battling an out-of-control wildfire in arizona. it happened northwest of phoenix. the arizona republic, with a powerful front page, as the area grasps what's happened. gusty winds are being blamed for what's been labeled the deadliest wildfire in 30 years. it started friday since a lightning strike. since then, it spread 2,000 akers, burned an estimated 200 homes. flames are being fueled by high winds and temperatures. all were members of elite crew from nearby prescott. >> right now, we're in crisis. this was the hot shot group. the hot shot are the people that go on the fire line and attack with tools and other implements. they're not the people that have engine companies and large trucks. he's are the core of firefighting when they're in the middle of the incident. >> right now, hundreds remain battling the fire. from africa, president obama called the firefighters heroes. jan brewer released a statement, calling sunday a dark day for the state. saying it could be days or longer before a full investigation is complete. arizona isn't the only state experiencing extreme weather. all across the west, record-setting heat is being blamed for travel delays, and deaths. las vegas strip, hitting 117 sunday, tying a record back in 1940. local officials say two dozen people were hospitalized for heat-related issues. an elderly man died in his home where there was no air conditioning. in california, one record was tied in death valley, as temperatures approached 130 degrees. highs in southern california hovered in the mid-90s. and for travelers trying to get out of phoenix, it was slow-going. u.s. airways canceled a dozen flights after the mercury shot up to 119. that could impact smaller jets on takeoff and landing. todd santos will have the latest on the heat and your national forecast in a few moments. unrest in egypt to tell you about, as tens of thousands hit the streets to oust president morsi. violent protests have left 5 people dead and injured 400 nationwide. they have ransacked the muslim brotherhood headlights in cairo. nbc's ayman joins us this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, veranda. very uneasy calm settling here across the capital, cairo, as other cities, as well. this comes after egyptians took to the street, really demanding that mohamed morsi step down and call for early elections. president morsi has no intentions of doing so. that has raised the stakes for more protests in coming days. organizers of yesterday's million-man march who managed to get a million signatures on a petition for him to step down, says they will give him until tuesday to meet their demands. otherwise, they call for nationwide strikes. you can imagine there is a little tension here. as you mentioned, people are assessing the damage. at least five people have been killed. some say that number could grow in the coming hours. more importantly, the political offices of the freedom and justice party, as well as the muslim brotherhood have been attacked. not only here in cairo, but across the country. >> thank you. the world's most-wanted man is holed up in moscow. and without a valid u.s. passpo passport, edward snowden is unable to travel. this as tracie potts is in washington with details. >> reporter: the e.u., france wants answers from the u.s. the director of national intelligence, saying the u.s. will respond privately to the allies, not publicly, about these reports. in a germany magazine, alleging that we've been spying on the e.u., hacking their computers, bugging their offices and collecting information from hacked phone lines and e-mails from germany. all that believed to have come from edward snowden is still holed up in the transit zone of the moscow airport. the russians saying they have nothing to do with that because he's not technically on their soil. ecuador, the one country that was willing to help him, over the weekend, saying if he can't get to an embassy or to ecuador, they cannot consider his application for asylum. that was after a conversation with vice president joe biden, which they describe as cordial and friendly. the u.s. trying to lean on ecuador not to help this man they call a fugitive from justice. >> tracie, thanks. here's your first look at the dish of "scrambled politics." the latest cover of "the new yorker" magazine has gone viral. it's controversy. it portrays burt and ernie as a same-sex couple. sesame workshop has maintained for years that burt and ernie are platonic friends. remember the pink sneakers worn by wendy davis during her filibuster. you can get them. go get them while you can. the shoe is now the top-selling women's shoe on amazon across all categories. they're going to set you back about 115 bucks. president obama and former president george w. bush could see each other in africa. the white house has not ruled out a meeting between the two when their schedules over lap in tanzania. $62 million state budget on sunday, which includes tighten restrictions on abortions. it defunds planned parenthood and requires abortion providers to try to detective a heartbeat before a procedure. the congressional budget office says that the procedure could increase medicaid costs by $400 million. government furloughs mean furloughed fireworks. fourth of july celebrations at military bases across the country will be scaled back this year because of the sequester. and paul ryan, apparently taking advantage of the congressional recess by fishing. is that what he calls fishing? the wisconsin congressman tweeted this picture with the message, politicians don't always kiss babies. that's going to do it for your dish of "scrambled politics." todd santos joining us. not checking out the weather. not tweeting pictures. >> not today. maybe not a fish. >> is that the strangest picture you've ever seen? >> it's a strange picture. >> what do you think about that? >> thank you for giving us something to start monday with. maybe a distraction for some folks, especially when dealing with extreme numbers heat-wise. some of the areas in the bright orange across the southwest. they are just to the west of the fire. but around the fire area, you could see the temperatures getting up to around 111 degrees for the firefighters themselves. there's a look at the daytime highs. vegas, if we hit 117, that would tie the all-time record, not just for the month or the day. that's an all-time record in vegas. right now, 99 degrees there. make a cool plan for yourself. could see showers or thunderstorms across the southwest. a few across the northeast and the southeast. a number of airports today could see a chance for thunderstorms to slow things down. temperatures may get up to the mid-80s across a stretch of the east coast in major cities. >> it's like 100 degrees and it's 2:00 a.m. in las vegas. thanks, todd. a billion-dollar deal in the works. a headache for anyone with student loans. new information on just what that bundle of joy is going to cost you. returning to our top story this morning. 19 firefighters dead after a fast-moving fire swept through arizona. it's been the worst fire casualty since the attacks on 9/11. joining us is wade ward. a spokesman from the fire department. wade, are you with us? >> yes. >> good morning. thank you so much for joining us. first of all, we're so sorry for your loss. >> i appreciate that. >> i understand that these men were part of a hot shot crew. this is a devastating loss for your community. i want to ask you how you are all doing at this hour. >> that's a difficult question to answer at this point. for myself, i'm still in shock. unfortunately, trying to do a job that i hope that i never had to do. >> there's been an outpouring of support. earlier today, we heard that the president called these men heroes. you knew these men personally. what could you tell us about them? >> i can tell you they're a very elite group of men and sometimes women. they were all men on this crew. that are highly trained. and the only thing i can say is that, you know, obviously, the accident is under investigation. but had to be nothing less than the perfect storm, especially for these guys. they're very cautious. very high trained. and for them to be in a situation where they even had to deploy shelters is unimaginable for me, let alone to lose as many brothers as we did. >> moving forward, wade, how will the community come together to remember this group of 19? >> this is a small community. very tight community. not only are the hot shot crew very close to each other. but they're part of our fire department here. and we're all family. a lot of these guys, we know very, very well. a lot of them grew up here. i'm sure we'll get a lot of support and help. it doesn't make anything easier right now. >> wade, our thoughts and prayers are with you and the families of all these men. thank you so much for joining us at this time. >> you're welcome. other stories making news at this hour. a cirque du soleil performer died on saturday. audience members said the performer fell close to 50 feet into a pit below the stage. anthony kennedy has denied a request by proposition 8 supporters to halt gay marriages in california. it came during the 40th annual lgbt pride celebration. student loan rates have officially doubled as of this morning, jumping from 3.4% to 6.8%. usa reporting that there's about $1.1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt. some not-so-great news to tell you about if you're planning to have a baby. a "new york times" analysis says pregnancy in the u.s. is more expensive than anywhere else in the world. the average amount paid for a birth was just under $10,000. more than twice as much as any other country. the $15,000 cost of a cesarean was nearly triple that. we turn to cnbc's sima moody. >> the markets have had a good start to the year, despite the volatility over the past few weeks, as investors fret over what the fed will do over interest rates. the dow and the s&p 500 were positive in the second quarter. it's a good time to be king. "the new york times" says the average pay for the u.s. ceos rose 16% last year to $15 million. larry ellison tops the list. his pay jumped to $96 billion. there could be consolidation in the cable industry. liberty media is eyeing time warner cable, and may try to buy the company. a combined company would have 50 million subscribers. back to you. >> thank you. we are going to tell you what is leading the news, coming up. plus, the best sports highlights with betty nguyen. these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? i just wanted you to eat more fiber. chewy, oatie, gooeyness... and fraudulence. i'm in deep, babe. you certainly are. [ male announcer ] fiber one. a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these drugs compare when warfarin is well managed. no routine blood monitoring means bob e likes. new zealand! xarelto® is just one pill a day, taken with the evening meal. and with no dietary restrictions, bob can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you. stopping may increase your risk of having a stroke. get medical help right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of bleeding, like unusual bruising or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you currently have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto®, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver or bleeding problems. ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. let's get the latest in sports from my colleague, betty nguyen. >> it is july. but i have to tell you about june because that has been a hot month for a dodgers rookie. puig is in the history book for the second-highest number of hits in the first full calendar month. he falls behind hall of famer joe dimaggio, who had 14 hits. he is known for his 56-game hit streak in 1941, another record that stands today. and the longest hit streak of the season, that's alive and well after colorado's michael cuddyer singled against the giants to give him at least 1 hit in 27 games. check this out, on a foul ball right there, you see that catch? during a royals game during the twin. a kansas city fan made an incredible catch. falling over the seat, tumbling into the row behind him. he actually held on to the ball and was okay. to the lpga, now. park became the first woman to win the first three major golf tournament in a year. she won the u.s. women's open by four shots. and will shoot for a fourth title at the british hope next month. in soccer's confederation cup, brazil got tangled up in front of the defender's goal. the ball went right to him. while he was on the ground, he managed to kick it in for the score. i have not seen anything like that. brazil beat spain 3-0, for the third-straight cup. protesters clashed with police outside the stadium. looking at video of that now. the violent demonstrations in brazil have raised serious questions about the country's ability to host next year's world cup. we will be watching. >> thank you. it is time for your "first look" at politics. joining me now is lynn sweet, washington bureau chief for "the chicago sun times." good morning to you. >> good morning. >> we know president obama is wrapping up this three-nation tour in africa. he's going to be faced with tough questions about this nsa spying thing on the european union. tell us more about the fallout from the situation. >> well, what's happening right now, the first stage of anger. this is aimed at the countries. these are our allies demanding an explanation. countries want to know we're treating them as if they're cold war enemies. >> you know, the allegations obviously angering our allies, demanding answers right now. the president, he's coming back from this trip. how does he navigate these waters, lynn? what does he need to do? >> this one is tougher because it's allies. we have to come up with a plausible explanation. and what is the purpose of this spying, since again, these are our allies, not our enemies. >> lynn sweet, washington bureau chief. thank you. >> thank you. betty and todd santos here for the first buzz. we're going to tell you what stories caught our eye today. [ whispering ] uh! i had a nightmare! the house caught fire and we were out on the streets. [ whispering ] shhh. it's only a dream. and we have home insurance. but if we made a claim, our rate would go up... [ whispering ] shhh. you did it right. you have allstate claim rate guard so your rates won't go up just because of a claim. [ whispering ] are we still in a dream? no, you're in an allstate commercial. so get allstate home insurance with claim rate guard... [ whispering ] goodnight. there are so many people in our bedroom. [ dennis ] talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] ...and let the good life in. welcome back. it's time for first buzz. and betty joins us with america's snobbiest cities. >> are you talking to me? getting into character here. >> l.a., hands down, i have to say. >> no. it's not on the list. "travel and leisure" came out with their list of top cities for the sobiest people. and let's go in order. santa fe, seattle, they had a tie. minneapolis/st. paul. boston. new york city. >> really. >> and san francisco, number one. >> i was going to hop across the pond and go to europe. americans are not snobby. >> i think new york's pretty friendly. >> you live in atlanta. >> they are somewhat. and you are talking about not knut. >> a russian brown bear. the bear has seen almost 1 million hits on youtube. the bear can play a trumpet, sit in a chair. >> is this real? >> it's a real bear. i thought it was a guy in a bear suit. it's just too -- >> here's the important question. what city does the bear live in? >> the bear's from russia. >> i was going across to europe. i'm trying. >> he drinks tea with his pinkie in the air. >> did you hear about jessica simpson's son? >> she gave birth. >> she gave firth to ace knute. there's a recuring them. >> i like ace. >> i think the ace part is solid. >> the knute, is that something within the family? >> i don't know. >> apple, moses, north west. >> if it wasn't north west. >> you could have had northeast, or southwest. >> you're not working with me. >> this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early" starts right now. right now, what we do know is that 19 firefighters were killed. in probably the worst disaster that has taken place in wildland history here state of arizona. we grieve for the families, the department, the city. >> we have not seen this kind of loss of life from firefighters battling wildfires in 80 years. we'll update the tragic situation in arizona. in egypt, millions protest the government as one of the first countries to experience the arab spring, dealing with massive unrest. if you're looking for good news out there today, how about a helicopter losing power, landing in a river, and everybody survives. this is "way too early." good morning, everybody. on this monday, july 1st. we often talk about wildfires and the images they're always compelling for us in tvland. but the story that broke overnight, just a little different. fires have left 19 firefighters dead, the single deadliest event for firefighters since september 11th. the victims were part of a hot shot crew, an elite team sent in to some of the worst fires with heavy gear. they were fighting a fire 80 miles northwest of phoenix. the fire itself started on friday, believed to be sparked by a lightning strike. the weather conditions were said to be unpredic