good morning. coming up on "early today," bergdahl backlash grows. new video released this morning of the moment bowe bergdahl was released by the taliban. but back at home, the war from senators on both sides of the aisle about the white house deal to free our p.o.w. is getting louder. severe weather. ferocious storms with torrential rains, high winds, and hail causing all sorts of trouble around the country. we'll show you what's ahead today. business of politics. election results from eight states are giving a definite sign of where our country is headed. plus, a wedding day dunking that couldn't stop love, an increase in laser pointers disrupting pilot, and donald sterling speaks out about the nba. it's wednesday, june 4th. "early today" starts right now.

good morning. i'm d.a. ra brown. breaking overnight, the taliban has released video showing sergeant bowe bergdahl being handed over to american forces. the video seen here was sent to nbc news by a known taliban spokesperson. it shows bergdahl waiting as a u.s. helicopter lands. he's then escorted by men carrying a white flag. bergdahl is patted down before being loaded into the chopper. meanwhile, the president has found himself plague defense on the issue of swapping sergeant bergdahl for five detained terror suspects. nbc's chief political correspondent chuck todd reports from warsaw, poland. >> reporter: what began as a triumphant rose garden announcement 72 hours ago has now exploded into a full-blown political firestorm with the president facing sharp questions about bergdahl's disappearance,

the threat the taliban commanders used in the exchange, and bypassing congress. traveling in warsaw, the president waved off questions about why bergdahl left his unit. >> regardless of the circumstance, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an american soldier back if he's held in captivity, period. full stop. >> reporter: and he played down the risk of the taliban commanders' release. >> is there the possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to us? absolutely. that's been true of all the prisoners that were released from guantanamo >> reporter: the president said the need for secrecy and speed trumped the need to inform congress in realtime, but he claimed the idea of this exchange was something congress knew about for three years. on capitol hill, senate intelligence committee leaders from both parties said that didn't qualify as consultation and accused the president of violating the law. >> it comes with some surprise

and dismay that the transfers went ahead with no consultation, totally not following the law. >> i hadn't had a conversation with the white house on this issue in a year and a half. if that's keeping us in the loop, then, you know, this administration is more arrogant than i thought they were. >> reporter: speaker boehner promised congre promised congressional hearings. the white house expected blowback over the taliban release. what they didn't expect was scrutiny in bergdahl's intent in leaving. >> that was chuck todd reporting. america's heartland is getting hammered. there will be 400 reports of severe weather in central states like nebraska and iowa. >> the wind started picking up and stuff was hitting the house. we headed to the basement. we could hear stuff banging around. >> the storms made for dangerous driving conditions for many people out on the roads. drivers in nebraska caught this

gust-nado on camera. the winds were very strong in missouri valley, iowa. here the roof of an inn was blown right off. and that's not all. hail caused extensive damage. more than 4500 vehicles were pummelled at two dealerships in nebraska and iowa. the owner estimates that's about $152 million worth of inventory. hail shouldn't be much of a threat today, but strong winds and storms could be on the way for parts of missouri and illinois. meteorologist bill karins will have more in a few minutes. we're down to the wire and still watching votes trickle in from minnesota. with 99.5% of the votes in, the associated press reports mcdaniel holds les than a 1% lead. if neither candidate wins a simple majority, it will force a costly runoff election. senator cochran chose not to speak to his supporters last night, but mcdaniel in a

late-night speech rallied his backers. >> this is a historic moment in this state's history. and because of your hard work, because of your dedication, we sit here tonight leading a 42-year incumbent. >> meanwhile, iowa could elect its first woman to congress this november. joni ernst has won that state's primary. backed by sarah palin, she will face congressman bruce braley in november. she referenced her ad that made headlines about her growing up castrating hogs. >> i grew up walking beans, canning food, and feeding hogs on our family farm. and, yes, some of you may know that i did more than just feed the hogs. >> and california's governor

jerry brown declared victory in the state's gubernatorial primary. he's headed to the general election where he will seek an unprecedented fourth term as governor. more details have emerged in the scandal involving the veterans health care system. delayed care and a cover-up of excessive wait times for veterans wasn't just limited to phoenix. as many as ten secret waiting lists were also found in hospitals in kansas, missouri, illinois, and indiana. there's also been growing speculation over who will replace eric shinseki, who resigned last week as head of the department of veteran affairs. sources tell nbc the obama administration has spoken with dr. toby cosgrove, but no offer has been made. officials are reportedly trying to gauge if the heart surgeon would be interested in taking the top job. meanwhile, four senate republicans are pushing for an alternative va health care bill. under the proposed plan, veterans would be given more options. they'd be able to see a private doctor, visit a military

hospital or a community health care center if they're forced to wait more than a month for an appointment at at va clinic. pulitzer prize winning "new york times" columnist maureen dowd reports that she recently tried marijuana and it didn't do so well. they traveled to colorado to cover the state's legalization of marijuana and tried the edible pot. she said the caramel covered chocolate candy bar didn't take effect right away, but, quote, i laid curled up in a that louis that story state for the next eight hours. she further explains, as my paranoia deepened, i thought i had died and no one told me. dowd doesn't say how much of the candy bar she ate, as many on twitter pointed out. but she does say after the fact she was told the bar should have been divided into 16 pieces. that's a lot. for those who aren't regular marijuana users.

and it took nine years for nasa to create the most comprehensive and colorful photo of deep space yet. this one image contains 10,000 of the oldest galaxies in the universe and trillions of stars. at 10 billion light years away, these massive clusters are as faint as a fire fly can be seen from the distance of the moon. this bouquet of some of the oldest galaxies in the universe will help scientists uncover the secrets of how stars are formed. and nbc's bill karins is here with more on that severe weather outbreak. >> one of the worst severe weather outbreaks we've seen this year. but still no reports of any fatalities. that is fantastic considering it went into this with a moderate risk yesterday morning, then up to a high risk yesterday afternoon. when we get a high risk of severe weather, that only happens two or three times a year. usually you're going to get some bad storms with fatalities. we didn't have them, so that's great. all 420 reports of severe weather, the worst of it was in nebraska. still even at this hour, we have a line of strong storms that

still remains across missouri and going through the st. louis area. a lot of lightning with those storms and some damaging winds. we still have a lot of flooding. five inches of rain yesterday in omaha. still flash flooding in northern missouri and central illinois. again, those storms are slowly weakening. they'll fire back up this afternoon. kentucky southern portions of the ohio valley at risk of severe storms later on today. damaging winds. not too many tornadoes. with all the active weather in the middle of the country, as expected, much of the west remains very quiet. your wednesday looks fternoon, more breaks of sunshine. tah tahoe, gorgeous at 75 and sunny. we'll take a look at the forecast as we head towards the weekend coming up for the west. >> the weekend just a few days

away. >> yeah, it's a little early, but i'm looking forward to it. >> sounds good. thanks, bill. a "hunger games" inspired protest in thailand is catching fire. plus, when taking the plunge conjures up a whole new image for weddings. "early today" is back in two. ♪ ♪ fill their bowl with the meaty tastes they're looking for, with friskies grillers. tender meaty pieces and crunchy bites. in delicious chicken, beef, turkey, and garden veggie flavors. friskies grillers.

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and unlike other fibers, you'll aonly know you're taking fiber by the way good digestive health makes you look& and feel. benefiber. clearly healthy. welcome back. president obama is calling on congress to provide up to a billion dollars for so-called european reassurance initiative. the show of support would increase joint exercises and send more military equipment to nato allies in europe in response to russia's recent actions in ukraine. the fbi stepping up efforts to crack down on lasers pointed at planes. a new plan will use public safety messages similar to this one before movies in certain states. they're offering awards of $10,000 for information leading to an arrest. between 2005 and last year, the faa says laser attacks on planes

went from less than 300 to nearly 4,000. check out this amateur video of a colossal fire at a shell plant in the netherlands. the blast and shooting flames forced residents to hunker down in their homes. nbc has not independently authenticated the video, but ap reports that emergency services say two people suffered minor injuries. no word yet on a possible cause for the explosion. the fictional three-finger salute made popular in "the hunger games" has become popular in thailand. military rulers are threatening to arrest groups who use it. old, new, borrowed and blue. how about a soaking wet? yeah, an entire wedding party lined up for a photo shoot just an hour before the ceremony. then as you saw came crashing down, forcing the bridesmaids to

save themselves. they are fine, and believe it or not, the vows were only delays by ten minutes. just ahead, donald sterling speaks out. plus, the rest of your sports highlights for wednesday. revlon colorburst™ matte and lacquer balms two moisture rich finishes velvety matte and high shine lacquer each infused with moisturizing shea, coconut and mango butters... find your finish. revlon

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this morning on "today," al roker is at centennial olympic park in atlanta for day two of

"today's" treasure hunt. today's prize, a trip to new york city to attend a "today" show concert at rockefeller plaza. now let's get the latest on sports from mur friend betty nguyen. >> thanks, dara. we begin with the first comments from donald sterling since the sale of the l.a. clippers. >> it may have worked out differently, but it's good. it's all good. >> so you're done? you're okay? >> well, i'm okay. i'm okay. is the nba okay? i'm not sure about that. >> now, sterling's wife is actually the one who orchestrated a $2 billion sale of the team to ex-microsoft ceo steve ballmer. dan marino withdraws from the latest nfl lawsuit. it comes one day after he reportedly joined 14 other players in the suit against the league for allegedly misleading

them about the long-term effects of concussions. the hall of famer says he was unaware he would be attached to the lawsuit and will instead file a separate claim for medical coverage. san antonio fans leave no doubt on how they feel about this matchup. this billboard says built versus bought. i think you get the picture. it is the first time in 33 years that teams from new york and l.a. are meeting for a title in any major sport. on the diamond, it's robo cop day in detroit. the fictional law man what on hand for the dvd promotion and to throw out the first pitch. not bad. now to the game. toronto has a 2-1 lead when they get three more off this j.d. martinez homer. the tigers try to claw back, scoring three in the bottom of the ninth but still lose 5-3. world cup favorite brazil made it look easy against panama. check out this no-look pass, which leads to a goal and a celebration dance featuring the macarena from the 1990s. that's a throwback.

brazil wins 4-0. >> announcer: "early today" is brought to you by just for men moustache and beard champions of facial hair. >> all right, dara. back to you. >> thank you, betty. just ahead, bill karins is back with a look at what's ahead across america today. . my skin is not perfect. and instead of getting stressed about it, you can just perfect it. new revlon age defying cc cream perfect those little fine lines, the dark spots, the uneven skin tone... correct. protect. perfect.

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all the strength, half the weight. it's built to be as fast o as it is strongadvil. and fights pain at the site of inflammation. and made for people like paul, who believe nothing should stop you from achieving your goals. not doubt. not fear. and definitely not back and shoulder pain. advil has the strength and speed to help you move past pain and make today yours. advil. make today yours. welcome back. as advertised, a very slow weather pattern throughout much of the west.

morning clouds in many coastal areas trying to break out into some sunshine. medford, by the way, will have a beautiful day today at 88 degrees. still very hot in the desert areas. near phoenix, a little cooler maybe towards the weekend, but only a couple degrees. looks like your triple digits are here to stay. even into thursday, doesn't look much different than today out here. still low to mid-70s in seattle and portland. that's pretty nice. even los angeles, we're not looking at any really crazy heat upcoming. gets a little warmer towards the upcoming weekend. all in all, right where we should be. pretty much near average. >> thank you very much, bill karins. >> we like average. >> we do like average. average is good. now we're going to go to the anti-average because we're going to entertainment news. let's take a listen. >> if someone says something that hurts you or angers you, use me as an example of what not to do. and don't respond with hatred or anger because you're just adding more ugliness to the world and, again, i just -- i'm so sorry. >> jonah hill was apologizing for a gay slur he made to a paparazzo that was caught on

camera. hill said this photographer had been following him around all day insulting him and his family. >> guys, thank you for sharing all your love stories. you've shown me a million reasons why love is not a bad thing. this is for you. enjoy it. >> for justin timberlake's not a bad thing music video, he compiled videos and photos that fans sent him through #not a bad love story. the video includes all different kinds of love. and will there be an eighth "game of thrones" book? martin dispelled the rumors saying, quote, i write the stories and they grow. i write certain things and sometimes i find myself not at the end of the story. my plan now is for seven, but first i have to finish book six. angelina jolie was surprised with an early birthday

celebration in china yesterday. he was celebrating when a "maleficent" birthday cake was rolled out. today she turns 39. tweet tweet, the most tweeted about television series for the 2013 through 2014 season are the following. in first place, "breaking bad," "the walking dead," "pretty little liars," "the bachelor," and "game of thrones." >> what's "the bachelor" doing in there? that surprised me. >> there's a whole group of people that watch it. >> i know there's dedicated fans for decades. all the other ones are like hbo, the showtime series, huge hits. "the bachelor" isn't exactly a huge hit. >> but you can tweet about things. just don't give me the ending. don't tell me. i haven't seen it yet. i'm dara brown, and this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. want a fiber that's clearly healthy? benefiber is clear, taste free, and dissolves completely. and unlike other fibers, you'll only know you're taking fiber

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leading the news in "the washington post," jacqueline kennedy's letters to irish priests pulled from auction amid controversy. officials from the college in ireland that own the letters say they're working with the former first lady's family to preserve them. and from nbc chicago, nine sets of twins graduate from the same class. it happened at a middle school outside chicago. three sets of twins are identical. the rest are fraternal. police have arrested and charged a suspect in connection with the beating of v. stiviano. she's the woman at the center of the donald sterling controversy. two men allegedly punched her and yelled racial slurs at her on sunday. in light of that accusation, the suspect will be charged with third degree hate crime and aggravated harassment. the super pac founded by gabrielle giffords and her

husband mark kelly has elected to help candidates who back stricter gun control. the group includes nine democrats and two republicans. americans for responsible solutions has raised almost $15 million since the beginning of last year. now, we all know that mascots are supposed to be the silent type, but this is just something else. when the dayton dragons mascot, heater, met his fan hunter, he stayed silent. in a surprise to everybody, heater used sign language to talk with the deaf 7-year-old. hunter's parents say it is a moment they will never forget. >> mascot of the year. i don't know how they did it. but look at the smile on the boy's face. >> just amazing to see. and what a great way to show other people and other children already other options out there for them. >> it's cool. >> good, yep. now let's look ahead and a look back. a memorial service will be held at temple university for philanthropist and philadelphia enquire ir co-owner lewis katz.

among the speakers, former president bill clinton, ed rendell, senator cory booker, bill cosby and author and historian doris kerns goodwin. katz and six other died friday night when his private jet crashed in massachusetts. today is the 25th anniversary of the deadly student led crackdown in tiananmen square protests. nbc's keith morrison reported from beijing. >> with the bravado of revolutionaries, they prepared molotov cocktails and gathered sticks and stones. when the first armored carrier ran into trouble, the students attacked it. they set it on fire. but there were so many more to come. you are seeing the half of it. already the army had shot its way into the city, filled the morgues and corridors of hospitals. >> i'm dara brown. thanks for watching "early today." hope you have a great wednesday.