good friday morning. coming up on "early today," high priority. america's 9 million veterans in the country's largest health care system under the microscope. an american airlines boeing 757 with a midflight fright. >> hey, american 2287, your right engine appears to be on fire, sir. california burning. western wildfires create more evacuations, but officials may be getting a handle on the disaster area. plus, an explosive situation grows worse in syria. can this monster earn $100 million this weekend? it is friday, may 16th. "early today" starts right now.

good morning. i'm richard lui. veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki is standing his ground right now. he's refusing to resign over allegations that treatment delays at va hospitals led to veterans deaths. the acting inspector general for the va says so far there is no evidence that anyone died as a result of waiting for care. nbc news and the pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has details. >> reporter: as a former army general, this is not exactly secretary eric shinseki's idea of taking the hill. shinseki appeared before the senate veterans affairs committee to answer questions and take the heat over the growing scandal at va hospitals. >> any adverse incident like this makes me as -- makes me mad as hell. >> reporter: it is alleged that va hospitals in at least eight states were hiding veterans appointments on secret lists to improve hospital records on wait

times. shinseki played down the scope of the scandal. >> are people quote/unquote cooking the books? >> i'm not aware and other than a number of isolated cases where there is evidence of that. >> reporter: it is reported that 40 veteran has i have dmay have waiting for medical care. so for the inspector general investigated 17. >> of those 17, we didn't conclude so far that the delay caused the deaths. >> reporter: democrats and republicans alike raised serious doubts about va efforts to crack down on misconduct. >> this needs to be a wake-up call for the department. >> no one should be treated this way in a country as great as ours. >> reporter: shinseki stood his ground. >> we only have one mission. taking care of the veterans and not these veterans, i'm one of them. >> reporter: but his harshest critics claim shinseki has been missing in action. >> he's almost entirely invisible and the only time we

hear from him is when somebody calls for his resignation. >> reporter: jim miklaszewski, nbc news, the pentagon. the first fatality of the san diego fires may have been found. a burned body was discovered thursday in carlsbad, just north of san diego. also overnight, two people were arrested for trying to start a fire in san diego. police did not say if the pair were involved with wildfires that have burned over 10,000 acres. some good news, though, fire crews are slowly making progress thanks in small part to calmer winds. nbc's jennifer bjorklund is in carlsbad, california. >> reporter: firefighters raced against the wind carrying embers hopscotching between tree tops and up in swirling columns of people near san diego county are calling firenados. >> fire was going to go down the mountain. >> reporter: neighbors hoping the shower of sparks coming down won't overtake their homes. one exploded with propane tanks going off like rockets.

>> three big black columns of smoke and took off like crazy. >> reporter: with it, more homes lost in san marcos, to the advancing flames of the cocoa fire. in karlz bad, seven homes destroyed and a complex that housed 18 condos. bob ingersol thought his house was next but firefighters won that battle. >> it easily went into the houses and we could have lost the whole neighborhood. >> reporter: so many neighborhoods are still at risk. >> this is just the beginning for what could become a very dangerous fire season, the worst fire season that we have seen in a long, long time. >> reporter: a dousing from above as hand crews dig lines under. it is a struggle, fruitless, d until the weather offers some relief. jennifer bjorklund, nbc news, carlsbad, california. authorities want the public's help to figure out what caused the wildfires saying it

could take months. damage totals, more than 22 million so far. bill karins here shortly on today's fire weather conditions. now to the bridge that was supposed to be largely earthquake resistant, it may have hundreds of parts that are not. the san francisco bay bridge has hundreds of rods, experts say could be damaged by friction in an earthquake. these rods are essential to the eastern span's structural stability. this is the western part of that bridge. this follows reports from the sacramento bee that the same anchor rods are rusted from exposure. officials call it important, but not urgent to the bridge that cost over $6 billion to complete just months ago. a former army officer's wife in tampa will spend the rest of her life in prison without parole. she's guilty of murdering her two teenage children three years ago. after only two hours of deliberation, a jury announced the verdict in the julie schenecker murder trial. she was found guilty in the first degree murder deaths of her children. she accepted it and apologized.

>> i apologize to everybody in this courtroom who i have broken their lives, i have destroyed. >> her lawyers argued she suffered from mental illness and was legally insane during the time of the killings. more trouble for aaron hernandez. hernandez has been charged with two counts of first degree murder relating to a 12 -- a 2012 drive by shooting. prosecutors say he followed the two victims and ambushed them after a chance encounter at a boston nightclub. sources saying a dispute started over a spilled drink. hernandez is already behind bars awaiting trial for the shooting deaths of semi-pro football player odin lloyd. hernandez pled not guilty. after more than half a century in tv news, barbara walters officially signs off today. it will be on an episode of "the view" taped yesterday. the tv legend and trailblazer

gets a star studded sendoff in this episode with appearances from oprah winfrey and hillary clinton. walters is also joined by more than 25 female journalists who say she influenced and inspired them along the way. yesterday, every co-host from "the view's" 17-year history joined walters to help her say good-bye. >> what do we say now? have a great day, everybody. and take a little time to enjoy "the view." >> no way she is retiring. i say in a week she's announcing she's doing something else. >> i hope she's back. the oscar interview special and stuff like that, or just -- expected to be part of our lives. >> we want her to enjoy her life but continue to see her do such great work. >> she's worked hard enough too. >> bill karins. you got some stuff in the weather? >> slow improvement. no rain, of course, where we need it, but watching temperatures going down. the winds won't be quite as bad.

yesterday was incredible. 102 in downtown l.a. besides the fires, these temperatures have been off the charts for may. that was the second hottest reading ever in downtown l.a. how crazy is that. that just doesn't happen. today will be cooler, 80s and 90s. the winds will not be as gusty and only -- still above average, but we're heading in the right direction. this weekend, significantly better. you can see there are a couple of spots with a chance of being up there near 100. most areas that are expected to be in the 70s and 80s are closer. clouds in the pacific northwest and northern california. the high pressure region that brought us the gusty winds is moving to the four corner region. more of an on shore flow as we head toward the upcoming weekend. today, about 101 in vegas. 104 in phoenix. that's where the heat shifted. we're watching temperatures in l.a. and san diego, closer to average and much cooler also in oregon state. very warm yesterday too. that's your national f

>> some of us will have less than ideal weather conditions over the weekend. i'll tell you where coming up. a new hampshire police commissioner said he's justified in describing president obama by using the n word. plus, dramatic new video of a police chase leads to a car sending an 8-year-old flying. her condition and the details next. [ female announcer ] hands were made for playing. ♪ legs, for crossing. ♪ feet...splashing. better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. if you're trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill, not an injection or infusion,

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ask if xeljanz is right for you. of moderate to severe ra, even without methotrexate. say revlon colorstay makeup. breakthrough time release technology keeps skin balanced for a continuously fresh look. 24 hour wear. flawless results. welcome back. a massive explosion in syria after rebels set off a bomb in a tunnel loaded with 60 tons of explosives. this was the site of a syrian army base, casualty numbers not yet available. an 8-year-old girl playing on her scooter, a car flies in, hits her. she goes flying. two men were charged with a the

pennsylvania incident. the girl suffered a concussion. good thing here, otherwise okay. they thought she was a 15-year-old high school sophomore girl. no. she really was a 34-year-old woman. the impostor was staying with a family in east texas and was enrolled in a local high school. her principal saying shes wi wa good student and no red flags. really? a scary situation for people aboard a flight bound for tulsa, oklahoma. an engine fire forcing the american airlines 757 to circle dallas/ft. worth international airport before making an emergency landing. here's air traffic control. >> hey, american 2287, your right engine appears to be on fire, sir. we saw flames from the right side engine. yes, we saw flames from the right side engine. a police commissioner refuses to step down or apologize after comments he made about the president. people in new hampshire calling for robert cokeland's

resignation on thursday. in an e-mail obtained by the associated press, he said, quote, i believe i did use the n word in reference to the current occupant of the white house. for this, i do not apologize. he meets and exceeds my criteria for such. and just this morning, an unmanned russian rocket carrying an advanced telecommunications satellite crashing after takeoff. the cause, the value of the satellite not known yet. last july, another russian rocket crashed, carrying three navigation satellites worth about $200 million. business this friday with cnbc's jackie deangelis. good morning. >> good morning, richard. the fcc approved new net neutrality rules. the new rules would allow internet providers. a new round of fund-raising that would value the company at $10

billion. that's nearly three times the company's $3.5 billion valuation from last year. and big investors are reacting to the 12.8 million recalls worldwide by general motors this year. two of the biggest investors, leon cooperman and david einhorn dissolved their stakes in gm in response to the recall. richard, back to you. >> jackie, thank you so much. just ahead, all your sports highlights and high jinks too when "early today" returns. low prices, i can cross even more places off my travel wish list. this year alone i hit new york... and texas! see, hotwire checks the competition's rates every day... so they can guarantee their low hotel prices. ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com mornings should be easy. new eggo bites are ready right out of the bag. packed with flavor, they're a tasty part of a complete breakfast... they're the easiest eggo ever. leggo my eggo! sfx: car unlock beep.

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you're looking at time lapse video released by earth cam. it shows that the decade long construction of the 9/11 memorial museum at ground zero in new york city. a dedication ceremony was held yesterday. the museum opens to the public next week. take you to sports now. jack nicholson at a clippers game. yes. the ultimate lakers fan rooting for the other hometown team. he's not all nice, though, leaving a clippers fan hanging. no handshake for you. talking about stars, blake griffin and chris paul for 47 points. that combo gets los angeles ahead early, but oklahoma city's late second half run led by kevin durant's points, way too much. oklahoma city after six games, they move on to face san antonio in the western conference finals. hoping for a finals berth, indiana against washington at home. washington down by 16 in the second half. they storm back, taking the lead off this beautiful three.

then goes scoreless. they are silent for five minutes. indiana chugs ahead for a 93-80 win. that sets up an eastern conference finals rematch. san antonio, oklahoma city face off on monday. not sure if this is standing or running jump. who cares. still, the number one draft prospect. andrew wiggins hops. what do you think? 12 feet. his fingers trying to hit the bar on the top. the mayor, the mayor. the catch made after 1:00 a.m. because of weather delays. does he look tired? no way. that catch sends trinity catholic high school to the florida state championship game. he looks good. surveillance video of florida state's jameis winston's shoplifting spree. football and baseball star agelage l athlete decided to steal crab

legs from a supermarket. he got a suspension and community service for crab legs. johnny manziel's signature money sign, there, and now here on t-shirts. they're labeled the johnny cash t-shirts. a cleveland company began printing them after striking a deal with the nfl for some cash. get your bonnets bespeckled. the 139th preakness stakes begins at 4:30 p.m. eastern here on nbc. just ahead, clippers owner donald sterling refusing to pay that multimillion dollar fine to the nba. plus, it is called glorious leader. the video game that north korea's kim jong-un does not want you to see. you're watching "early today." [ male announcer ] at the corner of "where you need us most" and "where you least expect us," walgreens is more than just a drugstore. some pharmacy staff deliver medications right to your hospital bedside. and whenever, wherever you have questions, walgreens experts are there for you 24/7

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revlon photoready primer and shadow. add sparkle, or use wet, so you can create whatever eye you're in the mood for. dare to be revlon. welcome back. we're happy to break the heat wave over the next couple of days. hot weather ridges, we call it, moving out and weakening. the temperatures today still warm at 92 in l.a. we're cooler in the northwest. now we add showers back into the forecast. especially looks like saturday afternoon, sunday afternoon. there may be a rumble of thunder out there. very scattered. again, not going to rain out your plans, but we will have showers there. 80 in l.a. 71 in san diego. so that helps the firefighters, should be able to quickly, you know, get a hold of everything, all the little hot spots, they call them. put them out.

>> cold weather ridge. >> cold high pressure comes down from canada, yeah. >> some folks in southern california hoping for that. >> they don't get them there. >> they don't. okay. >> canadian air stays out. >> bill karins, thank you so much. the granddaddy of all monster movies smashes its way back to theaters this weekend. the godzilla reboot is expected to come out with $70 million. it will likely push neighbors into second and amazing spider-man 2 into third. newcomer arm is expected to round it out. the 13th american idol down to the final two. viewers voted off alex preston, sending caleb johnson and jena irene to the final round next week. it was thought late actor philip seymour hoffman would be re-created with cgi to finish final scenes in the hunger games mocking jay. now the film's director says only real footage will be used to create unfinished scenes. hoffman died of an overdose in

february. jay-z, solange and beyonce, the latest chapter here for you. they responded to the leaked surveillance video that shows solange here assaulting jay-z. in a joint statement, the three saying our family has worked through it and jay-z and solange have apologized to each other. statement gave no insight into what caused the brawl, but who knows what will happen next. >> i want to hear from the bodyguard. >> jj abrams production company tweeted this image. filming of the long awaited movie is now under way. we cannot wait. i love star wars. goes back to the 1980s. >> buildup will be so huge like the last time. you hope it lives up to it. >> i think it will. i'll keep my expectations lower. i'm richard lui with bill karins. thank you for joining us on "early today." we hope it is yojust your first stop of the day today on nbc. sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering sfx: sounds of marching band and crowd cheering so, i'm walking down the street, sfx: sounds of marching band d crowd cheering just you know walking, sfx: sounds of marching bandnd and crowd cheering and i found myself in the middle of this paradeeet, sfx: sounds of marching band d crowd cheering honoring america's troops.

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leading the news in sports illustrated, sources say donald sterling refuse nba sanctions, threatens to sue. the clippers owner hired a prominent antitrust lawyer who sent a letter to the nba saying sterling had done nothing wrong. sterling saying he will not pay the $2.5 million fine levied by the nba for making racist comments. national geographic, most complete ice age skeleton helps solve mystery of first americans. so divers in mexico's yucatan peninsula coming across the bones of a teenage girl who lived more than 12,000 years ago. scientists now say its dna proves the first americans came from siberia via the baring strait. other stories we're

following, tensions escalating. a chinese coast guard ship seen ramming a vietnamese vessel this week. they're locked in a bitter standoff over a chinese oil rig off disputed islands claimed by hanoi. a new video game sends players on an adventure as kim jong-un, called glorious leader. it is produced by an atlanta based company. you battle through different terrain, sometimes with a unicorn. a unicorn. a unicorn. fighting u.s. paratroopers. dennis rodman also makes an appearance. >> quality stuff. >> the production value here -- >> 1988? >> i could have done it with, like, crayons, i don't know. this next story, not an "snl" sketch, though some might wish it was. four gop candidates for idaho governor facing off in a primary debate wednesday. >> masters in raising hell. >> we got a bunch of eastern idiots running everything. >> hay diddle fiddle right up

the middle. >> i did kill a wolf while it was still an endangered species. but i honestly think half the republican party is democrats and half the democratic party is communist. >> you have your choice, folks. a cowboy, a curmudgeon, a biker or a normal guy. take your pick. thank you very much. >> that's all we have. >> curmudgeon. >> curmudgeon, right? it is america. debate and -- >> idaho has some characters. >> they do. they didn't bring up potatoes, though. not at all there. here is a look ahead for you. how many americans will be hitting the road for memorial day weekend? aaa releasing the holiday travel forecast. millions of americans usually drive 15 miles or more to the beach, campground or other getaway. happy birthday to megan fox, 28. tori spelling, 41. janet jackson, 48. i'm richard lui with bill karins and the entire "early today" team, thanks for watching "early today." have a great weekend.

right now at 4:30 the growing mystery around a woman's body found inside a south bay home. who police now have in custody. well, do they have an arsonist on their hands? bay area fire crews on alert this morning for someone starting fires next to houses. only on nbc bay area, she felt violated and exposed. what a bay area teacher is saying about a game that went on inside a local school. a live look outside this morning. a beautiful look at the bay bridge. it is friday, may 16th. this is "today in the bay." well, good morning to you, 4:30, it's a friday, i'm scott mcgrew. >> it is a friday. i'm