>> i believe if he wanted to, i believe he could have shot me. i believe he was that good. he wasn't -- he wasn't reckless with it. he wasn't shooting bullets in people cars or as you can see, no windows and businesses. he was just precise with it. targeting officers. >> there is much more to talk about regarding this case, including how the attack was carried out and the gunman's movement in the days before. that's coming up. but first the other big story we're following. donald trump took the stage on the first night of the party's gathering in cleveland, addressing the convention before his wife's speech, with a dazzle ing to queen's "we are the champions." he spoke for only a few moments before welcoming his wife onto the stage where she talked about her journey to america, and her husband. >> i traveled the world while working hard in the incredible arena of fashion. after living and working in milan and paris, i arrived in new york city 20 years ago. and i saw both the joys, and hea hartships of daily life. on july 28th, 2002006, i was ve proud to become citizen of the united states. the greatest privilege on planet earth. >> but within just two hours of her star turn before the convention the speech she delivered was called into question over two passages that had word for word similarities with the speech of another aspiring first lady, michelle obama, at the 2008 democratic convention. >> from a young age, my parents impressed on me -- >> barack and i were raised with so many of -- >> the values -- >> the same values -- >> that you work hard for what you want in life. >> you work hard for what you want in life. >> that your word is your bond. >> that your word is your bond. >> and you do what you say, and keep your promise. >> that you do what you say you're going to do. >> that you treat people with respect. >> that you treat people with dignity and respect. barack and i set out to build lives guided by these values, and to pass them on to the next generation. >> we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. >> because, we want our children -- >> because we want our children -- >> and all children in this nation -- >> in this nation -- >> -- to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements. -- >> to know that the only limit to your achievements -- >> is the reach of your dreams -- >> is the strength of your dreams. >> and your willingness to work hard for them. >> and your willingness to work for them. >> now the trump campaign issued a statement after the similarities were brought up on twitter, quote, in writing her beautiful speech melania's team of writers took notes on her life's inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking. melania's immigrant experience and love for america shone through in her speech, which made it a success. now, speaking with matt lauer earlier in the day, melania volunteered she wrote most of the speech herself. >> one part of the campaign ends in that hall tonight, another part begins. your wife is going to get to speak to the delegates. >> right. >> about you. has she gone over the speech with you? did you practice it on the plane? >> i read once over it. and that's all. because i wrote it, and -- with a little help as possible. >> and president obama's former chief speechwriter has weighed in accusing the trump campaign of plagiarism. he tells nbc news quote, sirah herwitz, michelle's head speech writer used to be hillary clinton's. so the trump campaign plagiarized from a hillary speechwriter. the convention kicked off with make america safe again. part of the message focused on immigration, and the danger coming from the mexican border, including a video of the siblings of a border patrol agent who was killed during the fast and furious operation and parents of police officers killed by undocumented immigrants. the event also put a heavy focus on threats from overseas. former navy s.e.a.l. marcus luttrell who survived a battle with the taliban in afghanistan struck an inspirational tone. >> the world outside of our borders is a dark place, a scary place. america is the light, and her people are the goodness that grows from that. she'll always be worth fighting for and it was my greatest honor to fight for her every day of my adult life. >> one of the most memorable moments of the night came from patricia smith, the mother of a state department staffer slain in the 2012 benghazi attack. >> i blame hillary clinton personally for the death of my son. that's personally. in an e-mail to her daughter shortly after the attack, hillary clinton blamed it on terrorism. but when i saw hillary clinton -- she sure is. she sure is. she lied to me and then called me a liar. when i saw hillary clinton at sean's coffin ceremony just day's later, she looked me squarely in the eye, and told me a video was responsible. since then, i have repeatedly asked hillary clinton to explain to me the real reason why my son is dead. i'm still waiting. >> so while smith was speaking at the podium, donald trump was on the phone with fox news discussing the recent attacks against police. in effect, taking attention away from his own convention. well the unity some republicans were hoping for was not present on the convention floor yesterday afternoon. as supporters of the never trump faction sought a roll call on convention rules. it was a vote they were bound to lose but would give them an opportunity to register their dissatisfaction. they were led by formerva attorney general ken cuccinelli and senator mike lee of utah whose changes to party rules were blocked last week. party leadership was able to halt the roll call vote which led to a shouting match in front of the television cameras with protesting delegates screaming shame while others chanted trump. some delegates registered disappointment while another delegate claimed to have been threatened. >> this is really appalling. this is the party of law and order that i -- i was an attorney general, that was, you know, that matters to me. and if you won't obey your own rules there's no reason to think you'll obey any others. and here we've got rnc tram amming their own grassroots delegates. >> when i opened the bathroom door there were two women there and they told me that i was really stupid and i kind of blew it off. and they said no, we're serious, you should die. it was surprising that they really tried to threaten and put us down. maybe hope to get rid of us? >> a fight that began on "morning joe" monday spanned much of the day, all because john kasich, the governor of ohio, would not accept an invitation to speak at his party's convention in his home state. a fact trump campaign chairman took issue with time and again yesterday. >> is he coming and speaking? >> except for one or two, the -- >> he's the governor -- >> kasich is the -- yeah and you know what he's making a big mistake. he's making a big mistake. he's looking at something that's not going to happen. he's hurting his state. he's embarrassing his state, frankly. there were 16 candidates running. most of them are going to have a presence at this convention. except for kasich who, frankly, was invited to participate. he's -- i can't answer for it, makes no sense, he's embarrassing his state frankly. >> john kasich is being pet length. he's embarrassing his party. john kasich will have a better chance of being president by not disappointing donald trump. [ inaudible ] that's exactly what it is. that's a dumb, dumb, dumb thing. >> if donald trump called you right now and said by gones be bygones come over and speak. >> he'd have to change everything he said. we can't be attacking muslims and hispanics and trying to shut down trade and not caring about the debt. those are all problems for me. and so, it's not -- i don't have -- i have -- i don't hold any personal animus towards donald trump. we just are two companies that have different values, different directions, and different philosophies. >> look, i beat him very badly. i won 38 states. i won the highest number of votes in the history of the republican party. if i were him and got beaten that badly, i probably wouldn't show up either. he has a problem, though. he signed a pledge. and from a standpoint of honor, i think he should show up. even if this were for the democrats, he should at least show up and say hello and say how are you doing? he got beaten very, very badly. he could have, you know, left. he should have left probably many weeks earlier than he did. but he just hung around. >> do you think he's being a sore loser? >> well, i don't want to say that. but you know what? it was a very contentious primary. he lost very, very badly. and maybe, if i were in his position, i wouldn't show up either. >> to more now on a story making news here in baton rouge. officials have released new photos of the gunman during that deadly police ambush that happened on sunday. investigators say surveillance video captured the gunman gavin long as he carried out his attack, killing three officers and wounding three others. according to officials it shows the gunman creeping up behind the officers and shooting them at close range. it wasn't until a baton rouge s.w.a.t. team showed up that an officer shot and killed the gunman from 100 yards away. >> i could not be more proud of these officers. i cannot be more proud of my s.w.a.t. team. we've been questioned for the last three or four weeks about our militarized tactics. and our militarized law enforcement. this is why. because we are up against a force that is not playing by the rules. they haven't played by the rules. they didn't play by the rules in dallas, and they didn't play by the rules here. this is why. we don't ever want to use it. but we have to have the ability to use it when we needed it, and we needed it here. as several have said, this guy was going to another location. he was not going to stop here. after he was finished here, i have no doubt he was heading to our headquarters. and he was going to take more lives. our militarized tactics, as they're being called, saved lives here. that shot that our s.w.a.t. team made was a hell of a shot. but it had to be made. we had to neutralize the threat right there. we could not let it go any further. >> the most seriously injured deputy is fighting for his life. another deputy is in serious condition. president obama has ordered flags at the white house, public buildings here in the u.s., and military and diplomatic posts around the world to be flown at half-staff until sunset on friday. the white house says the president also placed phone calls to the families of the slain officers, as well as to the police chief and sheriff here in baton rouge. he also penned an open letter to law enforcement officers across the country, and it reads in part, as you continue to serve us in this tumultuous hour we again recognize that we can no longer ask you to solve issues we refuse to address as a society. we should give you the resources you need to do your job, including our full-throated support. it closes by saying thank you for your courageous service. we have your back. coming up we'll hear more from a witness who saw the whole thing play out and how he says the officers saved his life. the highest-ranking baltimore police officer charged in the death of freddy gray has been cleared on all charges. lieutenant brian rice was found not guilty yesterday of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office in connection to gray's death in police custody last year. rice is the fourth of six officers to be put on trial over that death so far. two of the officers already tried have been acquitted, as well. while a third officer's trial ended in a hung jury. he is scheduled to be retried in september. still ahead, hillary clinton continues auditioning potential vp picks. we'll tell you the latest to step up to the podium. plus big olympic news to tell you about concerning the doping that could have russia sitting out the summer games in rio. that plus a check on the weather when "way too early" comes right back. hey, need fast heartburn relief? try cool mint zantac. it releases a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. try cool mint zantac. no pill relieves heartburn faster. try aveeno® sheer hydration. its active naturals® oat formula... ...goes on feather light. absorbs in seconds... ...keeps skin healthy looking and soft. aveeno® naturally beautiful results. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla (apremilast). otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you. do you believe the officers saved your life? >> i do. i do. i believe the guy behind me who provided fire so that i could get into the building, and the officer who ran behind me and provided cover so i could get to safety, i believe, you know, it would have been more tragic out here. >> that was a witness to the police shooting here in baton rouge on sunday. crediting the officers on the scene with saving his life. we're also learning more about the gunman this morning, mostly through his online presence. on social media and his websites. a former marine sergeant, gavin long, describes himself as, quote, a mental game coach and a spiritual adviser. we've also learned that he visited dallas on july 10th, days after the police shootings there, and that he e-mailed about a dozen people questioning whether the killings of those five police officers was staged. back to politics now. we've already told you much about donald trump's night in cleveland. hillary clinton was in ohio, as well, yesterday campaigning with senator sherrod brown in cincinnati. one of many names said to be under consideration as a possible vice presidential candidate. brown went through a practical litany of things he trusts hillary clinton to do. and last night clinton explained why trump couldn't be trusted, branding him the most dangerous person to run for president. >> no self-discipline. no self-control. no sense of history. no understanding of the limits of the kind of power that any president should impose upon himself. he has shown none of that. let's return to torture. and you know what? i will order the american military to commit war crimes. what he has laid out is the most dangerous, reckless approach to being president than i think we've ever seen. knowing -- >> the most dangerous man ever to run for president of the united states? >> i believe that. >> now from here in steamy baton rouge let's go back to new york and get a check on your weather from nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> good morning, chris. you're not alone in that steam and that heat. it's spreading from the south all the way to the north. i want to mention that a lot of people did get their power on back last night. we had about 150,000 people without power as those thunderstorms rolled through the northeast. they are gone. only a couple few showers left in northern virginia heading out of west virginia. the heat is the story. as we go throughout this time of year you expect it. this is statistically the hottest time of year, the end of july. and it not going to disappoint. we have heat advisories, heat warnings, heat watches. we have about 10 million people now under heat warnings in the middle of the country, including kansas city and st. louis. and then we're going to watch all of this spreading to the east. we'll probably have some heat warnings, even the big cities of the east this upcoming weekend. saturday still looks like the hottest day of the summer for many from d.c. all the way up to boston. feels like 90 in all these areas. feels like 100 plus and everywhere you see the pink for the heat advisories later on today. chris, you can feel it already this morning. when you know it's that humid before the sun is even up you know what it's going to be like later today. new orleans is going to be 101 in booten rouge where you are, probably about 103. >> wow. fair warning. thank you so much, bill. it's a dry heat. no, actually, it's not. okay let's go to sports now. olympic headlines russia's track and field athletes are already banned from competing in rio due to doping violations. but after an investigation confirmed claims of a state-backed doping program at the 2014 sochi games, anti-doping officials are calling for a complete ban of russian athletes from competing in rio. in response russian president vladimir putin asked for quote, fuller, more objective information that is based on fact and he warned, quote, we see a dangerous relapse of politics intruding into sports. former st. louis cardinals scouting director chris correa has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for hacking into the houston astro's computer data base. he pled guilty to five counts of illegal access to a pro-expected computer. the league expected to penalize the cardinals. and you won't believe pro golfer bubba watson's newest way to get around the course. ♪ for the first time in 112 years golf is part of the olympics. that's a big deal. what better time to introduce something exciting for the future of our game. teaming up with oakley to create first flying golf cart jet pack. >> the jet pack is capable of reaching 3,000 feet and flying at just under 50 miles per hour. that's crazy. up next we go back to the rnc to hear from some of yesterday's let's say more colorful speakers. we'll be right back. ♪ don't you dare follow your dreams. think big. or demand your own space. don't you dare leave it all behind. don't you dare ask what's next. introducing the first-ever cadillac xt5. ♪ ssoon, she'll be binge-studying. get back to great. this week these 1-subject notebooks just one cent each. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. foand millions moremericans lwho feel its effects.s, let's walk together to make an even bigger impact and end alzheimer's for good. find your walk near you at alz.org/walk. let's get a check on the morning's other headlines. for that we head to my home town cleveland, ohio, and louis burgdorf. >> you can tell a little bit about a person on how they first saw scott baio, whether on happy days or charles in charge. last night he got a prime billing to speak on behalf of donald trump. >> is done trump a messiah? no. he's just a man. a man who wants to give back to his country. america. the country that has given him everything. a country that has also given all of us so much. and now it's time to give back to her. we have a choice in november. hillary clinton wants to be president for hillary clinton. donald trump wants to be president for all of us. let's make america great again, but let's make america america again. >> chris, finally paul ryan made a terrible mistake yesterday. ryan a die-hard green bay packers fan spoke at the pennsylvania gop's delegation breakfast when he was thrown a steelers famous terrible towel. by an audience member. he waved it proudly while he was in cleveland, the home of the browns. we say boo to that, right? >> boo. >> thank you so much, louis. one last thought before we hand off to "morning joe." in the days after alton sterling's death here in baton rouge there were really some dramatic protests and many have questioned the police tactics in response. now, according to the local paper here, "the advocate" one of those protesters arrested was 22-year-old blair imani. now she's helping to organize a vigil to the slain officers on lsu's campus nearby to where i'm standing. she told the paper, quote, all violence is wrong. that does it for me and "way too early." coming up on "morning joe," complete highlights from day one of the republican national convention. including melania trump's speech which she said she wrote. but this morning, accusations of plagiarism. we'll have response from the trump campaign. that and much more coming up next on "morning joe." ♪ using 60,000 points from my chase ink card i bought all the fruit... veggies... and herbs needed to create a pop-up pick-your-own juice bar in the middle of the city, so now everyone knows... we have some of the freshest juice in town. see what the power of points can do for your business. learn more at chase.com/ink trust number one doctor recommended dulcolax see what the power of points can do for your business. constipated? use dulcolax tablets for gentle overnight relief suppositories for relief in minutes and stool softeners for comfortable relief of hard stools. dulcolax, designed for dependable relief hey kevin. hey, fancy seeing you here. uh, i live right over there actually. you've been to my place. no, i wasn't...oh look, you dropped something. it's your resume with a 20 dollar bill taped to it. that's weird. you want to work for ge too. hahaha, what? well we're always looking for developers who are up for big world changing challenges like making planes, trains and hospitals run better. why don't you check your new watch and tell me what time i should be there. oh, i don't hire people. i'm a developer. i'm gonna need monday off. again, not my call. be the you who doesn't cover your moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. be the you who shows up in that dress. who hugs a friend. who is done with treatments that don't give you clearer skin. be the you who controls your psoriasis with stelara® just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before starting stelara® tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. always tell your doctor if you have any signs of infection, have had cancer, if you develop any new skin growths or if anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. most people using stelara® saw 75% clearer skin and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. be the you who talks to your dermatologist about stelara®. the highlight to tonight's activity was melania trump's speech. it turns the night into a catastrophe. this is a plagiarized speech game, set, match on that. what an outrageous disservice to melania trump on that, on the campaign. nicolle wallace talked about the fact that the trump campaign such as it is is not configured like a normal political campaign. maybe you don't need to be configured like a normal political campaign. we know

Related Keywords

New York , United States , Milan , Lombardia , Italy , Paris , France General , France , Afghanistan , Cleveland , Ohio , Boston , Massachusetts , Virginia , Russia , Cincinnati , West Virginia , Mexico , Sochi , Krasnodarskiy Kray , Pennsylvania , Dallas , Texas , Utah , Americans , Mexican , Russian , American , Matt Lauer , L Marcus Luttrell , Mike Lee , Blair Imani , America , John Kasich , Ken Cuccinelli , Vladimir Putin , Patricia Smith , Chris Correa , Bubba Watson , Nicolle Wallace , Sherrod Brown , Michelle Obama , Gabe Gutierrez , Paul Ryan , Hillary Clinton ,