and so we do not live in the world he would create if he ever had a chance to. oh, my god, do elections have consequences. . good wednesday morning. right now on "first look" -- breaking news in ohio, the man who kidnapped and held three women hostage for ten years is dead. we've got the breaking details. international support as president obama arrives in sweden. can he persuade other nations to join the u.s. military position on syria? plus, a record that al qaeda is working to feverishly stop u.s. drones. and a familiar face returns to late night. >> any i missed you so much. you don't know what it's like

out there. good morning. i'm mara schiavocampo. we start this morning with breaking news out of ohio. ariel castro, the man who was convicted of holding three women in his cleveland home for a decade has been found dead in his prison cell of an apparent suicide. richard lui has been working this story all night. he joins us live from the news room. good morning. >> good morning. this is what we know. prison officials saying castro was found hanging in his cell around 9:20 local time last night. he was at a columbus area facility. staff performed cpr on the 53-year-old, but he was pronounced dead. castro had been housed in protective custody. what that means is he was in a cell by himself, guards making rounds at 30 minutes at staggered intervals according to the ohio bureau of prisons. castro kidnapped three women between 2002 and 2004. he held them inside his cleveland home until they were rescued back in may.

a plea deal helped avoid the debt penalty. the judge gave him life plus 1,000 years behind bars. his victims have since become known as the cleveland three, no confirmed word of a reaction from them. michelle was on site as the house of horrors was torn down. castro is the second high profile suicide in an ohio prison within the span of a month and prison officials saying a thorough review is under way. >> richard, we'll keep an eye on this developing story. thanks so much. now we turn to the crisis in syria. the senate has reached an agreement on a draft resolution for u.s. military force. in art, the resolution would bar american ground troops from combat operations. it sets a time limit of 60 days bar american ground troops from combat operations. it sets a time limit of 60 days combat operations. it sets a time limit of 60 days. the president could extend that limit for 30 more days under certain conditions, unless congress votes no.

the senate foreign relations committee agreed to the resolution wednesday after impassioned testimony from several top officials from the obama administration. >> we need to send to syria to the world, to dictators, to terrorists, to allies and civilians alike the unmistakable message that when the united states of america and the world say never again, we don't mean sometimes, we don't mean somewhere, never means never. >> a refusal to act would undermine the credibility of america's other security commitments. the word of the united states must mean something. >> the hearing was at times interrupted by protesters holding signs against military intervention in syria. susan rice joins the president at the summit.

tracie potts is live in washington. good morning. what is the president hoping to accomplish on this trip? >> reporter: he's hoping in sweden to get some good discussion going on climate change. and security and trade. those are going to be the focus. and he did touchdown in sweden within the last hour. we watched high school president obama arrived in stockholm for those meetings and we'll hear from him in just a you few hours at a joint news conference with the prime minister. from there, he heads to russia to st. petersburg for the g-20 summit where the official topic will be the economy, you but unofficialubut unofficially, issues surrounding syria and whether the u.s. and other countries may strike regarding chemical weapons. that is really going to be the big issue. the president is going there to answer some questions and also trying to garner support especially from countries like france that have shown an interest in possibly joining the united states in this. another big question for the president from world leaders

there, if congress says no, will you you move forward with that strike anyway. that's a question that the white house has yet to answer. >> all right, tracie potts live in washington. a key figure behind the scenes, susan rice, says the administration has no expect taegs of losing the vote in congress. rice spoke with brian williams in an exclusive interview. >> do you draw a distinction between a death by incendiary bomb in a school, a death by machine gunfire and a death by chemical weapons that appears to be the bright line on this? >> when chemical weapons that can kill with indiscriminate abandon, people who are innocent, are employed in conflict, it is of a greater magnitude because if terrorists

get a hold of those weapons, they can be used as on a massiv scale. >> russia is one of assad's strongest allies and now putin is speaking out on military action in syria. jim maceda is live in turkey. what did we hear from putin and what are the possible implications? >> reporter: good morning. well, these comments from president you putin made in an interview with the associated press could be a potential break through in the obama administration's efforts to get that international legal backing for punitive strikes against syria. putin's never said this before, he's never been on the record that russia would consider, not vetoing as he's done three times before, but actually voting for u.n. resolution that would back military strikes against syria. russia's only ally we must say in the middle east. but only if he could be swayed he said by concrete proof that assad's forces actually used

chemical weapons. certainly president obama will be trying to make that case personally when the two meet at the g-20 summit starting tomorrow in saint petersburg, but he also said any military action without u.n. security council approval would be seen as an aggression. back to you. >> jim maceda live in turkey. thanks. from a pending military strike in syria, we move to news on the ongoing war in afghanistan. the "washington post" reports on a new al qaeda drive aimed squarely at hacking u.s. predator drones. the details on how the training organization to find ways to remotely hijack the unmanned aircraft. there is no evidence the program has been compromised, but government documents reveal the u.s. has been aware of al qaeda strategy since 2010. drones are believed to have killed thousands of suspected militants. and that al qaeda plot isn't

the only concern. this morning security is being beefed up at embassies. the move raise the number of personnel throughout the middle east, africa and asia. it comes exactly one week before the 9/11 anniversary. senior military officials tell nbc news the marines will remain at a heightened state of readiness until mid september. and now time for your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. senator john mccain apparently doesn't know when to fold them. he was caught playing vip poker on his iphone during tuesday's senate committee hearing on syria. oops. the senator responded via twitter to the scandal saying the worst part about being caught is that he lost. also at that hearing, teresa heinz kerry in her first public appearance since suffering a seizure. she was seated in a row behind her husband, john kerry. the 74-year-old was hospitalized for three weeks in july. governor chris christie is once again saying his weight is

off-limits. tuesday he responded to newly surfaced comments by democratic rival barbara joking about him frolicking on the beach to promote the shore. >> the fact that someone running for governor would make derice sif comments about someone's physical appearance i think is really beneath the office that she is seeking and i'm disappointed that she's done it, but she's playing out of the corzine play book. so just the way it it goes i'll put up with it. >> a spokesman denied she was making fun of his weight. the baltimore ravens have signed on to efforts to market obamacare after the nfl rejected the white house's request for a pr push. the ravens will help sell the health care law. gary sinise is an honorary marine. he becomes just the 76th person

to receive the title in the 200 year history. the golden globe winner was given the honor for the work he's deny assisting veterans. and there will soon be another kennedy. patrick kennedy, son of ted kennedy, announced he's expecting his second child with wife amy. kennedy served as a congressman until 2011. congrats to them. and that's this morning's dish of scrambled politics. late summer storm in south dakota lasted just a few minutes, but the headaches will be felt for months to come. nearly 4,000 cars, including inventory from a car dealership, were pelted with golf ball-sized hail at the sioux falls fairgrounds. it smashed windshields and you caused dents. damage estimated to be in the millions. and for a look at the rest of the nation's forecast, dylan dreyer is here. that stings. >> and i hope everybody took cover because you see what it does to a car. imagine standing outside. >> wouldn't want to hit you in

the head. >> and today's best chance of severe storms will be in the interior pacific northwest. in the east, it's all about the cooldown. dew points crue points dropping the minute. so tell warm, but not excruciatingly humid like it has been.so tell warm, but not excruciatingly humid like it has been.the minute. so tell warm, but not excruciatingly humid like it has been. a couple showers in the pacific northwest, but high pressure is in control. so not a lot going on. so as people head back to school, it should be fine at the bus stop. not too many complaints from the kids. >> a little good news at least. thanks so much. the texas national guard says no to same sex benefits. and the most bizarre story you'll hear today about where a prison inmate hidden in a gun on his body. police what does nasa have up its sleeve now? too big.

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now to other stories making news this morning. the texas national guard defy today pentagon tuesday when it refused to process requests for benefits for same-sex couples. the commanding general of texas wrote in a letter that the texas constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. and a pistol was found in the rectum of a prisoner. he decided to brag about the stunt. nice move. dennis rodman landed in north korea tuesday for his second visit this year. the former basketball star said he was looking forward to seeing his friend, kim jong un. >> he loves sports. he loves basketball. so i guess me and him have something in common. i come over here to visit him to see how he's doing, see how the family is doing and just revisit the country. and nasa has taken an old

spy plane and turned it into a flying lab that goes as high as 70,000 feet. the reason for the high tech plane? scientists are using it to better understand air quality and climate. now your first look at business. >> automakers will be reporting august sales today. they're expected to be strong and continued demand for pickup and crossover suvs. americans are getting less paid vacation than they were 20 years ago. the labor department says the biggest declines are for part-time workers and those at companies with less than 100 employees. and samsung reportedly plans to install security software on android phones. the move is aimed at business customers as hackers have found ways to steal corporate data off of mobile devices. samsung is also expected to unveil a smart watch today getting the jump on apple's

iwatch. >> can i hardly wait. straight ahead, derek jeter's assault on the record books. and the trick shot to put all the other trick shots to rest. sports is coming up next. eam? ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. before mike could see his banking and investing accounts on one page... before he could easily transfer funds between the two in real time... before he could even think about planning for his daughters' future... mike opened a merrill edge investment account and linked it to his bank of america bank account to help free up plenty of time for the here and now. that's the wonder of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america.

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the house caught fire and we were out on the streets. [ whispering ] shhh. it's only a dream. and we have home insurance. but if we made a claim, our rate would go up... [ whispering ] shhh. you did it right. you have allstate claim rate guard so your rates won't go up just because of a claim. [ whispering ] are we still in a dream? no, you're in an allstate commercial. so get allstate home insurance with claim rate guard... [ whispering ] goodnight. there are so many people in our bedroom. [ dennis ] talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] ...and let the good life in. hearty cheeseburger. creamy thai style chicken with rice. mexican-style chicken tortilla. if you think campbell's 26 new soups sound good, imagine how they taste. m'm! m'm! good! time for sports. richard, good morning. >> good wednesday to you, mara. the yankees, derek jeter continues to make baseball history. he beats a throw to first for

career hit number 3,314. that hit and that run that he makes, that puts jeter ninth on the all-time hits list passing hall of famer eddie collins. score tied in the ninth inning. pittsburgh snyder blasts this run. pirates 4-3 over milwaukee for the first time in 20 years. pittsburgh locks up at least a .500 season. lots to celebrate there. in oakland, a's josh donaldson chases a foul ball. he dives over the tarp. he makes the catch. a's lose to the rangers, 5-1. texas rangers now first in the american league west. diamondbacks and who is that? olga corbett doing a cartwheel and throwing the ceremonial first pitch. andy murray gets a scare

after losing the first set, but he bounces back with a volley. that's a big lob is what that is. murray does win, though, in four sets. notre dame can't spell. drinking cups for their home football games look like this. instead of fighting irish, it says the figthing irish. nell be replaced by the next home game. all i have to say is can they spell go blue. we'll see. lebron james is working with producers of the cosby show. he won't be on the star's network show, but instead is going to be one of the show's executive producers. the show will be based on his rise to stardom. >> the group has made dozens of trick shot videos.

crazy baskets in some is unusual ways. >> come on. is that real? >> they say they are. >> how many times do they throw those balls, like a thousand? gr a million. this is the latest in the netherlands, shooting off a viewing deck. throws it 320 feet high. and boom. they say it's a new world record. and you were talking about 1,000 tries. it was 62 to get it in. >> i wonder how much skill is involved and how much it's complete chance. >> their eyes are closed actually. >> there you go. turn back now to a serious topic, the congressional debate over syria. washington bureau chief joins me now for more. lynn, good morning. we know the president has just arrived in sweden and then he's heading to russia for the g-20 summit. if he is able to secure stronger international support for a strike on syria, do you think

that will influence the way that congress votes on this matter? >> absolutely. because members who are wavering about supporting have a checklist some of them. one of the big items is the u.s. going to go to alone, if obama can say no, we're not, this will help him with support. >> and we're be looking at pictures of obama having just arrived there in sweden. several members of the administration have said that they do not expect to lose this vote, but what if they do, how devastating would that be to the administration? >> governor mccain said it would be catastrophic, but i want to counsel everyone the way congress works, if you lose one vote, it doesn't mean you can't have a second one. if you find out how many votes short you are, maybe something could change. maybe you could reword something. have a second vote. it's not -- >> but certainly for their mojo, that has to be -- >> absolutely it would be a big

embarrassment to obama if he lost the vote. but there is a chance there is a remedy if he loses it. >> we will keep a close eye on it. thanks so much for your time. coming up, first buzz. we'll tell you about all the stories we're talking about this morning. the secret is out. hydration is in.

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clear. >> obamacare can suck paula deen's [ bleep ] for all i care. i mean it's a politically correct -- why can't we say that

word? >> what was in that thing? >> hear me oh, children of israel. >> time for first buzz. all the stories we're talking about that morning. i'm joined by richard and dylan. of course that was jon stewart making his return. >> still has it. >> very happy to see him back. but on to a more serious story, ariel castro being found dead which is a story that you reported on. i have to say my reaction to this is just what a coward. that man couldn't survive a couple of months in prison and he kept those women for almost ten years captive in his home. so just kind of speaks to the person it that we all knew he was. >> i wonder what the three victims are thinking and what their response might be. whether they wanted to see this being carried out or whether the reaction here might be a little bit more a sigh. i don't know. >> do they get a sense of relief

that, okay, he's gone or do they want to see him suffer the way he made them suffer. >> hopefully this begins the next chapter in their lives. this is "first look". "way too early" starts right now. if the united states of america doesn't to this, senator, is it more or less likely that assad does it again? do you you want to answer that question? >> yopg ii don't think it's kno. its he unknown whether -- >> it's unknown? it's not unknown. if the united states of america doesn't hold him accountable on this with our allies and friends, it's a guarantee assad will do it again. a guarantee. and i urge you to go to the classified briefing and learn that. >> so the effort here in the u.s. remains focused on syria. a look back at a very busy day in d.c. and what to expect today

as lawmakers move closer to a vote. and on a defendant note, the new iphone is coming. the major event announcement and why many are saying it could mean more than just a single new release. also, jon stewart is back and he's ready to tackle the big issues. his take on anthony weiner's summer and his infamous alias carlos danger. and, yes, this is "way too early". it is 5:30 a.m.. do you know where your carlos danger is? hi, everybody. i'm thomas roberts in for brian shactman. it is wednesday, september 4. we're also talking about a meeting between two groups that you never expect to share a room and the typo that has the fighting irish shouting spell check. but we want to start with this major update to a closely watched kidnapping case that shocked the nation. we want to go to cleveland for this breaking news where it all happened. >> good morning. we have learned overnight that