damage assessment. exson mobile faces the heat of a messy spill into the yellow stone river. decision time. jurors in the murder trial of casey anthony decide the fate of the florida mother accused of killing her child. happy fourth. skies light up across the country as americans mark independence day. good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. we begin this morning, this

morning while most of the nation prepares to celebrate independence day teams of state workers in montana are fanning out along the yellow stone river gauging the damage caused by a ruptured exxon mobil pipeline. the environmental protection agency says only a small fraction of the oil is likely to be recovered. exxon mobil which has 120 workers on site estimates damage is limited to only a ten-mile stretch of river. montana governor concerned for the river's famous fishing and farmers alongside it. last year the department of transportation warned exxon mobil citing seven safety violations along the ruptured pipeline. in just a matter of hours the murder trial of casey anthony is expected to go to the jury. more than three years after the death of her 2-year-old daughter

caylee. this halfafter a highly charged in the courtroom yesterday that included tears and a showdown in front of jurors. jay gray has the latest from orlando. >> reporter: with pictures and videos of casey anthony framing his closing arguments -- >> casey anthony may change her lies until they absolutely cannot be maintained anymore. >> reporter: and provided a day by day narrative of how they believe it happened. >> she knew that that night she would be in the arms of her boyfriend and that caylee would be dead. >> reporter: defense attorney jose baez fired back. >> that you hate her, if you think she's a lying no good slut, then you'll start to look at this evidence in a different light. >> reporter: baez said the lies and questionable behavior were the result of a dysfunctional family that hid secrets including the fact that casey was pregnant. >> this is outrageous!

>> reporter: he charged state witnesses, evidence and every key element of the prosecution's case. as the emotion and tension in the courtroom grew, he challenged ashton as well. >> depending on who's asking the questions, whether it's this guy right here or whether it's myself. >> objection. >> sustained. approach the bench. >> reporter: the outburst in front of the jury led to a delay and angry reprimand from judge belvin perry. >> enough is enough. >> reporter: as the closing arguments resumed, baez returned to his overriding theme. >> if it is difficult for you to find the truth then this case is not proven. >> reporter: after the prosecution's rebuttal later this morning and instructions from the judge, the jury will begin their search for that truth. jay gray, nbc news, orlando. the u.s. government reaches its credit limit on august 2nd. if congress doesn't do something before then, uncle sam won't be able to pay his bills. that is bad news for our nation's credit rating and our ability to keep borrowing. lawmakers have been at an

impasse over dealing with the so-called debt ceiling. now a couple of key republicans are suggesting possible ways forward. nbc's brian moare has more from washington. >> reporter: congress has less than a month to raise uncle sam's credit limit. lawmakers are locked in a battle over a long-term cure for the financial fix. democrats want to raise money. republicans are demanding massive cuts. now a couple of key republican lawmakers are suggesting possible ways to compromise. >> jon kyl was in negotiations as you know with the vice president. he said there were certain revenue raisers and other areas that perhaps we could work on. >> reporter: senator john mccain won't say exactly what revenue raisers are. but he says he and some other republicans aren't necessarily opposed. it sounds a lot like what president obama and democrats have been asking for. but republicans insist that if revenue raisers is code for tax

increases, that's a deal breaker. senator john kcornyn -- >> the problem with a mini deal, we have a maxi problem. big problems aren't going to go away if you cut a mini deal. >> reporter: he blasted an idea suggested by some democrats that the u.s. constitution empowers the president to keep on spending even if uncle sam goes over his credit limit. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. here is your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. a violent thunderstorm tore through washington, d.c., yesterday where a 56-year-old cyclist was killed by a falling tree limb. at one point in the afternoon police cleared spectators off the capitol's west lawn where preparations for today's big independence day concert were under way. fortunately the weather cleared up in time for the evening rehearsal. elsewhere across the country, several cities held their fourth of july fireworks display a day early.

sparks flew at the annual red, white and blue festival in florida. crowds in kansas city and columbus, ohio, took in an equally awesome spectacle of color. in los angeles, experts were busy setting up what they say will be the fastest firing display in town. the hour-long show at l.a.'s coliseum will light up the sky with 2,000 aerial shows and 8,100 bombardment effects for a truly spectacular pyrotechnics display. thousands of people in seattle took to the streets for an unusual independence day p tradition. the third annual red, white and zombie walk. the grade schoolish gro iorgani the competition by several hundred walking dead. now for a look at the national weather, we turn to nbc

meteorologist bill karins with a weather channel forecast. i'm speechless. >> goes closer with the fall festival in halloween. >> and the michael jackson video. >> you're allowed to dress like a zombie any time you want to go dancing to "thriller." yesterday some areas did get rained out, e spshly yesterday evening. d.c. we had the horrible thunderstorms go through. we showed you the video earlier. st. louis, 2 inches of rain. today's going to be a little drier than yesterday. we're also going to be watching the rain shifting a little farther south. we'll watch virginia and through the areas of tennessee and kentucky for the rain today. we should be dry in most of new england. as far as the heat goes, we're still very hot throughout much of the country. we don't have a lot of cold weather out there. it's definitely lake, beach or pool weather if you can get there today or maybe in the shade of the park. if the sun is out it's going to be hot in your location.

anywhere in the red is where it's fwoing to be at least 90 degrees today. that covers at least half the count country. the only areas that are cool is the pacific northwest in the 70s. san francisco 72 year the water. new york city near 90. same with d.c. also a tad humid in those cities. chicago is probably going to see one of the better days around the country. 83 and should be clear for the fi fireworks tonight. right now the only trouble spot weatherwise, southern illinois wet weather. later today could have strong storms from rapid city to sioux falls to fargo. i don't think it's going to be too bad. just some damaging winds. here's your forecast for fourth of july. thunderstorms possible. atlanta, i think charlotte, raleigh, heading through kentucky and tennessee. those are kind of the big cities that will have a chance of some delays for the fireworks. hopefully the thunderstorms will clear out by the time the sun sets. dallas, hot and dry.

new orleans, slight chance or a storm for you. south florida, a chance of an afternoon storm. i don't think that's going to ruin any fireworks displays. veronica, the bottom line, about 95% of the country going to have a fabulous day today. picnic plans are a go. >> and toasty as well. how wall street ended last week and how it will begin the week ahead. plus, mcdonald's plans to power its trucks with leftover oil from french fries. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. a walkoff between the mets and yankees. and an unusual celebration at wimbledon. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ female announcer ] what if your natural beauty could be flawless too?

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welcome back to "first look." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. in new mexico evacuation orders have been lifted for about 12,000 residents lifting near the fire that threatened the los alamos nuclear laboratory.

officials say the blaze was caused by a fallen tree that hit power lines. in michigan, an inmate says he's being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment because he can't have pornography. in a handwritten lawsuit, the 21-year-old who's been charged with a bank robbery claims his civil rights are being violated, saying denying his request for erotic material subjects him to a, quote, poor standard of living. just in time for july, we're learning that many americans aren't quite sure of their independence day facts. a new poll shows only 5% of respondents new the u.s. declared its independence in 1776. 76% correctly said the u.s. gained its independence from england, but 19%, unsure and 5% named another country. well, the north american tour for england's new royal couple has taken prince william and wife katherine to quebec. they were greeted by fans while anti-monarchist protesters were kept at a distance.

nbc's francis coe has more. the newlyweds are on the way to canada and the u.s. after an overnight trip on the st. lawrence river. >> i would like to say a special welcome. >> reporter: they attended a prayer service on deck for meeting with residents of a cent r for homeless youth. about 150 protesters demonstrated about two blocks from where prince william smoke at a ceremony at city hall. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> translator: it is simply a pleasure to be here. thank you for your patience with my accent. i hope that we will have the chance to get to know each other over the years to come. until the next time. >> reporter: the protesters who also appeared in montreal are largely from an anti-monarchist separatist group. however, far larger crowds of

supporters gathered in quebec to catch a glimpse of the royal couple on their first overseas trip as a couple. here's your first look at how wall street finished friday heading into the holiday weekend. dow closed at 12,582 after begins 168 points. the s&p grew 19. the nasdaq rose 42. taking a look at overseas trading in tokyo the nikkei added 97 points. in hong kong the hang seng claimed 372. this coming week with much of wall street on summer vacation no earnings news and the issue of greek debt at least temporarily resolved, economic data will be the driving force. friday markets kicked off the third quarter with the fifth straight day of gains walking their biggest weekly percentage gains since 2009. s&p gained over five and the nasdaq climbed more than 6%. friday an index of national factory activity showed a

pick-up for the first time in four months. traders hope the recent trend of weekday ta may be over. june auto sales also drove friday's trade. truck maker oshkosh surged 14% after shareholder carl icahn said he wanted to meet with management to discuss enhancing shareholder value. thursday brings june retail sales with many hopes reduced gas prices translated into more sales at stores. also thursday we'll get june's private sector job numbers. friday comes the biggy, the all-important government employee data for june. finally, mcdonald's will be making deliveries to its restaurants in the united arab emirates in trucks fueled with oil from its own vats. a dubai firm will confirm used vegetable oil from mcdonald's outlets into 100% biodiesel. a fuel that burns 50% cleaner

than normal diesel. in sports now, sunday saw a match-up between one of baseball's hottest hitters and one of the game's toughest pitchers. here's nbc's bill seward. >> good morning. and a happy fourth of july. it hay be america's pastime, but a guy on a canadian team is the leading vote getter for baseball's all-star game. the toronto blue jay's jose batista received 7.4 million votes. he helped break up cliff lee's scoreless streak. puts toronto on top. lee's streak ends at 34 innings. don't feel too sorry for him. he is all an all-star. jays beat the phils, 7-4. yankees have six players in the midsummer classic. mets have a pair. they also got a big win against the bombers. tenth inning. bases loaded. jason bay, what do you say? how about game over? mets walkoff with a win in ten. boston's josh beckett could start the all-star. 11 strikeouts over eight innings. he was lights out.

mark ma lancen was out to lunch. red sox swept the astros with a 2-1 victory. across the pond to merry old england. novak djokovic had never won a tournament on grass until now. novak won the first and second sets. played a brilliant point to break nadal. novak djokovic wins his first wimbledon title. how does he celebrate? by throwing rackets into the crowd, of course. it's his third major championship but none bigger than wimbledon. finally, he may be man's best friend but he's not necessarily a goalkeeper's best friend. the pooch got on to the field during a game in argentina. headed to the net. i think he's a big offsides. look at the tail. he bends it like beckham. bad dog. that's your first look at sports. i'm bill seward. the anniversary of the

passing of a rock legend is observed by his fellow band members. plus, that sound of gnashing metal, you may have heard this weekend at the theaters, was the sound of box office records being broken. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

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weekend. tonight in new york city macy's fourth of july show will attract 3 million new yorkers and millions more at home on nbc. mark barger has this preview. >> reporter: for 35 years fireworks and macy's have beensy nonmouse on t synonymous. once again the hudson river will be command central for the massive production which has kept licensed pyrotechnicians busy for more than a week. >> six barges two miles long. 40,000 shells bursting almost 1,000 feet in the air. 17 colors in a myriad of shapes. >> reporter: singer nikock lach says there's added -- >> the 125th anniversary of the statue of liberty as well as the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 and paying tribute to those who lost

their lives on that day. >> reporter: the statue of liberty will provide the backdrop for museal performances from beyonce. ♪ i love this land, god bless the usa ♪ >> reporter: meanwhile, country star brad paisley will perform in front of the empire state building. >> we are celebrating one common thing. that's the fact that we get to live in the greatest country anyone's ever designed. >> reporter: for the millions watching the fireworks display in person or on tv -- >> it never disappoints. it's always spectacular. >> reporter: it's a colorful conclusion to the long holiday weekend. mark barger, nbc news. >> love those fireworks. all right. time now for entertainment news. as expected this weekend the new

"tra "transformers" film. 2011's best opening. "dark of the moon" also broke the three-day fourth of july weekend record previously held by 2004's "spider-man 2." it also set a record for imax. by the end of fourth of july weekend after six days "dark of the moon" will have zoomed past total domestic earnings. "pirates of the caribbean" this weekend became just the eighth movie ever to top $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. former members of the doors marked the 40th anniversary of the death of jim morrison lighting candles at his grave. favorite doors song, bill? "light my fire"? >> yeah. that's just really typical. doesn't really mean i'm a fan.

you? >> "love street." i'm corny that way. >> i don't know that one. i'll have to google that. >> i was going to ask you to do your best jim morrison impersonation. come on! a little "light my fire" this morning on fourth of july. >> that's later tonight. that's what we'll be doing later with the sparklers and fireworks all over the country. show you what we're going to be dealing with. everyone waking up in the northeast and mid-atlantic. take you through your afternoon and evening here. right now it's a very mild morning. still a little humid, a little foggy out there. i know yesterday was kind of a rainout. actually the forecast was worse than expected. especially areas from new york city northward up through the hudson valley. one downpour after another in the catskills. today some of those storms will still be around but the concentration won't be quite as great. still kind of humid out there. until we get the drier air in we'll have the chance of some showers. right now the only wet weather just some sprinkles coming out of the mountains of west virginia into the northwest portion of west virginia. we're fine from philly

northward. dry for all of new england. there may be thin clouds. when the sun is out you'll feel it today. it's going to be warm. temperatures are going to jump. up into the 90s in most areas. d.c. expecting about 92. if you get clouds in the morning it's actually good. maybe that'll keep you a little cooler. buffalo, great. pittsburgh. all of upstate new york and new england, you're fine. with the moisture lingering in the i-95 corridor a 30% shower of storms from boston to hartford. d.c., a chance of a storm. here's your fourth of july forecast if you're joining us from the southeast. most locations dry, but south florida just a few storms. the worst of the weather, tennessee valley through areas of virginia and north carolina. that's where our frontal boundary is going to hang up. that's where we'll see the greatest concentration of showers and storms. hopefully if it rains on your picnic it'll be a quick, 20, 30 minutes then you can get back outdoors. in the middle of the country, you're fine. no issues at all.

anyone traveling to the west coast, also beautiful weather for the fourth, veronica. i'm veronica de la cruz and this is "first look" on msnbc. [ female announcer ] now, give dry, damaged hair a whole new life! with aveeno nourish plus moisturize. active naturals wheat formulas target and help repair damage in just 3 washes. for softer, stronger... ... hair with life. [ female announcer ] nourish plus. only from aveeno. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ my only sunshine ♪ you makes me happy ♪ when skies are grey ♪ you'll never know, dear ♪ how much i love you ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ [ male announcer ] as long as there are babies, they'll be chevy's to bring them home. ♪

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