we are on the four canal in ferguson. from the crowds and the clouds of teargas, this does not seem to be ratcheting down. ratcheti down. "first look" is up next. good thursday morning. right now on "first look," a fourth night of violence in ferguson, missouri, as police unleash tear gas and smoke bombs on people protesting the shooting death of an unarmed black teen. the bright lights of broadway go dim for robin williams, as marin county authorities come under fire for saying too much. plus, a new eye in the sky. one of the sharpest ever. a texas teen makes himself at home at walmart. and a new michael jackson music video launched on twitter. good morning. i'm todd pyro. another violent night in fergus ferguson, missouri, where clashes ratcheted up between teens and demonstrators. tear gases exploding on the street, close to the cameras of

our st. louis affiliate. a radio station captured similar footage with night vision. huge waves of tear gas and reports that demonstrators threw molotov cocktails at police, prompting them to fire tear gas. a reporter got trapped by the gas and described the information to msnbc's lawrence o'donnell last night. >> my entire face, my nose, my lips and my eyes, it's all burning, feels like it's almost on fire. so, i can't imagine what people who were actually in it feel, and i'm pretty far back at this point. >> governor jay nixon, who had been criticized for staying quiet on the situation, released this statement overnight, saying "the worsening situation in ferguson is deeply troubling. i ask that members of the community demonstrate patience and calm while the investigation continues. and i urge law enforcement agencies to keep the peace and respect the rights of residents and the press during this difficult time."

nbc's jenna hancher has more from ferguson. >> reporter: for a fourth straight day, protests in ferguson, missouri. >> what do we want? >> justice! >> reporter: over the police shooting of unarmed teenager michael brown. after several protests turned violent over the last few nights -- >> you must continue dispersing in a peaceful manner. >> reporter: -- a show of force and numbers from the police, as many, including protesters themselves, urged for calm. >> i know everybody is angry about a lot of stuff, but we need to do it peacefully. >> reporter: the fbi and the department of justice has launched their own investigations into the shooting, each running parallel with st. louis county's. >> we'll do a full, fair, complete and impartial investigation into this. nothing will be left untouched. >> reporter: there are conflicting reports surrounding what led up to the shooting saturday. eyewitnesses are denying claims by police that there was a physical confrontation between brown and the officer before

brown was shot in the street. the violent protests have led the school district to postpone the start of classes this week. and after days of unrest, the teenager's parents, civic leaders, and members of the community are asking for calm as well as answers. >> we're just asking people to be peaceful and that we are actively working to resolve this situation to get the truth and to get justice. >> reporter: answers that cannot come soon enough for the community and the family of michael brown. i'm jenna hancher for nbc news in ferguson, missouri. >> meantime, a st. louis lawmaker attending last night's demonstration was arrested and charged with unlawful assembly. alderman antonio french has been known to use social media to document the shooting of michael brown. and two reporters covering the story, ryan riley from "the huffington post" and wesley lowery" from the "washington post" were arrested while sitting in a mcdonald's not far from the demonstrations. they were let go a short time later and not charged with a

crime. they spoke with chris hayes last night and described their interaction with police. >> i was told to stop resisting, despite the fact that i had gone limp and was not resisting at all, at least my arms were limp. and then on the way out of the mcdonald's, my head was purposely slammed into the glass door and the officer sarcastically remarked that he was sorry. >> they threw me up against the soda machine, put my hands behind my back. i dropped things out of my hands, said i'm not going to resist, i am not resisting. and they said you are resisting, stop resisting. i said, no, i'm not resisting, i'm not going to resist. they took me outside. i was standing outside and they were giving us information, tell us what we were being held on. >> nbc news has reached out to the ferguson police department, but they have not gotten back to us. parts of the east coast are drying out after flash floods. the record-breaking rain hit wednesday with new jersey and new york getting soaked the most. up to 13 inches of rain fell in spots, and at one point, 5

inches fell in one hour. the summer soaker caused power outages, downed trees and caused evacuations. >> i have never, ever seen anything like this, ever. >> the weather did prove deadly. one person died when an suv was hit by a tractor-trailer on long island. u.s. troops have returned from mt. sinjar in iraq with encouraging news. the number of refugees trapped by isis is smaller than once feared. defense secretary chuck hagel says it's now less likely that a major rescue operation will take place. nbc's richard jordan is joining us live from the nation's capital. what does this mean for u.s. troops? >> reporter: well, it looks like the u.s. will not be as involved as first thought. about 20 military members went to the top of that mountain in northwest iraq to assess the situation. they say they found the people trapped there doing better than anticipated, and it looks like the steps taken so far have been successful. u.s. special forces atop sinjar

mountain found fewer yazidi refugees than estimated. the numbers thought to be in tens of thousands appear to be far less. food and water drops are credited for keeping refugees alive. the u.s. conducted their seventh air drop and air strikes pushed militants back. >> air strikes i think are appropriate given the limited mission the president discussed. >> reporter: the white house considered airlifting refugees trapped on the mountain, but now u.s. officials say rescue operations are less likely and so are boots on the ground. >> you look at different ways to move people who are in a very dangerous place on that mountain to a safer position, and that's exactly what our team is doing on the ground now in iraq. >> reporter: yazidis' relatives fear there is no safe way out. >> they cannot move freely, lacking long convoys, like with 60 or 70 vehicles, as usual. >> reporter: isis remains committed to terrorizing the country's religious minority. >> we cannot lose sight of the fact that this is the greatest

terrorist threat we've ever had. >> reporter: a threat that requires u.s. and international involvement. and other countries seem to be following the u.s. lead. france will be providing weapons to the kurdish fighters taking on those isis militants. britain will help by transporting those weapons, and germany will provide other supplies. todd? >> richard, thank you. more and more memorials, meantime, taking place across the world for comedian and actor robin williams. the broadway community paid tribute to him on wednesday night by dimming the marquees of theaters in new york city. the executive producer of the emmy awards also announced on wednesday that this year's ceremony will include several tributes to williams. it's going to air on nbc august 25th. meantime, the release of detailed information concerning williams' death has sparked a backlash. the marin county sheriff's department is defending itself by saying "all that information is considered public information." it sounded like a hollywood movie, but this was real. a texas runaway hid out and camped out in a walmart. he built two secret rooms, one

behind rolls of toilet paper, the second by the baby products. the 14-year-old even wore diapers to avoid being seen in the bathroom. >> you've got to give the kid credit. he's thinking. who would have thought of that? >> the teen, who has a history of running away, was eventually busted when an employee caught him, but he likely will not face any charges. to sports now. let's start in detroit, where a few uninvited guests flew in for the tigers/pirates game. check it out. pigeons on the field. players tried to shoo them away, but they would not leave. eventually, the grounds crew scared them away, but the pigeons may have thrown off the buccos. an overturned play at the plate sent robin ventura into a tantrum. he repeatedly kicked dirt and went off on the umps after being ejected. the nba announced the upcoming season schedule last night. lebron james and the cavaliers will face his former team, the

miami heat in a christmas day matchup. also on december 25th, the thunder and spurs face off for the first time since the spurs eliminated the thunder in the postseason. the knicks will open their season hosting the bulls with the return of derrick rose on october 29th. and tiger woods has withdrawn his name from ryder cup consideration after poor performances since returning from back surgery. woods said "i've been told by my doctors and trainer that my back muscles need to be rehabilitated and healed. they've advised me not to play or practice now." meantime, earlier this week, jimmy fallon targeted some of golf's best with some comical superlatives. >> next up is pga champion rory mcilroy. he was voted most likely to be in a golf boy band called hole in one direction. >> well, the pga tour fired back with one of their own. they tweeted a young photo of fallon with the superlative -- "most likely to be turned down by a cart girl."

if rory mcilroy ended up in a boy band, it would hit platinum. he's on fire. >> weather is better. we went through an incredible event that we showed you pictures of earlier in islip, new york, where officially, they ended up with a little over 13 1/2 inches of rain in 24 hours. most of that was actually in about 4 hours. and last night, portland, maine, got nailed with over half a foot of rain. look at the totals. i mean, this is a three-day rain event, slow-moving storm. a lot of moisture available. this is almost a hurricane. i mean, this is what you expect with a slow-moving tropical storm, not just tapical summertime storm. very strange. as far as the rain goes this morning, we are almost done with it. just a little bit of heavy rain left there in areas of maine and there's that 6 1/2 inches last night in portland. so, driving around the portland, maine, area still some problems. how's our weather pattern look for today? thankfully, the storm that's

responsible for all the flooding is now heading up through areas of quebec. the moisture source, the atlantic, is gone. now there's dry air coming in from canada behind it. there's still hot weather to be found in texas, but that's about it. not a lot of wet weather. in florida, you have a chance of an afternoon storm. it's almost looking more typical summerlike. 75 in chicago's a little weird for this time of year, but the extreme rain, at least, is gone along with the flooding threat. >> and you compare it with the rain threat along the east coast. they have a bigger threat. >> it was strange and to be honest, it wasn't well predicted either as far as record amounts of rain. it was going to rain, but not like this. >> important thing, we're looking okay for the weekend. >> the weekend's looking very nice. >> thanks. still ahead, jodi arias changed her mind about her upcoming sentencing, and check this out. there it goes. what experts hope to learn from this latest rocket launch. you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

think the tree we carved our names in is still here? probably dead... how much fun is this? what? what a beautiful sunset... if you like sunsets. whether you're sweet or salty... you'll love nature valley sweet and salty bars. hard it can be...how ...to breathe with copd? it can feel like this. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva is a once-daily inhaled... ...copd maintenance treatment... ...that helps open my airways for a full 24 hours. you know, spiriva helps me breathe easier.

spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells,... you can get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. sfx: blowing sound. does breathing with copd... ...weigh you down? don't wait ask your doctor about spiriva handihaler. [ female announcer ] aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion has active naturals® oat with five vital nutrients. [ aniston ] because beautiful skin goes with everything. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results™.

let's get down to business with cnbc's seema mody. good morning, seema. >> hi, todd. well, stocks rose for the third time in four days on wednesday, boosted by tech, airlines and biotech companies, but investors are also reacting to news germany's economy failed to grow this spring. look for data today on unemployment and earnings from walmart. cisco systems plans to cut 6,000 jobs or 8% of its workforce as it struggles in emerging markets such as china and india. there are no specifics on the timing of the cuts. cisco does plan to add staff and software and security. and burger king is dropping its low-cal satisfries less than a year after launching them. they use a different batter to not absorb more oil and cost more than regular fries. burger king has been suffering from weaker sales. todd? >> thanks. stories making news this morning -- the clock was ticking with minutes before a temporary truce was set to expire. the israelis and palestinians

agreed to a new five-day cease-fire, this as peace talks in egypt continue. there could be mob delays in the jodi arias sentencing. she's changed her mind about representing herself and now wants one of her two original lawyers to represent her, but she wants the other one to quit. pope francis is in south korea for a five-day trip, the country's first papal visit in 25 years. but meantime, north korea fired three short-range rockets into the sea just an hour before the pope arrived. over to indonesia, where police found a half naked body stuffed in a suitcase at an island resort. 62-year-old sheila von weismack of chicago was badly beaten and her 19-year-old daughter has been arrested along with her boyfriend. the two suspects are requesting a lawyer from the u.s. and check this out. it's called "world view 3," a commercial satellite that takes high-resolution pictures of stuff happening on earth. we're talking really high-res, folks. one of the project leaders said "from 400 miles away, we can see home plate of a baseball

stadium." how cool is that? it's going to provide images for the government and private customers. just ahead, two political titans hug it out. and edward snowden has a controversial magazine cover. "scrambled politics" is next. everybody's excited about the back to school

savings at staples. from the customers, to the staples associates. with guaranteed low prices on comp books, you'll flip out! now go tell your friends. staples. make more happen for less. now, here's your first look at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." hours after signing copies of her book, hillary clinton made her way to what will probably be known as the most anticipated reunion between two people this

year. it is unclear whether she and president obama actually hugged, but they reportedly mingled and sat at the same table along with their spouses. the president is expected to take a brief hiatus from vacation on sunday when he returns to washington. officials won't say the reason for his trip back. take a look at this cover for "wired" magazine, showing former nsa contractor edward snowden clutching the american flag against his face and chest. he once again divulged more secrets of the government's spy agency, including details of a cyber terrorism program that he says would do more harm than good. he also told the magazine that he hopes to return to the u.s. one day, saying, "i told the government i'd volunteer for prison as long as it served the right purpose. i care more about the country than what happens to me." resilient presidential candidate eduardo campos died yesterday when his plane crashed in a residential area off the coast of brazil. all seven aboard the plane died. the country's declared three days of mourning. hawaii congressman colleen

cow buicea is expected to file a lawsuit to stop tomorrow's special election for the senate race, saying it's too soon for residents in two towns ravaged by recent storms to come out and vote. she currently trails her opponent by 17 points based on results from this saturday's primary. and republican congressman lee terry lashing out at his democratic rival for proposing a 10% cut to congressional salaries. terry says lawmakers haven't had a raise in years but as "talking points" memo points out, he voted against the bill last year that would have raised the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. and that's your dish of "scrambled politics." i'm joined by washington syndicated columnist bob franken now. bob, good morning. >> good morning, todd. >> let's start about the most talked about hug, it seems, in modern history, hillary clinton, president obama, clearing the air over her recent comments on foreign policy. and in this up-and-down relationship, where do we go from here, bob? >> well, first of all, i have never heard the expression hug it out until now.

and the burning question of the day is did they actually hug when they went to the same party last night in martha's vineyard? we aren't able to find out. that's apparently a secret that is closely held. but this is a long, long, difficult relationship. of course, hillary clinton ran against barack obama unsuccessfully last time around. she's certainly dabbling in a presidential run this time, and so, she has to do what just about every democrat has to do these days, and that is to distance herself from barack obama, which becomes very difficult when they then are going to hug it out, whatever that means, at a party. >> let's touch on that. many commentators saying hillary made this comment to appear more hawkish on foreign policy in anticipation of a 2016 presidential run, but is it the smart play with the public very wary of military intervention? >> well, you know, barack obama has successfully campaigned for re-election by saying that he was not going to make it so hawkish, not so quick to respond

and be the world's policeman, but we continue to have difficult issues that come up, like the fanatics who are ma radding through iraq, and you know, that part of the world. so, what does the united states do? >> bob, let's touch on that. what is the buzz in d.c. right now on how far the u.s. is willing to go in iraq? could it be something more than humanitarian going forward? >> well, there is talk about the possibility that ground troops will be going in there to assist in the rescue operation, which could mean an inevitable confrontation with the sunni militants who are right now ravaging that part of the world. i'm interested in the fact that the president is coming back to washington on sunday, and i wonder if it's relevant to the conversation we're having. >> bob franken live for us in d.c. bob, thanks so much. >> thank you, todd. just ahead, the health crisis that has celine dion going into seclusion. and why madonna's "vogue" will never be the same. i know what you're thinking. you're thinking beneful. [announcer]and why wouldn't he be?

beneful has wholesome grains,real beef,even accents of spinach,carrots and peas. it has carbohydrates for energy and protein for those serious muscles. [guy] aarrrrr! [announcer]even accents of vitamin-rich veggies. [guy] so happy! you love it so much. yes you do! but it's good for you,too. [announcer] healthful. flavorful. beneful. from purina. ♪ [ female announcer ] when the pressure's on... only secret offers clinical strength invisible solid and clear gel with 100% odor protection. secret clinical strength. with 100% odor protection. since robert taira openedsion king's hhis first bakeryd, in a small hawaiian town. making bread so good, that people bought two loaves one to take home, and one to eat on the way. so good, they grew from here. to here. to here. but to grow again, to the east coast

they needed a new factory, but where? fortunately, they get financing from ge capital. we not only have teams dedicated to the food industry, we're also part of ge, a company that's built hundreds of factories. so we could bring in experts to help king's hawaiian make sense of transportation routes, supply chains, labor pools, and zoning to help them make the right decision. and, i'd like to think, to make their founder proud. if you just need a loan, just call a bank. at ge capital, we're builders. and what we know, can help you grow. losing your chex mix too easily? deploy the boring potato chip decoy bag. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix has twenty bags of interesting.

now for some entertainment news. we now know when it's morphing time. >> you're excited about this. >> i can't wait. a release date, july 22nd, 2016. i'm going to stay in my house -- >> it like my childhood all over again. >> you remember this madonna video, right? with the passing of lauren bacall, each of the 16 hollywood icons mentioned in the "vogue" video have sadly passed away. some call it the last of the golden era of hollywood. that's pretty sad. "guardians of the galaxy" soundtrack has skyrocketed to the number one spot on the billboard 200 list. the album, composed entirely of songs from the '60s and '70s, is the first number one to be a collection of previously

released songs. in more music news, celine dion has canceled her asia tour indefinitely because of her husband's ongoing battle with cancer. and abc will air a behind-the-scenes special on the making of "frozen" in september. >> that won't do well. none of the little kids care about that. >> i don't know any kids that don't watch that 24 hours a day. >> it's like the highest rated thing of the year. >> expect interviews from adena mizell, christian bell and john lasiter and many more who are part of the hit movie. it's a juggernaut. and michael jackson's twitter has released a music video featuring never released footage of the man himself. the king of pop's single is called "a place with no name." let's go back to "frozen" for a minute. if you've got kids, how many times have you yourself watched "frozen"? >> i think i'm probably up to 10 to 15? and it keeps going. like yesterday i was at a playground with my daughter. another little 3-year-old starts singing it, my daughter joins in, starts singing "let it go" and then it just turned into a

whole production. you still can't find the items on the shelves. if you go look for stuff for your kids in like the toys "r" us and the kmarts, they get the shipments in and they're gone like this. >> but don't deny it, you said you liked it. >> it was pretty good, yeah. >> "way too early" with thomas roberts starts right now on. wow, the images of unrest in ferguson, missouri, look more like 1964 than 2014, but there was another night of violent protests over the police shooting of have unarmed black teen with officers with riot gear using tear gas on crowds and arrested include a st. louis alderman and two journalists. president obama and hillary clinton reunited at a party on martha's vineyard. can a private party with wealthy friends help the president move past clinton's recent public criticism of him? and more proof of the differences between cats and

dogs. the video that will make your day. this dog apparently trying to save this fish! this is "way too early." >> all right, everybody, good morning. hi, everybody. thomas roberts here. thursday, august 14th. welcome to "way too early," the show that is not anticat but is definitely more pro dog. and we are going to look at that video and we are going to scrutinize it to figure out whether or not that dog is really trying to save that fish, because some on the team here think the dog is trying to bury the fish. so, we will have that debate going on later in "the cooler." however, we start out with very serious news. fast-moving developments out of ferguson, missouri. for the fourth straight night, the streets of the st. louis suburb looked more like a battlefield. police in full riot gear using tear gas to control crowds, still simmering over the shooting death of 18-year-old michael brown by a police officer. lastni