coming up on "early today," a wicked weekend weather day. it has claimed five live s dangerous rip tides move up the east coast. new details surrounding a 400 pound gorilla killed after a 4-year-old fell into his cage. and the candidates who battle the donald. a conservative power broker said there will be a soon to be person to take on donald trump. a frightening and deadly shooting in houston. a rookie running on fumes wins the indy 500. and we honor the fallen. "early today" starts right now. good morning, everybody.

at least five people are dead and three more missing after severe weather triggers devastating flooding in the plains. four bodies were found in washington county, texas, alone after nearly two feet of water flooded the area in just a few hours. three people were in their cars when flood waters swept them away. while the town of bandera, torrential downpours led to widespread damage. one man and son were trying to leave an rv park when they were swept off the highway by flood waters. the weight of the water collapsed the roof of the local newspaper office. rosenberg the roads are covered with eight feet of water. 2600 inmates were evacuated in the town of roshram. this was recorded inside a school bus that was dropping kids off from school. looks like a boat waiting through flood waters. meanwhile, tropical storm bonnie has weakened to a tropical depression, but it's still

slamming the carolinas and georgia with heavy rain, winds, high surf. at least one beach goer in north carolina has been reported missing. drivers trying to get away in jasper county, south carolina, had to form a caravan line just to stay on course. in charleston residents parked on their lawn to escape a street now turned into a river. one homeowner was recording the rising flood water that came perilously close to his front door. we'll have more of this memorial day forecast in just a few minutes. terrifying moments at the cincinnati zoo this weekend. a mother watches in horror as her 3-year-old son falls into the gorilla exhibit and is violently dragged by a 400 pound silverback. at times the massive primate violently drags the boy while at other times it appears protective. with no time to spare zoo keepers acted with lethal force. nbc has the tense moments all caught on camera. >> reporter: ten minutes of terror. >> mommy's right here. >> reporter: this cell phone video showing a 400 pound gorilla and behind him in the

corner of his exhibit a 3-year-old boy. suddenly screams. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: the gorilla dragging the boy through the water and then stops. you can hear the mother talking to her son trying to keep him calm. >> mommy loves you. i'm right here. >> reporter: at one point the boy looks up and the two briefly touch hands. the gorilla stands him up then drags him away. zoo keepers say they had no choice. a tranquilizer would have taken too long and they had to put the gorilla down. >> we have rescued the child. >> you're talking about an animal over 400 pounds and extremely strong so the child wasn't under attack but all sorts of things could happen in a situation like that. >> reporter: the gorilla named harambe, an endangered silverback. cincinnati zoo celebrating his 17th birthday the day before he was killed. the boy was taken to the hospital but is expected to be okay. witnesses say his mother was

watching several children when he slipped through a barrier and fell into the moat. >> the little boy himself had already been talking about wanting to go in, go in, get in the water and his mother's like, no, you're not, no, you're not. >> reporter: the zoo now reexamining the barriers around the exhibit. meanwhile, some mourning his death are questioning the killing. pointing to other examples of children falling into exhibits. or this gorilla in 1996 in chicago who cared for an injured boy and carried him to zoo keepers at the exhibit door. >> be calm. >> this case, much more unpredictable. a boy's live in danger, a risk zoo keepers wouldn't take. connie schwartz, nbc news. republicans may have finally recruited the third party candidate they have been wishing for. influential conservative bill kristol posted this on twitter. just a heads up over this holiday weekend, there will be an independent candidate, an

impressive one with a strong team and a real chance. donald trump divided the news saying bill kristol has been wrong for two years and embarrassed loser but if the gop can't control their own, then they are not a party. be tough r's. the republican party has to be smart and strong if it wants to win in november. can't allow light weights to set up a spoiler indie candidate. the race for president now goes up to four after former new mexico governor gary johnson won the libertarian nomination this weekend. he embraced the never trump. >> taking him on with the fact that he wants to deport 11 million immigrants. taking him on that he wants to kbild building a fence across

the border. taking him on when he says that mexicans are murderers and rapists, absolutely. call him out on what is really racist. it's just racist. >> meanwhile, trump took part at the annual rolling thunder rally on the national mall. the bikers raise awareness for unaccounted for pows missing in action. trump ridiculed hillary clinton and called reporters low lives and did his best to bring people to his side. >> hillary doesn't know anything about jobs. she thinks the va is doing good. did you see a statement a couple of months ago? the veterans administration is doing a good job. if she thinks they're doing a good job, then i've been wasting a lot of time because i know the vets and they are miserable with what's happening. >> and while trump continues to make in roads rallying his party behind him, holdouts like bill kristol and erick erickson remain strictly against him. even actor and former governor arnold schwarzenegger said he would announce his support in

his own time and way. meanwhile, bernie sanders may have put all of his hopes on the california primary but the candidate isn't entirely against being on the same ticket with hillary clinton. while he said he's drafting an appeal letter to super delegates, he did not reject a vp slot on clinton's ticket when asked. a community is on alert this morning after a shooting spree in houston. police describe the scene as chaotic. a gunman with a rifle in tow fired bullets randomly hitting seven people. gunfire hit surrounding people, a police helicopter overhead, even a nearby gas pump that burst into flames. a bomb squad was called to the scene to detonate a suspicious item. a s.w.a.t. team killed the man and six others were injured including two officers who have since been released from the hospital. shark attacks reported on both coasts gave beach goers quite a square.

first in california a woman with large bites on the upper torso. the incident prompted officials to close down a three mile stretch newport beach. helicopters flew across the shoreline looking for sitings of a shark. with no sighting, they said the bite may have come from a sea lie on. a florida teen was bitten by a shark in two feet of water. he sustained severe injuries to his leg and is now recovering in a hospital. pope francis celebrated three high profile hollywood actors over the weekend. salma hayek, george clooney and richard gere. the actors are ambassadors for the vatican celebration for scholas occurrentes, a program called schools that meet. they link technology with the arts. it's an event that they stress the importance of celebrity involvement saying they can

transmit important values. well, bonnie is tracking the weather outside this morning. bonnie schneider is here. good to see you. how is it shaping up? >> tropical storm five miles west has maximum winds at 30 miles per hour. we're still looking at a rain maker through the mid-atlantic and northeast. you can see the rain sweeping across cape hatteras. the storm is slowly on the move. look what's happening in new york city and into the city, philadelphia some heavy rain coming through. yes, that is related to bonnie. across the southern plains, there is a risk for severe weather. 2 million people at risk for severe thunderstorms. main threat will be large hail and damaging storms. texas does not need the rain. we've certainly seen a lot of it. another thing is a big rm out

west. look at the numbers for tuesday. las vegas you're looking at afwov temperature in palm sprin and all the way from 90s to 101 degrees. 101, that's hot. bonnie, thank you for that. veterans issues front and center for the presidential candidates. plus, incredible landslides caught on camera. we have those details straight ahead. introducing the amopé electronic nail care system. the fast way to file.

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i'm my bargain detergent, ithift couldn't keep up.ter. so i switched to tide pods. they're super concentrated... so i get a better clean. voted 2016 product of the year. if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. welcome back, everybody. veterans issues taking center stage on this memorial day. when presumptive nominee donald trump addressed bikers at the

annual rolling thunder presentation and when hillary clinton is with candidates. she'll be marching in the memorial day parade in adopted hometown of chappaqua. tracie potts has the story. >> reporter: politics focussing on veterans this morning. donald trump saying that they will get better treatment than immigran immigrants. >> thousands of people are dieing waiting in line to see a doctor. that is not going to happen anymore. >> reporter: the clintons march in their hometown parade on defense about her e-mail as supporters urge bernie sanders to read the handwriting on the wall. >> if he did that he would know that it's all but over. >> reporter: but sanders is fighting for california's primary one week from tomorrow. he's standing with farm workers. >> conditions exist today for our farm workers, the people who feed us that should not exist and have got to change. >> reporter: and chiding donald

trump for backing out of a possible debate. trump's campaign chair now says they'll wait until clinton or sanders wins. >> when there's a democratic nominee mr. trump will debate whoever emerges from the system. >> reporter: he could face more competition this fall. libertarians just nominated former new mexico governor gary johnson and conservatives are promising, quoting here, an impressive independent with a strong team and a real chance. could that be rubio, could that be romney? could it be some other republicans? you can imagine donald trump's response to that on twitter. he calls these conservatives behind the independent light weights fielding a spoiler, betty. it was a deadly memorial day weekend in chicago. by early sunday a string of over two dozen shootings killed four people and injured 40. among them veronica lopez was shot and

killed while riding in the passenger's seat of a car. the uptick in violence comes despite efforts by police to deploy thousands of additional officers. only five months into the year over 200 people have been killed in chicago. take a look at china. a landslide pummels down a mountain side right as a mini van and motorcycle drive by. lucky the passersby make a narrow escape from being buried alive. so just ahead, a rookie takes the checkered flag at indy. and a hometown win for jordan spieth. sports is next. ♪ ♪ of course you go all out for date night... ♪ ...even if you're just staying in. ♪ walgreens has all the beauty products you need for whatever makes you feel beautiful.

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this morning on "today," the ladies of fifth harmony perform live on the plaza with their latest chart topping album. let's get you caught up on sports with my friend betty. good morning betty. >> jordan spieth going for his first professional win in his home state of texas at the colonial. the second ranked player in the world started the day with nine straight pars and then caught fire on the back nine. this is the eighth career victory for the 22-year-old and his first since his disastrous back nine at the masters. now to 24-year-old alexander rossi and the winner of the 100th running of the indianapolis 500 in his rookie

run at indy. rossi was able to finish with a fuel tank empty. 66 to one odds to join the flag and celebrate with milk. nascar held the longest race of the year, the coca-cola 600. pole sitter martin truex jr. came away with his first win. he dominated the race city setting a new nascar win leading 392 out of 400 laps. and james morrison hits it and takes home a $142,000 bmw with. that's a good looking car. >> that is is good looking car. just ahead, a new show many are calling the next carol burnett show. plus, johnny depp's latest movie tanks after the actor suffers a series of personal dilemmas. details up next. details up next. ta olsen is my . i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate,

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what to look at relapsing way multiple sclerosis? this is tecfidera. tecfidera is not an injection. it's a pill for relapsing ms that has the power to cut relapses in half. imagine what you could do with fewer relapses. tecfidera may cause serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, pml, which is a rare brain infection that usually leads to death or severe disability, and decreases in your white blood cells. the most common side effects

are flushing and stomach problems. tell your doctor about any low white blood cell counts, infections, any other medical conditions, or if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. learn more about the most prescribed pill for relapsing ms in the us, at tecfidera.com. talk to your doctor about tecfidera, and take another look at relapsing ms. now to some entertainment news. johnny depp and amber herd are in the start of a contentious divorce proceeding. a judge granted herd a restraining order after she made domestic abuse allegations. lily rose said my dad is the sweetest, most loving person i know. he's been nothing but a wonderful father to my little brother and i and everyone who knows him would say the same. meanwhile, depp's movie "alice through the looking glass" was panned by critics but performed

well. the movie came in second with $28 million far behind "x. men apocalypse" with $69 million. tomorrow night is the premiere of "maya and marty." a new show coming to nbc. >> beyonce! >> maya rudolph and martin short had a blast teaming up with "saturday night live's" 40th anniversary. >> that was the gift that keeps on giving. >> they had never worked together before but snl's creator was struck by their chemistry. >> maya and me in charge of that section. >> very good. and working with him. >> so we were -- i know. that hooked on phonics. thank you. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: chemistry like that with performance. >> you are the sweetest canadian. >> someone ate a hot dog. >> taking on a variety show was not a leap. >> this is an entertainment explosion. >> yes. >> entertainment explosion, i like that.

that might be in the logo. >> oh, i just thought of a jingle. >> reporter: promising a fast-paced show with lots of guest stars including jimmy fallon, tom hanks and miley cyrus on night one. >> variety is what i have wanted to do because it was the roots of what i've always done. >> sounds like somebody's been practicing. >> it's going to feel loose and kind of as if -- and yet as if we're hanging and doing a party in your living room assuming you paid a lot of money to have us come to your living room. >> reporter: having them on your screen might be as much fun. >> looking forward to seeing that. >> this is "early today." or small. first to go.

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leading the news on nbcnews.com, memorial day tributes honor fallen service members. as we honor america's bravest who paid the ultimate fight to help preserve our freedom, a moving series of images can be found on our website. i encourage you to check it out on nbcnews.com. iraqi forces enter fallujah. the offensive came from three directions. so far 80% of surrounding territory has been recovered. they told the estimated 50,000 remaining residents to leave the city or stay indoors. the city is one of the last major islamic state strong holds in iraq along with the second largest city, mosul. he is known as the human arrow. on sunday jeb corliss lived up to the name once again dropping out of a helicopter wearing a wing suit and attempting to hit

a target over the great wall of china. we have more on his wild ride. >> climb out. >> reporter: the starting line, 6,000 feet up. the finish, a paper bull's eye the size of an apple suspended over the great wall of china. >> rock my world. >> reporter: all jeb corliss had to do to make history, hit the target at 120 miles an hour. >> this is a project about precision. this was a project about doing something that was really, really hard. >> reporter: the 40-year-old has made a name for himself cheating death with jumps from the world's tallest building, the sky park in singapore, malaysia's citronis towers and flights barely squeezing through the smallest gaps. today's no cliffs but tail winds. >> it was gusting but it made it difficult to home in.

>> reporter: corliss fighting to stay on target and coming in fast covering 6,000 feet in 46 seconds. >> you've got t. you've got it. >> reporter: the human arrow mere ins from a direct hit. >> i barely got up and got the target. it was super scary. >> reporter: close enough and alive to tell the tale. nbc news. >> that is so frightening. every time i watch him i feel like i'm on pins and needles. you feel like he's going to make it because he's a professional but at the same time he's going so fast. >> he said that happened in six seconds. it was like watching superman fly through really fast. >> right. exactly. sometimes he gets maneuvering through cliffs and whatnot. celebrating birthdays, singer and former judge on "the voice," cee-lo green. idina manzel. "happy days" ted mcginley turns 48. on this memorial day...

president obama honors the tomoe unknown soldier.... and bay area also celebrates those who have served our country... scott//vo and the race to the white house heats up... senator bernie sanders descends upon californi >> the race for the white house heats up. senator bernie sanders descends upon california hoping to woo voters. are you ready? sharks and warriors play tonight. "today in the bay" starts right now. a very memorial day to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm scott mcgrew in for sam brock. >> the valley heating up over the next few days. right now we have low clouds.