breaking overnight. a disaster declaration in iowa. a deadly tornado outbreak

leveling neighborhoods and leaving tens of thousands without power across the midwest. and that threat is still lingering this morning. angie lassman is tracking the latest. the defense resting its case without calling donald trump to the stand. the new controversy on the campaign trail over a post appearing to reference nazi germany. a mid-air nightmare. severe turbulence rocking a flight. what caused the frightening flight. troubling findings about one of the most popular vitamin supplements. how fish oil could be impacting your heart health. and the celtics and pacers putting on a show for game one of the eastern conference finals. highlights from the overtime thriller. it is wednesday, may 22nd. and "early today" starts right

now. good wednesday morning to you. i'm jessica layton. we begin this morning with breaking news. a slough of severe storms once again slamming the midwest, with at least 20 tornados reported in iowa, according to the national weather service. >> oh, yeah. there she is. tornado on the ground. >> officials say several people were killed, and dozens more have been injured. the twisters tearing down structures across that state, including a wind turbine in prescott that eventually caught fire. farther north in the hard-hit town of greenfield, many homes were reduced to rubble. the hospital there also damaged, forcing people who needed treatment to go to other facilities. authorities did issue a mandatory curfew overnight, and iowa's governor announced a disaster declaration for several counties. she's expected to visit greenfield to assess the damage later this morning. and the severe weather lingers

today. here's here's angie lassman tracking the threat. >> more than 300 storm reports from yesterday for that same system that's going to gear up and impact us today. 44 million people at risk. parts of the southern plains is where we'll look for the impacts to be all the same ones we were dealing with yesterday. the greatest thing we're watching for is this hail. you can see teacup sized will be possible from little rock into parts of texas. dallas included in that as well as texarkana, but all the other impacts as well as strong winds and tornados are on the table as the system marches to the east. we'll see thunderstorms erupting along and in front of it. as we get into tomorrow, scattered storms sthaart to wor into the northeast. we'll look for the threat of heavy rain falling and leaving us with the flash flooding potential. it's stretching from texas up into tennessee, indiana included this this. memphis, little rock. all potentially on the table dealing with flash flooding through the day today.

we've got anywhere from the inch to three inches of rain expected through thursday in this region. jessica? >> thanks so much for keeping an eye on that. testimony has wrapped up in the hush money trial of donald trump. the defense wrapping up its case without calling the former president to president to the stand. we have more from the courthouse. >> reporter: the defense has rested its case with their final witness on the stand, robert costello, an attorney who wanted to represent michael cohen. with that, they moved on to chargin charging instructions later in the afternoon, with the prosecution and defense presenting to judge merchan what they want him to instruct the jury. with that, we go to tuesday, after the memorial day weekend. beginning with summations, closing arguments, starting with the prosecution, followed by the

defense, and then those very important jury instructions, which judge juan merchan said will last more than an hour. if we are looking at that timeline, deliberations begin sometime on tuesday, in which 12 new yorkers hadwill then have t fate of the former president of the united states in this hands. back to you. president biden has stayed pretty quiet about that hush money trial, but he was quick to criticize his rival over a video shared on trump's social media account. they used the phrase unified reich. and that's apparent reference to nazi germany. nbc's brie jackson joins us with this story. let's start with the video that's getting so much backlash. >> reporter: this was a 30-second video posted to donald trump's truth social and instagram accounts. it showed fictionalized accounts of what could happen if trump wins in november.

the campaign tells nbc new the video was created by a random account and reposted by a campaign staffer who did not see the phrase. and happened while mr. trump was in court. the posts were deleted, but the biden campaign was quick to condemn the video, with president biden posting this response. >> what's next for america? >> this on his official account? wow. a unified reich? that's hitler's language. that's not america's. he cares about holding onto power. i care about you. >> reporter: and president biden made similar comments at campaign events overnight. he dismissed the trump campaign's explanation, saying mr. trump brags so much about having control over his social media. donald trump is not due back in court until tuesday. so we could see more of a response from the former president on this soon. jessica? >> okay, brie, thank you. a man who was part of the

january 6th riot has advanced to a georgia house race. chuck hand is moving on to a republican runoff election, where he will compete against a former trump administration official for a georgia house seat. as part of a plea agreement, hand admitted to breaking a piece of metal fencing and placing it in his pocket. if he wins his runoff election, he would be the underdog in a solidly-democratic district. today is a public holiday in iran, as a funeral is held for president ebrahim raisi. he was killed in a helicopter crash on sunday. the supreme leader of iran declared five days of national mourning after the crash. and several funeral processions have been scheduled across that country this week. let's go live to chapman bell, who's been covering this for us. chapman, good morning. do we have any updates in that crash investigation? >> reporter: good morning, jessica. yeah. iran says they are investigating the crash, and so far, no signs

of foul play. iran's former foreign minister blaming u.s. sanctions on iranian aviation for the crash. the thoughts echoed by russia's foreign minister, sergey lavrov, saying the sanctions are putting people's lives at risk. matthew millar telling reporters that washington will not apologize for the sanctions, adding that it was ultimately iran's decision to fly a 45-year-old helicopter in weather conditions that were described as poor. though he did say earlier in his briefing that, of course, the u.s. regrets any loss of life. now, the funeral for president raisi, who was viewed by many as a hard-liner who brutally crushed dissent and protests across the country is currently under way in the capital of tehran. prayers overseen by the supreme leader, ayatollah khamenei, the funeral processions beginning

yesterday in the nearest town to the crash site. the coffins of the former president as well as other government officials have been carried around the country in var various places on trucks for people to pay their last respects and for formourners. an interim president has been selected. and there will be elections at the end of the month to elect a new president for iran. >> all right, chapman, thank you. at least 30 are in the hospital and one dead after severe turbulence. several passengers were sent flying out of their seats. nbc's tom costello has more. >> reporter: on the tarmac in bangkok, a mass casualties response to a terrifying

high-altitude flight. singapore airlines says at least 30 injured, some critically. a local hospital says it's treating 71 passengers. one person died. the airport general manager says a 73-year-old british man apparently suffered a heart attack. it happened when the boeing 777 flying from london to singapore hit turbulence on the edge of a powerful storm near hthailand. the plane was shown bucking like a bronco, then falling, a controlled descent to 31,000 feet. photos photos from inside the cabin show the damage and chaos. food and bottles skalercattered the floor. multiple victims evacuated on backboards. [ inaudible ] atmospheric researchers report

clear air turbulence has only gotten worse with climate change. >> so we know that the amount of wind shear in the jet stream is now 15% stronger than it was when satellites first began observing it in the 1970s. >> reporter: heat makes the jet stream for vmore volatile and difficult to predict. it happens every day. 5500 times a year. seven were injured in march of 2023 when a lufthansa flight hit severe turbulence over tennessee. in december '22, three dozen injured on a hawaiian air flight. >> broken backs, broken skulls. brain injuries. a severed limb. and these are very serious conditions. >> it underscores why you need to always wear your seat belt on a plane and infants should be strap strapped into a car seat on plane. four americans were on board

this flight. back to you. >> all right, tom, thank you. we are getting closer to the unofficial start of summer, and everyone wants to know, will rain put a damper on plans this weekend. let's check in with angie lassman. how's it looking? >> unfortunately, there are a couple of wet spots expected this weekend. we'll celebrate nonetheless. temperatures into the mid to even upper 80s across the northeast, feeling like summer for sure. notice the 90s on tap tomorrow and high 80s for philadelphia and richmond. we'll see temperatures running warm for at least the next couple days and we'll see them stick around through the weekend into the 80s in a hot olot of t spots. not a beach day for sure across most of the east, including the northeast and the southeast will see a little sunshine across florida. but the west, that's where we'll see plenty of sunshine for folks as we celebrate memorial day. 90s on tap for parts of the desert southwest and

83 in pittsburgh. low 90s for shreveport. tampa and orlando with mostly sunny skies. and that's a look at your forecast, jessica, back to you. "early today" is back in a minute with the biden administration's plan to drive down gas prices. and three of the biggest names in streaming, teaming up for a new $15 bundle. but that cheaper price tag does come with a catch. price tag do come with a catch. for it to gr? meet new pantene pro-v miracles. with our highest concentration of pro-vitamins yet, infused with ingredients like biotin & collagen. strengthens hair bonds and repairs as well as the leading luxury brand without the $60 price tag. for stronger, healthier hair.

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the details on this. good morning. >> yeah, good morning, jessica. here's a story that will lead on to perhaps more consolcation wi dagconsolidation within this sector. this is what is part of what they call the stream-saver bundle which will be available not just to tv customers but xfinity internet which will be available as of the 29th of may. the offer is set to save at lea least $8 then. streaming prices have continued to track a little bit higher of late. and because of that uptick, bundles may actually be the best way to keep quite a few people subscribed within this industry as well. if you do subscribe, expect however to sit through quite a few ads, actually. because it does include netflix' ad plan and apple tv plus, which

is ad free just by default. on the other side, president biden set to release 1 million barrels of gasoline as well then, gasoline that is actually stored in the northeast, all of that to rytry to reduce prices gasoline as we led to the fourth of july and peak of summer driving season. still to come here on "early today." social media unleashes the dogs against a vegas restaurant. coming up, we'll show you about their promo that had so many people feeling bluey. op feeling bluey. ny

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[ scream ] >> warren beatty and glen powle aren't swapping bodies. powle is set to star in a re-imagining of "heaven can wait. the film, which was adantsed from the play of the same name stars beatty as a quarterback whose date with the afterlife delayed, comes back in the body of a millionaire. i'm going to have to watch the 1978. >> to refresh your memory? >> which i've never seen. >> we're just being honest. the dirt dog restaurant in las vegas is issuing an apology after receiving backlash over its bluey day promotion. it promised meet and greets, face painting and more for families. but kiss appointed families took so social media to voice complaints, including large crowds and the meet and greets consisting of employees in bluey

onesies. they were overwhelmed and they promise to improve so nothing like this happens in the future. this is an epic fail. i mean, the onesie? >> i appreciate the effort. but it didn't hit the way we expected. >> this would be a great lesson in an actual bluey show, though. >> now you're on to something. coming up when we come back. the supplement found to previously protect your heart is posing possible risks. and buffalo wild wings is serving up an exciting new deal with a side of shade. stay with us. a side of shade. stay with us. ♪♪ this is not just a stop for allergy meds. ♪♪ this is a great price on what you need... to survive the season. ♪♪ quick question. backed by an expert. ♪♪ okay. this is value. right in your neighborhood. thanks so much. walgreens. ♪♪

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giving engineers time to evaluate a leak in the propulsion system system. buffalo wild wings is serving up all you can eat wings and fries for $19.99 on monday and wednesdays, but a similar deal backfired on red lobster. buf buffalo redwings tweeted please don't bankrupt us. shady. we'll be right back. s. shady. we'll be right back. the right s make all the difference. new herbal essences sulfate free is now packed with plant-based ingredients your hair will love. like pure aloe. and camellia flower oil. and none of the things it won't. hair feels deeply nourished, soft and lightweight. plant power you can feel. new herbal essences sulfate free.

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>> the eastern conference finals got out to an epic start on monday after a back and forth game. game one went to overtime. brown's teammate, jayson tatum took control in the extra period. tatum hit another crucial three that allowed boston to pull away from indy and give them an early series lead. they resume on thursday. while the timberwolves and mavericks tip off in the west tonight. an art installation is connecting two cities an ocean apart. emilie ikeda and megan f fitzgerald tried it out. >> reporter: i'm here in new york. and i'm in dublin with typical irish weather. >> the cities are more than 3,000 miles apart, now coming together on fifth avenue in downtown manhattan. >> o'connell street in the heart of dublin.

>> reporter: all through something called the portal. a public art installation, bringing the cities together in real time with a live stream. >> you can saunter over here and say -- >> reporter: the portal bridges strangers, friends and colleagues across continents. hi! there's no audio. so we have to be creative. ready? rock, paper, scissors, shoe. the connection between new york and dublin follows portal projects in lit whuania. all designed by this artist. >> people need a sense of connectivity. this is the true purpose of the portal. >> reporter: the portal between new york city and dublin was briefly shut down after bad behavior on both sides. but it's now open again with added security. >> it's like face time. >> reporter: the giant round monitors helping loved ones not

feel so far away, like these friends who haven't been together in more than a year. i saw you got a little emotional. >> yeah. >> reporter: what does this mean for you? >> it's wild to know that at the same moment in time we arehave e having a meet up. a window into another place reminding us that we're not that far apart after all. megan fitzgerald, emilie ikeda. nbc news new york. dublin. >> thank you for waking up with "early today." have a great wednesday. we will see you back here bright and early tomorrow morning. y to. lamas.

stay right there. stay right there. relentless, deadly tornados continue battehe