a matter of faith. religion and politics collide on the campaign trail as comments about mitt romney ignite a firestorm. cairo chaos, deadly violence erupts during a religious prote protest. and all you need is love. beatles' legend paul mccartney says "i do" to wife number three. those stories and much more are straight ahead on "first look." this is "first look" on msnbc.

we begin with controversial comments, republican presidential candidates are weighing in on front-runner mitt romney's mormon religion after a pastor who supports rick perry called it a cult. nbc's trace' potts joins us from washington with the latest. tracie, good morning to you. >> veronica, good morning. perry has rejected those comments, but some analysts say he needs to come out and say more. the dallas pastor who said mitt romney is part of a cult is defending his comments about mormons. >> they have their own human founder, their own set of doctrines and their own religious book outside of the bible. >> pastor jeffers says mormons aren't christians and it's a false religion. romney's opponents say, it's a nonish. >> we don't have a test for people when they go into the white house, we do believe in

tolerance and liberty. >> i'm dodging it because it's not going to help boost my campaign. >> he called it a ridiculous sideshow. >> i don't no idea why people are wasting so many political bandwidth. >> pretty existent in the values i share and the things i want to see happen in this country. >> jeffers said sunday, voters are smart enough to separate his beliefs from the candidate he endorses. as for romney, sox analysts think questions about his faith won't come up again. >> i don't think he can get the nomination without a confrontation on this issue. >> over the weekend, romney addressed another speaker who attacked gays and muslims saying that type of in his words, pousennous language hurts of conservative cause. meanwhile, religion at the root of clashes between protesters and police in cairo yesterday. 24 people were killed and 200 were injured in the worst

violence that country has seen since the february uprising, nbc's frances coe reports. >> the scene was eerily reminisceth of the uprisings months ago. rioters and police. some threw stones, others used batons, some set vehicles ablaze. the spark igniting the chaos began last week after attackers partially demolished a church. christians blamed muslim radicals for the incident and protested on sunday. what started as peaceful disintegrated into outright violence by night fall. christian protesters said they fought back against police. some muslims even joined the demonstrators in solidarity. late sunday, egypt's prime minister appeared on egyptian tv

and appealed for calm. the violence threatens to taint the country's upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled next month. many egyptians believe sunday's riots show the army's desire to hold firmly to power as the country struggles to form a stable government. back at home, lawmakers are weighing in on occupy wall street. the grassroots demonstration that set up camp in lower manhattan and i cross the country. on sunday, protests in manhattan looked like a festival as supporters took to the streets for a 23rd day and in the nation's capital, anti-war protesters joined by occupy d.c. were met with pepper spray outside the national air and space museum. lawmakers are divided on the movement. house majority leader eric cantor said he's concerned about what he calls growing mobs, while house minority leader nancy pelosi signaled her support. here's your first look at

other news going on around america today. a drama dramatic rescue off the coast of hawaii. a 65-year-old man flying from california to hawaii ran out of gas, forcing him to crash into the water. pulled from the water by the coast guard. a small tornado made a big mess in san antonio on sunday. tossing mostal trucks and mobile homes before blowing past the area. the storm dumped massive amounts of rain. leaving thousands without power. officials are evaluating the extent of the damage caused by the storm. in rhode island, there were some giant-sized competitors at the annual new england pumpkin-growers weigh-off. the top prize went to a gord weighing over 1600 pounds this year's winner was just 150 pounds shy of the world record. and finally, some elaborate facial features were put on display in pennsylvania, more than 200 competitors made sure

to stay clear of those clippers as they vied for coveted titles in various facial grouping categories. each winner received $600 and additional prizes. now for a look at the national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. $600? would you throw your hat in the ring for that in. >> no. >> no? and how long do you think you could grow a beard? >> not long. >> i would go a week and it's itchy and annoying, not for me. i hope you had a good weekend, veronica and everyone else, too. how does summer taste once again? it goes in figures, you have one cool week and you think we're done with it and the next thing you know, people are out sunbathing, it was in mid 80s, all through new england. boston was 87 yesterday. we've held on to the warmth. no cold air has moved in. it's a very mild, summer-like

morning, we're at 62 in minneapolis. we're at 58 in chicago. it's still in the upper 50s to low 60s through new england, down through the mid-atlantic. so still very mild. you can get away with the summer clothing as you head to work or school today. i know there's a lot of people off for the holiday, if you are heading out. you can get away with shorts and t-shirts. as far as rain, we had a lot of wet weather this weekend, thankfully, texas got some and oklahoma. with the horrible drought we'll take whatever we can get. in florida, this is the storm we're going to watch heading up the east coast this week. it's not a tropical storm, but it's going to have some gusty winds with it and it has some significant rain in north florida, georgia and in south carolina. i think coastal south carolina will get the worst of it during the day. there's a possibility of even some tornadoes. tornado watch box just issued here. we haven't had any tornadoes yet, but we could get some small ones as we go throughout the day. the center of the storm is heading just over the gainesville area. that will creep up the coast. you can see the fetch of moisture coming onshore from

savannah to charleston, up to myrtle beach. that's where it will be soggy today and tonight and tomorrow it heads up the east coast. for tomorrow from d.c. northwards, this is the warmest it's going to be until probably next spring, so if you love the warmth and the summer temperatures, this is it for you. 84 in new york. chicago, 76, storms in florida as we mentioned during the day and a peek at tomorrow, the wet weather creeps north, the increased clouds will keep the temperatures down in the mid-atlantic. but atlanta through the carolinas will get the most significant rain in the next two days. all the rain in the southeast will head to the big cities like d.c., new york and boston throughout wednesday and thursday. >> say it isn't so. >> we can't complain, come on. >> 84 degrees today, that's all right. europe tackles its debt crisis. some sobering data on incomes and proof that duke still has true grit. your "first look" at the morning's biz headlines is straight ahead. coming up, the brewers

strike first, a huge comeback by the super bowl champs and the raiders honor a legend, you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ fema le announcer ] new crest complete deep clean. you feel it working, so you know it's working. and that means you're ready for whatever the day brings. unlike ordinary toothpaste, you feel a deeper clean. you're also protected. with new crest complete, you know you're covered. oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's

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welcome back to "first look," i'm veronica dela cruz. "the wall street journal" reports u.s. authorities have obtained a court order to force google and a small internet provider to hand over data. wikileaks released internal diplomatic correspondence. the republican chairman of the house oversight committee said he could send subpoenas to the obama administration as early as this week in an investigation of weapons lost during a botched government-run arms trafficking operation. the so-called fast and furious operation allowed intermediaries

to buy thousands of guns from shops some used for mexico crime scenes. pump oil from a container ship that ran aground on a coral reef last thursday. 30 tons of oil have seeped out so far. and california's governor has signed into law a bill that will ban children under 18 from using tanning beds. california is the first state to set such a high age limit. the new law takes effect on january 1st. and here's your "first look" at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,103 after losing 20 on friday. the s&p was down nine and the nasdaq dropped 27. in overseas trading, the in tokyo, the nikkei rose 83 points and in hong kong, the hang seng gained four. european leaders have set a high deadline to tackle the region's deepening crisis. german chancellor angela merkel

and french president, nicolas sarkozy, vowed to find a long-term fix for europe's debt woes. economic coordination in the euro zone in time for the next g-20 summit on november 3rd. the board of dexia has accepted a rescue plan set up by france, belgium and luxen bourg. aluminium giant alcoa announce profits. and investors will get the results of pepsico, google, and jp morgan chase. after retailers reported good back-to-school sales last week the government will weigh on in on takes from receipts. household income declined more in the two years after the recession ended. some 6.7%, than it did during the recession itself when income fell just 3.2%.

and now to good news, the latest lundberg survey says the average price of regular gas has dropped 13 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.42 a gallon. finally, hats off to john wayne, whose movie memorabilia auction in los angeles brought in $5 million. wayne's green beret fetched $179,250. while one of his cowboy hats sold for $119,000. and in health news, a new study suggests people who take dietary supplements are usually the ones who need them the least. most vitamin takers were eating well and getting adequate nutrients through their food. doctors caution overloading your body with nutrients could pose health threats. check out the health page online at msnbc.com.

well, the national league championship series gets under way and golf great, tiger woods, has a pretty bizarre run-in. plus giants receiver victor cruz makes an incredible catch and then it all goes downhill. your "first look" at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. and the planes can seem the same. so, it comes down to the people. because: bad weather, the price of oil those are every airline's reality. and solutions will not come from 500 tons of metal and a paintjob. they'll come from people. delta people. who made us the biggest airline in the world. and then decided that wasn't enough. you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories.

that's why i recommend crest pro-health clinical gum protection. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. crest pro-health clinical gum protection. i have copd. if you have it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and what that feels like. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms... by keeping my airways open a full 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. and it's steroid-free. spiriva does not replace fast-acting 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 call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you 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. breathing with copd is no small thing. ask your doctor about spiriva. delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. welcome back to "first look," i'm veronica dela cruz. enter sports, the milwaukee brewers managed to flex their

power-hitting muscles in the opening league of the championship series. >> game one came down do one big inning. milwaukee, cards with a three-run lead in the fifth when the brewers came storming back. a couple of batters later, a two-run shot of his own, a six-pack for the brew in the fifth, milwaukee won it 9-5. tiger woods finished ten shots back in the open. a spectator threw a hotdog at him in 17th hole, he didn't relish the experience. the ben jarvis green ellis, he scamper for 136 yards and two scores. pats over the jets, 30-21. green bay remained unbeaten with a win over the falcons. the champs scored 25 unanswered, aaron rodgers led the way with a pair of touchdown passes, they won it 25-14.

the raiders honored iconic owner al davis who passed away on sunday. they went out and mat did the only thing that mattered to davis, just win. tim tebow ran for a touchdown and threw for another. unfortunately, too little, too late, the chargers held on, 29-24. broncos have turned to a new quarterback, the eagles might want to do the same thing, michael vick threw four interceptions, once dubbed the dream team it's been a nightmare season for the eagles. how about great catches, the giants and seahauks, eli manning, victor cruz pulled a ball in with one hand, went 68 for the score, the seahawks won it. the dwayne bow reached around the defender, tipped it to himself, got in for the touchdown. that's your first look at sports, i'm fred roggin. now another quick look at

the weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. a whole lot of football there, how is your fantasy team doing? >> let's not talk about it. i'm already enough of a weather geek, now i got to be that geek, too? as far as what we're dealing with outside, it's almost like sunbathing weather, i know people were out in the parks doing it this weekend, we have peak leaves in northern new england, it was 87 yesterday in boston. really incredible temperatures, record highs in many places. it's a warm morning, we're at 66 in boston, 64 in new york. suburbs are a little cooler under clear skies. a lot of sunshine out there. late in the day. some high clouds will move in. for the most part it's going to be just like yesterday. temperatures just as warm, 85 in philly today, now a little bit cooler around buffalo and pittsburgh, for this time of year, it's still exceptionally warm. we could see highs in the 50s

and 60s, we're about deny to 20 degrees above average and even into tuesday, not quite as warm. still, mid to upper 70s and actually the humidity will increase along with it as we go into wednesday. so really enjoy this. it's not going to last that long. you know it won't. wednesday and thursday in new york city, the rain arrives. that's the same forecast for d.c., baltimore, all the way up in the big cities. the great lakes looks pretty decent. 67, chicago. atlanta you'll see damp weather, cool and cloudy for you, you're the exception on the east coast with the cooler temperatures. kind of an a-plus end of summer for a lot of us. >> it's 84 degrees on the east coast in new york and 80 degrees in los angeles. >> that's not bad, either? >> how are we topping that? >> that would take up more time than they give me. all right. former beatle, paul mccartney

takes another trip down the aisle. and hugh jackman has a rock 'em sock 'em weekend at the box office. ahh, one. two. three. one. two. and, three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn more cash back for the things you buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% cash back on groceries. 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. it's as easy as one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card.

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welcome back to "first look." last night on "late night with jimmy fallon" jimmy got hip to new political platform. >> election news, youtube has launched a politics channel so people can easily find video of the presidential candidates. today they posted their first video, cat winning a debate against michele bachmann. you got to see it, it's so cool and funny and cute. some tech news, this week, myspace revealed their new plan to focus mainly on music. while people revealed their plan

to focus mainly on facebook. very interesting. the today, president obama met with a chicago bears championship team from 1985. yeah, when she heard about bears in the white house, sarah palin was like, maybe i will run for president. listen, a man in new york was arrested for punching another guy at a karaoke bar because he didn't like his singing. the man was charged with two counts of doing what everyone else wanted to do. ♪ you're a womanizer >> tonight, jimmy welcomes ice tea, comedian rich folger and children's favorite, yo-gabba gabba. it is time now for your "first look" at entertainment news, a boxing robot drama.

"real steel" took the number one spot in its opening weekend, thanks in large part to a younger male audience. "ides of march" scored big with older women, but still only scored $10.4 million to come in second. and last week's champ, "dolphins tale" came in fourth. and "moneyball" ended in fifth place. 50-r50, starring joseph gordon leavitt and september roggin, with $5. 5 million. paul mccartney tied the knot for the third time sunday with nancy chevelle. the only other surviving member of the bating s beatles, ring

starr was in attendance. >> all you need is love. i'm veronica dell la cruise, this is first look on msnbc. stay tuned, because "first look" starts right now. with protesters in the streets across the country, the united states senate will vote to take up president obama's $447 billion america jobs act. house republicans remain unswayed. the question is, are we watching anything more than a political charade in washington gearing towards the re-election hopes of president and the congress. the republican presidential field spent a constructive weekend debating whether or not mitt romney's religion is a cult. the question is, did rick perry go along with the pastor who made that claim while introducing the texas governor at an event. the philadelphia eagles spent the weekend