together. i like utilities better. there is always a bull market somewhere. i promise to find it for you on "mad money." i'm jim cramer. see you tomorrow! this morning on "early today," wet and wild. extreme heat, heavy flooding, and fire continue to wreak havoc on large portions of the u.s. back in time. disturbing new numbers show just how the great recession has shrunk american wealth. >> and crowning glory. the l.a. kings beat the new jersey devils to clinch their first ever stanley cup jersey devils to clinch their first ever stanley cup championship. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with fire and rain. dangerous conditions are growing

today from wildfires in the far west to heavy rain and flooding on the gulf and east coasts. and even though the official start to summer is more than a week away, hot temperatures are baking parts of the country. nbc's jay gray has more. >> reporter: from flooding to wildfires across the country extreme conditions are making it a difficult and very dangerous start to the summer season. >> it's a very aggressive fire. it's fuel driven, wind driven, and so the conditions have not been favorable. >> we have good reason to believe there are 100-plus structures within that area that are damaged or destroyed. >> reporter: this massive 20,000-acre blaze in the colorado mountains is consuming everything in its path. >> my house is gone. >> i know i'm not going to have a home, and i have no place to go. >> reporter: hundreds fear for their homes in new mexico as well. >> it's real scary. it's heartbreaking. >> reporter: the little bear wildfire now stretches across

another 10,000 acres and continues to grow. one of more than a dozen wildfires burning across the u.s. right now, putting a strain on crews and equipment. >> we're definitely competing for resources whether it's new mexico or other locations. it's difficult to get resources at this point. >> reporter: it's relief that's difficult to find along the gulf coast. driving rain a foot and a half in pensacola, soaked and in many areas shut down the city while in alabama, two inches of rain an hour washed away roads and forced thousands to scramble to higher ground. and even as the water slowly begins to recede now, it's clear that the damage here, just like in the fire zone, is widespread and devastating while in the east coast and through the midwest heat is of concern. the forecast calls for the hottest day of the year so far in dallas, while in philadelphia schools closed at noon because of the dangerous conditions there. jay gray, nbc news. elsewhere day one in the

child sex abuse trial of jerry sandusky. the trial began with graphic testimony from one of his ten accusers. sandusky is charged with 52 counts of sexual abuse over 15 years, all of which he denies. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: in opening statements of the jerry sandusky sex abuse trial, two diverging profiles. the former penn state assistant football coach was described by the prosecution as a serial predator and by his defense as a father figure who's being victimized. the first witness was 13 when he met sandusky and described a relationship that began with showers and escalated into physical acts. publicly the witness said sandusky would act like his father, but when they were alone, quote, basically like i was his girlfriend. in graphic detail he described an inappropriate physical relationship and so-called love letters, but he also recalled

lavish gifts, trips, and inside access to penn state's legendary football team, all of which he said made him afraid he'd lose everything if he spurned sandusky. he said that and shame kept him from telling anyone. >> he said he recalled that he regretted not coming forward earlier because he felt guilty that maybe he was responsible for these other victims having been molested. >> reporter: defense attorney joe amendola says his client admits to showering with young boys but said that was simply part of the football culture, not a crime. he pointed out that at least six of the accusers have their own civil attorneys and a financial interest in the outcome of this case. brian mooar, nbc news, bellefonte, pennsylvania. what many are calling the most exciting stanley cup playoffs in recent memory came to a conclusion last night right here on nbc with the most hallowed trophy going to a first-time winner. here's nbc's mario solis. >> reporter: good morning from the stanley cup final in los angeles where the kings have

been crowned. game six at staples center the kings dominating from start to finish, scoring three power-play goals in the first period and never looking back. they beat the devils 6-1. the kings are hockey royalty. they win their first ever stanley cup final. we'll have a lot more from los angeles plus postgame reaction coming up in sports. for now, let's go back to you. >> thanks so much. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. a florida woman is fight for her life after she was set on fire by the father of her child. surveillance cameras captured the horrific scuffle after she attempted to flee after being doused with gasoline. the suspect dragged the woman from the store before igniting her clothes. the woman was able to pat out the fire but suffered severe burns. her attacker was later arrested by police. frustrated by a string of locker room thefts, a washington, d.c., gym manager set up the perfect ruse to snag the culprit. after opening a booby-trapped

locker, the suspect was doused with flour. the police are currently searching for him. finally a new wave of yoga classes. the popularity of paddle board yoga is growing at a rapid rate in seattle. students say the class is challenging and a great way to clear their mind of life's everyday struggles. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning to you, bill. >> they all seem a little too sure of themselves. >> they're experts. >> nub of them even had a bathing suit on. >> they seemed a little confident. >> i'd have the little swimmies on my arm. >> a tube. >> that would be your outfit. good morning, everyone. just some light shower activity moving through washington state. ro thugh.m moving nothing too exciting. it is bringing a lot of clouds gsd thinbr ain end to your nice little streak of weather we've had in the pacific northwest. you can see by the radar there's

not a lot out there. i-5 going north of seattle towards bellingham, there could be a sprinkle or two. portland, you have showers to the south of you. could roll through downtown. half hour, 45 minutes from now. overall, again, it's a weak storm system. won't be yeen one too much significant precipitation. dry in california today. kind of setting up the pattern. this big high pressure over the west which is responsible for a lot of bad, nasty fires making it difficult for firefighters in colorado and new mexico. it's bummening up against the marine area. we have a trough through the center of the state. the winds are kind of converging in that area. temperatures, nothing too exciting. temperatures in the 50s and 60s. hot day in the desert. interior california, should be looking at

a beautiful day today along with arizona. pretty quiet again tomorrow too. >> good news there. bill, thanks so much. >> coming up, euro jitters reheat. >> apple gets a hohum from investors. >> what's in a name? >> was she or wasn't she? reports say lindsay lohan may have been behind the wheel in that big truck crash after all. 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. commerce secretary john bryson is taking a medical leave of absence. bryson will have tests done after suffering a seizure in connection with a series of traffic accidents in the los angeles area. the federal reserve reports the wealth of american families

plunged by almost 40% in just three years due to the recession and housing crisis. the average family's net worth dropped from over $126,000 in 2007 to only $77,000 in 2010. according to the fbi, for the fifth year in a row, violent crime fell in the u.s. last year. all violent crimes dropped 4% and murdered fell to the lowest number in more than 40 years. and be careful what you say in middleborough, massachusetts. to cut down on profanity residents there have voted to impose fines for swearing in public. so using a four-letter word could cost you $20. that would build quite the swear jar. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opened at 12,411 after plunging 142 points. the s&p sank 16. the nasdaq tumbled 48. taking a look at overseas trading in tokyo, the nikkei

skidded 88 while in hong kong the hang seng fell 81. reality over spain's bank bailout set in even faster than predicted on monday. stocks surged early on news spain agreed to $125 billion bank rescue fund, but within hours worries about italy, greece, and whether the loan terms would cripple spain's struggling economy. overseas this morning asian markets followed suit, reversing most of yesterday's gains. news of slowing steel demand in china added to global economic fears, dragging steel makers here at home sharply lower. oil prices retreated, settling down 65 cents near $83 a barrel. apple dipped after they showed updated software, laptops, and a new mapping service at its annual developers conference. investors were definitely expecting something meatier. google slid 2% on news its maps will no longer be built into most new iphones and ipads.

"the wall street journal" reports some higher-ups at jpmorgan chase were aware of risky business practices by london-based traders two years before its multi-billion dollar trading loss. humana and eight na have joined united health to have built in plans to keep some reform benefits even if the supreme court strikes down the entire health care law. warren buffett is buying more jets for under $10 billion. elsewhere in big news glenn beck signed a five-year $100 million deal to continue his morning radio show. and so much for dinner discounts. get this. groupon is apparently now offering to sell you a so-called exclusive baby name for a thousand bucks. the name? clembough. that's right. you have to pay them for that name. i wonder how much william is worth. >> not much. >> that's right.

coming up, an 18-hour delay after a washout at the french open that only postponed what seemed like the inevitable outcome. plus, more on the hockey's first-time stanley cup champion. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. torrential rains in the southeast and mid-atlantic. 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, as we mentioned earlier, the stanley cup has gone hollywood. here' nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> hi, there, good morning again from los angeles where the kings have made hockey history beating the devils to capture their first ever stanley cup championship. game six at staples center, pick it up about ten minutes into the first period. steve bernier crushing ross scuderi behind the net. scuderi remains out for several minutes. bloody and dazed he left the ice under his own power. berper was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct. kings wasting no time taking advantage of the power play, drew dowdy's shot tipped in by dustin brown. 1-0, l.a. moments later it's brown again, takes a shot. passing to brodeur. in the blink of an eye, the kings were up, 2-0. trevor lewis caps off an amazing power play.

pokes in the rebound. staples center was absolutely rocking. kings up, 3-0, thanks to three power-play goals. the cup was within reach, and the kings could taste the champagne. a remarkable run with a 6-1 win, nobody saw this coming when they entered the playoffs as an a.c. they're crowned stanley cup champions for the first time in franchise history. >> this is unbelievable. this is where we should be. we worked hard -- we worked hard to get here. it's just an unbelievable feeling. >> seeing them so happy, you know, and the work that you go through, you know, the first thing you think about as a coach, these guys are all young enough to try it again. >> from the kings on the ice to the kings of clay, rafael nadal won his record seventh french open. match point may have been the easiest of the tournament. novak djokovic answered with a double fault. nadal avoids losing to djokovic for the fourth consecutive time in grand slam final with a historic win at roland garros. that's a look at sports.

i'm mario solis. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought do you by ice blue aqua velva. men get it. nude photos leaked, a former boy 23re7bd black mailed, and a simmering pop diva feud. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, from the walls of montezuma to the shores of tripoli. but why are the marines invading cleveland? you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." nice simple forecast. tuesday and wednesday look pretty tranquil. this is a lot worse than it really looks. there's a slight chance of showers as we're going through the northwest with a front going off shore. most of your day will be cloudy and dry. portland has showers sliding your way. phoenix gets up to 108. the heat continues in many of the inner mountain west areas. definitely not helping any of those firefighters. if you're watching us on kcra 3 in sacramento, california. celebrate the african-american and women who became heroes of aviation during world war ii. tuskegee journey to flight. >> now here's an early look at today's headlines in entertainment. lindsay lohan is in very hot legal water. we knew this was coming, tmz reports after a friday crash with an 18 wheeler, lohan told police her assistant was driving

but that assistant later told police lohan was driving. the truck driver says people who arrived on the scene offered him cash not to report the accident and wanted to take lohan away before police even arrived. now if lohan did lie to police, her probation could be revoked and she could face new charges. i think you're more upset about that than anything else in the news today. >> horrible. >> tmz also reports kris humphries lawyers handed over evidence to the fbi proving a former girlfriend black mailed him. no comment. when will they learn? >> i learn the hard way. >> bill did learn the hard way. self-taken nude photos of jersey shore's snooki have been leaked online. we should issue a correction. it's just a joke. >> we hope. >> lady gaga says she won't get into it with madonna over her criticism of the hit "born this way" then she did it anyway. madonna recently mocked her to make her feel better. >> speaking of madonna, has the

biebs gone madonna on us. he did an entire radio interview using an english accent. >> cute. >> bill, friday. he's at "the today show." big doings. this comes to us from wkyc channel 3 news in cleveland, ohio, where an invasion of leather necks kicked off a special week for the marine corps. the takeover of the world's rock and roll cap pi tall began with an ariel assault. they swooped down to kick off the fourth annual marine week. dozens of events are scheduled to showcase the accomplishments and sacrifices of past and present service members. a fitting celebration for the core and the country they proudly serve. i'm lynn berry and this is "early today." just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

in china one woman can truly claim to be a modern day rapunzel. 20 ladies with long locks vying for first place in the hair competition, judging length, health, and overall appearance. the winner's whose hair measured nearly six feet hadn't cut in in over 30 years. according to local tradition long and beautiful hair shows symbolizes feminine charm. good to know. in australia they revved up for some tough terrain. 500 riders competed in one of the toughest motorcycle races out there but only seven could complete the race course. racers had to navigate across steep hills, mud, rocks, all through 20 checkpoints. anyone falling and failing to ride up a stretch of course,

reach a check point, or if they miss a turn is eliminated. and, finally, after over a century together, two giant turtles in austria are finally throwing in the towel. the pair have toughed it out for a stunning 115 years, but recently the mrs. has been attacking her mate, even biting off a chunk of his shell causing staffers to move him to another enclosure. the zoo did try to get the two to reconcile but so far no luck. looks like this split is final. 115 years. you'd think after that long you'd say, eh, i'll put up with him. >> what's going to happen with us. it's been like three or four years. >> it's only been two years. i'm giving it one more year and then you're gone, replaced. so i've decided. well, time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in new york the u.s. coast guard will hold a news conference to discuss a suspected distress call hoax yesterday that caused the launch of a costly search and rescue operation.

only to find no signs of the reported emergency. making false distress calls is a federal felony, carrying a possible ten-year prison term, a $250,000 fine plus the cost of the search. arizona holds a special election to replace former congresswoman gabrielle giffords who stepped down in january after surviving an assassination attempt over a year ago. and former president george w. bush turns 88. 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. former president george h.w. bush sits down with granddaughter jenna bush hager to celebrate his 88th birthday. and today's professionals tackle different hot topics, including madonna's recent wardrobe malfunction controversy. 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. the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.

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