this morning on "early today," hot holiday. it's a frustrating fourth for more than a million americans still without power in the stifling heat. america's favorite sheriff, remembering an american icon tv legend andy griffith. and hot dog. speed eaters wgh in for a famous fourth of july tradition. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry, and today we begin with this holiday heat in seven stated and the district of

columbia, more than a million families are waking up to a fifth day without power and air conditioning on this independence day. fireworks displays are being canceled to let fire and leaf efforts continue in regions where it will not only get hotter throughout the holiday. nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's miserable on margaret drive, in takoma park, maryland. a tree that tore down lines on friday has not been touched. some got power back and lost it and the pets are sweltering in lynn quarrel's home. >> first of all, i'm definitely wired about my cat. heat doesn't do any good for any animals. i'm more worried about myself. >> reporter: nancy blacked out since friday got power from her neighbors. >> i feel outraged and totally beside myself about this. >> reporter: she's furious about pepco. i've called pepco every day

about my situation uks the tree down around the corner, the power lines down the street. every time i call they act like it's first time they've heard this information. >> reporter: pepco regional president thomas graham. >> we're just white sorking thrt the best we can. >> reporter: they had to brick in power crews as far away as florida. they're working 16-hour days but the job is jie gigantic. fourth of july fireworks have been canceled by many municipalities. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. elsewhere fire crews are still battling fires in western states. in colorado firefighters made progress against the two most destructive fires that had forced tens of thousands out of their homes. near colorado springs 346 homes

were destroyed and 28 square miles burned. six of the air force sea 130s are back in the fire fight after being grounded because of sunday's fatal crash that killed four crew members. the dry conditions and risk of fire has prompted dozens of cities and towns in the west to cancel their independence day fireworks displays as well. well, president obama is remembering actor andy griffith as someone 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 fikszal north carolina town of mayberry and assigned the

inept but loveable barney fife. the homespun humor and whoilsome story telling made a hit. eventually he moved on screen to the big city. the drama of "mat lock" cast him as a folksy atlanta attorney. >> oftentimes people will fool you. >> reporter: he grew up in the north carolina town of mt. airy. his first career success came in 1968 with a hit record. >> they wanted this kid to play with. >> oh, heck, no, sir. i'm plo. >> you're what? >> permanent latrine orderly. >> reporter: "no time for hits" was a broadway hit. he'll always be known as sheriff of mayberry and opie's pa.

>> that was a good idea. >> you know it was. >> reporter: mike barger, nbc news. well, now, here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. this video shows a car that launched into a rocket. the road buckled from the heat. it looks like a stunt. the car was headed in the wrong direction. amazingly no injuries. they can learn the hard way. a woman suffered minor burns on her foot after the canisters used to shoot the fireworks in the air tipped over causing the pyrotechnics to go out of control. organizers just proves their point about fireworks safety this holiday. and finally in chicago it was canine chaos as a fugitive fido was able to stay one paw ahead of the law. get it, bill?

>> mm-hmm. >> police hounded the dog as he ran along interstate 55, but they were no match for the fast-footed four-leger who've had time to stop for a sip of water, but he was no match for the expert dog expert who caught up with him. he's dehigh dried and had a minor cut, but he's adorable. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. usually i leave the puns up to you but i decided to take the reins for you. >> you see what it did for my career. i feel better than i sound. good morning, everyone. we have rain this morning. don't be confused. it's not going to ruin your fourth of july plans as you look out the window this morning especially in areas of new england and southern

pennsylvania. it will be long gone by this afternoon. the sun will come out and get hot in a hurry. but we have light rain to deal with. the rain's coming down through much of new hampshire, all the way down to springfield and move into boston, providence. all of connecticut, too, you'll have showers, maybe a brief downpour this morning. up toward the poconos, light rain this morning. new york city will probably see some sprinkles. we probably had some thunderstorms. one over the top of pittsburgh currently. this will shift to the south here. altoona, you're just about done. hagerstown, you'll get a few and dry out. the big story, amazingly hot. all the way through portions of new england. this is going to push through the great lakes and then new england will get into the heat and humidity, especially the second half of today and into tomorrow. we have heat warnings in effect from areas of illinois, detroit, back through chicago, and up into minneapolis.

we're talk 1g 01 in many areas in the northern plains. the incredible heat wave continues. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look outside your window. even after morning clouds and after the showers, once the sun comes out and the hot air arrives if there the midwest and the ohio valley jumping to the mid-90s from charlotte all the way up to new york. a few storms are possible this afternoon. so it looks like a few showers and storms later in the areas of the east but the showers are this morning. >> thanks so much. we need you to cut back on all that partying to preserve your voice. coming up, crude creeps up, auto sales impress, and england's soccer team sets a lofty goal on wall street. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, who's on the top of hollywood's list of highest paid actors. serena unloads at wimbledon,

a pair of walk-offs and the nets get their guy. 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. secretary of state hillary clinton officially expressed regret of the accidental killing of 24 pakistani troops last fachlt pakistan has reopened supply routes in afghanistan now that the u.s. has offered that apology. the food and drug administration has approved the first over-the-counter oral home hiv test. it produces results within 20 to 40. bryson was found behind the wheel of his carafe suffering a seizure. clayton osbun was found not

guilty of interfering with the flight crew by reason of insanity. he will be sent to a federal mental health facility for further examination. and what do you thing of this? the national oceanic and atmosphere igsic administration has declared a statement denying mermaids. did we need to clear this up? it came after an animal planet show on mermaids which foolied some viewers with images. u.s. markets will are closed for the fourth of july market. 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 nudged up 37 points but in hong kong, the hang seng lost 25.

stocks closed near highs yesterday. a near expected rise in factory orders cheered investors who were kiss were disappointed by monday's report. the price of crude rose to its highest level since may after iran renewed threats in response to a european embargo. oil shot up nearly 5% to settle just under $88 a barrel. apple touched $600 a share after they rejected samsung's request to lift the sale of its galaxy tablet. barclays chief officer became the third as part of an interest rate scandal which already claimed its ceo and chairman. england's manchester united soccer club signed paperwork. better than expected monthly

auto sales drove ford and general motors higher. toyota also got a boost from its improving sales. and finally speaking of cars, check out this little guy. a tiny ultra compact electric model. only about 8 feet long and 3 1/2 feet wide. the single-seater goes. o's near perfection and big serves pave the path for wimbledon finals. plus a milwaukee brewer crashes his ways to extras. . your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in this forth of july forecast, record heat continues in many areas it's going to continue. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports it appears the nets collected the right pieces for all-star point guard deron williams who agreed to re-sign with brooklyn. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the fourth of july celebration came a day early in brooklyn. deron williams made his decision he's sticking with the nets. brooklyn re-signed him to a

five-year, $8 million deal. and according to sources, they're still not done. to hockey, jagr is heading to the northwest. he signed a deal with the dallas stars. the eighth leading scorer in nhl history had a 56-points with the season. the sausage race wasn't the only thing that went down to the wire with milwaukee. jose with his third home run. it puts miami up 12-11. the lead is short-lived. the bottom of the inning. one on for ramireramirez. brewers win a barn burner 13-12 in ten. more late-winning heroics, this time in pittsburgh. after the astros tied it in the ninth the pirates drew sudden win in the bottom of the inning. first homer of the year, pirates walk off with a 9-8 win.

casper wells spoiled everything with a bomb to left. all was not lost. orioles held on to beat the mariners. and finally 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. and that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. which movie does r. kelly claim broke up his marriage? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus preparations are under way for a fourth of july tradition as patriotic flags, parades and fireworks. you're watching "early today."

well, happy fourth of july to everyone out there. record heat today. very hot. actually dangerous heat with humidity too. many areas of the plains through the lower great lakes and the ohio valley. we'll have a chance of thunderstorms in the east, but most of those will be this morning in new england. tomorrow, by the way. a repeat of today with 100 possible in d.c. if you're watching us on wvir, nbc 29 in schaar logtsville, virginia, in nearby fairfax celebrate independence day at a star-spangled celebration in the historic district. and that's your "early today" event of the day, lynn. all right, bill.

thanks so much. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. a new spidey casting a web. the amazing spider-man starg andrew garfield and emma stone pulled in $7.5 million in midnight shoes alone on monday. analysts say it could debut with $120 million for the six-day holiday stretch. not going to be bad. some good news for tom cruise who's facing the wreckage of his marriage. thanks to mission impossible:ghost protocol, he's retained the spot of highest paid actors. >> wouldn't you think justin bieber made more. >> these are actor. last yearley nar dough dicaprio tied for second place with adam sandler. thank you for weaving the biebs into our segment. ben stiller with $33 million.

and finally r. kelly reveals in his new memoir the "notebook" inspired him to divorce his wife of 12 years in 2009. he realized his marriage couldn't stand up to ryan gosling and rachael mcadams romance. its is the holtd battle of neat versus man and women. the defending choins of nathan's fourth of july international hot dog eating contest had their weigh in ahead of today's annual showdown. record holder joey "jaws" chestnut came in while sonya "the black widow" tipped the scale at 100 poundets. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

even mother nature a bit patriotic this morning, a gentle cool breeze. don't get used to that today, though. good morning. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm eun yang. welcome to this july 4th, 2012. happy independence day. one person died in an apartment fire if fire broke out just before 2:00 this morning near 17th and r street southeast. the fire forced many families who were asleep out of their beds and into the street. the cause of the fire is under investigation.

another round of storms causing problems for our area. >> severe weather is approaching the capitol. you are instructed to leave the area. >> storms cleared crowds on the west lawn of the capitol last night. they were there for the rehearsal for tonight's capitol fourth concert. both pepco and dominion say storms caused new power outages. even before the latest round of storms customers in the dark and without air conditioning were addressing frustration. we found homemade signs in bethesda. those pepco customers there say they haven't seen a utility vehicle yet. nearly five days after the storm, nearly 125,000 people in the district area do not have power. pepco reports 62,000 customers without power right now. dominion says 36,000 people are without air conditioning. bge reporting 30,000 people in our area don't have power. novec reports 300 outages. smeco is down to fo