good wednesday morning. coming up on "early today," mers in the usa. a patient with a deadly virus comes in contact with 20 health care workers as global health officials rush to contain it. sizzling san diego. massive wildfires are forcing more than 20,000 people to evacuate. 5% contained and winds making things worse. bounce house horro a massive wind lifts a bounce house into the air while three children are playing inside it. plus, a major mining disaster with over 200 killed. we have breaking details. it's wednesday, may 14th. "early today" starts right now.

good morning to you. i'm frances rivera. breaking news out of south africa where the judge in the oscar pistorius murder trial has ordered the olympic track star to undergo an evaluation for mental illness. the move will likely delay the trial for more than a month. the judge argues that a psychological evaluation would ensure that pistorius gets a fair trial. pistorius has admitted to shooting his girlfriend, viva steenkamp, last year. a psychiatrist told the court this week that he suffered from an anxiety disorder. at least 20 workers at two hospitals in orlando are being monitored after coming in contact with a patient infected by mers, or the middle east respiratory syndrome. so far, only two cases have been confirmed in the u.s. a patient in indiana was hospitalized 12 days and released last week. the second, a saudi resident, who was visiting family remains hospitalized in orlando this morning in good condition. a health advisory is now in effect at all major u.s. airports in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. the federal government is

stepping up efforts to keep mers out of the country. >> the president has been briefed on this development. the cdc is taking the current situation very seriously and is working in close coordination with local health authorities. >> mers started in the middle east and jumped from bats to camels and now to humans. there have been cases confirmed in 17 countries, most in the arabian peninsula. two children have been seriously injured after the inflatable bounce house they were playing in blew away apparently by a strong gust of air. it happened in upstate new york. pictures tape taken by a witness actually show the bounce house almost 50 feet in the air. there were three children inside at the time. two of them fell out of the bounce house when it reached the height of about 15 to 20 feet. >> the first thing i thought is that was my sister flying through the air. all i saw was arms and legs

going. >> police are calling this a tragic accident and say no charges will be filed. a brush fire has burned more than 800 acres in san diego. 20,000 flames -- homes had to be evacuated. the flames are only about 5% contained with hot, dry conditions fueling their power. san diego's fire chief indicates crews could be gaining an upper hand, especially once winds decrease overnight. officials warn all residents will remain vigilant since wild fires can move quickly. a man rammed his truck into a baltimore tv station lobby. then he barricaded himself inside for a five-hour standoff yesterday afternoon. the terrifying situation began when the 29-year-old was denied access at the secure front entrance. he yelled, let me in and i am god. that's when he got in his truck and aimed for the glass doors. >> i'm sitting at my desk and all of a sudden, boom. i mean, it was like a -- so you're thinking that something blew in the basement or something like that. and the whole desk shook. and i took a look to my right

and i see an indent coming. all of a sudden, glass is breaking and there's a truck coming in through the front lobby. >> scary. police say 55 people inside were able to escape through a back door. the suspect is being taken in for evaluation. criminal charges are expected to be filed. president obama awarded sergeant kyle j. white the medal of honor yesterday for his heroic actions in afghanistan. nbc's jim miklaszewski reports. >> army specialist kyle white on a rugged mountain path in eastern afghanistan. moments before his world exploded in what he called the worst day of his life. >> it just seems like the entire valley. >> reporter: white's platoon came under heavy fire in an enemy ambush. with nowhere to take cover, white himself was immediately wounded and feared the worst. >> i remember thinking at that point, okay, we're not going to make it through this one.

>> reporter: specialist kain schilling had been shot twice. white ran through a devastating barrage of fire to get to him. white repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire in an effort to save them. >> i told myself from the beginning of the ambush i was going to die. if it's going to happen, it's just a matter of when, but why not try to do some good and help my guys out until that happens. >> today we pay tribute. >> reporter: at the white house, president obama presented white with the medal of honor. the nation's highest military decoration. there in the east room was his now lifelong friend, cain schilling, who says he owes everything to kyle white. >> i can never repay him for saving my life, but this is something he deserves. >> reporter: jim miklaszewski, nbc news, the pentagon. >> hero in the true sense. i know we say that word a lot, but that is the perfect example. >> being in that situation and making those decisions, unreal.

>> nbc's bill karins is here with details on another hot forecast. breaking temperatures again? >> record highs throughout san francisco and then the fire that happened down in san diego. it's just one of those days and setups where all the firefighters are just nervous. they're geared up and they're ready in case these blazes do start. it's all about potential. 94 yesterday in l.a. san diego was the same. 92 in san francisco. those are warm temperatures for coastal areas. this morning we're starting off very warm. we're almost as warm in l.a. as we are in vegas and phoenix. and it will likely be even hotter this afternoon. red flag warnings up for areas in red. same areas as yesterday. the coastal communities and mountains outside of l.a., santa barbara and san diego. temps 90s to low 100s. wind gusts 30 to 50. it's possible with a high wind warning, some localized gusts up to 80 miles per hour in the mountains outside of san diego. also excessive heat advisory continues from the greater san jose area and just outside of san francisco. so, again, is going to be another hot day today, if not

hotter than yesterday. downtown l.a. could reach 101 degrees. even the northwest is warm. that's your national forecast. now here's to that. but ukiah at 96. looks like we go through this today, tomorrow, and then we'll try to cool it off a little bit from friday. >> we'll see if those records get broken. >> we just don't want any fires to form. >> thank you very much, bill. directly ahead, we are live in washington with the latest on the health scandal. plus, a turkish mining explosion straight ahead as "early today" continues. let's ? rv -- covered. why would you pay for a hotel? i never do. motorcycles -- check. atv. i ride those. do you? no.

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veterans who died while waiting for care. nbc news has obtained an internal document suggesting top v.a. officials knew at least a year ago that scheduling data was vulnerable to manipulation. nbc's danielle leigh is in washington with those details. >> reporter: there's growing outrage over delayed or poor care at the veterans affairs health care system. in phoenix at a packed american legion meeting, dozens of veterans and their loved ones shared their personal trauma. >> i could not get through. i could not get in line. >> i was never really seen. >> six months to another three months or four months, that gets me ten months out that i can't see a doctor. >> reporter: the v.a. is auditing all of its facilities after whistleblowers claimed employees were manipulating schedules to highlight wait time which in dozens of cases may have contributed to patient deaths. >> i think every american should be outraged at how our veterans are being treated. >> reporter: an internal memo

from march 2013 obtained by nbc news shows top v.a. officials learned of the problem well before the current allegations and had been trying quietly to fix it. now the american legion and some lawmakers are calling for v.a. secretary eric shinseki to resign. >> and a question of the secretary is, did he know, and if not, he did not know what was in a gao or inspector general's report, why not? >> reporter: the white house says president obama is confident shinseki will take the right action in response to this scandal. in washington, i'm danielle leigh, nbc news. to developing news overseas, a massive rescue operation is under way in turkey after an explosion and fire killed at least 200 miners. more than 400 rescue workers are frantically pulling survivors to safety. meanwhile, grief-stricken families anxiously wait for news of the hundreds still trapped. authorities say the fire is still burning, and the casualty number will rise. a measles outbreak in ohio

is the largest in almost two decades. authorities say there have been 68 reported cases there. health officials are distributing almost 12,000 doses of vaccines. as of friday, the cdc says there have been 187 reported cases across 17 states. magic johnson is responding to comments made by clippers' owner donald sterling. johnson told cnn that he got a call from sterling, and instead of an apology, sterling asked magic to appear with him in an interview with barbara walters. johnson declined and went on to talk about sterling's recent comments. >> it's sad. when i saw that interview, it's sad. it really is. i'm going to pray for this young ma man. i hope donald can see the mistake that he has made and also the people he has hurt along the way. and then what's really sad, you know, it's not about me, but he's a man who's upset, and he's reaching. he's reaching. he's trying to find something he can grab on to help him save his team.

and it's not going to happen. and imagine going to the bathroom only to find this in your toilet. what the what! that's what happened to a texas woman. she got quite the surprise. that is a 12-foot python. police say she left the door open after bathing her guinea pigs in the bathroom and the python slithered right in. that python might have stayed hungry because the guinea pigs, they are just fine. time to get down to business with cnbc's jackie deangelis. jackie, good morning. >> good morning, frances. europe's highest court says that people should have a say over what comes up when someone googles them. it's issued a ruling, experts say, could force google and others to delete links to old debts, arrest records and other unflattering information. the decision doesn't impact google's search results in the u.s., though. meantime, the u.s. totes more glasses of wine than any other country. americans tip back 769 million

gallons last year, edging out france for the top spot. the u.s. wine market is growing by half a percent a year while french consumption has dropped by 7%. and it was another record close for the dow and the s&p 500 on tuesday. disappointing report on retail sales was offset by an upbeat outlook from small businesses. look for data today on wholesale inflation. that's it for us here at cnbc, first in business worldwide. now back to you. >> all right. you got it, jackie. thank you very much. just ahead, an exciting night in the nba playoffs including some controversial last-second calls. and the rangers do something they have never done in their 88 years. let me get this straight... [ female voice ] yes? lactaid® is 100% real milk? right. real milk. but it won't cause me discomfort. exactly, no discomfort, because it's milk without the lactose. and it tastes? it's real milk! come on, would i lie about this? [ female announcer ] lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for more 100% real dairy treats you'll 100% enjoy

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this morning on "today," former new york city mayor michael bloomberg gives matt lauer an exclusive walking tour of the 9/11 museum at ground zero ahead of tomorrow's dedication ceremony. sports headlines, let's start with st. louis rams' draft pick michael sam. he spoke out on media day about his sexuality and team. >> i said long ago that whoever picked me, whatever team that does pick me, they know about my sexuality, they know everything about my past and that is the team i want to play for. >> fans see it that way, too. sam's rams jersey is selling better than all nfl rookies except johnny manziel. oklahoma gets a dramatic win over los angeles, but not

without controversy. russell westbrook gets three free throws after he's fouled. chris paul, he cannot believe it. down by one, the clippers have a shot, but lose the ball. oklahoma wins a nail-biter, 105-104 to go up 3-2 in the series. the wizards staved off elimination outrebounding the pacers by 389 pacers by getting 39 rebounds for martin and 27 from john wall. playoff highs from both of those guys. 102-79 washington. they still tray 3-2 in the series. in the nhl, new york earned a comeback over pittsburgh. it's the first time the rangers have ever rallied from a 3-1 series deficit. they are now in the eastern conference finals. and a few kickers here, stunning artwork from mark paul darren. he's using spray-paint here, and his canvas, about 200

skateboards to create this. it's a kobe bryant mural. no word on where it will be displayed. and a british mixed martial arts referee pulled out one of his own moves to stop one fighter from going overboard. so the ref nearly choked out the winning fighter after he continues to pummel his opponent. so pretty impressive moved by the ref. good thing he was also a trained martial artist, i'm sure. you know, get ahead in the ring as well. still ahead, the latest on jay-z and solange controversy and the first picture of ben aflak as the new batman next. i don't like cleaning. i love my son, but he never cleans up. always leaves a trail of crumbs behind. you're going to have a problem with getting a wife. uh, yeah, i guess. [ laughs ] this is ridiculous. christopher glenn! [ doorbell rings ] what is that? swiffer sweep & trap. i think i can use this. it picks up everything. i like this. that's a lot of dirt. it's that easy!

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welcome back. on this wednesday morning, let's take a tour up the coast and show you some of these temperatures. 96 in san diego. it peaks out for you today. thursday's going to be very hot, too. it's going to be so windy. it's almost like someone's blowing a hair dryer on you. los angeles, same deal for you. two 100-degree days in a row. 91 on friday. then we're back to normal over the weekend. further up the coast, it's warm but nothing like what they're dealing with in southern california. >> all right. thank you very much, bill. and then there were three last night on "the voice." team shakira's kristen merlin and kat perkins were eliminated. so without a singer, shakira is now out of the competition. jake worthington, josh kaufman and christina face off in next week's finale to see who truly has "the voice." "the office" star john

krizenski tweeted out the first photo of his daughter. tagging the photo #nokidspolicy. first the batmobile, now the batman. batman versus superman director zach sfnider posted this photo f ben affleck. look at those guns. right? ben affleck is under there. rihanna committed the ultimate selfie fail. look at the phone there on the hard court. she dropped the l.a. police commissioner president's phone after that courtside pic. after breaking the phone, rihanna donated $25,000 to the l.a. police foundation. the autographed phone is now on ebay to raise money for the same charity. >> nice. and fox has released stills from the long-awaited "the simpsons"/"family guy" cross over episode that airs in september. >> a little strange. >> yeah, homer and peter griffin -- >> yeah, there's going to be a fight scene. >> -- not getting along.

not so much at all. after deleting all but one photo of her sister, beyonce, from instagram, tmz reports that solange knowles, they were spotted at a jewelry store with her brother-in-law, jay-z. the pair was allegedly calm and collected. this is the first time the two have been seen together since that video of solange attacking jay-z in an elevator. justin bieber is back on radar after he allegedly tried to steal a camera of someone taking his photograph. the department's robbery/homicide is investigating the incident. bieber has yet to be questioned. i'm frances rivera, and this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day here on nbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] your eyes. even at a distance of 10 miles... the length of 146 football fields... they can see the light of a single candle.

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leading the news on nbcnews.com, russia makes plans to kill space station in 2020 due to sanctions. russia plans to cut off access to the iss after 2020 in retaliation for u.s. trade sanctions imposed over russia's involvement in the ukraine crisis. and in "the washington post," jacqueline kennedy's newly discovered personal letters reveal 14 years of secrets. the soon-to-be auctioned letters to an irish priest reveal her feelings about jfk's womanizing, his political aspirations and his assassination that made her, quote, bitter against god. and other stories this morning, the daughter of top 40 legend casey kasem plans to file a missing persons report. this will allow the police and fbi to get involved in the search for the missing radio

host who has advanced parkinson's and can no longer speak. an attorney for kasem's wife, jean, said he had been moved from l.a. without his children's knowledge. and a new fad with good intentions has schools in three states alerting parents. it's spread through social media and involves jumping into freezing water for charity. but officials are reporting an increase in injuries, saying divers can hurt themselves by leaping into shallow or rocky water. marine explorers believe they have found the wreckage of one of the most famous ships in history. remains have been found that may be the santa maria from columbus's famed journey. the history channel is backing the expedition and they will air an exclusive tv event around those sightings. well, it took 600 days and 125,000 miles to create the most epic selfie of all time. and you'll probably agree. this is alex chacone. when he graduated from college,

he decided to go arnold the world on just a motorcycle and a couple of cameras. he took a video selfie in more than 36 countries and combined the results in this epic video. look how amazing this adventure is. >> he's on the edge of a cliff. >> next to a lion, back on another edge. yeah. so once he does this, all of our other selfies, you know, on the set here with bill karins. >> 36 countries. >> can you imagine that? very, very cool. especially in this world of just snap. takes it to a whole new level. now time for a look ahead and a look back. a new report on the health of the u.s. will be released by the cdc. it reveals about half of all americans in 2007 to 2010 reported taking one or more prescriptions in the past 30 days. on this day in 1973, the launch of the u.s.'s first space station, skylab one, remained in orbit six years before burning up during reentry in 1979. thank you so much for being with us on this wednesday morning. thank you for watching "early today." after people find a dentist through us, they often say,

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good morning 4:30e in the morning. we start you off with a live look across the area. we will be flirting with 100 degree temperatures. we have a team in place to help you plan your day. christie smith is at ocean beach today. let's start with meteorologist christina loren. >> it is going to be a hot day. you know we have days like this in the summertime. we are definitely familiar with this kind of territory. but i can tell you it i