it was tried, it's been rejected. it's done. this nato summit and this pro claimed end to the afghan warm didn't necessarily make headlines this week. but we will look back at these things as having made history, even if this week they didn't make much news.history, even if this week they didn't make much news. first look is up next. election heat. our new nbc news poll shows president obama and mitt romney locked in a tight battle for the white house. >> right of way. scary moments as a 3-year-old chinese boy drives his toy motorcycle right into rush hour traffic. and right of passage. u.s. naval academy finish up their first year with a time-honored tradition. good morning. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

we're going to begin this morning with neck and neck. a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll finds president obama locked in a tight race with presumptive gop nominee mitt romney as voters remain pessimistic about the nation's economic future. nbc's tracie potts joins us with those details from washington. trace egood morning. >> hi, lynn. good morning, everyone. let's get try to the numbers because they really do show how tight this race really is. in terms of who is ahead so far, president obama by four points. it's 47% to 43%, but it's important to point out that is a statistical tie between these two candidates. also, watch the trend because the president's number is down about 2 percentage points since last month. mitt romney is about the same as he was in april. now when it comes to gay marriage and the announcement

that the president made supporting same-sex marriage, what if any, impact did that have? about 17% say they are more likely to vote for the president. 20% say they're more likely to vote for romney. about a statistical tie. but take a look at this. the vast majority, almost two-thirds, 62% say it made absolutely no difference at all. and then on the big issue, the economy. only one-third believe that the economy is going to get better in the next year. that's actually down about five points from april, down seven points from march. now mitt romney is moving closer to the nomination. he won kentucky and he won arkansas's republican primary. so it looks like going into texas, he could actually clinch the nomination taking a look at the delegate count. the latest delegate count mitt romney is now only 79 delegates shy of what he needs to win that republican presidential nomination. lynn? >> tracie, thanks. last night on the rachel

maddow show, david axelrod talked about republican mitt romney's campaign ads touting his economic plans. he told rachel he believes they are largely the same policies americans lived through during the bush years. >> mitt romney, as you referred to, has offered a plan that is very much like the plan karl rove and others put into place in the last decade. he wants to cut taxes. $250,000 for millionaires. while raising taxes on 18 million working americans. it is a budget-busting plan that the independent analysts say would add as much as $5 trillion to our deficits. and so for them to run ads suggesting that the problem is debt and they are the answer is absurd. mitt romney has the foreign policy of the 1980s, the social policy of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s which we revisited a decade ago. we don't want to go backward.

we want to go forward and build an economy that is durable in which the middle class is growing and not shrinking. and people who work hard can have a chance. and that's clearly not the policy that mitt romney is offering. >> don't miss rachel maddow's unique take on politics and all the day's top stories. that's the rachel maddow show at 9:00 eastern on mbs nsnbc. the place for politics. and catch "andrea mitchell reports" today at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. she'll be talking presidential politics and much more with former secretary of state colin powell. there's a new warning out this morning that the u.s. economy could fall off a fiscal cliff early next year. allowing the bush-era tax cuts to expire, combine with automatic spending cuts to take effect january 1st could throw the economy into a recession. with the economy shrinking by 1.3%. this is the first time the cbo

has ever predicted a potential recessi recession. but the report argues if congress and the president team up to stop the automatic cuts and tax increases, growth would rise to 4.4%. four secret service employees have decided to fight their dismissals over the recent prostitution scandal in colombia. this morning's "washington post" reports the employees ousted from the agency for engaging in inappropriate conduct with prostitutes at a hotel last month ahead of a presidential visit say they are being made scapegoats for behavior the service has long tolerated. the timing of the charge could not be worse for secret service director mark sullivan. he is scheduled to testify later today before a senate committee. now here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. in texas, a dog knapping was captured by pet store surveillance video. a man grabbed a puppy while a woman used her two daughters to distract the clark. they say that woman also drove

the getaway car. police found the dog, who is adorable, safe and sound and arrested the pair. in new york, a high school student who produced a video against bullying has been suspended for five days. now in the video, she plays a fictional character harassed to the point of committing suicide. it was all made as part of a class assignment, but the superintendent says it caused a distraction. and in maryland, students at annapolis naval academy carried out their yearly battle against gravity and grease. 1,000 freshmen tried to conquer the 21-foot high statue covered in lard. forming a human ladder to help get one of their classmates to the top. after more than two hours, one student did make it. he replaced a dixie cup hat with a midshipman's hat, continuing tradition that started more than 60 years ago. and finally, you think it's bad if it rains on your wedding day? last weekend in kansas, a bride and groom had said their i dos at a farm and then walked down

the aisle to find tornadoes in the sky some eight miles away. how romantic. created a backdrop of a lifetime for some incredible wedding photos. it was not only the bride's first wedding. it was her first twister. they are now off on their honeymoon. let's hope it is in some better weather. and they have a smile on their face. in let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. >> no one believed those at first. it looked fake. what were the odds? >> or that it was set up in some way. but it ended up being their house. they there were. >> and they weren't hit with the tornado. >> it was eight miles away. they are fine and on their honeymoon having a lovely time. >> good morning, everyone. yesterday was an amazing day in miami, florida. miami can take the rain, but this was just too much. 9.7 inches of rain in one day. that's ten inches of rain. typically in the month of may, miami gets about five inches of rain.

they got two months worth in one day. this was the second wettest day ever recorded in the month of may in miami. so everywhere else didn't really see it. it was very localized thunderstorms. by south florida standards, pretty amazing stuff. thunderstorms this morning plaguing us in eastern north carolina. a little wet weather in the northern plains. but the big weather story over the next four to five days is going to be the heat. it's been very hot in the desert southwest. some of that hot air is now beginning to spread. it's going to be in texas today. areas like dallas have a chance of being in the upper 90s tomorrow. by the weekend, that hot air heads for the ohio valley and the great lakes. it's going to be mid -- widespread heat, early summer neat many areas. as far as heading out the door, the worst of it, eastern north carolina. wilmington looks okay. eastern north carolina, going to get clipped by strong thunderstorms. also a little bit of wet weather now going in through areas of southern virginia. just crossing the border with north carolina. you look just fine around raleigh and durham after overnight rain. further to the north,

thunderstorms continue. they are arriving. going to head for duluth shortly. also sioux falls just to the north of you there in south dakota. showers and storms. i'd have that umbrella handy from st. cloud to minneapolis during the day today. here's how the forecast looks. northern plains, chance of some showers and thunderstorms. including minneapolis. and then in the eastern seaboard if you are in virginia up to d.c., definitely a period of rain this afternoon and thunderstorms. and that could even be near philadelphia and new york city during the day. and i mentioned the heat. look at this, lynn. 99 is the forecast high in dallas tomorrow. and 90 in chicago. so it looks like our heat, well, remember how hot last summer was? >> yes. >> looks like -- >> but it was july around that time. it's end of may. what is happening? bill, thanks. more fallout from facebook. and a new winner when it comes to creepy online auctions. this should take the cake. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. indy can't keep pace with miami, and the kings are crowned. they are heading to the stanley

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welcome back. i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top stories. this morning for the first time, egyptians are voting to pick their president. none of the 12 candidates are expected to get more than half the votes to outrightly win this first round. making a run-off likely between the top two in june. one year later, thousands attended a memorial for the 161 people killed by the massive tornado that struck joplin, missouri. they marched through some of the city's hardest hit areas to remember family and friends who died and one of the deadliest tornados in u.s. history. the 2010 u.s. census was mostly accurate, but a new assessment says it missed more than 1.5 million minorities. the government report says the census undercounted blacks, hispanics, renters and young men

and overcounted the total population by 36,000 people. former first lady nancy reagan is recovering from broken ribs she suffered in a fall in her los angeles home about six weeks ago. mrs. reagan is 90 years old. in china, this is unreal. a little boy, he's 3 years old. and he drove his motor bike, this toy bike into a busy intersection. of course, unaware of any danger. well, luckily a police officer spotted him, led him to safety, but just unbelievably frightening video there. >> and as we get ready for the memorial day weekend, here's a look at the world's largest outdoor swimming pool. wouldn't that be nice. located in a beach front resort in chile, it's over a half mile long and holds a whopping 66 million gallons of filtered and treated saltwater. and it also boasts the world's steepest deep end at 115 feet. actually water ski in it.

here's you first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,502 after losing a point yesterday. the s&p was up a fraction, but the nasdaq fell 8. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei sank 172 points while in hong kong, the hang seng dropped 252. the fallout continues for facebook after its troubled ipo. shares have tumbled nearly 20% since friday and now the social network's lead underwriter, morgan stanley, is under fire from state and federal regulators. morgan stanley denies claims it informed only select clients of negative information about the stock. markets traded higher for much of the session thanks to a larger than expected rise in existing home sales. that data lifted banking and housing stocks, while materials were the day's biggest drag. today, investors will keep an eye on a eurozone meeting over the region's debt crisis.

u.s. oil futures slid to a seven-month low after iran agreed to allow the u.n. to restart a probe into its nuclear program. the white house cautioned it would judge iran's behavior, quote, based on actions, not just promises or agreements. after the bell, dell slumped 6% on weak earnings weighed down by slow pc sales. elsewhere in late trade, best buy rose on better than expected earnings. ford is once again the owner of its trademark blue oval logo after moody's upgraded the debt rating. ford had put its assets up for collateral for a line of credit back in 2006. according to the website stat finder, google's chrome has surpassed internet explorer as the most used web browser. and finally, this is kind of creepy. the ronald reagan presidential foundization threat toeng sue over what's said to be a vial of

the president's blood up for auction. they claim it was taken at george washington hospital after reagan was shot in 1981. bidding tuesday topped $14,000. coming up, in the nba playoffs, the heat get physical. and baseball's rays rely on the long ball. plus, the phoenix coyotes claw per their lives in the stanley cup playoffs. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look." the wheat in every mini-wheat has gotta be just right. perfect golden color.

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welcome back. i'm lynn berry. in sports, they are a record-winning road team. was only appropriate the los angeles kings punched their ticket to the stanley cup finals last night on the road. here's nbc's mario solis. >> hi there. good morning. it's been an incredible run for the l.a. kings. made the playoffs as an eighth seed and now are headed to the stanley cup finals. to phoenix, this game had a little bit of everything. hits collin frazier into the bench. down goes frazier. down goes frazier. kings 3-2. when the coyotes answer. tyler. a fortunate bounce and phoenix ties the game. stays that way through regulation. then in overtime, jeff carter takes a shot. the rebound bounces right to penner who nets the game-winner. the l.a. kings beat the coyotes 4-3 in o.t. they win the series to advance to their first stanley cup final since 1993. to miami for a physical game

five between the heat and pacers. hansbrough fouls dwyane wade hard. hasbro given a flagrant foul. udonis haslem takes down hansbrough. he pops right back up. haslem given a flagrant. i'm getting a sense these two teams don't like each other. heat up nine at the half and run away with it in the third. lebron james' beautiful pass to a streaking wade. miami up 16. then flash with the hail mary to james. miami takes control of the series with a 115-83 win. they can advance to the eastern conference finals with a win tomorrow. baseball, carlos pena hit a home run halfway to orlando. 452 feet to be exact. chicks dig the long ball. but i don't know if they like this look. luke scott with pena donning the spartan helmets. this is sparta. no, carlos, this is tampa. and the rays win, 8-5. that's your first look at sports. i'm mario solis.

>> now for another look at the weather. here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning once again. >> two mornings in a row this week, the worst weather in the country was here in new york city. this morning once again, showers around. things are a little bit improved. near the george washington bridge, some thunderstorm right over the top of that now. besides that, very scattered showers out there this morning in central and northern jersey. this afternoon, though, with the heating of the day, additional showers and storms. especially from d.c. to baltimore, down through virginia, around the richmond area. roanoke, all those locations have a chance of some wet weather. the heat is the big story. 94 today in dallas. then we go to 99 tomorrow. some of that heat spreads up to st. louis and chicago. a lot of areas will be in the 90s. one of the big sporting events this weekend, the indianapolis 500, 94. could be the hottest ever indianapolis 500. >> bring a fan. bill, thanks so much. coming up, one star gives emotional testimony while another is honored by native

americans. plus, brad pitt hits the cannes film festival, but all anyone wants to know is where is angie? >> start rumors. >> it always begins here. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look." 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.

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i just read this. an 83-year-old man in the uk recently became the oldest living kidney donor in history, which is pretty cool. unless you are the guy who just got an 83-year-old kidney. what now? what's that now? some sports news. the los angeles lakers were

eliminated from the playoffs last night after just five games -- yeah, the lakers fell fast, which explains their new name, the los angeles facebook stock. catchy name, i think. it's going to take off. speaking of facebook, mark zuckerberg has lost $2 billion since facebook went public last friday. no, no. it's not good. now when he wants to logon to facebook he has to use the free wifi at starbucks. >> tonight jimmy welcomes edie falco, jim gaffagan and penn and teller. that's "late night with jimmy fallon." right there on your local nbc station. time now for some entertainment news. brad pitt disappointed at cannes on tuesday. he showed up without angelina jolie. >> you think she was actually watching the kids? >> all 15 of them. he is promoting "killing him

softly," a film he produced and stars in. he said angelina is preparing for a role. >> so she wasn't watching the kids. >> no it was one of the 15 nannies. a tearful usher took the stand tuesday in his custody trial with ex-wife tameka foster. he denied he's an excessive partier and said foster once flew into a jealous rage over his girlfriend throwing food and spitting at them. in new mexico, the tribe's chair person named johnny de depp -- it looks like he's wearing eyeliner. >> they named him honorary comanche. >> waterproof mascara? >> call me. i'll tell him all about it. marvel comics first openly gay hero north star will marry his longtime boyfriend in astonishing x men due out june 25th. and lindsay lohan preparing for her role as liz taylor.

blogs say she looks incredibly like lindsay lohan dressed up like elizabeth taylor. i'm lynn berry. stay tuned. "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. the nbc/"wall street journal" polls are out, and they show president obama with a slight overall edge on mitt romney but with double-digit leads among women, latinos, young people and independents. all this while joe biden was back on the trail hammering romney's economic vision for the country. how does romney reverse some of these persistent poll problems? another day down for facebook as its stumbling public roll-out continues among new reports that analysts at morgan stanley weren't investors before friday's ipo that it could be a dud. the question is what's going on with facebook's stock price? we'll have a live report to try to sort through this.