end up getting out of it. >> the soybeans are a little more resilient than the corn. they'll bloom again if we can get some rain. the corn won't. the corn is done. >> it's already threatening to drive food prices to record levels because corn has an impact on 75% of what's sold at the supermarket. >> that doesn't mean that the price at the supermarket is going to go up tomorrow, but it is going to go up next week and it's going to continue to rise for a number of months. >> by a slight margin, the current drought actually covers more area than the dust bowl era drought of 1936. it's bad forecasters say, but not as bad as back then. >> we're certainly not to the point of a dust bowl era or the 1950s yet. >> the latest forecast, though, call for the drought afflicting at least the midwest to actually worsen. chris clackum, nbc news. well, the war of words is

heating up between president obama and republican nominee mitt romney. the campaigns and the candidates were campaigning in different parts of the country yesterday trading verbal attacks. nbc's jennifer johnson has more from washington. >> out of washington and on the campaign trail in the key battleground state of ohio, president obama held a town hall meeting accusing mitt romney of planning to cut taxes for the wealthy and outsource jobs. >> we don't need a president who plans to ship more jobs overseas. i want to give incentives to companies that are investing in you, the american people, to create american jobs, make an american good. >> mitt romney attended a fundraiser in louisiana. the issue of whether he'll release more tax returns won't go away. some conservatives are encouraging romney to just do it. others say the focus should stay on the struggling economy. >> americans are concerned about mitt romney's tax returns. they're concerned about their

tax returns and the new taxes that obama is putting on the american people. >> romney is pushing the same message in this ad. the 23 million americans struggling for work as unemployment sticks to 8.2%. the obama campaign is also not letting romney off the hook on bain capital. filings so romney was the sole owner and ceo of the private equity firm until 2002. but romney says he had nothing to do with bain's dealings that led to layoffs, bankruptcies and outsourcing in 1999. romney supporters say it's another failed tactic for the president. >> things are not going in the right direction. no wonder he wants to try to change the subject. >> portman, a possible romney running mate, campaigned for the presidential hopeful in his home state, ohio. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. well, in what has become an increasingly controversial topic this election year. organizations pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into campaign ads can still keep their top donors and expenditures secret for now.

in a 51 to 44 vote last night, senate republicans united to prevent the disclose act from advancing to the senate floor. democrats backed the legislation which would require independent groups to disclose the names of contributors who give more than $10,000 to political campaigns. last night on the rachel maddow show, montana senator john tester talked about the failure to move the disclosure act. he told rachel, he thinks next time he thinks his colleagues should vote pour it. >> in montana, everybody says they're for transparency, yet, when it comes to voting for it, sometimes they don't. hopefully, hopefully, common sense will prevail here and next time we have a vote whether early this morning or tomorrow, we'll get enough votes to be able to move on to the bill and get it passed. it's the right thing to do for this country. it's the right thing to do for montana and i think it's the right thing to do for democracy

in general. >> lean forward with the rachel maddow show weeknights at 9:00 eastern right here on msnbc, the place for politics. here's your first look at other news going on around america today. in new york, a heart stopping rescue here. alt 7-year-old girl plunged three stories but was luckily saved by a bus driver that came home in time to catch her. he saw her standing on top of an air conditioner unit and tried to convince her to go back inside. when she fell, he was there to make the grab. in that fla, a thief was willing to steal anything he could after smashing into a pizza hut. when he yanked the cash register off the counter and found it was empty. he did the next best thing. he went in the back and stole two boxes of the mozzarella cheese. police hope someone recognizes him so they can deliver him to jail. we need law and order right there. near boston, highway workers got a surprise when they found a

young deer hiding behind concrete barriers. they were about to move the barriers to give morning commuters an extra lane. the crew rescued the fawn, giving the animal a ride back in their truck. when they went about their work. the deer was later set free in the wild. now for a look at your national weather, we turn to bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning. >> we're sure mom was waiting? >> absolutely. they reunited in the forest. >> happily ever after. >> they trotted off. >> we hope. >> good morning everyone. we showed you the amazing pictures at the top of the show dealing with the drought and the how it's going to affect all of us with the corn prices as we go forward. just giving you an example, this is looking at the month of july. for the first 16 days of the month, i highlighted a few spots. this is how much rain has fallen. indianapolis, only a trace. literally a couple drops in the bucket. less than a quarter of an inch from kansas city to wichita.

it's widespread. new england has been dry. from buffalo to boston, barely any rainfall this month of july. yesterday, of course, the ground is very dry. we haven't had the rain. it's very easy for the sun to heat things up. all the areas that i've circled here, almost all of the country was 95 degrees or hotter yesterday. the hottest spot that i saw was rapid city at 103. now, this morning, we're starting off very warm. it feels like 87 in st. louis as you step outside. 85 in chicago. so those are the areas that are going to be favored for the hottest temperatures today. eventually a cold front that is now appearing in minnesota and wisconsin will drop down and cool everyone off. that's still two days away for us. we have heat warnings in detroit and philadelphia. heat advisories many areas of the ohio valley. here's how hot it's going to get today. 100 forecast high d.c., chicago, st. louis, des moines and detroit could be one of the hottest spots in all of the united states today. forecast high expected 102 in

detroit. >> brutal. >> keep going. >> we got nothing to say. >> keep going. >> coming up, wall street ayes stimulus. yahoo gets the woman. the 9-year-old master who already made a million. the first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, rough night for a pair of allstars. the dream team gets a scare and no one is safe from the kiss cam. not even the president. you're watching first look on msnbc. i've discovered gold.

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welcome back to first look. i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top stories making news. a u.s. navy ship opened fire on a small boat racing toward it yesterday in the waters off dubai. the navy says one person was killed by machine gunfire when the smaller boat did not turn away. meanwhile, the aircraft carrier u.s.s sten is is ordered to leave the pacific early to

make sure there are at least two carriers in the middle east. two will stay in the persian gulf area. in syria, armored government vehicles fought with reb nels damascus in what's called the heaviest fighting in the capital since the revolt began 17 months ago. the food and drug administration has approved truevata for use with people with high risk for hiv infection. a canadian news crew was leaving in a boat just as a giant landslide in british columbia knocked down trees and covered the area where they had been standing just moments before. the crew had been covering an earlier landslide that killed at least one person. all right. now here's your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. >> politico reports outsourcing u.s. olympic team uniforms goes

back to at least 2002 when mitt romney ran the salt lake city winter games. but instead of them being made in china, the 2002 versions were made in myanmar, one of the world's poorest countries. when it comes to mitt romney's campaign and bain capital, on msnbc, committee chair debbie wasserman schultz said they need to put their big boy and big girl pants on and defend his record. americans overwhelmingly support the idea of congress raising taxes on the rich by a two to one margin and they believe an increase would help the economy and make the tax system for mayor. hillary clinton on cnn had harsh words for mitt romney's campaign ad that show you her running against president obama in the 2008 campaign. she said those ads are a waste of money. the huffington post says they're -- to repeal the health

care reform bill. the same lawmakers voted to return to the enhanced congressional health care system where they get a sweeter deal than the average american. so how much does the public hate congress? well, a gallop poll says 16% of americans approve of the job congress is doing. in 2005, approval of congress was about 40%. politico reports harry reid's frank description of today's brave new world of campaign funding a group of "angry old white men bankrolling conservative groups that are trying to buy the fall elections." and that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. now, here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,727 after falling 49 points yesterday. the s&p was down 3. the nasdaq dipped 11. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei was up 30 points, in hong kong, the hang seng

skyrocketed 333. the s&p fell for the seventh day out of eight. that's thanks to monday's decline in retail sales. it was the third consecutive monthly drop but analysts forecast a small increase. adding to the gloomy outlook, the international monetary fund trimmed its forecast down to 3.9% from the 4.1% it projected in april. but this morning, asian markets rebounded on hopes all of this dismal data will warrant some hint of monetary stimulus from ben bernanke during his semiannual report to congress today and tomorrow. on the earnings front, citigroup beat the streets estimates. england's drug maker, glasgow smith kline is buying a firm for $3.6 billion. a scathing new u.s. senate report accuses hsbc of a "pervasively polluted culture." alleging the bank failed to --

transfers believed to be linked to drug gangs and terror groups. delta airlines is working with the fbi and dutch authorities after what appeared to be sewing needles were found in sandwiches on four separate flights from amsterdam to the u.s. on sunday. yahoo appointed long time google executive marissa meyer as its fifth ceo to attempt to turn around the struggling search engine. a 9-year-old landscape artist from england passed a million pounds in lifetime earnings after selling 24 of his paintings for just under $400,000. the tigers rally, a twin gets down and dirty. and a tie breaking grand slam. plus, what the president and first lady did when they were caught on the kiss cam. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching first look on msnbc. alking... ♪ oh, come on!

♪ ugh, again! [ sniffs ] that's what i'm talkin' about. [ female announcer ] up to 100% flake-free, flirty hair. head & shoulders green apple.

[ female announcer ] up to 100% flake-free, flirty hair. hey america, even though slisa rinna is wearing the new depend silhouette briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is even under a fantastic dress. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. we invite you to get a free sample and try one on too. welcome back to first look. i'm lynn berry. in sports last night, red won out in the battle of the sox spoiling the return of three-time allstar kevin youkilis to fenway. here's nbc's fred rogan. >> good morning. kevin youkilis made his return to fenway. but even a near perfect night at the plate couldn't get the white sox a win. to boston. youkilis, received a standing ovation, an emotional moment for him. he fed off the electricity. three for four with a pair of doubles. adrian gonzalez spoiled the

homecoming. three-run shot that landed on top of the green monster. gave the red sox the lead. here's the sign you're getting old. david ortiz injured his achilles while rounding the bases. he'll have an mri today. boston won it 5-1. one allstar down. how about two? routine foul ball against the yanks. immediately left the box clutching his wrist. left the game. no broken bones. he'll have an mri today. that was the beginning of the end for the jays. ban yez, that one is not coming back. the yanks won it 6-3. a great catch to show you from the twins ben revere. adam jones laced it to right. revere on his horse leaps and makes the diving grab. check it out one more time. look at ben's eyes. they're as big as saucers as he tracks it down. laid out and made the grab. twins had everything going for hem r them and beat the os 19-7. president obama on hand to watch team usa before heading

overseas. the dream team was off to another slow start. at the half, a 205 run. lebron james led the way. nobody safe from the kiss cam. not even the president and the first lady. after missing an opportunity in the second quarter, they got it right in the fourth. a presidential smooch. the crowd roared and started chanting for more. team usa kissed off brazil 80-69. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred rogan. now for another look at the weather. here is bill karins with the weather channel forecast. >> we got to analyze this kiss cam conspiracy. >> it is the conspiracy. we have an investigative teaming down there as we speak. >> usually you don't get a second chance on the kiss cam. >> it was a good recovery. >> i wonder if someone went up and said hey, give them another shot to get this kiss in. >> not in the doghouse. >> that's right. that would have been the big story of the day. no kiss. >> kiss your wife when you're on television. that's the moral ever the story.

>> any time she asks. good morning everyone. we go through the temperatures today. hot conditions as we've been advertising. could be 100 in d.c. let's track the cold front the next three days. today the cold front is to the northern areas of minnesota and wisconsin. tomorrow it drops over chicago. today is the last day for the heat wave in chicago. finally when we get to thursday, we'll cool off areas of the great lakes and the northeast. unfortunately for the friends in the midwest, the cool air does not really get there. >> cool we use generously. thanks, bill. the premiere of the dark knight rises. charlie sheen gives away a million bucks and who is beyond say a fan of? idol judges didn't agonize over their exits. they were fired. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching first look on msnbc. why not try someplace different every morning? get two times the points on dining in restaurants with chase sapphire preferred.

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welcome back to first look. it's time for a little entertainment news. charlie sheen is giving a million bucks to the uso. their largest donation ever. sheen says 1% of the profits in his new show anger management will go to the military support organization. i have not. have you? >> i saw the first two episodes. it was better than i thought it would be. i wouldn't go to great. beyonce recorded a video and reads a letter she wrote to the first lady this year praising her as the "ultimate example of a truly strong african-american woman." reports say jennifer lopez and steven tyler were both actually fired by "american idol." but they were allowed to spin it as if they left by choice. that's convenient.

perez hilton quotes sources that lopez asked for $2 million in a raise and she was shocked to instead be told she was being let go. with tyler, his option simply wasn't renewed. the ratings have gone down. >> they weren't that good? >> where have you been? the countdown is on. the dark knight rises had the world premiere last night in new york. it opens nationwide on friday. i was informed ann hathaway, the reason she has that short haircut is from a new movie role. >> i love how you take credit. who were you informed by? >> the informative beautiful source was -- >> thank you very much. her new movie, we're not sure what it is. thank you for bringing that up. >> i didn't realize why her hair was so short. >> just wait four to six months, we'll talk about it then. >> somebody let us know if you know at home. we'll find out for you all. how about that? i'm lynn berry.

this is first look on msnbc. stay tuned. way too early with willie geist starts right now. president obama hammers mitt romney for another day on what the president's campaign says is a record of shipping jobs overseas. this is ahead of the dnc tells the romney campaign to put on its "big boy pants and stop whining." the question is how will the romney team make bain go away. marissa meyer is now the ceo of yahoo. how can the one-time engineer change the fortunes of the once great yahoo? the single most exciting thing to happen at last night's tuneup game for the lebron led team usa was the president and first lady on the jumbotron kiss cam. the question is, what were you

waiting for, mr. president? it's way too early for this. good morning. i'm willie geist. this is way too early. the show that's always wearing its big boy pants with an emergency nemo pull-up diaper just in case. if you're listening live on sirius xm radio, shoot me an e-mail. or tweet me at willie geist 1. what are you doing up at this hour is? or do what kevin youkilis does. text the response to 622639. we'll read the best responses later in the show. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this tuesday, july 17th. a lot going on, including the united states navy firing on a fishing boat off the coast of the uae and killing one of its crew. we'll look into what happened there. plus, jon stewart returns from a midsummer's break loaded forbear. going after mitt romney and the mysterious tax returns.

we'll have that clip a little later in the show. first, let's get to the news live at 5:30 a.m. here's 30 rock in new york city. former vice president dick cheney returns to washington today to meet with top house republicans about how to deal with the two-part challenge facing the economy at the end of year. the expiring bush tax cuts and those deep automatic spending cuts. democrats took a hard line yesterday suggesting they are prepared to go over the so-called fiscal cliff and allow those cuts in taxes to take effect if republicans continue to balk at raising taxes on the nation's wealthiest households. >> if we can't get a good deal, a balanced deal that calls on the wealthy to pay their fair share, then i will absolutely continue this debate into 2013 rather than lock in a long-term deal this year that throws middle class families under the bus. >> there was some tough talk from vice president joe biden at the white house yesterday during a briefing on senior's