Continue to bake in some of the hottest temperatures of the year, and while that heat wave may be more than halfway over, misery had plenty of company on wednesday. Reporter tis the season, but boy is it hot outside. Add the humidity, heat indices are at or near 100. I come out thinking that im going to run as far as i usually do, but then i hit the heat. Reporter in new york, 2 children and 9 firefighters were taken to a hospital after a fire in suffocating temperatures last night. We have to make sure we have hydrate them. High pressure, the air is sinking. Reporter this heat wave is extending across the country. 45 states experiencing temperatures in the 90s or above. Many cities, 5 to 10 degrees above average. New york city could see the longest streak of 90degree weather in 11 years. I sweat like a chicken. We need to drink a lot of water. Reporter after three days of extreme heat in d. C. , doctors at this Hospital Center are starting to see heat stroke patients. Whether youre a worker with physical exertion or an athlete, you got to take breaks, water breaks and cooling breaks. You got to get out of the sun. Reporter but this is good news for prince georges country, crews said they can fix a water pipe without turning off the water. I need sun screen, sun glasses, i need this hat and i need gatorade. Reporter this is his first week pedaling a cab. That was nbcs tom costello reporting. Bill karins is here with more. Reporter the relief is on the way. Right now its up in canada, monday until it clears the east coast, wednesday was an amazing. Miami was the one of the coolest spots in the entire country. 90s widespread yesterday. Well do it all over again. Today, its already a warm morning. These heat waves as they progress, these nights tend to be warmer and warmer. Were in the 90s in boston on down. Midatlantic should be in the mid90s. Anywhere with a hint of hitting 100 degrees it will be the washington, d. C. Area. Chicago, yesterday, youre at 94, well do that again today. This goes all of the way back to the rookies. The timing to the end of the heat wave, heres how we look today, this is the storm that will change things, cool things off, it starts friday in the northern plains, saturday it dips through the great lakes. Mara, of course w that change, were going to get some strong thunderstorms, too, and possibly some severe weather. All right, thanks so much, bill. Extreme heat out west is adding a fuel to a large and growing wildfire in southern california. The socalled mountain fire outside palm springs grew to more than 30 square miles on wednesday. Thousands of homes are threatened and hundreds of residents have been forced to flee. 25 aircraft are battling that blaze which Authorities Say is about 15 contained. Once again, republicans are trying to chip away at obama care. Despite a veto threat, the house passed bills calling for oneyear delays in two key provisions, one requiring nearly all americans to purchase insurance and the other to mandate businesses to offer it. Both are scheduled to kick in come january. President obama will deliver a speech later today on the benefits of that new law. And while the fight over obama care goes on, theres a good news for tense of millions of studenamericans with student. Lower Interest Rates. They doubled to 6. 8 earlier this month. The bill reportedly includes a cap on federal stafford and plus loans. Hopeful news out of south africa where Nelson Mandela is steadily improving today which is also his 95th birthday, its a milestone in and of itself. A special meaning this year for a nation praying for its special president. Nbcs ron allen is live in pretoria, south africa, ron, what are you hearing about reports that mandela may be going home soon . Reporter well see. The word from his family, doctors, government officials in recent days has been very upbeat and positive, suggesting that hes recovering from a lung infection that brought him to the hospital some 41 days ago. The scene behind me, there are literally hundreds of people arriving here for what a huge celebration. The National Anthem was sung. The words of happy birthday resonating across the country wherever you go. Mandela is 95 today. Its also his wedding anniversary, by the way, and hes still listed in critical condition, doctors will not upgrade his condition until he Shows Improvement over a greater stretch of time. Theyll have a traditional family lunch later today. Everyone wishing happy birthday to the man. Ron allen live from pretoria. This mornings dish of scrambled politics, new york mayor Michael Bloomberg is out with his next stop to stop obesity, the billionaire mayor has signed an executive order require city agencies to promote the use of stairways. Texas governor rick perry is out with an ad campaign trying to attract businesses to the lone star state. Hes currently suing the state because it failed to follow through on promised financial incentives. High schooler caught the ire of jay carney. He asked for president obamas response on Death Threats to George Zimmerman and his family. He certainly would oppose any violence of any kind. You can editorialize all you want. That is a ridiculous statement. After his 15 minutes of fame the 16yearold tweeted just angered obamas press secretary. Word nancy pelosi is speaking out on the controversial antiabortion law in texas. Measures like those put the discretion of women to make judgments at risk. This is womens health, reproductive part of us is part of the health. I dont know my colleagues need a lesson in the birds and the bees. I really dont get it. Catch the full report at 1 00 p. M. On Andrea Mitchell report. Not so popular with voters, just 15 of americans approve of the job congress is doing. Thats up five points from the alltime low of 10 from last august. How can the house be expected to get done. Thats your morning dish of scrambled politics. El well, just ahead the 92 quad rillion mistake. And why Queen Elizabeth does not like to be kept waiting. Well have a live report from london when first look returns. In cities like charlotte,ing. Atlanta, and chicago, were revving people up to take a lap around the legendary nascar race track with drivers from the cocacola racing family. Cocacoca family track walks give thousands of race fans the chance to get out, get moving, and have fun. All along the way. Its part of our goal to inspire more than three Million People to rediscover the joy of being active this summer. See the difference all of us can make. Together. All your important legal matters in just minutes. Protect your family. And launch your dreams. At legalzoom. Com we put the law on your side. Well, any day now were expecting the birth of the royal baby and the hype has reached an absolute fever pitch. Were live outside Buckingham Palace with the latest, danie e danielle, good morning. What kind of preparations are being made for this babys arrival . Reporter mara, the media is clearly set, ready and waiting for this royal baby to come. Here at Buckingham Palace, officials are getting ready for the celebration to follow. Theyll accept the official notice when this baby arrives and display it. At the hospital where kate is expected to give birth theres a room set up, that room could look Something Like this one that displayed in the lindo wing. Outside the hospital, theres quite the circus. This is something that all in britain can rally around. Many guessing whether it will be a prince or a princess. Even the royal family is extremely excited and anxious. The queen told School Children just yesterday, shes ready for this baby to come. Do you want kates baby to be a boy or girl. I dont think i i mind. I would very much like it to arrive. Im going on holiday. Of course, kate was predicted to have been due last saturday. And now that date has obviously come and gone. And its leading to a bit impatience as people eagerly await the babys arrival and upping the ante betting on when this baby will come. Mara, back to you. No one is more impatient than kate herself. Some stories making news this morning, Police Across the country are using automatic cameras to scan license place to help solve crimes. Innocent americans are having their information stored in these tracking systems. At least 25 children in india are dead after being poisoned by a school meal on tuesday. Medical teams currently suspect the food was contaminated with incest side. No one inside. Police were forced to close a nearby highway. The six jurors in the George Zimmerman received manipedis during their sequester. The total cost of the sequester was about 33,000. And after your first look at business, we turn to cnbc in washington. Hampto hampton, good morning. Good morning. Stocks posted small gains. While the fed may start cutting back on its stimulus package, futures. Microsoft, yahoo facebook are joining with Civil Liberties in sending a letter to president obama and Congress Today theyre urging the government to be more transparent on its secret surveillance programs. The economy may predict how much families will spend on back to school supplies. Thats an early look at some business headlines. Back to you. Hampton, thanks so much for that. Tiger woods is gearing up to tee up. Plus, arod is any closer to joining the yankees. Betty nguyen will have our sports highlights. Thats coming up next. [ male announcer ] it started long ago. The joy of giving something everything youve got. It takes passion. And its not letting up anytime soon. If youre eligible for medicare, you might know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. Call now and find out about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement plans, they help pay some of the difference. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Youll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. Plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral to see a specialist. So dont wait. Call now to request a free decision guide to help you understand medicare. And which aarp Medicare Supplement plan might work best for you. Theres a range to choose from, depending on your needs and your budget. And they all travel with you anywhere in the country. Best of all, youll be joining the millions who have already enrolled in the only Medicare Supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an Organization Serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. Remember, all Medicare Supplement insurance plans help cover some of what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Youll be able to choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. And you never need referrals. So call now to request a free decision guide and learn more. After all, when youre going the distance, its nice to have the experience and commitment to go along with you. Keep dreaming. Keep doing. Go long. And now lets get the latest in sports from my colleague betty nguyen. Good morning, mara. Tiger woods and other top golfers are teague off at the british open in scotland. Of course, we have to talk about olympic Gold Medalist lindsay vonn, shes in scotland with tiger woods. She has told vogue, she definitely is not getting married again to anyone. So, no wedding bells in the future for those two. Shes recovering from injuries. Also, rehabbing, yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez who will play in aaa this weekend. He hopes to rejoin the yankees monday in texas. And you have to check this out. Nike has stopped selling a tshirt for the nfls carolina panthers, because it has the panthers logo. Outlined in the state of south carolina. Oops, thats problematic because they play in north carolina. 7yearold brain cancer survivor jack hoffman, he had a touchdown run at last aprils spring football game. Last night at the espys last night, that was named the best moment of the year. Jack was there to accept the award. This is super duper awesome. Thanks for the trophy. Im glad that you are all now on team jack, and i know with you we cant lose. Thanks. Love that. Thanks so much, betty. Turning back now to top political stories, joining me for our first look at politics, is syndicated columnist bob franken. Lets start with lynn cheney throwing her hat in the ring for u. S. Senate. Lot of people dont have warm and Fuzzy Feelings about the bush cheney years in the white house. Do you think her last name helps or hurt her here . She probably wouldnt be running if she wasnt the daughter of. In addition to that, she really reflects the problem that the republicans might have this year, where everybody is trying to outextreme the other. Mike enzi, a senator, the one whos incumbent and feels betrayed that cheney is running, is considered very conservative by standards. It will be interesting to see if that works there and other places where theres going to be primaries in the gop. Switching gears to the voter rights act. Do you think that the partisan divides in congress are too deep to Reach Agreement on this issue quickly and efficiently . Yes, i do. As a matter of fact, theres a real divide. In a general sense, the democrats would like to reinstate some version of it and the republicans would not. Part of the strategy seems to be to try to discourage minority voting. Its going to be very difficult to come to an accommodation. Turning quickly to immigration, as it works its way to the house, marco rubio seems to have gone completely quiet on the topic. Has it turned into a liebt with conservatives . It could. It could for mario rubio if hes going to run for president. Many people in peoples eyes the gop has become the h. O. P. , the hateful old party. Coming up, bill karins and betty nguyen will be here for first buzz. All of the stories that are catching our eyes this morning. Stay with us. Many people are struggling with issues related to mental health. By earning a degree in the field of counseling or psychology from capella university, youll have the knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. Lets get started at capella. Edu. If youve got it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and man, you know how that feels. Copd includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Spiriva is a oncedaily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that helps open my obstructed airways for a full 24 hours. You know, spiriva helps me breathe easier. Spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fastacting inhalers for sudden symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. These may worsen with spiriva. Discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. Stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. Other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. Nothing can reverse copd. Spiriva helps me breathe better. Does breathing with copd weigh you down . Dont wait to ask your doctor about spiriva. Imagine what its doing to your pores. [ female announcer ] neutrogena® oil free moisture hydrates without clogging pores. 100 free of oil, fragrance and dyes. Oil free. Worry free. [ female announcer ] oil free moisture. Neutrogena®. Its time now for first buzz, all of the stories that were talking about this morning. Some headlines from the bbc a stolen picasso and monet turned up in the oven, a woman burned them in romania trying to protect her son. Moving on now to the issue with Rolling Stone, which alot of people are talking about this morning, thissish new issue has on the cover of tsarnaev. Lot of people are taking issue that hes on the cover in the first place because hes a accused murderer. This is selfie that he took and posted online. Some retailers including cvs are refusing to carry this. They have the right to put on their cover. Consumers have the right not to buy it. The stores have the right to say take it off our shelves. An in depth look at how this kid became a monster allegedly. Rolling stone saying were taking how someone this innocent became something that he ultimately became. Controversy helps sell. A much lighter story. Much light zbler the worlds richest man. A man in pennsylvania, mr. Reynolds, for a couple of minutes yesterday, was the richest man in the world. His paypal added about 15 zeros. He was a quadrillionaire. The mistake was corrected quickly. Darn. Paypal said theyll make a monetary contribution of his choice. He said that he would pay down the national debt. What a generous guy. Its easy to say when its not your money. Purchase the country. Now, betty, buy an electronics skateboard. Only 4,000 bucks. You have to check this out. This is very cool. The old days of skateboarding, using manpower, thats out the window. It has extrawide tires, it moves at over 30 miles per hour, so kids be very careful on this, its going to be available later this year, and again hes not everybody wear a helmet. Always, always wear protective gear. Its cool. Its almost like a scooter. It reminds me of a segway. Way too early starts right now. I understand why people are angry that tsarnaev are on the cover. Up to now Rolling Stone always features role models, like o. J. Simpson and charlie manson. Rolling stone isnt doing anything that hasnt been doing else. Done before. Rolling stone, listen up, im not going to bite on your controversy bait here. Okay, and give you free publicity by holding up your magazine and talking about it. Nice try. No big deal for colbert. But others disagree when it comes to the cover. Poor students and recent grads, rejoice, your Interest Rates arent double. Today, its larry king rapping with snoop dogg. No, we do not make this stuff up. This is way too early for a thursday. Good morning, everybody. Its july 18th. This morning, well look at millions more to be spent just getting out of afghanistan and