this morning on "early today," record blaze. colorado crews struggle to contain the worst wildfire in that state's history. supreme decision. the highest court in the land prepares to hand down a historic health care ruling. and mission accomplished. the u.s. navy scores again with and mission accomplished. the u.s. navy scores again with a high-stakes ballistic test. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. welcome to our you viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry, and today we begin with a firestorm. a giant wildfire continues to burn out of control in colorado's second largest city. it's causing massive evacuations

and threatening major landmarks. the waldo canyon fire is now being called the worst fire in that state's history. president obama plans to tour colorado's fire-damaged areas tomorrow. nbc's jinah kim has the latest. >> reporter: as towers of smoke choked the air of colorado springs, firefighters waged war against flames that threaten to swallow entire communities in the northern part of the city. in mere hours it managed to double in size. >> it jumped two ridges and it moved three miles in less than an hour. >> reporter: the smoke is so thick and the heat so intense, fire crews can't even estimate how many homes have been destroyed. >> it's been house-to-house, door-to-door, street-to-street, hill-to-hill kind of activity all night long. it's continued all day today. >> there's the fire. >> reporter: more than 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate, including parts of the u.s. air force academy campus. evacuees wait in agony, not sure if they'll have a home to return to. >> it's my childhood home. >> reporter: on wednesday winds again whipped up to 65 miles an

hour, changing directions, spreading embers, and grounding firefighting aircraft. >> wind is obviously again kicking up and causing us problems out there. >> reporter: the weather is also hampering efforts near boulder, colorado. in all, a half dozen major fires are burning throughout the state. this year is already being called the worst fire season in colorado history, and it's only just begun. in colorado springs, jinah kim, nbc news. well, to washington now where it is decision day for the nation's health care reform law. the supreme court is expected to hand down its historic decision today with one of three options. to uphold the law in its entirety, keep parts of it, or strike it down all together. tracie potts joins us outside the supreme court with all those details. tracie, good morning to you. reporter: good morning. look for answers to these key questions. is the individual mandate constitutional, what about the

great expansion of medicaid, account federal government do that, or is it too soon to decide this case. >> if the supreme court decides to strike down the individual mandate, that would be a doningly actity advice decision by the court. >> reporter: the government decides parts of the popular you law would go away, getting rid of coverage limit and making sure the sickest people aren't denied. also at issue, can washington force states to cover more poor people under medicaid. >> we're confident that the law is constitutional. >> reporter: if the court upholds this law, it will be a big below to mitt romney and republicans who vow to get rid of it. >> if the court does not strike down the entire law, the house will move to repeal what's left of it. >> if the court upholds it, if

they say it passes the cotitution, it still is bad policy and that will mean if i'm elected, we'll repeal it and replace it. >> reporter: if the court strikes down the entire law or even just the mandate, it's a big blow to president obama. >> my guess is they're not sleeping well at the white house tonight. >> reporter: now, it is possible not likely but possible that the court could side step a major issue here and say they can't really issue an opinion on this until after that penalty kicks in two years from now. >> all right. tracie potts there for us at the supreme court. tracie, thank you. well, elsewhere the house is expected to vote today on a contempt of congress resolution against attorney general eric holder. now that could allow the house to go to court to try to force holder to turn over certain documents from the gun-tracking operation known as "fast and furious." president obama has asserted executive privilege to keep those documents secret. house republicans say that last-minute talks with the white house failed to head off the contempt vote.

well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in florida a small plane went down, but the pilot survived because he literally found a safety net. the netting that covered a large garden of ferns was just enough to help to cushion the impact of that emergency landing, and because of that, no one was hurt. to arizona now where a massive haboob cloud filled the skies near phoenix. the dust storm was more than 15 miles wide and up to more than a half mile high. drivers were warned to stay off the road, though, some ignored that advice. in texas, a man accused of and, finally, in new york it's the one time anyone is happy to be tepee'd. these bridal gowns are made of

toilet paper. that's right. they're part of a contest in which the winning designer used ten jumbo rolls to create her dress. the outfits were also adorned with jewelry, and as one contestant said, they are much lighter than the real thing. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. new trend? >> the quilted two ply outfit? no. >> a little bit cheaper. >> slightly. the heat wave continues from the rockies to the middle of the country. west coast not too much in the way of a heat wave,chored to th north. but the big story is the above average temperatures. we're 105 in vegas, 110 in phoenix, so we continue our warm weather. hill city, kansas, the hottest spot in the country yesterday, 115 degrees. not often that's hotter than death valley and also throughout the desert southwest. we also warmed up in oregon, 83

in medford. a new storm is moving in. you can see it on the radar. as we watch the precipitation estimates, it's not too heavy. most of the rain will be along the coast. just a few showers interior. so this won't be one of the rains that you need a big umbrella for. but the southwest, everyone else, looking dry and pretty upper 80s. even washington state, enjoy that warmth. doesn't look like any big change for the west. forecast for tomorrow coming up. coming up, oil bubbles up, a major company breaks up, and a wedding band that prevents cheating. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, can a teenager score the year's biggest album debut?

you'd better believe it. coming up, yankees are bitten by the injury bug, the rockets make another big deal, and a dual in the pool heats up. you're watching "early today." >> announcer: "early today" is brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now.

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. with time running out, congress has worked out deals to overhaul the nation's highways, bridges, and transit systems and to keep interest rates from doubling on student loans. lawmakers are hurrying to finish their work before the fourth of july recess. new data from the census bureau says america's largest cities are growing at a faster rate than their suburbs for the first time in a century. researchers found that young adults are staying put in the cities to look for jobs and to avoid buying homes. in alaska, the wreckage of a

military plane found this month on a glacier is believed to be from an airforce crash in 1952, killing all 52 people on board. the military says dna testing for confirmation could take up to six years. and the military conducted a second successful test of the navy's newest intercepter rocket. the "uss lake erie" fired a missile, which destroyed the target in the sky above hawaii. well, now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. well, the food and drug administration has approved the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss in over a decade. it's going to be sold under the name belviq, and it is for adults who are overweight and have diabetes or high cholesterol. the drug works by activating a chemical receptor in the brain to help a person feel full after eating smaller amounts of food. and for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com.

>> announcer: "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil. bring yourself back. and now here's an early look at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,627, after adding 92 points yesterday. the s&p gained 11. the nasdaq was up 21. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei climbed 143 points, but in hong kong the hang seng dropped 151. well, as wall street waits on the supreme court's historic health care ruling today, investors will keep a close eye on a summit of eurozone leaders. before today's meeting, germany chancellor angela merkel was in france yesterday saying the debt-ridden region needs more banking supervision, not a eurozone bond, which she calls, quote, economically wrong. energy stocks led wednesday's gains after oil prices settled above $80 a barrel. meanwhile, a rebound in manufacturing and housing data drove more positive sentiment on the street.

arena pharmaceutical shot up more than 29% on news it's anti-obesity pill belviq was given a green light by federal regulators. rupert murdoch's news corp rose in late trade after its board unanimously approved splitting the mega corp into separate publishing and entertainment arms. british bank barclays will pay $453 million in fines after admitting it manipulated key interest rates to benefit its own bottom line leading up to the financial crisis. court documents show bernard madoff's brother is set to plead guilty and serve ten years in prison for his role in the multi-billion-dollar ponzi scheme. european plane maker airbus is reportedly set to build its first u.s. assembly line in mobile, alabama. google launched a new tablet computer yesterday. the nexus 7 features a seven-inch screen and carries a $199 price tag. and if you're in the market for a wedding band, here's a unique albeit cynical idea.

okay. the titanium anti-cheating ring leaves an imprint "i'm married" on your ring finger just in case your betrothed is tempted to slip it off, but, ladies, if your man needs this ring, you may already have a problem. coming, up the mets slug the cubs and the rangers bash the tigers. plus, one angel takes flight and makes a home run-robbing catch. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and our record-breaking heat wave is peaking in the middle of the country and heading for the east coast. 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, the new york yankees' pitching rotation will get a makeover after they lost two starters in the same day. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. >> good morning. the yankees have the highest payroll in baseball, and they also have the most players on the disabled list. cc sabathia, the latest to join the walking wounded. he's out at least two weeks with a strained muscle in his left leg. and it only got worse for the yanks. andy pettitte hit in the ankle by a comebacker, tried to stay in the game, but that wasn't happening. the diagnosis, broken ankle, done for at least six weeks. however, there was nothing wrong with robinson cano. he belted his seventh homer in

the last ten games. yanks are banged up, but they managed to beat the indians, 5-4. new york's other team, the mets, put on a clinic at wrigley. scored 15 runs in three innings. daniel murphy left the yard twice. mets routed the cubs, 17-1. murphy's law in full effect yesterday. daniel hit a pair of home runs, and so did the rangers' david murphy. texas hung 13 on detroit and won a slugfest, 13-9. highlight of the night turned in by the angels' mike trout. flat out robbed the orioles' j.j. hardy of an assured home run. worth a couple more looks. timed it perfectly. got about four feet of air and made a leaping grab. he also had four hits. the 20-year-old starting to make a name for himself. the angels won big, 13-1. nba, another day, another trade for the rockets. sent the 14th overall pick and samuel dalembert to the box for the 12th pick and three players. just the latest in a handful of moves by the rockets as they try to acquire dwight howard. the nba draft is tonight. and, finally, we all know

what michael phelps did four years ago at the olympics. this time around he had some major competition from teammate and friend ryan lochte. the 200-meter freestyle at the u.s. olympic trial was a race to the finish. a dead heat, and phelps won it by a fingernail. .05 to be exact. if this is any indication of how they'll race in london, the duo in the pool will be the best reality show on tv. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. well, actress lindsey lohan puts another ugly episode of her life behind her. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, a long overdue honor for a proud group of u.s. marines. you're watching "early today."

hard for me to find any wet weather in the lower 48, so we're heading to that would ha. showers over the big island and trade winds blowing pretty good. temperatures will be kept down because of all the clouds and showers. now also wet weather in fairbanks and anchorage, a little rain this morning. should be better this afternoon. so our friends in the west, you're dry, but the friends off the coast, a little camp. if you're watching us on nbc 4 in los angeles, don't miss one of the largest collection of egyptian artifacts ever assembled. the exhibition at the california

science center. >> thank, bill. and now here is an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. remember when justin bieber was just an up-and-coming pop star and we weren't obsessed with him? well, the 18-year-old's new album "believe" moved 374,000 copies in its first week, making it the year's biggest debut, edging out madonna's "mdna." "believe" is the biebs' fourth number one album. lindsay lohan has settled a lawsuit filed by three passengers she took on a high-speed ride that resulted in her second dui arrest in 2007. the terms of the settlement were not disclosed. >> she hasn't done anything wrong in at least 72 hours. >> we're standing by. "us weekly" reports "true blood" stars anna paquin and stephen moyer are expecting twins. and, finally, people for the ethical treatment of animals is blasting mary kate and ashley olsen for creating a nearly $17,000 backpack made of patches of animal fur.

we just blast them for making a $17,000 backpack. and this comes to us from our nation's capitol where a group of veterans were honored both for their sacrifice and indignities they suffered while serving. 400 african-americans who helped integrate the marine corps were presented with the congressional gold medal. during world war ii they were housed at montford point, north carolina, a segregated base with poor conditions. but once in the heat of battle in the pacific, the racial divide disappeared. one recipient said, quote, thank god i lived long enough to see it. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

london's iconic tower bridge is getting an olympic makeover, marking one month until the summer games. a set of giant olympic rings was lowered onto the bridge. officials say it's the centerpiece of the city's "look and feel" campaign for the game. visitors from all around the world will experience it all when the games kick off in july right here on this nbc station. well, one daredevil in belgium takes sprinting to a new level. the extreme athlete has broken a world record for taking a vertical run down a 330-foot building in just 15.5 seconds. this beats the previous record by about 19 seconds. the feat adds to his impressive stunts, such as bungee jumping from an air balloon and hand gliding over the andes mountain.

>> looking to cool off in this record heat there's one watering hole that has you covered. you have to head to ice bar stockholm, the world's first permanent ice bar. everything is made from ice, including furniture, the glasses, everything. it's kept at 23 degrees all year round, and patrons must wear a coat and gloves, and they're not allowed to stay inside longer than 40 minutes. whoa. that's where i draw the line. >> you're a wine connoisseur. what are you going to do with your room temperature red wine? >> "connoisseur" is a generous term. i'm not that particular. >> box. you like the box wine. >> okay. let's be honest. it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. the more than 1,000 members of the u.s. air force academy freshmen class are expected to arrive in colorado springs as scheduled, despite the growing threat of the wildfires that's less than five miles away. officials say there are contingency plans in place in case an evacuation should be ordered.

tonight the nba draft, the unofficial kick-off to the off-season takes place in newark, new jersey. teams will take turns selecting amateur u.s. college baseball players and other candidates, including those from other countries. and happy birthday to comedic legend mel brooks who turns 86. 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." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. the parents of a baby killed by a dingo in the australian outback more than 30 years ago speak out after finally being cleared. and actor matthew mcconaughey talks about his latest movie, "magic mike." 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. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com