we called mitch mcconnell's campaign asking if they wanted to give a statement on this matter. we have not heard back. now it's time for "the last word right now on "first look," a mother's plea for the release of her son and another american fighting for isis? epic surf draws crowds and wave riders to california ahead of hurricane marie. death on the set. a case of friendly fire while filming "cops" leaves a staffer dead. plus, what does an accused insider trader and a two paw dog have in common? we'll tell you. good morning, everybody. it is one minute and 30 seconds of pure heartache. on tape the mother of a captured american begging the murderous boss of isis to spare his life. tracie potts is live in washington this morning. tracy this comes as reports of another american killed while fighting for isis. >> exactly, betty.

what that means is you have the emotional appeal and these hostage who's are being held on one side. you have americans who reportedly fighting with isis on other side. the u.s. government is now dealing with americans on both sides of this conflict. it appears douglas mcarthur mccain was not alone. this morning there are reports a second american has been killed fighting with isis militants in syria. the concern -- >> foreign fighters can go over, there get radicalized and get equipped and trained and come back to their homeland. >> the u.s. believes 100 americans may have joined isis, the beheading of james foley raised concern about another american hostage. his mother made a direct appeal to islamic leaders. >> as a mother, i ask you to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. i ask you to use your authority to spare his life. >> reporter: the white house says they're working to bring

him home but will not pay ransom. >> it only serves to allow the terrorist organizations to finance their operations and only puts greater risk the lives of other americans. >> reporter: peter thee owe curtis is now home. he was held by different group in syria linked to al qaeda. >> i had no idea when i was in prison, i had no idea that so much effort was being expended on my behalf. >> reporter: the administration is now doing surveillance over syria and considering air strikes to hit isis strong holds. but before that decision is made lawmakers on capitol hill want a say. they want the president o come back here and get more authority before entering air strikes. betty? >> tracie potts, thank you. hurricane marine weakened to a tropical storm but she was strong enough to produce some pretty serious wave action along the southern california coast. huge waves at seal beach made it hard for lifeguards to rescue people including this man seen right there in the black shorts.

he's actually a lifeguard himself. the huge waves as high as 25 feet at some beaches and rising seawater created this muddy mess for residents living near seal beach. but as can you see, not heaven a problem with these massive waves. after a tame season, surf is finally up. swells brought on by marie are expected to last through friday. be careful out there. let's take you to texas. a dad escapes jail time after allegedly gunning down his son's killer. a jury found david barajas not guilty. it took them three hours. he was accused of killing jose banda in a fit of rage. he was driving drunk when he fatally struck his two sons. they were pushing their broken down truck at the time. here's barajas' reaction to the verdict. >> a lot of weight lifting off my bok. i'm still destroyed. i'm missing my sons. >> prosecutors argued his biggest motive was grief but had

little evidence tying him to the crime. a crew member working on the show "cops" is shot dead while filming. it happened in omaha. the crew was on a ride along with police. they were responding to a robbery at a wenldy's. inside cops exchanged fire with the suspect. that's when brice dionne, a sound operate dwror was hit and killed. >> we've been very fortunate over the years that we never had an incident like this. unfortunately, this happened. >> an investigation has been launched. all three officers involved are now on leave. let's take you to the ukraine. russia is accused of new military movement. that is the word from the state department. it claims russia rolled in tanks and ammunition into two areas once fully controlled by russian rebels. it come as the presidents of russia and ukraine met for peace talks in belarus. the story of u.s. cornerback josh shaw spraining both ankles after jumping off a balcony to

rescue his drowning nephew is a lie. he came forward to officials yesterday afternoon and admitted the story was a complete fabrication. the original story of heroism was posted on the school's website. it was quickly under investigation after numerous phone calls to the university questioned the authenticity of it. >> it's pretty clear there is quite a few conflicting stories out there. >> now a statement released through shaw's attorney admits he injured himself in a fall but did not specify how that happened. usc suspended shaw from all team activities. in other sports headlines, let's take you to the u.s. open. on the men's side, seven seed dimitrov finally gets his first win after three consecutive first round opens. on the other end, maria sharapova advances and serena

williams advances to the next round for the first time since 2010. a bizarre moment when her hair gets caught in the rablgt racket during the return shot. she doesn't lose her hair, thankfully and not her sense of humor. they says, us women, we keep it interesting. she went on to win in straight sets. >> the dragons were honored at the phillies game last night. >> this team won our hearts. ky couplings, eric lipson, mo'ne davis. >> you've shown all of philadelphia, all of pennsylvania, and all of america what our young people can do. >> congratulations. each player also received a personalized jersey and collectively throughout the ceremonial first pitch. meanwhile, in chicago, the

u.s. little league world series champs jackie robinson west got a hero's welcome. the mayor spoke. >> jrw brought chicago to its feet, tears to our eyes and pride to our hearts. >> the team then took to the street for a parade. the recently released madden 15 video game has a crazy glitch. what just went in the air? it actually sends players flying through the air. not very realistic. definitely entertaining. >> it's kind of fun. >> yeah. i kind of like that game now. well, it's a new generation of lion kings in south africa. well, they're more like little princes. three of them made their first public debut yesterday. the trio of lion cubs includes the rare white one, you see here playfully swatting at the video camera. the cubs, one male and two sisters have been cared for

since they arrived in july. the zoo hasn't successfully bred lions in five years. they'll live separately from the seven adult lions at the zoo. boy, they are cute. you don't want to mess with them when they grow up. speaking of someone you don't want to mess with, bill karins. >> we're past wednesday. we're good. yeah, we're okay. >> we're on the down hill slide. >> welcome back. >> good to be back. this weather is tricky out there. >> yeah. we had the waves are huge. we're not dealing with the actual hurricanes themselves. so that's the benefit of it. it's amazing. this hurricane cristobal has been about five to 600 miles off the east coast for the last two days. so the six to 12 foot waves will continue today to batter the beaches from the outer banks, virginia beach, maryland shore, all the way through delaware, jersey, and right now we're watching some of the waves starting to arrive even on long island and cape cod. be careful out there by the water. there were a lot of rescued yesterday. rip currents are dangerous. we showed you the pictures at the top of the show.

huge waves from marie. these waves will still continue to pound the beaches there in california. 10 that 15 foot waves and sets up to 20. as far as the weather goes, very warm morning out there. very humid, very sticky. there is lots of area of rain in nebraska to iowa. we're dry in many areas of the east today. not as hot either. yesterday we did hit 90 in new york city. today, a beautiful 82. d.c., still in the hotter side. 87. but the humidity values will be low. we see a lot of thunderstorms there. a lot of airport delays are possible especially late this afternoon in florida and anyone traveling across the midwest. >> all right. thank you, bill. just ahead, a massive hack attack on the country's biggest bank. plus, the accused insider trader that was not happy to see the media. watch him run. and you're watching "first look" right here on msnbc. vo: this is the summer.

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time to get down to business

with cnbc. the fbi is investigating reports that hackers attacked j.p. morgan and at least four other u.s. banks earlier this month. reports say russian hackers may have been involved but the motive is unclear. "the new york times" sense sensitive data on checking and savings accounts was stolen. j.p. morgan is declining to comment. meanwhile, apple may unveil the long awaited i watch on september 9. that the new day it is expected to launch the new iphone 6. it will feature a health kit that will track fir health and fi fitness golds. and the slide in gas prices is pushing the lowest level on labor day since to 10. it should average $3.41 a gallon nationwide this weekend. that is 18 cents lower than last year. prices are expected to keep falling through mid autumn. back to you. >> sounds good for drivers. all right. thank you, morgan. 13 minutes past the hour. some other stories that we're following for you. the sister of boston bombing suspect is in trouble with the

law for allegedly threatening to blow someone up. during a phone argument with a woman she believed was trying to date her boyfriend, she reportedly said, "i have people who can go over there and put a bomb on you." yikes. all right. let's move on now. john lennon's imprisoned killer says he murdered him 34 years ago because his life had sunk into a depressed state. the transcript of mark david chapman's denied parole hearing came out yesterday. he said he was drinking a lot and saw the murder as a way out to pay for air fair and his hotel room. he even admits to selling his father-in-law's norman rockwell painting. >> tensions of weeks of clash that's saw the use of police tear gas and rifles. the police chief defended the actions yesterday. and this man accused of insider

trading. watch him run. he apparently was not too happy seeing the media when he merged in flip-flops and a tank top from a new york city courthouse. that's how you show up to court? he was indicted on 13 charges of securities fraud and taking $500,000 in illegal profits. lost your flip-flop there, buddy. in the uk, imagine seeing this in a bedroom you barely use. a giant occupied wasp necessary. it likely took months to build. how does that go unnoticed? an exterminator took care of it. told the independent when he removed that quilt an explosion of wasps came out. all right. senators picking on a fellow senator's weight right to her face. and republicans find that they're intolerant to women but that's not all. "scrambled politics" is next.

here it is, your first look at this morning's helping of "scrambled politics." yet another revelation in what is a soap opera in the corruption trial of former virginia governor bob mcdonald. a ceo of johnny williams testified that he picked up his ferrari and drove it to his vacation house for mcdonald to use. the employee said he let the keys in the ignition for mcdonald to see when he arrived. but mcdonald previously testified he did not know the car was there until later in the trip because it wasn't in watch.

the case could start wrapping up with closing arguments to begin on friday. this is how the gop describes, well, the gop. intoll ranlt, lacking in compassion, stuck in the past. those are just some of the scathing ways in which women are describing the gop as well. we obtained results from an internal large scale project. the report also says virtually 50% of women have an unfavorable view of the gop compared to 39% who have unfavorable view of democrats. and with nearly 70 days until the general midterm election, a new poll shows the only one in three -- that only one in three americans have given quite a lot or some thought to the election. this is actually up from 26% in april. known for taking a lead role in combatting sexual harassment in the military, this senator is opening up about having to fend off offensive comments by male colleagues on capitol hill. in her new book coming out next month, she says one of them told

her, "good thing you're working out because you wouldn't want to get porky." another colleague who says -- who she says is one of her favorite older senators walked up behind her, squeezed her and told her "don't lose too much weight now, i like my girls chubby." she says most of these male colleagues are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. and that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." all right. i'm joined from washington by syndicated columne esestist bob franken. good morning you to. thank you for being with us. >> so we're talking about women's issues today? >> yes, we are. >> talking about being a minefield for the male in the hot seat here. >> watch your step today. all right. we're going to get back to that polling. conservatives have a lot of work to do when it comes to gaining the support of women. according to a new study commissioned by two major republican groups, should this come as a surprise though?

>> well, certainly republican party stands for more traditional values and some would argue that a large segment of the republican party stands for values that perhaps are outdated. note my careful language here. so, no, i'm not surprised by it. what i'm -- i think is important to point out is that that poll also talks about 39% of women having a problem with republicans or the 49% i think it is and 39% view the democrats unfavorably. and i suspect that just about 99% of all americans view politicians of all parties right now unfavorably and possibly for good reason. but what i think the important thing that that poll shows is that there is no universal woman's view. and probably that's the most important thing to note. women, just like men, have a variety of opinions. >> well, you know, given this report is being released shortly before mid terms, is there time really to turn the numbers around for the gop? >> probably not for the midterm

election. what's going to be interesting, of course, is the probability and i call it a probability, that hillary clinton is going to be the democratic nominee for president two years hence. and i suspect that what that means is almost certainly that the republicans will have a female vice-presidential candidate. >> all right. bob franken, treading very carefully today. we appreciate it. >> was i able to make it through without offending anybody? >> you did well. proud of you, bob. have a good day. just ahead, dead or alive? did tony soprano get whacked in the series finale? plus, jimmy kimmel cooks up a mini friends reunion and all we have to say is oh, my gawd! wast new car smell and the freedom of the open road? a card that gave you that "i'm 16 and just got my first car" feeling. presenting the buypower card from capital one. redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac - with no limits.

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leading the news on nbc news.com, nasa green lights giant sls rocket but launch slips to 2018. nasa's heavy lift space launch system for deep space is expected to cost about $7 billion. for now until the first liftoff. they want to use the sls to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and then build to mars and moons in the 2030s. >> we'll be old by then. >> i know. i was doing the math. it did to the make me happy. in the uk's daily mail, scientists reverse bad memories by blasting brain cells with light. that's an idea, right? mit scientists experimenting with mice discovered that brain pathway that links memories to emotions an experts say the research could one day lead to treatments for post traumatic stress or phobias. gone with a flash of light.

an meet jif, the pomeranian who set would tworld records the fastest ten meters on behind legs and front paws. >> that doesn't seem real. >> both records under ten seconds. and that means jif's stats will be in the 60th book of world records and he does more than get there in a jiffy. he can ride a skate board, shake hands, and stamp his autograph. >> extra creamy or crunchy jiffy? >> how does he learn that? i have no idea. >> is this the first time we're seeing it? this is very cute. >> now for entertainment news, jimmy kimmel's surprise guest last night by bringing out her friends co-stars courtney cox and lisa kudro. he re-created the it is of the hit show and wrote a fan fiction script for him to perform with himself playing ross. >> i don't know. >> because i wrote the script and there is no joey anymore. that's why. >> what happened to joey? >> yeah, where is chandler. they're not in the script. >> everyone is dead. >> everyone in central park is

talking about how good you are at making love. >> yeah. you're said to be so good at that sometimes i wish you would make love to me. >> well, monica, i can't make love you to. you're my sister. >> darn. >> yeah. that just got creepy, right? >> yeah. >> all right. more "friends" news, warner brothers is going to open an exact replica of central park. >> why haven't they done this earlier? it looks like place that's they have now. >> exactly. it will be in new york city where the comedy took place, of course. and the question we all want to know, did tony soprano die in the final episode? >> do we want to know? >> the show creator finally answered the question, sort of but not really in an interview. chase originally stated that tony survives in the finale. but soon after the interview, chase's publicist quickly corrected the article and said

h explanation is miscon trud and that's not what he ment. >> who asked if he died and he said no. how did he go back on that? >> i have no idea. this is "first look" on msnbc. "way too early" with thomas roberts starts right now. >> i'm sending this message to y you. i am shirley satloff. my son stephen is in your hands. as a mother, i ask your justice to be merciful and don't pun sh my son for matters he has no control over. i ask you to use your authority to spare his life. >> the heartwrenching plea from an american mom for the safe release of her kidnapped son as the white house re-evaluates the real threat of isis to american soil. double trouble. two storms off the both coasts of the u.s. delivering dangerous waves and surf.

the latest on hurricane cristobal and tropical storm marie. and whacked or not whacked? one of tv's biggest unsolved mysteries, the fate of tony soprano in hbo's hit series finalry. new details from the show's creator. this is "way too early"! hey, everybody. i'm thomas roberts. it is thursday, august 28th am welcome to "way too early," the show that agrees with tony's jukebox choice. wait until you hear what the show's creator says about tony's fate. contradictory news that will have you believin'. we begin overseas with the latest develop. s in the american assault against islamic state militants in iraq and syria. u.s. officials are investigating if another american was killed fighting for isis in sear yachlt a law enforcement official tellnb