i'm lester holt. thanks for joining us. good monday morning. coming up on "early today." the debate over national security versus privacy will continue this week while a 29-year-old former intelligence officer claims to be the leaker of the secret surveillance program. jury selection begins in the high-profile murder trial of george zimmerman accused of killing trayvon martin. hope and prayers for nelson mandela. his family remains upbeat. we go live to south africa. plus, the auto industry on a hiring spree. a deadly heat wave hits parts of the u.s. and lebron takes over in game two of the nbc finals. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for monday, june 10th. good morning, everyone. i'm richard lu i. a week after newspaper reports blew the lid on two secret government surveillance programs

we are meeting the man behind the leak. 29-year-old edward snowden coming to london's "the guardian" newspaper. he's a former cia employee who says he leaked the government sankssed programs. they involve targeting not only american phone records but also some of the most popular sites on the internet like google and facebook. snowdown revealed his identity in hong kong with two "guardian" reporters. >> i'm no different from anybody else. i don't have special skills. i'm just another guy who sits their day to day in the office, watches what's happening. and goes this is something that's not our place to decide. the public needs to decide whether these programs and policies are right or wrong. >> over the weekend, director of intelligence james clapper called the leaks, quote, gut-wrenching. and this morning, the department of justice says a criminal investigation is under way. while many lawmakers call for

punishment to the fullest extent of the law. new overnight, an hours-long battle never afghanistan's main airport leaves at least seven insurgents dead. it's just the latest in a string of assaults against the capital city of kabul since the beginning of the year. this attack apparently targeting nato's airport headquarters with rocket-propelled grenades, rifles and at least one large bomb. police saying they shot and killed five of the attackers. two blew themselves up with suicide vests. a taliban spokesman has told cbs news that they were behind the attack and that americans were the main targets. nelson mandela remains in the hospital this morning as doctors treat a recurring lung infection. family members are visiting the 94-year-old while officials describe his condition as serious but stable. nbc's keir simmons joins from johannesburg with the latest. good morning, keir. >> reporter: good morning. a brief statement saying nelson mandela's condition remains unchanged. this is the fourth time he has been in the hospital since december. and it is the first time that

his doctors have described his condition as serious, though he is said to be stable and able to breathe independently. in this statement, south africa's president jacob zuma calls on the president to pray for nelson mandela and his family. yesterday, some of his children and grandchildren were seen entering the hospital where we believe he is being treated for this recurrent lung infection. one of his longtime friends has said in a newspaper over the weekend that it is time for the country to let nelson mandela go. but of course, people here have seen nelson mandela go into hospital on a number of occasions. he has recovered and come back to his home here in johannesburg. and people are willing and praying that he does so again, richard. >> keir simmons for us in johannesbu johannesburg, thank you. now, to our continuing coverage of the george zimmerman

second-degree murder trial. the defense team made two videos public on sunday purportedly from trayvon martin's cell phone. now, they show two men fighting apparently over a bike. and a voice of the person recording can be heard. the defense says it's martin's voice but his family says it doesn't sound like him. nbc news has not authenticated who shot the video or whether the voice is martin's, but if this video is allowed into evidence, it could clear up whose voice is in order the background of the 911 call from the night of the shooting. nbc's ron mott joins us live in sanford, florida. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. there's been a lot of eyes on this case. a lot of press about this case. so jury selection is expected to take quite some time to get to a panel of six. the first of the 500 prospective jurors would start heading through these doors behind me. it would go upwards of two or three weeks before we get through the panel of six. the process was starting before the judge was able to make a decision in what they call here

a fry hearing. what the judge is going to decide is whether video -- experts can give testimony about that 911 call about those voices heard screaming. whether it's trayvon martin or george zimmerman or someone else altogether. as you mentioned that video that was released yesterday, this is pretty crucial evidence that the court is going to consider. obviously, the defense would rather this evidence not get into the court. the video or -- i'm sorry, the audio experts. their testimony not being allowed in court. the prosecution, obviously, wants that information in there. this is a crucial piece of evidence. we think the judge is going to get to it this week. no word on really if that's going to happen because the jury process is quite important as well and the judge was adamant that it get under way today. >> it could be extensive, as you have been describing. nbc's ron mott there in sanford. george zimmerman has sued nbc universal, the parent company of this network, for defamation. and the company has strongly denied his allegations.

well, the southwest just can't seem to catch a break. first wildfires, now extreme heat is being blamed for at least two deaths. the mercury in las vegas hit 112 degrees on saturday breaking a record for that date in 1955. scorching temperatures were the blame to the cancellation of an outdoor graduation ceremony in northern california after some attendees began passing out. bill karins is our nbc meteorologist. it's scorching out there. >> the first heat wave, this is the first real big one. it takes your body a little bit to get used to it this time of the year. the dangers of leaving animals, pets and children in the car can be tragic. a reminder. if you see anyone is in a car, call the police. and animal or a little kid. even if the windows are cracked, it's still very dangerous. yesterday was 110 in vegas. 108 in phoenix. the heat is really spreading through the intermountain west. very hot saturday in sacramento with record heat. it did cool off yesterday. if you look over southern

california, some strange little spin you see there. can't really make it out. not a lot of clouds associated with it. this is our x-ray of the atmosphere. it's a water vapor imagery. the reddish color shows you where it's very dry air. it's a very strange, very dry upper level low over southern california. that's what changed the weather pattern for you and made it a little bit cooler. all that hot air is heading to the east. it will move through the intermountain west and into the central plangs but the rest of this week. the west coast will be cooling things off in the northwest as we go throughout the week. a chance of rain on tuesday. but it's a dry monday with only the heat really now confined to where it should be this time of the year in the desert areas. that's your national low, a few throughout in nevada but not a lot. it cools off significantly

and some rain chances ahead. i'll let you know. >> gorgeous places for the day. >> definitely. appreciate it. well, erin brockovich busted. a big week ahead for apple. plus, a flare waving fan at at the final at the french open. and gas prices, wild swing across the country. we're back in two minutes.

in the news this morning, a decision could come from the white house on whether to arm rebels fighting the syrian regime. the obama administration is also deciding whether to send u.s. air power to enforce a no-fly zone. the death toll has risen in last week's shooting in a community college in santa monica. 23-year-old john zawahri gunned down five people before being fatally gunned down by place. erin brockovich was arrested over the weekend after boating

while drunk. a racetrack worker at the formula one race in canada was killed sunday after a horrific crane accident. race officials say he was escorting the machine as it was moving a car that had earlier gone off the track. and the tallest building on new york city's governors island is no more this morning. it took more than 200 pounds of explosives and about ten seconds to bring down the vacant structure known as building 877. that lot now will make way for a new park. jackie deangelis is here. >> apple's ceo giving the keynote today. he's expected to unveil new mobile software, a possible macbook upgrade and may show off iradio, the long-awaited streaming music service. video gamemakers are in los angeles for the e-3 conference. microsoft will reveal more details on the new xbox one console which has been

criticized by hard core gamers for its design and also reports it needs a constant online connection. and finally this morning, the bill for lunch with warren buffett is cheaper this year. the winning bid for the annual charity auction is $1 million. that's down from the record $3.4 million that we saw last year. the proceeds going to the glide foundation which helps the poor in san francisco. richard, back to you. >> a sign of the times. a little less money there. the dow finishing up about 1% last week along with unemployment report that added 175,000 new jobs. speaking of hiring, the auto industry is selling vehicles at the highest rate in six years and could be on the verge of a hiring spree. "usa today" reports factories are operating at 95% capacity which means output will need to increase to keep up with demand. investors will be keeping an eye on lululemon athletathletica. back in march they had to pull a bunch of pants because they

revealed too much back side. gas prices shot up 24 cents a gallon in the midwest and chicago but dropped 12 cents in california. with the national average price for a gallon of regular down 2 cents. lost airline baggage a thing of the past? well, not yet. but airbus unveiled bag to go. what it does is tracks your bags using gps or rfid radio frequencies which connects your bags to your smartphone. porsche is celebrating 50 years of the beauty. the 911. drivers lining up hundreds of the hot cars from all generations in portugal in anticipation of a 50th anniversary edition that will be unveiled in september. don't expect a radical change in body style. up next, meet the woman with over 400 grandchildren going into the great-great territory. plus, yeah, we got this. toe wrestling. french open flare-up and all your sports highlights next.

you know it's a big family tradition for louisiana native littlie mcknight white. loved ones gathering to celebrate her 104th birthday. and what a family it is. lily has, get this, 10 children, 67 grandchildren, 178 great grandchildren.

and 160 great-great grandchildren and counting. so happy birthday to lily. she looks great. we wish her the best. game two, san antonio's tiago cranking it up. all ball. miami's lebron james blocks that. and that which i taketh away, i give back. lebron with the showtime slam. the heat crush the spurs. jason kidd retired last week, not for long. yahoo! sports saying he wants the vacant head coaching job for the brooklyn nets. it will be homecoming. he played with the nets in the 2002 and 2003 finals. you know on fire at the french open final. a shirtless protester running a flare on to the court there. the man with the words kids right on his belly was safely removed. rafael nadal destroys david ferrer in straight sets. they are friends too.

a record eighth french title for nadal. no man has ever done nat the grand slam. great gas mileage and engine power is what jimmie johnson credits for his nascar party in the poconos 400 win with johnson's current standing now, he could sit out the final race and still win the season. in 2011, corey hahn was headed for the majors. but then got in a freak college game accident during a slide to second base. he was paralyzed. that didn't stop the diamondbacks with a touching hat tip in hawn's first year of eligibility. arizona symbolically picking him in the 34th round of major league baseball's draft. in england, contestants battled in the world toe wrestling championships. those do exist. it's like arm wrestling but they lock toes and try to pin the opponent's foot to the floor. quite a feat. just ahead -- former idol bad boy simon cowell gets egged. we'll show you where and when. plus a puny little film that just beat a box office behemoth

at the movies. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. the incredible heat over the weekend is moving on. it's heading through the west. look at salt lake city. expected to hit 100 degrees. 91 in boise. 92 casper. denver near 97. we're still hot in the desert southwest as you'd expect. albuquerque, too. but 74 in l.a. 62 in san francisco. that upper level low spinning over the top of you is going to keep you cooler and also changing the wind direction a little bit from what you saw over the weekend.

tuesday we notice a change in the northwest. we're going to see two stormy areas. one on the east coast with a lot of rain and just hit or miss showers over the next few days in the northwest. we keep it really cool tuesday, wednesday and thursday. looks like by friday the pattern breaks a little. we'll try to build in a little warmth. you get the picture here. a little spoiled. another beautiful weekend in the northwest. and i think almost everyone would except a little wet weather in the middle of the workweek as long as the weekends are nice. >> they are a little spoiled. it's like eat your vegetables. here you go. the suspense thriller "the purge" scared its way into first place with just over $36 million in ticket sales. nice surprise considering the film's tiny $3 million budget. that's right. at that sort of price, why wouldn't you. "fast and furious 6" falling to second. and now you see me held its own third with $19.5 million. paris jackson was reportedly transferred this twokd the same

hospital where her father michael jackson was pronounced dead nearly four years ago. according to cbs news in canada, johnical covich used his own power for real life good last week. he was on the streets of toronto when he saw a man trip and then accidentally slashed his throat on scaffold. malkovich, what he did here is ran over to apply pressure and stopped the bleeding while others called for help. can you imagine seeing that and -- >> good for him. >> he definitely did the right thing. let's talk kinky boots. it swept multiple categories, including best musical. they also performed at the tony awards. director j.j. abrams says filming for "star wars episode 7" slated to begin in london this january. also chu baca actor tweeted this picture last week of the tsa stopping him for all things, his light saber cane.

>> now you are giving away the whole movie. i didn't know chubaca had a light saber cane. i'm looking ford episode 7. simon cowell becoming the target for an unexpected, shall we say, runny prank. an orchestra member comes center stage and started pegging cowell with eggs. >> the rest of the orchestra was still playing. >> she apologized in a statement saying it was a very silly thing to do. why? what precipitated this? >> i think he's probably had worse thrown at him. >> yeah. >> we don't have to go there, but i'm sure -- >> including some words. i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading today on nbcnews.com. a patent on dna. the supreme court to decide. the highest court in the land prepares to rule on whether someone else can patent your genes. and in "the washington post" edward snowden comes forth as the source of nsa leaks. the 29-year-old revealed himself as the person behind the surveillance program leaks. he now says he's not going to hide. topping our news -- doctors are treating 94-year-old nelson mandela for a recurring lung infection in a south african hospital. officials described his condition as serious but stable. and nasa is on track to test-flight its largest rocket yet. it's designed to take astronauts farther than ever before. and it's not until 2017, but we imagine it will look just like this. and we have liftoff right there.

that will be cool, nevertheless. and the u.s. military made its official debut at the l.a. pride parade. this year's event marked the first time gay and lesbian service members represented the california national guard there. this past friday night, jimmy fallon continued making brian williams rap, thanks to some very clever editing. this is straight out of compton. take a look. >> straight out of compton. crazy mother [ bleep ] named iced cube from the gang. with attitude. called off. squeeze the trigger. and bodies are hauled off. in the neighborhood. you better duck because iced cube is crazy as [ bleep ]. as i leave believe i'm stopping but when i come back come straight out of compton compton compton. >> funniest part? >> when did brian williams ever say compton on bri"nightly news" how did they ever get that?

>> and the bleeps, you know he didn't say that. brian is one of the cleanest guys in the whole world. time for a look ahead and a look back. today is the filing deadline for the special senate election in new jersey. the state's attorney general jeffrey chiesa will be sworn in as the interim senator. president obama commemorates the 50th anniversary of the equal pay act. on this day in 1963, president john f. kennedy signed the landmark legislation. happy birthday to president obama's daughter sasha who is 12. model kate upton 21. and britain's prince philip, 92. here's what's coming up on the "today" show. an intelligence chief weighs in on the man responsible for the nsa snooping leak. and scott thorton talks about his relationship with a legendary showman. keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. have a very good monday.

i feel very grateful that we got out of it the way we did and nothing serious happened. >> the bay area's second limo fire in as many months. this time involving a group of senior citizens. the 90th birthday party that went terribly wrong next. plus new details this morning we're learning about the health of former south african president nelson mandela. after a year of questions and controversy the george zimmerman murder trial gets under way. what we can expect to see in court coming up. to help jump start your monday morning, we'll give you a little inspiration with a live look at your bay bridge. it is day one of the workweek, monday, june 10th, this is "today in the bay."