after the storm. millions ofmericans are left in the dark and in 100-degree heat. charred remains. victims of colorado's worst wildfire return home to assess the damage. and outrageous reptile. cr philippines shatters a guinness world record. very good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. those stories and much more ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

we begin this morning with a blackout. nearly 2.7 million people are still without power following friday's violent storms in the mid-atlantic region, as temperatures soared past the 100-degree mark. those storms are being blamed for at least 17 deaths. nbc's frances koe has more. >> reporter: residents across the mid-atlantic are cleaning up after a fierce storm that knocked down power lines and wreaked havoc across several states. >> this storm had all of the impact of a hurricane without the warning. >> reporter: crews are working around the clock, but officials say it could take a full week before power is restored to the more than 2 million left in the dark. >> this particular storm, the outages that we have encountered, almost twice as many as hurricane irene last summer. this is on the level of hurricane isabel. >> reporter: with temperatures soaring past the 100-degree mark in many places for a third straight day, dozens of

communities have opened cooling stations. >> it's here for the people who don't have electricity. they can come here, cool off. >> reporter: some gas stations are seeing long lines, too, while othersç have closed, wit no power or fuel. >> frustrated, highly frustrated. >> reporter: david retland of washington, d.c., echoes what many in the hardest hit areas are feeling. >> most of the stuff would probably be discarded. most of my neighbors have packed up and left somewhere. >> reporter: just some of the millions without power headed into a sweltering fourth of july holiday. frances koe, nbc news. >> and nbc meteorologist bill karins will have much more on the nation's heat wave in just a few moments. in the meantime, crews battling colorado's most destructive fire on record made significant progress over the weekend with harsh conditions and searing heat. officials say the 26-square-mile waldo canyon fire is now 45% contained. most evacuation orders have been lifted, but thousands of residents in and around colorado springs are still unable to

return home. nbc's miguel almaguer reports from colorado. >> it was just so sad. we were so sad. >> reporter: behind the camera, susan solich and her 16-year-old daughter, hannah, get a first look at the damage at what used to be their home. >> it's gone. it's not lost in luggage somewhere, it's gone. >> reporter: fire÷÷ stripped aw everything. they are among the 246 families in the community of mountain shadows where little is left standing. >> i have to take that minute and look at that house, and i have to cry. >> reporter: two years ago, solich lost her daughter and son-in-law. this week,ç she told her son, marine logan pierce, his childhood home is gone. >> my son just sent me a text from afghanistan, and he said "we still have our memories." my kids grew up there.

>> i'm leaving my house for probably the last time. >> reporter: it was tuesday when thousands fled the flames, a moving monster that swallowed home after home and claimed two lives. >> lord, each of us comes today with something that we need help with. >> reporter: in sunday's service, prayers for the victims, support for the survivors. across colorado, seven wildfires are ravaging the state, the era of what's been called superfires, massive blazes feeding on forest land where growth goes unchecked. >> keep going. >> reporter: with thousands allowed to return home for just a few hours in colorado springs, the lucky ones find a house still standing. >> i was just glad it was there and that, you know, to see my place and see it was okay. >> reporter: the destruction in colorado is still being tallied, but for families like the soliches, the damage is done. >> my friend and i were talking

and she just looks at me and was like "i want to go home." >> reporter: do you want to go home, too? >> yes, i do. >> miguel almaguer reporting. the debate is still raging over health care reform and what happens next after the supreme court upheld the controversial ì(lc% both sides appear ready to battle it up until election day. nbc's brian mooar has the story. >> reporter: the supreme court may have delivered the ultimate verdict on president obama's health care law, but that is far from the final word. >> this has to be ripped out by its roots. this is government taking over the entire health insurance industry. the american people do not want to go down this path. . >> reporter: in this election year, they want to make it a campaign issue. >> we're not going to turn the health care system into a western european system.

>> the fact that 1% pay the penalty in massachusetts tells you a great deal. this was a plan that governor romney supported. it's something that i would think he would have been proud of. >> if republicans make as their number one issue the repeal of health care, they're certainly going to lose the election in the house, in the senate and the presidency. >> reporter: in one of the rare, true surprises in washington, the high court's decision seems to have caught both sides off guard, but republicans and democrats seem to have agreed that disagreeing on health care is the way to victory this fall. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. here is your "first look" at some of the other news going on around america today. in arizona, a wild scene as a naked carjacking suspect was arrested. cell phone video captured the bizarre end to a chase in which police say the manç crashed hi own car, took off his clothes and then carjacked another vehicle, wrecked that one as well and was about to carjack yet another victim when officers

finally caught up with him. witnesses say he was also chanting and singing. seven people were injured, including a woman who was pregnant. in boston, a majestic preview of this week's holiday celebrations. the famous tall ship sailed in to town this weekend for the boston harborfest, which runs through wednesday the 4th. they're also marking the bicentennial of the war of 1812, which established the u.s. navy as a force to be reckoned with. finally, thousands of fans gathered in los angeles for the 21st annual animae expo. they went to concerts, they went to fashion shows, and oh, yes, they also dressed up as their favorite characters, celebrating a craze that all started in japan. time now for a look at the national weather. we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. you're sitting there going, gosh, which animae character should i have been if i had gone. >> i don't even know what animae is. it's something i know existed, but i never really -- >> well, it's kind of like

comic-con, except the characters originated from japan. >> i don't know if you'd ever catch me there. >> my animae character would have pigtails or ponytails or braids or something. >> all right. do it for me. i'll check it out. >> i'm working on it. good morning, everyone. of course, the weather is the big, huge story out there this last weekend, but if it wasn't for the incredible heat, you had incredible storms rolling through. you really couldn't win as we went throughout just a sweltering, hot weekend. now, this is the storm reports. the storm actually started friday early in the day in chicago, and then one thunderstorm complex went in a path like this, and it did all of this damage, all the way down from d.c. through virginia, including ohio and west virginia, and that's what knocked out millions of power. now, when you have one big line of thunderstorms like this, it's called a derecho, and that's the meteorological term for when you have a line of thunderstorms that produces widespread wind damage. this traveled over 600 miles. in all, 817 storm reports.

so, now let me take you to what happened yesterday. we had a lot of strong storms, but we didn't have just one line of storms, we had numerous areas that had storms. southern new england got hit hard, also down through the carolinas. even yesterday we had over 800 reports of severe weather. so, there's a lot of damage to clean up, a lot of power outages. power crews are really spread out wide across a large area. and of course, we have the incredible heat for the people without power, too. yesterday it was 99 in d.c. and you notice these temperatures were in the 100s yesterday. we had some all-time record highs yesterday. charlotte, for three days in a row has had the warmest temperature their city has ever seen. thankfully this morning there are some clouds, there is some rain. it's going to keep temperatures down a little bit. i believe that record heat wave has peaked around the country. just heat advisories in most areas. and you notice, veronica, instead of the 105, a lot of areas today just plain old hot instead. not the records. >> yeah, hopefully, it cools down. thanks, bill. good news for europe's banks, bad news for one of

europe's bankers. and why the weekend was slightlç longer than usual? your "first look" at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. tiger stands alone, spain dominates, plus, a heartbreaking end for a true olympic champion. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] ok, so you're no marathon man. but thanks to the htc one x from at&t, with its built in beats audio,

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welcome back to "first look." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. the party that dominated mexican politics for over 70 years is claiming victory in the country's presidential election. enrique pena nieto of the institutional revolutionary party leads the vote with about 40% in early exit polls. iran says it's planning new missile tests and is planning to wipe israel off the face of the earth if the jewish state attacks. yesterday, europe instituted an oil embargo against iran in an effort to force the country to halt its nuclear program.

a federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a mississippi law that could shut down the state's only abortion clinic. the law requires anyone performing abortions at the clinic to be an ob/gyn with privilege tease admit patients to a local hospital, which can be difficult to obtain. endurance swimmer penny palfrey tried but failed to become the first woman to swim the 100 miles from cuba to the florida keys unaided. the 49-year-old grandmother had to stop 26 miles short because of strong currents. and a saltwater crocodile in the philippines has been confirmed by guinness as the biggest in captivity. take a look at this crock named nolong, which marries just over 20 feet and weighs more than a ton. yikes. and now, here's your "first look" at this morning's ç"dishf "scrambled politics." late friday afternoon, the white house released its annual report to congress on staff salaries, and it says that spokesman jay

carney, chief of staff jack lew and top advisers all make the same amount, $172,200. well, the obama campaign website says actor george clooney will be the headline attraction at a sequel to the blockbuster fund-raiser he held for president obama. the new $20,000-a-plate dinner -- cha ching! will be in geneva, switzerland, in august. mark your calendars. actress mila kunis told "glamour" magazine her fund-raising for president obama involves what she called street art-based stuff in l.a., but she can't really talk about the campaign graffiti, because she says "i'm pretty sure it's illegal." "the daily beast" reports that after visiting the fire zone on friday, president obama asked supporters on a conference call more cash to avoid being out-spent. new york city's board of elections reports that congressman charlie rangle's lead in his congressional race primary is now down to only 800 votes. the outcome of that tight race z decided thursday when they count those absentee

ballots. "politico" reporting that congressman allen west called house democratic leader nancy pelosi delusional for refusing to call the individual health care mandate a tax. speaking of health care, buzzfeed listed some tweets related to the health care decision, including, get this one, "i'm moving to canada. the u.s. is entirely too socialist." well, apparently, someone forgot that canada also has an individual mandate for its government-run healthç care program. and that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." now here's your "first look" at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,880 after spiking 277 points friday. the s&p surged 33. the nasdaq skyrocketed 85. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei was down three. in hong kong, the hang seng jumped 416. well, wall street kicks off a new quarter on a high note with a shortened, but busy week

ahead. u.s. markets close early tomorrow before shutting down for the fourth on wednesday. investors who haven't taken the entire week off will be looking to extend friday's rally, which gave the s&p and the nasdaq their best daily boost since decemb december. friday's surge came after eurozone leaders agreed on significant steps to shore up the region's struggling banks with rescue funds and increased oversight. overseas this morning, optimism over europe's debt crisis helped most asian markets climb higher. the upbeat sentiment could continue if the european central bank decides to cut interest rates during its meeting this week. another big driver for u.s. markets will be the june jobs report due out friday. investors will also get an update on june auto sales, which have been consistently strong all year. an interest rate rigging scandal that rocked the global banking industry last week claimed its first victim. the chairman of barclays resigned today, saying "the buck stops with me" after the bank's reputation suffered what he called a devastating blow. elsewhere, apple has agreed

to pay $60 million to a chinese company that (aprsq" it owned the rights to the name ipad. and, if this weekend felt longer than normal, well, it was. one so-called leap second was added to the last minute of june 30th to keep the world's atomic clock in sync with the earth's rotation, and that change tripped up several websites, including readit, yelp, and linkedin. whoops! the dodgers snap a seven-game skid and tiger woods makes history. plus, a heartbreaking fall for one five-time olympic medalist. your "first look" at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. i love how clean my mouth is now. but why doesn't it last? well, plaque quickly starts to grow back. [ dr. rahmany ] introducing crest pro-health clinical rinse. it actually keeps your teeth 91% clean of plaque even at 2 months after a dental visit. new crest pro-health clinical rinse.

like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach.

until she heard about the value plan. see how much you could save with allstate. are you in good hands? welcome back to "first look." i'm veronica de la cruz. in sports yesterday, major league baseball announced the starting rosters for this year's all-star teams. here's nbc's mario solis. >> good morning. baseball fans voted, and a record 11 million chose josh hamilton. the slugger was among seven rangers picked for next week's all-star game. the giants, cardinals, angels and yankees each have four players going to the midsummer classic. robinson cano will be in kansas city next tuesday. no one's been hitting the ball better, crushing another home run against the white sox. he now has nine in his last 14 games. yankees won 4-2. the dodgers' clinton kershaw is an all-star, pitching like one yesterday against the mets. nine strikeouts, one earned over seven. and get this, the dodgers

actually scored some runs, snapping a seven-game losing streak with an 8-3 win. golf. tiger woods is slowly getting back to his old form, winning the at&t national in maryland. drains a 22-foot birdie on 15 to take the lead and never looks back. it's his 74th career pga win, moving him past jack nicklaus for second place on the all-time list. euro 2012 finals. spain cementing themselves as the best soccer team in the world, and quite possibly the best of all time. fernando torres scored a goal and added an assist to win the tourney's golden boot award. spain becomes the first team to win back-to-back euro championships. they beat italy 4-0. finally, it would have taken a miracle for nastia liukin to make the u.s. gymnastics team.ç the darling of the beijing games had a tough weekend, and it only got worse on the uneven bars. couldn't find her grip, took a major spill. thankfully, she was okay. a heartbreaking moment for the five-time olympic medalist. amazingly, she regrouped and was able to finish her routine.

liukin won't make the olympics, but she is always be remembered as a true american champion. and that's your "first look" at sports. i'm mario solis. now for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. is that heat wave going to continue right into the fourth? >> unfortunately, it continues, but not as intense. so, it's like a little silver lining, but not much. good morning, everyone. if you're just joining us, of course, the heat wave has been the story over the last week. we have seen numerous cities have record all-time temperatures. going back 100 years, the warmest they've ever recorded on their weather gauges. also in the states of tennessee and south carolina, we broke the record for the hottest temperatures ever in those states. so, today is very warm, tomorrow is very warm, nothing really changes. we're not going to see the all-time shattering record heat, but still 90s from denver all the way to the east coast. then as we look at the fourth of july forecast, my main concern, veronica, up through new england, d.c. to the north, cold front goes through with thunderstorms. >> oh. >> so, that could ruin a couple

picnics, and hopefully not fireworks displays. >> can't you get rid of the rain, bill? come on. >> it will only be short-lived, but the timing could be bad. >> thanks, bill. kid-friendly films and their reign with moviegoers. plus, did a trash-talking bear or aç hollywood hunk notch the openings the the box office? you're watching "first look." won't need... ♪ hajimemashite. hajimemashite. hajimemashite. you guys like football ? thank you so much. i'm stoked. you stoked ? totally. ... and he says, "under the mattress." souse le matelas. ( laughter ) why's the new guy sending me emails from paris ? paris, france ? verizon's 4g lte devices are global-ready. plus, global data for just $25. only from verizon. use the points we earn with our citi thankyou card for a relaxing vacation. ♪ sometimes, we go for a ride in the park.

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welcome back to "first look." time now for some entertainment news. this weekend, a lewd teddy bear managed to claw its way to the top of the box office while breaking a record. "ted," starring mark wahlberg and mila kunis about a

foul-mouth teddy bear brought in $54.1 million. >> that's a lot. >> i know, right? it is the best selling for an original r--rated comedy. this weekend's other r-rated opener, the male stripper movie "magic mike" with channing tatum finished in second place with a stronger than expected $32.9 million. bill's shaking his head. >> it did well. >> it did. this one came in third. last weekend's box office champ with $34 million. in fourth place, tyler perry's "madea witness protection." finally, the other new release, "people like us"6" starring ch pine debuted in tenth with a measly $4 million. the other film i want to see is woody allen's new film. it has the actor, i think, from "the social network" in it.

it's about rome. >> yeah. a lot of his films lately have been a real struggle. >> i want to see it. >> they haven't been so good lately. >> i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "first look" onç msnbc. stay tuned, because "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. the spin over the supreme court's ruling on the president's health care law begins in earnest as republicans vow repeal but offer few specific alternatives while democrats do the end zone dance but refuse to call the mandate a tax. the question is, what version of the story will voters believe when they head to the polls in november? millions are without power as violent storms throw the eastern u.s. into chaos as workers struggle to restore electricity and the national guard is called in to help clean up the mess. the question is, will power be restored in time to fend off this week's blistering heat wave? and finally, tiger woods is back in the saddle again,