we begin this morning with labor day on the campaign trail. while much of the country has the day off, president obama will be hard at work before heading to the democratic national convention tomorrow. tracie potts joins us from charlotte with the details. tracie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning from charlotte. this is the stadium where president obama will speak later in the week. first, he's doing a tour of battleground states. >> hello, colorado. >> reporter: president obama's road to charlotte stops in battleground ohio and storm-ravaged, louisiana. sunday in colorado, he slammed the gop convention in tampa. >> there was a lot of talk about hard truths and bold choices. but the interesting thing was, nobody ever bothered to tell us what they were. >> reporter: while mitt romney went to church in new hampshire. >> good morning. >> reporter: he sent paul ryan on the campaign trail to respond to the president's claim that republicans are running on empty. >> we're offering a vision. >> reporter: this week, we get the democrats' vision. supporters are eager for their turn. >> we didn't like all we heard during the rnc. but we're motivated now. >> he's done a lot for me. so, i can help him, too. >> reporter: but not everyone is cheering in support. hundreds demonstrated this weekend in the south's big bank capital. they want tougher regulations on bank and the environment. later today, the president will tour st. john the baptist parish. he'll visit storm damage there. followers are mourning the death of sun myung moon. he made his worldwide religious and business phenomenon in the 1970s. he was the self-proclaimed messiah of a religion that was regarded by some as a cult. he is best known for mass weddings of thousands of his followers. six days after isaac ravaged the state more than 200,000 people across louisiana are still without power this morning. while some residents in hard-hit plaquemines parish say they are cleaning up for the last time, others are questioning whether post-katrina upgrades hurt surrounding areas. >> reporter: the flooding is slowly receding across southern louisiana. but the threat of high water has some neighborhoods still on high alert. some officials are considering evacuations of 5,000 homes. >> we don't do this lightly because we don't want people out of their homes. but safety is first. >> reporter: as power crews work to restore electricity to the more than 200,000 still in the dark, the rebuilding in the bayou has begun. but for many residents, losing everything again. >> second time around. >> reporter: -- is making them think twice about not staying. >> we're thinking of moving on. >> reporter: diana has decided not to rebuild her plaquemines parish home. >> maybe if i was inside the levee system this way, not to bad. but, no. i have plans of not returning. >> reporter: it's that levee system that has some residents concerned. >> you're going to put this flood system up, which is a good thing. it's a good thing. it stopped the city from flooding. it's a good thing. but you're not going to worry about where you're pushing the water. >> we would not have built a system that would induce flooding in other places. >> reporter: the army corps of engineers will investigate isaac. >> we will take this storm and run it through our models and see what lessons we learn. >> reporter: lessons that residents hope will lessen the destruction when the next storm comes. here's your "first look" at some of the other news going on around. in oregon, a massive fire at a hotel complex. the hotel had been vacant for years and no one was hurt. but 200 firefighters had to be called in to knock down the flames. in alabama, maybe the most unusual result of hurricane isaac. the wreckage of a mystery ship that may be from the civil war era has been discovered on the beach. even more amazing, the ship has been spotted before when the beach washed away in past hurricanes like ivan in 2004. in florida, it was a race against time to try and save at least some of the whales that beached themselves this weekend. 23 whales became stranded. while most did not survive, five baby whales were rescued and are being cared for at a mammal research center. finally, where else but in buffalo would you hold the national buffalo wing festival? and the mandatory chicken wing eating contest? taking top honors the man with the indestructive appetite, joey chestnut. the hot dog eating champ had a world record downing 191 wings in 12 minutes. now, for a look at the national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins, with the holiday forecast. it wouldn't be a holiday weekend if it wasn't for joey chestnut. >> had the fourth of july covered with hot dogs. have you been to that restaurant in buffalo that claims to be the original buffalo wings? >> no. >> it's good. >> and down 191 wings in 12 minutes flat. >> good morning, everyone. hope you're having a wonderful holiday weekend. the forecast continues to be warm across the country. it doesn't feel like fall's right around the country. we're very humid in the eastern half of the country. and we're plain, old, hot in the middle of the country and through the areas of the midwest. we've had rain in the last couple days, still associated with isaac. the storm came up through arkansas and missouri. this has brought some beneficial rains and also has rained out people's picnics. today, humid air continues with the rainy areas, in alabama and mississippi. new england will have a nice day today. central and northern new england, you're going to be good. philadelphia, southward, through areas in kentucky and d.c. here, we're going to see hit-and-miss showers and storms. here's the path that isaac has taken across. illinois and inn. indiana. the last 48 hours, indianapolis, two inches. we will continue to watch spotty areas of rain, in portions of ohio and extreme eastern portions of kentucky. so, what's next? this is the peak week of hurricane season. we always have one or two storms to track at this time of year. we have tropical storm leslie. this is a very slow-moving system. there's a dip in the jet stream is not going to pick the storm up. it's going to linger off the east coast for at least a week. so, if you're heading to the beaches of the next two, three, four, five days, the rip current threat will be great. also, the waves from the storm will be approaching the beaches. the surfers will love it. but if you're swimming with kids, the storm by saturday, could be over bermuda. bermuda could get brushed by this storm. we'll wait and see how that plays out. there's a couple of scenarios that bring this storm close to the canadian maritimes in seven to ten days from now. so, we'll watch it closely. it doesn't look like it's going to hit the u.s. but could see the waves from the storm come about ten days from now. as far as the forecast goes for today, we're watching showers and thunderstorms hit and miss up the east coast. the morning hours will be the driest. how does 102 sound in dallas? they can't wait for fall. >> doesn't sound too good. at least it's sunny. putting bain under the microscope. and the breakfast favorite. worth so much, they're stealing it from warehouses. your first look at business headlines is straight ahead. maurice jones-drew straps on the pads. a pair of walkoffs on the diamond. and a catch that will make you flip out. you're watching "first look." ♪ forz(power!) andiamo! andiamo! (let's go! let's go!) avanti! avanti! (keep going! keep going!) hahaha...hahahaha! you know ronny, folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? happier than christopher columbus with speedboats. that's happy! get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. we believe small things can make a big difference.e, like how a little oil from here can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. we discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food, we can help brighten an old dog's mind so he's up to his old tricks. it's just one way purina one is making the world a better place... one pet at a time. discover vibrant maturity and more at purinaone.com. 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." here's some of the top stories making news this morning. the death toll in syria was put at 1,600 people killed. the largest weekly figure of the rebellion. rebel groups say they plan to start targeting civil airports in damascus and aleppo tomorrow. israeli survives were evacuated from some areas in the west bank. some had to be removed from rooftops and arrested by israeli police. the illegal settlement is to be demolished. in mexico, police arrested the cartel leader known as the devil commander. he was wanted in a series of killings and was infamous for having victims hanged from bridges. in egypt, the country's first news anchor wearing a head scarf since 2002 appeared on state tv. the rule changing on wearing a head scarf was made by a member of the muslim brotherhood. england's prince andrew and others jumped off the 87th floor of the shard in london, europe's tallest structure. and repelled down more than 1,000 feet. the charity stunt was to raise money for the outward bound trust. prince andrew is the trust chairman. now, here's a look at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." timelapse video shows the stage being set for the democratic national convention. the warp-speed video seems to turn time warner cable arena into the showplace for the first two nights of the dnc. the foo fighters are among the entertainers of the democrats' big party at charlotte stadium. other performers, mary j. blige, earth, wind and fire, and also, james taylor. a republican is slamming vice presidential candidate paul ryan for his claim that president obama was to blame for the closing of a general motors plant. former republican strategist for george w. bush matthew dowd told abc, quote, that isn't true. following the republican convention, no bounce for mitt romney. nothing. nada. zip, zero, zilch. that's according to three separate polls. historically, candidates get a 5% bump. and in colorado yesterday, president obama says he's still a huge clint eastwood fan, even after the actor's infamous empty chair monologue at the gop convention. the president joked, quote, if you're easily offended, you should probably choose another profession. the president's tweet, this seat's taken, after eastwood's appearance, is actually the most retweeted after the entire republican convention. and the white house gave in to beer pressure demands from the public and is giving the recipe of its famous ale. a video shows how it's made, using honey in the light and dark versions. sounds pretty sweet. that's your dish of "scrambled politics." now, an early look at how wall street finished on friday. ahead of the holiday weekend and today's off day, the dow climbed 90 points friday. the s&p 500 gained seven. the nasdaq 18. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 56 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng added 76. september is the worst month for stocks. but there's reason to think this september may be different. friday, fed chief ben bernanke gave his long-awaited jackson hole, wyoming, speech. and hinted that another round of stimulus to boost the economic recovery is on the way. the fed's next meeting will be on december 12th and 13th. until then, markets are likely to be riding a wave of anticipation and optimism. this week, investors will be looking ahead to another central bank meeting. europe's on thursday, where it's expected it may announce its own stimulus plan, buying spanish and italian bonds, to help take pressure off those deeply-indebted countries. all eyes will be on august's employment report out friday. economists expect 120,000 jobs were added in august. data out today shows china's manufacturing sector is shrinking at the fastest pace, since the depth of the global financial crisis and at a faster clip than data showed last month. new york's attorney general is investigating tax strategies of some of the nation's largest private equity firms, including bain capital, founded by republican presidential nominee mitt romney. finally, officials in canada have discovered an undisclosed but significant amount of maple syrup was stolen recently, siphoned out of a warehouse in quebec. at last year's baseline price, a barrel of maple syrup is worth more than 15-times what a barrel of oil is worth. wow. in health news this morning, a new study finds that women who survive breast cancer with chemotherapy, may have to fight heart problems in the future. the research shows women who went through a common chemotherapy regimen, had a 20% risk of developing heart failure over just five years. that compared to 3.5% of breast cancer patients who did not have chemo. check out the health page online msnbc.com. now, to sports. the atlanta braves capped off a rally against the philadelphia phillies with a three-run walkoff homer. here's mario solis. >> good morning. the chipper jones care well tour gets better and better. playing the phillies for the last time in atlanta. and chipper goes out in style. a three-run walkoff homer in the ninth. braves rally to win, 8-7. things haven't gone as planned for the dodgers since their blockbuster trade last week. maybe this will turn things around. down one in the ninth to arizona. adrian gonzalez rips a double in the corner. in come two. dodgers walk off with a 5-4 win. the orioles' mark reynolds hit a pair against the yanks. baltimore wins 8-3. they trail new york by two games in the a.l. east. the tigers moved into a tie for first with the white sox. delvin young's homer in the sixth inning is the difference. tigers beat the sox 4-2. if you drafted maurice jones-drew in your nfl fantasy league, this is the news you've been waited for. he ended his holdout. mjd didn't get a new contract. but he's back on the field. andy roddick's career is alive and kicking. he advanced to the fourth round of the u.s. open. but it's his opponent with the shot of the match. chasing down the lob shot and returning it through his legs. roddick would win the point. he pulls out all the stops. but it's not enough. roddick moves on. to nascar. denny hamlin took the checkered flag in atlanta. it's his second-straight win. now, back to baseball for a great catch from the minor leagues. aaa teams for the yanks and red sox. base loaded. a bomb to left. it's high. it's deep. it's gone. and so is the left fielder. jason repko makes the catch and flies over the wall, robbing fukudome of the grand slam. repko gets the out and then flips out of the diamond. that's your first look at sports. russell crowe loses his way. and kim kardashian is not getting something she wants. plus, this weekend, this movie set a record at the box office. the kind of record you don't want to set. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look," on msnbc. [ female announcer ] want to spend less and retire with more? then don't get nickle and dimed by high cost investments and annoying account fees. at e-trade, our free easy-to-use online tools and experienced retirement specialists can help you build a personalized plan. and with our no annual fee iras and a wide range of low cost investments, you can execute the plan you want at a low cost. so meet with us, or go to etrade.com for a great retirement plan with low cost investments. ♪ last night at the convent n convention, the scheduled appearance of a three-dimensional ronald reagan hologram was canceled at the last minute. they didn't want to upstage mitt romney. he's only one-dimensional. did you see mitt romney's entrance before the speech? it's interesting. you see he's trying to appeal to that younger voter. that younger demographic. show him last night. ♪ >> oh, man. >> tonight, jay welcomes dana carvey and nicki minaj. that's "the tonight show," with jay leno, weeknights on your local nbc station. it's time, now, for entertainment news. at the box office this weekend, fear ruled. the horror film, "the possession," took advantage of the holiday weekend. not much competition and a pg-13 rating that grabbed the top spot with a better-than-expected $17.7 million. as expected, "oogielove and the big balloon adventure" averaged just $207 a theater on over 2,000 screens. elsewhere, over the weekend, oscar-winner russell crowe and a friend had to be rescued by a u.s. coast guard boat after they lost their way kayaking in the waters off new york's long island. and finally, hollywood's walk of fame is one place you won't be finding kim kardashian. after saying she wanted her own star, a rep for the chamber of commerce told "the hollywood reporter," winning awards is part of the criteria for being selected and a career in acting for five years or more. don't you hate that? now, for another look at the weather, bill karins with the forecast. i was under the impression you could buy those things. but i guess not. >> the stars? >> yeah. >> i'm confused on that, too. maybe it's somewhere between. >> apparently you can't. >> i didn't know you had to win an award. well, good morning, everyone. all eyes will be with what's happening with the democratic convention. last week, the weather played havoc in tampa with the hurricane. it threatened tampa, just brushed it and headed towards new orleans and louisiana. charlotte, we aren't going to see the most ideal conditions over the next couple of days. we'll be dodging thunderstorms on and off, through monday, tuesday and wednesday. not exactly perfect weather conditions. but nothing that will rain out the convention. it will be warm and humid. very summer-like in charlotte. also, that humidity is up this morning, from new york all the way down to d.c. new england will get a break. you'll see a lot of sunshine from hartford northward. all of the humid air will win out. if you're in the humid air mass this time of year, you're going to get a chance of a shower or storm. we have a few of those around philadelphia, around the jersey/pennsylvania border. you may want to grab that umbrella there. northern new england, you're dry today. not all storms. but they will be hit and miss. we're still very hot. and the fire danger once again, very high throughout much of the west. we haven't seen much cool or chilly air. we get cold fronts in montana and the northern plains. but you're well above average today, with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. 93 in kansas city. got a little bit of rain. now, the dry weather pattern and the warm weather pattern has returned throughout much of the middle of the country. anybody traveling to the west coast, not looking at issues. nice for the labor day forecast. just dodging the showers on the eastern seaboard. >> don't forget the umbrella, unfortunately. thanks, bill. this is "first look" on msnbc. nks i hamybdomen..itwo. wati nks reneronosythen..itwo. t rlov s t oronronosythen..itwo. r.bog. [ male announcer ] isn't always the one you plan to take. whoa, check it out. hey baby goat... no that's not yours... [ hikers whispering ] ...that's not yours. [ goat bleats ] na, na, na -- no! [ male announcer ] now you can take a photo right from video, so you'll never miss the perfect shot. [ hikers laughing, commenting ] at&t introduces the htc one x. now $99.99. rethink possible. dad, we want pizza. you guys said tacos. [ female announcer ] it doesn't always work out that way. you know what? we're spending too much money on eating out anyway. honey, come look at this. [ female announcer ] my money map from wells fargo is a free online tool that helps you track your spending. so instead of having to deal with a tight budget, you could have a tighter family. ♪ wells fargo. together we'll go far.