thanks for watching. i'm john siegenthaler. breaking news overnight. israel bombarded gaza city early this morning following a strike on a u.n. school used as a shelter. more than a dozen are dead, over 100 injured. next, developments in the expanding deadly ebola scare has u.s. health care officials on high alert. plus, a terrifying moment for one driver. also, how to fight back against rising food prices. and we will find out if congress is getting anything done ahead of their five-week vacation? good morning, everybody, and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. investigators in san diego are trying to determine this morning what led to a small plane to crash land in the parking lot of a busy shopping center. that crash killed one woman on board and seriously injured

another occupant. the frightening incident happened last night. the single-engine plane you see there landed near parked cars and then caught on fire. police say it clipped the top of the target store and then knocked down a light pole. officials say two witnesses were treated for minor burns. well, as the ebola epidemic deepens, the u.s. is doubling down on safety. the peace corps is evacuating virus hotspots, this after two volunteers came in contact with an ebola victim. now, the move affects 340 volunteers. at u.s. airports, the feds are keeping an eye on international passengers. anyone showing signs of the virus will be quarantined. and in liberia, where ebola has killed 672 people, a plan to keep the virus from spreading. here it is. schools have been shut down and government workers will stay home for 30 days. we'll stay on top of that story for you. also, today is the last legislative day before congress heads off on its month-long

august break. lawmakers scrambling to push through bills on the border crisis, veterans affairs and transportation, the house did manage to approve a resolution to authorize an election-year lawsuit against president obama. republicans say he overstepped his executive authority on obamacare. now, democrats call the lawsuit a political gimmick. >> you can't just sue because you disagree with the policy. you can't just sue because you think somebody's misinterpreted the constitution. you have to show that a similar action negatively affected you in a way that is different than everybody else. that is obviously totally absent from this! >> all right, let's get more on this. nbc's tracie potts is live on capitol hill. good morning to you. what's next for this lawsuit? >> reporter: well, in terms of the lawsuit, you know, they've now authorized lawyers here on capitol hill to move forward with that, but the question this morning, what is not getting done here. we are expecting a key vote on

va reform, but there are a number of issues still left on the table with democrats and republicans just not cooperating on some of the key issues here. the tone here on capitol hill may explain why things aren't getting done. >> why don't they say something nice once in a while? why are they always negative? i think they need help. i really do. >> reporter: what's not happening today -- immigration, the border crisis. an emergency bill has been sitting on capitol hill for weeks, whittled down by $1 billion in the senate. house republicans want to spend much less and are at odds with themselves over the cost. also, the highway trust fund set to go bankrupt next month may stay that way until after the summer break. >> imagine how much further along we'd be, how much stronger our economy would be if congress was doing its job, too! >> reporter: there's a last-minute push today to reform the va, hiring more doctors and nurses and allowing vets to go

outside the va for care. the house did vote to sue president obama. >> this isn't about republicans and democrats, it's about defending the constitution. >> the president has gone too far. >> we take time on a suit to sue the president of the united states, but we don't have a bill to bring jobs home. >> reporter: too many executive orders, boehner says, changing what congress already approved. the lawsuit focuses on the affordable care act. so, that's one thing done, but still, as you heard, a lot of key issues still left on the table. the house and senate are trying to wrap it up today, betty, but the senate, we're told, may stay over another day, if necessary, to get some last-minute things done. >> all right. a lot on the plate. thank you, tracie. appreciate that. we want to turn now to the rising cost of food here in the u.s. that includes staples like eggs, which are up 9 cents a dozen since last year, milk up 17 cents a gallon and beef up 51

cents a pound, on average. "shop smart" magazine has tips on reducing your grocery bill, including buying bagged produce instead of individual fruits and veggies, buying fresh instead of prepackaged meats and cheeses, using rewards cards and visiting dollar stores. well, a harrowing highway hazard outside of boston. you have to see this. massachusetts state police released these pictures of an ax which plunged through the windshield of a car traveling down i-95. police say landscapers in the truck in front of that car failed to secure the haywire hatchet and must pay $200 in fines. fortunately, though, both the passenger and driver are okay. can you imagine? i can't. all right, let's get to sports now and frances rivera. hi, frances. >> hi, betty. good morning to you. sports this morning. derek jeter played his final game at the ballpark in arlington and got a texas-sized tribute. former president george w. bush greeted jeter on the field

before the game and presented him with an autographed picture of the two. and betty, we both know this, what else is more texan than a custom pair of cowboy boots? >> oh, yeah! >> he's got the yankee logo on there, though. yee-haw could say it all, right? >> he could use a 10-gallon hat with that. >> a big belt buckle, too. jeter goes 0-4 at the plate but receives a standing "o" from the crowd during his last at-bat. rangers win 3-2. to san francisco, giants/pirates. top of the fourth, pirates nailed one to left field and someone paid the price. this is an ultimate travesty. watch what happens. the ball knocked the drink right out of the fan's hands -- >> oh, she didn't even get to catch it! she just got spilled on. >> someone needs to get her a refill. top of the sixth, the giants pull off one of the most bizarre double plays. after walking a batter, the runner on second is caught off the bag, and then he's tagged. they catch the runner off the

bag at third. the giants go on to win it 7-5. >> geez. german tennis player zabina luzicki broke the record for fastes serve, clocking in at 131 miles per hour. >> wow! >> dethroning venus williams' previous record of 129 set back in 2007. and now the river card. no! >> i'm so sorry. >> flushed out of this tournament! >> oh, that had to hurt, right? connor drinon out of the world series of poker tournament with a pair of aces. we're talking about a million-dollar buy-in here and a hand that only had a 2% chance of losing. really a tough pill to swallow. >> god, that stings. >> if you could imagine. i really don't think with those kinds of odds that kenny rogers, standing right over his shoulder singing "know when to walk away, know when to run." it's too late. >> you have to play the game.

thank you. now for a look at the weather and meteorologist bill karins. none of us got that kind of cash to throw away like that. >> no. just don't get out like that. >> that sucks. >> bitter pill. >> tough. >> no money placement, either. i know. yesterday was another gorgeous day in so many areas of the country. the exception oklahoma, from areas all the way back to colorado. it was like fall. it was like an early spring day, 70s and 60s for highs. typically, oklahoma city's flirting with 100 degrees every day during the summer. what a summer it's been. the clouds continue in that region along with the heavy rain. and look at the thunderstorms, pretty strong ones, actually. even a severe thunderstorm just east of the dallas area. so, looks like dallas and ft. worth, you're okay, but driving east of town on 35, you could get into some big storms heading into areas of oklahoma or even arkansas, for that matter, maybe even northern louisiana a little later today. that's where the rainy spot will be. there will be some hit-or-miss storms in florida and also in upstate new york. we're still watching the

tropical disturbance in the atlantic. looks like it could bring squally weather towards puerto rico on sunday. as far as development, not as favorable as it was yesterday, so it looks like it probably will be a tropical storm by the time it gets near puerto rico. a rainy day, but it shouldn't be a lot of destruction or anything like that. >> all right. >> and the east coast looks okay. >> still chilly out here, as you can tell by the long sleeves. okay, fascinating insights revealed by personal e-mails involved with the irs controversy. plus, fire crews work franticly to keep the yosemite blaze away from america's treasured grove of sequoia trees. ♪

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all right, let's get down to business with cnbc's jackie deangelis. good morning, jackie. >> good morning to you. well, a new report out says that americans are borrowing less and paying more out of pocket for college. now, sallie mae says that 42% of costs were covered by parents' or students' income last year, while families borrowed 27% of money to pay for school. students are choosing more money-saving options, like

living at home now and renting textbooks as well. meantime, mcdonald's is launching tofu mcnuggets in japan. the move coming amid a food safety scare in china. it's a combination of tofu, vegetables and fish paste, but deep-fried. it will only be on the menu for the next month. and the federal reserve is giving a mixed message on the economy. they say growth is improving and unemployment falling, but the job market still needs a little bit more work. the fed gave no signal that it will start to raise rates before next summer. back to you. >> i wonder if you eat ketchup with those tofu nuggets. all right, missed red flags? "the new york times" is reporting an american suicide bomber received training from extremists, then returned to the u.s. before carrying out his attack in syria. the 22-year-old grew up in florida. he drove a truck of explosives into a restaurant. after that water main break, authorities say six people clearing water from ucla's basketball arena are being treated for carbon monoxide exposure from a nearby generator. all of them were alert and

breathing. the pipe break wasted up to 20 million gallons of water just as the state is battling severe drought. now, that drought fuels a 3,900-acre wildfire near yosemite national park. it's about a third contained. crews are working to block it from a grove of giant sequoias, some of the oldest living things on earth. hopefully, they do save them. and a firestorm of a different sort in washington. a new still-classified report says secrets about post-9/11 cia interrogations were kept from then secretary of state colin powell. it also reveals that some informed personnel were instructed not to tell their superiors at the state department about certain interrogations. and new e-mails are revealed in the investigation of former irs official lois lerner. she wrote to a friend, calling republicans crazies, "so we don't need to worry about alien terrorists. it's our own crazies that will take us down."

now, that friend also referred to talk radio and the quote "wacko wing of the gop" to which lerner responded, "great, maybe we are through if there are that many" blanks. you can fill in the blank there. john kerry takes a break from diplomacy to go shopping. 43 writes all about 41. and stephen colbert buys up sarah palin. we'll explain. "scrambled politics" is next. renews surface cells to even skin tone. in just two weeks, see pearlescent, luminous skin. regenerist luminous. olay. your best beautiful. i will always be brilliant, never dull. new olay regenerist luminous facial oil. with 9 lightweight oils that seal in moisture for luminous skin day or night. the perfect accessory to your luminous collection. olay. your best beautiful.

members of congress are getting ready to leave

washington, d.c., on friday for a five-week recess. five weeks? who gets five weeks off? >> come on! >> five-week recess, yeah. well, good thing there's no important, urgent business for them to take care of. >> the clock ticking on immigration reform -- >> immigration border deal. >> global warming. >> climate change. >> raging wildfires. >> mysterious holes. >> tensions with russia. >> tempers are flaring. >> the world is a mess. >> there you go. have a great vacation. just really enjoy themselves. they deserve it. >> jimmy fallon poking fun at congress's five-week vacation. must be nice. and here's your first look at this morning's "scrambled politics." edward snowden's time is up in russia. t his visa status expires but his lawyers hope to get another year extension. former secretary of state hillary clinton is now saying that the washington redskins should change its name. in a tv interview, she called the name a racial slur. her successor, john kerry, is in

india to meet with their national security adviser. and according to nbc reporters traveling with him, he took a break from his meetings to go shopping and purchased three rugs. former president george w. bush has been doing more than just painting since he left office. he's also been quieting writing a biography of his father. in the book, "w" talks about his father's political career and how the former president influenced him. this will be the first time a president has told the story of his father, another president. it comes out november 11th and will have an initial printing of 1 million books. pope francis has gained popularity for his stance on various political issues, but now a bipartisan resolution congratulating him on the papacy is the latest piece of legislation in limbo. it could be because some republicans have reportedly said the pope is too liberal for them. only 19 republicans signed on to the bill. supporters trying to watch sarah palin's new online channel could run into some cyber trouble. here's why.

>> remember, sarah palin's channel is sarahpalinchannel.com, not thesarahpalinchannel.com, because we bought that one today. >> so, visitors to stephen colbert's palin site will see a message reading "the only sarah palin channel on the internet with a definite article in the address." he was caught on a see-saw with his brother this week, and now take a look at what toronto mayor rob ford told a local deejay during a coffee run. >> catch me, i'm toast, that's the problem with that. >> right. nobody's above the law, not even the mayor. >> that's for sure. >> and that, my friends, is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." all right, it's thursday, which means i am joined by syndicated columnist bob franken. good morning to you, bob. >> good morning. welcome to the bob franken channel. >> the bob franken channel. >> the bob franken channel, where right now everybody is

saying, who in the world is bob franken? >> oh, we know who you are, but we want to talk about the house, because they voted to sue the president for overstepping his executive powers. is this a waste of time, bob, or is it completely valid? >> well, it's probably a waste of time in that it is somewhat questionable whether any judge would even take this case because the argument would be that congress really doesn't have standing. but perhaps from a republican point of view, this is a tiny bit of red meat so they don't have to use the "i" word to get involved with the impeachment question, which is proving to be a real embarrassment to the gop. and when there are questions about congress about to be out of town for five weeks, there are many who say, only five weeks? >> well, you know, what are voters saying? that's what i want to know. are they behind this lawsuit and the use of taxpayer money to pursue it, or will republicans really feel the backlash come midterms? >> well, it depends which

voters. there's a new poll out showing that over 50% of the republicans are behind that. and as a matter of fact, a substantial number of republicans think that there should be a pursuit of impeachment. the danger is, is that all of this is going to rile up a democratic base that might come out and vote against the republicans in the midterm elections, and that's the last thing that the gop wants. >> yeah, well, you know, another battle is heating up between the gop and the president, and that's over immigration. house republicans also voted to rein in the obama administration's power to halt deportation of undocumented immigrants. was this a surprise move? >> well, the republicans, of course, right now are looking to embarrass the president every chance they can, and they sort of feel like this recent influx of all these children, particularly from latin america, from central america, has become a bit of an embarrassment. they've really gutted the president's request for more money to expedite their return. they're being tossed out of the

country. so, this is just another case of politics overcoming policy. >> all right. well, thanks for sharing the bob franken channel with us today. we appreciate it, bob. have a good one. "first buzz" is just ahead, including brian williams's proud papa moment. plus, the ice cream sandwich that just won't melt. really? it's next. honey, look i got one to land. uh-huh. (vo) there's good more... honey, look at all these smart rewards points verizon just gave me. ooh, you got a buddy. i'm like a statue. i just signed up and, boom, all these points. ...and there's not-so-good more. you're a big guy... ...oh no. get the good more with verizon smart rewards and rack up points to use towards the things you really want. get the lg g3 for $199.99. say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth.

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all right, time for "first buzz." i have frances here with me, along with bill, and we've made a pretty big announcement, at least brian williams did. >> he did. and this is all when it comes to the live performances. the musical was such a huge hit. >> huge! carrie underwood.

>> rate wraegz amazing on that, too. >> now they've announced who will play peter pan on the live performance. brian williams made the announcement last night on the "nbc nightly news." listen. >> just today, nbc announced alison williams will play the role of peter pan. the actress and singer is currently in the cast of "girls" on hbo. family members confirm she's been rehearsing for this role since the age of 3, and they look forward to seeing her fly. >> isn't that brilliant? >> that's the best picture ever. >> i love how he did it so straight-laced, you know? >> really subtle. because we all know that alison williams is brian williams' daughter. she's a big hit on hbo's "girls." classically trained singer. >> i didn't know that. >> i didn't either. >> she's very talented. she's made her own mark, doing her own thing. >> the girls love that show. >> christopher walken is captain hook, so we're excited to see. >> great cast. all right, you'll be excited to see the next video, because who doesn't love a baby giggling? here's why it's giggling, though. this baby boy giggling because of man's best friend!

>> are you getting a bath? >> licked to death. >> so cute! >> not in the mouth. >> that baby's got rolls, too. >> they're bracelets. i call them bracelets and alets. so cute. >> it's weird because the dog is licking all over this baby -- ooh, right there in this face. i just want to take the baby away. >> i want to take a big bite out of that baby with the rolls. >> all right, you're getting weird on us now. >> as long as the baby's happy, leave it alone. >> baby elliott is very, very cute and so is the dog. apparently, they are best of friends. >> that's a good doggie. well, it's summertime -- >> all right. >> we all want to cool off. >> not all ice cream sandwiches are created equal. some taste better than others and some we're not even sure they're ice cream. this is dan collins at kikn 100.5 in sioux falls. he was given a tip that the walmart ice cream sandwiches, the generic brand, do not melt in the sun. he left it out in the sun for one hour -- >> stop it. >> really?

>> and a little bit of some watery substance kind of oozed off of it. >> what's in there? >> he even put a scoop of ice cream next to it to show the difference between the two. >> what? >> at your own risk is all i will say. >> now you know. all right. "way too early" with thomas roberts starts now. so, some of the things remembers doing without congress are making a difference, but we could do so much more if congress would just come on and help out a little bit. just come on. come on and help out a little bit. stop being mad all the time. [ cheers and applause ] stop -- stop -- stop just hating all the time. come on. let's get some work done together! >> work done, okay. so, the highly criticized do-nothing congress did get

something done yesterday. the gop-led house voted to bring a lawsuit against president obama. and they might not be the e-mails that everybody's been looking for. however, the gop released some e-mails from lois lerner they say expose her bias while performing her job at the irs. and then, what in the world did justin bieber say to actor orlando bloom that reportedly started an in-person altercation now being fueled by the biebs on instagram? this is "way too early"! >> hey, everybody. good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it's thursday, july 31st. can you believe that? whoa! july is almost over. welcome to "way too early," the show that is totally #teambloom. okay, so, let's get to this, because a lot to talk about this morning. and just before congress leaves for recess, relations are even more strained in washington. the house has