this morning on "early today," the heat is on. president obama and mitt romney spar over energy policy and key battleground states. texas barnstormer. a fast-moving storm sends an entire structure crashing to the ground. and starstruck. an annual meteor shower puts on a dazzling display of lights. captions paid for by nbc-universal television captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with an energized race. from their respective battleground states the president and his number two traded jabs with team romney/ryan yesterday. they have just 12 weeks to go until november, and all the big issues are fair game from energy and jobs to medicare and wall street.

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: they clashed over energy, barack obama in iowa, mitt romney in ohio with coal miners slamming the president for toughening regulations. >> if you don't believe in coal or if you don't believe in energy independence for america, then say it. >> reporter: wind is one alternative the president pushed. the wind industry now supports 7,000 jobre in iowa. that's worth fighting for. that's what's at stake right now. >> reporter: an election about big choices. that was the president's theme on his iowa tour, and the challengers, romney raised medicare in a new ad. >> now that you need it, obama has cut $716 billion from medicare. >> reporter: that's a cut to doctors and hospitals, not seniors. romney's running mate, paul ryan's medicare plan would keep those cuts and in ten years make private coverage an option. ryan was in colorado. >> a failure of leadership to get the economy growing, to

create jobs, to get our spending and debt and deficit under control. >> reporter: in virginia, vice president biden charged romney would drop tough new rules on big banks. >> unchain wall street. they're going to put you all back in chains. >> reporter: staffers quickly clarified. biden meant deregulation would hurt the middle class. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. elsewhere, the results are in from three republican primaries. wrestling executive linda mcmahon won the senate nomination in connecticut. she spent $61 million combined in the primary in her failed senate run in 2010. in wisconsin, former gop governor tommy thompson fought off three rivals for the senate nomination, and in florida, long-time republican congressman john mica beat a tea party congresswoman to win the nomination in a newly formed district. well, authorities in central washington state say a

fast-moving wildfire has destroyed at least 70 homes there. a fire commander says a 40-mile blaze on the eastern slope of the cascade mountains is now just 10% contained. at least 900 people have been evacuated. meanwhile, as higher temperatures and a lack of rain continue to plague much of the nation, u.s. farmers are still struling to cope with the worst drought in 50 years. nbc's jay gray visited one missouri farming community. >> reporter: for many in missouri and across the midwest, it's never been as difficult as this year. >> this year it's the intense heat we've had with the lack of rain. we've had two measurable rains since april 30th here at our dairy. >> reporter: burned out fields and crack and broken earth while restrictions are in place in town because of low water. >> the drought has been in place

for several weeks. it's not just that we've had 100-degree temperatures but that they started so early. >> reporter: all 114 counties in missouri have been declared disaster areas. 93% of the state is suffering through extreme drought conditions. it's the worst the family has seen in more than 50 years of dairy farming. their ponds are dried up, their pastures haven't produced any hay or a place to graze, so they have to pay for feed, costs that will be passed on to consumers. this is just the beginning of something that's not going to be good for everybody because you're going to start feeling this in a fewths at the grocery stores. >> reporter: until some substantial rain comes down. jay gray, nbc news, polk county, missouri. and all day today nbc news will have in-depth coverage of the historic drought of 2012, how it's affecting everything from the environment to prices you pay at the supermarket. this will be across the many platforms of nbc news. here's other stories making

news early today in america. look at this. a powerful storm blew through northern texas and a homeowner ended up documenting the destruction of his own barn. a home security camera shows the roof being ripped away by winds reaching nearly 70 miles an hour. unreal. the storm damaged several other homes and knocked out power to hundreds. >> in nashville, a ground collision between two planes left one on top of the other. big oops there. the faa says the bigger plane, a gulfstream jet was being towed when it broke loose and ran into the smaller twin-engine prop jet, which had been sitting parked. luckily no one was hurt. in colorado a bear decided to hang out in downtown aspen. the cub was spotted wandering along the ledge of a condo complex just hanging out before making his way to a tree during his escapade. it is one of three area bear sightings in three days. and, finally, in new york, if you can believe it, it is christmas in august.

the radio city rockettes took over the street right in front of our studios here at rockefeller center and they gave the crowd a preview of their 2012 christmas show spectacular. santa claus even braved the less than wintry weather to help the ladies kick off their new season. all right. let's get a check of your nation amm al and regional weather forecast. bill karins has the weather. >> what we're watching out there is the worst dlout of any we've ever seen. this is called a drought monitor and what category of drought areas are in. the brighter the colors, the worst of the drought. notice much of the eastern seaboard doesn't really have much of a drought problem except central georgia. but you notice the bull's eye from colorado to indiana to north texas and oklahoma. is the worst of it.

this is where the heart of the drought has been. here's what you need to know of the drought so far of 2012. we're watching the most severe drought since 198 6. for the farmer's crops it's the worst condition the crops have been in since 1988. an estimated $10 billion is going to the crops. it's a big dollar sign. not for the prices you find in the super markets but the prices we're going to have to pay for all the losses. as far as the rain goes in the drought area, we've had a little bit of relief heading down through north texas. just a lit bit of relief, especially through southern a. not enough, of course, and it's a little too late for a lot of the crops but once the drought goes to the south. a lot of thunderstorms, though, especially up there in new england. that's a look at the national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. chance of thunderstorms with a cold front and area of low pressure moving up through new england today. chance of some heavy downpours. down in florida, a chance of storms also. also a very strong cold front going through the northern plains. a big weather story heading into

the upcoming weekend. a lot cooler air heading to the middle of the country. >> all right. thanks so much. coming up, retailers rise, housing data on deck and the overcharge that gives power failure a whole new meaning. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus rumors of more fallout from kristin stewart's cheating scandal and whether they're true. coming up, an unsung hero, mutiny in the red sox clubhouse, and charlie sheen. you've got to stay tuned for that. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. the former prime minister of syria who defected last week said it's collapsing and the government forces now control only 30% of syria. oklahoma death row inmate michael hooper was executed by

lethal injection last night for the killings of his former girlfriend and her two young children. the u.s. supreme court refused to challenge oklahoma's method of execution. they've upheld the toughest law on cigarette packaging. starting in december company logos will be replaced by graphic health warnings and images of cancer-riddled body parts. the annual perseid meteor shower lit up the skies over ahh. actually tiny pieces of the comet that's been seen each summer for more than 2,000 years. and now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,172 after adding two points. the s&p was down a fraction. the nasdaq lost five. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei fell 4 points while in hong kong the hang seng plummeted 239.

light volume and mixed data proved to be a losing combination for wall street tuesday. investors bought early on news that retail spending hit a five-month high in july, hoping a slumping economy may rebound later this year. however, selling set in after a slowdown and restocking and production signaling companies do not believe that spend willing continue. among individual retailers, home depot got a boost after a healthy jump in quarterly income and a higher outlook. we'll see if that translates to good news for housing related reports due out today. earnings from beauty brand estee lauder looks good sending shares up 9%. meanwhile michael kors with an upbeat forecast. on the downside groupon shed a quarter of its growth after questions were raised about its future. england's standard chartered bank has agreed to pay $340

million in civil penalties over an alleged money laundering scream with iran's government. elsewhere ncr maker. a suspect has been charged and arrested with stealing more than $60,000 worth of computers and personal items from the northern california homes of the late steve jobs. >> and, finally, imagine this. a connecticut woman recently found out she'd been paying the electricity bill for the street lamp outside of her house for the last 25 years. fort senately the power company paid her back with interest in the amount of $10,500. kind of makes you want to check your bill, though, double it. coming, the reds walk-off, double whammies by 1-0 and the yanks' japanese starter tosses a two hitter, plus the wild thing makes his return to the mound. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead.

and this cold front coming down through the northern plains means business. we're going to have some thunderstorms and a lot cooler air behind it. that's coming up. you're watching "early today." take the gamble out of stain removal.

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valentine has turned ugg eed ug. here's fred roggin with all of your sports headlines. good morning. we all know when it rains, it pours. the rox are having a dismal year and they have told ownership they no longer want to play for bobby valentine but the games must go on. mark reynolds hit a pair of homer, capped off a five-run sixth with the second of the game. orioles had their way with the sox. they won it, 7-1. the yanks apz hiroki can rhoda had a complete game. nick swisher belted a home run for the second straight night and new york led it 2-0. mark teixeira followed it up with his own. yavgs shut out the rangers, 3-0. charlie sheen threw out the first pitch. charlie was wild and so with the blue jays. they tried to pick off that

runner at first and that didn't work. white sox were winning. they beat the jays, 3-2. with guys lime kemp you would expect this. three hits, three rbi. dodgers won it big, 11-0. angels need something if they're going to get back in the al west race. maybe this is it. albert pujols, a 3-1 blast against the indians. they win 9-6 and snap a three-game skid. in miami, jim ya recall lynx scored. that was it. from a home run to start a game to a home run that ended the game the reds apz jay bruce with a walk--off shot against the mets. sin they won their fourth straight, 3-0. that's your early look at sports. i'm fred roggin an olympic gold

medalist goes hollywood and which ex is taylor swift singing about now? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. if you ever wanted to own a piece of history now's your chase. you're watching "early today."

welcome ba to "early today." here's what you need to know leaving the door this morning. if you're anywhere from d.c. to baltimore to d.c. to boston there is a chance of

thunderstorms today. also a strong cold front coming through montana today. temperatures were near 100 today. today only in the 60s. that will be the front we'll watch moving across the country from today all the way through saturday. tomorrow that cold front will cool you off from minnesota in the northern plains but spark thunderstorms from kansas city to chicago. well if you're watching us on kark in little rock, arizona, if you ever wondered how video games are made or roller coasters are built, now's your chance to find out at design zone at the museum of discovery. and that's your early "today" event of the day, lynn. >> thanks so much. and now here's an early look athis rns headlines in entertainment. rumors surfaced tuesday that kristin stewart lost major role due to reports of her cheating role. they were quickly countered by the studio which in cysted stewart's snow white could still be a character in the sequel.

as for ex robert pattinson he's landed a role in "queen of the desert." he's doing fine. elsewhere, five-time gold medalist ryan lochte will play himself on an episode of "90210." the animal rights organization peta sent an open letter to lady gaga calling her a turn coat for wearing fur. bobby brown has entered treatment for alcohol addiction. and finally let the guessing games begin. taylor swift has released another song about an ex-boyfriend. you'd think that guys would pick up on this. formers, john mayor, jake jillen har and others are the subject of titles that we are never, ever getting back together just in case the never didn't work out. >> i am so sorry.

>> i am so, so sorry. it's not you, it's me, i swear. and this comes to us from gary owe when, montana, where an entire town can be yours. gary on is the site of the battle of little bighorn also known as general cust ter's last stand and it's up for auction. it was made famous after the seventh cavalry was made. the tourist spot has a museum, a gas station and a sandwich shop. it's sitting on about seven acres. bidding for the town starts at about $250,000. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

>> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. it was a rough night in some neighborhoods last night. things are quieter this morning. we expect a dry morning commute. partly cloudy skies. 66 in parkton. 66 in taneytown. a mixture of sun and clouds. a chance for a shower or thunderstorm redeveloping today. they should not be as widespread as yesterday. we will check the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. >> 4:57. 69 degrees on tv hill.

a wild night for some residents as a major storm sweeps to the area of. >> that means a mess to cleanup. >> maryland lawmakers come to a decision on an expanded gambling bill. >> sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we will let you know if there

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is ready for you to enjoy. delicious granola bars made with the best ingredients in nature. nature valley, nature at its most delicious. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. i am lisa robinson. >> i am stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> it was a wild night last night. >> the storms trained -- it was like a wave