okay. are we done here? are we done? i feel like we're -- >> oh, if only it were that easy. decision day for obamacare's controversial birth control mandate. what both sides are saying ahead of today's big ruling. plus he ran a company most people associate with household products, but will the former head of procter & gamble be able to clean up the mess at the department of veterans affairs? and unresolved questions. what former president clinton thinks about efforts across the nation to legalize marijuana. this is "way too early." good monday morning. i'm bill karins. welcome to "way too early," the show that never inhales. but if it's secondhand, is that really our fault? maybe. let's begin in washington. a closely watched case of the supreme court involving women's right and the right to religious freedom. the justices are expected to rule on hobby lobby's challenge

to the birth control mandate in obamacare. the arts and crafts chain says the mandate forces it to go against its christian beliefs by providing contraception to female employees or risk hefty fines. members of both parties are weighing in. >> the government will not violate anyone's religious beliefs, but no one has the right to discriminate against a woman because of her own beliefs. and i believe that the supreme court will find that no business -- >> the company. >> -- no business should be allowed to discriminate against women. >> i think the statute itself, as interpreted by the president, violates the first amendment of the constitution. and i'm hoping the court will uphold the rights of individuals for their expression of their religious freedom. >> it has been two years since the supreme court rejected a challenge to obamacare's individual mandate which required that americans purchase insurance or pay a penalty. also happening today, president obama will officially announce his pick to clean up the troubled department of veterans affairs. the white house says he will

nominate robert mcdonald to be the next v.a. secretary. mcdonald is a west point grad and former ceo of procter & gamble. he was in the top 2% of his class at west point and spent five years in the army. he reached the rank of captain. he then spent 33 years with the household products company and led procter & gamble from 2009 to 2013. house speaker john boehner seemed supportive of the pick saying in part, quote, bob mcdonald is a good man. a veteran and a strong leader with decades of experience in the private sector, with those traits, he's the kind of person who is capable of implementing the kind of dramatic systemic change that is badly needed and long overdue at the v.a. if confirmed, mcdonald will replace acting secretary sloan gibson. gibson took over for eric shinseki who resigned amid allegations of long waits at v.a. hospitals and secret waiting lists for patients. overseas, insurgents in iraq and syria say they have officially established a new islamic state in the region.

a spokesman for the group says muslims around the world including other militant organizations must now swear and pledge their allegiance to what they call a new caliphate. an islamic state with a supreme leader. a declaration by isis which controls a lot of ground now could trigger more infighting with other jihadists battling for power. iraqi forces are now trying to take back territory from the sunni extremists, and there's no shortage of outside influence as well. russian experts are on the ground in iraq, training pilots to fly recently acquired warplanes from moscow. iranian advisers are reportedly in the country along with american special forces. teams helping iraq, they are helping the iraqi troops seize up the enemies. amazing. as that fight rages on, earlier episode from the u.s.-led war there years ago, is only now coming to light. a report in "the new york times" details actions in iraq by blackwater whose hired guards were known for heavy-handed

tactics. according to the piece, when the state department investigators looked into the company's actions back in 2007, they were met by threats and intimidation. one government official said blackwater's project manager told them, quote, he could kill me at that very moment and no one could or would do anything about it. the probe faulted contractors on several fronts from weapons violations to heavy drinking with women visitors. and one incident, four drunk guards crashed an armored vehicle on the way to a private party. despite reporting the episodes and the threats, the embassy sided with blackwater, and the state department investigators were removed from the country. blackwater which has since, of course, changed its name continued its operations there. four blackwater guards are currently on trial in washington, d. krmplgc., for ki7 civilians in baghdad back in 2007. in just a few hours, president obama will return to congress to help combat the dramatic increase in children from central america illegally entering the u.s.

the white house says the president will ask lawmakers for more than $2 billion. the money would go to more border enforcement and humanitarian aid. president obama will ask lawmakers to modify current laws so the administration can speed up deportations. currently children are allowed to stay with family members or sponsors until their deportation case is heard. more than 52,000 unaccompanied children have been caught illegally entering the u.s. since last fall. many fleeing the violent conditions. president obama says it has escalated into a humanitarian crisis and is urging parents to stop sending children alone into the u.s. well, let's turn now to presidential politics. it's been a grueling few weeks in the spotlight for the clintons. as hillary kicked off her book tour amid 2016 speculation. david gregory sat down for an extensive interview with former president bill clinton at the clinton global initiative in colorado. we recently showed you the forum with the president's answers on

iraq and criticism from dick cheney and his attempts to answer questions about the family finances. in the full interview on "meet the press," the former president was also asked about marijuana and whether he thinks legalization would be a good thing for the country. >> back in the '60s, there was that saying give peace a chance. i'm wondering if you think now it's time to give pot a chance. would it actually help government raise revenue and deal with some of the things you're dealing with here at cgi? >> rocky mountain high. i -- look. i think there's a lot of evidence to argue for the medical marijuana thing. i think there are a lot of unresolved questions, but i think we should leave it to the states. this really is the time when there should be laboratories of democracy because nobody really knows where this is going. >> and with hillary looking on from the audience, talk turned to 2016. and the former president was coy

when asked about possible republican challengers for his wife. >> most formidable republican who could run for president, in your judgment? >> if i knew, i wouldn't say. why would i encourage it? unless -- >> you're so good at handicapping that side, though. >> unless i thought it would cause that person to lose the nomination, then i'd announce it in a heartbeat. >> you're just a bid player as to whether secretary clinton runs? >> that's exactly what i am. i'm a foot soldier in an army. i will do what i am instructed to do. >> but it isn't the challengers on the right that have democrats buzzing. hillary's potential opponents on the left could be her biggest obstacles to the presidency. some say senator elizabeth warren's anti-wall street message could provide a spark, contrast to hillary in a primary. the same way that then-senator obama anti-iraq message worked back in 2007. but this is the front page headline on today's "new

republic." "inevitable." the article details a shift among many progressives who view the former secretary of state more positively now than they did in 2007. according to gallup, her favorability now at 90%. it's higher than ever among democrats. and she's up on a variety of issues including likability, honesty and compassion. and despite recent questions about her wealth, a new nbc/"wall street journal" poll shows 55% of americans believe she can relate to the problems of an average american. now to business. the markets will open today after finishing off last week in positive territory. it was the second weekly gain for the nasdaq. cnbc's jeffrey cutmore is live in london for us with more. good morning, jeff. >> hey, good morning to you. what a way from the markets. we are expecting some news out of gm today. ken feinberg will give us the details on exactly how gm is

going to pay fines and compensation related to this ongoing problem with the ignition switches. 2.6 million vehicles were recalled, as you'll remember. the company saying they've identified 54 incidents involving faulty ignition switches. but the lawyers on behalf of the plaintiffs are saying there are quite a lot more to take into consideration. so keep your eye on this announcement from ken feinberg today because the level of compensation could be in the billions of dollars. moving on from one series of compensation payments to another. bnb paribas, the french bank has been in the firing line for breaches of sanctions. it looks today, we will get a settlement of that with the doj, $8.9 billion or thereabouts thought to be the size of the settlement, and potentially they will also be excluded from doing some dollar banking business as an additional penalty for some

months forward. but keep your eye on those two announcements today. they will be big news as far as the markets are concerned. back to you. >> we'll watch that. and jeff, i want to go back to the story we reported earlier. the former ceo of procter & gamble. this robert mcdonald guy picked to lead the v.a., what was his reputation as a ceo? >> i think he's a safe pair of hands. as far as procter & gamble is concerned, this is 120,000 employees across, what, over 180 countries. he managed a very sizeable business. he is a west point graduate which also gives him the military credentials if you like. i think he was with the 82nd airborne, a captain with them. so he has both business experience which perhaps will help sort out some of the v.a.'s problems right now with the bureaucracy around the medical facilities, but he also has that military background which means that those in the v.a. who have served their country will also

be able to have a conversation with this gentleman on their level. so i think in many senses, this is about as good as it gets for trying to deal with the mess that the v.a. appears to have become. back to you. >> yeah, jeff, i can't wait. probably three months probably he'll get in, take a look around, then go to congress with a list of demands. then we'll see where the battle lines set up to see what he gets to fix what has been a flawed system. thanks, jeff. have a great day. first she wouldn't leave and now nowhere to be seen. a california nanny who made headlines for refusing to leave the family's home is missing. the family says 64-year-old diane disappeared late last week without taking her belongings. the family hire in march to care for its three children in exchange for room and board. but the family says she stopped working and blamed a pulmonary disease. they say they put her on notice twice before firing her and also tried to evict her. probably more coming out on that

story in the days ahead. still ahead, mexico out of the world cup. it was brutal. they just can't advance past the knockout round. after falling to netherlands. who mexico's coach is blaming for the loss. plus emotional games. what facebook says it did two years ago that's just now causing an uproar. that story and a check on a very dicey fourth of july forecast when "way too early" comes right back. the monica lewinsky scandal is on the front page again. linda tripp, the woman who secretly taped lewinsky, made her first appearance before ken starr's grand jury, and her testimony could be critical in determining whether the president obstructed justice.

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time for sports. with the beginning of the world cup's round of 16, and there was

four great matches this weekend, let's start with costa rica. population 4.5 million. that's half the size of new york city's population against greece. both teams trying to make it through for the first time. costa rica first to strike after the scoreless first half. goalie didn't even move. he was shielded from the defenseman. ball slicing away from him anyways. and then greece got the equalizer there in the 90th minute. it looks lycos tariq ka was going to cruise in. it finally came down to penalty kicks. both teams were nailing them in left and right. it was really well done. no one had missed until that! they were even until he was blocked by keylor navas. costa rica move on to the quarterfinals. he buried that for the final goal. amazing game. the greek team turned down a bonus for the first time ever. instead they actually asked for a new facility to house the national team. maybe that will pay off in the years ahead. let's go to netherlands and mexico. poor mexico.

giving mexico the lead in the 48th minute. they keep control for most of the match until netherlands' wesley sneijder evened things up in the 88th minute. this was the controversial moment of the match. is this a foul? did he trip him? or is he going to hollywood? a little bit of an acting job. he definitely had the foot under. but come on, put your right foot down on the ground and keep running, buddy. the referee didn't see it that way. they get the penalty kick. and that's the match, folks. netherlands win 2-1 and advances to the quarterfinals stage. mexico's coach miguel herrera fuming at the ref because of that result. he labeled aaron robben as a cheating flopper and blaming the referee for the loss. he told reporters after the match, quote, if the referee is fair, their second goal would not exist, and robben instead should have been ejected. today the round of 16 continues with france facing off jeagains

nigeria. well, now to the diamond. big rivalry continues in the bronx last night as the mediocre yankees host the offensively challenged red sox. top of three, boston leading 1-0 when david ortiz, yankee killer, goes deep to right. that's big papi's 450th career homer. who knows, maybe he'll make it to 500. dustin pedroia also with a hot bat. that was just a corkscrew to right. he finished with three rbis including this two-run single in the eighth to give the sox a little bit of insurance. boston's bats wake up and take the series with an 8-5 win. to los angeles. is anyone more dominant, maybe king felix. clayton kershaw struck out 13 in 7 innings, a five-hit ball for a 6-0 win against the cardinals. he's now thrown a career best 28 consecutive scoreless innings. the win also ties the dodgers with the giants atop the n.l. west.

barnicle says 36 strikeouts in his last three games? that's insane. after kershaw puts the team in a comfortable position, the dodgers decide it's time for a little bit of prank. how is that a prank, putting matches on the back of someone's -- how long is going to take? the flame is almost out. i smell smoke. who's smoking? who's smoking? are you smoking? i'm not smoking. my hat? ah, it's on my foot. you guys got me! you silly boys playing baseball. some updates in the nba off-season as free agency approaches. the knicks' carmelo anthony plans to meet with the bulls in chicago next week after the league's off-season market officially opens on tuesday. anthony will then meet with the rockets and mavs on wednesday. chris bosh joins lebron james and dwyane wade also this weekend and opting out of his contract. bosh's agent alerted the decision on sunday afternoon, a day after wade, perhaps the biggest indication that all three are going to stay down

there in miami, take a little less money, maybe take a little more in the long term. they'll probably add a good fre agent, and maybe then they can try to compete with the spurs next week. we'll see. jason kidd's tenure as coach of the brooklyn nets, there must be something really ugly behind the scenes. it could end after one year. the milwaukee bucks have offered a second round pick for kidd. however, the nets say they want a first rounder. the bucks have a head coach during all of this mess. ugly. let's get a check on your forecast. i already teased jen about this fourth of july thing. over the weekend, memphis got nailed six inches of rain yesterday morning. six inches in a short period of time. we'll give you pictures like this on the west side of town. thankfully, it has dried up and things have improved now, but the damage is done. let's show you what we're talking about with the east coast and the week ahead. we have our first tropical threat of the season. i do not believe this will ever become a big, dangerous hurricane or anything like that. but a tropical system along the

east coast will ruin your beach plans. it will also bring some significant rain and rip currents. right now it's spinning just off the florida coast. it does not look very impressive. it's just a little swirl. it's going to sit here off of florida for about two or three days. here's where it gets interesting. what our computers are telling us is going to happen in the days ahead. as we go forward in time, that little swirl looks to move up the eastern seaboard. and then by friday, about 9:00 p.m., oh, that's when the macy's fireworks are supposed to be going off in new york city. the system at this point, our computer is saying, would be a tropical storm somewhere just south of new england, somewhere off the jersey coast somewhere off long island. again, this is about five days away. don't cancel any of your plans yet. if you have beach plans on the fourth or thursday, we'll keep you in touch with the forecast as it changes this week. also some rain this morning for chicago and illinois. but thankfully, your severe weather threat is over for the night. i'm not a bad person. i'm just the messenger. on "morning joe," awaiting a

big decision from the supreme court on the birth control mandate under obamacare. the big question, does the freedom of religion apply to corporations? when we come back here, we'll huddle around the water cooler to talk about the response to actress amy adams' first-class act. love her. what she did on a plane that got a lot of people talking. [ male announcer ] people all over the world know us, but they don't yet know we're a family. we're right where you need us. at the next job, next adventure or at the next exit helping you explore super destinations and do everything under the sun. 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. so wherever you want to be, whatever you want to do, chances are we're already there. save up to 25% and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com. save♪up to 25% and earn bonus points

let's see what fun and entertaining things happened over the weekend. time for the cooler now. louis? >> facebook is coming under a little bit of fire here for allowing researchers to play with people's emotions. the social network admits it manipulated the news feeds of half a million random users back in 2012 to see how they responded to certain posts. in a new research report, facebook says it altered a number of positive and negative posts. people saw in their feed and then tracked any changes in the tone in their posts. after an uproar over the weekend, facebook has posted an apology saying in part, the goal of our research at facebook is to learn how to provide a better service, having written and designed this experiment myself, i can tell you that our goal was never to upset anyone. i can understand why some people may have concerns about it, and my co-authors and i are very sorry. and in hindsight, the research benefits of the paper may not have justified all of the anxiety around it. it's pretty incredible.

we should note that facebook is hardly the only tech company that manipulates data. google and yahoo! also track searches. they say they enhance user experience. perhaps "forbes" put it best with this headline. "if facebook's secret suddeny bothers you, then it's time to quit facebook." now let's go to a first-class act from actress amy adams that's taken bitter by storm. a lot of people praising the "american hustle" star for giving up her seat in first class to an american soldier. when asked, adams told "inside edition," i didn't do it for the attention of myself. i did it for the attention of the troops. now, this is one of the many selfies that passengers took with the star from back in coach. i think that's a pretty incredible story. adams herself comes from a military family, bill. >> don't everyone steal amy adams on me. i've been on her since "june bug" in 2005. >> i think that she has gotten a lot of good praise and attention. >> yes, she has. thanks, louis.

that does it for "way too early." the vacationing thomas roberts says back tomorrow morning. now "morning joe" only moments away.

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♪ waiting is the hardest part ♪ every day >> one kick away and he gets it! destiny at his feet -- or in his hands. he scores! the graet adventure continues! >> what a weekend of football as they call it. the world cup. costa rica winning on penalty kicks against greece. an incredible game in many over the weekend. good morning. monday, june 30th. i'm willie geist. joe and mika are off this morning. that is incredible kick. with us on set mike barnicle.