and we re going to given this morning with that holiday heat. in seven states and the district of columbia, more than 1 million families are waking up to a fifth day without any power and air conditioning on this independence day. fireworks displays are being cancelled to let police and fire crews continue relief efforts in a region where the weather will only get hotter through the holiday. nbc s steve handelsman has more. reporter: it s miserable on margaret drive. in tacoma park. and the pets are sweltering in lynn quarrel s home. first of all, i m definitely worried about my cats because, i mean, heat isn t good for any animal and a lot of them are suffering right now. i m more worried about myself. reporter: maggie sterner, blacked out since friday, got power from neighbors till theirs went off again. i feel outraged and totally beside myself about this. reporter: she s furious at the power companies. i ve called every day to report my situation, the tree dow
wires in bethesda, is a reminder. dangers remain and first responders are overworked. fourth of july fireworks have been canceled by many municipalities. i m steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. elsewhere, fire crews are still battling more than 40 wildfires in western states. in colorado, firefighters made progress against two of the most destructive fires that had forced stens of thousands out of their homes. abc as miguel almaguer has more. reporter: in the scorched hills above colorado springs, firefighters finally furnish the corner. crews mop up the blaze that killed two, devour 28 scare miles, and destroyed 346 homes. six of the air force:-130s are back in the firefight, grounded after sunday s fatal crash that filled four aboard air tanker number 7. we obviously are very troubled by the crash that stoops several days ago and the loss of life associated with that. just underscores the dangers that are associated with these fires. reporter: these blazes are b
we begin this morning with a day of departure. that s what some anti-government protesters in egypt are calling today as they demand that their president, hosni mubarak, leave office immediately. protest organizers are asking that supporters fill egyptian squares, marking another day in the uprising that has killed more than 300 people, according to the united nations. meanwhile, yesterday was another violent day in cairo, particularly for journalists. several were attacked by pro-government mobs. one was even stabbed in the leg with a screwdriver. however, overall violence was significantly reduced as egypt s army sent more soldiers in to stand between anti-government protesters and mubarak supporters. meanwhile, in an interview with nbc news, mubarak said he is fed up and wants to leave power. but he added, quote, if i resign today, there will be chaos. for more on how the situation is shaping up in egypt this morning, we go to nbc s ron allen. ron, good morning to you. r
crisis. with protests, defiance and violence showing no signs of letting up, the united states has put a plan in place to evacuate thousands of americans from the chaos and uncertainty gripping the country. nbc s tracie potts is live for us in washington with the latest. tracie, good morning. lynn, good morning. two of the three charter flights out of cairo to athens, greece, should have arrived by now, but at this hour we re told they have been delayed. meantime, here in washington, washington is in a bit of a tough spot trying to support our ally, promote democracy, but denounce the violence. reporter: response in the u.s. range from quiet vigils to loud protests. americans with family in egypt are concerned. my heart is broke for my country. reporter: this couple came home a day earlier. a tour company urged them to leave. reporter: are you disappointed your trip got cut short? not really. i wanted to get out of the place. reporter: today the state department
at 11:00 a.m. on the east coast, state of catastrophe. chile is reeling after a devastating overnight earthquake. the full impact of the deadly quake still unknown. good morning, i m alex witt live here at msnbc world headquarters where we have been following this breaking news all morning. new information is coming to us by the minute. we are hearing from the white house about the chilean earthquake. press secretary robert gibbs says, we are closely monitoring the situation, including the potential for a tsunami, and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of chile, and we stand ready to help in this hour of need. the u.s. state department adds all its embassy workers in chile are accounted for. the overnight earthquake set off a tsunami that threatened every nation around the pacific ocean. hawaii is currently under a tsunami advisory. they could face the largest wave since 1964 starting at 11:19 a.m. local time. we are told at this hour the tsunami warning sirens sh