now, that is a classy ice bucket challenge. i'm thomas roberts. it is thursday, august 21st. welcome to "way too early" that is not over the ice bucket challenge videos. and wait until you hear who president bush has challenged. we'll wait to see if that person accepts within the next 24 hours. we want to start off with the developing news we have overnight in the american murdered, james foley. troops unsuccessfully tried to rescue foley and other u.s. hostages earlier this summer in syria. foley and the other americans were not at the targeted location. officials say one u.s. commando was injured and several militants were killed. the u.s. had refused to pay a ransom for foley or hold talks

for his release. the ceo of global post, foley's employer, did have conversations with them for him. >> jim believed in our country, our great country. jim was a great american and he believed in the very best of our country. so i just -- i just pray that as a country we can come together and help there be peace. just pray for that. and we pray that somehow steven and the others might be spared. >> prime minister of britain says it appears the man who beheaded foley is british. president obama vows that the u.s. will not let up in its campaign against islamic state

militants. he says the entire world is appalled by foley's murder. >> jim was taken from us in an act of violence that shocks the entire world. no god would stand for what they do yesterday and what they do every single day. isil has no ideology or value to human beings. from governments and peoples across the middle east, there has to be a common decision to extract this cancer who it does not spread. there has to be a rejection of these ideologies. one thing we can all agree on is is a group like isil has no place in the 21st century. >> president obama is facing criticism for what he did after his speech. moments later he was seen smiling on the golf course with former nba star alonso morning. now to the latest in ferguson, missouri, where officials are hoping there will be another day of protests with

reduced violence over the shooting of an unarmed black teen. for a second evening in a row, there was a sharp decline in the number of the demonstrators and arrests. ron johnson says even though one officer was hit by a bottle, things are clearly trending in the right direction. >> tonight was a very good night in ferguson. there were no molotov cocktails tonight, no fires, no shootings. we did not see a single handgun. there were no confrontations. just like tuesday night, tonight we deployed no smoke, no tear gas, and no maus. and again tonight police fired not a single bullet. >> now, hours earlier johnson met with attorney general eric holder. holder also spent some time with college kids and community leaders promising a fair

investigation. he said as a black man, he understands why there is mistrust of the police. even recalling when he was stopped twice for speeding as a young man and had his car searched. holder rejected criticism of his trip to ferguson. >> i need to be here, you know? i'm a little disturbed to see certain people questioning why i was here. my answer to that is why would i be any place other than right here right now to talk with the people in this area who are deserving of our attention and we want to help. >> meanwhile, prosecutors began presenting their evidence to a grand jury which will determine if the officer who shot 18-year-old michael brown at least six times should be charged. well, this morning same-sex couples in virginia are dealing with a setback on marriage equality. it was becoming legal in the state today, but the supreme court issued an order blocking same-sex marriages just hours before they could begin. a federal appeals court ruled

virginia's ban on marriage equality was ruled on constitution last month. virginia's decision and similar rulings in oklahoma and utah are being appealed to the supreme court. in a statement from the democratic governor there terry mcauliffe is saying today's decision is a temporary delay to the inevitable conclusion that virginians who love each other should have the opportunity to marry regardless of their sexual orientation. former governor bob mcdonnell will be back on the witness stand today where he is expected to offer some new details about his troubled marriage. the virginia republican testified yesterday in his own defense. he's accused of exchanging favors for tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and loans from a major donor. "the washington post" describes him as cool and unruffling. he described his rule and the significance of sharing the same office as thomas jefferson.

he also cited examples of how he denied donors' requests. and mcdonnell testified about his wife saying that she was tense from his very first days in office and instead of celebrating the governor said she was yelling at him over attention of becoming first lady. moments later, he fielded a call from president obama. the pressures of his marriage are at the core of his defense in this case. he said he couldn't have conspired with his wife because their relationship was in so much trouble. >> there were a lot o things said about your wife and you. was this hard for you today? >> of course. talking about marriage and finance is a hard thing. >> if your father were here, what would he tell you what would his advice be to you? >> be honest. across the board african-americans have a more pessimistic view of the u.s.

justice system over their white counterparts. when it comes to confidence in the police, twice as many blacks they they have little faith in america's law enforcement. for whites, the police are among the top three trusted institution. and among blacks, it falls to seventh. blacks also have 10% less faith in the american justice system than whites. we turn our attention to business news now. as we look at wall street, stocks are just slightly higher. the dow up nearly 60. we're joining from london with a live outlook. good morning. >> good day to you. the markets were teetering on the brink of new record levels when the reserve minutes came out from the federal reserve which dampened a bit of expectations. some fed members think now is the right time to tighten, but we're all looking at wyoming. janet yellen will be speaking in

a bit and everyone will have eyes on. bank of america under pressure. this a $16.65 billion settlement with the government now. this is to settle claims they duped investors into buying mortgage backed securities. this is the single largest settlement in american history. lawyers say there is no sound or fair basis to pursue mr. mozzilo. >> right now forbes are looking at the most valuable nfl teams. who's coming out on top? >> you know how this works. the americans think the nfl is the biggest sport in the world. the europeans think soccer is. and it appears the nfl is the biggest. you've got teams like the dallas cowboys worth near $3.2 billion. the average is worth $1.4

billion. now, media rights really driving it. beating real madrid out in the soccer club. but net, it's the soccer clubs worth less than the nfl clubs. >> i think with the world cup, we got a better taste of how much these players and teams are really worth. so i think our education, we're getting a good one. because we're getting more interested in football over here in america. steve, thank you, sir. i want to pass this on. breaking news we're getting in this morning. it's coming out of atlanta where nbc has learned that a u.s. doctor who has contracted the ebola virus will be released today. dr. kent brantly was working with patients when he became sick himself. he was transferred to emory

university hospital earlier this month. nancy writebol also contracted the virus. she's still being treated at the hospital. dr. brantly expected to be released today and giving a statement. we will certainly carry that here on msnbc when that happens. as much as we hate to admit it, summer is winding down. aaa predicting nearly 35 million people will travel over the labor day weekend at least 50 miles from home. nine in ten will be doing it behind the wheel. that's the biggest travel estimate since 2008. the good news for drivers, the price of regular gasoline is $3.44 a gallon. that's down from $3.59 last year. this brings us to our twitter question for you this morning. tens of millions traveling for the unofficial end of summer, but how are you going to celebrate labor day weekend? tweet us your most creative answers using #waytooearly. are you going to be out on the

roads or does that number scare you? let us know. still ahead on "way too early," does johnny football make the starting lineup? a quarterback decision for the cleveland browns. you know, he's the one that likes to show everybody, you're number one. later in the cooler, kid actors take on emmy nominated tv roles that you don't want to miss. that story and a check on weather when "way too early" comes right back. ♪

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nobody ever stomped their foot and asked for less. there's a reason it's called an "all you can eat" buffet... and not a "have just a little" buffet. because what we all really want is more. that's why verizon is giving you even more. now, for a limited time, get more data! 1 gb of bonus data every month with every new smartphone or upgrade. our best ever pricing with the more everything plan and 50% off all new smartphones. like the htc one m8 for windows or android. built to inspire envy. come get your more with verizon. time for sports. we want to start with the nfl. johnny manziel will not be the starting quarterback for the cleveland browns on week number one. >> yet. just say yet. eventually he will. yet. >> okay. week number one, this is going to be brian hoyer's spot. the head coach there said hoyer

was the clear leader from the beginning. the decision coming after manziel was caught on camera in monday night's game against the redskins making a middle finger gesture towards the washington bench. not the you're number one gesture, bill. the other one. manziel after learning this news admitted he is not ready to be the starter for cleveland. >> i don't think i played terrible, but i didn't do anything to really jump off the page. i think i made strides and got better throughout the training camp. that's what i wanted to do. obviously it's disappointing but at the same time i want what's best for this team. >> all right. we'll be watching johnny. >> week five. >> all right. >> some time probably mid to late october. >> place your bets now, people. we take you to the little league world series with 30,000 out to see mo'ne davis and her team take on the squad from las vegas. davis struck out six batters in 2 1/3 innings giving up three runs and exiting the game after 55 pitches.

the short start means davis will be eligible to pitch in a thursday night elimination game. it's a good thing because her team lost to vegas 8-1. las vegas advancing to the u.s. title game coming up on saturday. but wow. >> that vegas team, they got some big boys on that team that can hit. >> did you see her? >> she's fantastic. >> she has one hot arm. >> but the other team was better. >> we wait to see what happens with her. to the angels suffering a setback in their quest for the playoffs in last night's game against the red sox. garrett richards ended up on the ground. richards never made it to the back catching his cleat in the dirt. awkwardly bending his leg there. he remained on the ground until carted off the field. it was a serious injury to his left patella tendon.

it might require surgery and recovery time will be three to six months. the angels win it 8-3. they increase their lead atop the a.l. west. let's get a check on weather. bill kairns is here, who in the commercial break bill kairns who normally just grunts by, you know. i said how are you doing, he said i'm fantastic. and for no apparent reason. >> that's right. i don't know what's going on. some days you wake up and you're fantastic. other days you're like i have to do this again. today is happy day. i don't know why. as we continue to watch the tropics, this is what everyone, going to be buzzing about over the next four to five days. mostly because at this point we don't know exactly where it's heading and at what intensity. we're like thanks a lot. but if you're in the southeast, pay attention. it's that time of year anyways.

and this tropical wave will be approaching the ielsds today. eventually it will end up somewhere off the southeast coastline next tuesday to wednesday. how close it gets to the bahamas and florida, that's what we have to figure out. the other story is the heat. for oppressive heat out there. we popped to the top of the thermometer in san antonio. 96 in orlando is also hot. in the northeast, that's an area avoiding the heat wave. you can go from texas all the way to the southeast including the midwest and it is just going to be pretty much every day a repeat of the one previous. we're going to be right through probably at least monday and tuesday near 100 in st. louis. six, seven days in a row. it's not that we're breaking records for the heat, it's just duration that's going to get to people. >> thank you, mr. fantastic. coming up at the top of the hour on "morning joe," we're get

a live report on the ground in iraq. and when we come back, we'll huddle around the water cooler. two unlikely friends at the san diego zoo. i like when unlikely animals get along. happens more commonly than you think. we'll be back after this. [ female announcer ] birdhouse plans. nacho pans. glass on floors. daily chores. for the little mishaps you feel use neosporin to help you heal. it kills germs so you heal four days faster. neosporin. buy three johnson & johnson first aid products and get a free bag. buy three johnson & johnson first aid products [guyi know what you're excited. 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.

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welcome back, everybody. it is time for the cooler and it is a cool cooler. first up, the als ice bucket challenge is getting so big it's even risen to the presidential level. president george w. bush accepted it and posted it on wednesday. even the first lady was involved. >> i do not think it's presidential for me to be splashed with ice water so i'm simply going to write you a check. >> that check is for me. i don't want to ruin my hair style. >> now it's my privilege to challenge my friend bill clinton to the als challenge. yesterday was bill's birthday and my gift to bill is a bucket of cold water. >> so we will see whether or not president clinton accepts that. now, on the tonight show, jimmy fallon answered a viewer call for helping get a celebrity to accept last night. >> this one's from kirk harrison.

hey, jimmy, i did the als ice bucket challenge yesterday and at the end i challenged lindsay lohan to do it but i haven't heard back. it's been almost 24 hours. can you help? you know, i know lindsay. she's very talented, very pretty actress. but she's in london doing a play. it would be impossible to get her here in time. but here at the tonight show, we're all about making the impossible possible. ladies and gentlemen, lindsay lohan. >> hi, i'm lindsay lohan and i'm doing the als ice bucket challenge. >> i love you. here we go. >> all right. another good sport. one of lindsay's nominees, prince harry. so we'll stay tuned to see if he joins in. as jimmy was saying, lindsay's going to b in london doing this new play. so the challenge has now raised

31 million bucks for als since july 29th. keep it going. so the primetime emmys are around the corner on nbc. they'll be hosted by seth meyers. even kids are in on the excitement. children portrayed tv actors. here's a peek. >> just forget all this. look at my glossy hair, my piercing eyes, and my -- and my strong chin. and listen to my voice and give me a lot of money. deal? >> deal! >> but i worked all night on that pitch! >> for a minute i thought a lady was speaking. >> tell me, what is going on with you, anna? >> oh, well i make very little money. and i'm treated as a second class citizen.

>> i know what you mean. my favorite dress has a stain. afternoon tea was late and i don't know which wealthy man to marry. >> really? >> they were very cute, right? they did great jobs there. next we take you to san diego. meet these unlikely pals. a cheetah cub and a puppy. the cheetah was rejected by his mom so when he was a few weeks old the zoo park paired him with a friend to help him assimilate to life at the park and they released this adorable video showing play time together. this will only last for so long until the teeth get a lot bigger. let's get to your responses on twitter this morning. earlier in the show we told you how tens of millions of americans are expected to travel over the labor day weekend. and we wanted to know how you're going to celebrate the unofficial end of summer. our producer has some of the best responses. are people going away or is it a

staycation? >> good morning. our viewer ed says that amount of people sounds terrifying so he'll be hiding at home. then viewer bill says he'll be watching the sunset in the uae. >> not baa d. we got this from john o'brien in baltimore saying he's heading down to the ocean for labor day. that's me breaking out my baltimore accent. >> that's perfect. >> isn't that good? next on "way too early," a look at the stories you'll be talking about in e the day ahead. "morning joe" is just moments away. ♪

welcome back, everybody. let's get a check on the day ahead before going to "morning joe." congressman paul ryan will be joined on his book tour today by his old running mate former governor mitt romney. the former presidential candidate will interview ryan at the union league club. and a fellow candidate of romney's texas governor rick perry will appear in washington today to speak about the border crisis and immigration politics at the conservative think tank the heritage foundation. that's going to wrap it up

for "way too early." "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ here's a political announcement. a political announcement. i saw already this was like two days ago. take a look at this. >> he's been called an elitist. he vacations on martha's vineyard. he has been accused of ignoring the crisis in missouri and overlooking the concerns of the african-american community. hell, i could do that. paid for by romney, 2016. good morning, everybody. it is thursday, august 21st. welcome to "morning joe." a lot to get to this morning. >> boy, we do. >> on the front page of all the papers, we have got news that there was an attempt to rescue jim foley. we start there. the pentagon confirms that dozen of special operation troops unsuccessfully tried to rescue the journalist j