it's wednesday, july 15th. coming up on "early today," president obama prepares to discuss the iran nuclear deal in a news conference as he tries to convince allies there's no better alternative. new images this morning of the tunnel mexican drug loeldrd "el chapo" used to escape prison. and awe, inspiring photos from the edge of our solar system. and dash cam footage of a hit and run. and jimmy fallon takes on lebron james. "early today" starts right now. so, the world is reacting to the nuclear deal and president obama will be defending the agreement. some say it's a lopsided win for iran.

tracie potts is live in washington. how are law makers reacting to day? >> but here on capital hill, law makers are very skeptical. he's planned a news conference today really trying to break down all the details in this deal. >> what's the alternative gorksalternative, go to war now? >> it is high time for people in the united states to start looking at iran without those tainted glasses. >> reporter: but that may not be

easy on capitol hill. >> it looks like he made a worse deal than even we had feared. >> we'll do anything we can to stop it. >> reporter: republicans don't appear to have enough democrats on board to help them override it. >> i think it's going to be hard in any event. and i'm sure he'll work hard to get his 34 votes. >> i want to go through this process and make sure we fully understand what it is we're voting on. >> all of us are going to study those details. >> reporter: congress has 60 days to approve the deal. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said he will continue to urge lawmakers to reject this deal. and we're also learning new details about the prison escape

of notorious kingpin "el chapo" guzman. and the footage shows the moment he escaped. you see him sitting on his betted and then going behind a wall where he finally disappears. and we're getting a look inside the mile-long tunnel they say guzman used to escape. and in there you can see pipes and even a motorcycle. nbc's mark potter has been following the story. >> reporter: even though he's considered one of the world's most dangerous drug lords, some people in his home state are praying for him. this woman says he will feed the hungry, something the government won't do. back at the maximum security prison a flurry of police activity after the national prison directors were fired in the wake of el chapo's brazen escape. and this farmer said he never

saw anything suspicious but he did see a white pick up truck go to and from the house regularly with two men and two women inside. this former u.s. agent investigated scores of other tunnels dug by el chapo's drug cartel and believes he's gone home. >> he's a hollywood hero up there and they're going to protect him. >> reporter: but with his escape deep ly embarrassing the mexican government, officials are widening their search and searching in more than 100 countries. well, nasa scientists say the new horizon spacecraft will start raining down images of pollute pluto today. and captured the first close-up look at the dwarf planet. >> reporter: celebration and a sigh of relief as nasa reconnects with the spacecraft

after a nine and a half year 3 billion mile journey. a rendezvous with the icy dwarf planet better known as pluto. >> our spacecraft did exactly what it was supposed to do. >> reporter: nasa launched new horizons in january 2006. a 30,000 mile-per-hour spacecraft designed to explore the deepest reaches of our solar system. >> check it out. look how busy. new horizons scanning away. doesn't realize it just made history. >> reporter: tuesday it arrived within 7800 miles of pluto's surface. >> that's pretty dog gone close when you figure we're billion miles and 9 plus years away. >> reporter: the photo revealed a surprisingly spotted surface and a heart shaped image that could be a crater. the celestial glamor shot has our planet talking. >> it's amazing something that far away, we can send something to and explore. >> reporter: it's just the start of a steady stream of data that will be beamed back to earth.

the place many dreamed could never be reached closer than ever. well, search crews in washington state say they've located wreckage of a small plane crash and it's in the area where a 16-year-old crash survivor emerged from the woods on monday. it went down saturday on a flight in montana. the survivor, 16-year-old autumn has been released from the hospital and she says the plane's two other occupants, her step grandparents, did not survive. and outside, a severe outbreak caused catastrophic flooding in eastern kentucky. at least two people are dead and six are missing. some 60 homes were destroyed or damaged by flash floods. and a lightning strike in marietta, georgia that caused a transformer and street light to explode.

that explosion caused a black out in the area. and in west virginia, security camera captured the moment when a tree crashed from high winds. fortunately the tree missed the home but it did destroy a wooden deck. >> those pictures are amazing. >> especially the house running into the bridge. a house floating down the river, you just don't see that. the wind damage was really the story. also when we saw the amazing pictures of all the flash flooding a closer view shows you 178 wind damage reports. kentucky northern tennessee, even the atlanta area was hit pretty hard. for today severe storms not as bad. a few spots, though, are under slight risk including the bismarck area.

and through savannah myrtle beach and the charleston area. a few tornados are possible up around omaha and lincoln. it's going to feel like one of those days once again from little rock all the way down through birmingham montgomeryecause of the humidity. 102 in redding today, a little warmer than yesterday. see, that's the difference between 108 in little rock and 10 in 10 108 in little rock is a big difference. >> thank you so much bill. coming up it's amazons with

walmart today in the battle of online sales. plus caught on camera an officer gets run over while on duty. details in two minutes. ♪ i'm going my way... ♪ ♪i leave a story untold... ♪ he just keeps sending more pictures... if you're a free-range chicken you roam free. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance you switch to geico. it's what you do. ♪ two wheels a turnin'... ♪ don't be envious. be envied! 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.

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>> an unusual move by the faa. the agency is imposing minimum speed and maximum altitude restrictions on skywest. on april 3rd a skywest flight descended rapidly after losing air speed. the plane landed at its oklahoma city destination without incident. the murder trial of james holmes is underway. he's accused of gunning down people in a colorado theater nearly three years ago. and the governor of kentucky has ordered a close to issue major licenses or quit.

-- kim davis says religious believes against gay marriage prevented her from issuing the licenses. the aclu has sued her for not carrying out her duties. and frightening video of a cop getting run over on tuesday. the driver steps on the gas and hits the officer head on. that officer remains in the hospital with injuries. the driver and passenger are still at large. and let's get down to business now with cnbc's landon dowdy. >> on the watch list inflation and manufacturing data as well as earnings from bank of america. and fed chair is testifying about the economy before congress this morning.

toyota is recalling prius hybrids world wide. a software glitch could cause the hybrid system to shut off while driving. there are no reports of crashes. and parents plan to trim their back to school spending this year. the average family intends to spend $630 on schools and electronics and school supplies. most will wait until at least a month before school to take advantage of those deals. black friday and cyber monday -- amazon and walmart are getting ready to slug it out. >> reporter: amazon is celebrating its 20th anniversary today with prime day, sales that amazon says are better than black friday and only available to those with the prime service. that's the $99 subscription

which offers two-day shipping and streaming videos and tv shows. >> what we think this is about is really trying to either regenerate the prime customers that have lapsed and or to get new prime customers. >> reporter: in fact, the online retailer is offering a 30 day free trial but walmart refusing to surrender the cyber battle ground. >> only 10% of all major purchases on done online but that's growing at a rapid clip. >> reporter: and for walmart that means rolling back prices and a direct swipe at amazon prime's subscription charge. >> part of their promotion says, you don't have to pay $100 to get deals with us. >> reporter: but today isn't only about online competition, it's also about putting people back in buying mode. >> july is a really key point to

get consumers excited about shopping again. also it's right before back to school. >> reporter: with the holiday shopping season soon to follow. so, just ahead a complete round up of the major league all stars game and a trick basketball shot that you have to see to believe. sports is next. ♪ ♪ after we are all inside for a while it gets pretty stuffy. when dad opens up the window what's the first thing he does? the tobin stance. but when we open up the windows you can see the dust floating around. there's dog hair. pollen. more work. (doorbell) whoa! what's this? swiffer sweeper! swiffer dusters! removes up to 70% of dust and allergens. stays on there like glue. can't do that with the other broom. wow, i love it. the tobin stance! that is totally what it is! from the leader in longwear smudge-proof fade-proof formulas for life-resistant wear. revlon colorstay collectiontm over 20 new shades revlon. love is on.

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this morning on "today," meet the first african american

female entrepreneur to have a million dollar business. she shares her secrets of success later on "today". now to sports. the 86th edition of the mlb sports all star game was held in cincinnati and pete rose made a rare on field appearance in the city he spent so many years playing. the 74-year-old received a special permission to be on the field because of his lifetime ban over gambling. he received a massive standing ovation. and hank aaron, johnny bench, sandy kofax and willie mays. and they started the game with a leadoff home run and they would go on to win 6-3 and trout did something else in the history of

baseball has ever done. that is to win the ted williams most value player award in back to back all star games. tiger woods gearing up for the british open. he won that in 2005 and 2006. he is reassuring everyone he will be around for quite a while. >> retirement? i don't have my aarp card yet. so i'm aways from that. i know some of you guys think i'm buried and done but i'm still sitting here in front of you. wood has dropped to 241st in golf rankings after 18 months without a top ten finish. and donovan mcnabb was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence. police in phoenix say his blood alcohol level was.17. that is more than twice the legal limit in arizona.

anything over .15 qualifies for extreme dui. this is his second in 18 months. he pleaded guilty and served a day in jail for the first one. he posted this video of him performing an incredible jump shot. two basketballs and two flips. sounds impossible but this video eis very much real. i don't know how he did it. i really don't but good luck trying that at home. so, just ahead, doughnut gate, just won't go away. plus, don't you wish your commute was this easy? find out where people floated into work yesterday. you're watching "early today." i already feel like we're the most connected but i think this solo date will seal the deal. sure! i offer multi-car, safe driver, and so many other discounts that people think i'm a big deal. and boy, are they right. ladies, i can share hundreds in savings with all of you! just visit progressive.com today. but right now, it's choosing time.

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♪ ♪ >> donutgate continues. the owners of a donut shop would not press charges against singer ariana grande. grand was caught on surveillance video licking a display of donuts before saying quote, i hate america. she has since apologized. one direction's louis tomlinson is going to be a father. no word yet on a due date.

the cast of the new "star trek" movie and it was cast mate idris elba who stole the show. >> he's got the moves. well, jimmy fallon took on lebron james at face-ketball. despite being down one finger. >> oh, that was awesome. and i broke the rim. >> i'm dara brown and this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. (music plays)

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leading the news on nbc news.com, kevin maynard, former rhode island cemetery worker to plead guilty to stealing tombstones. they found at least 75 gray stones at his home. he's agreed to plead guilty to theft of government property. and serve a year of probation along with 500 hours of community service. and on wmbf news, myrtle beach, south carolina, a woman tells police jesus would pick up sea food buffet tab. she was arrested after spending four hours at a seafood restaurant and then refusing to pay for her food. she told police that jesus would cover the cost of her meal.

some other stories, kenya's west gate mall set to reopen on saturday, two years after islamic extremists killed 67 people. the mall has since been rebuilt-inrebuilt rebuilt . president obama plans to visit kenya plate later this month. >> and boston's giant snow pile has finally melted. this video shows its slow depletion after one of the city's harshest winters on record. the mayor said people to vote on how long it would take. he's set to announce the numbers later today. a connecticut teenager died this month while saving her friend's life. koe understand -- and it selfish jester was the -- gesture was the final action on her bucket list. she was struck by a car after shoving her friend out of the path. she made a bucket list that was fly to spain and the last one, save someone's life.

she aclooeed -- achieved the first two items on her list and completed the last one, losing her life in the process. in colorado, it was tube to work day. about 200 people made the trek to work down boulder creek on innertubes. some people were even sporting suits and ties. when two men decided to take the river to work, that's how they started it. it has since become a town-wide adventure. >> i could do that every day. >> you missed your calling, bill. >> i did miss my calling. we want to say happy birthday to dianne krueger and ariana huffington of the huffington post.

i'm dara brown.

after a full night the negotiation, bleery-eyed city fire and police officials trying to avoid another lengthy court battle. and a journalist talks about what happened when he was contacted by the man accused of orchestrating. and disturbing trend in palo alto where a late-night prowler spotted against on private property for the second time in less than a week. good wednesday morning. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm kris sanchez in for laura