>> reporter: the next big fight is, who gets an extension of the bush era tax cuts? >> give mitt romney another tax break that would cost -- that would cost about a trillion dollars, and we can't afford it. >> the idea, i mean, the very idea of raising taxes on small business and job creators at the very time we need more jobs is the sort of thing only an extreme liberal could come up with. >> reporter: with washington hopelessly gridlocked, a businessman has an idea. >> turn off the air conditioning and don't come out until you solve it. >> reporter: on capitol hill, a new fight covering old ground. and this repeal vote is a no-cost opportunity for vulnerable democrats to take a stand against the health care law. almost four months to go before november's elections. new poll numbers show president obama expand pd his lead over his republican rival mitt

romney. if the election were held today a new reuters ipsos poll shows president obama leads mitt romney among registered voters 49% to 43%. the president has a slim one-point lead over his opponent in the same poll back in june. the president's improved standing appears to be fueled by americans slightly more optimistic view of the future. the poll found the number of americans who think the country is on the wrong track dropped five points last month to 58%. that is down from 63% in june. last night on the rachel maddow show, james carville talked to rachel about why the issue of student loans is so important to democrats in the upcoming election. >> when you talk about what the middle class or how do you regrow the middle class, how do you bring it back, education is at the forefront. they understand that. i grew up you know, that was the ticket to prosperity. if you got an education, you knew that was going to pay for itself. that was the best investment that you could make.

now -- not so sure. sometimes, you know, we find out these kids get more debt than the education is worth, and we've got to change that, and this kind of thing, i think this is as good issue. a good political issue. i think it will resonate the people out there and i think they'll understand it. i really do. >> you don't want to miss out on rachel maddow's unique take on politics. weeknights at 9:00 eastern right here on msnbc. the place for politics. the most destructive wildfire ever in colorado has finally been 100% contained. the 29 square mile waldo canyon fire near colorado springs was completely encircled yesterday bp two people were killed by the fire over a three-week period. it destroyed almost 350 homes. however, two new smaller colorado fires were reported yesterday. president obama is expected to make health insurance available for seasonable firefighters doing the dangerous work of

battling these western fires. about 8,000 temporary workers should be able to buy into the federal health insurance flan this month. that decision follows an electronic petition drive that through more than 125,000 signatures. here is your "first look" at some of the other news going on around america today today -- in arizona, quite a bumpy ride for tourists aboard one hot air ballo balloon. high winds forced the pilot to make a rough, thankfully, successful landing in a cotton field. the balloon bounced around a few times and dragged about a quarter mile, but the pilot and four canadian visitors did make it all off safely. in california, quite a dramatic end to a police chase there. a man trying to escape officers lost control of that pickup and then just went off a hillside road slamming right through a fence and down the embankment. even more disturbing, the suspect is a middle school teacher wanted on suspicious of

child abuse after being investigated with lewd acts with a former student. in north carolina, a dangerous light show after a downed power line sparked a fire in charlotte. no one was hurt, but traffic in the area was tied up all morning, and the power was cut off for hours. finally, in florida, they've got a problem with peacock, and it's apparently getting pricey. sounds like a joke, right, bill? >> uh-huh. >> it's birds are attacking cars leaving dings and scratching behind and it's causing some $2,000 worth of damage. one neighbor thinks the peacocks are confused by think reflection in the car metal and leads them to think they're battling another bird. now for a look at your national weather we turn to nbc's meteorologist bill karins. good morning. >> i want to see where the insurance adjuster gets there.

>> thankfully they have video. >> good morning, everyone. a rough morning in south florida. i mean, the radar just blew up in the last, about, half hour or so. just a surge of tropical moisture drenching south florida from miami to south miami heights to all the way down through the keys to marathon here. just a torrential rains that are moving through. look likes the worst from miami southwards with this cluster. a lot of lightning even at this hour and another bamp is coming into fort lauderdale to here. from downtown to fort lauderdale, the next hour or two, a lot of heavy rain. also overnight, consistently areas of rain around virginia beach, the newport news looks to be weakening. central portions of north carolina, rain. greens buburg to raleigh, rain. the texas coast, beaumont, port arthur through galveston and an

few showers near houston popped up. a few areas this morning a rough drive. otherwise, a quiet weather map the entire northern half kuch country. a warm weather map and not the incredible heat wave we've seen over the last the two weeks and hoping to get rain. arkansas one of the worst drought spots in the country along with colorado. the potential, especially eastern half of arkansas, a little rain. showers and thunderstorms hit-and-miss throughout the south east and a warm typical summerlike day for rest of us. enjoy. >> thanks, bill. revising downward on wall street. americans city going bust, and which of the united states is the best for doing business? your "first look" at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, griffin strikes is rich, an all-star blowout and what fans know the rest of us don't. you're watching "first look" on nbc. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: slow ]

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top stories making news this morning -- with the penn state report on the jerry sandusky sex abuse scandal set to be released tomorrow, the family of the late penn state coach joe paterno is questioning the integrity of the inquiry. and say paterno did not know sandusky was a pedophile, he's expected to be sentenced in september. attorneys for lance arm stroeng re-filed the lawsuit seeking to stop the u.s. anti-doping agency from stripping the cyclist of his seven tour de france totals. the agency announced yesterday two doctors and a trainer formerly associated with his team had been banned for life. the olympic flame carried through the grounds of windsor castle yesterday, and queen elizabeth was there's for a close-up look at the torch makes its way towards the start of the olympic games in london on july 27th.

and a colorful portrait of the queen expected to raise $93,000 in charactery at auction today. numbered and signed by warhol, one of the last pieces he proud. here is your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics -- the website realclearpolitics spins out a fascinating scenario of a possible tie in the 2012 election between president obama and mitt romney. a very close election might end with 269 lech toelectoral votes. one short each, the president would be chosen by the incoming congress. politico reports the mystery continues over illinois congressman jesse jackson jr.'s medical leave of absence due to exhaustion. illinois democratic senator dick durbin said yesterday, jackson will soon have to explain to his constituents. a family drama escalated on fox news as act jon voight said

good to her, referring to angelina jolie's mother made they are announcement. she and brad pitt making an announcement of engagement after seven years together. and figures out the tea party saying i know what racism is better than nib has ever been a racist, this by james earl jones. a survey may have found the latest key voting bloc. a poll of iphone and android phone users found 49% plan to vote for president obama in november while 31% support mitt romney. politico notes democratic congressman barney frank's comments that republicans mostly ignored his same-sex marriage, frank said, a couple of republicans congratulated him while years ago he would have expected some nastiness. frank feels "the climate is changing." and the baltimore sun obtained video of former house

speaker nancy pelosi as the life of the party at frank's wedding. she danced to "sharp dressed man" from zz top and its reigning men. that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. now here is your "first look" how wall street kicks off the day -- the dow opens at 12,653 after dipping 83 points yesterday. the s&p dropped 10. the nasdaq sank 29. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyos nikkei down 6 points. in hong kong, the hang seng gained 23. and growing gloom over corporate seams revenue and profits. alcoa report add quarterly loss and lower sales late monday with the dow's biggest loser tuesday. chipmaker advanced micro devices tumbled more than 11% after slashing its revenue outlook. chip equipment maker applied materials fell after announcing it will miss its full-year

estimates. engine maker cummins cut its forecast and plunged almost 9%. european debt worry added to general jitters driving bank stocks lower as the euro pummeled to a two-year low against the dollar. a labor dispute settlement in norway sank oil prices which, in turn, pushed energy stocks lower. struggling research in motion fell 5% on date of its annual meeting, and news it will sell one of its two corporate jets to save $1 billion a year. elsewhere, jcpenney will lay off another 350 at its texas headquarters. 30% there have been axed since spring. the san bernardino, california, city council voted to declare bankruptcy. that's california's third city to seek bankruptcy protection in less than two weeks. and with his city out of cash without negotiation, the mayor of scranton, pennsylvania, cut the pay of city workers including police, firefighters

and even himself to minimum wage. city worker unions launched several court actions against the cuts. and finally, for the third time in the six years cnbc has done a list of the best states for business, texas has finished number one with top-ten finishes in six out of ten competitiveness categories. coming up, an l.a. clippers big man signs for big bucks and the motorcycle racer's pre-mature celebration. plus, the all-star game's lone home run is good enough to win the mvp award. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ] let's say you need to take care of legal matters. wouldn't it be nice if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer? well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support. legalzoom documents have been accepted in all 50 states, and they're backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself.

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. in sports last night in major league baseball summer classic, the all-star game, the national league shut out the merp league claiming home field advantage in the fall's world series. here's nbc's fred roggin. good morning, giant fans stuffed the ballots voted into the all-star game amend the national league is happy they did. the mid-summer classic. nl wasted no time getting on the board. after a double in the game, pablo sandoval xed his name in the books. scoring three in the blink of an eye, the nl up 4-0 and looking for more. capping off a five-run first with an rbi single, in came sandoval. the national league shelf justin start add runaway with it.

the second. nl threatening once again. an act to shallow right, bautista there, a diving grab end mp the inking. only so much the american leak could do. many thought melky cabrera should not be an all-star. the fans got it right. check out melky rounding second trying to get love from former teammate robinson and wasn't having it. who needs a high five when you've got a new car? cabrera win as new car andcamar. national league won. spurs re-sign tim duncan, three year, $36 million. an l.a. clipper the next five years, signed an extension. a classic motorcycle race in italy, russo crossing the finish line first, so he thought. began celebrating his victory unaware there was another lap to go. while russo was fist pumping,

the majority of the field was turning him by quickly turning into the agony of defeat. how many times do we have to say there is nothing worse than premature celebration. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. one too many times, fred. another look at the weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. by far, the worst whether, south florida. miami area, homestead, miami heights, heavy rain right over the top of you now. give it about another half hour or so and this will be gone. so if you can stay at homalities longer, try to do so. in fort lauderdale, the rain heads your way. lighter, maybe a few lightning strikes, too. forecast for today, another beautiful day for all of new england, all wait back through the great lakes. mid-atlantic looks nice. very warm. temperatures mid to upper 80s. this is how july should be. swim, head to the pool. chicago, warm, nice, 90s into

minneapolis. montana, inner mountain west, typical mid-july weather. looking towards tomorrow, we're really hoping for some rain especially in arkansas, lynn, one of the states we've been watching. one of the worst droughts they've seen in a long time. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. coming up, chris brown is challenged in court, and sophia's really big birthday present. plus, tom cruise may have started "mission c : impossible katie holmes had the stunner. leading up to divorce. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ i want to go ♪ i want to win [ breathes deeply ] ♪ this is where the dream begins ♪ ♪ i want to grow ♪ i want to try ♪ i can almost touch the sky [ male announcer ] even the planet has an olympic dream. dow is proud to support that dream by helping provide greener, more sustainable solutions from the olympic village to the stadium.

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say congratulations to kourtney kardashian welcoming her second child over the weekend. we love her. congratulations. weird, though. instead of a boy or girl, the doctor was like -- it's a new reality show! here it is now. start filming now. north korean leader kim jung un may have a new girlfriend. apparently changed her facebook status to, it's forced. my girl. uh-huh. tonight, jimmy welcomes actor elijah wood and actress freda freda, tonight on your local nbc station. time now for entertainment news. when it comes to service, you could say chris brown is getting the lindsay lohan treatment. during a los angeles hearing yesterday a judge ordered brown face an audit of his community work, part of his probation

stemming from his beating of former girlfriend rihanna. the deputy district attorney complained details of how many hours the singer was working and where was unclear. >> okay. i love it. on the record for lindsay lohan. please. tony award winner nina makes her big screen debut playing singer janis joplin in an upcoming biopic. never heard of it. we'll see. katie holmes meticulously planned her divorce from tom cruise from spending every part of the month the last two years in new york to qualify for a divorce there. a red flag? right down to entrusting a friend to obtain a disposable cell phone from her she used to secretly speak to lawyers. calmed a "mission: impossible" work there. just weeks after a most publicized breakup, celebrating her birthday yesterday.

yesterday with the ultimate gift, an engagement ring. her boyfriend nick lowe, of course, just broke up a few weeks ago. so apparently he got her a ring that was a caret for every year, because it is huge. i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. president obama and mitt romney reminisce about the good old days, specifically the 1990s when unemployment was below 5% and the only economic news was good news. the question is -- will this election turn into a tug-of-war over the legacy of bill clinton? in a display of military power, vladimir putin sends a fleet of warships. the question is without russia in its corner, how long will assad be able to stay in power?

joosh finally my producer tell me this is a big deal. last night was baseball's all-star game. the sports' greest players get together to play each other. my question, if they're so great, why can't they catch the ball? it's "way too early" for this. snoot . good morning. i'm jonathan capehart in for the great willie geist and this is "way too early," the show that represents an all-star lineup with nbc hosts. glad yew up with us this morning watching on msnbc on listening live on sirius xm radio. shoot me an e-mail or tweet mere at willie geist1 and let me know why you're awake, well, right now, or do what ka brarp cabrer followed by 622639. we'll read your responses.

and for next wednesday, july 11th a new report out by cnbc revealing the top states for business. the results including the number one state may surprise you. plus, with the olympics just two weeks away, michael phelps is being called out by his teammate for not practicing hard enough. practice? we're talking, practice? we'll have the details behind the accusations coming up. first, let's get to the news live at 5:30 a.m. here in the nation's capital -- mitt romney will address the naacp in houston, texas to try to sell his jobs plan for the economy. unemployment in the african-american community is at 14.4%, far outpacing the national average. yesterday both campaigns focused on granting the other as responsible for sending jobs overseas. >> he likes to talk about outsourcing. he's run some interesting attack ads on me on that topic. it is interesting that when it comes to outsourcing, t