money." i'm jim cramer. see you tomorrow. this morning on "early today," diplomatic flip-flop. chinese activist who decided to leave the u.s. embassy now fears for his life. burning issue, a new jersey woman answers charges after allegedly taking her 5-year-old in a tanning booth. and shock value. an original version of "the scream" smashes art sales records. captions paid for by nbc-universal television this is "early today" for thursday, may 3rd, 2012. hello, good morning i'm lynn berry. today we begin with switching gears. blind chinese dissident chen guangcheng changed his mind after leaving the u.s. embassy

yesterday, he wants to leave beijing and is appealing for the u.s. to step in to save his family. nbc's ian williams reports from beijing. >> reporter: chen was brought to the hospital by the u.s. ambassador. officials say he left the u.s. embassy voluntarily, after six days. preferring to stay in china after assurances from the chinese authorities about his safety. they said he never once asked for asylum, one official said chinese authorities assured chen he wouldn't be mistreated. and his allegations of abuse would be investigated. they promised a new home and university job. but hours later, with u.s. officials gone, chen apparently had a dramatic change of heart. in an emotional interview with nbc news, he said he left the embassy because of threats to

his family and asked the u.s. to take concrete steps to guarantee his safety and said he now wanted to leave china. hillary clinton, in china, said the deal reflected clean's choices and americans values. she hoped to prevent the issue from overshadowing high level talks thursday, which it now surely will. u.s. officials promised to closely monitor chen's treatment for years, if necessary. but he's no longer under diplomatic protection. china's angry and embarrassed, demanding an apology and for chen, leaving the country now may no longer be an option. ian williams, nbc news, beijing. secretary of state hillary clinton pointedly called on nato to protect human rights. in her speech today, opening talks with officials in beijing. she said the u.s. believes that "no state can legitimately deny the universal rights that belong to every human being or punish those who exercise them." quoting president obama, clinton promised to protect the citizens rights will be a stronger partner for the u.s.

in politics, newt gingrich ended his bid for the republican presidential nomination yesterday and front-runner mitt romney is expected more good news today with an expected endorsement from former rival michele bachmann. brian mooar has those details from washington. good morning. >> reporter: romney has locked up the nomination and now time to consolidate support among his fellow republicans. as mitt romney rolled in republican national committee headquarters in washington, his party was closing ranks behind him. >> americans are tired of being tired of this economy and of this president and want real change. [ applause ] >> reporter: today expected to pick up endorsement of former candidate michele bachmann and is appearing with one of the purported short list vice presidential candidates, virginia governor bob mcdonnell. just a day earlier, newt gingrich suspended his campaign and declared romney

conservative enough. >> this is a choice between mitt romney and the most radical leftist president in american history. >> reporter: while gingrich is out of the way he's leaving behind attacks being picked up by the obama campaign. >> are you calling mitt romney a liar? >> yes. i don't know of any american president that had a swiss bank account. >> reporter: attacks should echo in the fall election. as the race for the white house gets busy. romney has to spend the rest of the season not only shoring up support but building a campaign war chest to compete with president obama. lynn? brian mooar, thank you. now here is a look at other stories making news, "early today" in america. an arkansas police officer was nearly killed in the line of duty after being shot during a traffic stop. the officer was able to return fire but the suspect did escape. the manhunt came to an end when

the gunman killed himself after police surrounded him. the injured officer is recovering. a new jersey mom pleaded not guilty to child endangerment stemming from alleged tanning bed burns suffered by her daughter. the mother admits to tanning 20 times a month herself has denied allowing her child to tan during one of her visits. she claims normal sun burn caused the injury. she's free on $2,500 bond. finally, one north dakota homeowner is turning his home into a landmark with polka dots. city hall officials call the paint job an eyesore. the retired painter began the project after a deal to sell his home through the city fell through, he now wants $150,000 to sell the home. for a look at national weather, here is bill karins with the weather channel forecast. you get a discount for the polka

dots. >> if you don't get your way, just be really difficult. >> i know nothing of this. >> you know too much of this. good morning. storm system along thegore on coastline. breezy, rainy conditions out, there south of portland. more of a cooler rain up along the washington coast. storm system fairly progressive so although it's a wet morning commute all the way up and down interstate 5 this afternoon a lot of it will push into the interior sections of washington and oregon state. again the radar in green just shows you where flight rain is. as far as california goes, we're really going to draw a line somewhere around san francisco here, north of there you have the chance of that rain, you're already getting it. sacramento just a slight chance of rain for you most of that moisture will escape to the north. that's the storm right here and to the south still got onshore flow in california. still keeping it cool. temperatures this morning are in the 50s. light jacket for yourself and

the kids as you get ready to head out the door. the forecast today, 69 with clouds in l.a., interior california warmer than that. warm in the desert and damp weather especially this morning on passes on friday and saturday we'll see snow levels lowering with showers during the day. slow improvement. some nice weather over the weekend for the west. >> stocks sag on jobs. green mountain coffee crumbles. and the latest outrageous airline fee. you're early morning business headlines are ahead. and the story behind the styling job that left cameron diaz in tears. a tragic ending for an nfl

legend. a triple overtime between the rangers andre the cap the capit. you're watching "early today." it

good morning, welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are the top headlines. john edwards' daughter, kate, left his trial in tears during emotional testimony. a former advisor testified how the late elizabeth edwards confronted her husband after news broke that he was cheating on her. a college student suing the drug enforcement agency for $20 million after he spent four days in jail without food, water or toilet facilities. the dea apologized saying they forgot about him. 13 people are now facing hazing charges in connection with the death of a drum major, who authorities say was beaten by fellow members of the marching band.

federal agents raid ed pharmacies and health offices yesterday in a crackdown on scams that cost taxpayers more than $450 million. more than 100 doctors, nurses and social workers have been charged with medicare fraud. the famous edvard munc hmpb painting "the scream" sold at a record price yesterday. it brought in more than $119 million from an anonymous buyer. unreal. an early look how wall street will kick off the day. dow opens at 13,268 after losing 10 points yesterday. s&p down 3 points, but the nasdaq up 9. looking at overseas trading, in tokyo the nikkei added 29 points. the hang seng lost 59. familiar fears about the nation's number one economic

concern, reared their ugly head just. news the private sector added fewer jobs than expected last month took a toll on stocks and dashed investors hopes. traders overlooked good news out of the home building sector which hit a four year high on hopes of washington setting a precedent on forgiving mortgage principles. chesapeake energy plunged 15% on the quarterly earnings. news it's soon to be replaced ceo was running a $200 hedge fund on the side that traded in the same commodities chesapeake produces. green mountain coffee crashed 40%. the company slashed sales forecast on dwindling demand for k-cup coffee refills. american eagle soared 16% after raising the profit forecast. energizer holding surged 9% thanks to higher sales of schick razors. news corp directors are standing by their man in a vote of confidence in rupert murdoch

after an english committee found him unfit to run the company. target confirmed it's phasing out amazon's kindle e-readers. when is a discount airline no longer a good deal? this may be the start. beginning this fall, spirit airlines customers who decide to put a carry on in the overhead bin at the gate will pay a whopping $100 each way. yes, you did not mishear me. that is correct. the angels no-hit the twins. the rangers win in triple overtime. and dark day for the nfl. plus the grizzlies slam the clippers in game two of the nba playoff match-up. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in weather, thunderstorms once again the story, this afternoon strong thunderstorms even in the great lakes. your forecast is coming up you're watching "early today."

good morning, if you're just waking up this is "early today." in sports after losing sleep over blowing a 27-point lead in the series opener, with the clippers, a win last night by memphis left them looking forward to some good rest. here is nbc's fred roggin with an early look at sports headlines.

good morning, it was a busy day in sports, let's get to it. in memphis the clippers pulled off historic comeback in game one. the grizzlies wouldn't let it happen again. stepped up their defense for 21 turnovers, that was the difference. memphis ended the series with a 105-98 win. the spurs are the most efficient, seven players scored in double digits, san antonio handed utah the worst loss in playoff history. 114-83. after dropping the first game of the series the pacers outplays the magic, built a 29 point lead, won it 94-74. hockey, rangers and caps needed not one, not two but three overtime periods in washington. after playing 115 minutes, marion gaborik ended it. rangers won 2-1 in triple ot. in detroit, they throw octopi, nothing fishy how the predators played.

they beat the coyotes, 2-0. tragic news out of california, nfl legend junior seau found dead yesterday. according to reports the all pro linebacker was discovered with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. he was an all american at usc, played 20 seasons with the chargers. emotional leader, he played with an intensity and swagger made him one of the greatest linebackers to play the game. junior seau was 43 years old. >> the short fallout continues from the saints bounty scandal. the league has suspended four players for a total of 361 games. jonathan vilma will miss the entire season. the best for last. jered weaver unhittable, walked one, struck out nine. the final out of the game and there you go, a no-hitter for engineer red -- jered weaver. angels won 9-0. that is the early look at sports to "early today" i'm fred

roggin. charlie sheen is worried about his reputation? the early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. the jungle's toughest predator attacks a child. we're slightly exaggerating. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today."

fairly strong storm for this time the year is coming on into central portions of oregon. steady rain from seattle down interstate 5. getting it in northern california. eventually we get light rain in san francisco. majority of the heavier rain is to your north. by this afternoon rain should stop in most coastal locations. friday's forecast some showers left over from that storm system and cooler air behind it. if you're watching us in fairbanks, alaska, explore the wildlife that lives amoungs. from spiders to cockroaches and walking sticks at the museum of the north. that's your event of the day. >> would you let your friend cut your hair? what if you were a big movie star? cameron diaz always has told jay

leno when she had the latest short cut due to a misunderstanding, she burst into tears. she later comforted her friend, assuring her she wouldn't kill her. online comedy bit featuring ashton kutcher portraying a bollywood producer looking for love through a fictitious dating site have been pulled after viewers called it racist. egged on by the kiss cam, david beckham, who turned 37 yesterday, gave victoria a little smooch. on the eve of "the avengers" opening, scarlett johansson got her star on the walk of fame. >> charlie sheen is not amused, a new york city strip club opened a charlie sheen vip room. >> wow. >> his lawyers got a cease and desist order, saying the despicable parasites have not been exterminated.

they always find something creative to say. portland, oregon one zoo visitor survives an incredible encounter with one of the park's fiercest animals. an infant dressed -- the big cat launched into a frenzy to turn the boy in the next meal, despite a thick partition. the boy's parents encouraged the toddler to interact with the beast and he was unfazed by the face time. i'm lynn berry this is "early today," your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

hello kitty is hitting the runway in taiwan, not the fashion runway. asian airlines brought the cat e colorful flight from the kiosks to cuisine, officials aim to boost tourism. passengers of all ages say the friendly childhood character provides comfort as they travel. one man in rio is pushing the boundaries of aviation. eve "jetman" rossi took to the skies with a rigid wing equipped with four jet engines. dropped from a helicopter in order to stabilize the wing, he zoomed over the city at speeds at 125-185 miles an hour. rossi completed the first jetman feat when he crossed the english channel in 2008.

finally in australia one woman takes her bathroom breaks seriously. the canadian stunt woman drove a motorized toilet at 46 miles per hour looking to break the world record for fastest toilet on wheels. that is right. despite having difficulty as she approached high speeds, she kept it under control and claims to have bested the previous record, and the big headline is there is a previous record, somebody else has done this, like 42 miles an hour. >> should we go there with the toilet jokes, seems too easy. >> i would be surprised. >> i'm dying to. just one? she didn't have the runs. >> oh! really? that early in the morning. that is unfortunate, sorry guys. early look at stories we'll follow throughout the day. the combatting terrorism center at west point military academy will release documents found at the compound where osama bin

laden was killed last year. both the original version and english translation will be posted online along with the report contexturalizing the documents. and setting up their main themes. in new york city, radio city music hall has open auditions for dancers hoping to join the rockettes for the christmas spectacular. bring it on. happy birthday to ann b. davis, the housekeeper alice on "the brady bunch" turns 86. all day long, stay atop the latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." coming up later this morning on "the today show" the effects of excessive tanning and the update of the mom accused of tanning her 6-year-old daughter. matt is live from london touring kensington palace and preparations for the olympic games. 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.