m law hlamas in new york. stay right there. stay right there. relentless, deadly tornados continue battering the middle of

the country. a disaster proclamation in iowa after several twisters touched down, destroying an entire town, killing multiple people. and the threat is not over yet. angie lassman is tracking it all for us this morning. the defense resting its case in the donald trump hush money trial, with the former president never taking the stand. what their key witness told the jury on the final day of testimony. funeral events for iran's late president are under way this morning. thousands of mourners lining the streets of tehran, as we learn more about the helicopter crash that killed president raisi. target is taking aim at inflation. the deals you'll be able to score on thousands of items at the big box store. and the battle for graceland. how elvis' granddaughter is fighting to save the king's iconic home. "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. that's according to the national weather service. >> oh, yeah. there she is. tornado on the ground. >> officials say multiple people were killed there, and dozens more have been injured. the twisters tearing down structures across that state, including this wind turbine in prescott that caught fire. further 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 issued a mandatory curfew overnight. and iowa's governor announced a disaster declaration for several counties. she is expected to visit greenfield to inspect the damage later this morning. and the severe weather is lingering today. here's angie lassman with the

latest on that threat. >> we have another round of strong storms on tap, waking up to rain across the great lakes but mainly from texas to ohio and stretching into the northeast as we get into the afternoon hours. 44 million people included in this. and all the same threats are on the table today. the large hail is the main threat. but still wind gusts over 60 miles per hour and a couple tornados not out of the question. we've got, specifically, the highest risk from little rock to san angelo, dallas right in the bull's eye. this is where you could see teacup-sized hail. this is the system we're watching, the culprit of yesterday's storms. most of that is confined along and in front of this today and tomorrow. some of those will start to push into parts of the northeast and the southern plains hadwill alse watching for severe weather. we've got a chance for heavy

rain and flash flooding. dallas, west plains, memphis. we gear up for one to three inches of rain through thursday. >> thanks so much. testimony has wrapped up in the hush money trial of donald trump. the defense resting its case without calling the former president to take the stand. closing arguments will begin after the long holiday weekend. nbc's laura jarret has more. >> reporter: the defense resting its case with former president trump choosing not to take the stand in his first criminal trial. jurors left hearing only from robert costello. a lawyer who briefly advised michael cohen. prosecutors again trying to paint costello as a trump-allied emissary, dispatched by rudy giuliani to prevent cohen from slipping on trump, confronted with e-mails, suggesting he was frustrated cohen refused to hire him, saying cohen continues to slow may play tsus.

suggesting that 9 the story wa all a lie, that cohen said numerous times that trump knew nothing about the payments and that he did this on his own. the testimony run just over 90 minutes. >> there's no crime. there's no crime. it's a kangaroo court. >> reporter: the judge working with both sides for hours to hash out critical instructions jurors will receive next week to aid their deliberations on the 34 counts mr. trump faces for allegedly falsifying his business records. the outcome to largely come down to whether jurors believe cohen, the only witness to testify that mr. trump directed the payoff to daniels and then disguised the reimbursements to cohen, all of which mr. trump denies.

the defense spent three days of grilling cohen. if found guilty on the low-level felonies here, mr. trump faces anywhere from four years in prison to just probation. court will pick up on tuesday morning with closing arguments from both sides. today is a federal holiday for funeral for president raisi. several funeral processions have been scheduled across the country this week. chapman, first of all, do we have any updates in the investigation into that crash? >> reporter: good morning, jessica. yes, iran is investigating the crash. and it's important to point out that so far there are no signs of foul play. iran's foreign minister, their former foreign minister, i

should say, blamed u.s. sanctions on iranian aviation for the crash. these thoughts echoed by russia's foreign minister, sergey lavrov, who says these sanctions are putting people's lives at risk. however, the state department spokesperson, matthew millar telling reporters in washington they won't apologize for sanctions and it was iran's decision to fly a 45-year-old helicopter in weather conditions described as poor but also adding that they, of course, regret any loss of life. now, the funeral for the deceased president viewed by many as a hard-liner who brutally crushed dissent and protests across iran, is under way, currently, in tehran. the procession of his coffin began yesterday and included those other deceased in the crash and has been transported around the country for mourners to pay their last respects before he will ultimately be buried near his hometown at the end of the week.

the funeral today, prayers being led by the supreme leader khamenei. and, like i said, he will be laid to rest near his hometown at the end of the week. an interim president has been put in place currently, though, they now expect elections to happen at the end of june to elect a new president. jessica? >> all right, chapman, thank you. 19 uvalde families will hold a press conference later today to make what is being called an important announcement there. the victims' relatives will be joined by two attorneys now representing them. this all comes a day after the uvalde school district police chief submitted his letter of resignation, as the fallout interest tha from that massacre two years ago continues. meanwhile, survivors of a different shooting are lobbying congress to protect children from gun violence. here's alice barr. >> reporter: walking the halls of the u.s. capitol, physicians

with the gun violence prevention group are on the same mission that drives their work in hospitals and clinics across the country, protecting children. >> gun violence in this country is a public health crisis. >> reporter: dr. ashley jaffe's family survived the 2022 july 4 mass shooting in highland park, illinois. she was shot in the hand. her 5-year-old son right there. >> i grabbed him, and i shoved him under the bench, and i wrapped my head over his head and curled up behind him. he was screaming. he saw the blood dripping from my hand onto the sidewalk. then we heard it again, pop, pop, pop. >> reporter: dr. jaffe's injury ended her hands-on work as a physician. >> i've seen unintentional shootings cause brain injuries and spinal chord injuries. i've seen siblings accidentally get ahold of an unsecured weapon and shoot their younger sibling.

>> reporter: dr. jaffe has seen enough. she and more than 80 others are cal calling on congress to pass universal background checks. >> we are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence. >> reporter: in an effort to break through political barriers, gun-owning doctors like pediatrician sandra mckay joining on call for kids. she's conducting nih-backed research with the goal of training gun shop owners. >> they don't want to be known as someone who sold the gun to the next mass shooter. >> reporter: doctors seeking to reframe a diffivisive issue. police say a private was

found dead in her home four miles from the base. the 24-year-old from texas was assigned to the 101st airborne brigade. investigators are asking anyone with information to come forward. the epa says hackers are targeting america's water supply. the agency warned cyber attacks are becoming more and more common. the epa says hackers could hit the computer software used to operate treatment plants and distribution centers. a new enforcement alert is urging utilities to take action to protect the nation's dr drindrinking water. angie lassman is tracking the temperatures for us. >> just in time for us to deal with nice, warm temperatures as we look ahead to the holiday weekend. friday looks like the heat is going to be confined to texas. and out west we'll see nice conditions for folks there with plenty of sunshine on tap for

the west. it's really the midwest, parts of the great lakes and mid atlantic that will remain unsettled as we wrap up the workweek. we look ahead to your saturday, nice for the mid section of the country. strong storms and damp conditions from the northeast into parts of the tennessee valley in the southeast. big area of the country expected to deal with the rain and more thunderstorms here as we get into sunday. if you're looking for th o memph through shreveport and san antonio. new orleans heads to the 80s today and ends up with mostly sunny skies. and that's a look at your forecast, jessica, back to you. >> okay, ang, thank you. "early today" is back in a minute with new investigation

into the "friends" star, matthew perry. howe elvis' granddaughter i fighting to keep his estate in the family. o keep his estate in the family. . 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. ♪♪ if you know, you know it's pantene. ♪♪ we all need fiber for our digestive health, but less than 10% of us get enough each day. good thing metamucil gummies are an easy way to get prebiotic, plant-based fiber. with the same amount of fiber as 2 cups of broccoli. metamucil gummies. the easy way to get your daily fiber. bother the bugs. not your family. ahh! zevo is made with essential oils which attack bugs' biological systems. it wipes cleanly, plus is safe for use around people and pets. gotcha!

zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly. more than six months after the death of matthew perry, the lapd says it is working with the dea to find the source of the ketamine that apparently killed him. people who were close with the "friends" star say he was being treated with the drug for depression. but the coroner's report raised questions about why there was so much in his system. now to the growing battle over graceland. elvis presley's granddaughter is suing to stop the sale of the late super star's mansion. stephanie gosk now on the dispute over that landmark. >> reporter: graceland has long been a cherished piece of americana, the memphis home of the late elvis presley. >> i feel like it's connected to something here, more than anywhere else. >> reporter: now, in a lawsuit, her daughter, danielle riley

keogh claims a false investment firm is trying to illegally sell graceland. according to the suit, the missouri-based investment company says lisa marie borrowed $3.8 million before her death, putting up her father's home as collateral and never repaid the loan. now, the firm is attempting to sell graceland this thursday. but, in court files, keogh says the documents of the alleged deal are forgeries, including this one signed by a notary who denies meeting presley or notarizing anything, according to an affidavit included in the lawsuit. >> this is a lawsuit, but isn't what they're alleging a crime? >> allegations are civil in this complaint, but the underlying facts seem to make out criminal activity. >> reporter: earlier this month, a tennessee court put a hold on the sale. the man named in the lawsuit has told nbc news he has not worked for firm since 2015 and did not handle loans to lisa marie presley.

nbc news attempted to get further comment from naussany investment but did not hear back. >> those heave records. >> reporter: the mystery around graceland deepening. stephanie gosk, nbc news. still to come. even after taking on hit men, fighter jets and sydney sweeney rumors, glen powle is just getting started. right after this. ghafr is rit teth. new herbal essences is packed

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diapers a month until their baby turns 2. next wednesday, nbc's parent company comcast is launching a new streaming bundle combining netflix, apple tv and peacock. it will cost $15 a month for xfinity internet and tv customer. and buffalo wild wings is offering an all-you-can-eat deal on mondays and wednesdays. >> the new promotion has the caption "please don't bankrupt us". a reference to the endless shrimp deal that red lobster says was a bad idea. lobster says was a bad idea. 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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stores. senior consumer investigative correspondent, nike nguyen dives into those deals for us. >> reporter: new discounts in aisles across america. with target hoping for hot summer sales now lowering the prices of 1500 items, with thousands more ahead in the coming months. many of the deals include groceries and family staples like milk, meat, vegetables, diapers and pet food. the organic baby spinach will drop to $2.99. and clorox scented wipes will go from $5.79 to $4.99. what's behind this? >> consumers have been show very strong price fatigue. >> reporter: target going after budget-conscious shoppers as are other chains like dollar tree. >> change the name. wealthy tree.

fortune tree. >> reporter: and walmart, despite reporting more high-income customers, revealing shoppers are more selective with purchases. their cfo telling cnbc, wallets are still stretched. with stricter budgets heading into the warmer months, many americans are anxious for prices to cool off. >> i just paid $6 tor for these grapes. this is crazy. >> reporter: now major retailers and chains are responding, looking for ways to satisfy inflation-weary customers. >> when did mcdonald's get so expensive? >> reporter: last week, mcdonald's announced it's offering a limited edition $5 value meal at the end of june. >> you get a drink, all the chips and salsa you can eat. >> reporter: while casual dining chains like chili's and applebee's are serving up discounted dishes. dishes. >> i think a hot of a lot of t retailers are offering a better

value to customers. the season 25 winner of the voice has been crowned. and this is a performance that sealed the deal. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ ♪ ♪ >> wow, that is asher havan of alabama. he got his start singing in church, even performing for president barack obama as a choir leader in selma back in 2015. and we will always love you for starting your day with "early today." i'm jessica layton. have a great wednesday. we will see you tomorrow. l see .

move three nations pushing to formally recognize a palesan