stomers come in and ask for something for memory, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's effective. does not require a prescription. and i've been taking it quite a while myself and i know it works. and i love it when the customers come back in and tell me, "david, that really works so good for me." makes my day. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. the strong storms plaguing the south and plains are not letting up. this time slamming into texas, downing trees and power lines

and spawning even more tornados. meteorologist angie lassman is tracking the threat. at least two people are dead after a workplace shooting near philadelphia. three others also shot. police still investigating a possible motive. a major reversal from a one-time trump adversary. nikki haley now says she will vote for donald trump, despite her reservations, but will her supporters follow suit? a new warning today about a scam using money transfer apps like zelle. what police say you should look out for. and p yif you're hitting th road or the skies, get a jump start to your holiday weekend. we break down what's expected to be the busiest memorial day holiday. it's thursday, may 23rd. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad you're with me. i'm frances rivera. we begin with severe weather causing turmoil in central texas. hail and reports of tornados in

the region. the city of temple issuing an emergency declaration after a twister touched down, damaging homes. the red cross has opened a shelter for displaced residents. meanwhile, in iowa officials say there have been at least four deaths, maybe more from the tornado outbreak that tore across the midwest tuesday. there were reports of 23 tornados with the most in iowa, one leveling the town of greenfield. there were also at least 35 people injured. heartbroken residents are now working to pick up the pieces. nbc's maggie vespa is there. >> reporter: in iowa, a sprawling landscape of destruction, after the latest deadly tornado outbreak. >> that's a tornado, guys. >> reporter: more than two dozen reported twisters sliced through the midwest, mostly iowa. one leveling the city of greenfield. official surveys dubbing it at least an ef-3 tornado, packing winds up to 165 miles per hour.

>> everything was on top of me. >> reporter: jo newell was trapped under the rubble of her home for 45 minutes before her apple watch alerted rescuers. >> at one time they didn't think i was down there, and i kept hollering, i amihere. >> reporter: this entire neighborhood is obliterated. one woman tells us her house was on a lot down the block and the cars on her front lawn, she has no clue where they came from. iowa authorities saying multiple people were injured and killed, adding they're still in search and rescue mode. the state's governor declaring an emergency in 15 counties. what would you say to people who feel like they're seeing an increase in the puerfrequency a severity of these storms? >> it's cyclical. but they need to take it seriously. >> reporter: a warning amid a ruthless spring with jaw-dropping twistersfrom oklahoma, to michigan to tennessee. we've only seen two days without a tornado reported.

total, 20024's seen more than 80 tornados reported across 34 states. >> i've never seen a tornado like that. >> reporter: back in iowa, donna pruitt's house used to sit across the street. >> it's a matter of 30 seconds, and it was gone. and they said donna, if you had been here, i wouldn't be here today. >> reporter: maggie vespa, greenfield, iowa. now to a deadly workplace shooting west of philadelphia. the community of chester, pennsylvania was shocked by an early morning attack on a local linen rental company. officials say an employee took out his anger on the workers there, killing two and injuring three others. >> the information i have right now is the employee had some issues with fellow employees, but nothing that would lead to what happened here today. this is everyone's worst nightmare. >> authorities later arrested an alleged gunman in a nearby city.

they have not named him yet. the possible motive is part of an ongoing investigation. nearly two years after a gunman killed 19 children in uvalde, texas, the victims' families announce ing a $500 million lawsuit against more than 90 officers who say they botched their response to the mass shooting. the school district says it is open to exploring a resolution in the lawsuit. the department of public safety says it does not comment on pending litigation. the families announced they have settled with the city for $2 million, with city leaders promising better standards and training for local police. now to a new twist in the race for the white house. nikki haley, a fierce critic of donald trump on the campaign trail now says she will be voting for him. here's peter alexander. >> reporter: a surprise move. nikki haley, one of president trump's most critical opponents says she will vote for him.

despite her reservations of policy and handling of the border. >> trump has not been perfect on these policies. i have made that clear, many, many times. but biden has been a catastrophe. so i will be voting for trump. >> reporter: haley, mr. trump's fo former u.n. ambassador was the last candidate to drop out after repeatedly slamming her former boss. >> donald trump was totally unhinged. unhinged. he's not qualified to be the president of the united states. >> reporter: mr. trump fired back in january, questioning why haley was still in the race. >> who the hell was the imposter that went up on the stage before and, like, claimed a victory? >> reporter: haley's announcement comes as the presumptive nominee is considering a vice presidential pick. this month, mr. trump posting that nikki halgyey is not under consideration. even after exiting the race, she was still getting double-digit

support among republican primary voters. >> trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me. >> reporter: the question, will haley voters follow her lead and vote for trump or will they vote for biden? israel is slamming spain, ireland and norway for announcing they will recognize a palestinian state next week. prime minister benjamin netanyahu said it with reward terrorism, citing a poll from late last year, he claimed that 80% of west bank mt bank minutet t palestinians support the attack, saying they cannot be give and state. he added, in the midst of a war with tens of thousands dead and injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a safe home for both israelis and palestinians.

a surprise announcement from rishi sunak, calling for new elections on july 4, six weeks from now. the vote was originally expected to happen in november. it promises to be a matchup between sunak's tory party and the labor party led by keir starmer. let's go to chapman bell. do we know who's favored to win? >> reporter: good morning, frances. as you say, bringtish prime minister sunak calling that surprise election. after 14 years in power, his conservative party is polling 20 points behind the opposition labor party. and, as usual, the papers in the uk having a field day with it, one saying sunak bets the house. another saying drown and out. that referring to his speech in a rainy london yesterday, calling this election and alluding to his uphill battle he has, and in front of downing street, covered in rain, the

prime minister had this to say. >> i'm guided by doing what is right for our country, not what is easy. i can't say the same thing for the labor party. because i don't know what they offer. and, in truth, i don't think you know either. and that's because they have no plan. >> reporter: now some analysts believe sunak's gamble was attempt to get a bounce off falling inflation levels and a better economic outlook. and while trying to catch the opposition labor party off guard. but the leader of the opposition, keir starmer had this to say in reply. have a listen. >> we will stop the chaos. look around our country. the sewage in our rivers. people waiting on trolleys in a ar ar and e. food prices and mortgage prices through the roof. it's all, every bit of it, a

direct result of the tory chaos in westminster. >> reporter: so keir starmer referring to the tory party and westminster, the center of government in the uk. it will be a battle but likely an uphill battle for the prime minister as they face the election on the 4th of july. >> chapman, thank you. a judge in tennessee has blocked a foreclosure sale of elvis presley's estate. elvis' granddaughter has accused a creditor of trying to take over grace land through a fraudulent loan agreement. the judge expected keogh to prevail. the judge's decision makes it clear that the estate is no longer in danger of being sold. severe weather could cause trouble for anyone getting an early start for the holiday weekend travel. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is tracking storms for us. an important weekend being

outside. but it seems like these storms have been back to back. >> this month has been crazy whet when it comes to severe weather. you can see already active across parts of the south. it's the plains that we'll watch specifically from top to bottom, really as we get through the afternoon and evening hours. 23 hl p 23 million people at risk. we are concerned about the baseball-sized hail as the day goes on. looking ahead to tomorrow, we know a busy travel day. 37 million people at risk for some of the strong storms, including chicago stretching as far south as dallas. those are some of the major cities in the bull's eye with that. we've got flood alerts for texas and oklahoma. 9 million people included in this as we go through the day today. and you can see why. ample rain on the way for folks across this region as we get into the weekend. speaking of the weekend, big picture look. strong thunderstorms across the midwest. we'll see scattered

thunderstorms for the southeast and the morning showers. for the northeast, those are the areas i'll watch for impactful weather, potentially out west we could see showers and gusty winds. places like the airports there could need a littl t today. 88 for richmond, thunderstorms in the forecast for new york and boston. and that's a look at your forecast. back to you. >> we'll see you in a bit. thank you, angie. we will be back in one minute with a warning about a scam on the rise. how a friendly conversation at a park cost a woman thousands of dollars. ost a woman thousands o dollars. auntie, in that dishwasher? watch me platinum plus gives you the highest standard of clean, even in your machine. clean enough for you? yeah! scrape. load. done.

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scam used to transfer money. melissa colorado, with our new york station, has this report. >> reporter: it's a sunny day in madison square park. and, in this video, police say you're watching a scam unfold. two suspects, possibly teens, strike up a conversation with a woman sitting on a bench. >> they look for that soft target that's alone. why? because nobody's going to intervene, you know. what do they do? they pull on those heart strings. >> it's literally like the kids on the subway saying i'm collecting money for my school. >> reporter: but instead of asking for cash, these suspects want donations sent through zelle, the electronic payment system. >> they were like, don't worry, we take venmo and zelle. >> reporter: just like the woman in this video, she fell victim, too. >> they were tell me about their team and how they were performing and they were distracting me. and one of the boys was like, don't worry, ma'am, i'll put my

information in your phone. >> reporter: she made the mistake of handing her phone over to one of the suspects. >> within about 15 seconds, they were like, thank you, ma'am, and they ran away. >> reporter: she checked her bank app and discovered $2,000 was gone. >> word is out. bad guys are communicating via social media, telling them how easy this scam is. >> reporter: in less than one month, scammers have stolen $35,000 from 15 victims. mostly women hanging out in parks. >> i called my bank right away. tried to get things frozen. then i called the police. >> reporter: unfortunately for victims, zelle fraud is not treated like credit card fraud. of the 37 scam cases nypd has investigated, no one has received their money back. we reached out to her bank, chase, who sent us this statement. we want to remind everyone using peer-to-peer payment services to never hand your phone over to someone else. it's the same as handing them your entire wallet. chase is actively investigating the case. in the meantime, she's sharing her story in hopes that the next

person with an open heart doesn't hand over their unlocked phone to a stranger. >> be careful. this could happen to anyone. >> our thanks to melissa colorado for that report. still to come. apple music takes its own bite at ranking the best albums of all time. find out the hip-hop classic that topped the list of one hundred after this. e list of on hundred after this. you've been in there forever! i'm trying! this cheap stuff is too thin! i told you not to get the other toilet paper. here's charmin ultra strong. ahhh! my bottom's been saved! woooo! with its diamond weave texture, charmin ultra strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. what's everybody waiting for? this? ok hon, we know you're clean. we all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin. nature's bounty hair growth. clinically shown to help grow thicker, fuller hair with just one capsule a day of advanced hair complex. conquer hair thinning...

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♪ ♪ ♪ you know you better watch out ♪ ♪ some girls, some girls ♪ ♪ are only about ♪ ♪ that thing, that thing, that thing ♪ >> apple music wrapped up its ten-day education for muss ic lovers. the miseducation of lauryn hill topped the list of the one hundred albums of all time.

in an instagram video, she is presented with the honor and she shouted out everyone involved in the making of her solo album. mixed reviews. people are saying, wait, what? the best of all time? you've got "thriller", "purple rain" and frank ocean, and people are going, uh. >> the top three, i agree completely. how can you not have this without the beatles, michael jackson and lauryn hill. i'm not going to be mad about that. >> it is subjective. >> it is subjective. >> subjective but at least some great, great music. now to triceratops and t-rex welcoming a new friend to "jurassic world." rupert friend has been cast in the upcoming seventh installment of the jurassic series. he's known for wes anderson films, "homeland" and "obi-wan

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to the airport. our washington, d.c. station has a look at the memorial day travel rush by the numbers. >> reporter: from the ticketing lines to the tsa lines. airports are filling up to new levels. >> i can already tell that there's a lot of people, even on a wednesday. >> reporter: and the busiest day is still yet to come. a whopping 53,000 flights are expected. that's busier than the thanksgiving travel rush last year. plus, the tsa says, four of the busiest days they've ever recorded at security checkpoints happened this month. >> i think busy airports are pretty much here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. >> reporter: shawn is an aviation reporter and tells news 4, the flying experience of yesterday is, thankfully, not the flying experience of today. >> a lot of people maybe heard about the chaos two years ago in 2022, when there were mass delays and cancellations. for really going on a year and a half now, we've seen some pretty smooth operations with airlines.

they've really staffed up. >> reporter: definitely music to travelers' ears of the and while many of the flyers we talked to are headed somewhere for memorial day, and they certainly have tips for doing so. >> avoid checking a bag, do it. >> pack the night before. make sure i'm organized and ready to go. >> reporter: others have a different reason for being at the airstrport. you're getting married? >> we're getting married. >> we're excited. for three glorious nights, pittsburgh will be transforming into picksburg. the nfl has announced it's picked the city to host the draft. it's to be held outside the stadium home of the steelers. it comes after a record number of fans flocked to detroit this april for the 2024 draft. the nfc north rival, green bay,

will play first before pittsburgh. mattel is honoring women in sports, making a special announcement wednesday. venus williams has transformed into a barbie doll, along with it's other women in sports, all part of barbie's anniversary celebration. it's to help girls recognize this full potential and explore sports. the seven-time grand slam champion said barbie 's mission couldn't resonate more deeply with that ethos. enjoy your thursday, see you right back here early friday morning. iday morning.

in the east bay. new details on where that investigation stands this morning. one student hospitalized, another arrested following a stabbing