and we begin this morning with a rousing defense. former president clinton was greeted like a rock star last night at the democratic convention delivering a speech which endorsed president obama and answered accusations launched at last week's republican convention. tracie potts is in charlotte for us this morning with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. good morning, everyone. he is arguably the strongest voice in the democratic party right now. he was explaining why you thinks the current president needs four more years. the democrats' most popular living president, bill clinton, making the case to re-elect barack obama. >> no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years. >> reporter: defending health reform -- >> are we better off because president obama fought for health care reform? you bet we are. >> reporter: he attacked what he called lies about medicare cuts and welfare reform and condemned mitt romney's plan to reduce the debt and boost the economy. >> we simply cannot afford to give the reigns of government to someone who will double down on trickle down. >> reporter: in the official state by state vote, ohio put president obama over the top. >> all 188 votes for the president and the next president of the united states, barack obama. >> in a surprise appearance, president obama joined clinton on stage. the president speaks tonight. vice president biden did a late night walk through while breakdown continues at bank of america stadium. his speech and all today's events moved inside amid the threat of severe weather dampening the democrats' final day. we're still waiting to see what changes may happen here as a result of all of that, trying to now accommodate as many as they possibly can. thousands more people than this arena can hold. lynn? >> thank you. last night on msnbc's special convention coverage, the keynote speaker, the mayor of san antonio, texas, addressed republican charges that the president hasn't done enough to fix the economy, particularly l job creation. >> when you look at where this nation was whether barack obama took office losing 800,000 jobs, n. january of 2009 and he went to work right away so that now you have 29 straight months of private sector job growth, 4.5 million new jobs created, you can tell that he understands what he has to do as a leader to create jobs. even though the progress hasn't been as quick as anybody would like, there's still hard work to do, he understands it. he gets it. he's been working hard to get america back on track and we are making progress. so the other stuff is just a political line. >> be sure to watch msnbc's special coverage of the democratic national convention all day right here on msnbc, the place for politics. as for the secret service, it is investigating the reported theft of copies of mitt romney's income tax returns. these tax documents were alle d allegedly stolen from an accounting office in tennessee. in a letter to romney's accountants asked for $1 million to prevent the tax records from being made public. the accounting company says there is no evidence that anything was taken. romney refused to make public more than two years of his taxes. a federal judge in arizona has cleared the way for the most contentious portion of arizona's controversial immigration law. on wednesday, a u.s. district court judge refused to ban the so-called show me your papers provision that requires police while enforcing other laws to question the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the country illegally. the rise of attacks in afghanistan has led to the removal of hundreds of afghan soldiers. authorities are re-evaluating personnel to help stem the attacks which are complicating plans to train afghan forces before foreign troops withdraw in 2014. the u.s. recently stopped training about 1,000 members of the afghan local police as a result of the rise in insider violence. so far this year, 45 service members -- international service members have been killed. most of them americans. here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. in hawaii, this is just horrific video. it's tough to watch. it was just released. it shows a deadly jet ski collision. this happened last month. the 20-year-old australian man at the controls pleaded no contest to negligent homicide charges. on wednesday, a judge freed him based on time already served. investigators say the man had been distracted watching his girlfriend shoot video from the shore. in new jersey, individual know from a police car camera shows officers saving a man burning from this wreckage. the officers can be seen dragging the victim to safety avarice beinging their own lives to free him. one suffered second degree burns. the man had reportedly suffered a medical condition. he is now recovering. and louisiana, humans aren't the only victims of hurricane isaac. about 1,000 head of cattle are stranded in lower plaquemines parish. efforts are being made to round up the herd. more than 100 have already been shipped out of the area. and finally in florida, there is a mass invasion of giant african snails. more than 78,000 have already been scooped up. they can grow up to eight inches and eat more than 500 different plants along with the stucco on the side of homes. that's not good. authorities say it could take years to stop all the snails. and now for a look at your national weather, we turn to bill karins. he has that weather channel forecast. good morning. >> good morning. >> kind of gross. >> a little. a little disappointed. i was all psyched to help the president and the team out with the outdoor forecast for the speech. they said rain or shine. >> bill, are you admitting that you're wrong? >> i'm not admitting it at all. the speech will be indoors. my forecast is not important at all. very disappointed. >> always important, bill. >> i was trying. let's talk about the tropics. this is the peak of the hurricane season. two impressive hurricanes out there in the atlantic at the same time. not even that far apart from each other. we have hurricane leslie. that's the storm we've been tracking over the last couple days and well out in the open waters of the atlantic is hurricane michael. this one has a nice eye to it. this likely will become major category three hurricane during the day to day. that will be our first major hurricane. we had six hurricanes already this season. of course, isaac is the one that headed for the u.s. leslie could have a destination with the canadian maritime. the east coast is just going to get the big waves from this storm and the rip currents. bermuda will be brushed. the heaviest winds should be east of the center. it shouldn't affect bermuda directly. then the storm should weaken by tuesday. so big waves heading for the new england coastline and possibly through newfoundland or nova scotia as we go through tuesday into wednesday. but what has our attention closer to home, the possibility of tropical development in the northern gulf. as of now, very unorganized. a little area of low pressure with thunderstorms. any time you get anything that could develop in the gulf of mexico, it's worth watching. for today's forecast, pretty quiet day. a few thunderstorms in the southeast, also kansas city. very hot in texas. and a little bit better in new england with that humidity, lynn. as far as d.c. and the carolinas, no relief. very hot and humid. >> bill, thanks so much. coming up, euro stimulus fever. a new phone gets no buzz. and shoes with sole make legal history. the early morning business headlines are straight ahead. coming up, a hit parade in our nation's capital, the end of the line for andy roddick and the cowboys knock out the champs. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ ♪ i can do anything ♪ i can do anything today ♪ i can go anywhere ♪ i can go anywhere today ♪ la la la la la la la [ male announcer ] dow solutions help millions of people by helping to make gluten free bread that doesn't taste gluten free. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything. solutionism. the new optimism. welcome back to "first look." here's the top stories making news this morning. two people were killed in a powerful earthquake that shook costa rica wednesday. registering a magnitude of 7.6 causing cracks in buildings and other damage. in france, it took only a few seconds for the demolition of 14 story structure in a pair us suburb. the crowd that watched got quite the surprise when the wind shifted carrying thick dust in their direction. it sent many people running. in russia, endangered cranes got a helping hand from russia's president vladimir putin. he wore a baggy white suit and helmet to fly in a motorized airplane to lead the cranes on a migration route. and a viral video from canada. that will have you holding your breath. it shows a mother duck and her eight ducklings trying to cross five lanes of highway traffic near toronto. they dodged cars and even waited for trucks to pass and then watch that. some of the duck lings were sent flying when vehicles came too close. after the heart stopping trip, it took more than a minute, they miraculously arrived safely on the other side. now here's your first look at scrambled politics. republican vice-presidential candidate paul ryan attacked president obama's health care bill. the nation reports ryan asked for money from the affordable payer act for a health center in his wisconsin district. secretary of state hillary clinton is not at the democratic convention but the hash tag was the top twitter trend after her husband spoke to the delegates with many thinking that former first lady should run. first lady michelle obama got a higher tell sahratian rating than mitt romney's wife ann. more than 26 million people watched the first night of this week's democratic convention. that's compared to about 22 million for the first night of the gop former arizona congressn gabrielle giffords is in town for the democratic convention. the delegates in charlotte are reportedly paying a convention markup six times higher than normal for almost everything this week. president obama button sells for $5. a turkey bagel sandwich is going for $9. and a budget hotel room can cost up to $500. and outside the convention, traffic officers on loan from georgia were literally dancing to the beat of the streets as they got local commuters and delegates on their way. their moves include tributes to michael jackson's thriller video and swaying hips like elvis. and that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." and now here's your first look at how wall street is going to kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,047 after adding 11 points yesterday. the s&p 500 was down a point. the nasdaq lost five. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei was up a fraction. in hong kong, the hang seng gained 64. ahead to have day's european central bank meeting, investors held off on big moves. policymakers will introduce a bond buying plan to bring down crippling borrowing costs in euro zone economies. may have boosted optimism but still wasn't enough to get anyone to buy stocks. the euro traded just off the two-month high against the dollar in anticipation of the ecb plan. stocks opened lower with both fedex and ups falling after fedex cut the quarterly profit tuesday due to global weakness. noeka and microsoft unveiled their most powerful smart phone yet wednesday. but the new phone failed to impress investors. nokia tumbled 16%. moving to soothe investors, facebook rebounded 5% off an all time low after the company promised not to sell stocks to cover a nearly $2 billion tax bill. moving to soothe its own staff, facebook also said it will allow employees to cash in their stock weeks ahead of schedule. men's warehouse results narrowly beat estimates thanks to strong demand at the higher margin tuxedo rental unit. and companies got more product frist the workers this spring. a world economic forum survey found the u.s. ability to compete on the global business stage has fallen for a fourth straight year. finally, a big ruling in fashion business and law. an appeals court ruled that bright bread soles on french foot ware designer high heeled shoes are so distinctive they deserve their own trade mark protection. one of the reasons to love them. coming up, a national slugfest. an a gets nailed in the noggin, and the u.s. open tennis quarterfinals. plus, the cowboys upset the reigning champions in last night's nfl season opener. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign. looks good. 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[ female announcer ] wells fargo. together we'll go far. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. the blissful pause just before that rich sweetness touches your lips. the delightful discovery, the mid-sweetening realization that you have the house all to yourself. well, almost. the sweet reward, making a delicious choice that's also a smart choice. splenda no-calorie sweetener. with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. splenda makes the moment yours. welcome back to "first look." in sports the dallas cowboys upset the defending champion new york giants in last night's nfl opener. here is nbc's fred roggin. good morning. the nfl kicked off the regular season last night but the super bowl champs were late to the dance. we go to new york. phil simms, another giant great on hand to celebrate new york's fourth super bowl championship. tony romo and the cowboys crashed that party in the second quarter. they hit kevin ogletree and dallas was up 7-3 at the half. we go to the third, more ogletree, please. romo, 40 yards to his new favorite receiver. the champs were on the ropes. then in the fourth, on first and 30, no problem for romo. jump ball for miles austin. he hauled it down and went 34 to the house. giants scored late but it didn't matter. the cowboys spoiled the champs' night. tennis, fourth rounds of the u.s. open was the end of the line for andy roddick. he rode off into the sunset after losing. roddick won the first set tiebreak but then the argentine slowly took over. match point after a short rally, roddick's return was long. an emotional end for one of the great american tennis players with his wife brooklyn decker looking on, andy struggled to hold back the tears. he ends his 13-year career on the same court where he won his only grand slam in 2003. jts roger federer's u.s. open is also over. he was upset by thomas burdich. serena williams advances. scary moment in baseball. brandon mccarthy hit in the head by a comebacker. immediately went down. he was dazed and confused. he sat on the grass for several minutes, left the game, taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons much he's all right but going to have a huge headache in the morning. angels won it 7-1. the parade is rolling through washington, d.c. nationals belted six home runs on tuesday, another six yesterday. brice harp we are a pair. the nats deep six the cubs 9-1. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. now let's get another look at the weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins with that weather channel forecast. good morning once again, bill. >> relief for some people, lynn. a very humid day up and down the eastern seaboard. cooler and drier air trying to push into new england. partly cloudy skies today. lower humidity levels for philadelphia northward. southward that, front is hung up down here. there are showers this morning in coastal areas of delaware. so forecast-wise, should be dry just about everywhere. still very warm. this tichl year we're only supposed to be around 80 degrees. we're going to be 92 in d.c. a slight chance for a shower or storm in albany and northern new england. best chance of a shower and storm through missouri and possibly hit and miss storms down there in north carolina. >> all right. bill, thanks so much. straight ahead, why britney spears can't be like kim kardashian. and the actress whose driving record is giving lindsay lohan a run for her money. plus, what kim kardashian says has to happen before she'll mary kanye. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] the first look...is only the beginning. ♪ ♪ introducing a stunning work of technology. ♪ introducing the entirely new lexus es. and the first ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. president obama's speech at the dnc has been moved inside to the time warner arena due to weather concerns. you can tell it's time warner because obama will give the speech two weeks from friday between the hours of 12:00 and 4:00. speaking of the dnc, earlier in the night actor cal penn told viewers to use the twitter hash tag sexy face when talking about his speech. it got weird when bill clinton is like there goes the first line of my speech. >> tonight jimmy welcomes clair danes and calise hawkins. that is "late night with jimmy fallon." it is time now for entertainment news. britney spears says she never could be kim kardashian, just in case you were worried she would be. she said she doesn't put up with the daily pressure to look glamorous. she loves her jeans and sweats, we've seen that before. it's hard for her to get makeup and hair ready every time she goes out of the house. it's kind of like when you you go out. it's tough, bill. tough being so famous like you. speaking of kardashian, she is giving kanye west a wedding ultimatum. is it that time again already? please, give us a little mourning. the magazine told west she won't marry him until she is worth $50 million. he is reportedly worth $100 million. all right, kardashian's ex-husband is not going anywhere. he is being accused of having an affair that may have taken place while married to kardashian. >> that's enough of the story. t we don't need anymore. >> humphries lawyer denies the allegation. >> poor chris. >> and finally, actress amanda lines will face charges for not one but two hit-and-run incidents. that is in addition to a dui charge after she sideswiped a police car in april. we have a new lindsay lohan. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. i want to nominate a man who's cool on the outside but who burns for america on the inside. by the way, after last night, i want a man who had the good sense to marry michelle obama. >> still got it. welcome back to charlotte and the democratic