check out my work at wonkblog.com. and on facebook.com/ezraklein. battle ground dual. president obama and mitt romney trade blows over the economy in ohio. aliens among us? an oddly shaped vehicle sparks curiosity among maryland motorists. and expensive proposition. new government numbers reveal just how much that bundle of joy is going to cost you. good morning, every. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "1st look" on msnbc. we'll begin this morning with the rich and famous.

president obama raised some money last night here in new york at the home of actress sarah jessica parker. wealthy celebrities from film, fashion and music paid $40,000 each to attend the exclusive get together. earlier in the day, the president and mitt romney were both in ohio and both more down to earth talking about the economy and middle class. steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: for the first time on the same day, the president and the challenger went to ohio for dueling speeches. barack obama with students, worried about the economy on his watch. >> we're all just trying to get a job, we're all just trying to get a future. >> let's put some folks to work right here at home. >> reporter: no major new initiatives, but a passionate repeat of main obama themes. taxing the rich more. not cutting key spending. >> in an age where we know good jobs depend on high skills, how is not the time to scale back our commitment to education.

>> reporter: he warned a romney win would mean more gridlock. >> this election is your chance to break that stalemate. if you want to give the policies of the last decade another try, then you should vote for mr. romney. >> reporter: with the president in democrat he can leaning cleveland, mitt romney was in conservative cincinnati mocking the obama claim of economic progress. >> oh, really? go check on that. and talk is clean. actions speak very loud. and if you want to see the results of his economic policies, look around ohio, look around the country, and you'll see that a lot of people are hurting. >> reporter: boosted by $10 million from one las vegas billionaire, team romney's advertising war chest is now bigger than team obama's. >> the private sector is doing fine. >> reporter: enabling romney to capitalize on an obama gaffe. i'm steve handels man, nbc news, washington. elsewhere, the trial of penn state's former football coach,

jerry sandusky, on 52 criminal counts is moving much faster than many expected. the prosecution is now expected to rest its case on monday. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: the last of eight young men accusing former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky took the witness stand to deliver the most graphic allegations of sexual abuse yet. known as victim number nine, he said he was 11 when he was abused for the first of many times over a three year period in the sandusky family home. he said he screamed for help and later wanted to tell someone, but feared no one would listen. the boy's name was on an address list later found in the search of sandusky's belongings. his name was starred, so were some of the other alleged victims in this case. >> the prosecution did very well. given the number of compelling witnesses that were presented will week, the defense will be hard pressed to overcome that case. >> reporter: also on day four of testimony, an investigator said sandusky admitted back in 19 in

that he ed had showered with young boys and contacted by a mother who claimed her son had been touched in a shower. that victim is a bible college graduate. he told the courtesan oig tickled and bear hugged help in the shower and joked i'm going to squeeze your guts out. the court also heard from a 25-year-old national guard soldier who said he was abused dozens of times, yet still saw sandusky as a father figure. brian mooar, mnbc news, bell f t bellefon bellefonte, pennsylvania. faulty brakes on a garbage truck created one giant mess in northern california. the driver lost control when he was unable to stop the truck from rolling down a hilly street. it september one vehicle careening in a home.

no one inside the homes or in either vehicles suffered injuries. a four-alarm fire forced hu houston residents to stay indoors. flames ripped through a warehouse containing materials used to clean up oil spills causing toxic fumes to bill low from the blaze more than 50 crews battled the fire for hours before putting it out. a moving job caused quite a commotion on one maryland roadway. drivers thought they were watching an alien invasion when they spotted what seemed to be a ufo being towed. turned out it was an unmanned aircraft designed by u.s. military contractor northrop grumman. and finally the u.s. army thought it was a sweet way to celebrate its 237th birthday, a 2500-pound tasty tank. it's made up of a wooden frame and 5,000 cupcakeses. that even looks good at 5:00 in the morning.

the army's top brass were impressed, but one senior official joked tanks and cupc e cupcakes don't normally belong in the same sentence. cakes and the army just don't together. >> nothing goes with army and tanks in jokes. >> happy early father's day. >> thank you very much. a lot of people excited about this weekend. a lot of areas it will be a gorgeous weekend. now that we're starting to roll into summer for so many areas, a lot of people would like the nice warmth and without the rain so they can enjoy the lake or pool. the middle of the country is the trouble spot and that's where all the thunderstorms were last night and that's where they'll stay this upcoming weekend. if you're anywhere from tennessee through the carolinas, even much of georgia off through the eastern seaboard, it will be just a picture perfect friday, saturday and sunday. really doesn't get much better than this. we'll deal with isolated storms down in florida this upcoming weekend, but it's your rainy

season. trouble stuff in the milmiddle country, minneapolis and kansas city and now down around oklahoma city and tulsa. driving on interstate 40, good sized storms and still raining around tulsa. as far as dallas/ft. worth goes, these storms have been weakening. as of now we're dry, but i will expect a little bit of wet weather, i don't think you'll get downpours about an hour from now around ft. worth. so here's how the forecast looks. today gorgeous, perfect, you name it, 80s to upper 70s in many areas in the mid atlantic through northeast. it does get a little hot today, though. areas like chicago, the heat will be on. 91 for you. st. louis should be about 96. a little uncomfortable there. still very warm around dallas. as we take you through the weekend forecast, the problem spot, this cold front, thunderstorms through the plains. that will linger up through the great lakes. but father's day i'd say for maybe about 80% to 90 respe% of

looks just about perfect. coming up, nokia nose dives, stanford is sentenced and what is everybody getting for dad? your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, the heat get even, tiger in the hunt, and i love a parade. you're watching "1st look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] this... is the at&t network.

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welcome back. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. united nations observers were finally able to reach a deserted syrian town where they found a smoldering building. protesters took to the streets after the country's highest court dissolved parliament saying it was elected illegally. the court also ruled that a former official under president

mubarak can compete in this weekend's presidential election. a government report estimates the average cost of raising an american child born last year up until the age of 17 will be 235 hou$235,000. in 1960, that same cost was just over $25,000. kevin costner won his court fight in a lawsuit filed by steven baldwin over his investment in an oil clean up system eventually purchased would i bp. the jury rejected baldwin's claim he was duped out of millions from that deal. and in northwest china, a sand storm caused big problems on the roads with visibility down to just a few feet. the sand knocked down tree branches and did major damage to crops on local farms. now here is your first look at this morning's addition owing of scrambled politics. so who do americans point the finger at when it comes to the

struggling economy? a new gallup poll shows 68% place great or moderate blame on former president george w. bush, 52% blame president obama. mean ority leader mitch mcconnell announced republicans will block all obama nominees to the nation's top courts until after the election. invoking a rule that isn't really a rule, the so-called thurman rule named for strom thurmond isn't in the rules, but the practice calls for the opposition party to freeze all court votes within six months of a presidential election. the pentagon has come a long way from don't ask don't tell. this summer gay and wlez bee an troops will be saluted marking gay pride month. a george washington university study suggests the obama's family dog, bo, may be a political liability. the study concludes pets frolicking on the white house lawn in hard times isn't a good

image. jon bon jovi helped the president raise money, so he joked to extra he wants a cabinet position. secretary of entertainment. usher, jessica alba in a campaign to create one million new national service jobs to address youthen employment. iced tea offered an interesting political theory on the "today" show. he argues rap opened up white people to the idea of voting for someone like president obama. and finally, remember this guy? mc hammer. he's performing at a san francisco fund-raiser for house minority leader nancy pelosi. and as you can see from this tweet, the two are already best of friends. and this is your morning's dish of scrambled politics. elsewhere, the farm bill being considered in congress would cut $4.5 billion in food stamp funds. last night on politics nation,

al sharpton spoke with a new york senator who is spearheading the effort in the senate to restore those cuts in food stamps so america's neediest families don't go hungry. >> anything worth fighting for is not easy here. but so far we do have some support, we've got 14 bipartisan co-sponsors and we're beginning it to get momentum around the amendment. i think for the most poor and needy and at risk among us, they don't have the big special interest lobbying groups that seem to give sway often in debates here. so we want to restore the cuts, we want to make sure our kids are not going hungry at night. i'm worried about our seniors. about 17% of our seniors are actually on food stamps. and these are food stamps that they're receiving now that they're trying to take away. in a tough economy when it's difficult for families to make ends meet. >> don't miss politics nation weekdays at 6:00 eastern right here on msnbc. here is your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,651.

s&p rose 14, the nasdaq gained 17. overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei up a fraction. in honk congress, the hang seng shot up 425. stocks did continue their roller coaster week with big crime on thursday. traders looking for reassurance ahead of this weekend's elections in greece welcomed a reuters report that central banks from 20 major economies will step in if greek results lead to market turmoil. that report fueled optimism already on the rise from hopes that yesterday's tame inflation reading and other weak jobs report will encourage the fed to step in with some more stimulus. leading the s&p, international game tech knowledge jumped 14% on news of a $1 billion stock buy back. u.s. traded shares of nokia plunged 15 about% on news it planned to slash 10,000 jobs. and in vienna, opec leaders left

production levels unchanged saying they expect global supply and demand to stay balanced. alan tap ford was sentenced to 1 ten-years in prison by a texas judge. the 62-year-old swindled more than $7 billion from his investors. federal regulators have widened an investigation into gas tanks in grand cherokees on include up it on 5 million vehicles. following news the u.s. will soon allow companies to invest in myanmar, coca-cola says it will offer its products in the former burma for the if first time in 60 years. and if you're wondering what every else is buying for father's day, the national retail federation says for the first time in seven years, a special outing like tickets to a ball game or dinner out have surpassed traditional gifts like ties and power tools. giving us all an idea here for our dads.

coming up, the stanley cup tours hollywood, the mets sweep, and the royals walk off winners. plus dwyane wade and his miami heat teammates slam the top but they run out of steam. your first look at sports is straight ahead. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog. havi ng a n irregular heartbeat havputs you at 5 times calgreater risk of stroke. don't wait. go to afibstroke.com for a free discussion guide to help you talk to your doctor about reducing your risk. that's afibstroke.com.

laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] get the mileage card with special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? [ male announcer ] the united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios

[ female announcer ] improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno. welcome back. in sports, last night the miami heat handed the oklahoma city thunder their first loss at home in the postseason.

here's fred roggin. >> good morning. heat made changes, chris bosh got the start and miami evened the series. game two nba finals started much like game one. dwyane wade with two of his 24, but unlike tuesday, the heat held the lead the entire game. late fourth quarter, lebron cashed in, got the jumper to fall. he had 30. thunder made it interesting down the stretch. forced a turnover. durant knocked down the three. under a minute to play. last chance for the thunder. could durant bring them all the way back? no. questionable noncall. after being swept by the yankees, mets swept the rays in tampa. mets ended interleague play with a 9-6 win.

pena scored two with a single down the line aproyals beat the brewers 4-3. golf first round of the u.s. open, all eyes on tiger woods. was his win a fluke or a sign of things to come? drained the long bird. finished three strokes off the lead. shot of the day turned in by nick watney. looked good in the air. even better on the green. rolled all the way it to the cup and in and that is a double eagle. and finally los angeles has hosted championship parades before, but none like this in l.a. for the kings first ever stanley cup parade. it ended at staple center with a rally. the celebration 145 years 45 ye making. that's your first look at sports. have a great weekend. and now let's take another look at the weather with bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast.

i don't know what i'm more excited about, the fact that it's friday or that it's all sun, 70s, 80s. >> are you you are so checked o already. >> let's get the party started. >> a beautiful forecast. many areas in the 70s and maybe even low 80s. low humidity. perfect weather from pittsburgh all the way up to maine. and we're looking pretty nice. even atlanta has low humidity for will this time of year. enjoy that through the carolinas down through the deep south. right along the gulf to florida, you will dodge thunderstorms. it's hot in chicago and st. louis, but also very hot down there in dallas. as we go through your weekend, the trouble spot will be with this frontal system and thunderstorms moving through minnesota, iowa, eventually through wisconsin, and then this will linger here near chicago, indianapolis, possibly near detroit for father's day. also up there towards pargo. b fargo. but if you're not in the midwest, you'll see a dry, beautiful weekend. coming up at the box office,

whether last week's champ hold on to the top spot or will adam sandler's new movie compete for number one? your first look at entertainment straight ahead. you're watching first look on msnbc. wake up!

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there are some furry favorites. last friday we had a little bet going. i recall i won. >> i don't. >> it's the defending champ madagascar 3, it earned nearly $200 million worldwide. it is expected to take the top spot once again with 30 plus

million. we'll see whether bill goes for an all or nothing bet here. rock of ages starring tom cruise and alec baldwin is a real wild card. it's track well with women over 25rk but most experts see earning close to $20 million. but some think it could be a surprise hit. finally fresh off last year's unprecedented sweep for jack and jill, the hollywood's worst, adam sandler's debuts that's my boy. the reviews have been terrible. plus unlike previous sandler comedies, this one's rated r, but he has a loyal young male audience that always seem to turn out for his movies. so they're thinking this could be close to $20 million, as well. >> any bets? >> no, betting is very immature. people shouldn't do stuff like that. >> is that because it's 1-0?

i'll stick with that. that's fine. such a coward. i'm wherein berry. this is "1st look." stay tuned, way too early with willy geist starts right now. mitt romney, president obama deliver dueling economic speeches in ohio as both candidates make their case by attacking one another, the question is how big a role will the george w. bush economy play in november. turmoil in egypt as a new court ruling threatens to mund y undermine the country's transition to democracy. what does it mean for the rest of the middle east and the future of freedom in that region? we'll have a live report. and lebron james and miami heat come charging out of the gate in game twoft nba finals