this morning on "early today," paying tribute. the nation pauses to honor u.s. servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice. wipeout. a crash in the final lap of the indianapolis 500 hands a scottish driver his third win. and long span. celebrations in california's bay ar as the golden gate bridge celebrations in california's bay ar as the golden gate bridge turns 75. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a day of remembrance. on this memorial day americans are paying tribute to those who

served and those who lost their lives fighting for this country. today president obama and his presumed republican presidential rival mitt romney will be participating in observances. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: hundreds and thousands of bikers roared into the nation's capital on the 25th annual run of rolling thunder, a moving tribute to americans who served and sacrificed. many of these bikers are veterans, and in this election year they could be the key to winning the white house. current and former military members are well represented in several swing states including florida and that has president obama and republican mitt romney focusing on veterans and the issues that affect them. >> it's not just enough just to make a speech about how much we value veterans. it's not enough to remember them on memorial day. >> reporter: while president obama is touting what he's doing to help veterans, mitt romney promises to keep the military

itself strong. he'll be marking memorial day with john mccain who lost the 2008 election but won with veterans. the senator and war hero is paying tribute to the heroes he served with in the vietnam war. >> our motto was home with honor and because of their leadership and their love for us, we did come home with honor. >> reporter: this year the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war and there's finally an end in sight to the war in afghanistan, with a promised pullout by the end of 2014. veterans on this memorial day paying tribute to the fallen while preparing to choose a president, their commander in chief. brian mooar, nbc news washington. four american soldiers who survived combat, a staggering 45% of veterans are filing for disability benefits. that's a historic rate. more than 700,000 former soldiers have applied to the department of veterans affairs for compensation for injuries they say are service related.

many of america's newest veterans, mostly from the afghanistan and iraq wars, say they have multiple injuries from bomb blasts. the 45% filing disability claims is more than double the number who did so after the first gulf war in the early '90s. j memorial day festivities could be a washout for some folks in the southeast after tropical storm beryl made landfall in northern florida this morning. beryl was bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 50 miles per hour to coastal areas of the southeast. knocking out power to more than 20,000 customers in the jacksonville area alone. nbc's curt gregory has more on holiday hazards around the nation. >> reporter: on this memorial day weekend, wild weather is turning the holiday into not quite a great day at the beach. >> we're really concerned about rip currents associated with this, advising folks they need to stay out of the water. >> reporter: along the georgia coast, northeast florida, and parts of south carolina,

tropical storm beryl has canceled many vacation plans. >> everyone from back home is calling us telling us that the storm is rolling in, so we decide that instead of staying and hanging out tomorrow we're going to go back to gainesville. >> it will be an indoors day tomorrow for sure. >> reporter: in some parts of the country it's the lack of rain causing problems, making the battle against wildfires in several states more difficult. in new mexico a fire in the hi will, a national forecast has burned through 150 square miles. in michigan, campers were forced to evacuate as more than 21,000 acres burned, fuld by dry winds and high temperatures. those record highs can be felt across much of the nation, but out in northern california it's not the warmth, but the chill in the air. >> it's freezing. we thought we were going to go up to the sun in tahoe. >> that has people double checking the date on their calendar. curt gregory, nbc news.

>> still with a smile on their face. well now for a look at other stories making news early today in america. in pennsylvania memorial day final brought the proper recognition to the native son and civil war soldier killed at the battle of gettysburg. the grave of sergeant albert bunn had stood unmarked until just this year when the location of his remains were finally confirmed. his family was on hand for the official dedication of his tombstone. in ohio another tribute to the fallen that began just a few years ago. the field of heroes now features 2,500 american flags and draws some 10,000 visitors a year. it started as a one-time tribute but has now become a yearly tradition, which will be on display through this afternoon. and, finally, holiday weekend revelers in georgia did a double take after seeing a double rainbow in the waters off tybee island. it wowed the crowd just hours before tropical storm beryl made its way up the east coast. those skies changed quite a bit.

for a look at your national and regional weather here's meteorologist todd santos, he has your weather channel forecast. a lot of people are having their memorial day weekend plans spoiled. >> it's tough, because it was a mixed blessing. needed drought relief in the southeast but it doesn't need to happen on a holiday. want to take you to the bigger stories, one is beryl and we'll take a closer loo at the radar, also through the central u.s., a number of areas especially yesterday fired up with hail and wind reports, few isolated tornado reports, but today you see still see some of the activity on the larger map and the larger swirl over portions of montana. rain showers in a few areas leaving snow at the higher elevations. quick look into the southeast, just because you are headed in this direction this week, even by tomorrow we're still going to be dealing with a system as it curves to the north and east. dealing with massive sustained winds, 50 miles per hour. gusts at the naval air station in jacksonville topping off around 48. something to keep in mind through wednesday, affecting the southeast coastline including the outer banks of north

carolina. across the west coast a quieter picture on the coast itself with the exception of the immediate pacific northwest. the story reporting a little light rain, some patchy fog in there, i think visibility was around 4 miles. we'll see showers as a new front moves into the northwest, gusty winds along the coastline but beyond that head into montana before you see the better chance of showers. some of the lighter rain through the northeast so something to factor into your plans today and for some of us on the cooler side of things compared to the other half of the country, 40s and low 50s showing up this lifornia, temperatures topping off in the mid 60s. so a number of areas we're dealing with issues to the east and central u.s., but for most of us looking good for your holiday barbecues.

we'll take a look the next couple days. >> also coming up, travelers hit the road, consumers look on the brighter side and the good news and bad news on the zuckerberg wedding dress. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. "men in black iii" takes down more than just aliens this week at the box office. >> game one of the western conference finals, another injury for the phillies and a huge crash on the final lap of the indy 500. 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. the united nations is condemning syria for the shelling of the town of houla in what was called a, quote, outrageous use of force. more than 100 people were killed, including dozens of children. iran says it will not halt its production of higher grade uranium, which is a reversal of previous statements. more than six power talks about

iran's nuclear program are scheduled next month in moscow. in idaho, national guard rescuers got to the site of a small plane crash on a snow-covered montana yesterday. a helicopter was able to safely pull out a california fireman, his wife, and their daughter more than 15 hours after the crash. and there was a huge and amazing fireworks display last night in san francisco to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the golden gate bridge. traffic was shut down for the show to mark the bridge's birthday and the 2 billion cars that have crossed it since 1937. well, now here's an early look at how wall street finished trade friday ahead of the holiday weekend. the dow closed friday at 12,454 after falling 74 points. the s&p lost 2. the nasdaq was down 1. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei was up 12 points while in hong kong the hang seng gained 87.

well, it will be a short week on wall street with the markets closed today. although stocks were lower friday, all three major indices posted their best weekly gains for the month. more than 30 million americans hit the road this holiday weekend and may be spending a little bit extra along the way. that's because prices at the gas pump dropped to a national average for regular unleaded gas of $3.67 a gallon. that's down 17 cents from a month ago and more than 15 cents lower than a year ago. the euro was higher today as signs improved on the european debt crisis with stronger support in greece with the party that backs the bailout. and in spain, bankia may be recapitalized with government bonds to provide a rescue fund of almost $24 billion. we'll get more data this week on consumer confidence after one report last week showed optimism at a four-week high. also this week automakers will roll out higher sales

figures for may. incentives and lower loan rates are expected to produce strong sales of new cars and light trucks this month as well. we'll also get new data on the rebounding housing market with a read on home prices and another on pending home sales. traders will be looking forward this week to the labor department report on may employment friday with economists expecting as many as 150,000 new jobs added. as facebook founder mark zuckerberg and his wife dr. priscilla chan honeymooned in italy, tmz reports her wedding dress drew a lot of attention at the denver dress shop where she got it, but at $4,700, nobody has bought one yet. well, coming up, the thunder square off with the spurs, roderick is reeling and it's no holliday for holliday. and more mishaps at the famous battle at the brickyard. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. while that one is in the books your holiday barbecue is not. we'll check in on your afternoon forecast coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, last night in the nba playoffs, the san antonio spurs drew first blood in the battle to see who is best in the west. here's nbc's bill seward with an early look at all your sports headlines. hi, everybody.

the thunder were a quarter away from taking game one of the western conference finals, but they couldn't finish off the best team in basketball. to san antonio. time winding down. spurs need a bucket. manu can do. manu ginobili drill as buzzer beater. drills by six. spurs respond in the second and third. kevin durant with a game-high 27 points and 10 boards. okc up nine to start the fourth. that's when the spurs put on their work hats. nothing flashy, nothing out of the ordinary, just textbook basketball. san antonio rallies and wins 101-98. they've won a remarkable 19 games in a row. switching gears to the indy 500. pick it up on lap 82. mike conway losing control, hit the wall, and will power drives right underneath him, sending conway airborne. fortunately both drivers okay. thrilling conclusion. final lap he tries to fast pass dario franchitti, no go sato,

spins, crashes, and the race will end under caution. this one belongs to franchitti, his third checkered flag at indy. milk has never tasted so good. if milk's not your thing, how about a coke, kasey kahne taking the checkered flag at nascar's coca-cola 600. greg biffle finished fourth and leads the standings by ten points. tennis in paris. first round of the french open, not kind to andy roddick. ousted by frenchman nicolas mahut. andy 0 and 4 on clay this year, his first opening round loss in the grand slam since '07. baseball, something isn't right with roy halladay. pulled after two innings with shoulder injuries. the cards' yadier molina sends him away in grand fashion, the salami is adding insult to injury. cardinals avoid a sweep with an 8-3 win. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm bill seward. >> announcer: "early today" sports brought to you by ice blue aqua velva. men get it.

gaga gives in and why justin bieber is a wanted man in los angeles. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, military homecomings are always joyful moments, but one airman hatched his plans to make his girlfriend's extra special. you're watching early today.

welcome back to "early today." you know across a good stretch of the west here realistic

temperatures this time of year through the southwest, winds should not be that strong as far as the fires are concerned today. tomorrow they start to build more. one wet spot across the pacific northwest extending towards portland this afternoon and a good stretch of western montana, some of the rain showers and higher elevation snow. west coast dealing with subtle conditions, increased cloud cover. watching us on kmir 6 in palm springs, california, see a holiday fly nb 3,000 carnations falling from the sky from the memorial flower drop at the palm springs air museum. that's your pacific event of the day. here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. w away from the big screen in 2008, will smith revived his reputation for box in style. the fourth highest grossing movie ever off its throne. "men in black 3" took in $55 million on the first three days of the moment morial day weekend and now rests comfortably in the top spot with one more day left in the hollywood frame. after three humongous weeks

"the avengers" may have slipped to the second spot with $37 million, but that $37 million in its fourth weekend, is still higher than the opening weekend of all but five films this year. unreal. elsewhere, faced with threats of violence by islamic hardliners who called her a devil worshipper, lady gaga has canceled her sold out show in indonesia, sending love to her fans. and, finally, l.a. police reportedly want to talk to justin bieber, looks so young in that video, apparently a photographer complained of being roughed up by thim when he trie to snap pictures of the teen and his girlfriend selena gomez. apparent lly like a lawyer arou the whole scene and went up to the photographer and said if you file a police report and call an ambulance you can make money off this, that's what tmz is reporting and bieber has some

explaining to do. >> i can't imagine telling anybody if i did get harassed by justin bieber, i would keep that quiet. >> keep that to myself, that would not go on twitter. this comes from kcra 3 reports in sacramento, california, where this memorial day brought a homecoming for one of our troops like no other. a soldier's boyfriend was waiting at the airport. he, too, is in the military but told her he had already shipped off to texas. not so fast. well, when she came down the escalator, fresh from a tour of duty in afghanistan, the boyfriend had one more surprise waiting. an engagement ring. she said yes. they have a new mission to plan for. their wedding. congratulations to them. i'm lynn berry, this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

in portugal art literally comes to life. 60 artists gathered at the 16th annual living statue meeting. participants dressed in elaborate makeup and costumes portraying various scenes and characters and stood perfectly still there as you can see for hours. motion is only allowed for a short period of time and must be prescheduled as part of the act. well, getting in touch with nature is a little easier at one hotel. the chilean magic hotel is tucked away in a reserve where it is uniquely designed. the architecture allows it to camouflage right into the rain forest surroundings. the ecostructure was built from local sustainable resources and is designed to grow with the forest. and true to ambiance, there are

no tvs or high-tech amenities. finally in china, one pup refused to be left behind. a stray dog spotted a group of cyclists during their long distance three-week journey and decided to join in. he ran alongside them for 24 days, impressively covering over 1100 miles. the group said the dog actually gave them encouragement throughout the trip and one member has even decided to take him home. there must have been like some sort of treat at the end of the spokes? >> incredible. what keeps him running. i always wanted my dog to do it but she always would run into the wheels or toward me. >> and they get tired. we need a little bit of energy. it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day. here on nbc. rather than kick their feet up, astronauts aboard the international space station will be unloading cargo from spacex's unmanned dragon capsule. the first private spacecraft to visit the lab.

dragon's more than half a ton of cargo consists of primarily food and clothing for the six astronauts. in washington, d.c., the national memorial day parade sponsored which the world war ii veterans committee featuring marching bands of veteran units from all 50 states kicks off this afternoon. and happy birthday to gladys knight who turns 68. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and more 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. country music legend meryl haggard opens up to jenna bush hager about his life and career. and bobby brown performs a special memorial day concert live on the plaza. 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.