good monday morning on "early today," california firefighters working around the clock to contain a wildfire that's destroyed at least six homes and threatening hundreds of others the northeast gets hit by a storm system. and new allegations the irs wasted millions in taxpayer money. plusngelina jolie out for the first time since her double mastectomy. new questions over how to spell the winning spelling bee word. and a spectacular light show over minnesota. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for monday, june 3rd. good morning, everyone. i'm richard lui. the so-called powerhouse fire is burning out of control. more than 22,000 acres have been

scorched since thursday. and it's still only 20% contained. nbc's francis kuo has the latest. >> reporter: hundreds of firefighters are working to contain the enormous powerhouse fire burning about 50 miles north of los angeles. all day long, air tankers battled the blaze hoping to bring the fire under control. more than half a dozen homes have been destroyed. >> at this time, our priorities are shifting to the protection of life and property. but we continue to be fully engaged in full suppression activities. >> reporter: nearly 3,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. however, dennis emels stayed behind, determined to save his home. >> just a wall of flames coming. and it went right over the house. >> reporter: he decided to fight off the fire with two hoses and fire gear he bought as a praution a few years ago. >> my lungs were on fire, and like i said, there were ten minutes where i really got nervous. >> reporter: officials warn his approach is not the best.

>> our priorities relate to the fire department and all the cooperating and supporting agencies is life. so your life cannot be replaced, but your property can. >> reporter: the red cross has opened evacuation centers in the area where residents are awaiting record when they could return home. that word may not come for several days, depending on which way the fire grows. frances kuo, nbc news. meanwhile, new england and the nation's heartland are recovering from a deadly dose of violent weather. in maine a rare tornado warning sunday with hail knocking out power to more than 11,000 people. all together, more than 40,000 are in the dark across the northeast. now, those storms came from the heartland where there's more heartache in oklahoma city suburbs. the death toll from friday's ef-3 tornado is up to at least 13. governor mary fallin said the death toll could rise. >> it's been hard to handle this magnitude of disasters

throughout the state, but we'll recover. >> among the dead in oklahoma are three veteran tornado researchers, tim samaras, host for five seasons of "storm chasers," his son and another man were conducting scientific research. their deaths the first of its kind in the community. he told the weather channel just last year how he felt about his job. >> you know you've succeeded in life if you go out and do the things you love to do and collect a paycheck. there's a new black eye for the irs in the wake of congressional hearings into allegations into singling out conservative groups for further scrutiny. now there's questions about taxpayer dollars being wasted on making videos and more. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington. good morning to you, tracie. how much are we talking about? >> reporter: $50 million over the course of a couple years on conferences and training and $60,000 for videos. take a look. they have now surfaced and could

be embarrassing to the agency. old spoofs of tv shows like "gilligan's island" and "star trek" and made by irs employees. and now congress wants to know, is this really the way we want taxpayer money used? it is part of what the new acting irs director is likely to be asked about when he heads to capitol hill this week. the first of three hearings happening today. that one by the appropriations committee focusing on the prior report that showed the irs was targeting these groups. some of those groups are coming to capitol hill tomorrow. some of those conservative groups to talk about what they went through. that new inspector general's report on the money that was spent, that's coming out tomorrow. but we got an advance on some of the information coming out of that. republicans saying that all of this goes back to the white house and its oversight of the irs. democrats say essentially that's unsubstantiated, and it's

reckless. we'll hear more on capitol hill this week. richard? >> more developments there. thank you so much, tracie potts. sunday's premiere of "world war z" marked angelina jolie's first public appearance since revealing she had a double mastectomy after learning she was at high risk of developing breast cancer. our british brud castor partner itn has more for us. >> reporter: it was a red carpet event in london to celebrate her fiance, brad pitt's, new film. but all eyes were on angelina jol jolie. she was making her first public appearance since revealing she had had a double mastectomy. >> i've been very happy to see the discussion about women's health expanded, and that means the world to me. and after losing my mom to these issues, i'm very grateful for it, and i've been very moved by the kind support from people. really very grateful for. >> reporter: she also said how much brad pitt's support meant

to her. >> oh, he's been extraordinary. just extraordinary. he's such a wonderful man and a wonderful father, and i'm very, very lucky. >> reporter: he spoke of her bravery and how the family pulled together. >> the things we've gone through, we've just made an adventure out of it. it just became another adventure. those things make you tighter and bring you together. they're actually quite moving. but i've got to say, as the other half, when you're sitting and waiting, i've got the easy part, you know. it's emotional. >> reporter: the actress missed her aunt's funeral to be here. showing the couple a closer than ever. itv news. now let's get to weather. nbc's meteorologist bill karins here with more. a lot going on over the weekend. i heard it last night outside my window. >> yeah, thunderstorms rolled through all the way to the east coast. the west coast remained untouched thankfully.

the big news was friday night with storms around oklahoma city. this is from the national weather service in the local area from norman, oklahoma. and this is the preliminary storm track. there was three of them that kind of dodged in and around oklahoma city. but the strongest one was the one on the left side of your screen. that was the ef-3, the one that killed most of the people including the three storm chasers out there. now, the storm itself took a very unusual turn. and in tribute to those storm chasers, this is a map of the northern united states. that's minnesota, north dakota, south dakota and nebraska. storm chasers with gps units that show where they are on the map all went and gave the initials of the storm chasers. you see there tim, paul and paul, his son, and then the bottom, carl young. and of course, that's a very nice tribute they did yesterday to those gentlemen who spent 20 years in the field doing this. >> 20. >> yeah. let me show you what happened in the west. we set record highs yesterday. tucson was 107. phoenix not a record, but you were 109. so some of the hottest weather

as we head into the summer season. pretty nice in the northwest. that remains the case today. there's a storm around montana. that's not going to affect many people in the west. we'll see a nice sunny day. a lot like yesterday. maybe in the deserts a couple degrees cooler but still very hot. that's it's officially a.c. weather. >> a.c. weather. >> this is the time of year where it turns on and doesn't go off. >> it was a warm one last night. okay. it is here. bill karins, finally, after a very long winter. just ahead, a $590 million mystery. what's lunch with the oracle of omaha worth to you? plus controversy at the national spelling bee. experts dispute the winning word.

"early today" is brought to you by advil. make the switch to advil now.

welcome back to "early today." deadly protests in turkey are entering their fourth day. activists are upset over what they believe is dictatorial power of the country's prime minister. he says looters are spreading misinformation. the white house is calling for calm from all parties. a fire at a poultry farm has reportedly killed at least 119 people in china. rescuers say around 350 were inside the factory at the time of the blaze. the number of people still trapped is not known. a congressional delegatiega traveled to russia but found nothing specific could have helped the prevent the boston marathon bombings. lawmakers describe meetings with the russian parliament and security officials as productive. the winner of last month's $590 million powerball jackpot still has not come forward. the two-month time limit is ticking. it's already been two weeks. but it is common for winners to prepare and get an attorney

before making their claim. some linguists have a problem with last week's scripps national spelling bee. yiddish experts say the preferred historical spelling of the word knaidel is kneydl, not the more common k-n-a-i-d-e-l. the competition webster's third international dictionary for the spelling of dough similar to a matzo ball. and minnesotans got a spectacular show. just before sunrise saturday, clouds parted to reveal rarely seen northern lights. is that real? it happened when highly charged electrons from solar winds clashed with elements in the earth's atmosphere. we don't see that often. now for biz, we turn to cnbc's courtney reagan. good morning to you. >> stocks look to regain winning ways after posting back-to-back weekly losses. still, the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 were up for a fifth straight month in may.

investors interested in economic data topped by friday's jobs report. sales are forecast to rise more than 6% rebounding from a disappointing april as consumers are still heading to dealers to buy new cars and trucks. want to win a lunch with warren buffett? you have until friday night to bid on that annual prize on ebay. proceeds go to the glide foundation which helps the homeless in san francisco. last year's winner, p.e. record $3.4 million. got to dig a little deep for that one. richard? >> yeah, you do, glide memorial does so many great things there. also in business, japan's nikkei falling again, losing 3.7% to a six-week low today. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke speaking to graduates at princeton university sunday, telling them economics is good at explaining why choices made in the past were wrong. but he said, quote, about the future, not so much. apple goes to trial today over allegations by federal and state authorities that it conspired with publishers to raise the price of e-books to

break amazon.com's hold on pricing. and the better life index report is out. switzerland taking the top spot for residents most satisfied with their lives. norway was in second place. iceland, number three, the united states dropping three spots from last year and is ranked number 14. all of those are nice places. just ahead, sports including a minor league tango at home plate. we'll tell you who won out.

who is that powerball winner? now to the latest in sports. a lot of talk around this news conference. roy hibbert using a gay slur and profanity less than 24 hours after the nba fined hibbert $7500. hibbert issued an apology yesterday. and then tweeted this to openly gay player jason collins. quote, would like to discuss some things with you, end quote. hibbert plays tonight. game two in the nhl western conference finals, chicago blackhawks at home, unstoppable with a rash of four goals in just 29 minutes. it's a 4-1 win over the l.a. kings here. leading the series now 2-0. twice in five minutes, soccer team usa player clint dempsey scoring in yesterday's exhibition game. and there's one, there's two, it moves him into second place on the u.s. career scoring list,

and there's two team usa stunning germany 4-3. this absurd own goal capping it off. >> a lot of football left in this yet, mind you. getting pressured high up the pitch by jumaine jones. oh, it's an own goal! he can't believe it! a terrible mistake! >> make up your mind, they're saying. who let the dog out? this husky rushing the diamond during a college world series game this weekend. not too interested in the players, though, see ya, but does like the attention during his victory lap. in the minors, the rays' prospect. the catcher says, gotcha! no, not this time. got it. he scores. they win the game. back and forth there. and three months and 11 million views later, 2-year-old internet sensation titus asby does it again with cameos from the likes of jimmy kimmel and

this. titus makes not one, not two, not three, not four, but five from a bridge 30 feet above the hoop. i can't even count how many. nba playoffs, 2020 mvp possibly. titus just -- he just runs off. where you going, titus? where you going? just ahead, could fast cars stand up to futuristic planets and magic heists? plus, is it pink or blue for the kimye baby? we've got the scoop on the soon-to-be bundle of joy for the kardashian clan.

inch welcome back. the heat continues today. very hot conditions once again in the desert southwest. typically it's about 100 this time on average in phoenix. you're about five degrees above average. the same for tucson to vegas all the way through the desert southwest. nice for the coastal areas. temperatures remaining a little cooler. 64 in san francisco. beautiful in medford today. as mentioned, once we get to this time of year, we kind of get locked into these warm weather patterns in the desert southwest and pretty much across the board is going to be the same there in vegas. temperatures easily 100 to 105. i want to show you these new pictures we've just gotten in from oklahoma. this is friday night. this was a storm chaser that was way too close. the tornado went right over the top of them, flipped this semi right in front of him almost right on top of his hood.

thankfully everyone was okay. that's what it's like to be caught there on i-40 when the tornado went right over top of him. >> the semi came right over him and tilted over. >> that simple. lucky to get picked up. >> you are absolutely right about that. in entertainment, universal "fast and furious 6" held onto the first place spot at the box office this weekend with 34.5 million in ticket sales. "now you can see me" settled into second place with 28 million and "after earth" took a close but disappointing third with 27 million. beyonce joining jennifer lopez, mary j. blige and other ladies for a time to change concert in women this weekend. it rose money for women's health and justice. it included strong female anthems but john legend and jay-z stopped by for some cameos. philip seymour hoffman checking out of a detox facility after a ten-day stay for a heroin relapse. he struggled with substance abuse in the past but managed to stay clean for two decades before this most recent bout.

and channing tatum and wife jenna welcomed their first child. details like the name and gender have yet to be released. kim and kanye expecting a baby girl. >> a princess. >> like they need another girl in the family. >> bruce and kanye are going great. their shower happened yesterday with an appearance by bruce jenner. there was a question whether or not he was going to be there. >> he has to be. that's like the rule nowadays. >> can you not be there? exactly. >> no, it doesn't go over well. >> especially after the criticism. i'm richard lui. you're watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

leading the news in "the new york times," china is reaping biggest benefits of iraq oil boom. since the toppling of saddam hussein, companies have poured workers and billions of dollars into iraq helping to provide a steady supply of energy for china. in "usa today," grrreat! is america's sweet tooth finally being tamed? children are eating and drinking far fewer sweater drinks than a few years ago. although i do like the sugary cereals, mr. bill karins. a congressional delegation says "nothing specific could have helped prevent the boston marathon bombings." lawmakers traveled to russia to investigate and describe meetings as productive. angelina jolie making the first public appearance since announcing she had a preventive double mastectomy.

the actress revealed the surgery last month in an op-ed piece in "the new york times." she said she inherited a gene that put her at a high risk for breast cancer. she was there at the premiere of her husband's movie. get a load of this. tough guys can weather baseballs all around them at triple-digit speeds, but they can't take a little thunder. the red sox and yanks waited yesterday for the rain to pass during a delay. you can see them -- here it comes. flinching at the sound of intense thunder. at the top of saw them -- >> the red sox were more afraid than the yankees. >> you want to underline that. a talented bear in russia does more than just steal picnic baskets. this video of the furry guy shows office his music skills. he plays the trumpet -- not on tune -- but he sits in a chair that's way too small for him. why always put him in a small chair? >> because that's funnier. >> the hula hoop, does it better

than most humans. he was able to do all of this without wearing something silly like a tiny hat or a vest or tutu. >> who knew? i thought performing bears went out 20, 30 years ago. >> it reminds me of those old, old movies. time for a look ahead and a look back. a national conference on mental health at the white house takes place today. president obama and vice president biden host that conference with state and local leaders, educators and advocates participating. and on this day in 1965, astronaut edward white became the first american to walk on the flight of "gemini 4." here's a look at what's coming up on "today." mike bettes recounts his close call with a tornado that destroyed his truck. keep it here for continuing news, sports and more. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today" on this monday just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a great start to the week.

i only know of a handful of cases where it has actually been done. >> a rare trial getting under way in the bay area. why two juries will be hearing the horrific case of a teenage girl raped after a high school homecoming dance. concern is spreading. the new warning from bay area health officials who say this bag of berries sent somebody to the hospital. we could get that decision today. the supreme court possibly issuing its ruling on california's prop 8. right now, we give you a live look outside. that is a picturesque view of your bay bridge, hoping to get your monday morning jump-started on this june 3rd. this is "today in the bay."