>> i'm jim cramer. i'll see you tomorrow! this today," at close range, a gunman goes on a horrific shooting spree in seattle. unhappy hour, surveillance video captures a pickup truck plowing in a minnesota bar, and its patrons. king without a throne. a centuries old mansion in england goes on the market, with one very important amenity missing. captions paid for by nbc-universal television this is "early today" for thursday, may 31st, 2012. hello, good morning, i'm lynn berry. we begin with a killing spree. seattle is still shaking this morning after a gunman fatally

shot four customers at a cafe yesterday. police believe the same man killed a woman during a carjacking before later taking his own life. seattle has seen 21 homicides this year, the same total for all of 2011. jim foreman from nbc's king 5 news in seattle reports. >> i think i could have easily been shot also today. >> reporter: the two crime scenes converged. >> i heard about all that happened here, and i think -- i think just a huge loss of life. >> when joann came here to the cafe racer, joann was downtown when she came face-to-face with this man, identified by the "times" as ian stawicki, who police say shot six people, killing five. the first gunshots at 11:00 a.m. on roosevelt, where crime scene experts were working. half an hour later when he shot and killed a woman at 8th and seneca and sped off in her suv.

after the carjacking, he headed to west seattle where police found the stolen mercedes by late afternoon convinced the shootings were connected, a team spotted stawicki, when he turned the gun on himself. stawicki's brother tells the "times" he was mentally ill. those who knew him from the racer say he was unstable, event the -- eventually asked not to come back. >> would be normal, then all of a sudden crack and become slightly deranged, asking the same, crazy stuff. they kicked him out at a certain point. this morning they said you're 86'ed, can't be here, would you like a coffee to go. he was nice, courteous, no thank you, walked to the door and turned and started shooting. that was jim foreman reporting. the u.s. is imposing new financial sanctions on syria aimed directly at those responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people last friday. hoping to add economic pressure

on syrian president bashar al assad, the treasury department targeted the syrian international islamic bank for its role in helping other syrian banks evade sanctions. the new penalties prohibit the bank from financial transactions in the u.s. and freezes any assets under u.s. jurisdiction. it also hoped the move will make it more difficult to pay the salaries of the pro-government thugs who perpetrated the massacre in hula. u.n. observers say 13 bodies have been discovered bound and shot in eastern syria. a warning to our viewers, the report contains graphic images you may find disturbing. we have been following the story from cairo. >> reporter: the u.n. observer mission in syria says it's appalled and disturbed of another gruesome attack inside syria, this one taking place in the eastern part of the country. amateur footage posted on line which we couldn't authenticate show bodies laid on the ground with hands tied behind their

back, shot execution style. now this attack comes on the heels of another deadly massacre that took place in hula on friday that left more than 100 people dead and triggered international condemnation with many western powers expelling syrian diplomats. >> i don't know what would possibly justify going in to homes with guns and shooting children and women in their own homes. >> reporter: while the french president suggested there was the possibility of military intervention with the approval of the u.n. security council, russia and china say they would reject any type of foreign military intervention inside syria. now here's a look at other stories making news "early today" in america. in minnesota incredible video shows a pickup truck plowing into a bar. six people including the driver were injured. amazingly no one was killed.

the driver apparently had a medical condition. in illinois, a state lawmaker lost his cool big time. represent mike bost exploded after he said a bill was sent to a vote before he and his colleagues had a chance to read it. >> not the american way. come out here at the last second and try to figure out how to vote for my people. >> the tirade went on for two minutes before he slammed the microphone away. in texas, the best tip this waiter ever got, that may be an under statement, a married couple long time regulars in his restaurant, gave him a $5,000 tip on a $27 bill. after hearing his car had broken down and he was taking cabs and buses to get to work. unbelievable. in ohio, if you dreamed of having someone come in and magically clean your home, think twice. someone broke in this house,

proceeded to tidy up the place without permission and left a bill for $75. no word yet if the maid who did identify herself will face charges. kind of illegal to break into someone's house. now for a look at national and regional weather, here is meteorologist todd santos with the weather channel forecast. some very aggressive advertising there. for at least. us today, there's some clean up outside. we'll talk about temperatures in the southwest. pretty extreme numbers. a quick look at the picture across the whole country. you do see showers, thunderstorms pushing to the central lower mississippi valley most active spot. travel wise keep in mind, heavier rain moving north chicago but do you see sthoef activity that will get going as the it gets towards western tennessee and mississippi. here across the northwest coastline dealing with showers. bulk of energy in the gulf will

be pushing in towards british columbia. we'll see showers aside from that i want to mention through southwestern portions of new mexico for the complex fire smoke moving off to the south and west and lighter showers across the northwest and mild temperatures at least to starte conditions. at least a few areas with the heat getting into the extreme range. we'll talk about some of those numbers coming up. todd, thanks so much. coming up as well -- euro fears make for a downer day on wall street, facebook fall-out hits the founder. the ultimate souvenir for that hunger games fanatic in your life. business headlines are straight ahead.

plus, teased about her weight in the past. she is laughing all the way to the bank. fighting the battle of the bulge for big bucks. dramatic finish to game one of the stanley cup final, celtics rajon rondo scores 41 points in a thriller against the heat. the latest conspiracy theory to hit professional sports. you're watching "early today."

good morning, welcome back to "early today" i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top headlines this morning. the house may vote on a bill that would make it a federal crime to carry out an abortion based on the gender of the fetus. critics call it the latest anti-abortion gimmick. if it passes the house, it would face certain defeat in the senate. in canada, authorities say an adult film actor is wanted in a gruesome case of dismembered body parts. the severed foot found tuesday in a package mailed to conservative party headquarters

in ottawa, a hand in a postal warehouse. new york city may ban the sale of super size sugary drinks. the mayor is proposing first in the nation ban to combat obesity. incredible 48 room english mansion, built in the 1400s is up for sale. but there's a catch. it has no bathrooms. that is a bargain price of $3.8 million, whoever buys it likely can afford to add a few new amenities. an early look at top headlines on msnbc.com, a new study finds being sleepy behind the wheel can be almost as bad as drinking and driving. researchers found drivers who were drunk or sleepy were twice as likely to be responsible for a vehicle accident than wide awake or sober ones. coffee can help but if it wears off it's a problem. take a nap before you drive. for more information on that and other health stories check out the health page at msnbc.com. early today health is brought to you by vagisil cream.

now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day. dow opens at 12,419 after tumbling 160 points yesterday. s&p dropped 19, nasdaq dove 33. overseas trading this morning in tokyo the nikkei down 90 points, in hong kong, the hang seng lost 60. stocks tumbled wednesday as tensions mounded over europe's ability to solve the growing debt crisis. fears spain can't save its troubled banks sparked a global sell off sending the euro to a two year low against the dollar. new polls showing the political party against a greek bail out is gaining ground ahead of june elections fueled fears of a greek exit from the euro zone. investors fled to the safety of u.s. bonds. the yield on treasuries fell to the lowest level in 60 years. oil tumbled 3% on worry as euro crisis would drain demand for commodities.

research in motion plunged again on growing speculation of a possible sale or reorganization. facebook's failed ipo knocked mark zuckerberg off the top of forbes billionaires index. facebook closed lower for sixth day out of eight. short fallout from facebook's ipo is causing some does reconsider going public. london based jeweler graff diamonds postponed their ipo. a day before pricing its field. online travel company kayak delayed their public debut. the food and drug administration rejected a request by the corn refiners association to rename high fructose corn syrup to corn sugar. >> you have until july 31st to bid for the land where "the hunger games" was filmed near hickory, north carolina. bidding begins at $1.4 million. the heat swept the celtics

while the conspiracy theories rage over who got the nba's first draft pick. kings of the road, los angeles takes the opener in the stanley cup finals. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. we talked about thunderstorms today we'll check out the friday forecast, you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up this is "early today." in sports last night in game one of the stanley cup finals, the los angeles kings made history on the road. here's mario solis with an early look at sports headlines. good morning. if game one of the stanley cup final is any indication how the series will go, we're in for a wild ride. to new jersey, devils and kings played each other twice during the regular season and spent game one getting reacquainted. nobody backing down on hockey's biggest stage. l.a. gets on the board first, frazier beats brodeur. kings up 1-0. new jersey responds in the second. jonathan quick makes the save. look closely. the rebound goes off a kings defenseman and in, a fortunate bounce for the devils, tied at

1-1. stays that way through regulation. on to overtime. justin williams finds a wide open anze kopitar, scores the game winner. kings have yet to lose on the road, they win game one, 2-1 in overtime. to the nba, dramatic finish between the heat and celtics, late in the fourth, ray allen for three, gets it. that ties it at 99. forces overtime. rajon rondo had the game of his life scoring every point for boston in o.t., finishing with 44. that wasn't enough. dwyane wade with the dagger, celts miss a golden opportunity. heat take game two. 115-111 in o. t. finally, back in 1985, the knicks won the draft lottery, everyone thought the fix was in. move over knicks, there is a new conspiracy in the nba. the hornets won the lottery over the favored bobcats. why is this the latest conspiracy theory in professional sports? the hornets were owned by the nba and sold last month to tom benson, the owner of the saints.

not only did benson get a basketball team from the nba, he got the number one pick. i think league commissioner david stern will have flowers and a thank you card on his doorstep this morning. that is a look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. coming up, he has a hit on his hands, no one knows how to let him know about it. entertainment headlines are straight ahead. kids in the clutch at the national spelling bee. so how did the youngest contestant ever do? stay tuned you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." a beautiful day setting up for many us across the western portion of the country. the southwest extreme heat. excessive heat warnings from phoenix over towards vegas and to south of the area and that's not even the peak of the heat, bigger numbers showing up for tomorrow, 112, near record temperatures across the southwest. stay safe out there. if you're watching us in san francisco go back to the time of dinosaurs, exploring gigantic plants. plantosaurus rex. here is an early look at headlines in entertainment. jessica simpson is going to weight watchers, for four million bucks. after an endless pregnancy they thought about cravings about

salted cantaloupe and buttered pop tarts. she signed a deal. one not so good sign, she is looking forward to "guilty pleasures" every now and then, too. in moderation. >> michael jackson wrote a note to lisa marie presley removed it from auction. finally, the l.a. times reports while "hatfields and mccoys" is a smash hit, kevin costner is unaware of it. he is off the coast of africa on a treasure dive. no blackberry, no nothing? this comes to us from maryland the youngest contestant ever scripps spelling bee. she got the first word right but the second -- >> ingluvies. >> e-n-g-l-u-v-i-e-s.

>> that is incorrect. >> lori ann madison started with an e instead of i. that helped to lead to her elimination. but the director praised her noting it was one of the toughest competitions they ever had and by the way, she is only 6. unbelievable. >> we should invite her on the show here. i guess they have to keep an even playing field. >> couldn't pronounce it, i specifically asked the producer to include the word in the sound bite. well done. i'm lynn berry and this is "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

in berlin, one zoo presented the new long awaited pride and joy. keepers introduced the public to a baby puma. the cub is the first successfully born at the park over 22 years. little apprehension i have there. when the two siblings didn't make it, officials decided to raise her themselves in order to assure she gets the proper care needed to survive. so far the cub is growing. in malaysia, the happiest place on earth is a different kind of theme park. that is because it's filled with chocolate. the cocoa-theme parked opened up the wonderful world of a favorite dessert from all over. the main attraction? chocolate making demos and lessons from raw materials to delivery. is laughter the best medicine? one man tested the theory.

the laughing master who gained his title after setting an unofficial record for laughing three hours and six minutes straight holds a class where he teaches how to laugh on cue. his students are down on their luck or suffer from illnesses and he says laughter eases pain and induces positive thinking. i guess that is a good thing honestly watching that video kind of makes you laugh. >> it does. the guy has a special talent. makes my face hurt. >> three hours. >> long time. >> that takes a special kind of method acting i suppose. early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on msnbc. spacex dragon capsule is due to return home splashing down in the pacific ocean off the southern california coast. the crew spent two days unpacking 1000 pounds of food and clothing before repacking the dragon with 1500 pounds of cargo to bring back to earth. in washington president obama will welcome former president george w. bush and

laura bush for a rare visit back to the white house for the official unveiling of their portraits. actor and director clint eastwood turns 82. stay on top of the latest developments on 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. kristen stewart discusses her role in the new version of the tale of snow white and the huntsman. "american idol" runner up will perform live in studio. >> 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.