the truth. do you think he's telling the truth now? do you trust him to be president of the united states? "first look" is up next. tax tug-of-war. mitt romney reveals his tax rate, but ignores calls from the obama campaigns to release his returns. living on the edge, a surging river in alaska puts one home on the brink of destruction. and body double. wax likenesses of prince william and his wife kate arrive in germany just in time for tea. hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on m tsnbc. and today we begin with health and taxes. the battle over medicare continued on the campaign trail

yesterday with teams obama and romney trying to convince voters young and old that their plan is the most financially fit. meanwhile a mitt romney bombshell about his personal tax rate has sparked fresh controversy. nbc's claire leka joins us from washington with more on all of this. claire, good morning. >> good morning to you, lynn. yes, mitt romney called the interest in his personal tax returns, quote, small-minded, but it looks like it's been an issue that's dogged him all summer long, and if the obama campaign has its way, they want to keep his millions front and center. you could call it taxgate. republican presidential hopeful mitt romney says he won't release more tax returns. but while explaining how his medicare plan would work using a whiteboard in south carolina yesterday, he did give his clearest explanation yet of what he's paid to uncle sam. >> i did go back and look at my taxes and over the past ten years, i never paid less than 13%. i think the most recent year is

13.6% or something like that. >> romney has already made his 2010 tax return and estimates of what he paid in 2011 public. team obama isn't satisfied. they still want proof. >> this brought the income tax debate back to the forefront after we had spent so much time talking about medicare, about the ryan pick. >> meanwhile in ohio, romney's running mate paul ryan stayed on message, questioning medicare's current funding. >> do you think raiding medicare to pay for obama care is an achievement? >> no! >> neither do i. >> in richmond, virginia, romney tried to get the focus off his personal finances and back onto the hot button issue this week. >> my plan makes no change whatsoever for seniors. none, zero, zip. anyone 55 years of age and older sees no change whatsoever to medicare. >> now, the president and the vice president will attend a second day of meetings at the white house today while romney heads to his home state of massachusetts.

in washington i'm claire leka. lynn? >> all right, claire. thanks so much. last night on the ed show, congressman gave his take on both romney's taxes and his tax policy. >> listen careful. he said i paid 13% in taxes. what kind of taxes? are we talking about fees on his five cadillacs, are we talking about payroll taxes, or are we talking about federal income taxes? that's not clear. but more important than all of this, ed, is where is his mind on tax policy? he's made it very clear, his tax policy that he's put forth and also with vice president designee ryan would reduce mitt romney's taxes last year to 0.82%. less than 1% would he have to pay under his proposed tax policy. >> lean forward with the ed show week nights at 8:00 eastern right here on msnbc, the place for politics. well, ahead of what could be

a close presidential election, a federal court has awarded four early voting days to five florida counties. last year florida's republican-led legislature slashed the number of early voting days for the entire state from 12 to 8. well, last night the u.s. district court, which has jurisdiction in collier, hardee, hendry, hillsborough, and monroe counties reinstated the extra days in those areas because it found the new law would make it difficult for some minorities to cast a ballot. elsewhere last night on nbc's "rock center," mitt romney's wife revealed a health scare she had during the republican primaries in march. ann romney said the stress and strain of her husband's campaign led to a, quote, little bitty flare-up of her multiple sclerosis. she told "rock center" it was just a reminder that she can't keep up that pace. romney was first diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 1998, and her condition had been in remission after treatment. with wildfires raging in the west, oregon is the latest state to declare a state of emergency,

authorizing help from the national guard. at least 70 major fires are burning in 13 western states. authorities say a fire in washington that's destroyed 70 homes and more than 200 structures is now 33% contained, and firefighters hope to fully contain it by sunday. meanwhile several structures in washington are being called miracle houses because they survived despite being completely surrounded by flames. all right. now here's a look at some other stories making news today in america. in alaska it's not a question of if but when this house teetering on the edge of a river will finally give way. the house is falling victim to erosion caused by rushing water, the result of an unusually large amount of glacial melt caused by this year's hot weather. well, crews are standing by to clear out traffic on bridges along the river just in case the house stays intact and comes racing downstream.

well, to pittsburgh where after planning it took just seconds to blow up a bridge. it's part of a construction project to build a new interchange. a barge and a crane will remove all the steel sent plunging into the allegheny river. in new york another kind of explosion wowed the crowd, but this one was strictly for entertainment. a film crew set off a blast to shoot a scene for the hbo series "boardwalk empire." and, finally, in new jersey, it is a commuter's dream come true. the lincoln tunnel was turned into a racetrack if only for a day. the formula one driver hit speeds of over 190 miles an hour. this was all part of a promotional shoot. by the way, the regular speed limit in the tunnel is 35 miles an hour, but you're lucky to even go that fast. well, now for a look at your national weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> i want to ride an indy car. >> that's every dude's dream.

>> you know the blue angels occasionally take people up. i'd much more likely to do that. >> i want to keep feet on the ground. >> indy cars are fun. they make those cool noises, too. well, good morning, everyone. yesterday we did see the cold front moving through the middle of the country. a lot of us will have such a beautiful weekend ahead especially if you're in the heartland all the way back through the ohio valley and great lakes. we did get beneficial rains yesterday in indiana, even a little bit last night in arkansas, missouri. got a good soaking this morning in areas of tennessee. and now those thunderstorms are drifting down towards alabama and mississippi. we're relatively dry it for everyone on the eastern seaboard as we start our morning. so that's good and it will be a warm morning. this is where the big fall-like cold front is located, right over the top of ohio, down through kentucky. it will be hot out ahead of it and then we'll cool off on the east coast as we go throughout the upcoming weekend. so as far as the rainfall this morning, the worst of it is through alabama and mississippi. we have thunderstorms, a lot of lightning near columbus and as

we go through birmingham, these are knocking on your door. and it looks like we're dry through most areas of arkansas, a couple new showers forming up here to the northeast corner. so this temperature change as you walk out the door this morning, really roll the windows down. there may be a few people in northern minnesota turn their heater on in their car this morning. 25 degrees cooler right now in kansas city than this time yesterday. so what are the temperatures like? we're in the 40s this morning. i'd probably turn the heater on at 46 degrees in fargo. 48 there will up in duluth. so you see where the cool air is. eventually it will make it to the east coast, but not until most likely saturday afternoon and sunday. there will be a warm day with temperatures near 90 today and there will be some late afternoon storms. so the east coast, today eat transition day. maybe the last really hot day for a while. >> finally. okay. thanks so much. coming up, building permits boom. another stumble for facebook. and what's the worst state when it comes to handling an iphone? your first look at business

headlines are straight ahead. coming up, the dodgers are fighting mad, adrian beltre does it all and the best bobblehead night ever. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. look at those toys. insurance must be expensive.

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welcome back to "first look." here are some of the top stories making news this morning. reuters is reporting the u.s. and its allies are discussing a worst-case scenario for syria that could require tens of thousands of ground troops to secure chemical and biological weapon sites following the fall of president bashar al assad's regime. ecuadorian officials have granted asylum to wikileaks founder julian assange wanted for questioning in a sex crimes case in sweden. assange is holed up in ecuador's london embassy. he's been there for two months. english officials say he'll be arrested when he steps off the premises. the centers for disease control and prevention is recommending all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis c to see if they have the liver-destroying virus, which

can go undetected for decades. >> in a surprise development, government officials say u.s. carbon dioxide emissions have dropped to their lowest level in 20 years, mostly due to many power plants using natural gas instead of dirtier burning coal. and it was tea for two in berlin where madame tussauds unveiled new wax figures of -- prince william and the duchess of cambridge. the wax royals were invited for afternoon tea at the english embassy. now a look at scam belled politics. in response to john mccain telling fox news he thought president obama should dump joe biden and run with hillary clinton, white house press second jay carney said, quote, one place i would not go for advice on vice presidential running mates is senator mccain. huffington "post" reports john sununu thinks president obama is taking too much credit for killing osama bin laden.

sununu joked obama's left arm is about eight inches longer from patting himself on the back. this as mitt romney said in 2007 it's not worth quote moving heaven and earth just trying to catch one person. speaking in ohio, rick santorum played the religion card warning catholics supporting president obama is a sin. one time obama assumer former alabama democrat will speak at the republican convention. he told the "washington post" he'll focus on failed themes from the obama's 2008 campaign. and donald trump's big surprise at the republican convention is predicted it will be some idiotic video. he called him a joke in political circles. it turns out an obama impersonator just posted a picture with trump on facebook.

jessica alba will host and pit bull are will perform at the democratic convention's closing party. and finally president first kiss now wife michelle outside a chicago ice cream shop and now there's a 3,000 pound granite marker and plaque to prove it. and that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. and now here's a first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,250 after jumping 85 points yesterday. the s&p nudged up 9. the nasdaq zoomed up 31. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei climbed 69 points, while in hong kong the hang seng rose 153. well, strong earnings from cisco and some upbeat economic data stimulated stocks thursday. cisco's impressive earnings report and boost to its dividend put the tech leader at the top of the dow thursday with a 10% surge. also getting investor attention, the biggest jump in building permits in four years, which signals more economic activity down the road. the housing report also

helped push the price of crude higher for a third straight day. oil prices added more than a dollar to settle just below $96 a barrel. but the day's gains were capped by weak earnings at walmart, which the world's largest retail chain blamed on americans living paycheck to paycheck. walmart sank 3%. facebook fell to a new low thursday, sliding 6% after the social network's early backers had their first chance to sell since its botched ipo three months ago. sears said cost-cutting helped narrow its quarterly losses, but sales continue to spiral at the struggling retailer. on the upside, petsmart climbed nearly 5%, thanks to better than expected earnings. the justice department approved verizon wireless' $3.9 billion purchase of wireless spectrum from four of the nation's largest cable companies, including comcast, the parent company of this network. however, strings are attached to the deal to protect consumers from a verizon monopoly. and just how clumsy are you with your iphone?

well, blame it on the state you live in. one of the nation's largest warranty providers based on a study of everyday iphone breaks and damages, they found mississippi is the nation's clumsiest state. well, preseason football action, avoiding a big apple sweep, and coming through on your own bobblehead night. plus, a difference of opinion with the umpire gets a dodgers slugger and his skipper the boot. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. out the latest collection of snacks from lean cuisine. creamy spinach artichoke dip, crispy garlic chicken spring rolls. they're this season's must-have accessory. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. you tell us what you want to pay, and we give you a range of coverages to choose from. who is she? that's flobot. she's this new robot we're trying out, mostly for, like,

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welcome back to "first look." and in sports the texas rangers rallied against the yankees yesterday, avoiding a four-game sweep. here's nbc's fred roggin with an look at your sports. good morning. after losing eight straight in the bronx, the rangers finally got it right. they picked up a win against the yankees. adrian beltre did just about everything for texas. rbi single in the first, and the rangers had an early lead. but adrian's best stuff was in the field. ichiro laid down a bunt, beltre bare-handed it and gunned it down to get one of the quickest players in the league. then in the third, derek jeter with a shot down the line. adrian was there. threw out the captain from foul territory. beltre and the rangers won it, 10-6. 33,000 showed up for chipper jones' bobblehead night, and chipper put on a show for his adoring fans. belted a home run in the first. the 40-year-old still has some pop. 2-0, braves. then in the fifth, chipper again with a blast, this time to straightaway center. they need to have bobblehead night more often.

braves beat the padres, 6-0, two for chipper and two for the mvp ryan braun. he hit a pair against the phils. brewers snap a three-game skid, 7-4. are you starting to see a trend here? the pirates' garrett jones also hit two homers. took joe blanton deep in the first. then again in the fifth. dodgers not happy about the home runs or about umpire angel campos. don mattingly, matt kemp, and blanton, all ejected for arguing balls and strikes. dodgers lost the argument and the game, 10-6. how about some football? nfl season is about three weeks away. the packers' aaron rodgers looks ready to go. 20-yard strike to jordy nelson. that was it for green bay. they phoned in the rest. the browns won it, 35-10. falcons and bengals, andy dalton trying to avoid a sophomore slump. he found a.j. green in stride. 50-yard touchdown. cinci won it, 24-19. but it's only preseason. they'll start playing for real on september 5th. cowboys and giants kick off the season on nbc. that's your first look at

sports. have a great weekend. and now for another look at weather, here is bill karins. you know what that means. >> weekend forecast. don't scare all the wives out there quite yet. >> you'll lose them in a few weeks. >> very shortly. it actually has a football fall feel to the upcoming weekend. temperatures have plunged. the humidity is going to be way down throughout much of the great lakes, ohio valley and midwest. the exceptions will be down along the gulf coast and then the eastern seaboard looks like you probably have to wait until sunday for a pretty nice day. still warm in the west and that's where we have the fire concerns. let me take you through the weekend forecast p for the most part, about a top ten three day stretch here for the chicago area all tli the great lakes. 74 and sunny today in chicago. enjoy that. still warm up the eastern seaboard, cold front won't come through until saturday. so afternoon storms.

humidity in the air. rain lingering especially new jersey shore line saturday morning. but by saturday afternoon, we should get rid of that mess and you'll like saturday afternoon and evening. once again anywhere in the south, the deep south from texas through the southeast, the cold front will stall out, it won't push through the deep south this time of year. hardly ever does. and that's why we'll continue the chance of thunderstorms even into sunday. and then the beautiful weather will arrive in areas of new england. we could be in the 70s in many spots on sunday. it will be partly cloudy with low humidity, should be very enjoyable. lynn, this is the weekend so many people that have dealt with the drought and the heat wave, the low humidity and the cooler temperatures, it's a sign of things to come. >> it's a good thing. thanks so much. coming up, we'll break down all the new movies at the box office this weekend, including those action heros in their advanced years quote/unquote. a return to the silver screen. >> you're going to say it? >> i didn't say that. your first look at entertainment

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it's movie time because it's friday. a group of aging action heroes, they're going for number one at the box office. it's "the expendables 2." it's supposed to finish number one. sylvester stallone co-wrote the sequel. for the first time in eight years. jean-claude van damme, chuck norris, jett lee, jason and bruce willis also star.

it should take in $35 to $40 million. all right. "sparkle" was supposed to be whitney houston's comeback film. instead it was her last coming in second. paranorman is about a boy who battles ghouls, witches to save his town. and finally the odd life of timothy green stars jennifer garner and it's about a couple without kids and they find a unique one at their door. it's going to wrestle for a spot in the top five. every time i see the preview, it makes me -- >> a little itchy? and the ghouls and goblins movie, why wasn't that released close to halloween? >> really that's your analysis?. >> because it's summer and that's when all the kids are out of school. >> you you know there are halloween costumes in some of

the stores already? >> i saw christmas decorations. i'm lynn berry. willy geist is next. professor mitt romney breaks out the dry erase board doodling his medicare plan before giving his most detailed answer yet on high school tax returns. the question is with each passing kay that romney doesn't focus on the economy, isn't that a victory for the obama campaign? and wildfires burn out of control across 13 states out west. destroying entire homes and communities thanks to record temperatures and drought. the question is, whether will be any relief if sight for the middle of the country? and finally, the stock market declines facebook's friend request with shares of the social media giant hitting shocking new lows after many original investors jumped ship. the question is, does mark zuckerberg whose fortune is being cut by the billions hav a plan to make the