this morning on "early today," global diplomacy. thousands of protesters march in chicago as world leaders discuss the fate of the war in afghanistan. ring of fire. a rare solar spectacle dazzles millions around the world. and out of his mind. a beekeeper from poland puts his survival skills to the ultimate a beekeeper from poland puts his survival skills to the ultimate test. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and groom. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with exit strategy. president obama is meeting for a second day with nato leaders and

afghanistan's president hamid karzai in chicago as they develop a roadmap to wind down the war in afghanistan by 2014. meanwhile thousands of anti-nato activists marched in protest, resulting in dozens of arrests. nbc's nick bogart reports from chicago. >> reporter: blocks from the nato summit, police and protesters clash. police using batons and pepper spray, some anti-nato demonstrators throwing paint and other objects at officers. some even grabbing batons and turning them back on police. at least two dozen protestors were led away and presumably arrested, some bloodied. the clash did not disturb the summit itself, members approving so-called smart defense plans, trying to lower nato's costs in tough economic times and united behind a plan for afghanistan to pull nato troops off the front lines next year and substantially out of the country by 2014. >> there would be no rush for the exits.

we will stay committed to our operations in afghanistan and see it through. >> we're confident that we're on the right track. >> reporter: protesters who thronged chicago streets for much of the day, not impressed. >> we believe nato should be dissolved. there's no need for it. it's being used for illegitimate purposes right now. >> reporter: nato leaders argue the alliance is strong and necessary. they dined together in chicago's soldier field football stadium with michelle obama hosting leader spouses at the city's main art museum. the summit, the first nato has held in the u.s. outside of washington, wraps up monday. in chicago, nick bogert for nbc news. well, what could be the worst clashes in beirut since 2008 are fueling fears that deadly conflict in neighboring syria is bleeding across the border. six people were reportedly wounded as gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns in intense street battles in the lebanese capital this morning. the clashes erupted in beirut hours after an anti-syrian cleric and his bodyguard were

shot dead. security forces say they sped through a checkpoint in northern lebanon. some residents in beirut and tripoli burned tires and blocked roads in protests. the lebanese army issued a statement saying it deeply regretted the incident and that a committee will investigate. the man found responsible for the 19 8 lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people will be buried today in libya. in august 2009 abdelbaset al megrahi returned to libya after he was freed by the government in scotland on humanitarian grounds. he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer and was expected to die within three months, but it took two years and nine months. al megrahi was the only person convicted in the crash of pan am flight 103 over lockerbie, scotland, when a terrorist bomb exploded on board, but he insisted he was innocent, and some families of victims are convinced that other people and

other countries were also involved. after what one official described as the worst earthquake to hit northeast italy in roughly 700 years, at least four people are dead and many centuries-old buildings have collapsed. the 6.0 quake shook several small towns and killed four overnight factory workers in three separate locations. in addition, two women apparently died of heart attacks brought on by shock. the quake hit a region of italy known for its cheeses, and roughly $65 million worth was reportedly lost. makeshift tent camps have sprung up in many area villages as sharp aftershocks have left residents uneasy about staying in their homes. well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in florida two men had been arrested in a vicious beating of a u.s. army sergeant. the victim's car had broken down and he was walking home when police say the robbers asked him for a dollar. he reached into his pocket to give them the money.

then he was attacked. police are still looking for two other men in connection with the assault. the soldier has been released from the hospital. near miami a small plane was forced to make an emergency landing right along a busy street. it clipped a few trees, but authorities praised the pilot who quickly veered the aircraft into the center median to avoid hitting any cars. the plane was just about to land at a nearby airport when it started having engine trouble. and finally in kansas, more than a dozen tornadoes ripped through areas near wichita this weekend. one of the twisters shredded telephone lines as it tore across farmland. as dramatic as this video looks it is a wonder that no injuries or anyone was hurt. however several homes were damaged. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, we check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your forecast. >> i don't think that was just a zoom lens. i think they were pretty close.

>> yeah. >> 140 miles with the ef-3 on the enhanced fujita scale. around the rest of the country, the heat in the desert southwest, one of the bigger weather story out there. excessive heat warnings continue today, with 104 in phoenix. not too widespread. vegas at 97. i think it's going to be hotter in the desert areas. keep that in mind driving between l.a. and phoenix today. some of the heat snuck up to medford but that's a thing of the past. seattle only 58 yesterday, you're 55 this morning, cloudy, there's showers around, and the cold front is about to move throughp this is an unseasonably strong cold front for this time of year. this is going to blow through today, we're going to see windy conditions with it with areas of rain and then not going to deal with flooding concerns but on the coastal areas of oregon to washington, half inch to inch of rainfall and then snow levels will drop enough later tonight that in the high mountain areas above 4,000 feet in the cascades we could get snow this evening. the rain associated with the front will move onshore as we go

throughout your morning, even showers well out ahead back by spokane. as far as the forecast goes today, that chance of rain on and off really from about northern california up through the northwest, we're hot in the desert areas and l.a., san francisco, and everyone in between, kind of stuck in the middle with typical onshore flow cool weather. that's a yuma, could be one of the hottest spots in the country today, 108. too early for 108. >> 108. oh. >> it's a little early. mid summer, you expect it. not now. >> means it's going to be worse in the summer. coming up facebook sputters, yahoo! sells and what's the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia of all time? your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, see how "saturday

night live" said good-bye to cast member kristen wiig. lebron and wade turn up the is heat, the coyotes live to play another day, and the spurs try to close out the clippers. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. chinese human rights activist chen guangcheng is starting a new life in new york city after the end of the diplomatic drama. the blind dissident flew to america saturday and will attend new york university where he will study law. a 61-year-old german doctor and two other climbers died this weekend as they made their way down the summit of mount everest. officials believe the group suffered altitude sickness due to delays caused by a large number of climbers making the descent. two more mountainears are still missing.

robin gibb of the bee gees has died after intestinal surgery and a long battle with cancer at age 62. the band's hits like "stayin' alive" and the film "saturday night fever" sold millions of records. over the weekend, millions in western united states and across asia watched the sky as the moon passed in front of of the sun, leaving only a golden ring around the edges. it was the first so-called ring of fire eclipse in 18 years. and a bekeeper in po lapd created quite a buzz when he covered himself with 30,000 bees. that will make your skin crawl. after shaking off the bees, he walked away with only two stings. well, now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,369 after losing 73 points on friday. the s&p fell 9 points, the nasdaq dropped 34. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei added 22 points, but in hong kong the hang seng was down 29.

investors start the week with concerns about the new facebook stock and the continuing debt crisis in greece. the leaders at the g-8 summit meeting at camp david in maryland strongly urged greece to stay in the eurozone and promised to do whatever is needed to solve the debt crisis. this could be a crucial week for facebook after friday's ipo, which went as high as $45 but then quickly faded to close only 23 cents above the $38 opening price. the nasdaq market had problems with facebook trades and is now promising to revamp its technology systems for handling stock offerings. and facebook founder mark zuckerberg changed his status to married. after a surprise wedding saturday to his longtime girlfriend dr. priscilla chan who just graduated from medical school. yahoo! says it will sell up to half of its stake in the chinese internet company alibaba for more than $7 billion and

give most of the sale money to its shareholders. gas prices fell another 6 cents over the last two weeks, bringing the national average to $3.78 per gallon. the housing market in the u.s. appears to be rebounding, and we'll get reports this week on home prices and mortgage application figures. jpmorgan chase will be the focus of a hearing this week by the senate banking committee into the billions of dollars of losses in derivatives trading. and the earliest known yankee jersey worn by babe ruth was auctioned for $4.4 million yesterday, a new record for the most expensive sports memorabilia in u.s. history. well, coming up the spurs sweep, the coyotes hang on, and a hole-in-one at the byron classic. plus, miami's millionaires pick up the slack against the pacers. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. the weather story of the week is going to be the building heat through the middle of the country. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, yesterday in the nba playoffs lebron james gave an mvp-caliber performance to even up the heat series with the pacers. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports

headlines. good morning to you. one knock on the heat is that they're not deep enough to win it all. well, when dwyane wade and lebron james play like this, the dynamic duo is all miami needs. game four in indiana, lebron and wade put on a clinic in the third, the two combining for 28 points in the quarter. the rest of the team had just two. flash at 30. but if you think that's good, listen to this. lebron finishing with 40 points and 18 boards. he was a dime short of a triple-double. heat evens up the series with a 101-93 win. it was a historic 72 hours in l.a., three teams hosting five playoff games in three days at staples center, the spurs capping off a busy weekend by ending the clippers season. timmy duncan had 21 points. chris paul kept it close, thanks to plays like this. the wild layup tied it up like this, but the spurs were simply too much. tony parker gave them the lead for good. they complete the sweep and move onto the western conference finals with a 102-99 win. to the ice, it was a dog day

afternoon at staples. facing elimination, the coyotes' captain stepping up when they needed him the most. shane doan scores two goals. goalie mike smith does the rest, stopping 36 shots for his third shutout of the playoffs. coyotes live to play another day. they beat the kings, 2-0. game five is tomorrow on the nbc sports network. baseball, the nationals' stephen strasburg is known for what he can do on the mound. but yesterday was all about what he did at the plate. belting his first homer of his career, he left the game after just five innings after experiencing biceps tightness. i guess the kid isn't used to hitting homers. the nats beat the o's, 9-3. and, finally, to the links for the shot of the day for the byron nelson classic. j.j. henry's tee shot on the par 3, fifth hole, 153 yards, went with the pitching wedge, and i would say he picked the right club. hits the green, and j.j. pulls a string. rolls right in the cup for a hole-in-one. and that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by

touch of gray. get rid of some gray, never all. well, the new film's "get hulked" at the box office. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, the family that studied together graduated together. we'll explain. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." hope you had a wonderful weekend. we did watch the rain moving in

yesterday in areas of the northwest. a better saturday than sunday. compared to today it's all better, the front moving through with rain and windy conditions, chilly temperatures, going to be in the northwest the next couple days. the big contrast to that is the desert southwest, 108 in phoenix, 107 tomorrow and even vegas should be in the triple digits through tuesday. if you're watching us on knbc in los angeles, nearby beautiful pasadena, admire the history and beauty of the cherry trees through japanese would block frames at the lessons of the cherry blossoms at the norton simon museum. >> thanks so much. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. for a third straight weekend nothing could stop the superheroes at the box office. no surprise here, "the avengers" cruised to number one taking in just over $55 million. and a grand total of $457 million, earned so far, it is disney's highest grossing move everer and the sixth highest on

record. it's done pretty well safe to say. "battleship" finished second with only $25.4 million, far below expectations. it was a hit overseas, remember that, thought it was going to be huge but now they have to hope for a big second or third week of business to avoid it becoming a disaster here at home. sacha baron cohen's "the dictator" finished a strong third with $17.4 million. "what to expect when you're expecting" underperforming in fifth with only $10.5 million. thought they would have been able to carry that. and, finally, for those of you who missed "saturday night live's" season finale, in the final sketch under the guise of a high school graduation ceremony, each cast member, including producer lorne michaels, bid an emotional farewell to kristen wiig, she's leaving the show after seven years. >> i always have the same reaction when these big characters leave, not watching anymore, not going to like it

and i'll fall in love with someone else, it will take a little while. >> especially with kristen. >> i rode the elevator with her once. i couldn't say hi, i was too nervous. >> throwback to grade school when you had a crush on a girl. this comes from whdh 7 news in boston where one family is giving new meaning to the phrase "dads and grads." that's because a father and his three sons all graduated at the same time this weekend. they earned their mbas from suffolk university. they run the family business together, and they spent the past five years going to night school. all four of them took the exact same classes to earn their diplomas. they sure do stick together. in the past they have also taken real estate courses together. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

israel played first time host for the chinese tradition. the dragon boat festival saw rowers grabbing their ores and taking to the water for tough competition. organizers hope the first annual event will help introduce the sport to israel. teams from around the world took part in boats built in china. four penguins are calling a zoo in california their new home. the group was rescued in brazil last year after wandering away from the coast of argentina and chile in search of food. they ended up stranded on the beaches of rio de janeiro. where they were found and airlifted to the u.s. the lucky group joined nine other penguins from zoos across the state at a new exhibit. and, finally, couples in china took the plunge into marriage literally.

newlyweds scrapped the traditional nuptial ceremonies to tie the knot along the crustaceans, sealing the deal several feet underwater at a marine park. takie ing dive in scuba gear ma the first kiss a little more difficult, many went for the first hug to celebrate the scene. the chest pump. nice way to start things off. >> would you ever? >> absolutely not. i just think that -- girls get freaked out about the rain and screwing up their hair. can you imagine -- >> she doesn't have to worry about any of that. >> look like a drowned rat. >> a drowned rat? >> hopefully -- >> really? i thought she looked better than. >> a drowned rat. i'll call her and apologize. >> i will. getting on the phone to china right now. >> time for an early look at some of stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. in new jersey, former rutgers student dharun ravi who used a webcam to spy on his roommate will learn his fate after his

victim and fellow roommate committed suicide. he was charged with several counts. including intimidation. he faces up to ten years in prison and deportation. a private funeral for friends and family will be held for the late grammy-winning queen of disco donna summer. she died of complications due to lung cancer. and actor mr. t. turns 60. 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. in a "today" exclusive the tanning mom who is accused of bringing her young daughter to a tanning salon speaks out about what happened that day. and reality tv star kate gosselin is live in studio to talk about her new career and eight kids. 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.