this morning on "early today," slow moving disaster, the flood waters may have crested in memphis, but the flow in mississippi moves higher down river. baby backlash. photos show an 8-month-old being patted down by airport security agents. and one giant leap. a swiss adventurer completes a daring flight over the grand canyon. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry.

today we begin with flood zone. president obama declared flood ravaged regions of tennessee a federal disaster zone tuesday as the mississippi river crested just shy of record levels in memphis. meanwhile, delta residents for mississippi and new orleans are bracing water coming their way with officials warning the worst is yet to come. nbc's jay grey has our report. >> reporter: the mississippi has reached its peak in memphis, but the problems and water are going to be here for a while. >> it will be several days before anyone can think about getting back into the areas to begin the cleanup work. >> and now the flood waters are taking aim on mississippi. >> now vicksburg is going to get the largest amount of height of water that they've ever had in their history. >> reporter: that water is already creeping in, forcing families to move to higher ground. in tonica, luck has run out as the city's nine casinos. the main source of income in the area could be washed out for a

month or more. >> we're resilient people here in the mississippi delta and we'll come back bigger than before. >> reporter: strength that they will need in louisiana, as well. most of this water will ultimately end up there. it's already spilling into roadways and inching into st. francisville. water has gotten into here before, but never in my home. but this time, it looks like it will be different. >> reporter: not willing to take any chances, fred smith raised his house three feet. like so many along the river now, looking for any way to get the higher ground. jay grey, nbc news, memphis. ahead of the 2012 presidential election, the incumbent, president obama, is revisiting an old theme, immigration reform. yesterday he addressed the hot button campaign issue in el paso, texas, calling on washington to fix the nation's broken immigration system. nbc's brian moore reports.

>> reporter: along the border in el paso, texas, president obama renewed his calls for comprehensive immigration reform. >> everybody recognizes the system is broken. the question is will we finally summon the political will to do something about it? >> reporter: it's a message aimed at hispanic voters who helped him win the white house in 2008 and are back into play in 2012. >> the republicans stepped forward and unveiled auto plan to get this done in a fair and comprehensive information. >> supporters say the president is doing what he can. >> the president can't single handedly pen an immigration bill and sign it. >> critics say too little, too late. >> he promised that he would make immigration reform a top priority in his first year and he did not. >> reporter: and it is a tougher climb now with more republicans in the house and senate. >> until the border is secure, any hope of additional legislation dealing with immigration problems is not

likely to succeed in the congress. >> reporter: the president toured a border he says is more secure than ever, more money, manpower and machinery. but he acknowledges that won't satisfy everyone. >> maybe they'll need a mote. maybe they'll want alligators in the mote. >> reporter: drawing the line at border security and setting the stage for another showdown in washington. brian moore, nbc news, washington. meanwhile, the immigration issue has taken front and center stage in utah. yesterday, a federal judge temporarily blocked a law that would allow police to check the citizenship status of those under arrest. the judge said there is sufficient reason to believe at least some parts of the law, similar to a controversial one passed last year in arizona, will be found unconstitutional. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a photo snapped at the kansas city international airport has gone viral.

the photo shows tsa agents patting down an 8-month-old after an infant stroller set off an explosives alarm. the tsa issued a statement saying, given the situation, protocol was followed. a man impaled with a pole through his mouth has made a full recovery and he's thanking the las vegas doctors who saved him. x-rays taken on the day of his car accident show 4 to 6 inches of the pole sticking through the man's mouth and out the back of his neck. tune into the "today" show this morning and get the full story on his miraculous survival stories. three masked men turned an apple store in ohio into a crime scene when it became the latest outlet to be hit by the latest wave of smash and grab robberies. the thieves ran up and down the aisle scooping up 24 laptops and one ipod touch valued at $34,000.

in connecticut, prom night was canceled for one teen after his creative but unsanctioned way of asking a girl out got him into hot water. the girl said yes after seen this student's taped cardboard request. but school officials banned the teen from attending for trespassing in off hours. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. morning, bill. you know me, i don't like to start trouble. >> make we can encourage all the students not to show up if they don't let him go. >> let's start with your forecast. we have had severe weather overnight. many areas have had power outages. north texas we are dealing with severe weather today.

weather pat earn around the nation. in areas of kansas, and oklahoma. we have a cold front moving on are shore in the north west. we had a couple of good days in the row. it is going to bring clouds and showers for more than one day. marine layer down in california. temperatures will be cool today. we'll have that foggy marine layer today. the forecast for today, showery weather theers the chance of showers. partly sunny.

>> we'll talk about that forecast comion up for your thursday. did microsoft pay too much. disney disappoints and wall street has a date with china. >> plus location of the royal honey moon revealed. >> coming up the nba hits the lakers andrew bynan where it hits the most. you are watching "early today."

good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. a congressional aide says the cia has told some lawmakers they can view postmortem photos of osama bin laden if they wish. meanwhile, al qaeda is warning that the u.s. has committed a, quote, big mistake on killing bin laden and is calling on all muslims to avenge his death.

a budget plan passed by house republicans last month would leave up to 44 million low income people uninsured over the next decade. the reduction would be in part because of a proposed cut in medicaid spending. yesterday, indiana's governor signed a measure imposing some of the nation's tightest restrictions on abortion. the law makes indiana the first state to cut off funding to planned parenthood. a daredevil got a stunning view as he completed a flight over the grand canyon in his custom made jet suit. he was a born for over eight minutes before landing on the canyon floor. just before sunrise, take a look at the morning sky. you may be able to see mercury, venus, mars and jupiter all clustered together. the planets will dance around in different configurations throughout the month. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,760, the

nasdaq rose 28. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei was up 45 points but in hong kong, the hang seng dropped 44. after last week's giant commodities sell-off, china eased wall street's fears about global growth tuesday while paving the way for more american business. china not only posted an april trade surplus nearly four times better than expected, it agreed to open up its government contracts for more u.s. companies and let u.s. banks sell mutual funds there. microsoft's mega deal to buy skype for $8.5 million fueled trade, but not microsoft. on the other hand, shares of ebay, which owns a large stake in skype, rose 2.5%. a surprise departure by the ceo of boston pacific sent shares tumbling almost 9%.

dean foods jumped on higher than expected quarterly profit. weight-loss program operator me difast rose 17% after reporting earnings that beat expectations. keep an eye today on disney. after the bell, shares fell on revenue that missed expectation. elsewhere, oil rose to $103 a barrel. all gas prices fell for the fifth straight day. gm will invest about $2 billion in 17 u.s. plants and adds 4,000 u.s. jobs over the next year and a half. the u.s. postal service posted a $2.2 billion net loss for its second quarter. and hinted it may need a congressional bailout by september. finally, it was once an unthinkable relationship, but today, how close as china's

communist economy become with america's wall street? later today, the hot ipo seeking to raise millions will be china's top online dating website. the walk on down on a sore laker loser, the red wings continue storming back and there's no hail in baseball. plus, a tight series between the hawks and the bulls gets even tougher. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. today's greatest weather concerns, severe storms, possibly even tornados, an update on the severe weather outbreak later today. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, last night in what is perhaps the toughest most evenly matched series of the nba playoffs so far, chicago's bulls pulled ahead of the hawks. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. someone should tell the atlanta hawks that an nba basketball game is 48 minutes long. they went back and forth with the bulls for 3 1/2 quarters. late in the fourth, derrick rose and company pulled away. the bulls got a big lift from gibson. off the bench, scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. rose led the bulls to victory, a game high 33. chicago dominated the fourth, won it, 95-83. they lead the series, 3 games to two.

lakers season is over and andrew bynum won't be around when the next season starts. bynum has been suspended without pay for the first five games of next season for this foul. he was fined for removing his jersey before leaving the game. that will cost him more than $700,000. that might help him learn his lesson. wings against the sharks, detroit held on for a 3-1 win. they could become just the fourth team in history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit if they win game seven tomorrow night. baseball boys of summer found themselves in a hail storm last night. midway through the twins/tigers game, golf-ball-sized hail came raining down on the field. all hail the tigers. they win, 10-2. take another look, the ball went right through the webbing of his glove.

the story gets even stranger. that's one of the mets he playfully stole before this season. he got no love from helton's glove. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. the latest sharp business move by lady gaga, your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, people read the daily comics for lots of reasons. but for more, it's not a life-changing experience. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. coast al california clouds and cooler air. in the valley areas they look good along with arizona and nevada. showery weather coming on with california. we'll try to draw you out in the northwest tomorrow. see a collection of masks and learn how they were used in western societies. face-to-face in the mu seseum o natural and cultural history. >> bill, thanks so much.

now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. he's already an award winning performer, but lady gaga may soon be an award winning marketer. now she's using the online social game farmville to release songs to hear "born this way" before releasing them. william and kate's honeymoon location was released by a tourism official. it's an island chain off the east coast of africa back in 2011 when they famously reconciled. their royal honeymoon will cost a cool million bucks. not bad. meanwhile, the wedding's most famously jilted guest has spoken to oprah. on today's show, sarah ferguson says instead she spend the day in thailand where, quote, the jungle embraced me. strangely, while sarah said diana would have been proud, she loves that the both of them weren't at the wedding. >> you went there for your honey

moon too right? >> i had to look up where they were. >> it is about 4 grand a night for a villa. >> how do you spend $1 million? >> that sounds fun. >> this comes to us from seattle washington. this woman got a laugh. dave, a freelance cartoonist told this girlfriend his comic strip was picked up by a local paper. but paid the paper to run his way of popping the question. they accepted but the couple are going to consider number 11, 11, 11 as their wedding day. way to go. this is early today, just your first stop of the day today. on your fbc station.

a very rare cat is getting some special treatment at a ukrainian zoo. sampson, a baby leopard has become quite popular. he's one of the most threatened species of leopards with about 40 left in the wild and about 300 in captivity. the little guy has been separated from his mom so zookeepers can feed him a special formula to ensure his survival. hong kong's annual fun festival ended not with eating, but with climbing. crowds watch as contestants climbed up a tower 46 feet tall. on their way up, they have to try and collect as many of the sweet treats as they can. past accidents have led to some changes, so now the roles are made of plastic.

the traditional buns are thought to bring good luck. one hotel employee works like a dog, literally. ben is the official canine ambassador at a hotel in canada. his friendly demeanor makes him a hit with the guests. you are welcome to take him out for a stroll whenever they want. he's not paid in dollars, but he gets plenty of petting this is until his shift ends autopsy 5:00. it makes guests feel like they're at home, which is exactly why ben is hired. >> i see we have a dog story and a bun story. i see what we're having for lunch today, a little kraut and some mustard. >> i don't know if i want to picture that, poor little ben. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. this morning on capitol hill, representatives from at&t and t-mobile will testify in front of the senate anti-trust committee. if the controversial merger between the wireless providers is approved, the u.s. would be left with three national carriers. one of andy warhol's last

paintings to be exhibited during his lifetime is going to be auctioned. finally, the canned film festival begin necessary france tonight. woody allen's latest comedy will open the event. all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. al roker reports live from vicksburg, mississippi, as flood waters rush farther south. and meredith vieira is live from the french riviera talk, antonio bandarres and selma hyack about their debut at the film festival. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com