prison within the first year. that's our report. thanks for watching. i'm john seigenthaler. good thursday morning, everyone. right now on "first look," double trouble headed for hawaii. the beautiful island paradise hasn't seen a hurricane in 20 years. well, now it's got two strengthening storms ready to strike. level 1 activated. the cdc moves the ebola virus to its highest level of concern involving a large-scale response. russia fights back against american sanctions by banning products in agriculture made in america. caught on camera, a man rams a police car and then is shot and killed. and ten years in the making, an astonishing first, a landing on a comet. good morning, and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. residents and tourists in hawaii are on high alert this

morning. back-to-back hurricanes are expected to make landfall within the next 24 hours. forecasters say hurricane iselle will touch down first, followed by hurricane julio tomorrow. you know, it's been more than 20 years since a hurricane has hit the aloha state. well, schools are closed today and people are emptying the shelves of supermarkets as they hunker down. nbc's dan schenamen has the latest. >> reporter: residents across the aloha state are preparing for what could be a devastating blow. two hurricanes churning out in the pacific aiming directly at the hawaiian islands. >> it's very rare, and it's that one-two punch we're worried about. i don't think either of these storms is going to deliver a knockout, but the one-two punch could be serious. >> reporter: gearing up for back-to-back storms has hawaiians rushing to prepare, stocking up on water, batteries and other essentials, shoppers waiting in long lines, many finding empty store shelves. >> things are running pretty bare. >> it's all gone. i don't know what we're going to

do. >> reporter: for a while, it looked as though the storms might be weakening, but now forecasters say it appears they are gaining strength with a cell coming ashore as a category 1 hurricane. >> looks like it should retain its strength long enough to still be a hurricane by the time it approaches. >> reporter: hurricane iselle nearing landfall possibly later tonight and julio knocking on the door, hawaii's governor has already declared a state of emergency. >> what we're concerned about here is the health and safety of the people of hawaii, and we're going to make judgments about that. >> reporter: only three hurricanes have made landfall in the hawaiian islands since 1950. >> hawaii is a very blessed land, so i believe hawaii's going to pull through. >> reporter: now as iselle and julio threaten the shores of this peaceful paradise, all residents and tourists can do to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. dan schenamen, nbc news. >> all right, but these two storms are not the end of it. nasa satellite is tracking two more storms in the area, hurricane genevieve, which could become a typhoon in the next day

or two, and what they're calling system 93. it's a low pressure area currently producing showers and thunderstorms. we'll have a full weather report in just a little bit. but developing right now, ebola emergency. the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention ups its response. it's at level 1 activation, a level used for serious public health emergencies. in d.c., a hearing on battling the global outbreak will happen later today. so far, the virus has claimed over 900 lives. the situation is so bad in liberia, the president there has declared a state of emergency. let's take you to cairo. they are watching the clock. now, there is no middle east peace deal just yet, but there is this. israel is willing to extend the latest cease-fire. it expires at 8:00 a.m. friday. the offer comes with no strings, but not so much when it comes to permanent peace. here's what everyone wants. israel wants hamas to disarm. hamas wants israel to end its blockade of gaza.

and palestine wants some palestinian prisoners freed. meanwhile, former president jimmy carter is weighing in, accusing israel and hamas of possible war crimes, specifically the lives lost. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu offered up this. >> israel deeply regrets every civilian casualty, every single one. >> over 1,800 people have been killed in the conflict, including 432 children. new developments in the last hour from the kremlin and moscow. russia just announced that it is banning imports of meat, fish, milk and fruit from america. the eu, australia, canada and norway. it's all part of retaliatory efforts to punish the u.s. and its allies for imposing economic sanctions against russia. the country's prime minister will ban transit flights for ukrainian airlines traveling through russia and has threatened to ban european

airlines from flying over siberia. at a press conference yesterday, nbc news senior white house correspondent chris jansing asked president obama about the power of the sanctions. >> reporter: are sanctions not working? >> considering that president putin recognizes that, you know, ukraine is an independent country, you know, it's only at that point that we can say the problem's truly been solved. but in the meantime, sanctions are working the way they're supposed to. well, a two-star general gunned down in an ambush attack will soon be home. it is believed that the body of army major general harold greene is at the base in ramstein, germany and will be flown to dover air force base later today. also, newca details on the afghan soldier behind that attack. he actually hid in a bathroom with an assault rifle before opening fire. 15 others were also hurt in that attack. president obama says he is ready to take action on the border crisis. this comes as congress is out on

a month-long recess and no immigration reform bill on the horizon. nbc's tracie potts joins us live from washington. tracie, what kind of action can we expect? >> reporter: well, experts out there say there are a couple of things he could do, betty. first of all, he could prioritize who gets deported direct to prosecutors at the justice department to deal with the most serious offenders first, felons who are in this country. that would push everyone way back in the line when it comes to deportations. the other thing he could do is expand the current program that defers deportations for kids who are brought into this country illegally. they can get temporary legal status. they can get work permits. he could expand that program. all of it he wants to try to do, some argue, without congress. now, they're out of town on break right now. they left without dealing with his $3.7 billion emergency bill. they pretty much left that on the table. and so, at that same news conference you just heard, the president said yesterday that he's ready to act, essentially,

that americans do not want him -- and i'm queeoting him -- "twiddling his thumbs." but remember, he's also facing a lawsuit by republicans over his executive order, so he was also careful to say that he is bound by the constitution. betty? >> all right, tracie potts joining us live. thank you, tracie. in new mexico, a crime's controversial ending. >> oh! >> that is video of a deputy's car getting nailed. a suspect drove right into it. he did it after allegedly trying to force a woman into his car, but keep watching. >> jumped out of the car, walked up to the police car with his hands in the air. >> then, less than a second later, the deputy fires. the suspect goes down. >> they just shot that guy, bro. >> that guy later died. it's not known if he had a gun on him. the incident is now being investigated. all right, we'll lighten things up now, talk sports with

richard lui. good morning, richard. >> betty, good thursday to you. how many times have you heard this -- tiger is back? >> way too many, it seems. >> thyis time, he tweaked his back sunday at the wgc bridgestone and now he says he's playing in the championship teeing off at 8:30 a.m. eastern this morning. former nfl quarterback scott mitchell spent 11 seasons in the nfl. now he's on season 16 of nbc's "the biggest loser." starting weight 366. >> whoa! >> not to be outdone, former new york jet damon woody at 388. we'll see how they do. the new $1.2 billion home of the san francisco 49ers will host a stanley cup champion l.a. kings and san jose sharks on february 21st. that's a beauty of a stadium, isn't it? according to sponsor coors, it will be the first outdoor game in over 1,700 franchise games for san jose. >> that's going to be cool to watch there. >> yeah. and hopefully, they can handle

the outside. united states soccer pride on the line in portland. the mls all-stars versus the reigning german champion. bayern munich scores first, and then the americans tie things up 1-1. then in the 70th minute, the all-stars find the net once more to win it 2-1. after, a bitter bayern coach refuses to shake the mls, caleb porter's hand, saying there are a couple bad calls. >> come on. that's unsportsmanlike. >> he also lost. two of the biggest names in swimming completed the 100-meter freestyle at the usa championships. misty franklin bested the former. michael phelps did not fair so well, my friend, finishing seventh. but there's time, obviously, for that guy. and the phillie phanatic gets the third base umpire to bust a move. >> shake it, shake it. >> yep. they're at the phillies/astros game. a little one, two, three. there's shortstop jimmy rollins trying to get into it. can you handle it? are you a big salsa dancer?

>> no, but i have always wanted to learn. one, two -- okay, i'm going to have to practice that. >> i don't know how to do it. >> apparently not. thank you. now for a look at the weather, jeanette? i need some lessons. >> we'll do that after the show. thanks, betty. well, all eyes on the tropics, especially in the central pacific basin. we are watching iselle and julio. julio now a category 2 hurricane. now, hurricane warnings in effect for the big island as iselle is still on track on hitting the big island of hawaii later today with tropical storm-force winds, so they could easily cause power outages and also heavy flooding rainfall. julio looks to affect the hawaiian islands somehow by the weekend. in the east coast, a beautiful day in new york city and d.c. also watch for some thunderstorms, especially as we head on into the afternoon. thunderstorms also in the forecast in kansas city. best chance for those thunderstorms in kansas city will be early in the day. chicago looking good, but some

wet weather likely in the chicago area later in the day. have you been to hawaii, betty? >> i have been to hawaii, but not while hurricanes were headed that way. >> it's on my list. >> it's beautiful. hopefully, it stays that way after these storms. a bizarre story out of wagner, oklahoma. high school teacher laurie hill is accused of reporting for her first day of school -- listen to this -- intoxicated and not wearing any pants! just imagine. police say hill admitted to having some vodka before school and now faces a public intoxication charge. you're watchin ining "first loo msnbc.

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all right, are you ready to get down to business? researchers at the university of exeter medical school found that people with moderate vitamin d deficiency have a 53% higher risk of some form of alzheimer's or other dementia. a man named sam sung once worked for apple. no joke, this is real. it's samsung's biggest

competitor. well, now, sam sung, the man, is auctioning off his apple business card for charity. i wonder if one of the companies will buy it. well, the oasis cafe in stillwater, minnesota, is charging diners a 35-cent minimum wage fee on diner checks. the reason, the state raised the minimum wage 75 cents last week to 8 bucks an hour. stories making news this morning. today australia is a nation in mourning. 38 of its citizens died on malaysia airlines flight 17 when it was shot out of the sky over ukraine. just hours ago, the country's prime minister spoke at an interfaith memorial service in melbourne's historic st. patrick's cathedral. >> we cannot bring them back, but we will bring them home as far as we humanly can. and we do rededicate ourselves today to supporting the bereaved, to obtaining justice for the dead and for their families, and to working for a better world. and it is a cosmic first.

watch that moving white line. after a ten-year, 4 billion mile journey, the european spacecraft completes its unprecedented task of catching up to a comet. the rosetta probe will follow it around for now, but in november, it will send a probe of its own to the surface. a scientist overseeing the mission says it is the sexiest space mission that has ever been. all right, i'll take your word for it. well, a republican congressman doubles down on the war on whites and a senate wanna be who says she's no empty dress.

while speaking at an african leadership summit yesterday, vice president joe biden accidentally referred to africa as a country instead of a continent. to be fair, most of what he knows about africa is based on "the lion king," so -- >> ouch! all right, well, here's your first look at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." president obama is pushing back at claims he's misusing his executive powers. take a listen to what he said during a press conference after yesterday's u.s./africa summit. >> i promise you, the american people don't want me just standing around twiddling my thumbs and waiting for congress to get something done. even as we take these executive actions, i'm going to continue to reach out to democrats and republicans. republican congressman mo brooks is doubling down on his war on whites, claiming democrats are race-baiting in

order to win elections. this time in a radio interview, he argued that republicans aren't using race as a factor to turn out more voters. >> i don't know that the republican party has ever appealed to hispanic americans based on race. name a candidate in the united states of america running as a republican who appeals to hispanics based on their skin color. well, one of the dreamers who approached senator rand paul and congressman steve king while in iowa is speaking out on the encounter. erica spoke with jose diaz-balart. here's her reaction to his quick departure the moment she began speaking with him. >> it's a tough issue, but reality is i do have someone who is actually affected by it. i tried to talk to you. you don't run away. you actually sit there and actually try to talk. at least, you know, king, he is king. he did whatever he did. he talked to us, and rand paul, who is planning to run for office in 2016 didn't even finish his burger and bailed out. >> senator paul has recently

explained that he got up to leave to conduct an interview with a reporter. governor scott walker's re-election bid has hit a new crossroad. take a look at the ad his democratic challenger put out using his own words to reveal a broken promise to voters. >> he made a pledge. >> 250,000 new jobs by the end of our first term in office. >> and asked us to hold him to it. >> is this a campaign promise, something you want to be held to? >> absolutely. >> today, wisconsin is dead last in midwest job growth, tenth out of ten. former president bill clinton campaigning heavily with kentucky senatorial candidate alison lundgren grimes, who backs up her ability and allegiance this way. >> here today, i'll set the record straight -- i'm not an empty dress, i'm not a rubber stamp and i am not a cheerleader! one label that i will wear proudly, and i know you will join me, i am a clinton democrat!

as residents in hawaii brace for the onslaught of two major hurricanes, candidates including the state's governor are getting ready for a hotly contested primary this saturday. so, who is smarter, men or women? well, first lady michelle obama pulls no punches in the battle of the sexes. >> we can't waste this spotlight. it is temporary and life is short and change is needed and women are smarter than men. >> amen to that! that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." just don't tell bob franken i said that. good morning, bob, how are you? >> i just don't understand what she meant by that. >> see? there's our pro. >> my comprehension is not always the best -- >> oh, stop. >> particularly this time of day. >> well, we want to pick your brain because russia is fighting back against sanctions by issuing some of its own

specifically banning products from the u.s. and europe. what kind of impact is this going to have? >> well, it's certainly going to have an impact on chicken farmers in the united states because among the items on the list that are now blocked from russia are u.s. chickens. and this is going to have quite a detrimental effect on the poultry industry here because russia is a big importer of american chicken. >> well, you know, big picture as we look at all this is back and forth, all of these sanctions by russia, by the u.s., by the eu. could this escalate into another cold war? >> well, i'll tell you what could escalate into a hot war very quickly, and that is if all the russian troops that are now massing on the border with ukraine decide to cross that border. that could, of course, obviously really change things. all of this other kind of stuff is the kind of pushing and shoving, almost like trash talk on a basketball court. >> that's a good point, because we heard, what, some 20,000 on the border yesterday, and then

today we're hearing upwards of 70,000. so, we'll see how that plays out. i want to shift gears, though, because speaking of conflicts, former president jimmy carter and ireland's former president, mary robinson, say the situation between israel and hamas has led to war crimes against civilians on both sides. will this lead to an investigation? >> well, it's the kind of thing that war crimes are always charged, but they're very hard to enforce. usually, these are charges that are made really quite blythely by various people. there is evidence in the minds of some that one side or the other has been conducting war crimes, but right now the emphasis has to be in at least stopping this war and maybe coming up with some way to avoid future occurrences. >> we'll see if cairo can drum up a deal there. thank you, bob, for your insight. coming up, a hilarious ron howard film. ♪ [ female announcer ] when the pressure's on... only secret offers clinical strength invisible solid and clear gel

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now for some entertainment news. after rocking for more than 38 years, tom petty and the heartbreakers finally have a number one on the billboard 200 list with their new album "hypnotic eye." well, a new petition on change.org has over 43,000 requests that weird al play at super bowl 4'9". >> you know, documentary about film making. aside from all these technicalities, you have to listen to yourself. i have four ron howards speaking to me at all times, and i know i've hit upon something good when they're all in chorus. >> four ron howards in his head? so, that's the secret to all his success. all right. well, the tribeca film festival got an inside look at how

director ron howard directs his films when howard let the crew inside his hotel room for some of howard's tips and daily saltwater bath, three gallons of milk and rocks in your shoes. try that. i'm betty nguyen. this is "first look" on msnbc. "way too early" starts right now. ♪ you know, i don't think there's anyone here at the pacific hurricane center who can recall a scenario like this. it's very rare. >> don't mess with mother nature. >> good advice, as people on the hawaiian islands batten down the hatches. a live report from the vacation paradise where residents and tourists alike put safety first. high alert. the cdc assigns more people to the growing ebola crisis, and the results are in for the new york city patient tested for having the virus. and then, one of our favorites at the "today" show jams with the roots. turn up the bass with the band! this is "way too early."

♪ ♪ >> hey there, everybody, good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it is thursday, august 7th. welcome to "way too early," the show that loves lester but wonders if you've ever seen him biking around 30 rock in his bike shorts. yes, yes, yes, yes? come to 30 rock. it is a sight to behold. anyway, it is great to have you with me and we appreciate it. we're going to start this morning with mother nature and hawaii bracing for an event not seen in 20 years, a hurricane hitting the nation's 50th state, but it's not just one storm, it's two bringing threats of severe winds and rain over the course of several days. hurricane iselle is scheduled to pass over the big island tonight, and it's maintaining its strength. and on the heels of that, this weekend hurricane julio is expected to pass just north of the big island with a potential to pick up speed. the governor, neil