we are covering two major developing stories this morning. first, the latest on a passenger plane shot out of the sky with nearly 300 people on board. >> shot down, not an accident. blown out of the sky. >> and then israel's invasion and ground assault on gaza. an israeli soldier was killed overnight but the battles continue this morning. it's friday, july 18th, "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm dara brown. the crash of the malaysian airliner over war torn ukraine led to more questions and more finger pointing by world leaders. experts say big pieces of wreckage over a wide area is evidence the jet liner blew up

in midair. the ukrainian government says it was a russian-made missile, but the russians blame ukraine for the unrest in the area. malaysia airlines had a list of passenger as cording to their nationality. more than half were from the netherlands and another 40 from malaysia. the malaysian prime minister said we must and we will find out what happened. >> no stone will be left unturned. if it conspires that the plane was, indeed, shot down, we insist that the perpetrators must swiftly be brought to justice. reaction continues to pour in from around the world. nbc's tom costello has the latest. >> reporter: amateur video from eastern ukraine captured the thick, black smoke billowing from the wreckage.

on the ground, the intense fire left a scorched landscape. the distinctive markings left little doubt this was a malaysia airlines boeing 777. this video shows the actual plane shortly after it took on the at 12:30 european time. nearly three hours later ukrainian aircraft controllers lost contact with the plane. the ukrainian government quickly said the plane had been hit by a surface to air missile at 33,000 feet. at the time the plane was over contested territory in eastern ukraine only 31 miles from the russian border. eyewitnesss on the ground reported seeing what looked like a missile, then an explosion in the sky. ukrainian authorities reported the wreckage was scattered over a nine-mile area and included pieces of fuselage. to aviation experts the plane likely came apart in midair. >> this is a high probability that the airplane did suffer some sort of in flight break up. now what the cause of that

inflight break up could be one to two things. either it was damaged due to a presumed missile strike or because the airplane was descending at a very high rate of speed. it could have been aerodynamic forces. >> they accused russian-backed separatists of firing a soviet era missile to bring the plane down. the wreckage now lies in area controlled by rebels who claim to have already recovered the plane's black boxes. >> the dutch prime minister called the malaysian airlines crash one of the biggest air disasters in the history of the netherlan netherlands. after the crash friends and family of those on board showed up in amsterdam trying to find out if their loved ones were on board. they were quickly whisked away from reporters and taken to a local hotel. nbc's katie kurr spoke to one woman who was supposed to be on flight nh-17. as you can imagine, she was very shaken up.

>> i don't know what to do. coming to the airport and the fact that she was just crying. i'm just thinking that i feel like i've been given a second chance, and hopefully, you know -- >> today the airport is operating normally, according to flight aware. today's malaysia airlines flight 17 from schiphol took off in the past hour. coming up we'll get u.s. reaction and we'll go live to moscow to hear how vladimir putin is handling this disaster. now to the other top story. after ten days of air attack and a failed cease-fire attempt, israel has launched a ground invasion on the gaza strip. artillery, drones, tanks, and combat engineers all on the move. flares up and fires lit up the night sky. it continues this morning. we're just beginning to get a clearer picture of the initial

casualties. the latest number. the israeli army says one of its soldiers are dead with another two on the other side. 20 palestinians are claimed to have been killed since this began. hamas has responded they call the invasion foolish. they said it would have "dreadful consequences." there's no telling yet how long this could last, but we're learning about specific and strategic places the israeli military may be trargting. richard engel is in gaza with more on that. >> reporter: it began with several strikes. from the sea. we watched the tracers from israeli guns firing over gaza. they show where the rounds are going. illumination flares were shot over gaza city, the most densely populated part of the gaza strip, home to nearly two million palestinians. the flares helped israel target and drones circle the city. israel said its ten-day military

offensive against hamas has "entered a new phase." it's unclear how long it could last. israeli officials suggested two weeks. the immediate target, israel said, are tunnels dug by hamas from gaza into israel. israel says they use the tunnels to sneak up on and attack israeli towns. israel leaked footage it claimed showed about a dozen militants trying to approach an israeli town, but when they hear a drone, they head back under ground. israel called in an artillery strike to destroy the tunnel. >> nbc's richard engel reporting. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here with your friday forecast. good morning to you. >> the big story this morning is the landfall super typhoon over china. this increased really quickly right before landfall. here's the picture of it on the satellite imagery. you can see a donut hole in the middle. that's the eye of the storm. that little city there of haikou

has two million residents. be expecting to hear about the horrible stories there as that typhoon is now making landfall. back here in the u.s., a very hot day yesterday. vegas at 109. areas in the northwest still warm, but it has cooled off a little bit in the last couple of days, and now we're going to see significant cooling as some cooler air from the north has moved in, so looks like your little summer fling with really hot temperatures has ended. today about 75 in seattle. medford, back down where you should be into the low 90s, and we're still looking at the warm coastal areas with the marine layer hanging tough. upper 60s to low 70s. weekend forecast will feature pretty much a quiet forecast.

only temperatures of concern. i'll give you those coming up. >> thanks. an ntsb crash team will be sent in to investigate malaysia flight. how will that affect as a possible suspect is named? ok th. new revlon colorstay gel envy™ a revolution in modern nail enamel. now, in just two steps, i get what i want. first, our base coat and vivid color in one. second, our revolutionary diamond top coat forms a protective coating... for glass-like shine superior strength and gorgeous, life-resistant wear don't be envious. be envied! new revlon colorstay gel envy™ 30 vibrant, easy-to-remove shades revlon dust irritating your eye? (singing) ♪ visine® gives your eyes relief in seconds. visine®. get back to normal.

continuing our coverage of the flight mh 14 from malaysia airlines. who shot the missile that took down the plane? no yored if it came from the ukrainian side or the russian side. no u.s. planes will fly near the ukraine-russian border. brian moohr in washington. how are the leaders in washington responding this morning? >> well, dara, the latest news out of washington is that the national transportation safety board will announce this afternoon whether it will send its famed go team to that crash site. this investigation may be pushed along by u.s. intelligence.

officials here say they have evidence of a missile strike that brought down this aircraft, and u.s. officials say that proving who fired it, though, may not be easy. >> reporter: as the world searches for answers into the crash of malaysian airlines flight 17 in eastern ukraine, a malaysian government announced it's sending 62 people to the sprawling crash site. >> we get assurance from the minister of foreign affairs. >> reporter: ukraine is asking for an international investigation, and the crash site is in territory claimed by pro-russian separatists. it's a crime scene controlled by the people many consider to be the prime suspects. u.s. intelligence officials believe they already know the cause of the crash that claimed nearly 300 souls. an american satellite reportedly picked up the launch of a surface to air missile, like one of these spotted in pro-russian eastern ukraine. >> most likely it was one of the separateists because, don't forget, they shot down a

ukrainian plane. >> reporter: if the separatists were involved -- >> i think there's going to be hell to pay, and there should be. >> reporter: russian was just hit with a new round of sanctions over ukraine, but this crash threatens to put it to a new level. russian president vladimir putin this morning shifted the blame to ukraine. >> translator: this tragedy would not have occurred, he said, if there was peace in that land. >> and on that note, the white house is pressing the russian government to get behind the cease-fire. dara. >> brian, thanks for that report. also in the news this morning, the u.s. border patrol says the number of children being detained after illegally crossing into south texas has slowed in the last ten days. more than 57,000 unaccompanied children have been arrested since october. the fbi has some concerns over self-driving cars like the one google is developing. the bureau says they have the potential to be used as lethal weapons if they're armed with bombs. criminals could use them to conduct freeway shoot-outs and car chases. and you may want to check

out this updated map from the u.s. geological survey. the red part indicates areas of the country at high risk for damaging earthquakes in the next 50 years. california is still a hotspot, but the new happen expands the risk to the midwest and the southeast. and late last night, dozens of reports of fireballs shooting across the sky along the east coast. the driver in north carolina captured what was likely a meteor on his car's dash cam. just ahead, russia's vladimir putin blames ukraine for the missile that brought down flight 17. they claim it wasn't us, it was him, and he calls it an act of terrorism. we're live in moscow next. ♪ you know, i've been thinking about us ♪ ♪ and, uh, i just can't fight it anymore ♪ ♪ it's bundle time ♪ bundle ♪ mm, feel those savings, baby

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dentist. at 1-800-dentist, we've helped over 8 million people find that right dentist. we can do the same for you. so don't put it off. call 1-800-dentist. the latest on the malaysian jetliner crash this morning. russian president vladimir putin is blaming ukraine for the unrest. he said "this tragedy would not have occurred if there was peace in that land." i'm joined by nbc's jim maceda who is live in moscow. jim, what is putin's next move here? >> hi, dara. well, first of all, it's easy to get lost in the who done it aspect of what is now being described as a mass murder, but 300 individuals lost their lives in what could turn out to be a terrible case of the mistaken identification of an aircraft, and just as a reminder, today

here in moscow mourners were out laying flowers outside the malaysian and dutch embassies. remember, almost 200 victims were dutch and malaysian, and it's still unclear if any americans were on board, but we're hearing that as many as 100 top h.i.v. researchers were on that plane heading for a conference in australia. that's a loss which apparently has shaken the profession. now, in terms of what putin does next, some watchers here think that they'll simply continue doing what he does best, and that is playing his clever game of casting himself as the peace maker, the statesman, while at the same time doing whatever he can to destabilize ukraine with what was low grade insurgency, but it s now becoming more and more lethal. putin will go on saying, perhaps, that he doesn't give the rebels weapons or reinforcement. he just tells the west that he

doesn't have much influence over the rogue elements anymore, those of separatists, and that's probably true to some extent. he is perhaps losing some control. what really worries analysts here is that putin will try to lead any investigation into the crash, control those black bo s boxes, and there's already a report out that says that the two black boxes and the actual missile launcher that was used are somewhere here in moscow. back to you. >> jim maceda reporting live from moscow. the world will certainly be watching. thank you, jim, for that report. just ahead, the passing of a hollywood legend up next.

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new revlon colorstay gel envy™ 30 vibrant, easy-to-remove shades revlon sxwlirchlgts well accident welcome back. your weekend forecast. changes are in store in the northwest. unfortunately, it looks like your really warm, sunny pattern coming to an end. showers are returning, and only a high of 73 in seattle. one of the coolest spots everywhere. san diego, same temperature, but you won't get the rainfall. notice on sunday pretty much the same. not a lot of changes this weekend. what you start with is likely what you'll end with. >> thank you so much, bill. now, we'll move on to sports. the cavaliers need some love. minimum machine's kevin love moves into the number one overall draft pick this year. for the first time lebron james has surpassed michael jordan at least in popularity. he has taken over the top spot

of america's favorite sports figure. michael jordan came in by second followed by derek jeter. >> peyton manning, fourth, and kobe bryant and race car driver dale earnhardt jr. tied at fifth. they polled 2,200 adults on-line. >> jesus christ. guys. a heated tiger woods frustrated with photographers. you got to give it to him. they were taking photos of tiger midswing who finished the round three under par, tied for tenth. defending champ phil mickelson finished back in 84th. he shot a 74. round two is underway. ireland's rory mcelroy sitting on top at six under par. at a celebrity golf tournament in lake tahoe green bay linebacker a.j. tackled a fan who was holding up a sign asking to be tackled. he might regret that in the morning. now it's time to move on to some entertainment news. famed hollywood elaine --

since the 1940s she's had numerous roles on television and movies and broadway. she reclaimed her fame to the new generation in the comedy "30 rock" as the overbearing mother of alec baldwin's character. she was 89. ♪ >> now the texas blues guitarist johnny winter died at age 70. he was in had switzerland on wednesday. according to his publicist, he was on tour in europe and recently played in austria, where. >> jason bigs from "american pie" is catching a lot of heat for his tweet tweeting "anyone wanna buy my malaysia flights frequent flyer miles." he deleted that tweet and made four tweet apologies acknowledging he was offensive.

♪ all by myself >> remember that viral video? richard dunn was stranded overnight in the airport and killing time he was lip syncing to "all by myself" from celine dion. celine dion then sent him this youtube message. >> next time you're stuck all by yourself at las vegas airport for hours and hours, please be my guest at my show. >> since then the two have actually met in person. she even took a photo with him and his family. >> is celine high on your list of people that you would like to meet? have you seen her show? >> i have not seen her show, but i would love to because i think she's phenomenal. >> she's a nice person. i'm rooting for her. >> she's taking over vegas. >> i'm dara brown, and this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. huh, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know words really can hurt you?

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the crash of malaysian airline flight 17 is making headlines around the world. "the times" in london "blown out of the sky." "the daily mail" there will be hell to pay. "murder in the sky, missile destroys jet and kills 295." "usa today" shock, sympathy from relatives of flight 370 passengers. that airlines flight disappeared march. still no trace has been found. in "the l.a. times" high-tech spycraft tracked missile's path from malaysia airlines jet. advanced u.s. satellites played a key role in determining that a surface to air missile shot down the malaysian jetliner on thursday. turning now to the middle east

crisis. in the "new york times" israeli military invades gaza with sights set on hamas operations. israel says the military operation was a limited one. it was not intended to topple hamas from its long-time rule of gaza. israel launches a ground invasion of gaza. no one knows how it will end. once again, we are keeping an eye on those two major stories still developing this morning. first, more questions about that malaysian airliner that was shot down over a volatile eastern ukraine. the 298 people aboard reportedly included a team of aids experts on their way to an international meeting. colleagues say in that group former president to the international aids society, the organization's president-elect had this to say. >> this incredibly sad and sensitive time, the i.s. stands with our international family and sends condolences to the loved ones of those who have been lost in this tragedy.

the i.e.s. is hearing unconfirmed reports that some of our friends and colleagues were on board the flight, and if that is the case, this is truly a sad day. >> and we are also monitoring the ground invasion of gaza by the israeli army. so far authorities say one israeli soldier and 20 palestinians are dead. now for a look ahead and a look back. the u.n. security's council is holding an emergency meeting this morning on ukraine. britain is proposing a security council press statement calling for a full, though yorkso, and independent investigation. one year ago today detroit became the biggest u.s. city to file for bankruptcy. this sunday on "meet the press" david gregory gets washington's reaction to the crash of the malaysian airliner. i'm dara brown. thanks for watching "early today." have a great weekend.

from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." right now as the world comes together to remember those killed when malaysia airlines flight 17 was shot down, ukraine and russia are pointing fingers. good morning everyone, it's 4:30, i'm scott mcgrew. >> and i'm kris san chess in for laura garcia-cannon. more on that story in a moment. first we begin with breaking news here at home. car crash in the south bay that killed at least one person and injured four others. happened just before 2:00 this morning on highway 101 at lawrence expressway right on the border of sunny vail and santa fe. alcohol appears to be a factor in this