self-created stay tuned to msnbc, we will be live all night crisis. closing time is coming. the end of this month. they have to sort this thing out. the clock is tick. watch this space. good wednesday morning. right now on "first look," new details about willer aaron alex alexis' mental state are emerging as are the details of the victims gunned down. president obama speaks out on gun control measures, but does the senate have the votes to make any changes? two former defense secretaries offer conflicting advice on the crisis in syria. plus the latest from colorado's devastating floods. what happened to this guy who tried to escape from the back of a police car 37. and a live save before our very eyes as a hero emerges. good morning. a psychological picture of navy yard killer aaron alexis is

starting to emerge. one of voices inside his head and claims of people using vibrations and microwaves to send him messages through the wall, flooring and ceiling. police say this information may help to explain why the 34-year-old allegedly gunned down 12 people inside washington's navy yard monday. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams has the newest details. >> reporter: just last month, investigators say aaron alexis checked into this hotel in new port, rhode island while working as a military contractor. he called police to complain that people were following him and that he was hearing voices. he said they were using a microwave machine to accepted vibrations preventing him from sleeping. he worried the voices belonged to individuals who would harm him. a short time later, he sought mental health treatment from a v.a. hospital. friends remember what he would say about being a victim of racism and being short changed by the government. >> oh, my gosh, i'm so tired of dealing with our american

government because they are not -- they're giving me the runaround. >> reporter: as for the shooting, officials say alexis drove on to the navy yard monday and walked into building 197 carrying in a bag a shotgun like this that he bought over the weekend from a gun shop in virginia. >> mr. alexis has legitimate access to the navy yard as a result of his work as a contractor and he utilized a valid pass to gain entry to the building. >> reporter: investigators say he went to the fourth floor, ducked in to a men's room and came out firing the shotgun stopping to reload. he also grabbed a handgun they say from a police officer he wounded and kept on firing until he was shot and killed more than half an hour later. the navy says he'd been granted a low level secret clearance in 2008 good for ten years. it's unclear whether the government did not know or didn't care that four years earlier, he was arrested in seattle for shooting the tires

of a car that was parked near his house. the police report then said he did it during what he told them was a blackout fueled by anger. he was arrested again in georgia in 2008 and once more in texas in 2010, but he was never convicted of anything, so he was not legally barred from buying guns. and officials say would have been illegal for the v.a. to report that he was seeking psychiatric treatment. >> that was pete williams reporting. the husband of one of the 12 victims says he now has a hole that will never be filled. nbc's tom costello has more on the lives who were stolen. [ playing taps ] >> reporter: taps at the navy memorial for the 12 men and women who came from all walks of life, gunned down in a place supposed to be safe. among them, 53-year-old sylvia frasier. >> she was very giving, loving,

give you truly her shirt off her back. >> reporter: 46-year-old kenneth proctor leaves two teenage boys. his ex-wife says he loved them dearly. martin is survived by his wife of 25 years and three daughters. michael arnold had been married for 30 years with two sons. >> i am so proud of him. he's just been a really wonderful, wonderful son and wonderful father. and a wonderful husband. i'm just proud of him. >> reporter: 62-year-old kathy gaarde was a financial analyst, married for 38 years, her two children are grown. john johnson was 73. he leaves his wife and four grown daughters. >> he's just such a man of joy. everywhere he goes, he brings joy. >> reporter: there is also mary francis knight, frank kohler, arthur daniels who had five children and nine grandchildren,

gerald read, and vihnu pandit. >> he loved the navy. he has devoted his life to the navy. >> reporter: tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> and the navy yard shooting is renewing a push for action by lawmakers. gun control advocates including president obama are urging congress to act. >> we do not have a firm enough background check system. it is something that makes us more vulnerable to these kinds of mass shootings. i have now in the wake of newtown initiated a whole range of executive actions. we've put in place every executive action that i proposed right after newtown happened. so i've taken steps that are within my control. the next phase now is for congress to go ahead and move. >> a bipartisan gun reform package failed in april and by all accounts it would fail again

today. majority leader harry reid says they don't have 60 votes for the deal crafted by senators joe manchin and pat toomey. now a look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. joe lhota has ground to make up. the republican is more than 40 points behind blasio. a massachusetts state representative is out with one of the more interesting campaign ads we've seen in a while. he's running for congress and spot features him with his tea party father at the time when he came out as a massachusetts liberal. >> it was bad enough taking on the big banks and corporations in the legislature. then he wrote the buffer zone law. >> to protect women.

>> it's going all the way to the supreme court. i was kind of proud of that. >> but here is the one that drives him crazy. sgle wants to go to congress to take on the nra and tea party. >> i won't give up on an assault weapons ban. >> or universal background checks or banning high capacity magazines. >> some things you don't stop fighting for. >> very clever. well, he's just one of at least five candidates running in a special election to replace ed markey. president obama has finally made good on a campaign promise. on tuesday the labor department extended minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers. those employees had been left out of such perks since 1975. meanwhile new numbers from the send sis bureau tell us what we already knew. women in america still earn less than men. on. >> full-time female workers earn about $12,000 less a year than their male counterparts. brazil president has put the

kibosh on an upcoming visit to washington. she says the postponement is over alleged spying by the nsa. and eli manning is jumping into an even tougher contact sport, politics. the giants quarterback will appear at a $1,000 a plate fund-raiser for hoboken democratic mayor. manning lives in the city with his wife and family. and that is your morning's dish of scrambled politics. moving now to colorado, nearly a week of torrential rain has finally stopped, but the search for those missing is becoming more desperate as the hours pass along. hater today more first responders will be making their way into numerous stouns cut off

towns cut off by waters. bill karins is joining us. >> this is the first time this season i'm kind of like, okay, here we go, i checked my calendar for next week and i was like, all right, maybe potentially i might have to cancel because of storm coverage. so here's what we're talking about. this is the gulf of mexico. and down where the circle is spinning is the area of interest. right now it's over the yucatan. it should become jerry in the name of this one. and it's up determined where it will go. it will be very slow moving over the next probably 3 to 5 days. then the cold front comes down and stalls out. depending on where front stalls is where the storm will end up. if it's stronger, it could he said up towards sfla. if it's weaker, it could end up towards mexico or somewhere in between which will still include all of the gulf of mexico areas. water temperatures in the low to mid-80s. plenty warm enough for a very strong storm. we're still toward the peak months of the hurricane season.

only other weather of concern, from des moines to ames, some storms. so again, if we have problems in the u.s. from a possible storm which could be anybody from a tropical storm to hurricane next week, it would be early probably next week. so this is really the first time of concern that i have. >> well, hopefully it doesn't materialize. >> we always hope not, but just in case, we'll be on it. well, direct message from starbucks ceo to gun owners. plus a true to life death defying rescue caught on tape. that's coming up next. run, go, go! did he just fumble?

"i" formation! "i" formation! we have got to get the three-technique block! i'm not angry. i'm not yellin'. nobody's tackling anybody! we got absolutely... i don't think this was such a good idea. i'm on it. if we can't secure the quarterback center exchange... you're doing a great job, coach. well they're coming along better than i anticipated. very pleased. who told you to take a break? [ male announcer ] want to win your own football fantasy? just tell us. then use your visa card for a chance to win it. just tell us. wit's hard to find contractors with the passion and the skill, and that's why we use angie's list. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time with honest reviews on over 720 local services. i want it done right. i don't want to have to worry about it or have to come back and redo it. with angie's list, i was able to turn my home into the home of my dreams. for over 18 years, we've helped people take care of the things that matter most.

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in new york a neighborhood praising three heros who risked life and lim to rescue a man trapped by an apartment fire. the building superintendent sprang into action when he heard cries for help. they grabbed a landfaldder and

extended it to a fourth floor window. one of the rescuers crossed the gap and helped lower the victim down on to the ladder and walked him back across to safety. it was an incredible rescue all caught on camera. round of applause. some stories making news this morning, two of president obama's former defense secretaries have come out against his strategy for dealing with syria. speaking at a college forum, both robert gates and leon panetta says they would have told the president not to seek approval from congress for a military strike. gates opposed a military strike likening to throwing gasoline on an extremely complex fire. but panetta said obama must fall through on his word. >> so my view would have been that once the president came to that conclusion, that he should have directed limited action going after assad, to make very clear to the world that when we draw a line and we give our

word, damn it, we back it up. a federal judge has ordered a new trial for five new orleans police officers who were convicted of civil rights violations after shooting and killing two unarmed people shortly after hurricane katrina. the judge cited grotesque prosecutorial high school conduct arguing they unfairly altered the case. and talk about the great escape. oh, well, at least the great attempt. a man under arrest in ohio attempted to flee police custody by jumping out of a moving cruiser, but as you can see, that did not work out too well. turned out to be road kill. for your first look at business, we turn to seema mody. good morning. >> good morning. starbucks is asking customers to leave their guns at home. that is the story we're watching. the company says the move is a result of an increase in, quote, starbucks appreciation days. where gun rights advocates show up at stores with firearms. starbucks is stopping short of a full ban.

walgreen's plans to shift thousands of workers to private insurance exchanges starting next year. the drug store giant will provide payments to employees so they can buy their own coverage. and tesla motors is getting into the driverless car game. the ceo says the luxury electric car maker is working to produce a vehicle that runs on autopilot within the next three years. love to see these developments. >> i don't know how i feel about driverless cars. thanks so much. super storm sandy may be to blame for last week's horrific board walk blaze. investigators are blaming flooding for causing damage to electrical wire and equipment which sparked the blaze. the massive fire destroyed over 50 board walk businesses and officials are warning others to have their wiring inspected to make sure flooding is not endangering their place, as well. don't go anywhere. sports is coming up next. we lowered her fever. you raise her spirits. we tackled your shoulder pain.

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cincinnati at houston for you now. tries to double his money on a single, but cincinnati tags him out backwards. oh, man. sliding into his back side. astros lose 10-0 in that one. nhl pre-season action, ovechkin and casto go so hard they hit the glass breaking it in two. it had a hole there as you can see the videographer shooting through the glass. price for super bowl tickets will be way up. premium tickets expected to double last year's price to $2600. middle tier tickets up about 50%. but the cheapest tickets are down almost 25% to $500. division three college ball, albright college try as

quarterback sneak but he fumbles. teach son university defender grabs it, runs 99 yards gets the touchdown and the win 28-14. i hate when that happens. let's do high school football. a blocked field goal. the defense celebrates. hang on a second. the ball on the field is still alive, my friends. offense picks it up, runs it for a touchdown and the victory. a little bit too early in the celebration. it took a push start, but in the end, this dutch cyclist set as new world speed record. 83.13 miles per hour. he rode his high tech recumbent bicycle and, yes, in that bubble is a human fewerrously pedaling like a hamster. it's two or three times more aerodynamic than a bullet. >> hard to believe there is no motor in that thing. >> no, he's like this. and also sitting down like this. >> i need one of those to get through rush hour traffic. thanks so much. turning back to our top political stories. joining me for our first look at politics is boris epstein.

thanks for being here. we're facing a showdown over government funding. is there a faction of the gop like ted cruz, for example, who aren't there really to legislate in the traditional sense but are severally sent there to be obstructionists? is their role to block the things that they disagree with? >> no, that's not quite their role. because they were sent by their constituents to represent a certain point of view and that point of view is that the government has gotten took big. from my point of view a as common sense conservative, i don't think that's a view we should espouse to. as common sense conservative, i don't think that's a view we should espouse to.as common sense conservative, i don't think that's a view we should espouse to. but they are septembering a certain voter's point of view. >> and since so many in his own

partly are against obamacare, do you think john boehner will have to reach across the aisle to get anything done? >> we've seen this from the president an inability to work with republicans in the congress. so it can't only be blamed on republicans or democrats. it should also be looked at as far as the white house goes and there is a huge problem there. >> all right, boris, thanks so much for your perspective. >> absolutely. thank you. coming up, bill karins and richard lui will be here for "first buzz". we'll tell you about all the stories buzzing this morning. tet but tracking all the action and hearing everything from our marketing partners, the media and millions of fans on social media can be a challenge. that's why we partnered with hp to build the new nascar fan and media engagement center. hp's technology helps us turn millions of tweets, posts and stories into real-time business insights that help nascar win with our fans.

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♪ ♪ there's nothing i can do, only want to be with you ♪ those two are so funny together. time for "first buzz". all the stories we're talking about this morning. so, bill, you have some real estate news? >> yeah, the news about the versace mansion going up for auction. only three people showed up and bid on it starting at $25 million. it ended up going to a south beach company owned by the family that controls jordache enterpris enterprises. number two bidder at $41 billion, the trump family. they stopped at $41 million so that's why it went to the other

people. and the people that actually bought it own the hotel next door. so they will actually combine them and hoping to use the versace name for both properties. >> a beautiful property. an interesting cold case that's been solved. or two cold cases. officials in oklahoma have discovered at the bottom of a lake two cars. these cars are decades old and there were five bodies inside of them, three in one and two in the other. they believe one is a group of missing teens from the '70s and another is a missing couple from the '50s or 6'60s. and it looks like they have solved these cold cases. >> who will copy it first, what forensic show. >> and you have a fascinating story. >> yes, happy birthday to granddad the lung fish at the chicago chicago aquarium. he's turning 80, at least 80.

he was brought there during the chicago world fair 1933, fdr was the president. they even broke out a cake for them that has yellow squash, green peas, shrimp. >> "way too early" starts right now. i do get concerned that this becomes a ritual that we go through every three, four months where we have these horrific mass shootings, everybody expresses understandable horror, we all embrace the families and obviously our thoughts and prayers are with those families right now as they're absorbed in this incredible loss. and yet we're not willing to a take some basic actions. >> with the navy yard shooting, the debate is good guns, but also about mental health. just how did aaron alexis get

gun s and security clearance wn he had so many mental problems. and we have an incredible rescue from a good old samaritan. we'll take a closer look at how the miley cyrus lee am helms worth breakup was reported. i probably would have done the same exact thing. this is way too early. good morning. brian shactman here. we have a few bizarre tidbits for you in sports. you won't believe how many houston fans are watching astro games from home. you can start the over/under on that one. also, who called the mets game last night? i'll give you a hint. he likes breakfast serial and super man.