good tuesday morning. coming up on "early today," what caused that terrifying fall at the circus on sunday. we'll tell you what investigators think is to blame. chilling message, what an islamic extremist leader in nigeria is threatening to do with nearly 300 kidnapped school girls. the u.s. supreme court rules on whether it is okay to start local gornment meetings with a prayer. plus, a colorado pilot is lucky to be alive. airline fees hit another all time high. and the stars come out for one of fashion's biggest events. it's tuesday, may 6th. "early today" starts right now. good morning, everyone. thank you for joining us. a snapped clip may be to blame

for the high wire circus act that sent eight acrobats plummeting during a performance in rhode island. investigators now say a carabiner which is a common clip, was found in pieces on the ground after that accident. all eight acrobats are still hospitalized this morning. four in good condition, four in serious condition. nbc's ron mott has more. >> reporter: it hails as a human chandelier, eight female aerials hanging by their hair, but it turns frightening in a flash. their fall cushioned only by a thin rubber mat leaving them and a male performer below with multiple broken bones and in one case, internal bleeding. >> they're in shock. they didn't expect their equipment to fail. >> reporter: officials are focusing on the attachment point where the rigging was connected to a kibbcable to the arena's rafters. a single carabiner clip, a steel hook designed to hold 10,000

pounds broke. sending the performers plunging about 35 feet. >> when you get into those kinds of heights with people, it is dangerous. dangerous occupation. >> reporter: authorities say the hair hanging apparatus weighed about 1500 pounds, fully loaded, well within safety limits. the nine performers are mostly foreign nationals, viktoria medeiros who design the rigging with her husband was also hurt. the show's producer says the hair hanging feat is new this year, successfully performed about 150 times before collapsing on sunday injuring the performers. >> they're just incredibly struck by their strength and spirit and just the sense of community and family that we have here at ringling bros. and their determination is incredible. >> reporter: the show goes on to harper, connecticut, but without this attraction. ron mott, nbc news, providence. >> frightening pictures. the leader of the islamic militant group boko haram threatens to sell the nearly 300

school girls abducted from nigeria three weeks ago. they warn they plan to attack more schools and abduct more girls. nbc's ann curry reports. >> reporter: the leader of the militant islamic group boko haram bragging that he was behind the kidnappings. i abducted your girls, he said. i will sell them in the market by allah. i will sell women. more than 300 girls ages 15 to 18 were taken by force from their government boarding school in northeast nigeria three weeks ago. some escaped. but well over 200 are still missing. defense officials in neighboring cameroon tell nbc news that some have already been sold across the border. their disappearance triggered outrage across nigeria. and now the outrage has gone global. nigeria's government seems powerless to take on the militants who have been terrorizing the country since 2009, killing thousands. >> they operate like their own

country within a country. and they do not care. and they have more power in some ways than the government at this point. >> reporter: and the boko haram leader's comments and behavior suggests he cannot easily be reasoned with. western style education should end, he said. girls, you should all go and get married. the u.s. calls the kidnappings an outrage, and a tragedy, but is not involved militarily. and is not providing overhead surveillance saying nigeria hasn't asked. >> the state department has been in regular touch with the nigerian government about what we might do to help support its efforts to find and free the young women. >> reporter: for now, many worry where the missing girls are, where their fate might be and when, if ever, they might be seen again. >> that was nbc's ann curry reporting. in a 5-4 decision, the supreme court weighed in on a matter of church and state. it ruled local governments do not violate the constitution by

starting their meetings with a prayer. it is a victory for the town of greece, new york. the rochester suburb has a local clergy that starts monthly board meetings with a prayer that is nearly always christian. just as anthony kennedy said as long as the prayer doesn't denigrate nonbelievers for religious minorities threaten dam nation, it is acceptable. the number of uninsured dropped to a five-year low. it is from a poll the white house cites to show obama care is working. gallup found adults without insurance in april was 13.4%. now that krodropped from the enf 2014. this new number is also the lowest monthly uninsured rate recorded since gallup and health ways began tracking it back in january 2008. healthcare.gov adoption state by state led to another development. massachusetts officials plan to get rid of romney care.

and merge the federal enrollment site. romney care was the model for president obama's health care law. so a quick thinking pilot survived a crash landing with a dramatic escape. you'll see this. witnesses say the single engine plane began trailing smoke as it towed an advertising banner. then the plane began a nose-dive toward a denver suburb and slammed into a two-story house. luckily no one was home. the pilot escaped the fiery wreck with only minor injuries. that is a miracle, especially looking at the video there. bill karins is here, though. he'll join us with a look at the weather. we're still shaking our head. >> you expect the worst. >> no one was at home. lucky landing. we jumped into summer in a hurry. arizona to the southeast, temperatures in the upper 80s and 90s. we could be in the hundreds again today in areas of north texas to kansas. as far as the problems with this, the storm system that is

moving through california and southern portions of nevada that is causing some really strong winds out ahead of it. we have red flag warnings there, high fire danger today in portions of arizona, southern areas of colorado, new mexico, west north texas and also western oklahoma and western kansas. that storm itself is also bringing a little bit of wet weather there. it did bring some wet weather to the mountains of california, and now we're watching some pretty decent rain through i-80 or nevada. notice california drying out pretty soon here. but as we go up 80, all the way to areas of northern utah, we do have some areas of rain and mountain snow at the highest of elevations. tuesday forecast, storm pulls away, we are a little cooler in many areas of the west. but we are looking at a dry forecast in the northwest, much of california too. we'll watch that storm system causing some problems there. salt lake city and wyoming with showers and storms. that's your national forecast.

we'll talk about the extended forecast and hopefully we'll smooth things out. >> all right. >> little warm but not too much warm. >> all right, thank you. coming up, coca-cola and pepsico make moves to get rid of a flame retardant in drinks. we'll tell you about that. google takes on amazon in a same day delivery wars. details from cnbc are just ahead.

welcome back, everybody. ukraine is sending forces to the southern port of odessa to keep it from being lost to russia. at least 46 people have been killed since last friday when clashes broke out with pro russian forces. meanwhile, there are reports of at least 30 pro russian

separatists and four ukrainians killed in fighting today. the world health organization declared the spread of polio an international health emergency. officials say pakistan, syria and cameroon have recently allowed the paralyzing virus to spread to several fragile countries. listen to this, pepsico is joining coca-cola in working to remove brominated vegetable oil from its drinks. it was taken out of gatorade last year. at a white house event marking the mexican holiday sink yes de cinco de mayo, president obama said they should overhaul immigration laws. residents marked the city by re-enacting the victory over france in 1862. in health news, the fda announced aspirin should not be marketed as a way to prevent a heart attack or stroke for

people with no history of cardiovascular disease. aspirin is widely used as a method of prevention, but physicians say there are serious risks associated with using the drug including bleeding in the stomach and brain. the fda says the daily dose of aspirin should only be used by people at a high risk of heart attack and stroke and only under a doctor's care. "early today" is brought to you by vagisil, the experts in intimate health. time now to get down to business with cnbc's courtney reagan. good morning, courtney. >> good morning, betty. stocks rebounded from a big drop at the open monday, following a better than expected report on the nation's services sector. the dow avoiding a three-day losing streak. look for data today on the trade deficit. for the first time in a decade, data shows walmart's internet sales are growing faster than amazon's. amazon's total sales are still six times bigger than its ten competitors combined. walmart is spending heavily to

boost its presence onlynineonli google is taking on amazon. google charges $4.99 per order, while amazon charges $9.98 for same day delivery in 12 u.s. cities. for now, google is offering free membership for six months. betty? >> thank you, courtney. newly released data shows proof that airlines are making big bucks off your baggage fees. according to the bureau of transportation statistics, domestic airlines collected, listen to this, more than 3.3 billion, with a b, dollars in baggage fees last year. delta collected the most in fees followed by united and us airways. just ahead, all your second round nba playoff action. and all your sports headlines. that's coming up. be sure to stick around.

this morning on "today," if a dangerous disaster is headed your way, will you know in time to protect yourself and your family? how a shortage at the national weather service may be affecting your safety. nbc news investigates. that's ahead on "today." now in sports, round two of the nba playoffs is off and running. and los angeles did not miss a beat against oklahoma city. the clippers hit 15 three-pointers, eight of them by chris paul. on defense, they get 23 points

off turnovers. that's 122-105. l.a. takes game one. this was oklahoma city's worst playoff loss at home. washington gets their first second round win in 32 years. indiana trailed 13 points after the first half and never recovered. washington starters scored double figures and shut down indiana's comeback outrebounding them 53-36. wizards win game one 102-96. the new york pittsburgh series is no longer tied. the penguins net two scores and that's all they needed. they win 2-0, to go up two games to one. back to l.a. now, los angeles continued their playoff winning straight. their win over anaheim makes it six straight, they lead the series 2-0. are you ready for some football? well, we could have some bad news for nfl. the openly gay prospect is a fifth rounder at best or may go undrafted according to 21 scouts polled by the milwaukee journal

sentinel. if drafted this week, sam will become the nfl's first openly gay player. philadelphia has an sfaen war vet ready to suit up for next season's gridiron battle. a west point grad signed with the team on monday, this after the 6'9", 277 pound ranger served three tours and received a bronze star for savinging wounded soldiers during a fire fight. >> when you come here to play in new york, certain stadiums, they talk about you, they talk about your mother, you know. it is olivia, by the way, not dolores. >> get it straight, dave. >> peyton manning was able to get a few laughs at david let american's expense on the late show. craig robinson was fired after six seasons. he won't need any government assistance. the former basketball coach is owed $4 million. and finally, new york city honored former yankee pitcher

mariano rivera with his own street. the street outside yankee stadium once named river avenue is now rivera avenue. not much of a change, but did bring a smile to his face. just ahead, an oscar winner finally gets a star on hollywood's walk of fame. a preview of what "the voice" may look like next season. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this tuesday

morning, the storm system that moved to california yesterday is now heading into areas of southern nevada. it is going to bring some storminess to the inner mountain west. behind it, trailing it, not a lot of moisture available. so we're getting cooler type air mass, only 69 today in l.a. behind that storm. at least we're dry, very little in the way of any travel impact. then as we move into wednesday, we still watch the slow moving storm in the inner mountain west. everybody status quo in much of the west. the next chance of wet weather in the northwest and the next system that will move in will come in thursday, maybe linger a little bit into friday. so no big warmup for the northwest. but we will see california towards the weekend getting back to normal temperatures if not a little above. >> normal. we like the sound of that. whatever that means. >> whatever normal means, you know you like it. >> exactly. in entertainment news, the stars were out for one of the biggest fashion events of the year, the metropolitan museum gala. from rihanna to ryan reynolds, the celebrities hit the new york red carpet sporting some of their finest duds. it is not all about the

fashions, though. last year's event raised over $9 million for the museum. congratulations to sally field on receiving a star on the hollywood walk of fame. the two-time oscar winner's career has spanned over 40 years and most recently she appeared in a superhero blockbuster "the amazing spider-man 2," but it all started with tv's "gidget." i used to love that show. 2011 american idol winner scott mccreery was the victim of a home invasion robbery early monday morning. mccreery was in a raleigh apartment when three armed men stormed in and demanded cash and electronics. the country singer -- >> isn't that all of our fear, to be in your own home and have people come in. >> yeah. that gives me chills. this may put a smile on your face. gwen stefani and pharrell williams stopped by the set of "the voice." they took to the stage to perform a rendition of "holler back girl," you know the song. they wrote that together in

2005. i didn't know that. >> i thought he was a recent -- i didn't realize -- >> oh, no. pharrell has been a genius for quite some time. now begins a long wait until fall when they make their debut as judges on the next season of "the voice." i think that's going to be a great new addition to that. i really like the show. and -- >> good chemistry. >> i do. like when they change it up every now and then. you see different artists. >> i think they're smart about it. they haven't removed everyone all at once, just new people in. >> switch a few out every now and then. >> the performers need to do their tours and they only want to do it for one season. a win-win. >> if only we had that problem. not even close. i'm betty nguyen. this is "early today," we hope it is your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news in the huffington post, students text good-bye, mama in final message right before the tornado strikes. 23-year-old jeffrey hunter sent a heart breaking message to his mom as an ef-4 tornado barreled toward his home in arkansas last week. he was found dead. his father and stepmother, who were also in the home survived. and from nbc, new york, the oldest man on earth lives in new york. on the upper west side. that's not far from me. he is one week shy of his 112th birthday. when asked for his secret to living long, he said, i love this, quote, i don't know. i simply didn't die earlier. he's telling it like it is. some other stories we're following for you, a diver has died while searching for victims

off the south korean ferry disaster. government officials say that the diver actually lost communication five minutes into his dive and by the time others tried to save him, he wasn't breathing. hollywood is boycotting the iconic beverly hills hotel. it is owned by the sultan of brunei who announced a new penal code for brunei that includes stoning gay men and women to death. protesters include nbc's own jay leno have gathered to rally in response to the harsh laws. and check out this cryptic tweet from the nsa. and, no, it is not a pocket tweet, it is a coded message. >> i can figure it out. >> what does it say? >> i think -- >> you're waiting for the graphic to change is what you're waiting for. than nsa spokeswoman said it was meant to help attract the brightest. this is what it actually says. want to know what it takes to work at nsa?

check back each monday in may as we explore careers essential to protecting your nation. nice try, bill. keep your day job. you might expect a japanese holiday and children's day to be a bit more kid friendly. at one small shrine, families celebrate the holiday with a healthy dose of crying sumo. babies compete to be the first to break into tears while a priest eggs them on with funny faces and loud noises. followers believe the cries ward off bad luck. and make for a really sad baby. now for a look ahead and a look back, later today, the white house is set to release its national climate assessment on the impact of climate change on all regions of the u.s. and key sectors of the national economy. and we want to say happy birthday to george clooney, who is 53, and newly engaged. rock singer rob seger, 69. and willie mayes is 83. i'm betty nguyen.

well, good morning, everyone. ium it's 4:30. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. let's check that forecast with christina loren. >> it is windy to kick off your tuesday and i hate to say it, but the wind will strengthen as we kick off the day today. temperatures will creep up just a touch and then a big-time warm up on the way as we get into the end of the week. lots to go over this morning. right now a peek at your morning drive here's mike inouye. >> as we look at our camera, we see a steady stream of cars. it's steady and