♪ ♪ >> 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 abercrombie,

signed an emergency proclamation as schools on the main island close today and tomorrow. stay tuned, because in just a moment we'll go live to hawaii for an update with the weather channel's jim cantore. level 1, that is the highest alert the cdc can give, and that's where the threat of ebola stands this morning with the west africa outbreak of the disease extending to nigeria. the cdc reassigned hundreds of staffers to work on this public health crisis that has now taken the lives of more than 900 victims. in his final day of the u.s./africa summit, president obama announced wednesday he would work with the african union to look into launching an african centers for disease control. meanwhile, here in new york, test results for the mt. sinai patient tested for ebola following his return from west africa have come back. they are negative. that man is in stable condition showing signs of improvement. the conflict between moscow and the west is escalating yet again this morning after russia's attempt at retaliation for the latest round of

sanctions. russian president vladimir putin announced a ban on food and agricultural products from the united states, european union, australia, canada and norway. that ban will be in effect for up to one year. putin says the move is necessary to "protect russia's security," but he also acknowledged it will impact russian citizens by asking officials for ideas on how to prevent an increase in food prices. new numbers from the u.s. commerce department show that u.s. exports in june fell 34% amid the battle over sanctions, and that's the lowest level since january of 2013. russian imports also fell for the third month in a row. meanwhile, defense secretary chuck hagel remains very concerned about a possible russian invasion of ukraine. he says the build-up of russian troops near the border and their sophisticated weapons suggest that this is a real possibility. u.s. officials say that russia currently has about 20,000 troops near eastern ukraine. let's talk more about the russian sanctions, what this mean overall for the economy and

the international market. cnbc's geoff cutmore joins us live from london. geoff, explain how much of an effect this is really going to have. >> well, good morning to you. obviously, we've been scanning the numbers here, just trying to work out who's going to be impacted by this. to be honest with you, it is a modest amount of exports that comes from the united states on the agricultural front. basically, $1.3 billion, which sounds like a large number, but it is small in terms of the impact it's likely to have on american farmers. look, this is not good news for anybody that's in the agricultural sector, but at the moment, it looks like the impact will be relatively limited. in fact, if anything, whilst the russians are talking about the bear fights back, it will have a greater impact on russian consumers, who are likely to pay higher prices here because they import about $39 billion worth of agricultural products, and if they are now going to have to find new sources for that, not

use either eu or american supplied product, then it's going to cost them a whole lot more to get their regular fix of fruit, vegetables, french cheeses and french wines. so, that's just something that the russians i think are going to have to cope with as they try to retaliate to western sanctions. i just want to move you on because we've got another business story we are focused on. it is this bank of america/merrill lynch fine. it looks like $17 billion they're going to have to pay here, which would be a significant chunk of change, could be the largest u.s. bank fine, and it is clearly going to hurt bank of america/merrill lynch, but it looks like finally they'll put to bed this suit, which is all about mortgage products that were missold. back to you. >> all right, geoff. thank you, sir. much appreciated. the white house is looking to crack down on american companies who look to avoid u.s. taxes, looking to add another layer to the debate over presidential powers. president obama announcing he will act as soon as possible to

stop what is known as inversion, and that's when companies move their headquarters out of the u.s. to escape high tax rates. president obama admits the tax system needs to be reformed but says the trend of leaving the country is an unpatriotic move that has to end. >> it's not fair. it's not right. the lost revenue to treasury means it's got to be made up somewhere, and that typically is going to be a bunch of hard-working americans who either pay through higher taxes themselves or through reduced services. i think it's something that would really bother the average american. i think most american companies are proud to be american, recognize the benefits of being american and are responsible actors and willing to pay their fair share of taxes. >> president obama says he's going to look at the actions that he can take on his own to discourage this practice since lawmakers have failed to act.

now, at the same press conference, he rejected criticism he's too quick to take executive action and bypass congress. >> i never have a green light. i'm bound by the constitution. i'm bound by separation of powers. there are some things we can't do. and we're going to make sure that every time we take one of these steps that we are working within the confines of my executive power. but i promise you, the american people don't want me just standing around twiddling my thumbs and waiting for congress to get something done. >> just last month, however, treasury secretary jack lew suggested the administration would have to go through congress to address this issue. >> we have looked at the tax code. there are a lot of obscure provisions in the tax code. we do not believe we have the authority to address this inversion question through administrative action. if we did, we would be doing more. that's why legislation is needed, that's why we've proposed it in our budget. >> dozens of u.s. companies have incorporated overseas in the

last decade, including tim hortons, sara lee, chiquita brands and medtronic. there is speculation that wa walgreen would move overseas, but they say the best decision for shareholders is to stay in the u.s. a report from the joint committee on taxation estimates that the u.s. will lose at least $20 billion over the next decade if the inversion trend continues. so, this brings us to our twitter question for you this morning -- how do you feel? is it right for american companies to move their headquarters overseas to lower their taxes? tweet us your answers using #waytooearly. we'll put the best ones coming up later in the show. it really is a complicated, complex issue. want to get back to our top story now. that is about weather and hawaii bracing for its first hurricane in more than 20 years. the weather channel's jim cantore joins us now live to fill us in on what they can expect. and jim, this is really a one-two punch. >> reporter: yeah, we're going to see what happens, obviously, with iselle first tonight as a

hurricane, we think it's going to landfall, which would be the first time in 22 years, as you said. then what's going to happen behind that with julio, now as a category 2 hurricane as well, making its way off towards the west. this one is going to come farther north, but that doesn't mean there won't be any impact. either way, the island chain is preparing likely what will be iniki again 22 years ago, a category 4 that came into the southwest and hammered hawaii and many of the other islands there. 22 homes, i believe, were actually completely destroyed from that hurricane. i'm in downtown this morning, thomas. roads are wet because we've had our first rain shower come in, one, if you will, outer band of this thing has kind of made its way in, but the weather is going to deteriorate more and more throughout the day today. we have a few buildings boarded up, schools have been closed, red cross has opened shelters, all those types of things, a state of emergency declared as well. so, everything is pretty much in place to take this. but what's interesting about hawaii is a lot of people don't just live here at sea level, they live up in the mountains,

1,000 feet, 2,000 feet. and the winds there, if we get an 80-mile-per-hour hurricane here at the surface, are going to be about 100 miles per hour up at about 2,000 feet. so, that's something too that people are planning on. so, you're going to talk about tree damage, you're talking about trees on roads, power lines down. so, there may be some extensive structural damage in spots, especially if we take a direct hit with this thing. the good news is, it's going to go over, we think, with the current track, a huge 14,000-foot mountain, and that will help to tear it apart and deteriorate it a bit as it makes its way towards the western islands. so, we're the first in line. we've also got the biggest mountains for this thing to rip it apart. volcano national park is closed, as it should be, and many of the hawaiian islands are just continually slowly shutting down, preparing for this thing coming in tonight. >> sounds like they're taking a lot of smart moves in advance of this. the weather channel's jim cantore. this morning, army sergeant bowe bergdahl is expected to answer more questions about his 2009 capture in afghanistan. according to bergdahl's lawyer, the first round of questions

began yesterday and lasted for about nine hours. the attorney says bergdahl did most of the talking and answered every question. some fellow members of his unit have accused the army sergeant of voluntarily walking off base, which they claim led to his capture by the taliban. the military officer investigating the disappearance is expected to submit his findings next week. former president bill clinton cool and comfortable in front of a crowd of kentucky democrats last night, playing surrogate for senate candidate alison lundgren grimes and clearly feeling right at home. >> i love kentucky. you've been -- [ cheers and applause ] you've been good to me. you voted for me twice. [ cheers and applause ] and you've been good to hillary, and i appreciate that. you know i don't pay too close

attention, but as i remember, she won the primary election here by 37 points, and i appreciate that. >> i don't pay too close attention, sure. clinton's role in 2014 as surrogate comes as democrats, including grimes, continue to distance themselves from president obama. >> mitch mcconnell, he loves to try to label anyone who dares to oppose him. for the past year, he's tried to label me every which way but the right way. and 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! you know what being a clinton democrat is all about. >> all right, so, listen to this, the latest poll out of kentucky showing a virtual tie

with mcconnell's two-point lead within the margin of error. hot race to watch. still ahead on "way too early," tiger woods taking a very public practice round after dropping out of bridgestone, doesn't think he's healthy enough to play the pga? then, how is this political candidate taking a page right from the colbert playbook? we'll have that coming up in "the cooler." that story and a check on weather when we come right back. "way too early," a thursday edition. ♪ >> two bombs that exploded at virtually the same time at the u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania filling stores, injuring many more and raising worries around the world tonight about terrorism. ♪

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let's get you caught up on sports and begin with golf. tiger woods playing yesterday three days after withdrawing

from the bridgestone international with back pain. woods attracted quite a crowd, and after a nine-hole practice round, said he's ready to play in this weekend's pga championship. >> my range of motion is good. my firing sequence was back to normal. the sequencing was good. so, my sequencing here's good, then it's all good. except talking to you guys. like that, tom? >> all right, so, the first round starting this morning. woods will tee off at 8:35 eastern. new york giants running back david wilson said his good-bye to the nfl yesterday after being told by doctors earlier in the week that he should never play football again because of a neck injury. the 23-year-old broke down while speaking to the media. >> these are tears of joy, man. don't for a second y'all think that i'm pitying myself or sad, because i got to live my dream. and i'll set another dream and be great app that.

>> at just 23 years old, i think he wants to do something either in coaching or broadcasting, so we wish him nothing but the best. we move on to baseball, start with minnesota hosting the padres in the bottom of the ninth, game tied, twins at the plate with two men on. >> hit hard center field. really on his horse, running, making -- >> oh! >> what a play, alexei a.m. reesta! >> what a play is right. he makes the game-saving catch out of a full sprint. this one goes to extras. in the top of the tenth, san diego's seth smith smacks a solo homer out there. you see it gone, good for the game-winner. padres hang on for the victory 5-4. scary moment in chicago with the white sox hosting the rangers. fly ball to right looks like it's heading out, okay? so, chicago giving the chase, watch, slamming right into the fence, going full speed. eaton lays face down for several moments before exiting the game with a bruised lower back. x-rays were taken but came back

negative. to anaheim. dodgers with a 2-0 lead. angels trying to get a rhythm going into the sixth. >> world series game with a walk-off home run. and he now gets a base hit, and on his way to third, he is out at third! >> yeah. the dodgers's puig nails the man at third. let's jump to the top of the eighth for you. >> this one's out towards right field. cole calhoun comes in, dives and makes the catch. >> look at that dive, yeah, cole calhoun of the angels laying out to make that grab. awesome play, but the dodgers hang on to win this one 2-1. now, earlier, we told you the latest on those hawaiian hurricanes. we want to check on the national forecast. nbc meteorologist jeannette calle is watching that for us. a tale of different coasts as we talk about what we have on the east coast. >> believe it or not, it's pretty active across the eastern and central pacific basin, thomas. things are a lot calmer across the u.s. mainland, especially in

the northeast. a beautiful setup across the northeast today. new york city, philadelphia and d.c. a much more comfortable day, cooler winds coming in from the west. and we're also looking at much lower humidity, so get out and enjoy there. meanwhile, farther north there is a cold front nearby, and that will enhance the thunderstorm activity, especially in the afternoon across boston, hartford and albany. some thunderstorms there could produce some gusty winds and also small-sized hail. thunderstorms also in the forecast in kansas city. best chance for those thunderstorms will be early in the day. a pretty nice day in chicago. you guys are looking at drier conditions with high temperatures in the upper 70s. l.a. warming up, highs in the low 80s. san francisco getting into the 70s. meanwhile, it is cooling down in seattle with high temperatures in the middle 70s. a much different story in seattle compared to what we saw there earlier in the week. on friday, to round out the workweek, beautiful once again in the northeast, drier conditions in boston. and thomas, we will continue to monitor that situation in iyt

hawaii. >> we will certainly will, jeanette. thanks so much. coming up at the top of the hour on "morning joe," president obama talks tough about corporations, so will we see more executive actions from the white house? then when we come back, we'll huddle around the water cooler, apparently with an update on the now famous 5-year-old noah ritter. where is he? where's noah? we don't have noah? no noah. okay. best looking red headed 5-year-old you've ever seen, coming up after this.

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♪ welcome back. let's get to "the cooler," where it is time to turn up the bass. hey, louis. >> that's right, thomas. last night on "the tonight show," a familiar face here at nbc made his debut with the roots. nbc's very own lester holt playing the bass guitar -- >> look at that. >> rocking out with the nbc news theme song. jimmy fallon's a fan and said he invited him to join the band and play with the roots. he jammed all night long. >> lester! i love you! i watch you on "weekend today," i watch you on "dateline," and i know that you played the bass, so we wanted you to come in and play and sit in with the roots. you're fantastic! thank you for doing this. >> i am just so psyched to be here with these guys. i know brian williams had the rap thing sewn up with you, so i needed a place. >> you have a place, and brian, you're in trouble. >> yeah. >> you'd better watch yourself,

buddy. lester's here in the house playing some licks like that. >> i love how dapper he looked. he's got the tie on, the bass -- >> he looks so serious. and i highly recommend to those visiting 30 rock, if you see a flash on a bike, that is lester -- >> that is lester holt. he bikes everywhere. even in the hallways. now, the big candidate who crashed the kentucky senate race appears to be putting in some serious bank for a fake candidate. gill full bright goes by the name honest, and here's why. >> this campaign, it's not about me, it's about crafting a version of me that will appeal to you, a version that visits random work sites with paid actors pointing at things. as a conventionally attractive, let curiously still family. listening to my constituents, legislating, things are things i don't do. what i do is spend about 70% of my time raising funds for re-election. >> phil looks pretty good there. his indie go-go campaign has already passed the $20,000 goal, bringing in almost $75,000 in

crowdsource funds with four more days to go. i don't know how high that could go, but -- >> i like the uncomfortable shot with him and his wife where it just looked awkward. >> it's awesome. now, an update on everyone's favorite 5-year-old, noah ritter. >> yes. >> he took youtube by storm, the young phenom made famous by this interview. he's racked up 7 million youtube views. noah's grandfather told the "times tribune" he received 200 calls requesting interviews. here's what noah had to say about that. >> you look like a pretty big star these days. >> i know, "jimmy kimmel live" called, "jimmy kimmel live." god, it's never going to end! i'm going to interview all night! >> i guess he likes being interviewed. it's big when "jimmy kimmel live" calls. >> oh, yeah. >> noah told the newspaper that he uses the word apparently when he can't think of what he can

say. and i think that's a good technique. >> he's like, i don't watch tv. i only watch the powerball. >> that's right. >> you know? he's just a cute little kid. >> just honest. i love that. >> good voice inflection. he's one to watch for the future. louis, thank you. appreciate it. want to get down to your responses on twitter. earlier we asked if you think it's right for american companies to move their headquarters overseas to lower their taxes. our producer justine has some of the responses, and i think all of these are pretty much the same, aren't they? >> they are. we heard a lot of noes this morning. mike tweets "if you don't pay u.s. taxes, you don't make american products." and then one says "sure, if american citizens can reduce their taxes by simply attaining a p.o. box in a foreign country." >> wouldn't it be great if it were just that easy? >> it would be. >> that's it for "way too early." thanks for tuning in. don't go anywhere, though. "morning joe" is apparently moments away.

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or if power could go anywhere? or if light could seek out the dark? what would happen if that happens? anything. ♪ it wasn't grimes's material

i liked, even though i did like it, it was senator mcconnell's reactions to her material. >> it's not easy being mitch mcconnell. after three in washington, you've just given up. i hold you accountable and i don't need outlaws to track you down. thank you. >> he doesn't even move. not a single twitch, nothing. either mitch mcconnell has through years' long control of breathing a deep state or that man is dead inside. >> good morning. it is thursday, august 7th. good to have you with us. you're taking a live look at new york city. sure is a lot better doing this show, harold ford, when it's light outside. >> always helps. it lifts the mood a little bit. >> better than february where