragile but holding. a new cease-fire is in effect, and this is until tuesday, 5:00 a.m. eastern. the big things on the nlgting table, armed israel is firm on hamas giving up all weapons. the pope says the terrorists must be stopped, when it comes to isis. the remark is how. pope francis endorsing using force, but stopped short of

greenlighting u.s. air strikes. isis is accused of slaughtering certain religious fwrupz inside iraqs, including christians. pope francis is considering a trip to iraq. >> now to bill karins. >> we've been hot this summer in the morgan stanley. the temperatures are going to change, and we're going to see a big shift not just in the west, but across our nation. yesterday was one of the last hot summer days we're going to see for a while. especially in the northwest. it was 91 in portland. this is the summer pattern. this is the pattern we've been in for the majority of the last two months. some could argue all the way back to last winter. here is how it's going to change as we look ahead here. we have a big upper level low that's spinning just off the california coast. that's a game changer here and opening the door for this next hang. that's going to shift the jet stream west -- or excuse me, east, with all the hot air, and that's where all the problems are going to be with the heat and humidity. we're going to be much cooler in

the northwest. today we start that cooling trend. 76 in seattle. 79 in portland. that's some gorgeous weather after a really hot period of summertime tempnevada, temperatures were cooler than we expected this time of year. vegas near 100. this little change -- once again, you notice that the changing weather pattern takes longer to move, so maybe this one will stick around for a while. >> maybe. we haven't seen that much of a summer. >> yeah. >> thank you, bill. an abc news has lost one of its own today. >> paulson imitated, never replicated his rumbling baritone. he joined the network in 1944,

famous for nearly four decades of "snl" introductions, and that's him on stage for his 90th wirt day. he also worked on the macy's thanksgiving day parade, the price is right, and this. >> these three people will compete today on "jeopardy." >> his voice extended beyond entertainment. he was one of the first people to announce a major american event. >> from nbc news, president kennedy and governor john conley of texas have been gunned down by assassin's bullets in downtown dallas. >> bardo was inducted into the television hall of fame. jim where i fallon once said that nothing is like the moment when jim pardo says your name. he was 96. up next, it would have been huge. a school plot that left even police shaken. it's breakfast.

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welcome back. in california school master plot is stopped. two south pasadena high school students were behind it. they allegedly didn't have weapons, but they were trying to get them. in paris a saudi arabian prince is robbed. they hijacked the prince's convoy as he was headed to the airport. over $300,000 was taken, along with some sense fif documents. saturday saving. one-third of all americans haven't saved any money for retirement. that's the word from bank rate.com. the bright spot? those who are saving are starting earlier. in alabama one big gator. hunters nabbed this 15 foot long one. it's the largest ever to be killed in alabama. it tops the scales at about 1,000 pounds. well, they thought for one was watching. what google's all-seeing eye caught two men doing. steam ballmer's insane debut

as the clipper's owners. this is "early today." d crowd cheering just you know walking, sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering d crowd cheering and i found myself in the middle of this parade honoring america's troops. sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering d crowd cheering which is actually in tquite fitting becauseade 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. at hillshire farm spice is the spice of life. that's why our craftsmen seasoned every sausage perfectly. so you can coax out great flavor effortlessly. hillshire farm beacuse it's worth doing right. padvil pm gives you the healingu at nsleep you need, it. helping you fall asleep and stay asleep so your body can heal as you rest. advil pm. for a healing night's sleep.

walked in to a mcdonald's and discovereden an extraordinary burger with heaps of jalapeños... ...for only two dollars. within minutes, they had also discovered the phenomenon of "economnomnomics" nomnom... nom? nom nom the jalapeño double, try it now for just $2 on mcdonald's dollar menu and more. it's economnomnomcial. ♪ nom...nom...nom... this morning on "today" is he the next tiger woods? willy sits down with rory mcilroy. he will talk about his hot winning streak and being compared to one of the sport's most legendary players. now to the latest in sports. i will turn it over to my good friend richard lui.

richard. >> good morning. let's start with monday night preseason football. the final play of the first water. robert griffin iii, rg 3 throwing a bomb to roberts. they got a score. 7-3 there. round down 14-3. in the third. johnny manziel forced to throw it away. he might have forgot the cameras were rolling. he does this towards a redskins bench. that wasn't like a hello. that wasn't the money sign. nothing like that. the final seconds ended in a hail mary by connor shaw here. the browns make a capture but failed the two-point conversion that follows. the redskins edge out the browns 24-23 in a close one. the los angeles clippers holding a rally at staples center to introduce new owner steve ballmer. he has some energy there, wouldn't you say? that follows a recent court battle and removal of former owner donald sterling. his enthusiasm, he had lots of it there. he had no problem exciting the crowd. he even gave out his e-mail

address and told everyone to call him steve. not mr. ballmer. how about the billionaire? team illinois bested team rhode island 8-7 in an elimination game there, but the winning rbi from joshua houston in the fifth. illinois will advance to playtex technical today. good luck, all. this baseball manager's tyrade it is one for the books. >> he now taez a step back. he is pointing, and he has been thrown out of the fwam. >> he is now sliding into home plate. now he takes off his shoes and leaves them at home plate, and he is taking off his jersey, and he leaves it at home plate. >> oh, no. that could have gone the wrong way. that was minor league baseball manager joe nickolic of the pelicans. clearly upset with the runner being called out. the freak-out did not help as the pelicans lost and were swept for the first time since april. >> "early today" is brought to you by just for me, giving you

the look you want. >> now back to you. >> thank you, richard. coming up next, guns pointed at journalists. tension in ferguson erupts, and we have the video. plus, robin williams' latest role that will keep him alive forever. you're watching "early today." something happens when you give your hair... air. you get a natural look without the gray. only just for men has airactiv. the only technology that uses oxygen in the air to get rid of gray while leaving the natural variations in your hair. no ammonia. no peroxide. no overcoloring. just air... just you... and the look you want. just for men. don't be envious. be envied! new revlon colorstay gel envy™ in just two steps, i get what i want. base coat and color in one. then, diamond top coat for gorgeous, life-resistant wear. in 30 easy-to-remove shades

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we know two-thirds away through the month, the rainfall totals are what we expect. hit and miss moisture in vegas, albuquerque where i. portland has been unusually dry and hardly anything in california. that's what we would expect. we're not expecting any wet weather in those areas either. more of typical average temperatures for you, and water levels in reservoirs, a lot of them are nearing all-time record lows. >> thanks for the update, bill. now it's time for entertainment news. batman star christian bale was proud to announce the arrivalal of a son yesterday. bail and his wife stevie already have a 9-year-old daughter. as memorials continue to honor robin williams, fans are still eager to do more. over 100,000 signatures have been collected to have a new character be introduced in the next legend of zelda game, which williams is an avid fan of, to honor him. they named the lead character after his daughter. ♪

>> yes, shake it off. that was taylor swift in her newest music video. she just released that video along with announcing a new pop album to be released in october. >> look at her getting out of her normal shell. >> absolutely. she definitely is shaking it off there. son of martial arts master jackie chan has been arrested in beijing with possible drug use. police found 100 grams of marijuana at his home. not a good sign there. look up to the sky. no, this is not superman. it's a wedding anniversary present from porsche derossi to her wife ellen degenerous. i'm dara brown. this is "early today. we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. at hillshire farm spice is the spice of life. that's why our craftsmen seasoned every sausage perfectly. so you can coax out great flavor effortlessly.

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zimplt awe new drug to help combat baldness. it has helped to combat -- it is used to treat bone marrow disorders. nutella price could soar amid worldwide hazelnut shortage. the cost of hazelnuts is up after crop-killing hail storms and frost hit the world's biggest hazelnut, producer, turkey. some stories we are following for you. another night of chaos in ferguson. protests turned violent. 31 people were arrested. one of the night's most stunning

images? police guns pointed at journalists. the flare-up comes before attorney general eric holder's wednesday visit. he is the first high level u.s. official to visit the scene. have you ever typed your traes into google to see what your house looks like on "street view?" look at this photo. it's gone viral on-line. it's an alleged drug deal in camden, new jersey. a person was taking a look around his old neighborhood, and he says this spot is known for drug exchanges, and he says he is not surprised. well, approximate must be raining cats and dogs because here are two that have become friends. this canine puppy and cheetah have formed an unlikely friendship. these cubs are only 3 1/2 months old. now. >> who is going to get the better of this? oh. >> the program pairs cheetahs and dogs for companionship, and being together helps them stay calm in public settings. >> take advantage of it, doggy. >> only 3 months old now.

can you imagine month by month seeing the difference? >> the dog will be getting a bit more scared and more scared. >> chasing the cheetah, and then pretty soon the cheetah will say i'm ready for you. >> permanent time-out. >> always fun to follow to see how that friendship ends up. sometimes it works out. remember the lion? after all those wreerz they do remember. now it is time for a look ahead and a look back. a mixed martial arts fighter who adding allegedly beat his exgirlfriend will be arraigned in ventura, california. police say the 32-year-old known as war machine brutally assaulted his ex in las vegas. they captured jonathan in california. he is awaiting extradition to nevada. happy birthday to former "friends" actor matthew perry, 45. full house star john stamos turns 51, and bill clinton turns 68 today. now, keep it here for more news, weather, and sports. i'm dara brown along with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today." have a great one.

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from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." and a good tuesday morning, 4:30, bright and early, i'm sam brock. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. lots to get to, let's check the forecast first. >> good morning to both of you, sam, laura, everybody at home. what a spectacular calm of days here. look at your highs for today. 76 degrees. on the peninsula, 73 for the east shore, and wine country, mid-80s typically, we're forecasting the upper 70s for today. all good things must come to an end. changes coming your way. first let's check your drive, good morning to mike