anne thompson, nbc news, frankfurt. >> by the way, we're excited to say the u.s. women's soccer team will be here, out back on our plaza tomorrow morning on "today." >>> as for us, that's our broadcast for this monday night as we start off a new week. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams. hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

>> anne thompson. anne, thank you. >>> it has been a week since the bombing and shooting massacre in norway. the final death count now 77. today, first of many funerals were held in oslo for an 18-year-old girl. as she was buried, the killer, anders breivik, faced his second police interrogation. there is new attention on where he may have gotten his ammunition. he claims in his manifesto he bought his bullets from america, by mail order, ten clips with 30 bullets each, far more than you can legally buy in norway. you can see a full report from nbc's martin fletcher on our website, nightly.msnbc.com. >>> president obama today spoke out about the haunting images and heart breaking stories we have been bringing you every day this week from somalia and other nations in east africa. millions of people are at risk of starving to death in the midst of famine. and the president today said the crisis has not gotten the attention that it should here in the u.s. we intend to keep covering the story. tonight, mor

anne thompson in times square tonight to start us off. anne, thanks for that, i think. >>> we're trying to keep a watch for you on when this wave will break where you live, and joining us again tonight, our friend janice huff, chief meteorologist wnbc here in new york, and i know you have to answer regionally, and no two places will have the same experience. >> exactly. there will be a break for the northeast which is experiencing the heat wave now. the 103 degrees in newark, new jersey, that set a record. there were parts of iowa yesterday that had a heat index above 120 of what it felt like. those areas of the country won't get the relief from the jet stream that the northeast will coming up later in the weekend and into next week. >> so relief first, maybe northeast? >> northeast first, starting in the weekend, but tomorrow it's still going to be hot. so here's the forecast. we'll look at friday first and show you what's going to happen. still more heat, record-breaking heat. the jet stream is still too far to the north. we're expectin

nbc's anne thompson is in frankfurt tonight to tell us how it all ended. anne? >> reporter: good evening, lester. it was a nail biter. america scored first. then japan came back to tie the game. it went into extra time. again, the u.s. scored first. again, japan came back, forcing this game into a nerve-racking finish. it had all the makings of another dramatic american comeback. an abby wambach in extra time. penalty kicks. in the shootout, the winner was japan. a smaller team determined to lift its country racked by natural and nuclear disasters. nothing came easy for the u.s. in the final game. though they dominated possessions, the u.s. missed chance after chance after chance to put the ball in japan's net. when accuracy counted most, japan prevailed. >> it's a lot harder to win a world cup on the winning side now than it was in 1999. because so many other teams and other countries care about the sport. they've invested in it. they've developed young talent. and it's really hard now. >> reporter: for americans, this was a rare moment of unity. the army's 170

ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> turning overseas now, nato officials say an american soldier and a civilian were killed in afghanistan today by an afghan guard following an argument. the deaths came as the new u.s.i defense secretary began his first visit to afghanistan where he offered a new assessment of al qaeda. nbc's pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski is traveling with the sec. fare. the secretary. >> reporter: leon panetta arrived in afghanistan, his first trip as secretary of defense, but it was on the flight over when he dropped the bombshell on al qaeda. >> we're within reach of strategically defeating al qaeda. >> reporter: panetta said the killing of osama bin laden by u.s. commandos two months ago and in an increasingly intense campaign of predator air strikes aimed at top terrorist leaders ó has staggered al qaeda. >> i think we had undermined their ability to conduct 9/11-type attacks. i think we had them on the run. >> reporter: in kabul the military's leader of the u.s. war in afghanistan, general david petraeus agreed. >> al qaeda's senior leadership is les

nbc's anne thompson joins us now from times square with more. anne? >> reporter: good evening, lester. this heat is tough on people and power companies. in new york city, there are scattered power outages tonight affecting some 8,400 residents. another 158,000 people are dealing with reduced voltage. and over in new jersey, there are rolling blackouts, but so far, no catastrophes. today, miserable is spelled n-y-c. temperatures that rivaled the sahara desert and humidity reminiscent of the gulf coast combined to turn new york into a grimy sauna. >> it is fire. >> reporter: the heat relentless. before dawn, it was already 85 degrees. 90 by the end of rush hour. at noon, it hit the century mark, and set a new record at 104 an hour and a half later. the water was the best place to be. the columbus circle fountain worked for those with two legs and four. but a raw sewage spill in the hudson river closed the waters around manhattan to swimmers and kayakers, and the city warned fishermen not to eat what they catch. >> if you catch fish in the hudson, don't

anne thompson in frankfurt for us. anne, i can't believe you're all bundled up. the other day you weren't and now you're bundled up. >> reporter: it is freezing here. like the sun comes out and it rains and the sun goes away and then the wind kicks up and it's cold. it's the weirdest weather i've ever experienced. i can't believe in july i'm wearing a scarf and alpine socks. i am freezing. >> we've got nothing but a heat wave back here waiting on you in new york, so we welcome you home as soon as you get here. anne thompson, thanks so much. >>> the very dangerous heat wave gripping much of the nation. how bad is it going to get and how long will it last? we'll have someone from the weather channel fill us in. >>> plus casey anthony in her first full day of freedom at an undisclosed location. one of her defense attorneys tells us where she goes from here. n 100% juice. good choice. launch me fellas. [ male announcer ] ooh, bad choice. capri sun 100% juice. with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter

anne thompson, thank you so much. live. enjoy the game. and we will be looking forward to your report later on. >>> still ahead, the politics of the debt ceiling, speaking of which. that fight continues. who's bound to come out a winner and who's going to be a loser. >>> and believe it or not, alex witt, she is braving carmageddon. [ cat meows ] ♪ [ whistles ] ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ ting! ] [ male announcer ] travelers can help you protect the things you care about and save money with multi-policy discounts. are you getting the coverage you need and the discounts you deserve? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage or visit travelers.com. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. [ dr. ling ] i need to get the results from the m.r.i. see if the blood work is ready. review ms. cooper's history. and i want to see katie before she goes home. [ male announcer ] with inte

here's nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: around the world, soccer practice is a saturday morning ritual, but for these 21 american women, today's workout in frankfurt, germany, is one to treasure. the final run through before playing japan for the world cup. >> the only thing we want is to win a tournament. >> reporter: the way they won like the victory against france is all the talk of dynamo united, a high school girl's team from mississippi on tour here in germany, playing a little four on four on the banks of the river. >> abby wambach heads goals so amazing. last second. we would die to do that. we try so hard. >> whoa! >> reporter: in new york central park, soccer stars are learning the names of the players. just like she did with the squad of 1999. >> so exciting to have a player come and say they want to be just like one of them. >> reporter: the difference now, it's not just the girls. >> even though they're girls, we like to watch soccer. >> reporter: true in new york and on this field at the u.s. army garrison. who's going to watch? these 8 and 9-year-olds all have a parent w

tonight nbc's anne thompson take a look at the women who have made this summer exciting. >> reporter: they are the wonder women of 2011, the u.s. women's soccer team, reaching the world cup finals, defeating france 3-1 in a glorious display of tenacity. >> this is about who wants it more. about who's willing to leave it all out on the field. >> reporter: this has not been an easy tournament for the team ranked number one in the world. they lost in the preliminary round to sweden. then on sunday, it took an overtime goal to send the contest against brazil into penalty kicks. but giving up is not in their playbook. >> we fought back from everything, we're resilient and i'm excited. >> reporter: they're using the burden of high expectations to sell nike and themselves. >> what if for the first time, there were no pressure? then we wouldn't have a chance. >> reporter: in new york city, 3,700 miles from today's triumph in germany, this team brought back memories of the 1999 squad, the last u.s. team to take the cup. >> everything's just so great. >> reporter: erin fitzsimmons was just 15 w

we have nbc anne thompson at a power station in brooklyn. hey, anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. there are twin concerns about this heat wave this morning. the first is can power companies across the eastern seaboard hand what is expected to be record demand as millions of americans seek relief in air conditioning today? and secondly, the very real health threats that are associated with this heat wave. it has already claimed more than two dozen lives. you can see it on people's faces. almost half the country's population sweltering in this heat wave. >> you can't move without sweating. >> it's really hot. it's ridiculous. >> reporter: as soon as some stores get in air conditioning units, they go out the door. tommy anthony bought one for his elderly aunt. >> my aunt is 92 years old, and she had a little bit of a heart problem, and her air conditioner broke yesterday. so she needs one no matter what the cost, no matter what. >> reporter: his aunt is one of 8 million new yorkers seeking relief from temperatures that today co

ann thompson is one frankfurt with more for us. hi, ann. >> reporter: hi, richard. the u.s. women's team went through their last practice this morning before tomorrow's world cup final. teen u.s. came into this tournament ranked number one in the world it has not been an easy journey for they women but as you said those heart stopping victories against brazil and france have earned them a whole new group of fans, germany, around the world and back at home. this is what winning does. the press corps following the u.s. women's soccer team has gone from five people to a genuine media hoard. >> it will take passion to yuan this world cup. >> reporter: it doesn't have the frenzy of a super bowl media day but every bit unpredictable. >> tell them slow down, you move too fast. >> reporter: this is the coach. yes, she sings to her team. can you imagine vince lombardi doing this? ♪ looking for fun and feeling groovy ♪ >> reporter: don't let the coach fool you. these women are very serious about the task at hand, beating japan to win the world cup. >> yes. >> think since we were y

nbc's anne thompson is in frankfurt where all that fever is percolating, ann, where that fun is going to be. . >> reporter: it's going to be a blast and we have been in frankfurt here talking to different americans who are going to the game. and they are very excited, but it's not just americans who are enthused about this world cup final, it's soccer fans around the world. in large part because of those heart stopping victories against brazil and france that the u.s. has had and that has already won them a whole new group of fans here in germany and back at home. this is what winning does. >> bringing back two players. >> reporter: the press corps following the u.s. women's soccer team has gone from five people to a genuine media horde. >> it's going to take passion to win this world cup. >> reporter: it doesn't have quite the frenzy of a super bowl media day, but it is every bit as unpredictable. >> then i just tell them, slow down, you move too fast. >> reporter: this is the coach, and, yes, she sings to her team. can you imagine vince lombardi or bill belichick doing this? but don

ann thompson in frankfurt this morning. thanks very much. up next, harry potter's final hurrah, inside the $6 billion empire. but first, this is "today" on nbc. >>> "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2" is looking to bring magic at the box office. the film has grossed more than $42 million in the u.s. and that's just from midnight screenings. it's expected to smash the opening weekend record. the movie is also the last in a series of adventures that began a decade ago. they're back. those bespeckled fans in black robes turning out once again in cities across america. >> harry potter has been my life for the past 12 years. >> reporter: but it's a bittersweet moment. >> harry potter? >> reporter: as the final ep sod, "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2" begins its run in theaters, so ends an era. >> we've gotten to know these characters and to care about these characters and to watch them grow and change over ten years. and now it's time to say good-bye, and to see what happens to them. >> reporter: the story of the boy wizard

nbc's anne thompson is live in frankfurt for more on the big game. anne, good morning. >> good morning, jenna. this is it. it's game day. alex morgan who scored the last goal in the semifinal tweeted this is going to be a great day because this is the day her dreams will come true. around the world, soccer practice is a saturday morning ritual, but for these 21 american women, this workout in frankfurt, germany, is one to treasure. the final run through before playing japan in the world cup. the way they won like the dramatic semifinal victory is all the talk of a high school girl's team from mississippi on tour here in germany. playing a little four on four on the banks of the mine river. >> abby wambach so amazing. we try so hard. >> reporter: in new york central park, heather super soccer stars are learning the names of the players, just like she did with the world cup champion squad of 1999. >> so exciting to have a player come and say they want to be just like one of them. >> reporter: the difference now, it's not just the girls. >> even though

anne thompson is in frachbing north with more on this amazing story. >> it really is a wonderful story, the u.s. team was ranked number one in the world coming into the world cup tournament. but, boy, they encountered some trouble along the way, they lost to sweden in the preliminary round and then they had that nail biter against brazil and then in the semifinal it took until the last new minutes of the game before they broke a 1-1 tie to beat brazil and get the chance to play japan tomorrow night german time. they are attracting an awful lot of attention, including official attention. dr. jill biden, the wife of the vice president is going to be at that game along with chelsea clinton, and chelsea clinton grew up playing soccer. we're over at the u.s. army garrison in wease baden. these girls are so excited, they know all the names and they can held you about hope solo or abby wanbach, i said they are girls or women and they say no, they're great soccer players. that's really the significance of the 2011 team. the '99 team, they sort of ignited a soccer movement n u.s. but these they

ann thompson is in frankfurt with the latest on what makes this team so special. how is the excitement there, my friend? >> reporter: richard, we're seeing lots of american fans walk through this old city square here, carrying flags, wearing u.s. soccer team paraphenalia. we're seeing some japanese fans as well. this is it. this is game day. and alex morgan who scored the final goal in the semifinal against france tweeted that this is going to be a great day because it's going to be day her dreams come true. around the world soccer practice is a saturday morning ritual but for these 21 american women this workout in frankfurt, germany is one to treasure. the final run through before playing japan for the world cup. >> only thing they want is to win a tournament. >> reporter: how they won is all the talk. high school girl teams from mississippi on tour here in germany, playing a little four on four on the banks of the rhine river. >> so amazing, last second. to do stuff like that. >> reporter: in new york central park, super soccer stars are learning the names of t

nbc's ann thompson in briar cliff manor with details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. jackie hencen's story begins at this exit ramp, where her sister in law made a wrong turn that killed jackie's three daughters. for the first time, jackie is writing about that accident, her paralyzing loss and the hope she now carries. jackie asks, how does a person go from being like a sister to me, adored by my girls and cherished by my husband, to being the one who ruined our lives? in a raw, unflinching account, jack jackie describes how her life starts town ravle. who says something is wrong withan aunt diane. she was stunned to learn the most responsible person i knew, her sister in law was driving high and drunk. >> diane schuyler had a blood alcohol content of .19%. the legal limit for intoxication is.-08%. >> reporter: shuler drove the red minnie fan the wrong way on the taconic state parkway for almost two miles until she hit an suv, killing three people in that vehicle and five in her van. herself, her daughter, and jackie's t

ann? >> anne thompson, thank you very much for your report. i'm glad you got all of that team usa paint off of your face. that's good. >> i was in the newsroom yesterday watching, trying to get work done. at moments no one was working. everyone was watching and cheering. we got it on the air. >>> let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories. natalie morales is at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, lester and ann. >>> three international service members were killed in a bombing this morning in eastern afghanistan, according to nato. this as general david petraeus hands over command of the u.s. mission there to general john allen today. >>> the house votes this week on a tea party-backed plan to keep the government from a default. the nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. look, the entire negotiation process to raise the debt ceiling in the next two weeks is on a two-track process, a public one and a private one. you referred to the public one. right

we all have constituents like lucy anne and mr. and mrs. thompson. this final amendment will not prevent this bill from moving forward. if it is adopted, it will simply be incoorpted into the bill and the bill will be immediately voted on. i offer this final amendment today to protect our seniors and i hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in supporting it. i urge everyone to vote yes on this final amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. . for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin rise? mr. duffy: mr. speaker, i withdraw my point of order and rise in opposition to the motion. the speaker pro tempore: point of order is withdrawn and the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. duffy: first off, this motion on the floor today is just a political stunt that's going to undo the goodwill of my bill. now, let's be clear. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. let the house be in order. all members, take your seats. cease the conversation. the gentleman may proceed. mr. duffy: le