good tuesday morning. coming up on "early today," actress and director angelina jolie surprising now revelation about a voluntary double mastectomy. we've got the details. scandals sweep washington. the benghazi terror attack. the irs focus on conservative groups. and now the justice department looking through reporters' phone records. neleans police say this man is connected to the mother's day shooting. plus a shackled o.j. simpson is back in court. a phenomenon in space. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for tuesday, may 14th. good morning to you, i'm richard lui. a brave and shocking revelation from angelina jolie. in an opinion piece in the "new york times" this morning the actress announces for the first time earlier this year she had a double mastectomy and breast

reconstructive surgery. jolie writes "this was a preventative measure since she carries a gene for increasing the development for breast cancer. she wrote, "i choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. it is my hope that they too will be able to get gene tested. i don't feel any less of a woman. i feel empowered that i made a strong choice. that in no way diminishes my femininity." now, jolie's mother died from ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56, something angelina jolie spoke about with ann curry on the "today" show that year. >> it's a natural thing for a child to lose a parent. but it happened. i'm happy she's out of pain.

>> she says her partner, actor brad pitt was by her side during the entire three month process. the couple has six children together. the justice department is on defense this morning after news came out that it secretly obtained phone records of journalists working for the associated press. government officials seized two months of records from 20 separate lines used by the news agency. a senior justice official said it was a necessary part of an investigation into the leaking of information related to a yemen-based terror plot. now, in a letter to eric holder, "we regard this action by the department of justice as a serious interference with ap's constitutional rights to gather and report the news." a u.s. attorney spokesman responded, saying, "we take seriously our obligations to follow all applicable laws, federal regulations and department of justice policies when issuing subpoenas. the white house is distancing itself saying it had no knowledge of the doj action.

press secretary jay carney told reporters the administration is not involved in decisions made in connection with criminal investigations saying they are handled independently by the justice department. now to the other controversy in washington. the irs and its targeting of conservative nonprofit groups. monday president obama echoed outrage from congressional republicans calling the agency's actions an abuse of power. house lawmakers have scheduled hearings over the issue for later this week. nbc's tracie potts joins us live tracie, so much going on there. >> reporter: a lot going on here, but the timing of this, richard, is critical because it happened in the run-up to the election. that's one of the reasons why these groups say politics was at play here. a report from the inspector general for tax administration says low-level irs employees in cincinnati singled out some 300 conservative groups, identifying themselves as patriots or tea

parties. >> kplpolitically motivated, pl and simple. >> it's wrong to do. >> reporter: the president agrees. >> i've got no patience with it, i will not tolerate it, and we'll make sure we find out exactly what happened on this. >> i don't, frankly, trust the administration to do its own investigati investigation. to have legitimacy, congress needs to conduct its own investigation. >> reporter: tea party leaders want an independent prosecutor. >> we want it to be something that's nonpartisan. we want to make sure that the republicans are kept honest, too. >> reporter: the draft report shows the top lawyer at the irs was briefed on the investigation two years ago. the white house insists it first learned late last month. congress got a closed briefing monday. >> heads really should roll. this is very serious. >> reporter: the acting irs commissioner and the inspector general writing the report

testify at a house hearing friday. that irs commissioner should step down, so says florida republican senator marco rubio. rubio is also sponsoring a bill that says any irs employee who willfully violates constitutional rights to get fired. >> tracie potts in washington watching all that, thank you so much. the search is on for the man who shot into a parade in new orleans injuring 19. officials say they know more about the 19-year-old, that he might think police searched three homes monday but came up short. these surveillance images here along with a $10,000 reward led to several community tips. but police say it's too early to know if he acted alone. witnesses say they saw three people running from the scene. three victims remained in critical condition monday, but authorities say their injuries are not life threatening. the philadelphia doctor convicted of murdering three babies could face the death penalty.

the foreman read the verdict monday. 72-year-old kermit gosnell was also found guilty of charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to conspiracy. he was acquitted in the death of a fourth baby. now, gosnell was accused of delivering live babies at a clinic serving low-income women and then killing them. the jury deliberated for ten days after five weeks of testimony there. the wild weather just keeps on coming. we've got a rare and forceful tornado to show you here. sweeping through northeastern hungary yesterday, bringing along hail and damaging winds. firemen reportedly responded to more than 70 emergencies caused by that powerful storm. when you get those sorts of storms, bill karins, our nbc meteorologist, you get fires, the lightning coming down. >> yeah, people don't associate tornadoes like that happening in europe. they've had two strong ones in europe in about the last week. it happens there. it's more rare. it's more frequent in our country although this spring we haven't had hardly any. knock on wood, let's keep the

good times rolling. as far as the highs yesterday, intermountain west, record heat in boise. it was 95 yesterday. it was 93 in fargo, of all places. the only hotter spots was the desert southwest. we were 103 in phoenix, 102 in vegas. that pink shading which goes just outside of downtown l.a. was all in the 100s. one of the hottest days yet of this early summer season. now, as far as today goes, it's pretty much clear skies. but we have more of an on-shore flow continuing into areas of central california. it will be slightly cooler in areas outside of l.a. still hot in the desert. 102 in vegas and phoenix. those are a couple degrees lower than the record highs. notice much cooler in the northwest. temperatures there in the mid-60s which isn't bad. at least it's dry today. unfortunately raind in with the.

high today about 68. of course, with those high temperatures yesterday, there were some fires out there, some small brush fires. most of those are now under control. >> bill karins, thank you so much. police detain a saudi national trying to bring a pressure cooker into the united states. the u.n. is promoting a source of protein most of us would probably not find so appetizing. what you're looking at right now caused some major static. "early today" is back in two. "early today" is brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now.

welcome back. o.j. simpson was in a las vegas courtroom monday asking for a new trial in his 2008 armed robbery and kidnapping case. the 65-year-old is expected to testify tomorrow to try to convince a judge he got bad legal advice from his original lawyer. california governor jerry brown releasing a revised state budget today with major emphasis on education.

he wants an additional $1 billion to implement more rigorous academic standards and $240 million more to overhaul the way the public schools are funded. federal officials detained a saudi national after he tried to bring a pressure cooker into detroit after an international flight. a criminal complaint says the man is being held on allegations of using an invalid passport and lying to customs agents. pressure cookers have been raising security alarms since being used to make two homemade bombs in last month's boston marathon bombings. minnesota's governor is expected to sign a bill today legalizing same sex marriage. the state senate gave final approval to the measure monday making minnesota the 12th state and third this month to approve same-sex marriages. new images of this year's most powerful solar flare. that's not the solar flare, but there it is. that's the solar flare right there. it happened over the weekend, and it caused an hour-long radial blackout. if you don't know what to pack for your next picnic new

report suggests bugs. yeah, put bugs on the menu. u.n. says creatures like scorpions, locusts and cicadas are healthy sources of fat, protein and fiber. and i'd say just plain ickiness. cnbc's jackie deangelis, good morning. >> good morning, richard. sony says its entertainment business is not for sale. comments coming after a big hedge fund manager of third point proposed that sony spin off the business in an ipo saying that it could boost the company's stock by as much as 60%. meantime, coach may be trying to bag an acquisition. reports saying that the luxury retailer approached handbag maker tory burch last year offering up to $3 billion. coach facing stiff competition from michael kors and kate spade. for the price of a lamborghini or two, you could have a cup of coffee with tim cook. an auction for an hour-long

sit-down with cook have topped $600,000. proceeds going to the rfk center for justice and human rights. richard, back to you. >> yeah, how much is that per word? thank you so much. also in business, a transatlantic divide is growing over a building and safe accord for garment workers in bangladesh. a few major u.s. retailers declined to endorse the new measures, but two of europe's biggest fashion chains are pushing for greater safety after a major building collapse claimed over 1100 lives. kobe bryant's attorneys head to court today to try to win back the rights to basketball memorabilia that is scheduled to be auctioned off. kobe's mom, pamela bryant, provided the 900 items appraised at $1.5 million. amtrak unveiling their newest electric locomotives built in california at a cost of about $466 million. the 70 new engines are headed for the northeast corridor to be used there. skechers will be paying out $40 million to consumers who bought toning shoes under the

mistaken belief the shoes would help them lose weight and strengthen muscle. a federal judge approved the class action settlement that covers more than 520,000 claims. and tesla stock continues to soar. up 57% since thursday. when it announced its first profitable quarter. investors are also looking "consumer reports'" glowing review of their "s" sedan. president obama faces the benghazi controversy head on. his latest comments next. collisions galore. 11 stitches for bryce harper after this play. and check out these high-powered ferraris. that's all next.

president obama is calling the issue of talking points surrounding the benghazi controversy a side show. yesterday's joint press conference between the president and british prime minister david cameron was to discuss the unwavering relationship between the two countries in tackling issues around the world and while they did several issues currently facing the white house including the terror attack in benghazi often took the forefront. >> the fact of the matter these four americans, as i said, right when it happened, were people i send into the field. and i've been very clear about taking responsibility for the fact that we were not able to prevent their deaths. >> in his first public comment since republican lawmakers launched new hearings into

benghazi, the president said the drum up of controversy has a lot to do with political motivation. to sports now. a dramatic come from behind in the nhl playoffs. down 4-1 in the third, boston ties it up 4-4 into overtime. boston get the rebound off a blocked shot, scores on the second chance. the bruins get the 5-4 win and are now in the semifinals. meanwhile, a lopsided win for new york over the washington capitals, 5-0. the rangers face the bruins in boston on thursday. a scary moment in baseball. bryce harper slamming right there into the right field wall at dodger stadium, almost full speed. a dazed and bleeding harper leaves the field without help but later gets 11 stitches. orb is now at pimlico. catch the preakness here on nbc. the car disintegrates on a joop knees racetrack. the worker and driver are

hospitalized but should be okay. a youth hockey game in russia turns into a fistfight. everybody off the bench. the officials could not stop the melee. neither could paris police dealing with soccer fans whose celebration turned violent in the streets. soccer star david beckham's team was celebrating its first french league title in almost 20 years before the streets were filled with smoke. it's going to be a beauty. the minnesota vikings' new stadium will have the largest clear roof in the world. not enough blue sky, you say? well, how about a retractible wall as well. the $975 million multipurpose stadium opens by 2015. it's going to be nice. just ahead, jay leno on barbara walters' most divine interview ever. plus, a homemade batmobile. how'd you like to tour around gotham in this baby? you're watching "early today."

welcome back. pretty nice day in the west. not quite as hot as yesterday but still very warm, all of the desert southwest. we're okay through the central valley. many areas in the 80s to low 90s. pacific northwest, a dry day before you get more rain and cloud during the day tomorrow. as advertised, temperatures won't be too much cooler with that rain coming in. one thing we haven't been talking a lot about is up in alaska. they've had an exceptionally cold spring. still kind of on the chilly side especially further to the north. barrow and nome. they just got done with one of the coldest and snowiest aprils they've had on record up there.

>> what about sacramento? just visiting our affiliate. what's the sacramento weather? >> sacramento weather is always nice, right? >> yeah, it is nice. just like the people there. >> go to san francisco or the mountains. >> see, i got the shout-out. thank you so much. jay leno commemorated barbara walters' ee tirmt announcement with a look back. >> presidents, first ladies, countless world leaders as well as movie stars. here's a rare photo of barbara walters conducting her first interview over 2,000 years ago. >> well, the kick starter funded project to build a robocop statue in detroit reached a milestone monday. the sculptors so far posted these images of the work in progress. pretty cool stuff, huh? they say it's ready to be cast in bronze and mounted in the city. come quietly, or there will be trouble. do you like that? >> i do. i was trying to think of his name. it's john something. >> john something. i'm trying to think. okay. they're telling us to stop talking about it. paul walker, star of

"fast & furious 6" was asked if he could name all of the movies in order. this is how he did. >> "fast & the furious, too fast, too furious, tokyo drift, fast and furious, fast 5, and what's this one? fast and furious 6. >> nailed it. >> i liked all five so far. so i'm looking forward to 6. and finally parker brothers concepts have built a street-legal replica of the batmobile, the tumbler. is cost $1.6 million to make and can hit 100 miles per hour. however, it probably cannot drive on rooftops. don't try that. i'm richard lui, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

leading the news this morning in the "huffington post" journalists outraged at doj's secret ap probe shocking, disturbing. the associated press broke the story last night and described the justice department's actions as an unprecedented intrusion. and in "the washington post," irs officials in washington were involved in targeting of conservative groups. the story focusing on how it went well beyond initial reports of a single branch in cincinnati. topping our news this morning, the search is on in new orleans right now for 19-year-old aiken scott. police believe he shot into a crowded mother's day parade injuring 19. among the injured two children. grazed by bullets. minnesota governor is expected to sign a bill today legalizing same sex marriage. the state senate gave final approval to the measure monday. minnesota is the 12th state to

approve same-sex marriage. a shocking revelation from angelina jolie this morning. in an opinion piece in "the new york times," the actress announces for the first time she had a double mastectomy and breast reconstructive surgery. she wrote it's a preventative measure since she carries the gene that increases her risk of developing breast cancer to 87%. it was a homeward bound for a few high flyers. the crew of the latest soyuz mission touching down in kazakhstan after returning from the international space station. the canadian commander and his crew relaxed after the landing. hadfield earned national attention for his interplanetary cover of david bowie's "space oddity." and it was very well done. >> it was. and you see they're in the chairs. they were in space 140 some days. it takes their bodies a while to get used to gravity. imagine that, you go that long and all of a sudden you've got heavy feet. >> heavy feet and the wrinkles are showing because gravity is working. next stop on prince harry's u.s. tour new jersey.

this morning the prince alongside governor chris christie will visit beach areas devastated by hurricane sandy. british prime minister david cameron is in boston and meet with the governor and pay his respects at the makeshift memorial to the victims of the boston bombings. happy birthday to facebook founder mark zuckerberg who turns 29. man, he's getting old, isn't he? "star wars" creator george lucas is 69 and nfl star rob gronkowski turns 24. talk about young. here's what's coming up later on the "today" show. in an nbc news exclusive why animal advocates and the government are at odds over wild horses. matt's exclusive interview with author dan brown about the newest installment of his robert la langdon series. >> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day today on this nbc station. have a good one.

the new action the federal government is taking to try to prevent a massive wild fire around the hills and the bay area. we expect a lot more from an elected official words from the man in charge of policy after we undercover a paper trail in the d.a.'s office actress, angelina jolie, making a very tough decision about life and a life-altering move about her health. we'll let you know what she is admitting to this morning. a look outside overlooking san francisco. tuesday, may 14th. this is "today in the bay." goodsd