forward by carol burnett, which is really great, is now on paperback. jane, thank you very much. any time you want to do the show. i can get an $11 blazer. >> terrific. this show, i can wear an $11 blazer. >> that's terrific! >> "first look" is up next. deja vu? president obama warns republicans against a repeat of last year's debt ceiling deadlock. in harm's way. an oregon firefighter falls through a burning roof while battling a condo fire. and ring of fire. residents of the western u.s. will be treated to a rare and spectacular solar event this weekend. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

and we begin this morning with debt ceiling redo. president obama sat down with congressional leaders in washington yesterday aiming to get a jump-start on an expiring budget deal that went down to the wire last year. but critics say it is a long-shot before november elections. nbc's steve handelsman has details. >> reporter: at the white house, the president lunched with congressional leaders to avoid a repeat of last summer's fights that trashed the nation's credit rating. barack obama versus john boehner on spending cuts and tax hikes. they failed to make a grand bargain, and their short-term deals expire in december. buying hogies to serve at talks, president obama would vow no down-to-the-wire talks this fall. right now, he wants tax cuts for small businesses that hire more workers, saying the recovery can't wait. >> and one of the ways that we can sustain momentum is for congress to take some actions right now, even though it's election season, even though

there's gridlock, even though there's partisanship. >> reporter: a clear election move by the president. countered by house speaker boehner, who liked the hogies but not the call for another program that would increase the deficit. >> where's the president's plan to tackle our looming debt crisis? >> reporter: in florida, mitt romney agreed, small business needs help, but -- >> you don't raise taxes on them like the president's proposing. in fact, you lower the marginal rate. >> reporter: joe biden fired back. the democrats' plan is to hike taxes on million yarz like romney, who biden charged don't understand the middle class. >> my mother and father dreamed as much as any rich guy dreams! >> absolutely! >> they don't get us! they don't get who we are! >> reporter: what republicans call class warfare, along with a refocus on the big issues. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news,

washington. elsewhere, nbc news has viewed two medical reports that may tell two different stories about february's shooting death of florida teen trayvon martin by neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman. nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff reports from sanford, florida. >> reporter: florida teenager trayvon martin died from a single bullet wound to his chest, fired from a gun at intermediate range, according to an autopsy report prepared by a medical examiner and reviewed by nbc news. there is one other fresh injury on martin's body, according to the report, an abrasion no more than a quarter of an inch in size to his left ring finger below the knuckle. as for the man with whom he struggled that night and is now charged with his death, george zimmerman, he, too, suffered injuries, according to a separate medical report prepared by his family doctor the day after the shooting. that report, also reviewed by nbc news, states that zimmerman had a "likely broken nose" as

well as "swelling," "black eyes" and "scalp lacerations," but there were no sutures needed. these reports are only a small piece of a mountain of evidence about to be made public, up to 300 pages and 67 cds of witness statements, surveillance videos and other material. but as of evidence dribbles out, it's raising as many questions about what happened that night as answers. >> it's possible that the defense will be able to use this to indicate that trayvon martin was in some ways the aggressor, and if he is, the story of course will be that george zimmerman is defending himself, in which case he would be covered by stand your ground imute. >> reporter: but a lawyer for the martin family says the injuries prove nothing because zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer, started the confrontation in the first place. >> what with do know from the evidence is that george zimmerman got out of his car with a .9-millimeter gun and pursued a teenager who he, george zimmerman said in his own words, was running away from him. >> reporter: as the evidence

continues to emerge in this highly charged case, the dueling narratives are only likely to intensif intensify. michael isikoff, nbc news, sanford, florida. and here is your "first look" at some of the other news going on around america today. in oregon, some scary moments for a firefighter who fell right through the roof of a three-story building. fortunately, one of his buddies quickly gave a signal that he was just fine. they were battling a fire that destroyed three condos. a new jersey man will never be far from his music. that's because he had four small magnets implanted into his arm so he could keep his ipod nano attached to his wrist. why, you may ask? he says he did it because he was fascinated by the idea of a strapless watch, and the nano came with a clock interface. okay. and finally, a group of indiana students are in trouble over what seemed like a harmless prank, right? they stuck 10,000 post-it notes to various parts of their high school. they even worked with a

custodian to make sure it wouldn't cause any real problems, but now the students have been suspended, the janitor could be fired. the apparently humorless superintendents say they didn't have official permission, so there have to be consequences. lessons learned. now for a look at your national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, that seems like something you would have done in high school. you were into pranks. >> that's harmless. that's fun. what did your senior class do in high school, do you remember? >> no, i don't remember, actually. that's sad. we painted a rock that was, like, in front of our high school, but we were allowed to. that was about as adventurous as i got. >> you guys were crazy. >> yeah, we were crazy. we tagged it. >> good morning, everyone. we have a gorgeous forecast in so many areas of the country today. the exceptions are down along the southeast coast. here's what's changed from today compared to yesterday morning. the cold front has pushed through new england. and after three days of kind of murky, kind of damp weather, we're clearing it out. sunshine, low humidity, gorgeous

weather out there today. now, down the southeast, that's where the front's kind of getting hung up. it's tough this time of year. the air mass is so warm and so humid, it's hard to get these cold fronts to push too far to the south anymore, and so it's going to get hung up along the southeast coast. a weak storm system is already there. it's going to intensify in the days ahead. so anywhere from the carolina coastline, south carolina down to georgia and all of florida, that's where it's still humid. the dry air mass has moved through the great lakes and into the northeast. so, here's a look at the radar. south florida's definitely the worst of it. we've had downpours, even thunder and lightning overnight around miami. homestead's getting a thunderstorm that's now pushing down through southern portions of the greater miami area. and also, ft. lauderdale, the boca has had some rain to deal with, and this will continue on and off as we go throughout the morning. here's your forecast for today. the southeast, on-and-off rain, but atlanta looks fine today. there's been thunderstorms around augusta, georgia, but from d.c., richmond, raleigh, charlotte, northwards through new york, philly, all the way through new england, this is one of the best days of the spring

for you. chicago's gorgeous today, too. minneapolis is nice. maybe a 20% chance of a shower this morning, but that's about it. and even texas looks pretty good. and lynn, we're going to do it all over again tomorrow. i just advanced the weather map, although you really couldn't tell because it's literally, what you have today is what you're going to get tomorrow. >> that makes your job easier. >> yes, it does. >> two for one. thanks, bill. coming up, losses mount at jpmorgan chase, jcpenney plunges, and kicked out of an all-you-can-eat buffet? your look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, kevin garnett turns back the colors, the lakers get thunder-struck, and is larry bird the greatest basketball mind ever? you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

an airline has planes... and people. and the planes can seem the same so, it comes down to the people. because, bad weather the price of oil those are every airlines reality. and solutions won't come from 500 tons of metal and a paint job. they'll come from people. delta people. who made us one of the biggest airlines in the world. and then decided that wasn't enough.

look." i'm lynn berry, and here's some of the top stories making news this morning. in a surprise move in the trial of john edwards, his defense team rested its case yesterday

without calling the former democratic presidential candidate, his ex-mistress, or even edwards' daughter to testify about alleged campaign finance violations. closing arguments are now scheduled for today. mary richardson kennedy, the estranged wife of robert kennedy jr., was found dead in her new york home. a source familiar with the investigation told nbc news her death appears to be a suicide. the census bureau has made it official. for the first time, caucasian births are no longer a majority in the united states. whites accounted for 49.6% of all births, while minorities, including hispanics, blacks and asians, reached 50.4%. hey, here's some good news for all of us. a new study finds that men who drank at least six cups of coffee a day had a 10% lower chance of death, and for women, the risk of dying was 15% lower. see? it's not so rough getting up this early. and for the first time in 18

years, in the western part of the united states, you can catch a rare type of solar eclipse this sunday. a ring of fire will radiate from behind the moon as it passes in front of the sun. the ring will be bright, so you're going to need to use solar-safe telescopes or projection methods to watch it. well, arizona republican congressman trent franks is holding a hearing today on a bill he's proposed that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy in washington, d.c. well, last night on "the rachel maddow show," eleanor holmes norton, the district of columbia's only elected delegate to congress, told rachel she's being denied an opportunity to testify on behalf of the city's residents. >> there's one and only one reason why he targets the district of columbia, it's the principal matter, rachel. why wouldn't he want this principle to apply to every district in the united states? this is a straight-out cowardly case of bullying.

because the congress has somewhat more jurisdiction over the district than others, because he doesn't have the nerve to try to case this on the united states of america, he's trying to make his ideological point by going, like a big bully, at the only residents who don't have a voting member -- yes, i vote in committee -- but no voting member on the final vote and has no senators to protect the district. that's why he's doing it, a straight-out gang up on the most disempowered district in the united states of america. but let me tell you something about us, we know how to fight back. >> don't miss "the rachel maddow show" week nights at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc, the place for politics. all right, now, here's your "first look" at how wall street's going to kick off the day. the dow opens the day at 12,598 after falling 33 points yesterday. the s&p was down five points. the nasdaq lost 19. taking a look at overseas trading this morning.

in tokyo, the nikkei added 75 points, but in hong kong, the hang seng dipped 58. well, fears greece will exit the eurozone and default on its bailout have global investors on edge. a greek judge was sworn in to oversee greece's interim government yard line until new elections can be held on june 17th. making matters worse, the european central bank has stopped funding several weekend greek banks as fearful customers drain the institutions of millions of euros. worries sent anxious investors fleeing to the safety of the dollar, sending it to its strongest position against the euro since january. well, this morning, gold recovered 1% after falling to its lowest level since december yesterday. "the new york times" reports jpmorgan chase has already racked up another $1 billion in losses stemming from its multibillion dollar trading blunder, this as shareholders have begun suing the bank for taking excessive risk.

jcpenney sank 20% on weak earnings, its biggest decline in at least four decades, including the 1987 stock market crash. elsewhere, skechers usa will pay $50 million to sell allegati settle allegations about false advertising about its toning shoes. and speaking of truth in advertising, this guy from wisconsin learned the hard way that all-you-can-eat could be open to interpretation. he's 6'6", 350, and he was kicked out of chuck's place after eating a dozen pieces of fried fish. well, they sent him home with another eight pieces, but he still called the cops and he insists he's going to picket outside the restaurant until they change their policy. well, the celts topped the sixers, the o's outlast the royals and larry bird still winning nba awards. plus, a third-period tip-in goal helps the devils get even. your first look at sports is

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[ engine turns over ] [ male announcer ] we began with the rx. [ tires squeal ] then we turned the page, creating the rx hybrid. ♪ now we've turned the page again with the all-new rx f sport. ♪ this is the next chapter for the rx and the next chapter for lexus. see your lexus dealer. welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. and in sports, last night in the nba playoffs, metta world peace got a little payback for that big elbow. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning. now, whether you lose by 29 or you lose by 2, a loss is a loss. lakers and thunder, game two oklahoma city. a little redemption for james harden, caught metta world peace with an inadvertent elbow. no harm, no foul. the thunder up three at the

half. the lakers found their game. kobe bryant to pau gasol, dished to andrew bynum. but the thunder hung on and went on an incredible run, finished the game with nine straight. lakers gave it everything but it wasn't enough and the thunder rally to win 79-77. big game in philly. yeah, a real big game. final seconds of the first quarter. lou williams stopped and popped and drained the three at the buzzer. the sixers up five. but the second belonged to the celts. that's when kevin garnett took over, scored 13 of his 27 in the quarter. he turns 36 on saturday but was playing like he was 26. celts were up 11 at the break and kept it going in second half. rajon rondo to paul pierce. boston led by as many as 27 and won it 107-91. pacers president larry bird won the executive of the year award. he's the only person in league history to win a regular season mvp, a finals mvp, coach of the year and executive of the year. pretty impressive resume. hockey. the best way to score on a hot

goalie is to get traffic in front of the net. that's exactly what the devils did. after they were shut out in game one, they scored two goals by deflecting the puck past henrik lundqvist. carter tied it in the second and then in the third, david clarkson tipped the puck out of midair and that's your game-winner. tip the hat to the devils. they earned the split in new york with a 3-2 win. game three is saturday on nbc. finally, extra innings in kansas city. adam jones in his first six at-bats picked a perfect time to snap out of that slump. a home run in the 15th inning, and that's your ball game. o's won it 4-3. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. and now for another look at the weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, good morning. >> you're in such a good mood because you're already planning your sunny, nice weekend. >> what? maybe just a little bit. just a little. >> yeah, i know. a lot of people are going to enjoy this stretch of weather out there across the nation. the southeast coastline and florida, that's going to be the exception. much of the rest of the nation looking perfect out there through the middle of this may. we had thunderstorms last night going through areas of northern

new england. they have cleared out. it is going to be a beautiful day. it's actually a little chilly this morning. pittsburgh's at 40 degrees. probably have to turn the heater on in the car. but temperatures are dropping in areas of southern new england, down through the mid-atlantic as the cold front moves through, the winds shift to the north and they push all that humid air out over the open waters. so, today's forecast, the sun is going to beat down. should have a picture-perfect blue skies out there. upstate new york into the 60s. we'll be in the low 70s in southern new england. mid-atlantic will be in the 70s. even pittsburgh will jump back up to near 69 degrees today. back in texas, it's going to be a warm day, near 90 today in dallas. denver looks great, kansas city, the beat goes on here, all the way through the west, too. just isolated chance of showers like seattle, but even that, i mean -- >> it's gorgeous. >> yeah. >> she's a butte. bill, thank so much. well, the dictator almost takes a dive and will smith goes olympian. and plus -- almost -- forbes' list of the 100 most powerful and influential celebrities is out.

and guess who topped the list? >> kim kardashian? is that why we're showing that video? >> no. we're burying the lead. >> okay. >> your first look at entertainmeente entertainment straight ahead. wake up!

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i saw this as a new online reality show premiering this summer called "the mormon bachelor." well, see, "the mormon bachelor." at start of the show, the bachelor dates 25 contestants, and by the end, he's married to 25 contestants, and you're on the edge of your seat going, what order are they going to get married in? hey, here's some 2012 election news. a new poll found that mitt romney is actually ahead of

president obama among female voters. which explains obama's new slogan "i'm barack obama and i love "50 shades of grey." some tech news. i read about a new app that tells your facebook friends if you're not following your diet. of course, your friends could always figure it out the other way, by looking at your photos on facebook. you're not sticking to your diet, are you, gary? >> tonight, jimmy welcomes arsenio hall from "celebrity apprentice" and musical guest paul weller. that's "late night with jimmy fallon," week nights at 12:35, 11:35 central time on your local nbc station. open your eyes, bill, the show is not over yet. it's time for entertainment news -- >> not paying attention. >> amid rumors that she's about to leave "american idol," jennifer lopez now finds herself at the height of her powers. she tops this year's "forbes celebrity 100" list with $52 million in earnings and massive amounts of media spotlight.

i would not have called that. she beats out oprah in second place. the biebs, hey -- >> still second. >> i know, right? he took third. he's going to be around for a while. >> where's justin timberlake? >> nope. rihanna was fourth and last year's top finisher lady gaga finished fifth. what happened there? elsewhere, the cannes film festival opened with a star-studded red carpet mobbed by paparazzi. and while the dictator isn't in competition, it didn't stop sacha baron cohen from a publicity stunt with a camel. can't lose with that? the camel almost stopped him, though, and cohen almost tumbled off. he made it. ryan seacrest is laughing. >> this is bad. finally in london for last year's premiere "men in black 3," will smith met with athletes who will be performing in the summer olympics, he tried hurdles and the triple jump. >> looks good. >> he did look like a legitimate contender in boxing. of course, you do remember that

film. >> he did a lot of training for that. he had a little bob-and-weave going. >> that's still working. >> that "forbes" list is so cool. where's ryan seacrest? >> i don't know. >> he like runs everything. >> we're going to investigate it. "way too early" is next. >> let's go. a week after playing a big role in the president's evolution on gay marriage, a fired up joe biden leads the fight against mitt romney and his record at bain capital. the question is, do those middle class voters in ohio, where biden was pounding the podium yesterday, buy the argument that four more years of an obama administration is the best way back for them? you can add another billion dollars to that loss by jpmorgan chase, first announced by ceo jamie dimon last week as $2 billion. this is the man behind the trade, the so-called london whale is sent packing. the question is, w