good thursday morning. here's what's coming up on "early today." 19 states, nearly 62 million americans all in a massive line of storms rolling from east to west. political firestorms over surveillance for national security. comments on abortion and how to handle syria. new lungs for a philly girl and just in a nick of time. plus, could a flying bicycle be in your future? a very close call with a guide dog. and a real life jaws. you'll need a bigger boat. "early today" starts right now. this is "early today" for thursday, june 13th. >> good morning. i'm richard lui. a massive line of thunderstorms could impact more than 1 in 5 americans from iowa all the way to maryland. wednesday the storms made their

way through the midwest, some spawning several small tornadoes in iowa and illinois. the system produced massive bolts of lightning. one struck this home in suburban chicago setting it on fire. more than 20,000 chicago area customers are now without power. now that system spans several hundred miles across illinois, illinois, indiana, minnesota, ohio and wisconsin, knocking out power to more than 75,000 homes and it's barreling east. the entire state of pennsylvania is under a flood watch with more states facing the very same. meteorologists are warning the line of storms could spawn what's being called a derecho. let's go to bill karins for more on that. >> that was kind of the buzz word. it's a term used for this thunderstorm complexes that travel about 250 miles with 60-mile-per-hour winds along that path doing a lot of damage. that was possible last night. and the damage path was longer than 250 miles but the winds were not intense enough throughout the entire path to be called a derecho.

still a lot of cleanup to be done in the ohio valley. considering how bad it could have been it hasn't been all that bad. we didn't have any known fatalities or even that many known injuries from the storms. the storms continue. rather impressive line. a bow echo true pennsylvania. large complex through west virginia through the appalachians. most likely it will die off by the time it reaches our nation's capital. then more severe weather later this afternoon. 62 million people in the risk but the area of red we're most concerned with. if we'll get any tornadoes today, nasty storms that could potentially take lives it would be somewhere around the greater washington, d.c., area. >> just glad it's not as bad as we thought it's been. the head of the nsa will be on capitol hill again today. he testified wednesday before a skeptical senate committee. it's the first time general keith alexander spoke publicly since the publicizing of secret government surveillance programs. he said the programs prevented dozens of terrorist attacks.

tracie potts joins us from washington. do we know where the leaker edward snowden is? >> authorities, the fbi, believe he's still in hong kong because he's talk with reporters there. in a hong kong newspaper he says he has no intention of coming back to the united states. he will fight extradition and that he fears for his life and the lives of his family. his parents still here in the united states along with his girlfriend. now you also, talking about general alexander, the head of the nsa, here on capitol hill, he gave a strong defense of those surveillance programs saying they have actually prevented dozens of terror attacks. he's working to declassify more information so he can explain that more to the american people. he also says he has some concerns about the access that snowden may have had and that some of the claims he's made may not be true in terms of being able to wiretap anyone at any time. finally, we expect to hear more from general alexander, but today here on capitol hill, his

briefing with lawmakers will be behind closed doors. richard? >> tracie potts, thank you. supporters of edward snowden who claims to be the source take their message to capitol hill. wednesday, activists gather to protest against congressman peter king. they beat a scarecrow with his face on it. king chairs the house homeland security committee. he's refused to back down from recent tough talk. the new york republican wants edward snowden prosecuted as well as legal action against the journalist who wrote the story. king says the guardian's glenn greenwald wise an accessory to the leak by publishing the story. greenwald call those comments hypocritical. a major development for a dying philadelphia girl. her case spawned a debate over children and organ donations from adults. sarah murnaghan has new lungs. they had to resize them during the successful six-hour surgery. she's still on a ventilator but is expected to take her first breath within 48 hours.

murnaghan has been battling cystic fibrosis. she reportedly had only weeks to live when her family challenged a policy banning children under 12 from receiving adult organ donations. >> it was a direct result of the rule that allowed her to receive those lungs. >> sarah and another 11-year-old it was ruled should be eligible for adult lungs. should president obama be more forceful when it comes to intervening in syria? one major political player thinks so. political reporting, what former president bill clinton said to senator john mccain in a closed press event tuesday. clinton reportedly said president obama should support rebels against president bashar al assad adding any president, obama included, risks looking like, quote, a total tool, end quote, as they act too cautiously. this news comes amid a new

nbc/"wall street journal" poll showing by and large, americans oppose intervention in syria. just 15% favor u.s. military action. the bloody conflict rages on, meanwhile. yesterday alone, syrian rebels reportedly stormed a village killing more than 60 shiite fighters and civilians. this as "the wall street journal" reports a top rebel commander issued a desperate plea for weapons from western governments to prevent the fall of his forces. and new this morning, the united nations confirming nearly 93,000 people killed in the two-year civil war. but they say the real number is likely much higher. it was tragedy for a nascar driver. 37-year-old driver jason leffler died after an accident in a preliminary race. the two-time winner of the nationwide series was at bridgeport speedway in new jersey. he had to be extracted from the vehicle after it struck a wall. le leffler dived his injuries at a nearby hospital. he was known not only as a

versatile driver but also as a devoted father to his 5-year-old son. racing was suspended for the rest of the night. turning to colorado where crews are digging in against four separate fires burning out of control. they are fueled by hot temperatures, gusty winds and dense, dry forests. one north of colorado springs destroyed at least 92 homes and forced thousands to evacuate while another to the south destroyed at least 20 structures. u.s. military air tankers, helicopters and ground crews joined the battle. wildfires also hit new mexico, oregon and california. nbc's bill karins is back with more on the heat out west that's helping to fuel these fires. dry weather. >> the intermountain west especially. in the areas of the intermountain west, easily above 90. deserts into the hundreds. when you see salt lake city at 97. denver 93. you know it's very bone dry out there. it's breezy. they are fighting these fires. it's going to happen again today. some spots near pueblo could be 99. colorado springs, 93. breezy and dry.

very difficult conditions for these firefighters to keep every single afternoon to knock these blazes down. as far as the forecast in the northwest, just a few showers out there once again today. that's a look northwest. flagstaff, arizona, that's beautiful, though. 82 and sunny. once again, nothing is really changing in the west any time soon. >> thank you, bill karins. the nra targets a long time supporter. a member of congress called a moron by a colleague. and layoffs at a major u.s. company. plus, we'll tell you which u.s. cities provide the best and worst bang for your vacation buck. "early today" is back in two.

new this morning from england. one of the last times we'll see

kate middleton before she's expected to give birth. she was on hand to open the new princess cruise line. she's due some time in mid-july. the ship can carry 3600 passengers and will begin cruising later this summer. leaders in turkey say they'll rid the square. turkish leaders say they're open to holding a referendum on a park redevelopment. by a party line vote, a house committee passed a sweeping nationwide ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. it caused a backlash by democrats, especially one republican on the committee reignited the conversation on exceptions for victims of rape and incest. >> my friends on the left side of the aisle here try to make rape and incest the subject

because, you know, the incidents of rape and resulting in pregnancy are very low. >> congress woman zoe lofgren called those remarks outrageous. a republican called franks a, quote, moron. the nra is targeting a lawmaker a give an a rating. the group urges joe manchin not to help president obama pass new gun restrictions. and talk about a close call. a morning walk nearly turned disastrous for two people in california. you can see them walking down the sidewalk with a guide dog when a car comes barreling down in reverse. they were pushed out of the way and are thankfully okay. for today's business headlines, let's get to jackie deangelis. >> good morning, richard. there could be more red arrows in the markets today. the dow posting another triple digit loss on wednesday. that was its first three-day losing streak of the year and it was on concerns about the fed

ending stimulus programs and also big moves in the japanese yen. the nikkei slumping more than 6% today. meantime it was once called the ship from hell and now it's back in service. the carnival "triumph" set sail today after being stranded for days in february. the first two cruises are sold out. carnival spent $115 million on repairs and upgrades. and finally this morning, facebook rolling out its version of the hash tag, similar to twitter. the company saying the new feature will let users know what other people are talking about on the social networking site. just what we need. more hash tagging. >> we've already got twitter hash tags. japan officially in bear market territory with the nikkei dropping almost 6.5% today. hundreds and maybe thousands of layoff notices will be going out at ibm. $1 billion restructuring is under way. executives as well as rank and file employees are on the firing line there. on the fashion front, how about this baby doll dress by

st. laurent? it's only $68,000. as you plan your vacation this summer, consider trip adviser's 2013 list of most and least expensive u.s. cities to visit. honolulu is the highest priced with an average cost of $504.94. las vegas is most affordable at $279.94. that includes an evening out with a two-course dinner, cocktails, taxi and overnight stay for two at a four-star hotel. new york, boston, san francisco and chicago round out the top five most expensive cities to visit. miami, dallas, atlanta and portland, oregon, join las vegas as the least expensive cities. coming up -- a stanley cup thriller. nfl commissioner roger goodell rules on the redskins name. and jason kidd's return to the nets. plus, check out this 16-foot great white shark that came face to face with some fishermen. these guys may need a bigger boat. we'll be right back.

time for sports. game one of the nhl stanley cup finals did not want to end. count them. three overtimes. it was the longest finals game in five years. the blackhawks rose to victory, 4-3 over the boston bruins. president obama even getting into the fervor.

>> i'm not going to say anything about the outstanding quality of the chicago blackhawks. i'm not going to say anything. >> yeah, nothing at all. jason kidd is adding to his 6 1/2 seasons playing with the brooklyn nets but not as a player but as a coach. they are finalingizing a deal. the u.s. open will be an all-star major. tiger woods and phil mickelson will play there. roger goodell defends the redskins name. ten members of congress wanted it names. they felt it was offensive to many native americans. goodell caused it a unifying force that stands for courage. lgbt pride shirts on sale now. nine different names and numbers sell for $25. they are players supporting gay rights. jim kelly is back at home after surgery to remove

cancerous cells from his jaw. the wife of the buffalo bills hall of famer says doctors are pleased with kelly's recovery so far. meet 13-year-old nick legrand in kansas city. 1800 miles away in oakland, california, meet the telerobotic pitching machine. nick throws the first pitch on the left. on the right, the pitch goes and is caught. nick can't travel because he's fighting a life-threatening disease. early today sports is brought to you by new just for men autostop. gray is over. just ahead, paul mccartney takes stephen colbert by storm. and nelson mandella is responding well to treatment.

welcome back. there's an upper level storm spinning in the upper levels of the atmosphere right off the northwest coastline. another spoke on the wheel. we just went through the portland area. just kicked off heavier showers and rain. behind it, more scattered showers throughout your early morning hours. that's literally going to sit up here and spin for the time being and keeping temperatures rather cool, too. onshore flow is why san francisco is cool but you'll get some sunshine this afternoon. interior sections remain very warm if not hot for the foreseeable future. our weather pattern gets a little stuck. >> looking at billings, montana, hot and humid there, too. >> now to entertainment. george takei's facebook ghost writer apologized for leaking the actor does not post all the content. the comedy writer told jim

romanesko he doesn't update his page but says jokes and was happy for the exposure. the first trailer for "diana" exploring the life of princess diana hit the web yesterday. naomi watts seamlessly morphing into the role of the late princess of wales. "twilight" star robert pattinson has been confirmed as the new face of dior for men's fragrances. enews catching up with thor. though he plans to work on father's day, he says fatherhood has changed him for the better and that it puts things into perspective. so you are a dad, too. you should be able to do that. paul mccartney and stephen colbert shared a musical moment last night on the "colbert report." ♪ i'm in heaven and my heart beats so that i can

hardly speak ♪ >> not bad, man. you and i are not going to try that. in an interview with "the new york times," the unfail league modest kanye west feels he'll have the same impact as steve jobs. west saying, quote, i am undoubtedly, you know, steve of the internet, downtown, fashion, culture, period. i think after that he said, and i'm the king of the world at the same time. >> in his own world. >> in his own world. kanye west always quotable. >> what did steve jobs ever do? >> i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

in "the new york times," u.s. offers conditional support for police monitor in stop and frisk case. the justice department plans to ask a federal judge for oversight of the nypd if its controversial stop and frisk policy is ruled unconstitutional. and on the australian site, news.com.au, emily harris uses unicorn passfort get through turkish cust poms the mother of a 9-year-old welsh girl mistakenly handing girls in turkey a stuffed animal's passport instead of her daughter's. despite it containing a photo of a unicorn, the passport got stamped. the family was sent on its way. yeah, that happened. topping our news -- former south african president nelson mandela is responding better to treatment. current president jacob zuma said wednesday mandela had a

different last few days. the 94-year-old has been hospitalized since saturday for a recurring lung infection. it's one of the last times we'll see kate middleton before she's expected to give birth. the duchess on hand earlier this morning to dedicate a new cruise liner in england. it's the duchess' final solo event before giving birth to the new british heir. buckingham palace still not giving an exact due date other than saying some time mid-july. i have a feeling she'll see more bottles of champagne in the future. if james bond were to ride a bicycle, this is what it would look like. a flying electric bicycle. they've been working on it. the team hopes their invention will eventually be used for sports and tourism. maybe e.t. as well for a sequel there. and a london sushi chain is putting drones to good work by having them deliver food. the itray. this flying waiter than bring customers their food at speeds up to 25 miles an hour. just in case they are extremely hungry. >> grab it. >> flied chicken, please. >> when it's going that fast

it's going to fly off the plate. >> the fun. we want to see the person next to you get their food dumped on them. >> it would be perfect during nfl games. time to look ahead. the clinton global initiative america opens in chicago today. former president bill clinton meets with government, business and civil leaders. secretary of state hillary clinton and rahm emmanuel are discip scheduled to speak there. dingell will be recognized as the longest serving member of congress. happy birthday to mary kate and ashley and comedian tip allen is 60. here's what's coming up on the "today" show from a domestic dispute to bioterrorism charges is avanna guthrie talks to a man whose wife allegedly tried to frame him for sending ricin-laced letters to the president. keep it here for more weather, news and sports. i'm richard lui. have a very good one.

break brag news, san jose police investigating the 25th homicide of the year. >> also following developing news in san francisco. police reportedly bringing in equipment to try and pull protesters out of trees. fighting smart phone theft. what san francisco's district attorney is doing today to take the fight to a national level. >> a live look outside. that is your glorious bay bridge from san francisco. yes indeed, we are one day closer to the weekend, ladies and gentlemen. it's thursday, june 13. this is "today in the bay." it is the next best thing t