maybe you should, too. i'm jim cramer. see you tomorrow! this morning on "early today." deja vu. a warning of debt ceiling deadlock. in harm's way an oregon firefighter falls through a roof while battling a condo fire. ring of fire, residents of the western u.s. treated ta rare and spectacular solar event the western u.s. treated ta rare and spectacular solar event this weekend. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with debt ceiling redo. president obama sat down with

congressional leaders in washington yesterday, aiming to get a jump start on an expiring budget deal that went down to the wire last year but critics say it's a long shot before november elections. nbc's steve handelsman has details. >> reporter: at the white house, the president lunched with congressional leaders to avoid a repeat of last summer's fight that trashed the nation's credit rating. barack obama versus john boehner, on spending cuts and tax hikes. they failed to make a grand bargain and their short-term deals expire in december president obama would vow no down to the wire talks this fall. right now he wants tax cuts for small businesses, that hire more workers saying the recovery can't wait. >> one of the ways we can sustain momentum is for congress to take some actions right now, even though it's election season. even though there is gridlock, partisanship. >> reporter: a clear election

move by the president. countered by house speaker boehner who liked the hogueies, but not the program that would increase the deficit. >> where is the president's plan to tackle our looming debt crisis? >> reporter: in florida, mitt romney agreed, small business needs help, but -- >> you don't raise taxes on them like the president is proposing, you lower the marginal rate. >> reporter: joe biden fired back, the democrats' plan to hike taxes on millionaires like romney who biden charge don't understand the middle class. >> my mother and father dreamed as much as any rich guy dreams. they don't get us. they don't get who we are. >> reporter: what republicans call class warfare, along with a refocus on the big issues. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. nbc news has learned and viewed two medical reports that may tell two different stories about february shooting death of

florida teen trayvon martin by neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman. nbc's correspondent michael isikoff reports from sanford, florida. >> reporter: trayvon martin died from a single bullet wound to the chest, fired from a gun at intermediate range, according to an autopsy report prepared by a medical examiner and reviewed by nbc news. there was one other fresh injury on martin's body, according to the report. an abrasion, no more than a quarter inch in size to the left ring finger below the knuckle. as for the man with whom he struggled that night, now charged with his death, george zimmerman, he too suffered injuries according to a separate medical report prepared by his family doctor the day after the shooting. that report also reviewed by nbc news, states that zimmerman had a likely broken nose, as well as swelling, black eyes, and scalp

lacerations. but there were no sutures needed. these reports are only a small piece of the mountain of evidence about to be made public, up to 300 pages and 67 cds of witness statements, surveillance videos and other material. as the evidence dribbles out it's raising as many questions about what happened that night as answers. >> it's possible they can use to it indicate trayvon martin was in some ways the aggressor. then the story will be george zimmerman was defending himself in which case he would be covered by stand your ground immunity. >> reporter: a lawyer to trayvon martin's family says the injuries prove nothing. because zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, started the confrontitation in the first place. >> what we do know from the objective evidence, george zimmerman got out of his car with a nine millimeter gun and pursued a teenager who he, george zimmerman said in his own words, was running away from him. >> reporter: as the evidence continues to emerge in this highly charged case the dueling narratives are likely to intensify.

michael isikoff, nbc news, sanford, florida. now other stories making news "early today" in america, in oregon, scary moments for a firefighter who fell through the roof of a three-story building. fortunately one of his buddies quickly gave the signal that he was just fine. they were battling a fire that destroyed three condos. a new jersey man will never be far from his music, because he had four small magnets implanted in his arm, so he could keep his ipod nano attached to his wrist. he did it because he was fascinated by the idea of a strapless watch and the nano came with a clock interface. finally a group of indiana students are in hot water over what seemed to be a harmless prank. they stuck 10,000 post-it notes to various parts of their high school. they even worked with the

custodian to make sure it wouldn't cause any real problems, but now the students have been suspended and the janitor could be fired the superintendent said she didn't have official permission and has to be consequences. someone will pay. for a look at national and regional weather here is the meteorologist bill karins who seems like the guy that would have pulled one of those pranks. >> no harm, no foul. okay. that's all i have to say. >> troublemaker, i got it. >> how can we get the superintendent out of that job? >> starting trouble already. >> exactly. good morning, everyone. in the west the stories have been the heat and all of a sudden the fire season kicking into gear. arizona has been the worst of it over the last couple of days and these are the rainfall amounts for the last few days. san francisco to los angeles very little in the desert area. for the last 12 days in a row, seattle no recorded rainfall. so, that's a pretty good streak

by your standards. yesterday was only 67 in seattle, little cooler air in the northwest but very hot in the desert and vegas had their first 100 degree day yesterday and phoenix at 105. a weak system coming onshore here and the onshore flow a few sprinkles along this boundary, but the cool air to the north and the warm air to the south and not a lot of rain really anywhere today. but the temperatures pretty good spread from the deserts to the northwest. as thecalifornia into the valle easily up into the 70s, maybe even low 80s. no wet weather really expected. >> i've decided i don't know if you're going to get paid this week. you haven't been working very hard. >> i wish i knew that before i

showed up. losses at jpmorgan chase. kicked out of an all you can eat buffet. "forbes" list of the most powerful celebrities out there. any guesses who are on that list. >> ryan seacrest. kevin garnett turns back the clock and the lakers get thunder struck and is larry bird the greatest basketball mind ever? you're watching "early today."

good morning, welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top headlines this morning. in a surprise move in the trial of john edwards, his defense team rested its case yesterday without calling the former democratic presidential candidate, his ex-mistress or edwards' daughter to testify about alleged campaign financial violations. closing arguments are scheduled for today. mary richardson kennedy, the

estranged wife of robert kennedy jr., was found dead in her new york home. a source familiar with the investigation told nbc news her death appears to be a suicide. the census bureau has made it official. for the first time caucasian births are no longer the majority in the united states. while minorities including hispanics, blacks and asians reached 50.4%. a new study finds that men who drank at least six cups of coffee a day had a 10% lower chance of death. for women the risk of dying was 15% lower. and for the first time in 18 years, the western parts of the united states can watch a rare type of solar eclipse, this happening on sunday. a ring of fire will radiate from behind the moon as it passes in front of the sun. the ring will be bright, you will need solar safe telescopes

or projection methods to watch it. here is an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,598 after falling 33 points yesterday. s&p down 5 points, nasdaq lost 19. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo the nikkei added 75 points, in hong kong the hang seng dipped 58. fears greece will exit the eurozone and default on its bailout have global investors on edge. a greek judge was sworn in to oversee the interim government yesterday until new elections are held on june 17th. making matters worse, the european central bank stopped funding banks as customers train the institution's millions of euros. worries sent anxious investors to the dollar. the strongest position since january. this morning gold recovered 1% after falling to its lowest

level since december yesterday. the "new york times" reports jpmorgan chase has racked up another billion dollars in losses, stemming from the multi-billion dollar trading blunder as shareholders have begun suing the bank for taking excessive risk. jcpenney had the biggest decline in four decades including the 1987 stock market crash. elsewhere, skechers will pay $50 million to settle allegations of false advertising about its toning shoes. speaking of truth in advertising, one wisconsin man learned the hard way that all you can eat may be open to interpretation. the 6'6", 350 pound man was kicked out of chuck's place after eating a dozen pieces of fried fish. they sent him home with another eight pieces but he still called the cops and insists he will picket the restaurant until they change their policy. just never enough fried fish. the celts top the sixers.

o's outlasting the royals and larry bird still winning nba awards. a third period tip-in goal helps the devils get even. your sports headlines are straight ahead. >> i believe that was 20 pieces of fried fish. the forecast is coming up, a nice, quiet one you're watching "early today."

good morning, if you're just waking up this is "early today." in sports last night the nba playoffs, metta world peace got pay back for the big elbow. here is fred roggin with an early look at the sport headlines. good morning, now, whether you lose by 29 or you lose by 2, a loss is a loss. lakers and thunder game two, oklahoma city, redemption for james hardin caught metta world peace with an inadvertent elbow. no harm, no foul. lakers up three at the half. lakers found their game, kobe bryant to gasol to bynum. thunder hung around. trail by seven with under two minutes to play and then went on an incredible run and finished the game with nine straight. lakers gave it everything they had, wasn't enough, the thunder won 79-77. big game in philly, a real big game. final seconds of the first quarter. williams stopped and popped and

drained the three at the buzzer. sixers up five. the second belong do the celts. kevin garnett took over. he turns 36 on saturday was playing like he was 26. they were up 11 at the break. kept it going in the second half. rajon rondo to paul pierce, boston wins 107-91. pacers' president larry bird won the executive of the year award. the only person to win a regular season mvp, finals mvp, coach of the year and executive of the year. pretty impressive resume. hockey, the best way to score on a hot goalie, that is traffic in front of the net. that is what the devils did. after being shutout in game one, carter tied the game in the second, in the third, clarkson tipped it out of mid-air. the devils earned a split in new york with a 3-2 win. game three saturday on nbc. extra innings in kansas city.

adam jones hitless in his first six at-bats picked a great time to snap out of a slump. home run in the 15th inning, the o's win it 4-3. that's your early look at sports on "early today." the dictator almost takes a dive, will smith goes olympian. the entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, a world famous band gives their all for a small town in indiana. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. nice simple forecast for everyone in the west today. a 20% chance you'll get showers around seattle and eastern washington state and also to the west. it's really not that big of a deal. most areas are going to be dry. 70 in medford and san francisco at 63 and still very hot in the desert but tomorrow we will cool off and looks like more refreshing air for vegas. instead of 100, 90. if you're watching us on khnl see fascinating fabric works of heart to the lost hawaiian kingdom at regal and royal hawaiian quilts. that is your event of the day. >> bill, thanks so much. an early look at today's hollywood news and entertainment. jennifer lopez now find herself at the height of her powers. she tops this year's "forbes"

celebrity list. $152 million in earnings. only she beat out oprah in second. 18-year-old beibs took third. lady gaga fell to fifth. else where the cannes film festival opened with a star-studded red carpet mobbed by paparazzi while the dictator isn't in the competition it didn't stop sasha baron cohen from a publici lilicity stunt. he almost fell off, but he saved his dignity there, kind of. in london for the premiere of "man in black 3" shot some hoops and, yeah, over the hurdles. tentative try at the hurdles and triple jump.

but he looked like a legitimate contender in boxing. you remember training for ali. wow, he does look good. this comes to us from louisville, kentucky, where students who lost their entire school to a tornado won the respect of country music stars. lady antebellum performed a private concert for the junior/senior high school prom. the band was unable to make the real prom so the students held after their campus was destroyed lady a then performed a second, much larger public concert to raise money for all of hen henryville's tornado victims. i'm lynn berry, this is "early today."

despite italy's mount etna continuing to erupt. sportsmen can't resist a challenge. after a rigorous hike to the smoking peak, skiing flyers took off on a fast pace descent at times reaching 60 miles per hour. high winds and rare clear sky made for perfect conditions, especially minus the shooting lava. always a good thing. for the right price you could give your home the jurassic look. the skeleton of a cousin of turan sorus rex will be auctioned off sunday in new york. discovered seven years ago in the gobi desert, it was smaller and longer arms than the t-rex, estimated worth? $850,000 to $2 million. finally, in new york, one

competition brings new meaning to the term "underground artist" dozens of performers are auditioning for music under new york. an organization that grants musicians permits to perform in the transit system with only 350 permits granted each year, the competition's stiff, especially since playing with that one can lead to hefty fines for folks who have never been to new york and gone in the subway, it is remarkable to hear some of these performe performers. >> they put out a little hat and you put in $1, 50 cents. >> nice when you are waiting ten minutes for a train you hear opera, you wonder how many people are on "american idol." >> you couldn't pay me enough to sit down there. >> time for early look at some of the stories we'll follow here on nbc. after a particularly bad start to this year's tornado season, the red cross will host a bipartisan panel of experts to discuss the tornado playbook where they will go over everything you need to know should there be a disaster. members of congress whose states

were affected by tornadoes will make up part of the panel sharing personal experiences. on this day in 1954 the u.s. supreme court unanimously struck down racially segregated public schools in the landmark case, brown versus board of education. boxing legend sugar ray leonard turns 56. all day long, stay on top of the latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc and tonight, watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." here is a look at what is coming up later this morning on "the today show." america's got talent judge sharon osbourne opens up about sharing the judge's table with howard stern and what to expect from this season's hit nbc show. two college athletic teams bring their viral dants moves out for a live plaza face-off. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more, i'm lynn berry, thanks for watching "early today," your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

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