this morning on "early today," time to go. president obama announces he is bringing tens of thousands of u.s. troops home from afghanistan. minot misery. residents of flood-ridden north dakota are told to head for higher ground. and wild ride. some pi-sized cowpokes prove themselves inside the rodeo some pi-sized cowpokes prove themselves inside the rodeo ring. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, includes the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry, and today we begin withdrawing down.

last night president obama addressed the nation unveiling his plan for the next steps in the war in afghanistan. it's a proposal that will have thousands of troops coming home from the nearly decade-old conflict. for more we go to tracie potts in washington for us. tracey, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. president obama said it is time to bring this war to a responsible end. with the american economy in mind, president obama says the war in afghanistan is coming to an end beginning next month. >> we have spent a trillion dollars on war. at a time of rising debt and hard economic times, it is time to focus on nation building here at home. >> reporter: his plan, 10,000 troops out by the end of this year. 33,000 total by next summer. it is a more as gresive pullout than military advisers wanted, but even some democrats aren't

satisfied. >> we've got a deficit issue. you want to save a third of a trillion dollars, get this war over soon. >> we need that money back here in the united states. >> 70,000 american troops have to stay there so one fraction of afghans can be equal to another. i don't understand that. >> this morning afghan president hamid karzai said his young troops are ready to take over. and in a rare statement, a taliban spokesman urged all foreign troops to leave. following the u.s., france also announced this morning a progressive withdrawal of its 4,000 troops in afghanistan beginning this summer. >> so france beginning to leave the u.s., beginning to leave with a smaller military in afghanistan. did lo macy will play a greater role, and we'll get an update from secretary of state, hillary clinton. she'll talk about our relationship with afghanistan. >> tracie potts in washington,

thank you. now to a desperate situation in north dakota. residents in minot have been told to leave or else. this as the swollen river shows no signs of letting up. now thousands of people watch and wait for historic floodwaters that the army corps of engineers say are inevitable and unstoppable. reporting from minot, here's nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: the sound minot's flood-weary residents have been dreading. sirens signalling the emergency and mandatory evacuation from low-lying parts of the city. brother and sister harlan and carla scramble to move their worldly possessions out of the family home. >> it's a big empty feeling inside, and like i say, it's kind of like you salvage what you can, but tomorrow will be another day. we'll be here to clean up. >> we can always rebuild. >> reporter: some 11,000 people, a full quarter of the town's population are heading for higher ground. >> i just never imaged that i

would ever see the river like this again. >> reporter: this latest flooding, the mayor says, will be catastrophic. >> i don't think we really know how long this is really going to last, and i'm not sure we know exactly how much water is coming at us. >> reporter: for weeks minot has battled a swollen souris river that wind its way in and out of north dakota and canada. massive snow melt and heavy rains have the souris running at record highs. national guard troops are here trying to hold it back. >> water is reaching the top of the levees in several areas. >> reporter: with water already surging into minot, the souris is expected to rise a full eight feet higher than the last great flood here in 1969. >> it's a fairly close-knit community. and they do hang together. they do take care of their neighbors, and they'll do it again. >> reporter: now all the people of minot can do is watch and wait as the water rises. they are powerless to stop it. >> that was nbc's kevin tibbles

reporting. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. an apparent tornado tore through the famous site of the kentucky derby yesterday. the twister formed in the wake of powerful thunderstorms in the louisville area damaging several buildings at churchill downs. track workers successfully moved all the horses to safety before the storm touched down. no injuries were reported. an intercontinental ballistic missile lit up the skies over california wednesday morning. air force officials launched the unarmed missile at vandenberg air force base to test its flight capability and accuracy. according to a military statement, the missile reached its target 4,200 miles away in the marshall islands. finally, in fairbanks, alaska, what's believed to be a first in a 106-year-old tradition. the midnight sun baseball game had to be suspended due to darkness and bad weather. the unique game is played annually on the longest day of

the year. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> just to rub it in, 10:30 p.m. is the start time for the baseball game. >> you always rub it in. that's how they live in alaska, they are used to it. >> they are. it was cloudy and drizzly, too. that's one of the main reasons they had to cancel the game. here's what's happening out there today. yesterday it was very warm, today similar. 112 yesterday in phoenix, incredible heat. it will continue. now vegas is right behind. vegas yesterday was 110. you notice a little nose of the warm air came in through nevada and all the way up to boise which reached 95. salt lake city, a taste of summer for you at 90 degrees. metford at 94. there were hot spots, but if you were along the coast you were on the cool side. also watch these clouds as they move west to northeast now. this blew through a weak cold front, some showers in the northern rockies.

and this little air mass behind this front will keep a few scattered showers in the forecast today for much of coastal washington inland to the puget sound southwards into portland, but the heat is the story in the south. today 111 in phoenix. tucson should easily be between 105 and 110. vegas near 110. l.a. and also san francisco a little cooler there with temperatures near air moving if the water, but in arizona, no air in sight. friday forecast coming up. >> thank you so much. also coming up, a disappointing fed forecast. the final act in the facebook feud. and guys, how much would you spend for a good razor?

your business news headlines are straight ahead. spider-man's star tony mcguire gets caught up in a web of lawsuits. coming up, a golden win for usa soccer. the nhl crowns an mvp, and the yankees are seeing red thanks to an unlikely hero. you are watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are your top headlines this morning. after 16 years on the run, accused boston crime boss james whiteyx bulger was arrested in california. the fbi caught up with the 81-year-old after launching a new publicity campaign to find him. bullger was on the ten-most wanted list for his alleged role in 19 murders. in arizona a jury has found a self-help guru who led a sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead guilty of negligent homicide. james arthur ray could face more than 11 years in prison.

in a facebook posting former alaska governor sarah palin says she's putting her one nation bus tour on hold because of jury duty. palin, who has hinted at a possible white house run, disputed online reports she had canceled the tour. in washington a consumer product safety commission held its annual demonstration on the dangers on fireworks ahead of the july 4th holiday. last year more than 8,000 americans were hospitalized with fireworks-related injuries. and a newlywed couple in canada had a surprise guest at their wedding reception held in a 19th century wine vault. they say a ghost showed up in one of their photos. locals claim the vault has a history of hauntings. it looks like he has suspenders on. now here's an early look at how the wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,109 after falling 80 points yesterday. the s&p was down eight points. the nasdaq dropped 18.

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei lost 32 points while in hong kong the hang seng lost 100. before the rally on wall street came to a screeching halt after fed chief ben bernanke acknowledged that the pace of economic recovery is slower than expected. the central bank predicts the economy will grow by 2.7% to 2.9% this year, a reduction from april's forecast. the fed also said exceptionally low interest rates are not going anywhere for now. other gloomy economic news, the congressional budget office warn that is the national debt is on pace to equal the annual size of the economy within a decade. despite the economic challenges, fedex reported a strong fourth quarter profit. in part, by passing higher oil costs on to consumers through fuel surcharges. shares ended the day over 2 1/2% higher.

after the bell bed, bath, and beyond also got a lift. it beat profit estimates heading in the opposite direction, adobe systems. off more than 6% because of a tepid growth forecast. today watch out for oracle, h & r block, and micron, they all report after the close. the winklevoss twins will not appeal the ruling in their long-running battle against mark zukerburg. they claim he stole their idea and for years has been trying to undue a $65 million deal they agreed to. now the twins have decided not to take their case to the supreme court. and you won't find this razor at your local drugstore. that's because it costs $100,000. that's right. the company says it's made out oridum, an extremely strong metal that's found in meteor ites, but if you want one, act quickly. only 99 of them are on sale. if you have $100,000 lying around. well, coming up, a surprising end to a marathon game between the mets and the

a's. plus, a three of a kind for the reds' lead-off hitter. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in weather we're going to continue with summertime thunderstorms for the eastern half of the country, while the west coast continues to be dry. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you are just waking up, this is "early today." in sports the road trip ended a sour note for the yankees with a rolling over by the reds at yesterday's night cap. here's nbc's fred rogan with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the yankees have the highest payroll in baseball, but last night they were single-handedly beat by a guy who makes the league minimum. let's go to cincinnati. game two in a double-header. a solo shot in the first. follow that up with a two-run homer in the fifth and capped it off with a career game, another blast in the eighth. give that guy a raise. chris, three home runs against the yanks. reds won 10-2. yesterday carlo made everything right in the world again. 13th inning, two down, sacks full, the a's brad ziggler hit justin turner with a pitch. that forced in a run. it barely grazed turner. but the mets will take it. they won it 4-3 in 13.

>> last night this discussion came in handy. the umpires went to the video after a player brooks conrad appeared to hit a triple off the wall, but further review, that's a home run. chalk one up for replay. braves beat the blue jays 5-1. the cardinals had trouble scoring runs facing roadway roy halladay. he threw a no-hitter. it will be a tough few weeks for the cards without pujols. the phils won it 4-0. the first player in franchise history to win the award and add another piece of hardware to tim thomas's trophy case. he took home top honors. finally, the u.s. soccer team punched their ticket to the final. they avenged last week's game against panama beating them 1-0. usa plays mexico in saturday's final. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred rogan.

>> narrator: early today sports is brought to you lectric shave. blade close, electric smooth. one of hollywood's former eligible batch lorps is eligible again. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, buckle up. this may not look like child's play, but next we'll show you how kids are saddling up and trying their hand at the rodeo. you're watching "early today."

>> well, welcome back. beautiful weather out there in most cases. a little hotter for the desert southwest. very much like the middle of summer for you. the northwest not quite as nice, the cold front went through. clouds lingering for you. maybe a sprinkle or two, not a lot of wet weather. as far as friday goes, similar to today. maybe slightly cooler in vegas. boise, also your temperature is going to drop as the front goes through. 74 tomorrow. 74 for you in l.a. if you are watching us in honolulu, hawaii, discover how fish pass the time when the lights go out. during a flashlight tour of the waikiki aquarium at aquarium after dark. that's your event of the day. >> let's keep it g-rated, bill. here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. it appears actor george clooney

is back on the market. clooney and his italian bombshell girlfriend released a short statement saying they are no longer together. they have been dating since 2009. police in pennsylvania confirm the blood alcohol level of jackass cast member ryan dunn was twice the legal limit at the time of the car wreck that killed him and a passenger earlier this week. court records show spider-man star tobey maguire and other celebrities have been named in lawsuits seeking to reclaim more than $4 million won during an elicit invitation-only poker matches. it's being brought on by victims of an imprisoned ponzi schemer who allegedly used their money to pay off his gambling debts. actress lindsay lohan has been ordered back to court today so a judge can consider whether she violated probation while serving house arrest. tmz reports the "mean girl" star tested positive for alcohol last week. lohan's publicist had no

comment. this comes to us from knop news 2 in north platte, nebraska, where some sheep became bullish with a group of pint-sized rodeo stars. the mutton busting competition turned into a bumpy ride for a few wranglers in the making. these are tough kids. the competitors cling to the sheep holding on as long as they could. look at them doing a good job. the event featured a number of nasty spills, but all the youngsters were able to shake it off with smiles on their faces. look at that little girl, yeah, i got this covered, no problem. >> when you ride a bull you have to stay on for eight seconds. >> it is just a miracle they stay on. i'm lynn barry. this is nbc "early today" just your first stop on your nbc station.

imaginations ran wild at one cutting edge event. in japan a virtual reality expo drew crowds of high-tech people. toys of the future included a vest that could mimic the feeling of hugging yourself. as for the video game fanatics, they were happy to be empty-handed. they were treated to games that used motion sensors in place of remotes. pretty cool there. if you can't afford a cruise, just pretend and watch it on television. that's what a reality tv show in norway is offering. a public station broadcast continuously for five days scenes from a ship as it travels

along the coast. the show may be simple, but it's already a hit, attracting over 2 million viewers, that's half the country's population. that's true. and, finally, apparently the struggle to lose weight is not lost on our furry friends. sampson, a black lab, weighs a whopping 187 pounds. how does it happen? he actually put on the weight after years of eating nothing but pizza, burgers, and other junk food. it doesn't help that his favorite activity is napping either. i'm right there with him on that one. specialists have been called in. they hope to get him back to health by christmas. i want to talk to these owners. >> my black lab was 90 pounds and my vet wanted him to lose weight. this one is double that. >> we'll get him on a diet. time for an early look at some of the stories we're following throughout the day on nbc. president obama will visit soldiers in fort drum in new york a day after announcing a major withdrawal of troops from afghanistan. the army base is home to the tenth mountain division.

one of the most frequently deployed divisions in afghanistan. federal prosecutors will gather to discuss whether to schedule another perjury trial for barry bonds or drop charges that he lied about using performance enhancing drugs. the home run king was convicted of obstruction of justice last april. tonight the nba draft will be held in new jersey. 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." finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. teen superstar justin bieber is live on the plaza to talk about how he is using his global fame to help others, and michael phelps will be in studio to celebrate olympic day and make a special announcement. 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.

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