Its thursday, june 19th, 2014. Good thursday morning. Im richard lui. Its just after noon in iraq at this hour, and the region is reacting to president obamas impending decision on military action. One of the key bases, the u. S. Could fly from is in turkey. Its Prime Minister warning just this morning u. S. Air strikes would result in a serious number of civilian deaths, something washington does not want. Nbcs tracie potts joins us now from washington d. C. Whatever the president does, he says he is willing to go it alone. Reporter we heard democrats and republicans coming out of the Leadership Meeting with him saying the president does not think that he needs to go back to congress to get approval if he decides to take military action in iraq. Reporter u. S. Navy planes and drones are flying over iraq this morning gathering surveillance. Its not as easy as looking at an iphone video of a convoy and then immediately striking it. Reporter the white house says president obama is still considering whether to order air strikes. We are very intensely vetting each of the possibilities. The president has not ruled out anything except for sending u. S. Combat troops into iraq. Reporter Top Democrats and republicans who met with the president wednesday said afterward whatever he is considering will not need congressional approval first. The president is taking some heat from republicans who questioned whether he is taking the threat from Al Qaeda Linked militants seriously. While the president flies out to golf games and fundraisers, the iranians are moving in. Reporter as of today sunni militants have taken five cities and are fighting for six more. Despite a powerful attack, iraqs Largest Oil Refinery is still believed to be under government control, but an iraqi oil official says exxon and bp have already started evacuating workers even though theyre nowhere near the fighting. Back live and back to that help that you were talking about at the top of the show, richard. Even though the white house is yet to respond to iraqis, leaders saying, where he, well send our planes. Well help you out with air strikes. What they are saying to the Iraqi Government is this. Dont expect us to solve your problems. Put aside your differences and fight this enemy on your own. Tracie potts live in washington with the very latest. Thank you so much with that. The crisis has triggered a heated debate over president obamas strategy. Take a listen. The policies of the last six years have left america diminished and weakened. Our enemies no longer fear us. Our allies no longer trust us. This is not primarily a military challenge. Iraq needs help to break the moment wrum of extremist groups and bolster the capabilities of Iraqi Security forces, but there is no military solution that will sustainably solve iraqs problems. Something that is helping the u. S. Intel efforts. A mole revealing secrets of the militant group isis. Some analysts saying the mole has offered some very credible information. The info comes from a mysterious twitter account created about six months ago. The handle . Wiki baghdadi. It includes the real identity of the militant groups elusive leader, and just days ago there were tweets about their plan of attack. Now, as some of you pay more at the pump, it may not be because of the conflict in iraq that were talking about. Theres a new Bipartisan Senate proposal that would raise federal gasoline and diesel taxes by 12 cents a gallon, the first hike in more than two decades. It would help fund highway and transportation programs. This could be a risky move, though, ahead of the midterm elections. Tax hikes, as many of you know, not so popular among voters. The world has become a less peaceful place, evidently. So says the institute for economics and peace in a new ranking. The top three most peaceful rankings are ice land, denmark, and austria. The three least peaceful are south sudan, afghanistan, and syria. The United States ranked at number 101 out of 162 countries. Part of americas low score was attributed to the impact in the Boston Marathon bombing. Rankings for each country are based on terrorist activity, the number of conflicts fought and number of refugees since 2008. A florida woman stands accused right now of branding her two young children. 23yearold Kayla Oxenham has been charged with child abuse. Shes accused of burning her kids, ages 5 and 7, with a lighter and a stick. Now, oxenham, a medical assistant, apparently told her children that she forgot how much she loved fire and thought the brands would help identify them as hers. She is currently out of jail on bond. In one Washington State town theres a problem with a drug called spice, or synthetic marijuana. The latest case, a 19yearold man allegedly high on spice slamming his car into a vancouver home on wednesday. Massive structural damage resulted there. Luckily, the occupants of the house were reportedly away on vacation. Local police saying this is the second spicerelated car crash of the week. Its not even over yet. The National Guard and red cross are helping a small town in south dakota that was. Wexington springs. So far no fatalities have been reported. Bill karens its amazing no injuries, no fatalities. Hopefully they were all underground. You and i have been to those locations before. Its always amazing that the people are okay. Its the third town in three days in areas of nebraska and south dakota. Overall, this is the third day in a row of our major Severe Weather outbreak. We went three days in a row with over 300 storm reports. About 1,000 storm reports in the last three days. Including over 100 tornado reports. A lot of wind damage reports along with the tornadoes. The Severe Weather threat will be around washington d. C. To Virginia Beach and also from minneapolis all the way back down. Just outside of oklahoma city. A lot of the same areas that weve been watching. The main culprit in the midwest has been the spinning storm in the upper levels of the atmosphere. Its been taking its sweet time. Its still spinning over montana. Another piece broke off and is headed through wyoming. Thats going to cause additional strong storms during the day today. Its also brought up the snow up there in areas Like Glacier National Park in the mountains of utah. Its still awful chilly behind that storm. Theres not a lot of rain to had. That storm is exiting. Dry thursday. In many cases temperatures will be right around where they should be for this time of year. Thats your national ds. I wouldnt expect a lot of wet weather. Speaking of not expecting a lot of wet weather, i think a lot of locations in the west are looking at another week before any rain chance. Staying where they should be. You dont say that often anymore, do you . Its nice when it happens. Ill take average. Thank you, bill, so much. The Washington Redskins are hit where it hurts the most. Plus, where do the sexiest people in the worldcom from . Would you pay 5,000 to find a mate that looks exactly like your ex . Details in two minutes. For paul ridley theres no substitute for advil. Its built to be as fast as it is strong and fights pain at the site of inflammation. And made for people like paul, who believe nothing should stop you from achieving your goals. Not doubt. Not fear. And definitely not back and shoulder pain. Advil has the strength and speed to help you move past pain and make today yours. Advil. Make today yours. But have you been on an airplane lately . [ man ] man, this things got a lot of onions. I really wouldnt survive it without this scarf. And i have tide plus febreze. It gets it fresher for longer. Getting ripe in here, huh . [ female announcer ] tide plus febreze. Thats my tide plus. [ female announcer ] tide plus febreze. And these Little Angels build in strength. And that little angel says, weeeeeeeee 60 more sheets than charmin. Everything you want and the value you love. Angel soft. Help keep teeth clean and breath fresh. With beneful healthy smile snacks. With soft meaty centers and teeth cleaning texture,its dental that tastes so good. Beneful healthy smile food and snacks. When you find the one. You just know. New almay smart shade makeup made it easy with just three skintoneadjusting shades to choose from. Not hundreds. New almay tonemimic technology intuitively transforms to your skintone. Its my one. And only. Almay. Welcome back. The Washington Redskins will probably keep its trademark for the near future. Thats because it will probably soon appeal to u. S. Patent and trademark offices cancellation that happened on wednesday. They called it disparaging to americans in a 21 decision. A huge blow in the business in nfl merchandizing. Two executions. Florida convicted killer john Russell Henry put to death last night. Two other inmates were killed just hours prior in what was the first series of executions since the last lethal injection in oklahoma. Joe kamal all over again. Egreat companies under fire on capitol hill. Reps from the Tobacco Industry disputing lamz that ecigs are marketed to kids because of flavors like chocolate crush. Senator jay rockefeller. Simply stated, children and teens should not be guinney pigs as we await more conclusive research. Elsewhere on the hill the annual congressional womens softball game. Andrea mitchell giving the playbyplay, but perhaps the best part of the game came before it started. Gabby giffords threw out the first pitch. Her tweet, bet you my first pitch will be better than yours was. According to Political Blog 538 republicans have a lot to worry about this coming november. Even though president obamas low Approval Rating may be hurting some democrats, the republicans who control congress are even more disliked by the u. S. Public. Texas governor rick perry is overseeing a major surge of Law Enforcement operations on the southern border. Residents want to battle the influx of illegal imfwrags into the state. Advocates say text technical should work with those entering the country and not against them. Runoff for incumbent thad cook rin and chris mcdaniels. Neck and neck at the polls. Now brett favre is getting in the game here. Ive learned through football that strong leadership be can be the difference between win and losing. When it comes to our states future, trust me, mississippi can win and win big with thad cochran with our voice in washington. You saw there in that new ad from the u. S. Chamber of congress. The runoff between cochran and mcdaniel will take place next week. Heres what not to do the next time youre a mexican drug lord. Book world cup tickets with your real name. Ing. Now, Brazilian Police arrested him in rio on his way to watch the match. Not so smart. Time to get down to business and be smart. Retail gasoline prices are at a sixyear high on the heels of the unrest in iraq. Triplea saying theyre expected to remain high as long as tensions continue to escalate. Four 5,000 match. Com will help you find a mate that looks just like your ex. Do you want that . Yeah. Thats right. Fashl recognition, the dating site will help you find that familiar face. I dont know. A somewhat eccentric chinese millionaire is slowing a 1 million lunch in new york city for the poor. Its scheduled for june 25th at the famous central park boat house. In addition to lunch diners will also walk away with 300. Line up for that one. Buffalos Michael Thomason has just sold his 11,000 video Games Collection which earned him a Guinness World record for a whopping 750,000. Where can you find the sexiest men and women around the world . According to a survey by the travel dating website miss travel, the sexiest women are brazilian, russian, columbian, british, and filipino. The sex where iest men are australian, italian, british, scottish, and spanish. Let the discussion ensue wherever you are at. Just ahead, a big no no in dodger town as seattles Richard Shermans scuffle at seahawks camp. Also, things get out of hand, and fans are injured at the world cup. Plus, the newest golfer to qualify for the u. S. Womens open is still in the sixth grade. On progressive direct and other Car Insurance companies . Yes. But youre progressive and theyre them. Yes. But theyre here. Yes. Are you. There . Yes. No. Are you them . Im me. But the lowest rate is from them. Yes. So thems best rate is. Here. So where are them . Arent them here . I already asked you that. When . Feels like a while ago. Want to take it from the top . Rates for us and them. Now thats progressive. Call or click today. It used to take me forever to get a smoky eye look just right. Until i discovered this. Almays intense i color collection for my hazel eyes. Almay intense icolor in four color collections you have to try it for yourself. So simple. So me. Almay. This morning on today its been 25 years since the classic baseball movie field of dreams hit the theaters. Today they head back to iowa and catches up with the cast. Thats up mechanics. 27th anniversary. Now to the latest in sports for you. L. A. Pitcher kershaw pitch aing no hitter. His first of the season and second for the team. He threw 107 pitches and struck out the first 15 batters in an 80 gem. Lets celebrate. A soldout world cup game creates a security nightmare. Chile fans storming americana stadiums entrance. A few injuries resulting. Glass doors shattered. A temporary wall knocked over. Security says about 85 people were detained. Most of them with no tickets. Those spain fans with tickets . Maybe they didnt want them either. Chile shuts out topranked spain with two goals. Its the first time a reigning champ is knocked out of the world cup after just two matches. Yeah, my bracket is dead. The netherlands barely holding on to beat ahs rail wra. The aussies 21 lead did not last long. The dutch sinking two more goals for the win and clinching a spot in the knockout stage. A onesided game from cameroon. An early red card for cameroon for throwing his elbow. What are you doing there . Right on another players back. Cameroon has to play a man down. Croatia gets the win 40. It was a seattle feud. Cornerback Richard Sherman and receiver phil bates came to blows. It was asome practice play. A little preseason, my friends. What are you doing . Aim ji van dyken is headed rehab after a freak atv accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. She spent 12 days at an arizona hospital after severing her spinal cord. Van dyken, as you see right there, in good spirits saying im so thankful to be alive. Meet the 11yearold thats qualified for the u. S. Womens open. The womens open. The youngest player ever to do this. Loose where i lee is a sixth grader. 51, weighs less than 100 pounds, and dont let those pig tails fool you, my friends. She can hit her driver 230 yards. She teed off today a little earlier this morning. Just ahead jae seinfeld vacations are lives kelly ripa, and new news about pope francis and the amount of time he is taking off this year. Youre watching early today. The congestion sufferers il who feel like theres a brick on their face. Who are so congested, it feels like the walls are closing in. Who are so stuffed up, they feel like theyre under water. Try zyrtecd® to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. So you can breathe easier all day. Zyrtecd®. Find it at the pharmacy counter. When you find the one. You just know. New almay smart shade makeup made it easy with just three skintoneadjusting shades to choose from. Not hundreds. New almay tonemimic technology intuitively transforms to your skintone. Its my one. And only. Almay. Help keep teeth clean and breath fresh. With beneful healthy smile snacks. With soft meaty centers and teeth cleaning texture,its dental that tastes so good. Beneful healthy smile food and snacks. And these Little Angels build in strength. And that little angel says, weeeeeeeee 60 more sheets than charmin. Everything you want and the value you love. Angel soft. Because you cant beat zero heartburn. Woo hoo [ male announcer ] prilosec otc is the number one doctor recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 8 straight years. One pill each morning. 24 hours. Zero heartburn. Fwhen you find the one. Ne for 8 straight years. You just know. New almay smart shade makeup made it easy with just three skintoneadjusting shades to choose from. Not hundreds. New almay tonemimic technology intuitively transforms to your skintone. Its my one. And only. Almay. Welcome back. As we were talking about a chilly morning in the intermountain west. The storm kick out this afternoon. Nice day for boise, salt lake city. Much of california will be okay after some clouds this morning. A little bit friday. We do have showers m forecast. As i mentioned, do not expect a lot of rain. This isnt really a big system. Over the next seven days we barely get a drop in the bucket in portland. Just a little bit in seattle. Much of the west continues to be the dry spot in the country. You been to boise before . No, thats one place i would love to go through. Catch a Football Game someday. Exactly. Exactly. In boise. Now for entertainment news. Josh groban, boy george, and Rufus Wainwright paid tribute to greece during the show at the toronto luminato festival. They were joined by a host of other singing stars, including steven paige and ezra of Vampire Weekend for a spirited rendition of summer night. Ah, the Summer Nights well, oh well, oh well tell me more, tell me more did you get very far tell me more, tell me more does he have a car not as high as i would have liked. Well, whats the deal with the selfies . Jerry seinfeld has made an instagram debut with his wife jessica there posting this pic from the duos trip to greece. Good shot. Where they vacation with their three kids, by the way and family friend kelly ripa was also there too. A goodlooking bunch, huh . Theyre doing all right for themselves. Yeah. Richard lui, this is early today we hope its just your first stop of the day on nbc. Great rates for great rides. Geico motorcycle, see how much you could save. It used to take me forever to get a smoky eye look just right. Until i discovered this. Almays intense i color collection for my hazel eyes. Almay intense icolor in four color collections you have to try it for yourself. So simple. So me. Almay. Leading the news in the washington post. The attorney for tsarnaev say the city of boston is too prejudice and that washington is a more favorable location. Tsarnaev has pled guilty to 30 charges stemming from the boston hair that thon bombing. On nbc. Com hotel refuses reservations with family with service dog. A family said they tried to book a stay at a best western in batonrouge, and the reservations were turned down because of their service dog chip. Some other stories to watch for on had thursday. The vaticans news service reveals the pope has suspended all wednesday general audiences next month and morning masses at his residences for the summer. This fuels speculation that the pope may be ill. According to the a. P. Shelly sterlings legal team wants to halt harassment towards the doctors that determined the l. A. Clippers owner was ill. A new king was sworn in. His father abdicated the throne wrerl this month. It was a no frills affair, lacking the pomp and circumstance one usually sees at these ceremonies. Economic troubles prompting the relative relatively frugile approach. When they say love is in the air, do they actually mean the airport . As george departed on his flight from south africa to kansas today, he had a surprise for his girlfriend who was waiting for pick him up. He made sure every passenger handed her a flower, and once her arms were full, george exited the plane and proposed. By the looks of things there, she said yes. That looks like a happy couple. Thats a lot of flowers. Original idea. I hope it was his idea. It was. It was his. Time for a look ahead and a look back. Today president obama will award the medal of honor to Kyle Carpenter who at just 21 years of age covered a grenade with his body in an attempt to shield his fellow marine from the blast. Duty and service to country can be complicated. As in the case of julius rosenberg, a onetime Army Engineer and his wife ethel. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg appeal their sentence of death and four times they were unsuccessful. They will be executed tonight probably within the next half hour. The first husband and wife to die in the electric chair. On this day in 1953 the couple headline grabbing trial came to an end as they were executed at new yorks infamous sing sing prison. They were convicted of spying for russia in the heat of the communist red scare. Thats it for us here on early today. Im richard a good thursday morning. It is 4 30 a. M. Were going to get to a check of your weather right off the top. Christina, how are things looking . Theyre looking good. But things are always be looking good as we get closer to friday around here. Starting out your day in the upper 50s for this thursday morning. It is chilly this morning in the north bay. Half moon bay also in the 40s. An indication of the clear sky overhead. We are headed toward a warm afternoon similar to where we ended up yesterday and then tomorrow, well stay just about as warm by the