sanford. the voters of south carolina have spoken, mark sanford beat my sister and i think that means he is now my sister. >> this is "way too early." thanks for being up with us this morning. we have a lot of news to talk about on this thursday, may 9th. emotional testimony on capitol hill as congress continues to investigate the death of three american diplomats in libya last september, the revelations that came to light and how the white house is now responding. a jury convicts jodi arias of first-degree murder for killing her boyfriend. the next step in the salacious case, will the 32-year-old face the death penalty? we'll hear from the newly convicted murderer. we begin in cleveland. 52-year-old ariel castro, new face of evil, has been charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape just days after three women and a young girl were rescued from his home. castro's two brothers were also arrested but have not been

charged with any crimes. all three men are expected in court later today. the cleveland "plain dealer" said that castro captured them all to lure them to his home. amanda berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight held captive for nine years, everything in leaving the house except for brief trips to the garage. a source with access to the initial report written by police. >> joining us live from cleveland is ron allen. ron, the details coming out of this horrific story even worse than i could have ever imagined. >> you're right, bill. we have that police report you were talking about. we obtained it with the help of our affiliate here. it details a lot of graphic things, some of which the police don't want to talk about because it's just too difficult to even read. but you're right, the women tell stories of multiple pregnancies, multiple rapes, miscarriages.

the child that was born there never saw a doctor. in fact, the women never saw a doctor during the ten years or so that they were in the house. they were confined to a basement area. there were chains and ropes. at some point they were allowed to live in the upper story of the house, it is a two story house with four bedrooms. they were allowed outside into a backyard area and the way they describe it, they were forced to wear wigs, keep their heads down, to duck out and to hide essentially and there were multiple time when beaten when they disobeyed. the big question, how did they get out? there seems to be an indication that at some point ariel castro allegedly left an interior door open. there were doors through the house that were pad locked. but he apparently left one interior door open and amanda berry saw that and seized the moment, went through that door which got her to the front door of the house, the screen porch where she was able to put her hand through and yell and scream and get the attention of a couple of neighbors who rescued

them. then police came. the women we understand are doing fine. gina and amanda are home. michelle is still in the hospital, however, in good condition which is an improvement from where she was when he is was freed. we don't know how long longer she'll be in the hospital. of course, her family looking forward to have a reunion. the incredible scenes we saw outside the other two family's homes yesterday. the entire neighborhoods were out there to greet them. many people of course, have given up on these women, thought that they were dead. of course, their families, many of their families never gave up hope. they were so grateful, so thankful for what happened. just an unbelievable scene there. and here, yes in court we'll get our first look at ariel castro, the man accused in all this horrific crime. >> ron, it's amazing that they're even alive to tell their stories and physically doing okay now. of course, you know, the mental part of this a long road ahead. hopefully they'll be surrounded by great crowds and hugs the

rest of their lives. ron allen in cleveland, thank you. the obama administration is clashing with republicans in congress over the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. an incident that fuses together issues of terror, diplomacy and politics. an emotional testimony on capitol hill, the embassy's former security chief questioned the government's handling of the militant raid that left four americans dead. >> the committee's labors to uncover what happened prior, during, and after the attack matter. it matters to me personally and it matters to my colleagues. it matters to the american public for whom we serve. and most importantly -- excuse me -- it matters to the friends and family of ambassador stevens, shawn smith, glen doherty and tyrone woods who were murdered on september 11th, 2012. >> after the attack, susan rice

originally suggested the assault was sparked by protesting. diplomat gregory hicks says he was floored by that explanation. >> so fast forward, mr. hicks, to the talk shows that ambassador susan rice, she blamed this attack on the video. she did it five different times. what was your reaction to that? >> i was stunned. my jaw dropped. and i was embarrassed. >> hicks who served as ambassador stephen's second in command said effectively demoted for questioning the administration's actions. he referenced an angry phone call he received from the chief of staff to then secretary of state hillary clinton according to him was upset that he spoke with a republican congressman without a state department lawyer present. the state department denies claims that mr. hicks faced

retaliation for speaking out. for the congressmen, the tone of the hearing and focus on miss clinton pointed to a political agenda. >> what we have seen over the past two weeks is a full scale media campaign that is not designed to investigate what happened in a responsible and bipartisan way, but rather a launch of unfounded occasions to smear public officials. i'm not questioning the motives of our witnesses. i'm questioning the motives of those who want to use their statements for political purposes. >> now to syria. the extent of chemical weapons use may be unclear. but there is no doubt that killing continues on a massive scale. as nbc's richard engel saw firsthand, the violence shows no signs of letting up. >> reporter: rebels bring noose syria, laid waste by more than two years of war and constant brutality. we're taken to a headquarters bombed just days earlier to

discuss allegations of chemical weapons. but the rebels want to talk about a massacre last week. hundreds dead, they claim, butchered by assad's forces. children and women are massacred daily, hundreds. are these war crimes, too, asks this man, a brigade commander. rebels say syrians died while world leaders it in pick claims of chemical weapons and rub their chins over what to do with assad still in power, meetings with iran's foreign minister as if nothing was wrong. a young activist shows us video he says is the aftermath of an attack. villagers choking, gasping. among them, this woman, slipping in and out of consciousness. rebels blame chemical weapons, smoke from something dropped by a government helicopter. they show us two photographs but experts tell us these devices closely resemble tear gas

canisters. a doctor tells us he treated the woman. she was unconscious, sweating, he says, she had white liquid at the mouth. she was struggling to breathe and had small pupils. we're shown blood and urine sample they collected from her, evidence of a chemical attack the rebels say but it proves nothing. >> so we'll take it out and have a look. >> a chemical weapons specialist contracted by nbc news tested the urine sample provided about it rebels and found in evidence of any chemical warfare agent. the dying continues in syria and so do the questions. >> that was nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel. the national rival association again coming to the defense of kelly ayott who is facing criticism for her vote on the bill. the nra responded to an attack ad by new york city mayor michael bloomberg's anti-gun group by airing their own ad in

support of the junior senator from new hampshire. >> seen this tv ad paid for by new york city mayor michael bloomberg? don't believe it. kelly ayott voted for a bipartisan plan to make background checks more effective. here's her vote. ayott voted for a bipartisan plan to reform our health system. ayott voted for more resources to prosecute criminals who use guns. kelly ayotte stands with prosecutors and police for new hampshire values. >> the fact that the nr sachlt highlighting her support of a different background check bill would seem to show just how much public backing there is for the measure. earlier this week senator ayotte wrote about the response on her vote in an op-ed saying "my commitment to the people of new hampshire is i will continue to try to work across the aisle to prevent violence enforce and improve our background check

system and increase school safety. misleading television and radio ads are counterproductive and only help to poison this important discussion." jodi arias will find if she'll be put to death or face life in prison. yesterday a jury found the 32-year-old guilty of killing her one-time boyfriend in arizona. the first-degree murder verdict was being read, arias began crying. they admits to killing travis alexander but says it was self-defense. she had a surprising response to the possibility of the death penalty from ksaz in phoenix. >> the worst outcome for me would be life. i would rather die sooner than later. >> the arias case has been easily the most watched murder trial this year. now to business. it was another day of new records on wall street. the dow closed above 15,000 for a second straight day while the

s & p and nasdaq finished higher for a fifth straight session. for more on today's business headlines, let's check in with steve cedric. i keep thinking how great it would be if i had a couple million invested. >> yeah, even a couple dollars would be nice. a lot of the investors missed this. those guys are way underperforming what is happening on the plain markets with the s & p and dow up 15% year to date. overseas data was encouraging in the previous session. it was individual corporates such as whole foods which were providing the catalyst this time around. whole food markets up 10%, better for the forecast and better sales for that group. apple which only a few days ago we were talking about being around $400, now back as high as $463. but also after hours, big news from news corp and the quarterly numbers. overseas data and individual corporate stores in the u.s., they were the catalyst for this leg of the rally. >> steve, thanks so much.

have a wonderful thursday. as always, let us know why you're awake. shoot us an e-mail at waytooearly@msnbc.com. still ahead, the warriors looking to bounce back after blowing that big huge lead in game one. did they come through with their first win in san antonio in almost two decades? and new besties. the olive branch that could spark a summer friendship on the jersey shore between chris christie and reality star snooki. that story and a check on your forecast when "way too early" comes right back. >> president obama at the white house today became the first president in american history to say that he supports same-sex marriage. >> it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. ♪

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yesterday was an amiazing dy in new york city, three inches of rain. we have more rain on the way. i was already raining an hour ago in philadelphia. it is starting to push out and more showers all through this region throughout the afternoon. it's another umbrella day. for a half hour period you'll get a pretty good down pour moving through the region. but there will be breaks of sunshine in between. here's that rainy was talking about. now settle right over the top of philliment we have thunderstorms that just went through tulsa. if you're in eastern oklahoma, strong gusty winds are possible. those storms later today, chicago, internap list, central

illinois and dallas-ft. worth and oklahoma city, we're watching you for the potential of thunderstorm. we're seeing typical spring time storms across the weather map. now to the nba playoffs. the warriors on the road looking to even the series up with the spurs. golden state's clay thompson, former washington state cougar, scored a career high 34 points. and steph curry added 22. the warriors, they did what they should have done in game one. they beat the spurs in texas. it's the first time golden state won in san antonio in more than 16 years! the heat hosting the bulls after a shocking loss in game one. let's say that miami was fired up for this one. lebron scored 19 in a 37-point blowout coast to coast with the rebound and dunk. it's the biggest margin of victory for the heat in their play-off history as well as the biggest loss for the bulls in their play-off history. chicago did, however, win the battle for most technical fouls, they had nine.

we'll see if two of the players play in game three. the game wasn't that exciting. this caught my attention. dwyane wade's jacket, obviously he wanted to go to the derby, couldn't go. he held off for the jacket for the postgame press conference. i thought it was birds, some are saying flowers. >> three stanley cup play-off games went to sudden death play-off last night. lovejoy's back hand pass to nick bonito for the game winner. anaheim takes game five in a 3-2 series lead. more overtime. st. louis for the kings and blues. the kings have a three-on-two breakaway. the game winner through the five hole. never knew why they call it the five hole. l.a. wins it 3-2, sending the series to game seven. bruins and maple leafs, game tied at three. boston on the 2-1 and david krejci with a shot that trickles

through for the game winner. bruins take game kour and a commanding lead. finally, no overtime number highlights. rangers beat capitals 4-3 in regulation. tying that series at two games apiece. now to baseball. you make the call during the as-indians game. that is the athletic's adam rosales. that's a blast to center. is this a ground rule double or a home run? the umpires need to check the replay and so do we. here's a look at it. zoomed it in. that was close. may have bounced off the railing? i don't know. maybe. the as certainly think it was a home run. the umpires ruled it a ground rule double. the tribe goes on to win. the game would have been tied if it had been a home run. tough call. coming up on "morning joe," the obama administration under fire on capitol hill as

congressional testimony on the benghazi attack raises new questions. so what's the next step? and we'll huddle around the water cooler. if you're on kiss cam like lewis and i, you know what to do, don't you? this guy may have made a major, major mistake. # mine was earned in djibouti, africa. 2004. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] 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 military members, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. before tori was taking her kids to lunch

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. i certainly had enough of the real news. >> one of new jersey's most memorable characters is offering support to governor chris christie. he announced he had lap band weight loss surgery and now snooki from jersey shore wants to help him out. she lost a ton of weight recently with a strict exercise plan. she tweeted if you ever hit the gym and need a workout buddy, call me. good luck! christie and snooki haven't always gotten along. she's been public about not voting for christie although she cant because she's from new york. and they are also anticipating christie's slimdown.

they printed a photo of christie enhanced to make him look very slim and trim. this is christie watch, bill. we'll see how it goes. >> it will be interesting. >> now everyone knows the kiss cam at a ball game. you know that, right? >> of course. >> the camera goes on you, you have to lay one on your girl. >> easy enough. >> if the camera went on us, i wouldn't lay one on you. >> i'd give you a nice man hug. >> even president obama and the first lady on the kiss cam at a basketball game last summer. but not everyone loves it. watch this girlfriend's persistence. her kiss at the fresno -- he gives her the hand. she gets denied the first time. other people are kissing it up. look at that. the second time denial and there it goes. she dumps the soda on his head. there is a soda shower there. and looks like she breaks up with him on the spot. bill, this may have been staged. >> i don't know. looked a little staged. >> no. the question is who is he on the phone with? >> it looked like water.

why are you on the phone at a ball game? >> are you going to stage a kiss cam? >> stephen colbert is mourning his sister's loss to mark sanford in the race for south carolina's open seat in congress. he feels so betrayed by his home state that he's giving his allegiance to another state. take a look. >> from now on, and i never thought i would ever say this, i am from north carolina. i will no longer enjoy south carolina's tanningy, safery, juicy and deeply delicious barbecue made with our unique mustard-based sauce. now -- now, instead, i now officially love north carolina's sauceless vinegar based meat product that they call barbecue. [ applause ]

that is -- i might just save the rest of that for later. okay. >> that is too good. oh, man. too good. anyway, let's go over to kim kardashian now. she got a lot of heat from critics after she wore a floral ground at a gala on monday night. even robin williams is chiming in. >> it's not that bad. >> i don't know. look at that. check out this tweet. robin williams saying he is comparing the dress to the won he wore in 1993 as mrs. doubtfire. the quote, he said, i think i wore it better and i think he did. i think he did. >> how can you pick on a pregnant lady? >> she deserves it. if anyone deserves it, it's her. still ahead on "way too early," why you awake? your floral tweets, texts and e-mails are next. "morning joe" is moments away. [ man ] on december 17, 1903,

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teen. they won an emmy for the technical team for covering the summer olympics. congratulations to you all. e-mails, please? >> we have two here. my two dogs decided they were ready for breakfast. together, they outweigh me. >> and then another one, my mother colbert had meat for the dogs too. great show, everyone. "morning joe" kicks off right now. ♪ tonight, i am angry! and, for once, that doesn't make me happy! and i think you know why. >> a scandal tainted former south carolina governor mark sanford won back his old seat in congress tuesday. the republican defeated the