this morning on "early today" another major milestone. congresswoman gabrielle giffords is released from the hospital. five months after her tragic tucson shooting. athens unrest. street protests turned violent as greece's economic crisis threatens to drag down the global economy. vanquished in vancouver. the bruins trounce the canucks to win their first stanley cup the bruins trounce the canucks to win their first stanley cup in 39 years. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across

the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a remarkable step. arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords has reached yet another milestone in her remarkable recovery from severe injuries suffered in an assassination attempt. she is now home, beginning a new chapter in a story that has captivated the nation in so many ways. here's nbc's curt gregory. >> reporter: just six months after suffering life-threatening head injuries, arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords was discharged from tirr memorial hospital in houston. doctors treating giffords say her cognitive abilities and physical strength have improved to the point where she no longer needs to be hospitalized. the chief medical officer says, "we are very excited that she has reached the next phase of her rehabilitation and can begin outpatient treatment. we have no doubt that she will continue to make significant strides in her recovery." long-awaited photos of congresswoman giffords taken in

may were released on sunday on her facebook page. her smiling face offering hope for the tucson community still coping with january's shooting rampage. >> to finally see that she's doing okay, it's just like a breath of fresh air. it's wonderful. >> reporter: gifford wills move into the houston area home owned by her husband, astronaut mark kelly. the arizona congresswoman will continue to work with the same rehabilitation team at the hospital, but now as an outpatient. curt gregory, nbc news. fresh numbers out of our new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll hints that president obama has his work cut out for him if he wants to be a two-term president. similarly, republican contenders also appear to have quite a few challenges ahead in order to win over voters in the 2012 presidential race. for more now we go to nbc's tracie pots in washington. tracie, good morning. >> lynn good morning. the numbers reveal a lot just 17 months before election day,

president obama's approval rating now stands at 49%. which is down from 52%. he got a bit of a bump after the capturing and killing of osama bin laden. on the economy, the president has had trouble and those numbers remain difficult for him. a 54% disapproval rating in that area, lots of pessimism about the economy. 30% polled believe things are going to get worse over the next year. when it comes to the election and the republican field, only 45% of those republicans who will vote in primaries say they're satisfied with the current candidates. compare that to this time before the last election, 73% were satisfied. if it were held today, president obama holds a six-point lead over mitt romney and a 13-point lead over tim pawlenty. >> tracie potts in washington, thank you. last night in vancouver here on nbc two teams squared off in professional hockey's ultimate contest.

a deciding winner takes all game seven for the stanley cup. here's nbc's fred rogan. >> good morning. for the first time since 1972 the boston bruins have won the stanley cup. winner takes all in game seven in vancouver, and it was all bruins. patrice bergeron got boston on the board with the first of his two goals. rookie brad marshand scored a pair. the bruins would not be hoisting the cup without tim thomas who shut out the canucks for the second time in the finals. bruins won 4-0. it's the franchise's sixth stanley cup. we'll have more on the bruins win and postgame reaction coming up later in sports. now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. mother nature landed a powerful one-two combination on oklahoma causing widespread damage in norman. the severe storm ripped through the area dropping huge chunks of hail and 70-mile-per-hour winds leading to toppled trees, power lines, as well as significant damage to personal property and homes.

over 30,000 reportedly lost power during that storm. one oregon man has a lot to celebrate this summer. two months shy of his 100th birthday, leo is celebrating his graduation from college. the great depression forced him to drop out of school in 1932 just three credits shy of receiving his teaching degree. after years of working as a carpenter, he finally finished what he started calling his commencement an out of this world experience. congratulations, leo. and, finally, a north carolina pig is becoming a big pain to residents in one town. you don't see this every day. a stray animal has destroyed several gardens and turned garbage cans into its own smorgasbord. complaints have been made to authorities, but police and animal control say they're hog tied because the damage is occurring outside of their jurisdiction. >> so for a look at your national and regional weather here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel

forecast. good morning. we had a little debate between the production staff, about who thinks pigs are cute and those who think they're sort of creepy. pigs are adorable. >> that's the side -- >> that's what i was on. >> at least on tv that's the side you're on. >> they're cute and cuddly. >> curly tails. >> talk about your forecast today. good morning, lynn, everyone. around the country, we're still dealing with the incredible heat. yesterday, 110 in phoenix. we really turned the furnace up yesterday in the desert southwest and it looks like it's going to stay on. 100s through texas and the only areas that really didn't get into the warm air, the southern half of the country, southern california, still stuck in the marine air. clouds and drizzle close to the airport at l.a.x. as far as temperatures went high of 78 inland at the downtown l.a., 71 on the coast, 71 san francisco and still cool up in the pacific northwest. storm system, pretty big one in canada, continues to dominate the pacific northwest. a flow around that going to provide you with a decent day

before the clouds move in this afternoon into this evening. the marine layer thick down in southern california. drizzle and clouds for coastal areas. once you get into the valleys you should be better. still hot from phoenix to vegas, l.a. only 69 with the drizzle around. beautiful day, san francisco and the pacific northwest, not bad. that's a lookdecent afternoon. arizona looking warm in just about all areas. in washington, one of the best days of the spring. we're winding down the spring. summer almost here. >> it's here almost. thanks so much. stocks slump, pandora makes music, and a jilted publisher and their revenge. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, her new tv job has given her millions and

revitalized her career, but apparently that's not good enough. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here's some of your top headlines this mrng. the white house insists president obama has the authority to continue u.s. military operations in libya without congressional authorization. the administration argues the u.s. has a limited role in the nato-led campaign and that u.s. ground forces aren't involved. a former porn actress who exchanged messages with congressman anthony weiner claims he asked her to lie about their interactions. she held a news conference yesterday with high-profile lawyer gloria alred. weiner tells friends he wants to speak with his wife before deciding whether to resign. mugshots of former democratic senator and vice presidential candidate john edwards have been released.

the photos show him smiling despite the fact he could face prison time if convicted of violating campaign finance laws to cover up an affair. edwards has pleaded not guilty. in boston celebrations erupted after the bruins' stanley cup win over the vancouver canucks. meanwhile, much different emotions in vancouver where riot police tried to control fans upset over the canucks' loss. and much of the world was treated yesterday to the year's first total lunar eclipse. you couldn't see it here in the u.s., but it was an unbelievable sight in australia, asia, and africa. for some it was viewable for over an hour and a half. gorgeous there. now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,897 after tumbling 178 points yesterday. the s&p lost 22 points. the nasdaq dropped 47. taking a look at overseas trading this morning.

in tokyo the nikkei sank 163 points, while in hong kong the hang seng fell 390. wall street's one-day stroll down memory lane ended with a thud wednesday as the realities of a slowing economy swept away optimism on the floor. the dow erased all of its big tuesday gains and much more. all 30 companies on the dow dropped. wall street's so-called fear index jumped to its highest level since mid-march. as rioters took to the streets in athens over austerity measures, greece's debt crisis put financial stocks under fire after moody's said it may cut the credit ratings of french banks. fresh data only heightened worries about the economy. the core consumer price index rose more than expected in may, while the new york area's manufacturing index unexpectedly shrank in june. that led many to ask if factory production, recently seen as strong, has been overestimated. oil prices plummeted

wednesday to below $95 a barrel, the lowest since february. profit forecasts have become bleak. owens illinois fell 13% after the glass company said it might cut its second quarter outlook due to higher manufacturing and delivery costs. pinched by higher commodity costs? ford expects profit for the rest of the year to ease off from the 13-year high it reported for the first quarter. the day's bright spot? on-line radio service pandora media managed a successful debut with its stock rising almost 9% from its opening ipo price. and, finally, playboy founder hugh hefner may get the last laugh after being dumped by his 25-year-old fiance just days before his wedding. hefner tweeted yesterday that he is putting "runaway bride" stickers over her picture on the cover of the magazine's upcoming issue. that ought to do it. well, coming up more on beantown's first hockey title in 39 years.

patrice bergeron has a stanley cup to his championship title and olympic gold medals. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in weather, the incredibly hot end to our spring continues through much of the country. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you are just waking up, this is "early today." in sports hockey may be canada's national sport, but once again, it was their neighbors to the south who took possession of lord stanley's cup. once again here is nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. you don't need to be a hockey fan to know that game seven in the stanley cup finals is as good as it gets. the boston bruins are the best in the nhl. we go to vancouver. the odds against the bruins. the home team had won 12 of the previous 15 games. seven in the stanley cup finals. nathan horton was knocked out of the series with a concussion tried to bring some of that boston magic to canada. brought water from home and squirted it on the ice before the game. it must have worked. marshand to bergeron, luongo didn't see it. turning point in the second, alex burrows with a golden opportunity to tie, zdeno charo there to keep the puck out of the net. luongo made a sprawling save but

somehow, some way, the puck got behind him. the bruins led 2-0, looking for more and they would get it. bernl ron pulled down on a break away and the puck had eyes and got past luongo. they took a minute to review it. the goal stood. fans in vancouver were stunned. boston up 3-0. tim thomas did the rest. made 37 saves for the second shot on the series. he has been phenomenal during their stanley cup run. he was rewarded with mvp honors. seven is truly a lucky number for the bruins. they won an incredible three game sevens this postseason and took this 4-0. the first stanley cup win in 39 years. >> we knew we needed to play one game. when we have our backs against the wall we play our best hockey and did it in game six and seven. >> the most important thing is what's going on inside that dressing room, and there wasn't a guy that didn't believe in in what we were doing. it was easy to stay the course, and you got to stay the course, and today you're rewarded for it. >> do you have a message for the fans that have been waiting a long time for this? >> you've been waiting a long

time, but you got it. you wanted it. you got it. we're bringing it home. >> that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. >> early today sports is brought to you by ice blue aqua velva. men get it. a hollywood power couple lobbies for sarah palin's privacy. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. he's already sacrificed for this nation, now he's sacrificing for his comrades in arms. you're watching "early today."

welcome back, everyone. as far as the forecast goes, pretty quiet. we don't need the umbrella in too many spots. coastal drizzle in southern california. otherwise salt lake city maybe a stray thunderstorm or two. pacific northwest got a decent day today. we're going to get up there in the upper 60s, low 70s in most cases, mixture of sun and clouds and the desert southwest, yesterday hot and the next two days look to be slightly cooler. a tiny bit of relief. watching us on ktvz news channel 21 in bend, oregon, learn about the history of native american cultures in the columbia river plateau at by hand through memory, at the high desert museum, your pacific event of the day. >> thanks so much. here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. sarah palin has found unlikely support when it comes to her ongoing battle with the media. ashton kutcher and demi moore

backed obama in 2008, but they both tweeted their disapproval of the media's hunger over the recent release of thousands of palin's emails as alaska's governor. kutcher found it repulsive. "variety" reports russell crowe beat out sean penn and clive owen signing to play superman's biological father in the franchise reboot of "man of steel." english singer joss stone, a friend of prince william and guest at his wedding, was reportedly the target of a robbery-murder plot by two men arrested by police in possession of swords, rope, and a body bag. disturbing there. finally, jennifer lopez recently told the bbc she's not so sure about returning to "american idol" and "the hollywood reporter" speculates it's because lopez, who currently makes about $12 million a season, wants to be paid closer to what simon cowel got when he ruled the roost on "idol" which was $35 million. >> she wants three times -- >> open up that bank account. that's what happens when you

have like 80 million people voting on a show. >> not like she's been doing it for five or six years. after one year. what would happen if you and i made that demand. >> oh bill. we know the answer to that question. this comes from fort lee, new jersey where one iraq war veteran is pounding the pavement to help military families in need and returning soldiers fighting stress. to bring focus on the troubles vets face, troy and his wife are walking town to town up and down the east coast raising money and awareness. so far, he has raised $200,000 himself and attracted a corporate donation of a quarter of a million bucks. not bad. almost more valuable to troy, keeping the public's attention on his band of brothers. that's right. i'm lynn berry, this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station.

trying to go around the world or walk the dog with these yo-yos may be a bit of a challenge. students in israel competed to see who could construct the best giant yo-yo using 65 feet of rope they dropped the oversized toys from the top of a 100 foot tall crane. winners were determined how far the yo-yos bounce back up. that is if they bounce back up. well, environmentalists say you should not throw away your old cell phones. in the czech republic you're encouraged to throw them. a group encourages people to recycle letting folks toss their old electronics as far as they can. it's a simple but fun way to

spread awareness and maybe indulge in an urge that most of us probably have when it comes to our handheld devices. well, this is one strange mystery finally solved. a farmer in ireland figured out how his cows were escaping their pen each night to graze in the field. he set up a video camera, and to his surprise he saw his cow daisy found a way to open the latches and bust her friends out. the farmer has said that it's okay for now, but when summer -- or winter comes around, he is going to have to find a way to keep them inside. i want to get stuck somewhere with daisy. she's got it figured out. mcguyver there. >> i like daisy. >> she's cute too. time for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. a group of 20 co-workers from new york who won over $200 million in the lottery earlier this month will be awarded with their check. their identities have so far remained a mystery. up to 250,000 fans are expected to gather in dallas for

a parade celebrating the mavericks' first nba championship. the mavs won the title on sunday beating the miami heat in the finals. and on this day in 1967, the monterrey international pop music festival, rock's first major variety concert, kicked off in california. janice joplin, jimmy hendricks and the grateful dead were among the performers. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." here's a look at what's coming up later on "the today show", the very latest in the casey anthony murder trial as the prosecution rests and lawyers for casey begin presenting their case. and funny man jim carrey stops by to talk about his new bird-brained comedy "mr. poppers penguins." 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. the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com