this morning on "early today," end of an ordeal. congressman anthony weiner bows to pressure and resigns in the wake of his sexting scandal. guns loaded. surveillance video captures tense moments as masked gunmen terrorize a florida car rental. and cosmic blast. scientists unravel the mystery behind an unusual celestial scientists unravel the mystery behind an unusual celestial event. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and very good morning to you. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm veronica de la cruz.

today we begin with the end. after weeks of embarrassing disclosures in a salacious sexting scandal, congressman anthony weiner has resigned in dramatic fashion. he will forever be remembered for the semi-nude photos he himself sent out over the web. kristen dahlgren reports. >> reporter: anthony weiner and his wife huma seen leaving her brooklyn apartment together. but earlier, it was weiner standing alone before the cameras. in the place where he once launched his political career, he stepped down from the congressional seat he has held for more than a decade. >> i'm here today to, again, apologize for the personal mistakes i have made and the embarrassment i have caused. >> reporter: weiner stuck to his script ignoring hecklers and apologizing to constituents, his staff and his pregnant wife. >> and of course, to my wife huma who has stood with me

during this period and who i owe so much. >> reporter: to some new yorkers forgiveness wasn't a question. >> i felt he should have stayed in office. in my opinion, there was no reason for him to resign. >> reporter: for others the resignation brought relief. >> i don't know why it took this long, but he made the right decision. >> reporter: a sentiment shared by many on capitol hill who had increased the pressure on weiner to resign, and like him, now hope it's enough to end the distraction. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, washington. an escalating constitutional battle appears to be brewing as congressional laurms from both sides of the aisle are fuming over the obama administration's claim that hostilities in libya do not require congressional approval. for more on that we go to nbc's tracie potts in washington. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. the key word that you said there is both sides of the aisle. there are democrats and republicans who disagree with the president, who think he does need congressional approval to

continue this action in libya, what's gone on for three months so far. their point of view is they've got to approve this. earlier this week, though, the administration said in a report that's not necessary because the u.s. is just supporting a mission that's being led by nato and also that they're not facing hostilities there. nor that reason, they say congressional consent is not needed. yesterday, though, on capitol hill, lawmakers were expressing their criticism. house speaker john boehner threatening to withhold money for this operation. some democrats say they're fed up, too, that they do see hostilities there in libya. on the other side, though, congresswoman nancy pelosi, the minority leader, countered that criticism. she said consultation is not needed and for this action that will cost a billion dollars by fall, according to the administration, veronica. >> tracie potts live in washington. thank you. here is a look at other stories making news early today

in america. a scary situation unfolded when three armed gunmen entered an orlando car rental facility with guns waving. the suspects forced employees and customers to the ground before stealing one of the vehicles and getting away with cash from the register and victims. police are still searching for the suspect. a swarm of bees has made waiting at a bus stop in portland, a total buzz kill. the gathering of bees caused some commuters to keep their distance, while others took snap shots of the rare sighting. the city cautioned bus riders but didn't have to take action since the bees dispersed a short time after gathering. folks in montana are still digging out of winter. officials say last winter produced massive amounts of snow making the area prone to avalanches during warmer months. crews are removing the snow, but approaching wet weather is expected to slow down progress. take a look at this.

extreme sports athletes turned times square into their own playground thursday. a crowd of spectators watched as bmx bikers and skateboarders put on a show with their gravity defying stunts as well as their spectacular wipeouts. yikes. each participant showed off their skills before a winner was chosen by the audience. here's bill karins with the weather. something about watching that video sometimes makes me nervous. >> you know what could happen. >> exactly. >> you don't want to see an ambulance pulling up. >> yeah. >> it was a nice day in new york yesterday. a nice day on the west coast. the quiet weather continues to be on the immediate coast. l.a. only a high of 71, san francisco 68. stl kind of stuck in that marine air. arizona 105. texas just as hot. we really roasted yesterday, 102 in san antonio. that's where the really hot

stuff is. it wasn't bad in the pacific northwest. it wasn't too hot, too cool. metro go a little warmer at 78. boise at 69. still very much middle to high spring temperatures. we haven't seen any signs of a heat wave in the west this spring. now high pressure's going to provide us with a really nice weekend. i know a little system will clip us saturday here in the northwest with some showers. but most areas are going to be cry right through father's day. that's a really nice forecast. here's how we're looking for the day today. in l.a., we still have that marine layer to deal with, maybe fog and drizzle. we'll get rid of that as we go throughout the day. hoping to break out in sunshine this afternoon san francisco down to l.a. the valley should see temperatures in the 80s. as we go up the coast, not bad in portland either. seattle looks good. what a nice day in boise. 74 and sunny. you know that heat will be right around the corner there as we get to the summer months.

103 degrees in yuma. i used to live there. >> i forget that you used to spend some hot summers there. weekend forecast coming up. going to jail for making a friend on facebook? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus the pluses and the minuses at the box office. coming up t mavericks storm downtown dallas. phil mickelson has nothing to celebrate on his birthday. you've seen walkoffs in baseball but not one like this.

well, good morning, and welcome back to "early today." i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. the "wall street journal" reports the aarp, the powerful lobbying group for older americans, is dropping its longtime opposition to social security cuts. "the journal" says the group has concluded change to the program is inevitable and they want to try to minimize the damage. still, the move risks alienating many of the its 37 million members. newly released court papers reveal former imf chief dominic strauss-cannes tried to claim diplomatic immunity in new york when arrested for allegedly trying to rape a maid. he's on house arrest awaiting trial. last night texas executed a man by lethal injection. convicted of fatally stabbing a fellow inmate in state prison in 1999, 32-year-old lee taylor who claimed self-defense is the fifth inmate to be executed in the lone star state this year.

tv pitchman don labree has been arrested for allegedly bilking 220,000 people out of more than $52 million. the justice department says lapree's company used infomercials to sell internet-based businesses. the bright flash from a far-away galaxy has lasted for months now. they believe it's coming from a massive black hole that devoured a nearby star. and now here's an early look at wall street. the dow opens at 11,961 after adding 64 points yesterday. the s&p inched up two points. the nasdaq dipped seven. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei shed 59 points, while in hong kong the hang seng lost 257. a variety of factors made thursday on wall street a true roller coaster ride. quadruple witching which began

yesterday and ends later this morning involves the monthly expiration of four types of future and stock options that led to high voltity swinging the s&p 500 more than 1% between its session low and high for the day. worried greek debt trouble could spread also weighed o on the markets. they looked for safety. the day's data was mixed. june's mid-atlantic factory activity unexpectedly shrank. another sign of manufacturing weakness. on the bright side, americans signing up for jobless benefits fell last week, and helping push two of the three majors higher by day's end, housing starts and building permits rose in may. home depot rose on that report, and an analyst upgrade. supermarket kroger jumped 4.5% after posting higher than expected profits. after the bell, research in motion plunged 15% after reporting a profit drop and revenue already in lower forecasts. capital one, best known for its credit cards, is becoming a major banking force buying ing's

banking unit for $9 billion in cash and stock. a day after a successful debut, pandora shares sunk below their offering price making ways for other ipos. >> finally in the first case of its kind a woman on a jury in a multimillion-dollar trial in england who caused a mistrial by contacting the defendant on facebook has been sentenced to eight months in jail. opening day at a u.s. open. the yankees sweep texas, and the mets find an unusual way to lose. plus, the mavs are still celebrating their big win against miami. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in weather no changes for the upcoming weekend. the hot weather continues along with numerous thunderstorms in the country. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

very good morning to you. if you are just waking up, this is "early today." in sports he was the talk of last year's postseason and the winter's biggest free agent, and today the phillies cliff lee did it all in a win against the marlins. here's fred roggin with a look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. not exactly the dog difs summer, but with basketball and hockey wrapping up this week, baseball has top billing. we'll start in philly.

we know cliff lee can pitch, but he can also hit. he caused an rbi double in the fourth. that was all the offense he needed. threw a complete two-game no-hitter. phils beat the marlins 4-0. walkoff anyone? brett gardener is your man. yanks and rangers tied 2-2. the throw to the plate not in time. yanks won 3-2. they're 3-0 without derek jeter. the cardinals matt holiday returned from the dl and it didn't take him lock to get sbak in the swing of things. game went into extras, and the rookie was the hero. danny espinoza exit stage right. the nationals won it 7-4 in ten. you've seen a walk-off single and a walkoff homer. how about a walkoff balk? a little hiccup on the mound and that's all the braves needed. atlanta won it 9-8. u.s. open got underway with no tiger woods and no clear-cut favorite. ripe for the taking. let's go to congressional. yesterday phil mickelson celebrated his 41st birthday, but actually didn't have much to

celebrate. first shot of the tournament found the water. he finished 3 over. everybody chasing rory mcilroy. the putt on 18. wait foirt, wait for it. birdie. he has a three-stroke lead heading into today's second round. the mavericks threw a party for a quarter of a million people. the highlights or the lowlight, if you will, came when dirk nowitzki tried to channel freddie mercury. ♪ no time for losing ♪ because we are the champions of the world ♪ >> that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a terrific weekend. i'm fred rogan. >> early today sports is brought to you by ice blue aqua velva. men get. lady gaga's meat dress has been saved for posterity. but how did they do it? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. sure, you buy the tickets, but it's never going to happen to you, right? well, that's what 20 friends

thought until they won the big one. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this friday morning. let me take you through your weekend forecast. in vegas, a little cooler today 94. arizona still in the 100s. l.a. along the coastal areas we're still dealing with that persistent pattern of clouds in the morning.

looking at saturday. a little weak system comes through. clips seattle down to portland, coastal areas with some showers. that's the worst it. by the time father's day rolls around, not too many issues out there. temperatures on the cool side in many locations but at least you're dry. if you're watching us in honolulu hawaii, turn toward the evening sky and discover stars and other coz mim wonders you can only see from oahu. that's your pacific event of the day. >> how good does hawaii sound right now? >> it never really does sound bad. >> you're right about that. here is an early look at this morning's headlines and entertainment. is the movie market oversaturated with superhero offerings? audiences will give us clues at the box office. this weekend's other debut movie is for little kids. after that "the green lantern" has problems.

already the season's third superhero movie. reviews have been bad. only hard core comic fans really know about this hero. still, experts point to $60 million. a long way to go toward making back the $200 million it cost to make. yeah. interest in jim carrey's penguins has lowered expectations to between $10 million and $15 million. and finally, remember this? this beef dress worn by lady gaga at last year's mtv video music awards? yeah, i know you're giggling. since then it's been scored in a meat locker. dried out by taxi determine is. painted to look fresh. and will now be on display at cleveland's rock and roll hall of fame. all of that to preserve it. can you imagine what they had to do, the prep involved when she had to wear it. >> that's the hard part. preserving it was the easy part. >> they should have just turned it into lady gaga beef jerky. >> ugh.

>> that sounds even worse, doesn't it. this comes to us from new york city where nearby melville a group of co-workers have stepped forward to bask in being the nation's newest millionaires. the 20 winners of a $201 million jackpot made their first public appearance. boy, do they look happy. each member is taking home $3 million after taxes. although none have quit their jobs, each plan to use their millions to make life a whole lot easier. do you play the lottery, bill? >> i'm one of those people that only plays when it's really big and huge. so they won and i didn't, obviously. >> you play at the office pool, right? >> group it together. >> some day we're going to win. some day. i'm veronica de la cruz. i know, right? this is "early today."

thousands gathered in paris for a picnic like no other. those in attendance wore white to this gourmet affair and had to receive a secret invitation to be a part of the meal. the idea was to plan an experience both sophisticated and spontaneous. there were no blankets or baskets to be found, but tables with white flowers, candles, and, of course, only the finest food. tres bien. ladies wearing hats at england's famous ascot race track is a common sight, but until now the animals were left out. not anymore. the world's first hat fit for a horse debuted at ascot complete

with flowers and feathers. and if that is not impressive enough, the hat was specially designed by a milaner who once created headwear for princess diana. pretty fancy. the national del kaes of ukraine has become a work of art. art from pork fat. the first museum devoted to the unusual artistic medium opened this week. pork fat has been sculpted into original art pieces as well as comic pork imitations of world famous works. hmm. of course, since the museum is dedicated to the nation's cult snack, visitors also get a taste. oh, my goodness. >> she put her best face on. she didn't like that one bit. she was like this -- >> pork fat. that's all i have to say. >> you try it first. >> no, no, no. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll be following throughout the day here on nbc. secretary of the interior ken salazar will take part in the groundbreaking of a new solar

power station. the project is expected to generate enough electricity to power 750,000 homes. steven colbert will give the commencement speech at northwestern university. he graduated from northwestern in 1986, and he also will receive an honor rather degree. today marks the 236th anniversary of the battle of bunker hill. the american revolution's first major battle that was actually fought on breed's hill. all day long can you stay on top of the developments on those stories and others on msnbc, and 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. the latest on the resignation of congressman anthony weiner and a teacher who claims to have an on-line relationship with him speaks out. country music star kenny chesney takes the stage for the "today" summer concert series. keep it on this channel for

local news, weather, sports and much more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you for joining us on "early today" just your first stop of the day on your nbc stations. stop of the day on your nbc stations. have a terrific weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com