paying tribute. the nation pauses to honor u.s. servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. wipeout. a crash at the final lap of the indianapolis 500 hands a scottish driver his third indy win. and long span. celebrations in california's bay area as the golden gate bridge turns 75. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are trait ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we begin with a day of remembrance. on this memorial day, americans

are paying tribute to those who served and those who lost their lives fighting for this country. today both president obama and his presumed republican presidential rival mitt romney will be celebrating and participating in observances. nbc's brian mooar reports. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of bikers roared into the nation's capital on the 25th annual run of rolling thunder. a moving tribute to americans who served and sacrificed. many of these bikers are veterans. and in this election year, they could be the key to winning the white house. current and former military members are well represented in several swing states, including florida. and that has president obama and republican mitt romney focusing on veterans and the issues that affect them. >> it's not enough just to make a speech about how much we value veterans. it's not enough just to remember them on memorial day. >> reporter: president obama's touting what he's done to help veterans. mitt romney promises to keep the

military itself strong. he'll be marking memorial day with john mccain who lost the 2008 election, but won with veterans. the senator and war hero is paying tribute to the heroes he served with in the vietnam war. >> our motto was home with honor. and because of their leadership and their love for us, we did come home with honor. >> reporter: this year, the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war. and there's finally an end in sight for the war in afghanistan. with a promised pullout by the end of 2014. veterans on this memorial day paying tribute to the fallen while preparing to choose a president, their commander in chief. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. and four american soldiers who recently survived combat, a staggering 45% of veterans are filing for disability benefits. that is an historic rate. more than 700,000 former soldiers have applied to the department of veterans affairs for compensation for injuries they say are service related.

many of america's newest veterans, mostly from the afghanistan and iraq wars, say they have multiple injuries from bomb blasts. the 45% filing disability claims is more than double the number who did so after the first gulf war in the early '90s. well, memorial day celebrations and festivities could be a washout for some folks in the southeast after tropical storm beryl made landfall in northern florida early this morning. beryl is bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 50 miles per hour to coastal areas of the southeast. knocking out power to more than 20,000 customers in the jacksonville area alone. nbc's kirk gregory has more on the holiday hazards around the nation. >> reporter: on this memorial day weekend, wild weather is turning the holiday into not quite a great day at the beach. >> we're really concerned about rip currents associated with this. we're advising folks they need to probably stay out of the water. >> reporter: along the georgia coast, northeast florida and parts of south carolina, tropical storm beryl has

canceled many vacation plans. >> everyone from back home is calling us telling us that the storm is rolling in. so we decided that instead of staying and hanging out tomorrow, we're going to go back to gainesville. >> it will be an indoors day tomorrow for sure. >> reporter: in some parts of the country it's the lack of rain causing problems. making the battle against wildfires in several states more difficult. in new mexico, a fire in the hela national forest has burned through more than 150 square miles. in michigan, campers were forced to evacuate as more than 21,000 acres burned, fueled by dry winds and high temperatures. those record highs can be felt across much of the nation. but out in northern california, it's not the warmth but the chill in the air. >> it's freezing. we thought we were going to go up to the sun in tahoe. >> reporter: it has people double checking the date on their calendar. kurt gregory, nbc news.

>> that's for sure. here's a first look at other news going on around america today. in pennsylvania, memorial day finally brought the proper recognition to a native son and civil war soldier killed at the battle of gettysburg. the grave of sergeant albert bunn had stood unmarked until just this year when the location of his remains were finally confirmed. his family was on hand for the official dedication of his tombstone. in ohio, another tribute to the fallen that began a few years ago. the field of heroes now features 2,500 american flags and draws some 10,000 visitors a year. it started as a one-time tribute but has now become a yearly tradition which will be on display through this afternoon. and finally, holiday weekend revelers in georgia did a double take after seeing a double rainbow in the waters off taibi island. look at that. it wowed crews just hours before tropical storm beryl made its way up the east coast. much different sight there now.

for a look at that we go to meteorologist todd santos with your weather channel forecast. lots of people making plan bs. >> hopefully you brought a deck of cards if you are in coastal locations. difficult situation for portions of south carolina through georgia into florida. we're talking about a tropical storm here. maximum sustained winds around 50 miles an hour. it is inland now. we're not expecting to see any strengthening. the thing is, not out of the question to see some sunshine through some of these areas. on and off with the chances for rain. you see heavier rain through northern portions of florida. three five inches possible here. localized spots could see upwards of ten inches. something to keep in mind through the area today. a lot of the stronger winds are happen with the thunderstorms itself as they roll onshore. likely breeze headed in toward portions of low country as that cluster moves onshore. for many times you'll see winds sustained around 15, 20 miles per hour. but then we get bigger gusts. 30-plus. we've already seen a few of those over the last couple of hours through the low country of south carolina.

don't let your guard down because it seems fairly quiet at times today. i want to show you this because a few thunderstorms have rolled in off the gulf just southeast of tampa. a tornado warning briefly down there. make sure you have a way to get your warnings. certainly take it easy. a lot of beaches are closed because of the rip currents. coastal south carolina, actually from coastal south carolina all the way to north florida, just last 24 hours, some very close to about 100 rip current rescues out at the beaches. that's why some of these areas are closed. there's a look at the track. into tomorrow, we're dealing with the system bending off towards the north and east for the next 12 hours. still dealing with a tropical storm. should weaken into a depression. through wednesday evening into thursday morning off the outer banks it could again become a tropical storm. tropical storm right now. some slight weakening. but the rainfall and rip currents will remain an issue there. the other area, along this frontal boundary, still unsettled around minneapolis this morning as we get into the afternoon from chicago back down through northern illinois.

central portions of missouri and north texas could see thunderstorms fire up. yesterday we had a number of severe reports. had to that potential shifting just a bit farther east. nearly 200 reports over the last 24 hours of hail and wind. some of the primary threats but still an isolated threat for tornados. throughout this area, i want to make sure you have a way to get your warnings today. take lightning safety seriously. especially when you talk about the northeast. southeastern new england. quiet to start off the day. we saw the front hanging in through the area. maybe enough to touch off a few showers and storms especially through this afternoon. it's the official start of the boating season in the northeast. keep your eyes to the skies. buzzards bay. here on lower lake michigan, i'd say about the same thing. when you extend to western wyoming, we've seen areas the last couple of days with snowfall. so let's talk about the cooler side of things. especially back through the mountains. the warmer side, still a lot of areas way outside your average. chicago mid to lower 90s. decent temperatures in the

northeast. may dodge a few thunderstorms. lynn? >> todd, thanks so much. coming up, travelers hit the road. consumers look on the brighter side. and the bad news and good news on the zuckerberg wedding dress. your look at the business headlines is straight ahead. game one of the western conference finals. another injury for the phillies. and a huge crash on the final lap of the indy 500. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ i'd like to thank eating right,

whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios holding down the fort while you're out catching a movie. [ growls ] lucky for me, your friends showed up with this awesome bone. hey! you guys are great. and if you got your home insurance where you got your cut rate car insurance, it might not replace all this. [ electricity crackling ] [ gasping ] so get allstate. you could save money and be better protected from mayhem like me. [ dennis ] mayhem is everywhere. so get an allstate agent. are you in good hands? anti-aging cream undeniably. it creamed unbelievably a $500 cream and now women have made regenerist microsculpting cream also unscented. women love it. in original and also fragrance-free.

welcome back. i'm lynn berry. and here's some of the top stories making news this morning. iran says it will not halt its production of higher grade uranium which is a reversal of previous statements. more than six power talks about iran's nuclear program are scheduled next month in moscow. in idaho, national guard rescuers got to the site of a small plane crash on a snow-covered mountain yesterday. a helicopter was able to safely pull out a california fireman, his wife and their daughter more

than 15 hours after the crash. and a huge fireworks display last night in san francisco to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the golden gate bridge. traffic was shut down for the show to mark the bridge birthday and the 2 billion cars that have cross it since 1937. elsewhere, the united nations is condemning syria for the shelling of the town of houla in what was called a, quote, outrageous use of force. more than 100 people were killed, including dozens of children. middle east correspondent john ray of our english broadcast partner itn has more. >> reporter: an atrocity shocking even by the grim standards of syria. only luck separates these, the survivors. from the victims of a killing spree that spared not even children in such terrible numbers. some it seems, slaughtered in cold blood. a massacre that exposes the

impotence of the united nations' peace mission. >> the monitors refused to come at first to stop the massacres. they said they are not allowed to go at night. the shelling continued for the second day today since the early morning that they started the bombardment again. there's still a lot of bodies we're finding. >> translator: the killings do not bear the hallmarks of the heroic syrian army, a government spokesman claimed in damascus. but these women who say they lived through it call that a lie. they were all assad's men, she says. they told us who they were. >> we're absolutely sickened in the british government and across the international community by what we've seen over the last couple of days. in particular, the deaths of more than 100 unarmed men, women

and children. of course, they are part of 12,000, perhaps 15,000 deaths in syria over the last year. >> reporter: in the syrian capital, security forces fired on protesters. the killings have unleashed a wave of demonstrations. even so, while survivors found an escape route out of houla under the once reassuring watch of monitors, the u.n. peace plan here is surely running out of road. john ray, itn news. now here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow closed friday at 12,454 after falling 74 points. the s&p lost 2. the nasdaq was down 1. taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo, the nikkei up 12 points. in hong kong, the hang seng gained 87. stocks were lower friday, all three major indices posted their best weekly gains for the month. more than 30 million americans hit the road this holiday

weekend. and maybe spending a little extra along the way. that's because prices at he gas pump dropped to a national average for regular unleaded gas of $3.67 a gallon. that's down 17 cents from a month ago. more than 15 cents lower than a year ago. the euro was higher today as signs improved on the european debt crisis with stronger support in greece for the party that backs the bailout. in spain, bankia may be recapitalized with government bonds to provide a rescue fund of almost $24 billion. we're going to get more data this week on consumer confidence after one report last week showing optimism at a four-year high. also this week, automakers roll out higher sales figures for may. incentives and lower loan rates are expected to produce strong sales of new cars and light trucks this month as well. we're also going to get new data on the rebounding u.s. housing market with a read on home prices and another on pending home sales.

traders will be looking ford the labor department report on may employment friday with economists expecting 150,000 new jobs added. as facebook founder mark zuckerberg and his wife, dr. priscilla chen honeymoon in italy, tmz reports her wedding dress did draw a lot of attention at the denver dress shop where she got it, but at 4,700 bucks, apparently nobody has bought one yet. not interested. coming up in sports, in the nba playoffs, the san antonio spurs drew first blood in the battle to see who is best in the west. here's nbc's bill seward. >> the thunder were a quarter away from taking game one of the western conference finals but couldn't finish off the best team in basketball. to san antonio. time winding down in the first. spurs need a bucket. manu can do. manu ginobili drills the buzzer beater. spurs up by six. thunder respond in the second and third.

kevin durant with a game-high 27 points and 10 boards. okc up 9 to start the fourth. that's when the spurs put on their work hats. nothing flashy. nothing out of the ordinary. just textbook basketball. san antonio rallies and wins 101-98. they've won a remarkable 19 games in a row. switching gears to the indy 500. pick it up on lap 82. conway losing control. and will power drives right underneath him sending conway airborne. both drivers okay. thrilling conclusion. final lap. sato in blue tries to pass dario franchitti. but no goes sato. spins, crashes and the race will end under caution. this one belongs to franchitti. his third checkered flag at indy. milk has never tasted so good. if milk is not your thing, how about a coke. kasey kahne taking the checkered flag at the nascar coca-cola

600. tennis paris. first round of the french open, not kind to andy roddick. ousted by the freshman mahut. 0-4 on clay this year. his first opening round loss in a grand slam since '07. baseball. something isn't right with roy halladay. shortest outing as a phillie. pulled after two innings with shoulder soreness. yadier molina sends him away. the salami. that is adding insult to injury. cardinals avoid a sweep with an 8-3 win. that's your first look at sports. i'm bill seward. gaga gives in. and why justin bieber is a wanted man in los angeles. plus, "men in black iii" takes down more than just aliens this weekend at the box office. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. so you brushed with colgate total and you didn't.

let's compare. germ party! eww! now the colgate total mouth. nice! [ female announcer ] colgate total fights 90% more plaque germs. i'm in. [ female announcer ] colgate total. less germs. healthier mouth. a living breathing intelligence bringing people together to bring new ideas to life. look. it's so simple. [ male announcer ] in here, the right minds from inside and outside the company come together to work on an idea. adding to it from the road, improving it in the cloud all in real time. good idea. ♪ it's the at&t network -- providing new ways to work together, so business works better. ♪ so business works better. for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america.

they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. we charge everything else... maybe it's time to recharge the human battery. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system from beautyrest... it's you, fully charged. right now, receive two free recharge pillows with the purchase of select beautyrest mattresses. [ clang ] my house is where plants came to die. ♪ but, it turns out all i was missing was miracle-gro potting mix.

it's got what a plant needs. even plant food that feeds them for up to 6 months. you get bigger, more beautiful plants. guaranteed. who's got two green thumbs thanks to miracle-gro? uh, this gal. boom! everyone grows with miracle-gro. welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. it's always a poignant moment when our servicemen and women return from duty in harm's way. one soldier's memory of her return to california yesterday will last a lifetime. chris riva reports from sacramento. >> reporter: for ben, today is the day. >> i'm so nervous. i'm not sure what to do. >> reporter: so he waits. patiently. nervously. as he has for months. this is the weekend most say thank you to people like ben who have sacrificed through service. stationed at travis air force base, he's supposed to be training in texas for his next

deployment. it's been six months since he has seen robin, the love of his life who is coming home from a deployment in afghanistan. >> i was going to try to hide the ring in my hat so she doesn't see it. >> typical military detail. shoes shined. dress blues pressed and the family blessing. >> i asked her father for permission awhile back and he gave me her blessing. >> final three, empty escalator turns full. robin is home and surprised to see ben. >> i tricked you and told you i was in texas. >> what are you doing here? >> i love you so much, robin. i want to spend the rest of my life with you. will you marry me? >> reporter: mission accomplished. adding a new meaning to memorial day for this couple. >> well done. that was chris riva reporting. it's time for entertainment news. away from the big screen since

2008, will smith revived his reputation for box office mojo this weekend in style knocking the fourth highest grossing movie ever off its throne. "men in black iii" took in $53 million. now rests comfortably in the top spot with one more day left in the holiday frame. after three humongous weeks, "the avengers" may have slipped to the second spot with $37 million. but that $37 million in its fourth weekend is still higher than the opening weekend of all but five films this year. elsewhere, faced with threats of violence by islamic hard-liners who called her a devil worshiper, lady gaga has cancelled her sold-out show in indonesia sending love to her fans. and l.a. police reportedly want to talk to justin bieber. apparently a photographer has complained of being roughed up by the biebs at a shopping center sunday where he tried to snap some pictures of the teen

and his girlfriend selena gomez. you know, he just seems a little too wholesome for that. >> would you admit to being beaten up by justin bieber? >> i think that's probably a good point, todd. way to point out the obvious. we usually go easy on the biebs. with bill not here, we'll go a little hard line. >> i'll stick with that. >> stay with it. >> even if it happened, i wouldn't tell anybody. i want to quickly mention. certainly tropical storm beryl. saw one wind gust at the jacksonville naval air station at 48 miles per hour. so the system is verifying with some of those gustier winds. stronger numbers closer to the coast and thunderstorms. and i showed this before. i did want to mention some of these areas just off the coast starting to see more thunderstorms flaring up. as those move onshore, that's where you get bigger wind gusts. enough with beryl. for many of us, the heat is the other side of the story. there's a look at some of the highs yesterday. some areas close to these numbers with a fairly warm start

up toward chicago, down toward memphis, atlanta at 73. we'll see a lot of these areas in to the 90s. chicago may be limited with some of the clouds. chances for thunderstorms by this afternoon down towards st. louis as well. that corridor from st. louis eastern and central portions of oklahoma and north texas, may be able to flare up some thunderstorms into this afternoon. keep that in mind. keep your eyes to the skies. and have a way to get your warnings especially through the central u.s. southeastern new england for today, maybe an isolated thunderstorm with potential gusty winds into tomorrow. that's where all the activity in the central u.s., well, makes its way over towards the eastern seaboard. a wet return to work day there on tuesday. if you are down in hawaii, we still have really strong trade winds. mainly eastern and northeastern shores today and on into tomorrow. still dealing with high surf advisories. so certainly keep that in mind toward honolulu in the lee of the mountains not dealing with much of an issue. in the southwest, remaining cool. toward billings, maybe a few

thunderstorms into your tuesday. wednesday, still many of those areas at least a little bit unsettled. lynn? >> todd, thanks so much. i'm lynn berry. and this is "first look" on msnbc. wake up! that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition.

could've had a v8. [ female announcer ] improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. and he didn't stop for three days and nights as he escaped life as a child soldier. twenty years later, he was still running,

he just had a different thing driving him. every step of the way. ♪ visa. supporting athletes and the olympic games for 25 years. join our global cheer.