nbc's tracie potts has more on this from washington. trac tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. he will be targeting working-class men. the polls are showing us that while he's doing well with women and some other groups, this is a group that seems to be wavering between president obama and mitt romney. a recent average of the bill polls shows the president with less than a three-point lead within the margin of error. on the fourth of july the president addressed military members who were newly sworn in citizens saying that we need more immigration laws in this country that allow immigrants to stay, like the d.r.e.a.m. act. meantime mitt romney was up in new hampshire add a picnic there, and while he tried to shy away from politics officially, talking about the issues on the campaign trail, he's been wrapped up on whether or not he's been contradicted in his campaign over the health care, is it a penalty or a tax. his campaign says otherwise. tomorrow we'll likely turn the focus back to the economy as new numbers come out for june

>> 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: offic

tracie potts, nbc news, london. >>> severe weather hits part of the midwest and east yesterday. in new york, apassable tornado brought down trees and power lines. there were multiple reports of damaged buildings but nobody was injured. curfew is in effect, while fallen trees and power lines are being cleared, and new york's governor has declared a state of emergency there. >>> meanwhile, the drought affecting two-thirds of the u.s. is getting worse. a new report says 20% of the nation is now in the most extreme stages of drought, and that's a 7% increase in the last week. the states with the worst conditions is colorado, iowa, kansas, nebraska, and missouri, and conditions are not expected to get better anytime soon with a little more rain and intense summer seat unfortunately in the forecast. here is a first look of other news around america today. a brawl erupted outside a missouri courthouse. it's the scuffle after the son of a murder witness approached a group. >> police arrested both men after viewing the fight. >> and the accident occurred after a suspect sped away from po

nbc's tracie potts has more on this from washington. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. six stops in ohio and pennsylvania. the bus will begin just before lunch today and in addition to hitting some key states, he's also going to go after some key constituencies there. polls are showing us that while he's doing very well with women, he's not doing a well with working class men. he will certainly run into a lot of them in the midwest. the bus tour focusing on areas of accomplishment and challenges like immigration policy, swearing in new citizens and talking about pushing laws like the dream act that will allow more citizens to stay. meantime mitt romney in new hampshire at a picnic, not focusing so much on the hard issues, however, he is answering a lot of questions about whether the new health care mandate is a tax or whether it's a penalty. he said in massachusetts it was a penalty, but the stream court says it's a tax and romney said the same yesterday. tomorrow we focus again on the economy and job numbers coming out. >> tracie potts in washington. thanks. >>> well,

tracie potts, nbc news, london. >>> don't miss the coverage of tonight's historic opening ceremony in london beginning at 7:30 right here on this nbc station. >>> severe weather hit parts of the midwest and northeast on thursday knocking out power to more than 200,000 people. in elmira, new york, a possible tornado brought down trees and power lines. there were multiple reports of damaged buildings but no injuries reported. a curfew is in effect with only emergency vehicles allowed on the streets while fallen trees and power lines are being cleared and new york's governor has declared a state of emergency there. >>> meanwhile, the drought affecting 2/3 of the u.s. is getting worse. a new report from the u.s. drought monitor says 20% of the nation is now in the most extreme stages of drought. that's a 7% increase just in the last week. the states with the worst conditions are colorado, iowa, kansas, nebraska, and missouri. and conditions aren't expected to get better any time soon with little rain and more intense summer heat in the forecast unfortunately. >>> now here's a look at some

tracy potts has a preview on the 30 games. >> it is quite a distinctive tea. >> reporter: welcomes the world to the 2012 olympics. around the city, trains and buses are packed. there are traffic jams. heathrow airport seeing record crowds. >> we are expecting a record-breaking 237,000 people to move in ar out of the terminals. >> reporter: europe's largest city has been preparing seven years to host millions of visitors. hundreds of extra troops were added just this week to secure venues like the olympic village, the athletes there are excited. >> putting on a jersey just looking at yourself and knowing that you are the best that your country has to offer. >> reporter: at olympic park, there's an 80,000-seat stadium where tomorrow's opening ceremonies will be held, plus nine of the venues where athletes will compete. swimmers practiced at the aquatic center on wednesday. michael phelps who has won 14 gold medals could be the most decorated olympian in history. >> a lot more laid back i think this time around. not only myself but as a team. >> when i was little, i always said i want to

tracie potts right now is showing us how weather is affecting independence day celebrations coast to. >> severe weather is approaching the capital. you are instructured to leave the area. >> reporter: rehearsal for the capitol 4th celebrations were cut short due to approaching storms. >> we came down here from new jersey, and we're planning to go to the national mall. >> reporter: more than a million people across seven states and d.c. are still without power after last weekend storms. >> a lot of family are asking if i'm all right and if everybody is okay. >> reporter: it could be friday or later before everyone is back on. residents aren't happy. >> every time i call them over the last four days, they act as if it's first time they've heard this information. >> we bought a very expensive generator today. >> reporter: the hod, humid weather isn't helping. >> it's very, very uncomfortable in the house. >> reporter: forecasters predict triple-digit heat across the plains today and thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail possible in the midwest and northeast. it's hot out west, too,

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> time to get a check of the markets before the bell. courtney reagan is live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning, courtney. >> good morning. futures are flat to slightly positive ahead of the opening bell. traders return from the holiday, investors awaiting interest rate decisions from the bank of england. we got the european central bank, looks as if we're cutting. that was expected at least the cut. european markets are higher, asia was mixed. we'll ge a slew of economic reports, private sector pay roll and new filings and the look at the services or non-manufacturing sector. the dow closed up 72 tuesday, we were closed yesterday, to 12,943. the nasdaq added 24 to 2976. that's where we'll open today when the bell sounds. u.s. retailers report their june sales numbers today. total sales are forecast to rise a half percent which would be the smallest monthly gain in three years. consumers have been holding back on spending amid uncertainty about the global economy and slow job growth. flooding in the southeast and heat related powe

tracie potts has more on the precedence this sets for the rest of the games. >> reporter: hi, jim. it was a big day for the u.s. especially in swimming. the united states won a gold medal, but not necessarily from the athlete who expected it. >> who's going to win olympic gold in the 400? >> reporter: in the so-called pool duel, ryan lochte won america's first gold winning the men's 400 meter individual medley by a full three seconds. >> i'm so happy. i have my family right there cheering for me. it's a dream come true. >> reporter: a big surprise, michael phelps barely qualified then ended up fourth. his worst finish in this race since he was a teenager. >> i have a lot of races, so i think the biggest thing now is putting this behind me and moving to the next one. >> reporter: phelps has six more chances to win two medals and become the world's most decorated olympian. in the women's 400 meter elizabeth beisel came in second representing america's tiniest state. >> i'm happy with the silver. it means a lot to me i can represent new england and rhode island. >> reporter: the u.s.

we'll have live reports from our own dan hellie and nbc's tracie potts coming up in the 5:00 hour. visit nbcwashington.com any time for personal profiles of the athletes and the latest on the games. >> and if you haven't been to that website to check out our links and nbcolympics.com, too, it's chock-full of video and photo essays, lots of information, so you know what's going on when you start watching the games. >> exactly, get yourself ready. >> got to know who's who. >> excited! >> 4:36 is the time. ahead, why an 11-year-old's trip from great britain to rome is raising concerns about security at the olympic games. >>> plus, one man's daredevil stunt that is truly out of this world. >>> and brace yourself for another day of extreme heat. what you can expect, next. >>> so, roswell, new mexico, is pretty used to incidents from outer space. the latest is from an australian daredevil who jumped out of a helium balloon close to 100,000 feet in the air. >> oh, my goodness. >> felix baumgartner jumped yesterday this trip only took 3 1/2 minutes with him traveling at speeds up to 536 mi

nbc bay area's tracie potts has a sneak peek. >> reporter: marla, laura, that is the stadium behind me where we will see the olympic games officially begin tonight, the opening ceremonies set for this evening london time. and while much of it is a closely guarded secret, some of the details have begun to leak out. 60,000 will pack olympic stadium tonight for a show called "isles of wonder," the biggest secret in london right now. how will 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 best discovered. >> reporter: even though we can show you some video from the rer her sals the cast of 15,000 is sworn to secrecy. "the daily mail" reports paul mccartney will close singing "hey jude" and ask the audience to join him. mariel zagunis carries the flag for the u.s., an honor she says is surreal. >> absolutely incredible, so speechless. i'm probably going to cry. >> reporter: around olympic park there's plenty for the public to see and do. >> it needs to go under! >> reporter: workers

tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> you can catch every olympic moment right here on wbal tv 11. it all starts tonight before the opening ceremony. you can join gerry sandusky and donna hamilton for the olympic zone. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what event or athlete are you most looking forward to watching during the london olympics? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> as many as 20 residents could be looking for a new place to live after a fire ripped through an apartment complex in randallstown. it took crews close to two hours to put out the flames. everybody inside meted out safely. a firefighter suffered a blow to the head and was taken to shock trauma with non-life-threatening injuries. police know what the suspect looks like in the vi ripken abduction incident. a photo was released yesterday. there is a parade photo now in, d his mom. he has short brown hair and glasses. police believe he is the man that took vi ripken from her home in aberdeen. >> we're using all

tracie potts is in london with the latest on the summer games. earned even inve preschool when the last olympics team won gold. today we will see if jordyn wieber can help retain win. >> we have to put in all the effort. >> michael phelps swims in the two larger meter butterfly today -- the 200 meter butterfly. he could break a world record for the most medals won any athlete. missy franklin is dedicating her gold two shooting victims back in colorado. >> i could never have dreamed it would feel like that. >> look for men's and women's beach volleyball today. , crazy colors and all. the u.s. men's volleyball team looks to defend their gold against germany. women's soccer rebounds. today they face north korea. making his london debut in the boxing ring. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> for more on the 2012 london games, you can go to our website, wbaltv.com. you can follow along with the medal count. >> preparations are underway for this year's grand prix. kim dacey is live with the latest. >> crews stopped working a few minutes ago. this is one

we're going to check in with tracie potts live in london.we can expect from bay area olympians and go behind the scenes with natalie coughlin from the bay area, of course, and that controversial decision to pull her from the pool. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios span of the golden gate bridge. they got some mist out there, too. i guess it's comfortable if you're running outside in the morning. our temperatures, 55 right now, san francisco and oakland. seeing drizzle in the east bay this morning. 58 in san jose. our day planner forecast replaces like san francisco and the coast probably trending partly cloudy by the afternoon. a cool day. even our inland valleys today, mid-70s to some lower 80s inland today in the skies we're seeing right now in san francisco, not too different from the changes we're seeing late this afternoon. right now in london, temperature in the 60s. that's the view you're seeing over

>> taxes and medicare, i'm tracie potts with the latest on the campaign trail, next. >> chances are you either drove in, saw, or heard the rain last night. we'll show you some of the areas that could stay dry. >> and hopefully next rain will hold off for the weekend. big weekend, artscape weekend. the forecast as 11 news today continues right now. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us today. >> a lot of rain fell last night. >> really gully washer. i want to show you something. i want to go back on the radar, and we'll do a little historical thing. anywhere from .75 of an inch to over three fell in this area. a couple of miles could have made the difference. here's what the radar looked like at 10:00 last night. pretty heavy storms from lightning and buckets and buckets of rain falling from carroll county down through central howard county into montgomery county in the d.c. area. by 11:00, that heaviest band of rain is right over the city, and downtown at the science center, 3.05 inches of rain was measured with that. it moved through, and the

>tracie potts is that the stadium to find more about the kickoff. >> 60,000 will pack olympic stadiums for the biggest secret in london right now. how well danny boyle and detained billions of viewers around the world? >> we want the delight of the evening to be discovered. >> 15,000 have been sworn to secrecy. paul mccartney will close singing "hey jude." mariel zagunis will carry the flag for the u.s. >> i'm probably going to cry. >> there is plenty for the public to do nad see and see. workers are putting the finishing touches on the park. michael phelps could win more medals than any athlete in history. >> how many toppings do what one on my sundae. >> archery is the only sporting event happening here today. this wrestler jokes maybe he should be on the security team. >> usually i am my own security. i don't know. you should feel safe because i'm here. >> the olympic torch arrives at the stadium tonight. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> that is the weight mindy feels.indy in all starts before the opening ceremony. the olympic zone at 7:00 p.m. tonight. stay tuned for the opening c

tracie potts live for news london. thank you, tracie. the games kick off right here on nbc4. coverage of the opening ceremony starts tonight at 7:30. wei we want to know who you think might light the calderon tonight. >>> 6:08 is your time. 76 degrees. ahead, the surprising book making the rounds in the nats clubhouse. >>> how robert griffin iii is showing he is just like any other rookie. >>> george zimmerman had one and now his parents have a website as well. the message they are trying to get out. >>> when the sunny sky could ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone likes a bit of order in their life. virtual wallet helps you get it. keep track of spending, move money with a slide, and use the calendar. all to see your money how you want. ♪ >>> right now we're in the 70s. later today we'll be reaching 90. by noontime, mid 90s late afternoon. early evening good get storms. some of the storms may linger until midnight tonight. sent-day outlook at 6:21. a look at traffic now with danella. >> right now first4 traffic report, live look at chopper 4 at fairfax county parkway. nice and

tracie potts is in london this morning with more on today's competition. >> so far, the games belong to 'ryan lochte. >> 'ryan lochte is back in the water today after winning gold in the 400 meter individual medley with a comfortable three seconds to spare. >> this is only the start of the olympics. so i got to keep going. >> today, he competes in the men's 200 meter freestyle. he beat 14 time medalist michael phelps who is looking to set a record for winning more medals than any other olympian ever but he's off to a slow start. he came in fourth. >> it's frustrating. just going to try to move on from here. >> the world's number one skeet shooter competes today. she's also hoping to set a record. >> four olympic medals, two gold, a silver and a bronze. >> one more and she becomes the first american to medal in five consecutive games. look for superstars on the court today. lebron james, kevin durabilint the men's basketball team plays france. today, she'll face the italian she beat at the australian open and take on the romanians with her sister serena. >> olympic gold medalist. >> t

nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on this. tracie, good morning to you. >> hi, lynn. good morning, everyone. it's not just democrats as you mentioned who want to see more of what romney has earned in recent years but now prominent republicans as well. mississippi's governor and alabama's govern calling on him to release those returns. no word from the romney camp that any further release is on the way, and they are not alone. texas governor rick perry, a former republican rival says that romney should be as open as possible. meantime on the other side we've got republicans criticizing the obama campaign for what they're saying about mitt romney. john mccain calls the campaign disgraceful for targeting those tax returns and romney's time with bain. he calls it chicago-style sleazy campaigning and saying the focus should be on the $5 trillion added to the deficit. meantime former new hampshire governor says that he shouldn't have said that president obama needs to learn to be an american. what he really meant is he needs to learn

>> tracie potts for us live in london. thank you, tracie. >>> we will much more olympic coverage for you throughout the morning. >> very exciting. it is now 5:07. reports of a shark attack in a popular summer vacation spot. we'll tell you where it happened and tell you how the victim is doing. >>> and more rain is in the forecast. tom will tell you when it [ crows cawing ] [ male announcer ] strange things happen in the black forest. [ metallic bell toll ] [ car speeding down the road, lightning strikes ] where things aren't always what they seem. [ wolves howling ] because thrills hide in the shadows just waiting at every turn. [ coaster whoosh ] brave the black forest on verbolten. the all-new multi-launch coaster. only at busch gardens. >>> 5:11 on this tuesday morning. starting off warm and muggy. we have temperatures in the mid 70s in washington and nearby suburbs, prince george's, arlington, fairfax, also right around 70 degrees. right near the bay it's in the mid 70s. in the mountains it's in the 60s. hometown foreca

tracie potts, live for news london. thank you. >>> we'll have much more olympic coverage ahead in 40 minutes. dan hellie will join us live from london approximately local field hockey players in action today. >>> another olympic athlete sent packing from london. the remark that cost that person a chance at gold. >>> ahead, new fears along a popular beach after a man is rushed to the hospital. >>> warm start to the morning as you get ready to head out the door. how hot it's going to nchtsds r. >>> around metro area, low 70s. montgomery county, by near time, near 80 and partly sunny. mid afternoon, showers and downpours. typical for much of the region. those are likely continue into this evening. >>> your seven-day outlook at 6:21. danella, how is traffic? >> a live look at 50. volume is starting to increase. for now, checking travel speeds in your area. 53 miles per hour in fairfax county parkway to the beltway, the that drive taking 11 minutes. no issues to report. travel lanes are open. eun and aaron, back over to you.

tracie potts is live on capitol hill the this morning with a look at why mitt romney's wife is now speakingut about her husband's tax returns. good morning, tracie. >> reporter: good morning. lots of questions whether he will release more of those tax returns. ann romney says no need. we've given you everything you need to know and this is no big secret about our finances. there is nothing here to hide. she also slammed democrats for spending what she says tens of millions of negative ads. now, where are the candidates today? president obama is going to be in florida yet again day two, he will be talking about small business. mitt romney today releasing a new ad on small businesses, this is the area he has been trying to hit the president the hardest. talking about exactly what he needs to do in order to get small business back on the right track in this country. but it has not stopped debate about romney and his taxes. this is what his wife had to say. >> he has been a generous man, he gives 10% to his church, he went to the olympics, took no pay, he went four years as governor of massachu

tracie potts live in london. thanks so much. >>> we'll have much more on the olympic games throughout the morning. dan hellie is in london. we want to know, we want to know what your favorite moment of the olympics is so far. let us know on the "news4 today" facebook page. >> my favorite moment was the queen of england jumping out of a helicopter. >> that was your favorite moment? oh, my goodness gracious. i mean the competition. >> the favorite moment of the opening ceremony. that's what you got. >> okay. >> come on. you don't like that? >> it was fun. >>> 5:07 is our time. we've got another story to tell you about. 300 million people left in the dark this morning. we'll tell you what's being blamed for a massive how we're blackout. >>> also ahead, embarrassing blunder for security in london as they try to keep the olympic games safe. >>> not holding back. the harsh response oprah had for a fan who questioned her generosity. >>> hot and humid. the theme of summer here in washington. we'll look at that heat. >>>

. >> for tips to help you feel less burn let's turn it over to tracie potts in washington, d.c. >> goodning. we're relying on the experts at consumer reports who are busting myths about saving money on gas. the dirty air filters not such a big deal because your car has a computer, most, have a computer that monitors the flow of air, warming up the car, not necessa necessary. the new engines don't require it. filling up in the morning when it's cooler not a big deal either because the gas tanks are stored underground so the temperature pretty much stays the same all day. what about going to the no-name gas stations, do they have low quality gas? here's what the experts say. >> no-name gas stations are getting the fuel from the same places as the big name companies. it's all gasoline and your car is happy to burn it. >> premium, not necessarily better unless your manufacturer calls for it. here is one that a lot of people don't know. opening the windows not such a drag on your fuel economy, consumer reports did a test with the windows down at 55 miles an hour, with the windows up, with th

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is life right now in washington, d.c. this morning. one of the good things about having the early shift is it's not too hot yet. what's it feel like? >> reporter: actually, it's starting to get a little warm. you're right. it was great earlier this morning. nice breeze, but we're actually starting to feel a little heat. i know this afternoon it's going to be baking, and don't you feel for those utility crews out there trying to get people's lights back on? now, let me give you a bit of an update here on what's going on capitol hill. they tried to do the rehearsal last night for the capitol 4th celebration, but they ended up having to evacuate because of impending storms. they weren't as bad as last weekend, but they got people off the mall here. the utility crews are working hard to try to correct what happened last weekend. we now have as of this morning less than a million people without power compared to the 3 million we initially had. that's a good thing. the problem is it's going to be really hot today, and not only here but aroun

nbc's tracie potts is live from aloss the pond with details. >> good morning, everyone. keep in mind this is a $42 million show. it's supposed to be a big secret although some details have started to leak out. we understand there are going to be live animals. the closer here, at least according to a daily mail report here, and some others that we've seen, may be paul mccartney. according to "daily mail" he may be singing "hey jude" for the final song and asking the audience to join in. the directors say for the most part they want it to be is surprise. >> we can sometimes seem a bit chilly and not emotional. it's surprising a generous nation. we trying to save the surprise, not because of the secret but the delight of the evening to be discovered. >> "slumdog millionaire" director danny boil talking about the show that he's directing saying that he really wants it to reflect what the british are like and he wants people to be wowed by this. keeping the mind the budget for this is half what we saw in beijing. beijing really wowed us. but the brits here, london, is promisi

tracie potts, nbc news, london. >>> the first world records of the olympics have already been broken by a legally blind archer. of south korea broke his own records for points in archery's 72 arrow competition. and south korea broke the team record for points. he has only o10% vision in his left eye and 20% in his right eye. all he can see when he looks at the target are blurry colors and he aims for the bright yellow of the bullseye. >>> mitt romney will be at tonight's opening ceremony. the republican presidential candidate is back tracking from comments he made earlier this week that london may not be prepared. this morning on "today" show he said he is not only can unvinced the city is ready, but he is impressed with its layout. >> of course, it is hard to put on games in a major metropolitan area and what they've done that i found so impressive, they took the venues and put them right in the city. you are on the back side of ten downing street for beach volleyball. >> are you backing off a little bit because if you look at the papers here in london this morning, governor romney,

"today in the bay's" tracie potts is live in washington, d.c. t east this morning, and tracy no longer in the comforts of your studio. you're out on the streets in the city. how is the weather today? >> reporter: they threw me out here to see how hot it might get. fortunately i work the morning shift and it's that hottier. we know better and seen the forecast and it's going to get really hot. it's tough for utility crews trying to help. mother nature isn't necessarily cooperating. >> severe weather is approaching the capitol and you're instructed to leave area. >> reporter: rehearsal was cut short due to approaching storms leaving visitors hopeful they'll sigh fireworks today. >> we came down here from new jersey, and we're planning to go to the national mall. >> reporter: more than a million people across seven states and d.c. are still without power after last weekend's storms. >> i've had a lot of family from back home call me. are you all right? is everybody okay? >> reporter: uat this times say it could be friday or later before everyone is

nbc's tracie potts is across the pond now with a preview. good morning to you! >> reporter: hi, eun, good morning. good morning, everyone. live from olympic park this morning, that is the stadium behind me where the opening ceremonies will take place tomorrow. 80,000 people kicking off this xxx olympiad. here in the park, it is still closed to the public, but 6,000 colleagues of mine along with the families, coaches, others who are connected with the olympics, and of course, team usa, 530 americans who have come here hoping to win the gold. also a bit of olympic news. we have learned that the flagbearer for team usa tomorrow will be mariel zagunis, the top fencer in the world. after she was announced, she tweeted that she was speechless at being selected. and then also, some of the competition is actually already under way. a preliminary round of the u.s. women's soccer. they won 4-2 over france yesterday. the crowds not only here around the olympic park, but more so in london as people come in, hundreds of thousands of visitors come in. these crowds have been h

nbc's tracie potts is across the pond and she joins us live from london with more. acie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we are inside the olympic park. and as you can see here right behind me, this is the olympic stadium where the opening ceremonies are going to take place tomorrow. 80,000 people inside that. it's actually just 1 of 37 different venues, and those venues are ready for these games to begin. team usa is here. we have seen some of the members of team usa. in fact, some of the games are already under way, preliminary rounds of women's soccer took place yesterday. in fact, the u.s. women won 4-2. around london, it's been interesting. travel and traffic have been a bit of a challenge, probably more so after these games begin. london has warned it will be really hard to get on some of the trains. they're really crowded. we've actually been going back and forth by bus. the buses are getting around a lot easier, although there has been a taxi strike we got stuck in, threats of airport strikes as well with the airport workers, and so that could make t

tracie potts has more from washington. good morning. >> good morning. let's start with the bus tour. the president today will start in toledo, ohio. he will be targeting working class men. the polls are showing us while he is doing well with women and some other groups, this is a group that seems to be wavering between president obama and mitt romney. a recent average, shows the president with less than a three-point lead within the margin of error. on the fourth o of july, he addressed military members saying we need more immigration laws that allow immigrants to stay, like the dream act. mitt romney was up in new hampshire. while he tried to shy away from politics officially, he has been wrapped up in this debate over whether or not he contradicted himself in his campaign over the health care mandate. is it a penalty? is it a tax? romney says the supreme court called it a tax, so it is a tax. his campaign said otherwise. will likely turn the focus back to the economy as new job numbers come out for june. lynn? >>> scientists at the large hadron collid

tra tracy potts is live for us this morning.t is it, the early rounds or something in why is this happening? >> reporter: well, it's a good question and it's a question that a lot of londoners, especially want answered, because they're frustrated, trying to get the tickets. they have been told, well, the only tickets available are the $2,500 tickets or $3,000 tickets and then, you know, the camera sweeps and you see in some cases whole sections with no one there. the london organizing committee is looking into it and think it's corporate seats, blocks of tickets given to corporate sponsors and not given out. not available for you and me and other people to buy online or directly but if the tickets aren't given out, the seats are empty. >> okay. that is so not cool for those of us who would give anything to be there. what about if they have an investigation, tracy, and they find it to be the case, does someone get penalized? is there a problem with this? >> reporter: well, what they're doing now, i mean, they haven't really talke

nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on all of this. tracie, good morning to you. >> hi, lynn. good morning, everyone. it's not just democrats as you mentioned who want to see more of what romney has earned in recent years but now prominent republicans as well. mississippi governor haley barbour, alabama's governor bentley also calling on him to release those returns. no word from the romney camp that any further release is on the way, and they are not alone. texas governor rick perry, a former republican rival says that romney should be as open as possible. meantime on the other side we've got republicans criticizing the obama campaign for what they're saying about mitt romney. john mccain calls the campaign disgraceful for targeting those tax returns and romney's time with bain capital. he calls it chicago-style sleazy campaigning and saying the focus should the be on5 trillion added to the deficit. meantime former new hampshire governor john sununu said he shouldn't have said that president obama needs to learn to be an american. what

tracie potts joins us. >> president obama has some work to do. he plans to start to the in toledo, ohio. he'll be focusing on key constituencies within those states. while the poll shows he's doing very well with women, he's not doing so well with working class men. the president focusing yesterday on immigration as he swore in new citizens saying that we need laws that will allow more to stay. mitt romney tried to stay away from the big issues as he attended a picnic in new hampshire. he's had to deal with discrepancies in his campaign over health care and the penalty for not purchasing insurance. is it a penalty or is it a tax? >> the supreme court is the final word, aren't they? it's the highest court in the land. they said it's a tax. >> his campaign has called it a penalty so he's trying to do a little bit of damage control there as both candidates look toward tomorrow. the focus again will be on the economy. aaron? >> thank you. >> breaking news in the district, an overnight shooting turned deadly in the 600 block of morton street in northw

. >> tracy potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> that brings us to our water cooler question of the day, what are your plans for celebrating today's fourth of july? you can send us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> city police lay out their plan in place for the celebration at the inner harbor. visitors can expect to find a fenced in harbor. last year's fourth of july celebration was marred by violence and stabbing of a tourist and 4-year-old boy. but this year police insist they have a plan to quiet the trouble. >> the cops will be as professional as they always are and be deployed. we have some intelligent men and women that are going to monitor the event, and we're set. >> a mobile police deployment will help get ahead of the rowdy crowd. the command center will have surveillance of the entire harbor. >> the time now 5:08 on tv hill. when it comes to the fourth of july, even the most powerful man in the country is having a party. >> you can watch big-time displays from the comfort of your own home when we cover the nation. >> and a live look of traffic at i-83 and shuwan road. you wi

tracie potts is live on capitol hill with an update on the race for the white house. good morning, tracie. >> reporter: good morning. we mean within 3 percentage points a bit less than that when you average all of the latest big national polls between the president and mitt romney, that's within the margin of error. on his bus tour president obama will try to impress working class men. polls show they are wavering between the president and mitt romney. >> because of your service and sacrifice, all of our troops are now out of iraq. >> reporter: he spent the fourth of july addressing successes and failures telling new citizens we need laws that allow more immigrants to stay. >> why we still need to keep talented youngster who is want to contribute, serve our country. >> happy fourth of july to you. >> reporter: romney was questioned about contradicting his campaign. >> the supreme court has the final word. the highest court in the land. they said it was a tax so it's a tax. >> reporter: romney says his own plan was a penalty that the states can do that. tomorrow the foc

nbc's tracie potts takes a look at first-day action including a big surprise in the pool. >> who's gonna win -- >> in the so-called pool duel, ryan lochte won the first gold winning the medley by a full three seconds. >> i'm so happy. i had my family right there cheering for me. it's a dream come true. >> michael phelps barely qualified, then ended up fourth. his worst finish in this race since he was a teenager. >> i have a lot of races. so i think the biggest now is putting this behind me and moving on to the next one. >> phelps has six more chances to win two medals and become the world's most decorated olympian. elizabeth beisel came in second, representing the tiniest state. >> i'm happy with the silver. it means a lot to me that i can represent new england and rhode island especially here. >> the u.s. earned bronze medals in swimming, and peter vanderkaay placed third in the freestyle. the u.s. men's archery team took silver and the u.s. women's beach volleyball team going for their third gold beat australia. they're pretty excited to be in london. >> thank you, queen. for allowing

tracie potts is live on capitol hill this morning with a look at the controversy.g. >> reporter: good morning. the romney campaign says that this is a big distraction, deliberate distraction by the obama campaign because the president can't run on his record because the economy is so bad. the president today will be in florida a couple of campaign stops in jacksonville, targeting the state's 3.5 million seniors telling them if mitt romney is elected it's going to cost them more to get medicare benefits to go to the doctor and get prescription drugs. the white house says he's not going to let up on the tax issue or the issue of when romney was in charge at bane capitol. romney says the president needs to be focusing on jobs. >> his priority is not creating jobs for you, it's trying to keep his own job. that's why he's going to lose it. >> reporter: we also hear that romney may be announcing a running mate in the next week, possibly as soon as this week according to aides. when he was campaigning in ohio, that it will be a conservative. >> thank you very much. a civi

tracy potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> what are your plans for celebrating the fourth of july? share your response of wbaltv.com and on our facebook page where you can send an e- mail. >> baltimore city police will be stepping up security to make sure this year's fourth of july celebrations at the harbor will be safe for the last year. last year's festivities were marred by a fatal stabbing of a tourist and a non-fatal shooting of a two-year old boy. officers spent most of the day setting up fencing to control foot traffic along the harbor. >> the cops are going to be as professional as they always are. they will be deployed. we have intelligent men and women who are going to monitor the event, and we are set. >> officials say a mobile police deployment will help contain any rouse the crowd before things get out of hand what video surveillance of the entire harbor will be supervised at a mobile command center. the 800 recently laid off employees at the fair rouse. steel mill is getting much needed assistance -- due to senators, grant aid has been allocated to fund training and

nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on all of this. tracie, good morning to you. >> hi, lynn. good morning, everyone. it's not just democrats as you mentioned who want to see more of what romney has earned in recent years but now prominent republicans as well. mississippi governor haley barbour, alabama's governor bentley also calling on him to release those returns. no word from the romney camp that any further release is on the way, and they are not alone. texas governor rick perry, a former republican rival says that romney should be as open as possible. meantime on the other side we've got republicans criticizing the obama campaign for what they're saying about mitt romney. john mccain calls the campaign disgraceful for targeting th

tracie potts with a look at the $3 billion fallout. good morning. >> good morning.laxosmithkline you are probably familiar with some of their well known prescription, paxil avandia, well bu trin and others, they are now facing 3 billion in fines including a billion in criminal fines and 2 billion in civil settlements, the largest type settlement we have seen in a case of health care fraud. doctors according to the case were bribed with hawaiian and european vacations, paid speaking events, concert tickets. for the mos part for prescribing these off label. they admit that they promoted paxil as an antidepressant for kids. it is not approved for children. the same with well bu trin. it's approved for none of that. the reps were promoting it for that. the avandia had a heart risk more than normal. they didn't disclose that. that's now on the label. the bottom line, the ceo says that they learned from their mistakes, some of these happened over a decade ago and while they admit no wrong doing they are signing an integrity agreement, their drug reps will no longer be pai

tracie potts is in the middle of it all in the hardest hit region around the nation's capital. >> good morning. we have power here on capitol hill because around the city, around the area, around the region lots of people don't. 1.8 million at last count still in the dark. and it's hot. 90s, may be hitting 100 again by july 4th, one of the reasons a lot of the jurisdictions here have opened cooling centers so people can come in that have power to try to get relief. lots of crews coming but it's going to take until at least the end of the day friday, maybe some longer. no one is promised power before the end of the day friday. some are getting power on during the week. it's just that the power companies say it's slow going. this was a deadly storm. at last count 22 people had died in the region, and emergencies have been declared in maryland, d.c., virginia, west virginia, and ohio, and insurance companies, they are getting a lot of claims. the rapid response team trying to get claims taken care of quickly. sometimes even by e-mail. >> whatever they can do. bring those people relief. >>

tracie potts joins us live from washington where another day of unprecedented temperatures really gettingay. people having a tough run of it. >> reporter: simply put, people are hot and it's frustrating. and it's frustrating because they don't have air conditioning. 735,000 people, that's three quarters of a million people almost, in this region, the surrounding states without power. that was the count as of last night. crews are making steady progress. it's taking a long time. because this is so widespread. the challenge here is that it's getting hot and hotter. we're predicting to hit 100 today. 101 tomorrow. 105 here in d.c. on saturday. after that we're expecting to get relief into the low 90s and maybe even the 80s which normally wouldn't be considered relief but after all of this triple-digit heat it will be. now, if the crews are making progress we're also tracking what's going on with the weather. isolated thunderstorms as well. nothing as bad as what we saw last weekend. >> real tough run. thank you for the update. >> 6:27. still to come, eating breakfast could affect how you eat