and the pets are sweltering in lynn quarrel's home. >> first of all, i'm definitely worried about my cats because, i mean, heat isn't good for any animal and a lot of them are suffering right now. i'm more worried about myself. >> reporter: maggie sterner, blacked out since friday, got power from neighbors till theirs went off again. >> i feel outraged and totally beside myself about this. >> reporter: she's furious at the power companies. >> i've called pepco every day to report my situation. the tree down the corner, the downed wires across the street. every time i call them over the last four days they act as if it's the first time they've heard this information. >> reporter: pepco regional president thomas graham. >> we do take responsibility. we know there's things that have to be change d we're just workig through it the best we can. >> reporter: power companies in the mid-atlantic had to bring in repair crews from as far away as florida. they're working 16-hour days but the job's gigantic. this car, charred by downed wires in bethesda, is a

reminder. dangers remain and first responders are overworked. fourth of july fireworks have been canceled by many municipalities. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. elsewhere, fire crews are still battling more than 40 wildfires in western states. in colorado, firefighters made progress against two of the most destructive fires that had forced tens of thousands out of their homes. nbc's miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: in the scorched hills above colorado springs, firefighters finally turn the corner. crews mop up the blaze that killed two, devour 28 square miles, and destroyed 346 homes. six of the air force c-130s are back in the firefight, grounded after sunday's fatal crash that filled four aboard air tanker number 7. >> we obviously are very

troubled by the crash that took place several days ago and the loss of life associated with that. just underscores the dangers that are associated with these fires. >> reporter: these blazes are being called super fires. with 2.2 million acres charred nationwide so far this season -- >> long-term projections are we'll still see more fire. >> reporter: -- firefighters say conditions are ripe for out-of-control infernos that grow in size and at speeds we've never seen before. >> warm weather, lower humidities, fuel moistures at historic lows all over the western united states. combine that with a little bit of lightning and you have a recipe for a big fire. >> reporter: 41 wildfires are raging across the west. >> fire's here, let's get them out. >> reporter: in montana alone ten blazes stretch resources thin. >>e're shorthanded because of the other fires in the area so we've been playing hop-scotch. going from one problem to another. >> reporter: at the northern cheyenne reservation, 186,000 acres have burned as firefighters battle flames in 106-degree heat.

in utah, the wood hollow fire destroyed the paines' mountain home. >> i mean, it's just -- nothing left. nothing green. it's just -- burnt dirt. >> reporter: tonight, with heightened fire danger and the fourth of july, fireworks have been banned in several western states. but in colorado springs, where firefighters return from the front lines, parades are taking place every night. hundreds line the streets. >> thank you, thank you! >> high-five! >> reporter: a community grateful for the men and women who have saved lives and homes. >> that was nbc's miguel almaguer reporting. president obama is remembering actor andy griffith as somebody who warmed the hearts of americans everywhere. the man known as sheriff andy taylor of mayberry died in his native north carolina yesterday at the age of 86. nbc's mark barger takes a look

back at his life and career. ♪ >> reporter: for many millions of tv viewers, andy griffith was the american south personified. for eight seasons, griffith played the laid-back sheriff of the fictional north carolina town of mayberry. at his side the inept but loveable deputy barney fife. the show's combination of homespun humor and wholesome storytelling created a ratings hit. eventually griffith moved from onreen to the big city. >> and remember, you're under oath. >> reporter: the drama "matlock" cast griffiths as a folksy atlanta defense attorney. >> country people will sometimes fool you. there are a lot of bright people in the south. >> reporter: griffith himself grew up in the small north carolina town of mt. airie. his success first came with a hit record.

>> bunches of folks wanted this funny pumpkin to play with. >> reporter: football led griffith to acting. >> oh, heck, no, sir. i'm plo. >> you're what? >> permanently trained orderly. >> reporter: "no time for sergeants" was a hit for griffith on broadway, tv and film. for most of us, andy griffith will always be remembered as the sheriff of mayberry and opie's pa. >> that was a pretty good idea i come up with, huh? >> reporter: mark barger, nbc news. >> here's your "first look" at news around america today. in wisconsin, look at thin credible video. it shows a car that turned right into a rocket. it launched into mid-oar after slamming into a section of road that buckled from the heat. the driver could be seen losing control and heading the wrong way into oncoming traffic. amazingly, no injuries were reported. in illinois, even professionals trying to demonstrate the dangers of messing around with fireworks can learn the hard way.

a woman suffered minor burns on her foot after the canisters used to shoot fireworks in the air tipped over, causing the pyrotechnics to go out of control. organizers say the mishap proves their point about firework safety this holiday. in chicago, it was canine chaos as a fugitive fido was able to stay one paw ahead of the law. i'll be here all week, bill, tip your bartenders. police hounded the dog as he ran along interstate 55 but they were no match for the fast-footed four-legger who even had time to stop for a sip of water. he was no match for the dog rescuer who caught up with him. he had a small cut but he's doing just fine. now for a look at national weather we turn to bill karins. he has the forecast. >> very impressed, you're doing pretty good in your barcalounger. did you get that? your barcalounger? >> yes, yeah, i did. >> happy fourth of july. >> you too.

>> you going to see fireworks tonight? >> hopefully it's not going to rain. >> i know. most likely a lot of them will get in today. there will be some showers and storms that will ruin some people's parade but not many. the big story is the heat. we saw the story earlier in our show. look for the hottest location on the map. it's not typically where you would think it would be this morning. the warmest spot ht index in the entire country is in minneapolis. it feels like a gross 93 degrees outside. in the middle of the night. cloudy skies, super humid, after a hot day yesterday those clouds have trapped all that hot air. that's ridiculous. doesn't feel much better in st. louis. because the humidity is up that's what's different. previously in this heat wave the last week or so, it hasn't been all that humid. it's very humid this morning from minneapolis down through portions of southern wisconsin, st. louis, most of illinois, much of kentucky and indiana. that's why we have so many excessive heat warnings today. more today than we've seen throughout much of this heat wave. the peak of it today temperature-wise will be from minneapolis to des moines.

kansas city, look at st. louis today, 105. 101 in chicago. so everyone here is seeing excessive heat with high humidity. that's why our heat index will be way high today. by the time we get to tomorrow, today's a hot day in the east, mid-90s, upper 90s. we could get more triple digits in areas around richmond, raleigh, washington, d.c. tomorrow. it's not like the heat wave's going anywhere any time soon, still very hot tomorrow in areas of the midwest too. the other concern today, we will have showers and storms. there's some light rain this morning over areas of new england, from portland to boston down to areas around connecticut and new york and philadelphia. you will see some showers out there this morning. we'll get a break during much of the day. then late this afternoon there's a trough in the area. that's just enough lift in the atmosphere we will get stray showers and storms. but as i said, lynn, i don't think it's going to run the fireworks. many of those will be done by the time the sun sets. >> all right, good news, there bill, thanks so much. coming up, crude creeps up. england soccer team sets a lofty

goal on wall street. yourfirst look" at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. serena unloads at wimbledon. a pair of walk-offs. and the nets get their guy. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ why not make lunch more than just lunch?

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look." i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. secretary of state hillary clinton officially expressed regret yesterday for the accidental killing of 24 pakistani troops last fall. pakistan has reopened supply routes into afghanistan now that the u.s. has offered an apology. the food and drug administration has approved the first over-the-counter oral home hiv test. the test provides results in 20 to 40 minutes. california prosecutors will not file charges against former commerce secretary john bryson for his role in two car crashes. bryson was found unconscious behind the wheel of his car last month after suffering a seizure.

clayton osborn, the jet blue pilot who left the cockpit during a march flight and screamed about religion and terrorists was found not guilty of interfering with a flight crew by reason of insanity. he will be sent to a federal mental health facility for further examination. in new york's coney island the defending champions of nathan's famous fourth of july international hot dog eating contest had their weigh-in ahead of today's annual showdown. always a favorite. world record holder joey "jaws" chestnut came in at 210 pounds. sonya "the black widow" thomas tipped the scales at a mere 100 pounds. that will change tomorrow. this is bizarre. the national oceanic and atmospheric administration has issued an official statement denying the existence of mermaids. i know, i'm so disappointed. the denial reportedly came after a recent animal planet show on mermaids which fooled viewers with computer imagery depicting

the mythical creatures, apparently created some questions. really? really, guys? here's your "first look" at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." an associated press phographer caught supreme court justice john roberts arriving on the island of malta yesterday. after the health care decision roberts said malta seemed like a good place to go following last week's health care decision. the ap also got a picture of republican candidate mitt romney on vacation with his wife and grandchildren in new hampshire. today he'll march in a local fourth of july parade. the "boston globe" reports president obama and his family will skip their annual vacation on martha's vineyard this year. the house they stayed in for the last three years has been sold. "the hollywood reporter" says singer gwen stefani will host a fund-raiser at her beverly hills

home with first lady michelle obama next month. for $1,000 a family can spend a child-friendly day with gwen and michelle. former republican presidential candidate herman cain has announced the launch of cain-tv internet channel. cain says people want power back and "we are not stupid." tammy duckworth, an iraq veteran running for congress in illinois, says her opponent disrespected millions of veterans. this after republican congressman joe walsh said all tammy duckworth talks about is military service. democratic state lawmaker becky carney of north carolina pushed the wrong button, mistakenly voting for a bill legalizing fracking, a method of shale gas exploration. carney said, oh my god, when the machine would not let her change her vote, giving the republicans a surprise victory. and that's your morning dish of

"scrambles politics." last night on "politics nation," democratic congressman donna edwards of maryland talked about the health care law upheld by the supreme court last week and told host al sharpton it's important for the people in her state. >> we're ready now to accept the resources that the federal government is providing for us in order to get implemented. we know that already people are receiving preventive health services. we know already that young people who would otherwise be denied, who have pre-existing conditions, are being covered. we know young people up to age 26 are now covered on their rents' health care plans and that seniors are going to have their medications covered and they won't have to reach into their pocket with that doughnut hole. i think in maryland, we've said, you know what, this is the law. the constitutionality has been decided. we're going to embrace the implementtation. >> don't miss "politics nation" weekdays at 6:00 eastern right here on msnbc. the place for politics. u.s. markets are closed for the holiday but here's how they

ended yesterday. the dow closed at 12,943 after adding 72 points. the s&p was up 8. the nasdaq gained 24. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo the nikkei edged up 37 points. in hong kong the hang seng lost 25. stocks closed near session highs tuesday on a holiday-shortened trading session. a better than expected rise in factory orders cheered investors who were disappointed by monday's weak manufacturing report. caterpill caterpillar, alcoa and boeing all got a boost from the encouraging news. the price of crude rose to its highest level since may after iran renewed threats to block a key shipping route in the persian gulf in response to a european embargo. oil shot up nearly 5% to just under $88 a barrel. apple shares briefly touched $600 a share after a u.s. judge rejected samsung's request to lift a ban on sales of its galaxy tablet. barclays chief operating

officer became the bank's third casualty in the wake of an interest rate-rigging scandal which already claimed its ceo and chairman. england's storied manchester united soccer club filed paperwork for a $100 million ipo on the new york stock exchange. better than expected auto sales drove ford and general motors higher today. toyota also got a boost from improving sales. speaking of cars, what do you think of this one? check out a tiny ultra-compact electric model. that works in new york city. it's only about eight feet long and three and a half feet wide. the single-seater goes for about 8,400 bucks. the nets collected the right pieces for all-star point guard deron williams who agreed to re-sign for brooklyn yesterday. here's nbc's mario solis. >> good morning. the fourth of july celebration came a day early in brooklyn. deron williams made his decision and he's sticking with the nets.

a day after pulling off a monster deal for joe johnson, brooklyn re-signed deron williams to a five-year, $98 million deal. and according to sources, they're not done. they could still pull off a trade for dwight howard. after playing his entire nhl career on the east coast, jaromir jagr is heading to the wild west. he signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the dallas stars. the it's-leading scorer in nhl history had 54 points with the flyers last season. the sausage race wasn't the only thing that went down to the wire in milwaukee. the marlins and brewers needing extra innings. top of the 10th. jose reyes with a rare home run, his third of the season, puts miami up 12-11. the lead is short-lived. bottom of the inning, one on for ramirez, he ends it with one big swing, a 2-1 walkoff homer. bruins win in ten. 13-12. more late innings in pittsburgh. the astros tied it in the ninth,

pirates' drew sutton wins it in the bottom of the inning. his first home run of the year. pirates walk off with a 9-8 win. seattle, ray yin chin was pitching a perfect game into the seventh ining when this happened. castro wells spoils everything with a bomb to left. all is not lost, orioles beat the mariners. as the nation celebrates independence day serena was in england launching a barrage of fireworks. serving up 13 aces, she advances to the semis at wimbledon with a straight-set win. that's your "first look" at sports. i'm mario solis. which movie does r. kelly claim broke up his marriage? plus who's at the top of this year's list of hollywood's highest-paid actors? your "first look" at entertainment is straight ahead. m . over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection,

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. time for entertainment news. a new spidey is casting a web on moviegoers this holiday. it's really amazing, "the amazing spider-man" starring andrew garfield and emma stone pulled in $7.5 million in midnight showings alone on monday. analysts say it could debut with $120 million for the six-day holiday stretch. that sounds good. good news for tom cruise who is facing the wreckage of his marriage. thanks to "mission impossible: ghost protocol" cruise has regained the top spot of "forbes" list of highest-paid actors earning $75 million

between may 2011 and may 2012. last year's top actor leonardo dicaprio tied with adam sandler, both with $37 million. dwayne "the rock" johnson came in fourth with $36 million and ben stiller with fifth at $33 million. finally, we like ryan gosling, but really? r. kelly reveals in his new memoir theovie "the notebook" inspired him to divorce his wife of 12 years in 2009. the r&b singer says he realized his marriage couldn't stand up to ryan gosling/rachel maced a daps' romance. just a movie. it's funny. ryan gosling jokes in interviews people will come up to him and think that he's like his character in "the notebook." oohing and aahing. he's like, i'm not, i'm not. >> you want to be like that, you love that movie. >> it's a great movie. >> it was on cable a couple of days ago, they showed the scene like in a boat, he falls in the water or something.

>> and you were sticking around. i've been trying to talk you into watching. >> i said, there's no way i'm seeing that movie. >> you're missing out. >> i'm missing out, all right. good morning. showers and light rain continuing this morning. it's not going to ruin your entire day, just for the next hour or two in areas from boston, providence, new york city getting a bit of light rain. as we go throughout the morning everything will clear out. the sun will be out this afternoon and it will get hot in a hurry. don't let this confuse you. temperatures will get into the 90s and humid with moisture out there. not as hot as our friends in the midwest. 100-degree heat wave. try to stay cool in the plains. >> happy fourth of july. i'm lynn berry and this is "first look" on msnbc. to a little girl who saw flames reach her home

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rach has the night off but we have a great show tonight, including, i'm excited for this, an epic chart smackdown. y

you diagram aficionados should get ready to rumble. before that, i have to begin with a confession. you know mitch mcconnell, kind of a jowly g. he's my favorite politician by far, and not just because of his good looks or his southern charm. it's because mitch mcconnell is the most honest man in washington. you ask almost anyone else in a position of power on capitol hill why they're doing, what they're doing, and you get spin, spin, and more spin. they're reaching across the aisle to make the country better, that freedom is the most important freedom, then you think about the children and the freedom, and et cetera, et cetera. meanwhile, they got done ten minutes before that meeting with six mega donors and they're voting on the amendment because they're settling a score they have been nursing since the 2005 budget fight. mitch mcconnell is not really like that. he tells you what's going on. when he speaks i have leard to listen. in fact, of every politician and i am not kidding about this, he's literally the one i listen to the most closely, because his mixture of power and honesty make him the best guy to