helping the obesity epidemic by not making us crave the cup cakes every time we decide to pay cash. every time we decide to pay cash. "first look" is up next. good thursday morning right now on "first look," shocking news out of italy late last night. 51-year-old actor james gandolfini is dead. >> i'm going to remember him as tony soprano, the character he played but also i'm going to remember him as james gandolfini, a good friend and a talented guy. >> we'll have worldwide reaction to the actor's death and the latest details. president obama returned early this morning from europe to find a slew of challenges facing him. plus, what are the rules for government drones in your neighborhood? new allegations that twa flight 800 was brought down by a missile. and paula deen accused of

racial and sexual discrimination. "first look" starts right now. good morning. i'm mara schiavocampo. we start with the shocking death of james gandolfini whose portrayal of tony soprano garnered him three emmys and worldwide fame. he's believed to have suffered a heart attack while on vacation in italy. his depiction of a mob boss has endured as one of tv's most memorable characters. just this month the writers guild of america said "the sopranos" was the great show of all time. he was one of the greatest actors of this or any time. a great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. adding he was my partner, he was my brother in ways i can't explain and will never be able to explain. the sopranos co-star steven s

schirripa is also speaking out saying jimmy was a dear friend. and lorraine bracco said we lost a giant today. i'm utterly heartbroken. he gr he grew up in new jersey and attended rutgers university. chris christie said i was a fan of his and the character he played. he went on to call him a true jersey guy and new jersey treasure. he's survived by his wife deborah who he married in 2008 and their daughter who was born just last year. he also has a teenaged son michael from a previous marriage. joining us now from milan, italy is nbc's claudio lavagna. claudio, good morning. >> reporter: italians woke up to the sad news of the death of james gandolfini. he was a much-loved actor in italy after "the sopranos" became a huge hit in this country. he died of a heart attack while

vacations. he was expected to be a guest at the film festival in sicily. although he was the quintessential italian american because of his bigger than life personality in and out of the set, italians came to consider him one of their own. mara? >> claudio lavagn na milan. just hours ago, president obama arrived back at home. as the president looks to get down to business and immigration reform here at home this morning, a number of major issues like nsa surveillance, syria and afghanistan could get in the way. tracie potts joins me with all the details from washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: let's start with immigration because that's what the president will deal with first off this morning. it's what the white house hopes to focus on. he's sitting down with senate democrats to see if they can move this bill that's on the table forward. republicans are calling it amnesty without enough border patrol but the hispanic caucus after meet with john boehner

says they are encouraged so president obama will deal with that today. all of this comes after his speech at the branden berg gate in germany where he talked about international issues like how the allies will cooperate on syria, how involved they should get with syria with chemical weapons at stake. he talked about afghanistan, the u.s. now turning over security forces in afghanistan. security to the forces there. but the president said they still need and deserve u.s. support. so he'll be dealing with those issues, not only abroad but here on capitol hill as well. as his administration continues to deal with the nsa scandal surveillance programs on phones and e-mail records. more questions today as the senate gets a private briefing on that. mara? >> tracie potts live in washington, thanks. as president obama defend his country's use of unmanned drones for surveillance abroad, the outgoing director of the fbi told congress that surveillance

drones are also being used here at home. testifying before the senate judiciary committee wednesday about the nsa's surveillance program, fbi director robert mueller revealed the fbi has used drones on u.s. soil to gather intelligence in what he called a very, very minimal way and very seldom. >> generally used in a particular incident where you need the capability. it is very narrowly focused on particularized cases and particularized needs and particularized cases. >> mueller agreed a debate and perhaps information to regulate the information called for by drones could be called for down the road. california senator dianne feinstein has written a letter to chuck hagel asking him to stop the practices. she says they violate both american and international standards and medical ethics. she visited gitmo just 11 days ago and says 40% of detainees are being force fed.

four were in the hospital for issues related to the feeding or hunger strike. she says 104 of the 166 prisoners are on a hunger strike. in and now here's your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. a new quinnipiac poll shows that former secretary of state hillary clinton would win florida if she runs for president in 2016. clinton would beat former florida governor jeb bush, 50% to 43% and she would beat senator marco rubio, 53% to 41%. chuck hagel gave a defense policy speech wednesday at the university of nebraska omaha. afterward he took questions from the audience where one exchange is being remembered more than the others. >> okay. so who has a -- way up in the back there. you're not a member of the taliban, are you? >> the person posing the question was a university professor of indian decent. the previous question was about

the taliban and hagel made the comment before even knowing who was up next. former miss america erica herald, a harvard trained lawyer is now running for congress in a republican primary in illinois. a county gop leader called ms. herald, quote, a street walker who is being used by her, quote, pimps in the democrat party. he has since apologized. alaska senator lisa murkowski is the third republican senator to support same-sex marriage. she supports the right of all americans to marry the person that they love. a bipartisan group of senators are working on a plan to eliminate the $1 bill in favor of the $1 coin. they estimate that move alone would save taxpayers $4.5 billion. a lot of people are not fans of the coin. tea party members protested in washington, blasting the internal revenue service for targeting conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny. minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann rallied the crowd against the tax man. it's time to abolish the

irs. take up something for every single american has to pay something to support this magnificent country. >> and that's your morning's dish of scrambled politics. the new wildfire is burning in colorado. this time in the foothills south of denver. the lime gulch fire is forcing dozens to leave town. officials say no homes are currently in danger. lightning is being blamed for starting the flames that have charred about 500 acres. it's one of at least three wildfires burning across colorado, arizona and new mexico. and now for a look at the national forecast, i'm joined by bill karins. good morning. >> 5:04. you've already upset me about getting rid of the money thing. i've been trying to get rid of the penny for years now. there's no point to pennies whatsoever. just leave the penny, give a penny is our way -- >> this really gets under your skin, doesn't it? >> it is. it's one of of those things. good morning, everyone. tropical storm barry formed yesterday in the gulf of mexico.

that's usually going to catch our attention. but it was very far to the south in the bay of campeche. it's making landfall around veracruz. shouldn't be a big ordeal. we return to the northern plains. it looks like this will be the stormy spot over the next two to three days. already this morning a lot of lightning flashes with those storms on the border of south dakota, north dakota and south of fargo. later this afternoon, areas of yellow, slight risk of a few tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds includes minneapolis, sioux falls down to omaha. on this last full day of spring, the east coast is looking very nice as the heat debe gins to return to the country tomorrow. >> is tomorrow the first day of summer? >> just after midnight tonight we click into summer. celebrity chef paula deen under fire. ipads for everyone in one school system. plus the fbi's lead investigator into the cause of twa 800 calls

new allegations of a missile strike absolutely preposterous. you're watching "first look." and we're out of milk again. [ banker ] mike's younger brother, kevin, had his college degree, his first real job, and needed to establish his credit history so he could rent a place of his own. mike helped kevin find ways to build his credit -- like any good big brother would do. now kevin has his own place, he's building his credit history, and mike has his apartment back -- for the most part. so i may be able to do this. yeah. [ female announcer ] let's talk about ways to help you establish and build your credit history.

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some stories making news this morning. the crash of twa flight 800 was not an accident. that's according to a new documentary. six former senior investigators say a rogue missile brought down the jumbo jet. that notion has long been debunked by the fbi who blames a faulty fuel tank for the explosion. paula deen has a mess on her hands. the celebrity chef admits to using racial slurs, including the "n" word. it comes from a former restaurant manager who is suing deen citing sexual and racial workplace discrimination. three naval academy football players are charged with rape. the trio is accused of sexually assaulting a female midshipman during an off-campus party last year. the academy says it does not comment on ongoing

investigations. george zimmerman's family was in court wednesday for the first time since jury selection began. zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the death of trayvon martin. he has plead not guilty, claiming self-defense. and now for your first look at business. we turn to kayla tausche. >> good morning. fewer people are expected to hit the roads over the july 4th holiday than last year but it's not because of gas prices. aaa says the sluggish economy and people are taking less time off. microsoft is reversing course now on its new xbox one game console. users will be able to play games offline without having to be connected to the internet at all. they'll also be able to lend and sell used games. it goes on sale this fall for $499. in the market, stock futures are lower after they got slammed wednesday following comments by ben bernanke that the federal reserve may soon start scaling back its economic stimulus programs. that's if the economy keeps impruchg bernanke says that doesn't mean an interest rate

hike is imminent. we will, though, be watching the markets all day today. homeowners can expect to pay a little less to keep the ac on this summer. according to the u.s. energy information administration, milder weather is predicted for the summer to help give some relief to those power bills. the average homeowner can expect to pay about $395 for june, july and august. the second largest school system in the country plans to order ipads for every student. the los angeles board of ed has approved the $30 million multiyear purchase. the first order will be for 31,000 ipads. the name george may not ring a bell but this ad might. >> you're going to like the way you look. i guarantee it. >> zimmer was the public face of men's warehouse. he's been fired by the board of the company he founded with a single snore texas over 40 years ago. and famed italian fashion designers dolce and gabbana have

been fined and given 20-month prison sentences for tax evasion. bosh scolds them. serena apologizes to them and tiger is going to sit them out. plus an overtime thriller in the stanley cup finals. you're watching" first look" on msnbc. yes she is, yes she is. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. 100% vegetable juice, with three of your daily vegetable servings in every little bottle. with three of your daily vegetable servings so you can capture your receipts, ink for all business purchases. and manage them online with jot, the latest app from ink. so you can spend less time doing paperwork. and more time doing paperwork. ink from chase. so you can.

if you've got it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and man, you know how that feels. copd includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. spiriva is a once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that helps open my obstructed airways for a full 24 hours. you know, spiriva helps me breathe easier. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder 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? don't wait to ask your doctor about spiriva. time for sports. richard lui is here with all the headlines. >> very good morning. a wild game four in the stanley cup finals. chicago gets the first score

here. they strip the puck, finds his teammate for the shorthanded goal there. later, chicago scores with a backhand for a 3-1 lead. time to call it? oh, no you don't. boston pulling even in the third period. carries the momentum into overtime for the win. series tied now, two each. game five saturday on nbc. the latest on the patriots tight end hernandez. first the death of an acquaintance lloyd. now an unrelated lawsuit. it alleges hernandez shot a man in the face after an argument in front of a miami nightclub in february. hernandez has yet to release a statement. tiger woods has another reason to be sore about tying his worst career score at the u.s. open. he injured his left elbow at the same time. well, woods could be sidelined until the british open next month now. serena williams has apologized for comments in rolling stone about the steubenville rape case where she said the 16-year-old girl involved shouldn't have putters in that position.

williams now says, what happened in steubenville was a real shock for me. i was deeply saddened. i'm currently reaching out to the girl's family to let her know that i'm deeply sorry for what was written in the "rolling stone" article. the heat's chris bosh is just plain mad. >> why? >> he's peeved because fans left the arena before miami rallied back. he said for all those guys who left, make sure you don't come to game seven. rap icon jay-z -- >> beyonce's husband. >> he's a licensed nba agent. it's official. caveat, though, he can't sign players yet. first he has to sell that 1/15% stake in the brooklyn nets. brick by brick by brick, legos turned into baseball sculptures. louisville slugger museum has a feel there. it took 649 days to build. all said, over 220,000 legos at

the exhibit. man, fingers must be tired there, mara. >> that puts to shame anything i ever made with a lego as a kid. >> simple legos are gone. it's time to dig a little deeper into our top political stories. joining me for our first look at politics is syndicated columnist bob franken. bob, good morning. >> good morning. you realize that washington is entirely a lego construct. >> i didn't know that but you always offer useful tips. >> that does explain a lot. >> president obama is back from europe. he's expected to ruffle some feathers with expansive climate change proposals. it seems like the white house is all over the place with different issues. do they need another fight right now? do they need to stick with just one thing? >> well, it's impossible to stick with one thing. but there are promises that are made at the beginning of an administration, immigration reform is one. and the climate change moves on climate change are another. this is a big deal as somebody said. where he would ask that the power plants -- not ask but

order that power plants that are existing already would have to come in compliance with restrictions on things that cause global warming. >> but so much of what they've been tackling is a big deal from gun reforms to immigration to trying to sell obama care that goes into effect next year. in terms of selling this to the public and getting one message across, is this a problem to tackle so many huge issues at the same time? >> yeah, the problem is that the united states really right now faces some huge issues. the country has been slipping and there are all these repairs that need to be made. yes, there are huge issues but they need to be faced. >> bob franken live from washington. thanks for your time, bob. coming up, bill karins and richard lui will be here for "first buzz" and tell you what caught our eye today. that's coming up next. would you mind if i go ahead of you? instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. nobody likes to miss out.

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it's time for "first buzz." eye look at all the stories we're talking about today. i'm joined by bill karins and richard lui. i'm going to start with you. you look like you're about to do a cooking segment. what's going on? >> one of the new fads is -- have you heard of bulletproof coffee? it promotes weight loss, and it gives you a boost of energy that lasts and you don't crash. so no milk. no sugar. regular coffee. coconut oil. and then butter. and you are supposed to take a tablespoon or two of butter in your coffee. >> he's doing it. >> and you -- >> are you stirring coffee with the butter? >> you are supposed to use the blender and then -- >> wow. and you are drinking it. >> what does it taste like? >> not bad. milk and butter are from the --

they are cousins. ethiopia and tibet it's common to put butter in their coffee. this is not scientifically proven to create weight loss. >> with that you get weight loss? >> and they say it would actually fill you up. >> fat is very filling. >> you don't put milk or sugar, but butter and coconut oil. >> as i say, butter goes with everything, so i can see that kind of being delicious. it just seems like an odd combination and i'm doubtful about the health claims. >> you should be. >> richard, you have some yearbook superulatives for hockey? >> most successful, who is best dressed? jimmy fallon did the yearbook superlatives with the final nhl team. >> michael frolik most likely to

be the love child. and daniel carcillo. most likely to be a golden retriever stuck in a man's body. >> he looks like a happy, friendly guy. >> hence the golden retriever. >> brad marchand. >> most likely to make you a pizza in 1983. >> these are real players. >> these are real players. >> these are spot on. >> patrick sharp here. most likely to stare at his reflection in the ice. >> i would, too, if i looked like that. >> he's also voted in chicago magazine one of the most 50 beautiful chicagoans. >> there you go. listen, and speaking of breakfast, starbucks is going to start posting calorie counts at all of their restaurants nationwide. they've been doing this in new york city. now they'll start doing it everywhere. some of these you may not want to do know. the apple fritter is like 500 calories. >> i regularly do the pastries. it will change how you buy your stuff. like -- you mentally think, i'd

rather have the doughnut than the scone but you'll get the doughnut. it's much better than the scone. >> put some butter in your coffee. >> this is "first look." "way too early" starts right now. you don't know who i am, do you? remember johnny? johnny boy? your kid brother? this thing of ours -- >> i was involved with that? >> you're my dad.

you two ran north jersey. >> we did? >> yeah. >> that's nice. james gandolfini, america's favorite mob boss from "the sopranos" dead at the age of 51. we'll look at the career of the man who helped urber in a new age of television. also, the stock market takes a 200-point tumble after the fed announces plans to scale back its bond-buying program. how will the move impact u.s. and its recovery? your money? we'll talk to cnbc's andrew ross sorkin live. in and this stanley cup final is turning into a classic. blackhawks and bruins go into