and when andrea mitchell cuts to the case, let's agree, sorry, ladies, he is off the market is the best new thing in the world today. that does it for us tonight don't forget, you can check out my work at wonkblog.com or follow me on twitter @ezraklein or on facebook at facebook.com/ezraklein. twitter.com. up next, "first look." early warning? authorities in colorado uncover what could be key evidence in the investigation into last week's theater massacre. cinema chaos. nerves are rattled after two brawls break out at a pennsylvania movie theater. and high dive. an austrian daredevil takes a plunge from 18 miles above the earth's surface. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

and we're going to begin this morning with a possible explanation. new information has surfaced about the suspected gunman in last week's colorado theater shooting that claimed 12 lives. law enforcement officials say james holmes mailed a package to the school he attended containing detailed writings about killing people. nbc's jed gray has details. >> reporter: federal agents tell nbc news james holmes told them where to find key in evidenc the case. the former neuroscience graduate student apparently told investigators about a package he had sent to the university of colorado's medical campus in aurora. police found that package on monday unopened in the school's mail room. inside they discovered what's described as handwritten details about killing people. as the investigation continues, so does the mourning here. >> i'm overwhelmed by the tragedy of all of this and the

senselessness of all of it. i mean, good people taken. >> reporter: people like 51-year-old gordon cowden, the oldest victim of the massacre took his two teenage daughters to the movie. they survived. he was laid to rest, the first of at least 12 funerals for victims of the attack. after the chaos and killing at the theater, there are now growing questions in this grieving community about what will happen to the crime scene. some say it should be torn down and replaced by a memorial. others, though, argue the cinema should reopen to show the world gunman didn't win that night. right now, the building is still locked down by police, but could be returned to the owners by the end of the week. jay gray, nbc news, aurora, colorado. meanwhile, three of the hospitals taking care of the victims wounded in the shooting say they are either going to limit or just completely wipe out their medical bills. so some really nice acts of kindness there. in the wake of the colorado

shootings, gun control has become a hot topic on the campaign trail. last night, while speaking to the national urban league in new orleans, the president tried to strike a balance between the right to bear arms and weaponry he sees having no place in society. >> i also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that ak-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. >> earlier, mitt romney had a different take on the issue. >> i don't happen to believe that america needs new gun laws. a lot of what this young man did was clearly against the law. but the fact that it was against the law did not prevent it from happening. the senate held two key votes involving the extension of the bush tax cuts. the battle will likely continue next year, and it's going to remain one of the key presidential issues in the race. nbc's jennifer johnson has that

story from washington. the bill is passed. >> reporter: the senate passing a democratic bill extending tax cuts for the majority of americans, but not the very wealthy. earlier the republican plan, giving the cuts to everyone failed. a victory for president obama, but the democrats' plan is considered dead on arrival in the republican-controlled house. >> the good news is that this new convoluted democratic bill will never make it to the president's desk. >> the house should take this legislation and pass it now. >> the tax showdown is at the heart of the presidential race. president obama accuses republicans of protecting the wealthy. >> they've decided to hold middle class tax cuts hostage until we also agree to spend another one trillion dollars on tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. >> reporter: mitt romney is in london kicking off an overseas trip. before he left, he said president obama should prevent massive defense cuts set to go into effect at the end of this year. >> the new president will be

able to put together his own budget and his own tax plan, which will get the economy going and finally get us on track to a balanced budget. >> reporter: jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. last night on "hardball", new york senator chuck schumer said when it comes to digging out of our economic hole, the democrats' tax plan is both politically and practically the right way to go. >> everyone knows the economy is slowly -- all too slowly making progress. i think people understand that and live with it, and i don't think they blame president obama. they want to know how you get us out of this problem. and the way to get us out of this problem, the way the democrats prescribe it, is a lot different than the way the republicans prescribe it. we believe in focusing on the middle class. they believe on focusing on the most well-to-do. that's a winner for us, but it's the right policy for america, most importantly of all. >> each night, chris plays hardball with some of the nation's most prominent politicians and news makers.

be sure to watch "hardball with chris matthews" 5:00 and 7:00 eastern on msnbc. here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today there. were two separate scuffles that erupted inside a pennsylvania theater and it caused movie goers to just panic. surveillance cameras rolled on a fight between patrons that was sparked bay dispute over a bathroom stall. later a fight inside a theater showing "the dark knight rises" led to a stampede toward the exits. two people were injured and one person was arrested. homeowners in one miami residential area received quite the wake-up call by that little guy. big guy, actually. he's a ten-foot crocodile and he was spotted lounging near two homes before an animal control officer was called in. the animal hissed and snapped, but was eventually captured and taken away. one north carolina woman got quite a steal at the thrift store. she bought two large paintings for $20 with plans to just paint over them. but after doing a little

research, she learned the artwork was by a famous russian abstract artist. good thing she did that. south byes is scheduled to auction the pieces, they could sell for around $20,000. the ohio state fair kikd off yesterday. thousands are expected to indill j in all of our favorite treats, 17 different kinds of food on a stick. they'll take in the popular butter sculpture, that one to honor the bicentennial of the city of columbus. for your weather, we turn to bill karins. we has a fun fact for you. >> which part? >> that i'm indulging in a fried oreo. >> i see it, i'll believe it. fried oreos. you've never had one in your life. good morning, everyone. it's a rough travel morning. if you have airport plans today, it's just going to be difficult. a lot of delays out there across

the country are possible. numerous thunderstorms have swept across lake ontario. the buffalo area, now those storms are heading down through southern new york, and eventually into pennsylvania. some of this rain will make its way towards new york city and possibly philadelphia this morning, but not severe storms this morning for you. pittsburgh had a line of storms that went through. now some of those stronger storms are just north of morgantown, west virginia. central michigan, numerous thunderstorms. i think you get the picture, right? it's a rough morning. central michigan all the way back into chicago, we still have some thunderstorms to deal with this morning. these are pretty scattered and they'll be hit and miss. we're so happy to finally get some rain in kansas city with thunderstorms. this area has gotten very little of any rainfall during the last month. so what's going to happen later today is more of a concern than what's happening this morning. this morning's more of an inconvenience. later today this is where we're going to watch a moderate risk of severe storms, maybe even a

possibility of some tornados today, especially northeast pennsylvania and southern new york. we don't get many days like this with this much widespread severe weather expected in the northeast and mid-atlantic, so that's why it's going to be such a rough day for everyone this etching. >> that's too bad. thanks so much. coming up, a caterpillar spreads its wings. and your chance to hang out with big foot. your first look at the business headlines is straight ahead. phillies reward cole hamels, and u.s. womens soccer plays a game before the games. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. whoa, look at all those toys.

insuring that stuff must be a pain. nah, he's probably got... [ dennis' voice ] allstate. they can bundle all your policies together. lot of paperwork. [ doug's voice ] actually... [ dennis' voice ] an allstate agent can help do the switching and paperwork for you. well, it probably costs a lot. [ dennis' voice ] allstate can save you up to 30% more when you bundle. well, his dog's stupid. [ dennis' voice ] poodles are one of the world's smartest breeds. ♪ bundle and save with an allstate agent. are you in good hands?

with an allstate agent. with two times the points onake lunch dining in restaurants,ch? you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy.

welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top news stories this morning. syrian air forces are attacking aleppo. the fighting came as turkey announced it has sealed its borders but will continue to

allow syrian refugees through. the new leader in north korea, kim jong-un, has gotten married. north korea confirmed that this woman is the new wife of the new leader. in anaheim, california, the u.s. attorney's office will review the police shootings of two men that sparked days of violent protests. the mother of one victim contended the protest saying she did not want them to become her son's legacy. and sky diver fearless phoenix balmgardener. he took another leap, this time from an altitude of 18,000 miles. he did land safely in new mexico. next week, he plans to jump from 23 miles, going super sonic. here's your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. missouri state lawmaker john mccaherty is holding a rifle

offering the very same type of assault rifle. he planned the fundraising before the tragedy, but after decided to go ahead anyway. the associated press reports chris christie will be looking to 2016. he says if romney loses, he will certainly think about running for president. bipartisan surprise, as fox news reports alaska republican congressman don young has endorsed democratic congresswoman hirono. the gop has targeted that seat as an important win. president obama's speech to the urban league last night called on young americans to stop hanging out. he said young people in china and other countries are doing their homework and are "not watching ""the real housewives"." how much. some hollywood love for george w. bush from debra messing. she praised bush for his work

against aids. in a conference call, "newsweek" announced it may stop printing the magazine by the end of the year. established in 1933 and its stories, analysis and commentary will continue online. roseanne barr went a little too far in a tweet criticizing chick-fil-a restaurants for opposing same-sex marriage. barr's tweet said in part that people who eat at chick-fil-a deserve to "get the cancer that is sure to come from eating torture-filled chickens." hooere is your "first look"t how wall street is going to open the day. the dow opens up at 12,676. the s&p was down a fraction. the nasdaq fell eight. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo,

the nikkei rose 77 points. the worst news came from zynga, slashing its 2012 outlook and badly missed earnings estimates. it plunged as much as 40% after hours. investors fear a ripple effect for facebook when it delivers its first earnings report today, the social network, which gets 15% of its revenue from farmville, hit a new low in late trade. yesterday the bad news came from apple. the company's rare earnings stumble weighed down text stocks as apple shares fell 4%. but despite apple's big stumble, earnings and the impressive earnings from caterpillar spelled good news from blue chips. like wise, better than expected earnings from boeing helped keep the dow of the red. on the same day, the plane maker announced an $11 billion purchase from aero mexico. housing stocks were among the day's worst performers.

june's drop in home sales was the biggest in more than a year. today, new data shows urban foreclosures were up in the first half of 2012. radio shack hid an all-time low, spiraling 29% thanks to an unexpected earnings loss which forced the retailer to suspend its shareholder dividend. elsewhere, ford reported better than expected profit but roughly doubled its loss in europe. finally, a so called big foot aficionado who claims he had an encount we are the real one 35 years ago is selling an eight-foot replica of the hairy beast on e-bay. the bidding begins at $80,000. how would you like that in your living room? coming up, the phils torture the brewers again. a big trade for the dodgers. and team usa takes the pitch. plus, the major league soccer all-stars knock off the european champs. your first looks a sports straight ahead. so you brushed with colgate total and you didn't.

let's compare. germ party! eww! now the colgate total mouth. nice! [ female announcer ] colgate total fights 90% more plaque germs. i'm in. [ female announcer ] colgate total. less germs. healthier mouth. welcome back to first. in sports, the philadelphia phillies have re-signed their 2008 world series mvp lefty with baseball's second-largest contract ever for a pitcher. here's nbc's mario solis. >> good morning. cole hamels has hit the jackpot. he signed a six-year, $144 million extension. it's the largest contract for a philadelphia athlete in any

sport. big day for hamels and another big win for the phils. tied the game in the tenth and jimmy rollins ends it, rbi single. phillies rally to beat the brewers in ten. dodgers hooked a marlin yesterday, acquiring hanley ramirez from miami. he made an instant impact against the cards. rbi single in the sixth inning ties the game at 2-2. this one went to extras. l.a. traded rafael furcal, last season leading the hole at shortstop, which ramirez will fill. cards win 3-2. the great one wayne gretzky on hand to watch the yankees and mariners. from one captain to another, derek jeter leaves the yard in the first inning. his eighth home run giving the yankees the early lead. seattle up one, sacks full for jayson nix. new york wins 5-2, but loses alex rodriguez to the dl with a broken hand. the opening ceremony of the olympics is tomorrow night, but

the games began yesterday. the women's u.s. soccer team rallied from two goals down to beat france 4-2. alex morgan scored a pair. speaking of soccer, david beckham and the mls all-stars squared off against chelsea. mls down one. dwayne derosario finds chris pontis. kyle beckerman threads the needle to eddie johnson. he makes one move and gets the friendly bounce off the defender. mls rallies to beat the european champs 3-2. that's your "first look" at sports. now for another look at your weather, here is bill karins. very funny man indeed. >> sometimes. today is more of a serious weather day. this afternoon, we'll probably have hundreds of thousands of people losing power. lots of downed trees, power lines and hopefully we won't get too many injuries or fatalities from all the tree damage that's expected. this map shows you who can get

the severe weather today. the yellow areas is a slight risk of storms, which includes the ohio valley to the great lakes. this area of red is the greatest risk of damaging winds and the possibility of a few tornados. this is probably one of the not the most dangerous days for thunderstorms in the northeast and mid-atlantic. this area with the greatest area of tornados from binghamton to williamsport, western portions of massachusetts on the pike and hartford all the way down to bridgeport. i don't expect widespread tornados, but that's the area that has the greatest risk. also, of course, with all these thunderstorms late today from 4:00 p.m. to about 10:00 p.m., the airports will be a mess in all areas of the northeast. again, it's late this afternoon with the greatest threat of those storms and etven a few tornados. coming up, trouble over a lady gaga doll.

and lindsay lohan. honestly, hire yourself a chauffeur, already. it's about time. i know. we'd have nothing to talk about. plus, no denials, no excuses. kristen stewart owns up to her indiscretion and she apologizes. your first look at this morning's entertainment headlines are straight ahead. you're watching "first look." i'm done. i'm going to... drink this... on the porch! ♪ give me just a little more time ♪ [ female announcer ] mops can be a hassle, but swiffer wetjet's spray cleaner and absorbent pads can clean better in half the time so you don't miss a thing. swiffer. better clean in half the time. or your money back. and for dry messes big and small try swiffer sweeper vac. and for dry messes big and small to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that.

it's like a sauna in here. helping you save, even if it's not with us -- now, that's progressive! call or click today. no mas pantalones! you know how hard if yit can be to breathedo, and what that feels like. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms by keeping my airways open a full 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. and it's steroid-free. spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine.

other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. does breathing with copd weigh you down? ask your doctor if spiriva can help.

welcome back to first. it's time for entertainment news. kristen stewart wasted no time dealing with that news that she had a fling with the married director. she immediately issued a public apology aimed at her boyfriend of three years, "twilight" co-star robert pattinson. saying she was deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment she

caused. her statement ended "this momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person i love and respect the most, rob. i love him, i love him, i'm sorry." >> it was fine just saying i'm sorry. >> right. didn't have to go on. >> that probably means she can't get a hold of him. he's not responding so she has to make a public apology. i'll go on. speaking of vampires, nbc has ordered ten episodes of a new dracula series starring jonathan rhys meyers. >> vampires equal ratings. >> lady gaga is being sued for $10 million by a toy manufacturer who claims she is purposefully preventing a christmas release of lady gaga dolls, so they come out in 2013 when her next album and perfume are released. "tmz" reports lindsay lohan has had yet another traffic accident. you can come to her defense. >> it was just a little ding. >> she banged up her porsche into a mustang at a red light at

sunset boulevard on wednesday. >> maybe her parents never took her to bumper cars when she was a kid. >> i like how your voice always goes up when you're defending her. it's okay, she was just driving erratically. >> well, you pick on her. it kind of upsets me. >> deal with it. willie geist is next. police recover a package sent by the alleged shooter in aurora to a professor at the university of colorado that offers insight into why he killed 12 people and wounded 58 more at a movie theater six days ago. the question is, what was inside that package? meanwhile, mitt romney sits down with brian williams right here in london talking about gun control, his tax returns, and who he has his eye on to be a running mate. the question is, what does romney hope to gain from this trip abroad? and a little controversy right out of the gate here at the london olympics as the north korean women's soccer team walks off the field