there's always a bull market somewhere. i promise to find it for you. i'm jim cramer. see you tomorrow! this morning on "early today," battleground duel. president obama and mitt romney trade blows over the economy in the swing state of ohio. aliens among us? an oddly shaped vehicle sparks curiosity among maryland motorists. and expensive proposition. new government numbers reveal just how much that bundle of joy new government numbers reveal just how much that bundle of joy will cosyou. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with the rich and famous. president obama raised money last night at a new york home of actress sarah jessica parker here in new york. wealthy celebrities from the

film, fashion, and music worlds all paid $40,000 each to attend the exclusive get-together. earlier in the day the president and challenger mitt romney were both in ohio and both a little more down to earth talking about the economy and the middle class. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: for the first time on the same day, the president and the challenger went to ohio for dueling speeches. barack obama with students, worried about the economy on his watch. >> we're all just trying to get a job. we're all just trying to get a future. >> let's put some folks to work right here at home. >> reporter: no major new initiatives, but a passionate repeat of main obama themes, taxing the rich more, not cutting, key spending. >> in an age where we know good jobs depend on high skills. now's not the time to scale back our commitment to education. >> reporter: he warned a romney win would mean more gridlock. >> this election is your chance

to break that stalemate. if you want to give the policies of the last decade another try, then you should vote for mr. romney. >> reporter: with the president in democratic-leaning cleveland, mitt romney was in conservative cincinnati, mocking the obama claim of economic progress. >> oh, really. go check on that, and talk is cheap. action speaks very loud. and if you want to see the results of his economic policies, look around ohio, look around the country, and you'll see that a lot of people are hurting. >> reporter: boosted by $10 million from one las vegas billionaire, team mitt romney's advertising war chest is bigger than team obama's -- >> the private sector's doing fine. >> reporter: -- enabling romney to capitalize on an obama gaffe. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. elsewhere the trial of penn state's former assistant football coach jerry sandusky on 52 criminal counts is moving faster than observers had expected. the prosecution is now expected

to rest its case on monday. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: the last of eight young men accusing former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky took the witness stand to deliver the most graphic allegations of sexual abuse yet. known as victim number nine, he said he was 11 when he was abused for the first of many times over a three-year period in the sandusky family home. he said he screamed for help and later wanted to tell someone but feared no one would listen. the boy's name was on an address list later found in a search of sandusky's belongings. his name was starred. so were some of the other alleged victims in this case. >> the prosecution did very well. given the number of compelling witnesses that were presented this week, the defense will be hard-pressed to overcome that case. >> reporter: also on day four of testimony, an investigator said sandusky admitted back in 1998 that he had showered with young boys, but he denied it was sexual.

former state police investigator ronald schreffler recalled he was contacted by a mother who claimed sandusky had touched her 11-year-old son in a penn state shower. that alleged victim is now a 25-year-old bible college graduate. he told the court sandusky tickle and bear hugged him in the shower and joked, i'm going to squeeze your guts out. the court also heard from a 25-year-old national guard soldier who said he was abused dozens of times yet still saw sandusky as a father figure. brian mooar, nbc news, bellefonte, pennsylvania. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. faulty brakes on a garbage truck created one giant mess in a northern california neighborhood. the driver lost control when he was unable to stop the truck from rolling down a hilly street. it sent one car careening into a home before crashing into an adjacent house. no one inside the home or in either vehicle suffered any injuries. a four-alarm fire forced

houston residents in a five-mile radius to stay indoors. flames ripped through a warehouse containing materials used to clean up oil spills, causing toxic fumes to billow from the blaze. more than 50 crews battled the fire for hours before putting it out. a moving job caused quite a commotion on one maryland roadway. look closely. drivers thought they were watching an alien invasion when they spotted what seemed to be a ufo being towed. well, turns out the draped object was an unmanned aircraft designed by u.s. military contractor northrop grumman. sounds suspicious to us. and, finally, the u.s. army thought of a sweet way to celebrate its 237th birthday at the pentagon. a 2,500-pound tasty tank -- it does look tasty -- made up of a wooden frame and 5,000 cupcakes. the army's top brass were impressed, but one senior official joked, tanks and cupcakes don't really belong in the same sentence, even in the

army. nope and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> instead of running away from the tank everyone will be running towards it. >> yeah, exactly. i definitely would. >> grab a cupcake. we can fast forward through friday, a lot of us would. father's day weekend is fast approaching. we are looking at a nice, quiet weather pattern across much of the country including in areas of the west. still a little chilly in a few spots. only 50 to start your morning in portland. seattle 52. light jacket or sweater as you head out this morning. we're still very warm in interior california. san francisco is chilly. you're only at 51. nothing too exciting. weak storm system heading up to canada. dragging a storm through idaho. this has brought us some cooler air to the north. the desert areas are still hot. this ridge off the west coast, high pressure system, the way the winds are rotating will

build the ridge into the west. it will knock this trough out. the warm air will push out the cool air as we go out through today and tomorrow. friday forecast. 77 in portland, 73 in seattle, 103 in phoenix. cool coastal areas. medford, up to 93. yes, it will warm up. that's a look 90s. santa rosa, 93. looks like just a little bit of wet weather on father's day. coming up, nokia nose dives, stanford is sentenced, and what everybody's getting for dad this father's day. your early morning business headlines are coming up. plus a new film for adam sandler hits the box off. it couldn't be worse than his

last, right? or could it. coming up, the heat get even. tiger is in the hunt. and i love a parade. you're watching "early today." early today is brought to you by the makers of centrum. always your most complete.

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. united nations observers were finally able to reach a deserted syrian town where they found smouldering buildings, looted shops, and smashed cars, but a death toll is unclear because the bodies have either been removed or buried. in egypt, protesters took to the streets after that country's highest court dissolved parliament, saying it was elected illegally. the court also ruled that a former official under president hosni mubarak can compete in this weekend's presidential election. a government report estimates the average cost of raising an american child born

last year up until the age of 17 will be $235,000 including housing, food, education, and other expenses. in 1960 that same cost was just over $25,000. actor kevin costner won his court fight in a lawsuit filed by actor stephen baldwin over his investment in an oil clean-up system eventually purchased by bp. a new orleans jury rejected baldwin's claim that he was duped out of millions from that deal. and in northwest china a sandstorm caused big problems on the roads with visibility down to just a few feet. the sand knocked down tree branches and did major damage to crops on local farms. well, now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow opened at 12,651 after zooming 155 points yesterday. the s&p rose 14. the nasdaq gained 17. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei was up a fraction, while in hong kong the hang sang shot up 425.

well, stocks continued their roller-coaster week with a big climb on thursday. traders looking for reassurance ahead of this weekend's elections in greece welcomed the reuters report that central banks from 20 major economies will step in if greek results lead to turmoil. that fueled optimism on the rise with hopes that yesterday's team inflation reading and another weak jobs report will encourage the fed to step in with more stimulus. leading the s&p, international game technology jumped 14% on news of a $1 billion stock buyback. u.s. traded shares of nokia plunged 15% on news it plans to slash 10,000 jobs. in vienna, opec leaders left production levels unchanged, saying they expect global supply and demand to stay balanced through the end of the year. convicted ponzi schemer allen stanford was sentenced to

110 years in prison by a texas judge yesterday. the 62-year-old swindled more than $7 billion from his investors. federal regulators have widened an investigation into gas tank fires in some jeep grand cherokees to include upwards of 5 million vehicles, including cherokees and jeep liberties. following news the u.s. will soon allow u.s. companies to invest in myanmar, coca-cola says it will offer its products in the former burma for the first time in 60 years. and if you're wondering what everyone else is buying for father's day, the national retail federation says for the first time in seven years, a special outing like tickets to a ball game or dinner out has surpassed traditional gifts like ties or power tools. >> coming up, the stanley cup tours hollywood, the mets sweep, and the royals, walk-off winners. >> plus dwyane wade and his miami heat teammates slam the talk that they've run out of steam. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. the weekend forecast, a lot of heavy rain and also hot

temperatures. that's 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 game two of the nba finals, the miami heat handed the oklahoma city thunder their first loss at home in the postseason.

here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. the heat made some changes, chris bosh got the start, and miami evened the series. here we go, game two, nba finals started much like game one. miami jumped out to an early lead. dwyane wade with two of his 24, but unlike tuesday, the heat held the lead the entire game. late fourth quarter lebron cashed in at the bank, got the jumper to fall. he had 30. thunder made it interesting down the stretch. forced a turnover. russell westbrook found kevin durant. knocked down the three. oklahoma city down two, just under a minute to play. last chance for the thunder, could durant bring them all the way back? no. lebron was all over him. questionable noncall. no whistle. heat held on to win it, 100-96. after being swept by the yankees, the mets did some spring cleaning of their own. they swept the rays in tampa. kirk nieuwenhuis hit a home run to right, and then in the fourth, he ripped one to left. mets ended interleague play with a 9-6 win. the kansas city royals down one in the ninth. brayan pena came through in a

clutch, scored two with a single down the line. royals beat the brewers for the second straight day in walk-off fashion, 4-3. golf, first round of the u.s. open, all eyes were on tiger woods. was his win at the memorial a fluke or a sign of things to come? this might answer that question. drained the long bird. finished three strokes off the lead. shot of the day turned in by nick watney. par 5, 17th, 190 yards out. it looked good in the air, even better on the green, rolled all the way to the cup and in, and that is a double eagle. michael thompson, your leader at four under. and, finally, los angeles has hosted championship parades before, but none like this. an estimated quarter of a million lined the streets of downtown l.a. for the king's first ever stanley cup parade. the mile-long route ended at staples center where the team held an hour-long rally inside the arena. the celebration, 45 years in the making and for kings fans, it was well worth the wait. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a great weekend. i'm fred roggin. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by just for men mustache & beard.

keep your edge. at the box office, which holdover is expected to fend off the new films for number one? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, canada's worldwide teen sensation is about to perform just yards from where i stand at this very moment. you're watching "early today."

welcome back.

here's a look at your weekend forecast. watching a big storm in the middle of the country. anyone traveling may have to deal with pretty strong thunderstorms. we're still hot and dry from any areas of the west. if anything, it's going to get even warmer as we go up the coast line. there will be a storm system over the weekend, saturday and sunday moving into british columbia. it will drag moisture to the northwest. seattle up to bellingham. also there in the northern rockies. if you're watching us on king 5 news in seattle, washington, in nearby bellingham, see an any get your gun at the bellingham theater guild. that's your pacific event of the day. >> did i try and steal your thunder? . >> now here's an early look at your headlines.

there are some furry favorites. madagascar 3, europe's most wanted. it has earned $200 million worldwide. it will take the top spot with 30 million bucks. welcome to ages is starring tom cruise. it's starring well with women over 25. most experts see it earning close to 20 million. some think it could be a surprise hit. look at the musical numbers, similar to mama mia and hairspray. fresh off last year's impressive razzy award winner for jack and jill. hollywood's worst adam sandler debuts, that's my boy. despite co of starring andy sandler. plus unlike previous sandler come dis, this one's rated r. nevertheless, he has a huge young male audience. it is expected to bring in 20

million bucks. this comes to us for wnbc. we're here at "30 rock." we find ourselves besieged by bieber mania. bill and i have been dreaming about this. throngs of justin bieber fans have descended on new york for the free concert. the mid town invasion began on wednesday gradually turning our nearby sidewalks into camping grounds. if that isn't enough to grab your interest, the biebs hints this morning there's going to be a surprise special guest. be sure to tune in to the today show for that. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today." just your first stop today on your nbc station.

in new york one artist is leaving his mark on the city's skyline. with an old water tower as his canvas, the artist used over a thousand pieces of scrap plexiglass to turn it into a work of art. the tower is visible from brooklyn and manhattan bridges as well as public parks in brooklyn. the artist says the location is better than any museum. probably true. well, it was no ordinary picnic at one park in paris. thousands dressed in white and held an impromptu dinner in a historic paris square. the event had been prepared in secrecy with guests told of the venue at the last minute over social media. the theme was elegance as attendees brought white chairs and pristine tablecloths and dined on lobster and assorted wines and cheeses. it sounds lovely. and, finally, in japan, some high-tech toys could be hitting the shelves.

tokyo's annual four-day toy show brought in about 144 toy show manufacturers showcasing about 35,000 products from gadgets that turn your phone into a smart pet to a world record- breaking wooden stick bomb demonstration. the show had something for everyone, even self-frothing beer mugs. isn't the whole point that you want to get rid of the froth? i guess. >> personally? you know. you tilt it so it's not frothy? >> i don't know. >> i don't like that toy. >> you put a spoon in there so it lasts. >> okay. we're not going to buy that one. >> so it doesn't go down your nose. >> then we can't make fun of you. it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. at the pentagon a silver star will be posthumously awarded to air force captain francis gary powers for showing exceptional loyalty during nearly two years of harsh interrogation after his u-2 spy plane was shot down over what was then the soviet union in 1960.

daredevil nik wallenda will attempt a feat that hasn't been tried in more than a century. he'll attempt to walk an 1800-foot tightrope more than 170 feet above niagara falls, but he will be tethered to a rope just in case. and happy birthday to neil patrick harris who turns 38. 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. the latest on the search for a surgeon who disappeared after the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend. and have we mentioned justin bieber will be live on the plaza for a full half hour of music, plus a special guest. 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 great weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com