and we have been glued to the ups and downs of toronto mayor rob ford. wait till you see what i saw, the ford brothers at play. this is "way too early." >> whoo! built those seesaws tough up north. good morning, everybody, i'm thomas roberts. it is tuesday, july 29th. welcome to the show that still has a hard time telling the ford brothers apart now that rob is slimming down. he looks a little better. we'll show you that video later today. we begin in the middle east where the crisis between israel and hamas is now in its fourth week, and the hopes for a resolution, that appears to be dwindling. overnight airstrikes lit up the sky in the center of gaza city as israel hit key hamas locations. the targets including hamas's tv station and the home of one of the group's top leaders. now, the strikes came as israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu delivered a national

tv address. and he warned of an extended conflict and said, quote, there is no war more just than this. now, israel and hamas are trading blame for an attack that left nine palestinian children dead and dozens injured. palestinian officials say israeli airstrikes hit a park as children were playing on the swings. israel, however, says militants in gaza fired the rockets which failed to reach the intended targets. now, this brings the death toll to more than 1,100 palestinians, according to officials there. 53 israeli soldiers have been killed including 4 yesterday as well as 3 civilians in israel. meanwhile, it was a rare sight on capitol hill as democratic senator kirsten gillibrand and republican senator ted cruz came together. they announced a resolution criticizing hamas for using civilians as human shields. but secretary of state john kerry is facing criticism on the israeli press for pushing a cease-fire that they report claim would be more beneficial to hamas. now, "the washington post's"

david ignatius writes that his rush to solidify the cease-fire has solidified hamas and the more moderate wing of the palestinian authority. but secretary kerry is standing by his actions. >> even as we focus on crises and flash points that dominate the daily headlines and govern the cable talk shows and so forth, even as that happens, and they demand our leadership, we will always act with long-term strategic imperatives foremost in our mind. >> and one of president obama's top advisers also issued a very strong defense of america's top diplomat. >> let me say this about secretary kerry. israel has no better friend, no stronger defender. no one has done more to help israel achieve a secure and lasting peace. he has been tireless in his efforts, and i think that israel and many countries and friends around the world recognize exactly that. now to the latest on the

downing of malaysia airlines flight 17 and the west's increasing pressure on russian president vladimir putin. president obama and the leaders of several european countries agreed to a sweeping new set of sanctions. they will target defense, energy and financial industries in russia. moscow, however, remains dwi defiant. but he downplayed them and warned they would only make russia stronger and more independent. and in another sign of stepped-up tensions, moscow is now being accused of violating a 1987 nuclear missile treaty by testing cruise missiles as early as 2008. the u.s. officials say that president obama addressed the issue in a letter to putin calling it, quote, a very serious matter. meanwhile, ukrainian investigators say that flight 17's black boxes reveal a, quote, massive explosive decompression brought down the jet and the shrapnel destroyed the plane. ukraine saying that its forces are making gains toward the crash site after another day of fighting with pro-russian rebels. kiev says it regained control of

two towns in eastern ukraine and more battles are under way. the latest clashes are being blamed for more than 50 deaths between the two sides. roughly 800 civilians have been killed there since mid-april. and the united nations human rights chief is calling for a full investigation of who shot down flight 17, adding that it may be considered a war crime. a new report is claiming that tens of thousands of u.s. weapons have either gone missing or are unaccounted for in afghanistan. the special investigator general, inspector general for afghanistan reconstruction blaming both sides for bad recordkeeping. the pentagon has supplied the afghans with more than 700,000 weapons since 2004, raising concerns that they may fall into the wrong hands just as the u.n. -- u.s., that is, winds down the war and its presence there. the federal appeals court ruling that struck down virginia's ban on same-sex marriage is also being felt across the state border. north carolina's attorney

general now says he will no longer defend the state's marriage equality ban because like virginia, his state is also in the fourth circuit. >> simply put, it's time to stop making arguments we will lose and instead move forward, knowing that the ultimate resolution will likely come from the united states supreme court. >> now, the ruling does not have a direct impact on marriage equality in north carolina. but the attorney general says it does predict that the state's ban will eventually be struck down. now, the supreme court could have at least five appellate decisions to consider if it takes up marriage equality coming up in the next term. u.s. senate hopeful michelle nunn's campaign is brushing off the loque of her team's very detailed victory plan in georgia. it calls for the candidate to spend 80% of her time raising money. the conservative national review released a trove of nunn's internal strategy memos, giving a very rare glimpse inside the

game of national politics. according to "the review," the documents were posted online back in december. included was a list of her biggest vulnerabilities including her work running an atlanta-bags atlanta-based nonprofit and two complaints. another memo was about fund-raising with a member of the strategy team writing, quote, hitting our targets will require us to prioritize fund-raising above all else and to focus the candidate's time on it with relentless intensity. there's also a memo highlighting what the campaign saw in the jewish community saying michelle's position on israel will largely measure the support. she's locked in a tight race with david perdue. and her campaign doesn't argue with the authenticity saying this was a draft of a document that was written eight months ago. like all good plans, they change. but what hasn't changed is that

michelle's opponents are going to mischaracterize her work and her positions, and part of what we've always done is to prepare for the false things that are going to be said. new york governor andrew cuomo is pushing back and pushing back hard against allegations that his office interfered with a political ethics commission, one that he himself put into place. and it all stems from a front-page article last week in "the new york times," which alleges cuomo's office squashed certain subpoenas that would have looked into the governor's own dealings including one to a media firm connected to the new york's democratic party. but now one of the firm's three co-chairs at the center of the story, syracuse district attorney william j. fitzpatrick is claiming that the panel was indeed independent. he says, quote, the bottom line is that nobody interfered with me or my co-chairs. governor cuomo was quick to praise the commission yesterday during a news conference. >> when you look at the facts, this commission performed exactly the function they were supposed to perform.

we passed a law that has brought historic reform to the state. it was an overwhelming success, and the commissioners have not gotten the credit that they deserve. independent. they were talking to people from the second floor. of course they were. of course they were. and they're talking to people from the senate. and the assembly. and the good government groups. it's not -- independence is not we'll never talk to anyone. it's that they exercised their independent judgment. >> but despite yesterday's denials, e-mails obtained by "the times" showed, quote, mr. fitzpatrick had privately expressed frustration with meddling by the governor's office and at one point e-mailing colleagues that mr. cuomo's office needs to understand this is an independent commission and needs to be treated as such. yesterday the governor disputed "the times'" mischaracterization

on those remarks. shifting to business. stocks mostly unchanged yesterday, but the dow did manage to rebound from hitting a one-month low last week. cnbc's jeff cutmore live with a preview of what we can expect today. jeff, good morning. >> hey, good morning to you. well, the futures indicate a cautious start to the u.s. trading session. keep your eye on the earnings. bp has come in with a strong lift in profits, up 34%, in excess of $3.6 billion. but a good chunk of that came from their 20% stake in the russian oil company. and as you know, the russians are being targeted with sanctions, and bp says this is something you need to be aware of. they are likely to be impacted adversely by sanctions on russian businesses. so something to bear in mind as these markets open today. just moving you on, we talk about social network. it's starting to seem a little more like social experiment after we learned that facebook

was manipulating us okay cupid, a matchmaking site has now revealed it's been doing the same thing. they say they've been doing it to try and improve the algorithm they use. but effectively, they've been putting people together, who according to the computer, shouldn't work. the irony, though, is the ceo points out people seem to try harder to make it work if the computer says it should be. one imagines truth in the end, but an interesting story about who you can trust and not trust on the internet these days. back to you. >> computer cupids. wow. a little devious there. thank you, sir. appreciate it. an update to a story we brought you last week, and that's the question surrounding a two-game suspension for baltimore ravens' star ray rice following an off-season domestic violence arrest involving his then-fiancee. after a discussion about rice friday on espn, host stephen a. smith received a firestorm of criticism from viewers and

colleague michelle beadle after suggesting that victims can take steps to avoid provoking violence. >> we also have to make sure that we learn as much as we can about elements of provocation. not that there's real provocation, but the elements of provocation. you've got to make sure that you address it because what we've got to do is do what we can to try to prevent the situation from happening in any way. >> yesterday smith offered a taped apology because of the comments and how they were perceived. and here's some of what he had to say. >> my words came across that it is somehow a woman's fault. this was not my intent. it is not what i was trying to say. yet the failure to clearly articulate something different lies squarely on my shoulders. to say what i actually said was foolish is an understatement. to say i was wrong is obvious. to apologize, to say i'm sorry doesn't do the matter its proper justice, to be quite honest. but i do sincerely apologize.

>> so that apology, that explanation got some of the women on "the view" talking leading to a very passionate exchange between whoopi goldberg and her cohosts. >> i just want to say -- >> for a man -- >> yes. >> -- hitting a woman unless his life is in jeopardy. >> i'm sorry. he knocked her out. listen. i'm sorry. if you hit somebody, you cannot be sure you are not going to get hit back. you have to teach women, do not live with this idea that men have this chivalry thing still with them. don't assume that that's still in place. so don't be surprised if you hit a man and he hits you back. you don't hit -- listen. i'm sorry. you hit somebody, they hit you back. don't be surprised. >> okay. so pretty passionate there. that brings it to our twitter question. what do you think of whoopi's comments on violence? tweet us using #waytooearly. still ahead on "way too

early," donald sterling loses his bid to block the sale of the clippers, but that doesn't mean he's ready to give them up. and photobombs aren't just for the queen anymore. so which royal family member has the next best crown jewel pick? it's a good one. that story and a check of weather when "way too early" comes right back. jen, i promise it's a good one! i, charles philip arthur george -- >> i, charles philip arthur george -- >> take thee diana frances. >> take thee diana frances. >> to my wedded wife. >> to my wedded wife.

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welcome back. time for sports. the $2 billion sale of the l.a. clippers to former microsoft ceo steve ballmer will go through after a judge ruled against team owner donald sterling yesterday. the court sided with shelly

sterling, saying she had negotiated a good deal for the clippers and had the authority to take away her husband's control of the family trust. doing so after doctors determined he was mentally unfit to manage his affairs. now, she spoke to reporters outside the courthouse after the ruling. >> i want to thank everybody who has helped me, my attorneys. they were fabulous. and this is going to be a good thing for the city, for the league, for my family, for all of us. >> what do you think donald will say? >> he'll be very happy. we do have love for each other. and i hope it will all work out between us. it will. and everything will be good. >> lawyer bobby samini spoke for donald sterling who was not present in the courtroom. >> he didn't see this as the final battleground, so this is, you know, one stage of a long war. this is one battle. we had hoped for a different result, but this is not the end. also under this ruling, donald sterling can't delay the

sale from going forward as he appeals this case. switching gears to baseball, derek jeter moved past carl yastrzemski on the all-time hits list, tallying his 3,420th hit against the rangers last night. now, despite a three-hit game from jeter, the yankees lose 4-2. jeter now just ten hits away from number six on the list. to boston, the jays' melky cabrera adding to toronto's 6-0 lead with a three-run homer. his second long ball of the night. now, that ball sails over the green monster, smashes the windshield of a minivan in the parking lot there. >> there are good spots still available. >> yeah, there's a nice souvenir. the jays win it 14-1. 14-1. >> red sox, barnicle won't be here today. he only shows up when they win. cincinnati, speaking of smashing the reds, jay bruce is not happy about striking out for the third time against the diamondbacks. he takes his frustration in the

dugout. arizona wins it 2-1 after 15 innings. to denver for broncos training camp. quarterback peyton manning can't help but dance when the song "rocky top tennessee" comes on during warm-ups. even wide receiver wes welker joins in. the broncos host the seahawks in their first season game on august the 17th. >> like what do you say to peyton manning when he's dancing like that? >> keep it up? cameras are rolling? i don't know. >> i mean, you can't make fun of him. he's peyton manning, right? >> "dancing with the stars" in his future. that's what mike thinks. >> no. >> no? >> it wouldn't last long. >> let's get a check on weather. nbc meteorologist is here now. >> did you hear about that tornado just north of boston yesterday? i mean, how crazy is that? >> very. >> we had one in connecticut the day before. and then we had one just north of boston. and look at the damage, too. it's amazing when you look at this damage path. 120-mile-per-hour winds. look at those huge oak trees that fell all over the place. we had no injuries and no

fatalities. that's just head-scratchingly lucky. so as far as the weather goes today, a lot better than yesterday. it wasn't just boston. just north of boston we had that tornado. there was a lot of damaging wind reports with those storms yesterday morning. again, it was another tornado early in the morning. almost like the one we had down there in virginia. as far as today goes, we cleared it out. it's cool. the humidity is gone. a refreshing, beautiful day today. i mean, this is as good as it gets for this time of year. we're typically humid as could be. 79 for a high in d.c. in late july. that never happens. we're in the 60s in chicago. even atlanta today, 68, low humidity. so enjoy this while it lasts. you know, we're looking pretty nice for three or four days in a row. >> it was great. i took the dogs out for a quick walk this morning. it was like fall. >> yeah. a very weird summer. >> i kind of like it. >> it's a good change of pace, i guess. >> all right, bill, thank you, sir. coming up on "morning joe," nbc's ayman mohyeldin brings us

a report on a night of very intense rocket attacks from gaza. when we come back here, we are going to huddle around the water cooler for brother-versus-brother action on the playground. doing more like chris farley than mayor rob ford. anyway, yeah, the ford brothers. what have they done now? you're going to want to see it. which is why he's investing ain his heart health by eatingw. kellogg's raisin bran ® good morning dad. hi, sweetie. here's another eye opener, not only is kellogg's raisin bran ® heart healthy, but its a delicious source of potassium. mom make you eat that? i happen to like raisins. now that's what i'm talkin' about. invest in your heart health. with kellogg's raisin bran ®. it's time to bring it out in the open.

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okay. it's time to huddle around the water cooler. louis had a day off, and i hear he's back, refreshed and in lavend lavender. >> i feel great and i love the lavender, right? it's a good color. >> it is. louis in lavender. >> we all remember toronto's mayor rob ford, right? >> who could forget? >> he's back following a two-month stint in rehab. he had a little fun with his brother, doug, on sunday at the opening of a city park. take a look. >> whoo! oh! okay. ooh! >> i got ya. >> that's killing me. >> i don't even know what to think about that. i think the mayor might have gotten the best of his brother on that one. >> the funny thing, the goal is when you're on a seesaw to jack your sibling off. >> exactly. that's all you want to do. that's the whole point of the game. >> it is. you're supposed to knock your sibling off.

>> just knock your sibling off. my older brother used to do it all the time to me. it doesn't much cuter than this. ainsley and her pit bull puppy clyde. it's enough to melt your heart. her mom has been instagraming photos of the two together, and it's clear she share quite a bond. the video was posted less than a week ago, and it already has 2 million views. we know what really gets people out there on the internet. just puppies and babies. that's all we do here during "the cooler," on "way too early." last but not least, the epic pho photobomb that queen elizabeth had last week is not to be outdone. prince harry gave a big green and two thumbs up between some officials at the commonwealth games where they were attending an event last night. actually, one of them made it his facebook pic. i think it's pretty epic. and i can't believe the royals are having a photobomb competition. i really like this. >> yeah. >> i think we should do one. >> he will try to do one later in the day. >> yes. >> later in the day for sure.

louis, thank you so much. appreciate it. earlier we asked you what did you think of whoopi goldberg's comments on violence when she was taking on the stephen a. smith controversy? our producer has some of the best responses. and we really lit up twitter on this one, didn't we? >> we did in the last 15 minutes or so. so we're hearing from all viewpoints. aiden said i disagree. we are adults. we shouldn't be living our lives based on playground rules. hitting others is never okay. l.j. says no one has the right to physically abuse anyone in this world. if women are truly equal, they will not hit and men will not hit. >> no, it's a great point. and a lot of people suffer in domestic violence abuse situations. there are great groups that can help those suffering with this. if you are getting hit, step away. call the cops and let them handle it. thank you. coming up next, a look at the stories we'll be talking about in the day ahead. "morning joe" is just moments away. ed that 30% of the traffic in a city is caused by people looking for parking.

that's remarkable that so much energy is, is wasted. streetline has looked at the problem of parking, which has not been looked at for the last 30, 40 years. we wanted to rethink that whole industry, so we go and put out these sensors in each parking spot and then there's a mesh network that takes this information, sends it over the internet so you can go find exactly where those open parking spots are. the collaboration with citi was important for providing us the necessary financing; allow this small start up to go provide a service to municipalities. citi has been an incredible source of advice, how to engage with municipalities, how to structure deals, and as we think about internationally citi is there every step of the way. so the end result is you reduce congestion, you reduce pollution and you provide a service to merchants, and that certainly is huge. if energy could come from anything?.

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mcdonnell and his wife. the jury is made up of four women and eight men. the senate is expected to vote on the nomination of robert mcdonald to be the next secretary of on the next secret veteran affairs. to fix the troubled agency. later, the rnc will hold their fire harry reid rally on capitol hill and aimed at getting voters to elect republicans to the senate in the upcoming mid terms. that is going to do it. a tuesday edition of "way too early." "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ >> flares have turned night into borrowed daylight in the skies over the gaza strip. >> today was supposed to be a cease-fire it didn't work. >> intense fighting prevented investigators reaching the crash site of mh-17 for the second day running. >>