good morning. it is friday. here's what's coming up on "early today." colorado is officially fighting the worst wildfires in that state's history. and the damage is devastating. red line crossed. the u.s. confirms that syria has used chemical weapons on the rebels. now president obama is sending weapons and ammo to the front line. a tough day for air travel with multiple mishaps around the country. plus, media baron rupert murdoch files for divorce. dozens injured last night when the deck at a miami sports bar collapses. and one of our top intel guys calls self-proclaimed leaker edward snowden a liar. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for friday, june 14th.

good morning, everybody. i'm betty ngyuen. it is the most destructive wildfire in colorado history. the black forest fire has killed two people and destroyed 360 homes with 13,000 homes still threatened. the 16,000-acre blaze near colorado springs is one of three major fires burning right now in the state, causing about 38,000 people to flee from their homes. >> this is our dream home in the forest, and it's -- it's gone. >> more than 700 firefighters are working desperately to quell the flames, but so far it's only 5% contained. overnight, deputies went door to door evacuating even more people. a record-breaking heat wave fueled the flames which broke out tuesday. officials are calling approaching thunderstorms a wild card for firefighters. colorado is not the only state facing forest fires. right now, others are burning in oregon, california and new mexico. with the white house

confirming president bashar al assad's use of chemical weapons in syria it is now clear assad has crossed the so-called red line. president obama warned him to avoid. u.s. officials say president obama has authorized sending military support to syrian rebels. this as the u.n. estimates upwards of 93,000 people have been killed in the two-year civil war. but an nbc news/"wall street journal" poll finds just 15% of americans favor u.s. military action. 24% believe the u.s. should not take any action at all. some u.s. officials say steps need to be made to prevent the proliferation of chemical weapons. >> my goal is to make sure they're not used against us or israel, our allies throughout the world. >> all this comes amid growing public pressure on the white house to do more from john mccain on the right to bill clinton on the left, nbc's chuck todd has the latest. >> reporter: for months, president obama has said bashar

al assad's use of chemical weapons against his own people would be a red line and would lead to a change of u.s. policy. the white house confirmed the red line has indeed been crossed. according to a new intelligence assessment that has been shared with both congress and key allies around the world, assad has used chemical weapons, namely sarin gas, on a small scale, killing as many as 150 syrians. the assessment is a confirmation of a preliminary intelligence report that the president spoke about last april. >> what we have right now is an intelligence assessment. and as i said, knowing that potentially chemical weapons have been used inside of syria doesn't tell us when they were used, how they were used. confirmation and strong evidence, all of those things we have to make sure that we work on with the international community. >> reporter: since then, the white house disclosed that they

have been quietly ramping up support for the syrian opposition, specifically, a group called the supreme military council. the assistance has included some military support. and the white house promised more direct military support is on the way, but aides would not disclose the specifics of the arms the u.s. is sending. the white house says hezbollah's increased role in helping assad added to the president's sense of urgency to do more. republican senator john mccain, who has been a vocal critic of mr. obama's syrian policy, raced to the senate floor just before the white house made its announcement. >> the president of the united states better understand that just supplying weapons is not going to change the equation on the ground and the balance of power. >> that was nbc's chuck todd reporting. a packed outdoor deck at a miami sports dar partially collapsed last night sending dozens of people into the shallow waters of biscayne bay. bar customers and rescuers pulled people from the waters. divers searched the waters

underneath the deck overnight to make sure no one was trapped. 24 people were hospitalized, 2 in serious condition. about a hundred people were on the deck at the time watching the miami heat playing game four of the nba finals. a significant ruling from the judge in the george zimmerman second-degree murder trial. the jury will be sequestered. we've learned the trial will last between two to four weeks. during the fourth day of questioning, some potential jurors expressed their concerns over the charged atmosphere of the case. >> i think it can certainly affect safety. >> so you're concerned about your safety as a juror, if you were -- >> yes, and my family. >> other jurors, meanwhile, are split on whether they've already formed an opinion. >> nobody can take nobody's life. >> for me, it's difficult to make up, to form an opinion. because i think the only person that can judge is god. >> 200 jurors have been brought

in for questioning since monday. 85 of them have been dismissed. the "orlando sentinel" reports 24 are believed to have made it past the first round of questions. zimmerman has pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense in the unarmed shooting of trayvon martin. george zimmerman has sued nbc universal, the parent company of this network, for defamation. the company has strongly denied his allegations. let's get the latest on the weather this weekend heading into father's day weekend. any chance we'll get some good weather for barbecuing? >> not bad. not bad. yesterday the big headline out of oregon was there was a tornado. >> there's been so many. >> we don't get them in oregon. usually the midwest. it's very rare. actually an ef-1 tornado confirmed by the national weather service near mcminnville. winds estimated 86 to 96 miles an hour. it did some damage there to some metal structures between the railroad tracks there in town and northeast 11th avenue. pretty interesting development. a small, short-lived little

storm that rolled through there. that storm is now, by the way, over the top of idaho going into montana. could spark additional severe weather for the northern plains. otherwise, hot weather still continues but some of the cooler air has shifted a little bit further to the south. we've cooled it off slightly in nevada. also areas of utah, colorado. as far as the temperatures go, say high pressure is going to try to build in. yesterday was very hot in the desert southwest and still salt lake city and denver. today will be maybe a little bit cooler. we've heard so much about these horrible fires out there. areas like denver. today will be in the 90s. but it will get a little cooler over the weekend. temperatures dropping down to around somewhere around 80 degrees. so the forecast for the west does look a little better today in the northwest and into saturday. so enjoy what should be a rather good start to your wee

you notice how i kind of stopped before i gave the father's day forecast? we have to save something for a little later. >> that's true. big day for you coming up. talk to you soon. coming up, the british government issues a worldwide alert. leaker edward snowden is not welcome. and world's richest man gets linked in. plus, check out a car kit developed for kids as young as 10 years old. and the heat evened the score in the lone star state. "early today" is back in two.

in the news this morning, an ultimatum in turkey. the country's prime minister is telling protesters he is giving them a, quote, final warning to leave the park they've occupied for two weeks now. late night negotiations ended with no clear resolution. in the director of the nsa said that edward snowden, the former contractor at the stlef leak

case us wrks lying when he told the guardian he could tap into anyone's phone calls or e-mails. >> he clearly has overinflated his position. he has overinflated his access. and he's even overinflated the technology that of the programs would allow him to do. it's impossible for him to do what he was saying he could do. >> just this morning, british authorities issued a worldwide alert to airlines that snowden, last seen in hong kong, not be allowed to board flights to the uk. two pilots escaped unharmed after a training flight. one sustained damage to its tail but both landed safely. the jets were l-39 albatros used mainly for military training and light ground attacks. a little info on that for you. in california, a small passenger jet with three people

on board ran into a hangar at chino airport. the faa says the pilot apparently lost control during an engine test after the plane jumped its chalks. no one was hurt. we turn to cnbc's jackie deangelis for the business headlines. >> the markets looking to build on thursday's rally. stocks closing near highs of the day as fears over the fed pulling the plug on its stimulus programs began to ease. look for some data on inflation, manufacturing and consumer sentiment. meantime, mortgage rates are up again this week with the 30-year fixed loan nearing 4%. it's still near historic lows but at the same time we're seeing the yields track, the higher yields on the ten-year treasury bond. and dear old dad can cash in on father's day freebies. hooters and tcby are give away free food to boost customer traffic. father's day is traditionally a slow period for the food industry. back over to you. >> thank you jackie. asian stocks rebounded today on steady american hiring and

strong retail sales along with oil prices remaining above $96 a barrel. the richest man in the world has joined linked in. bill gates will also be contributing to a regular blog post on the social network for professionals and offering advice, too. "man of steel" cost about $250 million to make, but warner brothers has partnered with a record 100 global promotional partners worth around $170 million. the moving is on track to earn about $100 million on this opening weekend alone. check out what toyota is doing to get kids interested in cars. this is the car kit geared towards a 10-year-old. the car really works and it will go up to 24 miles per hour. although parents can dial back the speed. they must still go through safety tests, and the company is still deciding if they can be put up for sale. billionaire media tycoon rupert murdoch filed for divorce

from wendy dang, his wife of 14 years. she is famously known for throwing a punch at a protester who tried to pie her husband just a few years ago. mr. murdoch's divorce from his previous wife anna cost him a cool 1.7 billion bucks. no word on what this one is going to cost him. murdoch has six children from his three marriages. the heat even it up in the nba finals. plus, one heck of a catch at the rain-soaked u.s. open. you're watching "early today."

let's get to some sports action now. in game four of the nba finals last night, prior to the game, sebastian de la cruz sang the national anthem for the second consecutive game. he sang prior to the previous game which actually sparked some racially motivated comments online. he tweeted, please do not pay attention to the negative people. i am an american, living the american dream. this is part of the american life. good for him. to the court now, lebron james scored a game high 33 points. and dwyane wade added 32. the heat cruised past the spurs, 109-93. game five will be on sunday night in san antonio. rain delays galore on day one of the u.s. open. tiger woods drained an unbelievable cross-country

birdie on the 6th. watch this one go all the way and in the hole. but finished 2 over through 10 holes while phil mickelson is the clubhouse leader at 3 under par. check out this. lee westwood shot in the par 4 6th. the ball sailed past the green into the gallery where, yes, a fan snagged it bare handed. next, a's versus yankees. it was only strike two. buckner quickly realized his mistake and laughed it off. in the 15th with the game winning run on second, coco crisp hits a looping flare to left field. vernon wells plays the ball. and the catcher chris stewart is able to hold on to that ball which takes us to the 18th. nick freeman hit a broken bat single to win the game and give the a's a series sweep. the new york mets are trying to get their star david wright

into the all-star game. with him trailing pablo sandoval by 100,000 votes, the mets marketing department decided to turn to cougarlife.com to rack up all the votes. this is a dating site for younger men to meet older women. wright had been named cougar life's hottest cub earlier this year on this website. the mets ultimately decided to pass on the partnership and wright is currently 74,000 votes behind the leader. just ahead, a movie critic calls melace mccarthy tractor sized. but don't worry, she got the last word, next.

welcome back. let me take you through your father's day weekend forecast. in the northwest, a bill cooler today. the storm is exiting up through the northern rockies. 67 today in seattle. we get warmer from there. some of the warmth from the south and will remain. we're still going to be near 100 all week long in phoenix near 106. let me take you through saturday. not really expecting any rain problems through the next two to three days. we'll see a couple of storms in the intermountain west. we'll have to watch those lightning storms for the possibility of starting new forest fires. 72348 seattle. 7 234d portland. and then for father's day, we do it again. pretty much another great day out there. in almost all areas.

very warm stay in the intermountain west. boise 91. salt lake city, 91. weather will cooperate. >> a good day to be a dad, too. >> that's supposed to be every day, right? >> that is true. i wouldn't know what that feels like, but i'll take your word for it. now to entertainment. "superman" is expected to soar into first place as "man of steel opens today. and emma watson stars in "the bling ring" that's a based in truth film about a fame-hungry group of teens who burglarize celebrity homes. steven spielberg and george lucas predicted an implosion of the film industry while speaking at an event at usc. spielberg estimates up to a half dozen mega budget films will crash before the industry revives itself while lucas predicts moviegoers will soon have to pay ticket prices comparable to those for broadway musicals or football games. we'll see about that. halle berry announced she is

pregnant. she did that back in april. and now her fiance says the pair is expecting a bouncing baby boy. and as sandra bullock promotes "the heat" on the red carpet, co-star melissa mccarthy is firing back against some cruel comments from rex reed after reed called mccarth equote, tractor sized in a recent review. mccarthy issued her response saying, quote, i felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate. seriously why would anyone say something like that? is that necessary? doesn't have to do with the film at all. >> better to just ignore it and everyone make a pledge not to say his name again. i'm betty ngyuen. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news. in this morning's "new york times" -- after patent ruling, availability of gene tests could broaden. was the test angelina joel a had but the supreme court ruled human genes could not be patented would which could lead to the genetic test being cheaper. in politico, syria chemical weapons: obama's forced happe d happened -- hand on syria. there's been a spirited debate about national prestige under his leadership. the black forest fire is now the largest in colorado history. three people are dead, 360 homes destroyed and counting with 13,000 homes still threatened. at more than 15,000 acres, about 38,000 people were forced to flee from their homes. u.s. officials now say president obama has authorized

sending weapons to syrian rebels. late thursday, the white house confirmed president bashar al assad's use of chemical weapons in syria, crossing the so-called red line that president obama warned him to avoid. new this morning, a worldwide alert to airlines about edward snowden, the self-identified whistleblower at the center of the nsa leak. british authorities don't want him boarding flights to the uk. snowden was last seen in hong kong. one china zoo has earned its stripes, shall we say. a rare set of five siberian tiger cubs recently made their debut in beijing. so cute. the quint uplets are all female and weigh over 2 pounds each. together the tiny tigers have been dubbed the five sisters. well, that's good. >> five more. hope there's another male or two out there. >> we'll see a lot more than just five pretty soon. >> dad probably already ran away. >> he's like, a little too much for me.

i'm outnumbered. too many females. time for a look ahead. the school shootings in newtown, connecticut, were six months ago today. a moment of silence will be held in newtown to honor the 26 victims held at sandy hook elementary school. the president welcomes the wnba indiana fever to the white house. they beat the linx. happy birthday to singer boy george who turns 52 and real estate mogul and boss of "the apprentice," donald trump is 67. looking pretty good for 67. here's what's coming up on the "today" show. an update on the most destructive fire in colorado as firefighters desperately try to contain that blaze. and maroon 5 performs on the plaza. now keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm betty ngyuen. thanks for watching "early today." have a great weekend.

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zero confidence in its leaders. we'll tell you about the fight over how to operate a south bay school board runs into the wee hours this morning. we'll have the latest developments up next. help is on the way. the vote that could help would-be college students afford a four-year degree. first it was the president, now the vice president. we'll tell you where in the bay area america's second in command will be today. >> across the bay, a beautiful look outside, bay bridge on this friday, yes friday, june 14. this is "today in the bay."