lynn? >> brian mooar in washington. brian, thanks so much. >>> thankfully temperatures are falling in many parts of the country, but the problems created by the devastating recent heat wave are still on the rise. according to the u.s. government, record heat has left corn and soybeans in the worth state since 1988's american farm belt and that means higher food prices could be on the way. nbc's jay gray has details. >> reporter: as a record meet wave finally begins to break, the concern, damage, and deadly effects still linger after temperatures over 100 degrees across much of the country for the past two weeks. >> it's a very dangerous circumstance. >> reporter: the extreme conditions are being blame for at least 784 deaths across 14 states and noaa scientists have confirmed what many of us already have felt. the fix six months of this year have been the hottest on record. >> we've seen worse conditions across the intermountain west stretching into the plains and the ohio valley and that's having a lot of impact on the

brian, good morning to you. >> good morning, lynn. the campaign has taken a negative turn on both candidates. mitt romney accused the obama white house for leaking information for political gain. >> this conduct is contemptible. it betrays our national interest. >> president obama is accusing romney of being left. >> less than honest. the mud-slinging in this presidential campaign has been early and often. the latest poll shows both candidates are taking a hit. president obama's seen negatively by 43% of voters. that's his second lowest number. romney faired slightly worse at 40%. his poorest number yet. ♪ america america >> voters see the obama campaign as slightly more negative. >> he tried. he tried. it's okay to make a challenge. >> 46% of voters say they don't like mom personally. only 31% say the same about the president. that's even though romney is seen as the best to improve the economy by a seven-point margin. both campaigns have eased back on the attacks, but then, again, the conventions are just over a month away. lynn? >>

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with final good-byes. as colorado shooting suspect james holmes sits in solitary confinement this morning, relatives of those killed in last friday's theater massacre have begun the grim task of planning their funerals with the first one being held today. nbc's jay gray reports from aurora. >> reporter: the focus on aurora today turned back to the suspect's apartment. prosecutors and james holmes' state-appointed defenders getting their first look inside, while back at the crime scene, a chain link fence went up around the theater, evidence teams continuing their search as mourners in this grieving city search for some comfort in the wake of the tragedy. >> it's just a feeling of sadness and such loss. such loss for all the families. >> reporter: families like the teves. >> he was one of the best sons any man could ever have, and i've been honored to know him. >> reporter: when the shooting started, 24-year-old alex teves threw his mom and girlfriend to the floor an

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with familiar ground. battle lines are being drawn on capitol hill after president obama proposed to extend expiring bush era tax cuts, but not for everyone. this as the republican-led house plans to revisit the nation's health care reform law. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with the latest on this. brian, good morning. >> good morning, lynn. the house is heading forward for what looks like a show vote, but for the republicans, it's an important show in this election year. >> the gentle lady yields back her time. the gentleman from florida's recognized. >> reporter: house republicans head back into battle today against president obama's healthcare reform law. >> they would make you believe that it's all free, but it's not. it's going to cost somebody, and that's going be the american citizen. >> reporter: the house is brushing aside the supreme court decision upholding the law and senate democrats sure to shoot down any repeal. the senate is already look

lynn? >> brian, thank you. >>> well, all eyes of the world are on london today as anticipation builds for tonight's big opening ceremony of the 2012 olympics. nbc's tracie potts is in london for us with more on the final preparations that are underway. >> reporter: 60,000 will pack london. how will slum dog millionaire danny boyle entertain billions of viewers around the world? >> not because we want it to be a secret, just because we want the delight of the evening to be discovery. >> reporter: even though we can show you some video from the rehearsals, the cast of 15,000 are sworn to secrecy. "the daily mail" reports paul mccartney will play "hey jude." >> it's absolutely incredible. so speechless. i'm probably going to cry. >> reporter: around olympic park there's so much to see and do. >> go under. >> reporter: workers are putting the finishing touches on the park. archery is the only sporting event happening here today. security is tight. fbi agents are helping british soldiers keeping

lynn? >> all right, tracie, thanks. >>> last night on the rachel maddow show, dan rather talked about the refusal to disclose the financial records and he said in his view it's hurting romney's campaign. >> he and his staff must realize that their position is on the defensive. they want to be talking about the economy, the lack of jobs, and barack obama's record. instead, they're against the ropes and they just, to mix a metaphor they're being beaten like a rented mule. and they've got to get off of it. sometime before the convention. i'll be very surprised, i frequently am surprised, as you know, i'll be very surprised if he doesn't release some tax returns. he needs to release at least three to five years and probably eight to ten years. that's more or less the precedent that goes along. if he doesn't do that he's going to stay on the defensive all summer. i just don't see how his staff can allow that to happen. >> don't miss the rachel maddow show weeknights right here on msnbc. >>> a sk

lynn? >> tracie potts for us in washington. tracie, thanks so much. >>> to utah where a southwest airlines pilot wanted in connection with a colorado murder attempted to steal an empty plain from a small airport. the man then killed himself after he couldn't get the plane off the ground. nbc's kurt gregory has the details. >> reporter: a sky west pilot's plans to steal a plane was thwarted. the 40-year-old had parked his motorcycle, jumped a fence to the airport, gained access to a sky westjet and started its engines. according to officials he backed the plane up, then moved it forward clipping the terminal. he was not able to get the plane airborne and instead crashed into several empty cars in the parking lot. a police officer patrolling the area noticed a motorcycle with the engine still warm and shortly thereafter discovered the plane. >> he immediately notified sky west that they had plane in the parking lot with the engines running. they had a person here who was able to come out and shut down the plane. >> reporter: offi

lynn? >> brian, thanks. >> with just four months to go until the november elections new poll numbers find president obama has expanded his lead over his republican rival mitt romney. if the election were held today a new reuters ipsos poll would show obama at 49% and romney 43%. 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 thing the country is on the wrong track dropped 5 points last month to 58%. that's down from 63% in june. >>> the most destructionive wildfire ever in colorado has been 100% contained. the 29-square-mile waldo canyon fire near colorado springs was completely encircled yesterday. two people were killed by the fire. over a three-week period over 350 homes were destroyed, however, two new colorado wildfires were reported yesterday. >>> president obama is expected to make health insurance available for seasonable firefighters doing the work of battling western wooirl

lynn? >>> scientists at the large hadron collider have announced they have likely discovered the so-called god particle. it may explain how stars, planets, even life, how these things were created and held together. science editor, lawrence mcginn tri from itn explains. >> reporter: this is about as excited as scientists get. what god them on the feet was the revelation that the la bore torey had discovered a new particle. peter hicks who predicted it would exist 50 years ago was moved to tears. >> for me, it is really an incredible thing that it happened in my lifetime. [ applause ] >> reporter: back in 1964, peter higgs was one of six scientists said that the particle now named after him should theoretical ly exist. >> it is very satisfying to be proved right in some way. >> reporter: to find the higgs bowes on the accelerated particle in this tunnel of the large hadron collider. they crashed them together producing a large shower of debris that they now know contains the footprint of the

i'm lynn berry, this is "first look."itt romney continues to stumble his way across the globe. this time drawing the anger of the palestinians, who are calling his most recent comments "racist. "the question, has this foreign trip done romney's candidacy more harm than good? >>> syria's top diplomat in london defects, taking a shot at the asass regime out the door and nearly 200,000 flee syria's largest city as fighting between government forces and rebels hit

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with damage control. this was supposed to be mitt romney's debut on the world stage. instead after questioning whether london is up to task for hosting the 2012 olympics, mitt romney's camp is doing battle with a foe arguably more than at formidable than any rival here at home, the english press. nbc's brian mooar joining us from washington with those details. brian, good morning. >>> good morning. mitt romney has been careful not to criticize and he probably should have added london to the list. from mitt romney, a gold medal gaffe, questioning london's readiness for the olympics. >> there were a few things that were disconcerting, stories about the private security firm not having enough people. >> those words made the kind of headlines mitt romney wasn't hoping to see on an overseas trip that was about boosting his foreign policy resume. instead he was forced to practice a little diplomacy. >> shows imagination and forethought and a lot of organization and i expect the games to be highly successful. >>

i'm lynn berry. those story, and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin this morning with dead on arrival. today the house will vote for the 31st time to repeal president obama's health care reform law. the vote comes despite the supreme court's recent landmark ruling that the law is largely constitutional, and zero chance the senate will go along. nbc's brian mooar joins us with more details. good morning. >> reporter: hi, lynn. it is strictly for show but plays to the base of both parties. the house is voting today to repeal president obama's health care law. >> we are standing here for the american people against the largest middle-class tax increase in the history of the united states, and we will not stop until we are ultimately successful. >> reporter: democrats point out this is the 31st house vote on obamacare. >> one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. >> reporter: the next big fight is, who gets a

i'm lynn berry.hanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. the day, today on your nbc station. happy fourth of july. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with no relief.n many parts of the nation, it was a fourth of july for the record books with record heat as an early summer heat wave continues. meanwhile in the mid-atlantic crews worked through the holiday to get the power back on after last week's deadly storms. nbc's john yang reports from chicago. >> reporter: across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat. >> it's definitely really hot. >> reporter: chicago had only its second triple-digit force since it began keeping records. milwaukee set an all-time record high for the day as did madison, wisconsin, south bend, indiana, and paducah, kentucky. minnesota's half marathon was cut to five miles. philadelphia's fourth of july parade, marchers swelter as they passed independence hall. similar scenes in st. louis where they hit triple digit for weeks. the oppressive temperatures with highs near the 100s from the plains to the atlantic are the result of a massive hot air stalled over much o

lynn, the weekend forecast looks a lot like today. i think a lot of us will be okay with it. >> thanks so much. >>> coming up texas instrument breaks the junk. wells fargo breaks the practices and one cup of joe for the morning road. >>> plus, we'll tell you what film is set to end the quick reign of spider-man at the box office. >>> coming up an impressive start for the usa basketball and one olympic hope is done forone mem of the d.r.e.a.m. team. 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. syrian activists are reporting a new massacre of more than a hundred people yesterday in central hamas proshs. reports of more than 200 killed with a would-be most serious massacre. >>> "the washington post" reports that michelle obama was allegedly the tar debt of a threat by a plev in the district of columbia. the officer said he would shoot the first lady and use his phone to retrieve a picture of the firearm he said he would use. >>> se

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with going to extremes. relief could be in sight for millions of americans who have endured nearly a week of record-breaking heat, but the dangerous heat wave forecast to break this weekend in many parts of the country is still not over yet. nbc's dan sheneman has the story. >> reporter: 92 degrees before 9:00 a.m. the temperature eventually soared to 108, two degrees high of the city's all-time record. the city's heat is blamed for this buckling pavement sfroo from wisconsin to texas, you're seeing streets buckling all over the place. >> reporter: with no relief in sight for friday, they've canceled all of summer's classes. it's much the same for the nation as far north as milwaukee. to make matters worse, hundreds of thousands of americans are in their sixth day without electricity after last week's storms. they're still waiting for relief from the heat and their frustration. >> when they told me july 8th this morning, i cried. it's -- i couldn't believe it. i had actually broken at that point. >> reporter

i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning.ecretary 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 gaine

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. >> reporter: president obama spends one last night in the bay area before heading out from sfo this morning. i'm christie smith. coming up i'll tell you how the fund-raisers went and what's next. >> plus, an unsettling court appearance for the suspect in the colorado shooting spree. what is next for james holmes. >> a south bay family torn apart by immigration laws. how a community is rallying around them to help. >> a live look outside on this tuesday morning, beautiful bay bridge. all aglow. this is "today in the bay."

i'm lynn berry. >>> hello. i'm lynn berry, and today we begin with dazed and confused.e made his first input before we make any decision. >> reporter: aurora's mayor says the shattered community must now figure out how to work through the tragedy emotionally. >> we've got to try to find a way to go on. if we let this guy win, then we've made a horrible mistake. >> reporter: that will be toughest for families of the deceased and 58 injured in more than 20 hospitals. her mom worries how it may affect her recovery when she learns the magnitude of the attack. >> she asked me the times whether mouthing it or writing it, is everyone else okay. >> reporter: most understand it will be a long time before anything is okay. jay gray, nbc news, centennial, colorado. >>> well, the presidential candidates are back on the campaign trail following the tragic shootings in colorado. what's more cause for stricter gun control laws. mitt romney will be in nevada while president obama heads to oregon. >> reporter: a somber day on the campaign trail following the tragedy in colorado. veteran

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a possible explanation. new information has surfaced about the suspected gunman in last week's colorado theater shooting that claimed 12 lives. law enforcement officials say james holmes mailed a package to the school he attended containing detailed writings about killing people. nbc's jay gray has details. >> reporter: federal agents tell nbc news, james holmes the suspect in the movie theater massacre told them where they could find what could be key evidence in the case. the normal neuroscience graduate student apparently told investigators about a package he sent to university of colorado's medical campus in aurora. police found the package unopened in the mail room. inside they described what's described as handwritten details about killing people. as the investigation continues, so does the mourning here. >> i'm overwhelming by the tragedy of all of this and the senselessness of all of this, and, i mean, the people taken. >> reporter: people like 51-year-old gordon cowden, the oldest victim of the mass

i'm lynn berry. >>> hello. i'm lynn berry, and today we begin with dazed and confused. he made his first courtroom appearance in colorado on monday. nbc's jay gray reports. >> reporter: at times wide-eyed and seem yig up set, this is the first time james holmes has been seen since his arrest. >> he does look fairly -- seems like demonic or something like that. >> his hair dyed bright red and pinch fitting reports he told police he was the joker after the massacre he was disengaged looking at times like he was struggling to stay awake. formal charges in the case will come next monday. prosecutors say the decision about the death penalty is months away and they'll discuss it with survivors and families of the victims. >> that's a very long process that impacts their lives for years so they will want to have and we will want to get their input before we make any decision. >> reporter: aurora's mayor says the shattered community must now figure out how to work through the tragedy emotionally. >> we've got to try to find a way to go on. if we let this guy win, then we've mad

i'm lynn berry. this is your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> well, one city park in belgium has a very creative way to take on loitering. loudspeakers have been installed to broadcast classical music. city officials believe the music will deter teenagers and prowlers from hanging around. and while some teens call the music boring others are going to come to park every day simply because it was playing music. maybe not such a good idea. >>> in china teens are showing off their skills at one event at the robotic competition. the kids are trying out their designs in various ways. the highlight, robot soccer games played on a podium the size of a ping-pong table. a mini soccer ball sends out flashes of infrared light traced by robots which execute pre-programmed game procedures based on the ball's movement. >>> and, finally, one furry rodent in kazakhstan has become an overnight sensation. a video of a gopher living under the launch pad of a rocket bound for the international space s

cold front coming down, lynn. cools almost everyone down by thursday. >> we use that cold front loosely. bill, thanks so much. >>> well, wall street eyes stimulus, yahoo! gets their woman, and the 9-year-old master who's already made a million. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus, all for show? reports say the "idol" judges didn't agonize over their exits. they were fired. >>> coming up, a rough night for a pair of all-stars, the dream team gets a scare, and no one is safe from the kiss campaigning, not even the president. you're watching "early today." #. >> announcer: "early today" is brought to you by caltrate. back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. a yus navy ship opened fire on small boat that was racing toward it yesterday in the waters off dubai. the navy said one person was killed by machine gunfire when the smaller boat did not turn away. >>> meanwhile the aircraft carrier ussstennis is leaving early to make sure there ar

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we're going to begin this morning with that holiday heat. in seven states and the district of columbia, more than 1 million families are waking up to a fifth day without any power and air conditioning on this independence day. fireworks displays are being cancelled to let police and fire crews continue relief efforts in a region where the weather will only get hotter through the holiday. nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: it's miserable on margaret drive. in tacoma park, maryland. a tree that tore down wires friday has not been touched. some homes got power back, then lost it. and the pets are sweltering in lynn quarrel's home. >> first of all, i'm definitely worried about my cats because, i mean, heat isn't good for any animal and a lot of them are suffering right now. i'm more worried about myself. >> reporter: maggie sterner, blacked out since friday, got power from neighbors till theirs went o

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. the day, today on your nbc station. have a great weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> reporter: closing statements could begin later this morning in a hayward courtroom where hans reiser is being sued by his own children for the murder of their mother. i'll tell you what's expected coming up. >> the city of los angeles waking up to a calmer situation out on the streets after police in riot gear had to break up a crowd of protesters. we'll explain what happened. >> a security breach and a big one at yahoo!. it's more widespread than thought hitting other companies as well. >> we'll hit you up with a live shot. that is the golden gate bridge in san francisco

and that's your "early today" event of the day, lynn.htning bugs. >>> and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. >>> steven tyler has announced and he did this yesterday he's kicking himself off "american idol." calling the show over-the-top fun, saying he loved every minute of it referring to it as his mistress. tyler said he now wants to concentrate from his band saying, quote, i strayed from my first love, aerosmith, and now i want back. >>> meanwhile on the "today" show in what washington calls, quote, her latest stop on her, quote, it's so hard wherever to stop her "american idol" tour. she may also leave the show to do more film and show work. who would be left? randy. wow. >>> elsewhere taylor swift beat out justin bieber on forbes' ranking of highest paid selects under 30 years old. swift earned $57 million to bieber's $55 million. >>> and finally at the box office, "ice age: drift" is the only new wide release. it's expected to take the top spot with at least $50 million. knocking that "spider-man

i'm lynn berry, this is "first look."itt romney continues to stumble his way across the globe. this time drawing the anger of the palestinians, who are calling his most recent comments "racist. "the question, has this foreign trip done romney's candidacy more harm than good? >>> syria's top diplomat in london defects, taking a shot at the asass regime out the door and nearly 200,000 flee syria's largest city as fighting between government forces and rebels hit an all-time high. >>> finally, morrow olympic gold for the united states. matt grevers and missy franklin dominate in the pool. can michael phelps and ryan lochte reclaim dominance after a few disappointing races? it's "way too early" for this. good morning. i'm mike barnicle, this is "way too elderly," the show that just finished doing laps at the senior center down the street. glad you're joining us. as always, let us know why are you awake, shoot an e-mail at waytooearly@msnbc.com o or @williegeist. or text the word awake followed by your response to 692639. and

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a deadly confrontation. the man who shot and killed trayvon martin is speaking out for the first time. in an interview with fox news channel sean hannity, george zimmerman, who's free on bail while awaiting his trial, gave his account of what happened on that fateful february night. nbc's jay gray has the story. >> reporter: his message was clear and direct. >> i'm not a racist, and i'm not a murderer. >> reporter: in an interview on fox news channel hannity's show, george zimmerman discussed in detail the night he shot and killed trayvon martin, saying it was the unarmed teenager that initiated the deadly confrontation. >> he started bashing my head into the concrete sidewalk. i was -- as soon as he broke my nose, i started yelling for help. >> reporter: it was during that fight, he says, that both he and martin reached for the gun strapped to zimmerman's waist, a gun he fired one time, taking the teenager's life. zimmerman said he didn't regret following mart

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more straight ahead. 234is is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin this morning with going to extremes. relief could be in sight for millions of americans who have endured nearly a week of record-breaking heat, but the dangerous heat wave forecast to break this weekend in many parts of country is still not over yet. nbc's dan shen minh has that story. >> reporter: 92 degrees before 9:00 a.m. another hot day just beginning in chicago. the temperature eventually soared to 103, a new record for the day. just two drips shy of the city's all-time record. it's blamed for this buckling pavement. >> happening from wisconsin to texas you're seeing streets buckling all over the place. >> reporter: to no relief in the forecast for friday. chicago cancels all summer school classes. the same for much of the nation. 102 in south carolina to 103 as far north as will walky. making matters worse, hundreds of thousands of americans are in the sixth day without electricity from last

i'm lynn berry. some of the top stories, the u.s. are threatens bashar al assad's government with global sanctions unless he agrees to a peace plan and a syrian general from assad's inner circle has reportedly defected. >>> a new parliamentary report in japan says the fukushima crisis was preventible resulting from a solution by the plant and regulators, criticizing the power company and the prime minister who resigned last year. >>> a satellite view shows the scorched earth left by the waldo canyon fire in colorado surrounded by the red false color image of trees and plants. firefighters in the western states are getting a little help today from heavy rains. >>> a big oops in san diego where the big fireworks display was really big on the fourth of july. that's because the entire evening's program of fireworks exploded right away all at once. this due to a technical glitch. >>> and england's prince william has been given scotland's highest honor. queen elizabeth, prince william and william's wife kate attended the ceremony awarding

i'm lynn berry, and today we begin with drying up. an unsettling new forecast predicts this historic drought stifling more than half the country will likely continue into fall. the bad news for food prices down the road, but as nbc's chris clackum reports, there may be a silver lining right now. >> reporter: contrary to what you may think or may have been told, it may be months before the worst drought in 50 years drives up food prices. in fact, meat prices are headed down. >> we would anticipate in the short term actually food prices for beef, poultry, pork may go down a bit. >> reporter: there's a lot of livestock being rushed to market because there's not enough corn or feed for them to eat, which means meat prices may eventually go up, just not right now. >> this beef today may be $4 a pound. it could easily be $5 or $6 a pound a year from now. >> reporter: however the u.s. agricultural secretary is worrying about short-term gouging on grocery items. >> and we want to make sure people understand that now's not the time they should

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a deja vu debate. the house of republicans voted again to repeal the affordable health care act. while the senate will not debate or vote on the appeal, the house insisted on making its election year point. nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: it's a vote on obama health care that will not change the law. >> we all know this bill will pass the house and die in the senate. >> reporter: but republicans want to show their resolve to kill what they call obama care. >> this bill's making our economy worse and driving up the cost of health care and making it harder for small businesses to hire new workers. >> reporter: democrats warned against repeat. >> it closes a door to wellness that's now just being opened to over 30 million americans. >> reporter: house republican leaders have held just 30 votes to help kill the obama law it's time for the republicans to end their relentless session of taking away health care benefits for millions of americans. >> reporter: but like cong

i'm lynn berry.e are some of the top stories making news this morning. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton officially expressed regret yesterday for the accidental killing of 24 pakistani troops last fall. pakistan has reopened supply routes into afghanistan now that the u.s. has offered an apology. >>> the food and drug administration has approved the first over-the-counter oral home hiv test. the test provides results in 20 to 40 minutes. >>> california prosecutors will not file charges against former commerce secretary john bryson for his role in two car crashes. bryson was found unconscious behind the wheel of his car last month after suffering a seizure. >>> clayton osborn, the jet blue pilot who left the cockpit during a march flight and screamed about religion and terrorists was found not guilty of interfering with a flight crew by reason of insanity. he will be sent to a federal mental health facility for further examination. >>> in new york's coney island the defending champions of nathan