i'm craig melvin in for tamron hall. the "news nation" is following developing news. a powerful and slow-moving storm system once again pummelling the country's midsection with hail and flooding rains. at least three people are dead so far, and nine are hurt. flash flood warnings are in effect throughout much of missouri. in kansas city, emergency crews have spent the day helping drivers stranded by rising waters. thunderstorms and torrential rains are causing flooding in arkansas where a sheriff and another person died after getting caught in a flash flood. up to a dozen twister touched down in that region yesterday, including this one near tulsa, oklahoma. that was caught on tape. check that out. in oklahoma and kansas, there's a threat of even more tornadoes this afternoon. nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer

joins me now. dylan, first of all, how bad was it yesterday? >> craig, it was a very active day yesterday. the storm chasers are out to get those videos, because those are the people on the ground that can spot when that tornado is actually in the line of homes and neighborhoods, and look at all of the reports we had yesterday. 16 tornadoes. one up in illinois. several in western arkansas. and a few in northeastern oklahoma, especially just east of tulsa. we also had wind damage reports, 173 of those. today, it's part of the same, slow-moving cold front, in yellow, from michigan back over into wisconsin, stretching right down into northern texas. we will see the chance of very strong storms. now, even though we focus a lot on the tornadoes themse selves, the he severe thunderstorms produce the dangerous lightning and large hail as well as wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour. of course, in red, right back into oklahoma, the same region

we saw yesterday, that's the biggest threat of tornadoes redeveloping later this afternoon and into this evening. flooding is also an issue. we have several flood watches and warnings and flash flood warnings. the difference between a flood and flash flood is the flash flood happens in an instant. that's what catches people off guard. that's when people get sucked in while they're in their cars trying to drive through the flash floodsment with the heavy rain still coming down across illinois, over in indiana, back to kentucky, redeveloping strong thunderstorms with heavy rain into missouri and right down into arkansas. that's where we are going to keep a focus on some of those flash floods redeveloping again today. but again, the areas across parts of illinois and back into oklahoma and northwestern arkansas, we are going to keep a very close eye on and storm chasers are on the ground to keep an eye out for those ominous clouds, the ones that could develop into tornadoes. once again, it will be a very active afternoon. >> all right, dylan dreyer with a look at what we may be looking at over the next few hours.

thank you. now to our other big story on this friday afternoon. a person of interest is now being questioned as authorities try to figure out who sent threatening ricin-laced letters to president obama, new york city michael bloomberg and the mayor's gun control group in washington, d.c. fbi agents searched the home of an army veteran in new boston, texas, who works at the nearby red river army depot. agents were seen carrying away possible evidence, as well. new boston is about 95 miles from shreveport, louisiana, and that's where authorities say the letters were mailed on may 20th. meanwhile, we learned late yesterday about another ricin-laced letter mailed to president obama, this one from spokane, washington, and an arrest there. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams joins me live now. pete, let's start with that person of interest in texas. what's the latest on that part of the investigation? >> well, it's a very slow-moving part of the investigation. the authorities will want to take time to try to build the

case. and so, i wouldn't expect, frankly, that we'll hear much more about that today. i think they're going to take their time and make sure that they're very careful before they bring any charges. they're still looking at whether that person had any knowledge of these letters. and we have no developments on that front. i think they're going to really move very slowly. you may recall that authorities ended up charges the wrong person -- someone was wrongly accused in mississippi last month of sending some ricin letters. so i think with that as a lesson, they'll move very slowly to build a case here, if there is one, in fact. now, as for the other letter, that turns out to be, the authorities say, sent by a man in spokane, who was arrested last week for sending a threatening letter to a federal judge. the officials say matthew bouquette sent several letters, including one to the white house. it bears repeating none of these letters ever get to their targets if they're in the

government. all that mail is screened. ricin letters never get to the white house. the letter to mayor bloomberg never got to city hall. they're all screened in off-site facilities. so it sounds dangerous, but they're not a threat to the person to whom they're addressed. >> all right, our justice correspondent, pete williams, thanks. a few hours ago, president obama launched another battle with congressional republicans, this one over student loan rates. the president was flanked by college students in the white house rose garden as he warned interest rates on government-backed college loans will double july 1st unless congress fixes the problem. the president then took aim at a gop measure already passed by the republican-controlled house. >> it fails to lock in low rates for students next year. that's not smart. it eliminates safeguards for lower-income families. that's not fair. it could actually cost a freshman starting school this fall more over the next four

years than if we did nothing at all. >> republican reaction was swift. house speaker john boehner issued a statement saying, quote, the differences between the house plan and the president's are small, and there's no reason they cannot be overcome quickly. but today, rather than working to resolve the issue, the president resorted to a campaign stunt to try to score political points." and this from senate minority leader, mitch mcconnell. someone should be fooled by today's campaign-style event at the white house. here's one issue where the two parties can and should find quick agreement. unfortunately, the president appears more interested in needlessly stoking partisan divisions. nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker joins me live now. kristen, how does the president's plan differ from the house-passed plan? >> reporter: good afternoon, craig. first, where the two plans are similar. they both tie interest rates to the yield on 10-year treasury bills. so that's where they are the same. where they differ is the president's plan locks interest

rates in place, whereas the republican plan puts a cap on interest rates at 8.5%. that's where they get a little different when you look at the details. as you point out, that bill did pass through the republican-led house. the senate's -- the senate, rather, democrats in the senate, haven't taken action yet. so the house is saying, look, we would like to see some action in the senate instead of just criticizing our plan. but president obama threatening to veto their bill moving forward. so we are basically headed for another big washington showdown. no surprise there. we just wrapped up our daily briefing here at the white house and asked deputy press secretary if the president has reached out to republicans to try to negotiate on the details, to try to get on the same page. we didn't get a whole lot of information. basically, no meetings to read out. so it's not clear that there's been a lot of movement in terms of these two sides trying to find common ground. but that is what will have to happen if they are going to

prevent student loan rates from increasing on july 1st. if you talk to education officials, they say, look, it's great that lawmakers are tackling this problem. but they say the real problem is that the cost of college is rising. >> yeah. >> reporter: so much every year. it has increased by 85% since 2003 for public colleges. so education officials say that's the real concern. they want to see lawmakers and the president take more action on that front. there's also, of course, a political backdrop to all of this. president obama enjoying talking about something other than the irs and the doj. we asked today if we can expect to see more events like that in the future. deputy press secretary did not rule that out, but he also didn't read out any meetings on -- or any more events like today's on the horizon. craig in. >> all right, kristen, thank you. let's bring in our "news nation" political panel, "usa today" columnist raul reyes, and

washington bureau chief lynn sweet. raul, let me start with you. house speaker john boehner spokesman, brennanbach, and this is what he said, in part, it's obvious that the white house would love nothing more to change the subject from its growing list of scandals, but scheduling this pr stunt, picking a fight out of thin air where there's policy agreement will not get the white house out of trouble. what was the president trying to accomplish today? >> well, i think -- you know, with all respect, i heard john boehner's statement saying, you know, we need to negotiate on this. and i see a great deal of irony there, because this is the house republicans, they have shown again and again, they do not want to negotiate with this president. they just certainly do not want to give him anything that could be seen as a victory for him. and now, on this particular issue, all of a sudden they're saying, wait, wait, wait a minute. we have to talk things over, we have to work together. the president is smart in just going out -- the people, i

believe the american people, very much, they want to see a president doing things. they do not want a reactionary president. that's why the congressional rate is so low. for better or worse, the president is out there attempting to fulfill his agenda, and the youth vote, remember, they were key in his success. >> sure. >> i think two-thirds of young people voted for him. >> lynn, the president focusing on college loan rates today. this was after the national security speech of last week. he, of course, toured moore, oklahoma, last sunday. the jersey shore, sandy recovery tuesday. how much of this is about president obama conducting presidential business, legitimate presidential business, and how much of this is about him trying to change the subject from, as kristen pointed out, the irs, the ap, benghazi even? >> well, what the obama white house continually tries to do is set the agenda. in good times and bad. and, by the way, next week when congress gets back, craig, there's going to be a new round of hearings on the irs, so they

can't make that topic go away. now, on student loans, the white house thinks they do have an upperhand here. but i tell you, i think where the flaw in their pr strategy is that the senate controlled by the democrats should be taking action that kicks two different bills, as kristen said, there's different approach, but for people out there who may not know, the two versions -- the two house and senate differing versions will have to be reconciled then. so there's another bite at the apple. i bet to get to the bottom line here, neither republicans nor democrats need to unite everyone from the tea party to the progressives, those parents, by having their kids' rates double to 6.8% in july. i am predicting there will be some cap put on the loan rates. >> again -- >> so they do not double. >> and this is precisely where we were about this time last year. and there was, as there frequently is in washington, d.c., an 11th-hour deal. raul, let's talk about the president's approval rating right now. >> mm-hmm. >> the quinnipiac poll showing

approval rating is 45%. 49% say they disapprove of his job performance. almost a reverse, if you will, from earlier this month. have the scandals taken a toll on the president's popularity? is that what we're seeing here? or is there something else at work? >> i think they've definitely taken a toll in the short term. you know, even someone within the white house would say it has not been a good time for this administration. it seems like these controversies have been coming one after the other. what i thought was very important in the same poll is that people said, you know, majority of people, 73% of americans, said that they -- what they wanted to be their focus was jobs and the economy. >> sure. >> and down the line, one of the next important things of the scandals, the only one that registered is the irs scandal, which i think people -- 44% of voters said was important. so they're there. they're not going to go away until they're resolved through the hearings, and the press as well. but i think for right now, the president is on the right track. he has to continue pursuing his agenda. he cannot simply react to the

scandal in the day. by the way, i think more and more of the public are realizing that whatever these controversies may be, they have -- so far, we have not seen any of them directly leading back to the president and the white house. >> lynn, really quickly, before i let you get out of here. new attention being focused today on social security and medicare, as well. annual reports now show the medicare trust fund will become insolvent in 2026. that's actually two years later than previously estimated. social security trust fund insolvent by 2033, as previously projected. how much is that news likely to refocus attention in washington, or will it at all? >> well, i think what -- the policy you talked about will stall the politics of doing some long-term fixes in medicare -- excuse me, of social security, because, as you know, in congress, we talked it's a deadline-filled organization. the congress does nothing better than kick the can down the road.

today's report helps lawmakers do just that. >> all right. lynn sweet, thank you. raul, thanks to you as well. >> thank you. we're following breaking news right now in texas. a massive fire at a hotel just south of houston. here's some pictures -- live pictures right now. these are from our nbc affiliate there kprc. kprc is also reporting the fire is located in the sports bar portion of that hotel. we've seen several people, including firefighters, actually being put onto stretchers as they fight these flames. again, this is some breaking news just south of houston, flying high above a fire at a hotel. smoke blowing across southwest -- southwest texas right now, we're told. that is also having an effect on traffic. you can see the traffic slowing down at the bottom left-hand portion of your screen there. officials at this point say that the fire started sometime around noon at the southwest end -- southwest inn.

that's the hotel. in the 6800 block of southwest freeway. it's near hornwood. again, kprc, our affiliate there, saying that this is a four-alarm fire. right now, you can actually see some stretchers in the highway there -- stretchers in the middle of the highway. tough to make out if we can actually see folks on those stretchers. again, before we went to these pictures, we did see a number of folks, including firefighters, being carried away as they continue to battle this fire. again, four-alarm fire south of houston. breaking news that we'll continue to watch for you, and we'll update you on this story as more information becomes available. meanwhile, the american mother held in mexico on drug charges walks out of jail. what she said in a brand-new interview. that's straight ahead here on the "news nation." and meeting the media. attorney general eric holder sits down with journalists for a second day. how he's trying to make amends over how the justice department handles media investigations. and cheating the system at disney. the outrageous business that

very few folks knew about until now. and just wait until you see what's happening there. don't forget, as always, join our conversation on twitter. you can find us @newsnation. one word. ♪ even superheroes need superheroes, and some superheroes need complete and balanced meals with 23 vitamins and minerals. purina dog chow. help keep him strong. dog chow strong. how we get there is not. we're americans. we work. we plan. ameriprise advisors can help you like they've helped millions of others. to help you retire your way, with confidence. ♪ that's what ameriprise financial does. that's what they can do with you. let's get to work.

ameriprise financial. more within reach. if you have high cholesterol, here's some information that may be worth looking into. in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. getting to goal is important, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. and that's why when diet and exercise alone aren't enough to lower cholesterol i prescribe crestor. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. is your cholesterol at goal? ask your doctor about crestor.

[ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. how much is too much water? too little? until we got miracle-gro moisture control. it does what basic soils don't by absorbing more water, so it's there when plants need it. with the right soil,

gestarting may 20th atts participating bay area stores. ♪ right now, i'm very happy that i'm free. i'm very thankful that they did justice and that they release me. >> a relieved yanira maldonado speaks out moments ago after arriving on u.s. soil since being released from a mexican jail. and this -- this was the joyous scene earlier this morning

outside that jail where maldonado was held for nine days. authorities said the mormon mother of seven was trying to smuggle 12 pounds of pot back into the united states. moments ago, nbc's miguel sat down with her. and he joins me by phone from arizona. first of all, miguel, where exactly is maldonado now, and what did she tell you about her time in jail? >> reporter: craig, good afternoon. maldonado is actually on the road, a long distance -- a bit distance behind us. she's headed back towards goodyear, arizona, where her home is, where several of her seven children are waiting for her to return home. she's on the road, trying to get back after what was a long nine days in a mexican jail. as you mentioned, just a short time ago, we sat down with maldonado. here's some of what she told us. what was the toughest part about being locked up? >> being innocent and telling people my story and believing in me. i really got scared, but i knew

that i'm innocent. so i had faith that i will be released, but it's tricky, because how that mexico is and what they do. >> reporter: craig, as you know, maldonado was charged -- not charged, excuse me -- was accused of smuggling some 12 pounds of marijuana on a charter bus from mexico that was going towards arizona. she was stopped at a military checkpoint where she was taken into custody. she, of course, always denied the accusation. it took nine days for her lawyer to submit evidence that showed surveillance tape of maldonado entering the bus with her husband. that video showed that maldonado was carrying two water bottles and what appeared to be two small blankets. what her lawyer was able to successfully prove was there was no way for maldonado to actually be carrying 12 pounds of marijuana when she entered that bus. the judge apparently reviewed

that evidence and ordered her released overnight. she was released from that jail just around midnight eastern time, and made her way back onto the arizona side of the border a short time ago. she has spent just a few hours sleeping, this morning, and as we mentioned, is now on the road with us headed in the same direction towards goodyear, to be reunited with her family. >> miguel, really quickly, was there at least an apology from the officials in mexico? >> reporter: you know, there was no apology from the mexican military that took her into custody or from jail officials. but we can tell you the mayor of nogales, he came out and made an apology on behalf of not just himself but on behalf of his country. he apologized to maldonado, to her family, and on behalf of the country for the experience she went through. he was remorseful for what had happened. maldonado had a lot of support on both sides of the border.

so the story certainly made headlines, and mexican authorities were very well aware of that, craig. >> miguel am on the road for us. next, cyber spies are everywhere. but who are they helping? ♪ i' 'm a hard, hard ♪ worker every day. ♪ i' ♪ i'm a hard, hard worker and i'm working every day. ♪ ♪ i'm a hard, hard worker and i'm saving all my pay. ♪ ♪ if i ever get some money put away, ♪

♪ i'm going to take it all out and celebrate. ♪ ♪ i'm a hard, hard worker... ♪ membership rallied millions of us on small business saturday to make shopping small, huge. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. ten hut! you up for the challenge suds-maker? i'm gonna need more than that to get through the rest of these dishes! i want more suds! dawn? you won't last. [ female announcer ] a drop of dawn has active suds that stay stronger longer, so you can clean 2x more greasy dishes. to get the job done. you're full of suds after all. now drop and give me twenty spaghetti bowls! [ female announcer ] dawn does more. [ sponge ] so it's not a chore.

how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ available out there. i knew devry university would give me the skills that i needed to make one of those tech jobs mine. we teach cutting-edge engineering technology, computer information systems, networking and communications management -- the things that our students

need to know in the world today. our country needs more college grads to help fill all the open technology jobs. to help meet that need, here at devry university, we're offering $4 million dollars in tech scholarships for qualified new students. learn more at devry.edu. increasing concern this week about serious security breaches by chinese hackers into united states military interests. next week, president obama will meet with china's president and is expected to raise cyber security as one of the most pressing issues between the two countries. the meeting comes on the heels of a "washington post" report that chinese hackers stole information on the patriot missile system and the f-35 joint strike fighter. but in the emerging world of cyber warfare, it may not be

governments who are the most dangerous. as one security analyst tells "newsweek" in their cover story this week, quote, a single individual is very capable of waging cyberwar at a level we previously attributed only to intelligence agencies or crime syndicates. michael monahan is the cultural news editor at "newsweek" and "the daily beast." mike, in that article, you gave a fascinating profile of this hacker known as the jester. tell us a little bit about the jester, and also what he represents about the modern world of hacking. >> you know, he's an interesting guy, because nobody knows who he is. we have, you know, very little information about him. he will only communicate in secure communications with me on chat, no face-to-face. but the fascinating thing about him is in the past we had, you know, spies -- people like robert hanson, rosenburgs, and you couldn't freelance doing this. you had to be a part of the government, either working on behalf of the government or

portraying your government. and now with hacking, and you bring up the chinese in the intro here, and you can do it freelance. you can essentially not be associated with anyone. you can hack into government computers and get that information and sell it. the jester, i should say, doesn't do that. he refers to himself as, quote/unquote, patriotic hacktivist, saying he takes down jihad sites and such. and the government doesn't mess with him. >> so the batman of hacking. >> yes. >> how do individuals like the jester, how do they acquire the skills? >> well, you know, with him, he claims -- again, you can't verify any of this stuff, because it's not a traditional sort of fact-checking process. this guy is, you know, unknown. but we can look at what he's done and say he has a background in computer programming. he says he has a background in the military and doing computer-type stuff and cyber

type warfare with the military. there are a lot of people out there 14, 15, 16, 17 years old who are incredibly skilled at this stuff and can separate you from your passwords to gmail and can break into government computers and, you know, the chinese, you know, put out ads for kids at universities in china, hey, come hack on behalf of the peoples liberation army. it's not a terribly difficult them for the very young and very clever people to figure out how to do. >> mike, from "newsweek" and "the daily beast." thanks. have a good weekend. tough fight. brand-new polls and what they could mean for hillary clinton if she decides to run in 2016. with the spark cash card from capital one... boris earns unlimited rewards for his small business. can i get the smith contract, please? thank you. that's three new paper shredders.

[ boris ] put 'em on my spark card. [ garth ] boris' small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase every day. great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. read back the chicken's testimony, please. "buk, buk, bukka!" [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase every day. told you i'd get half. what's in your wallet? next minute i'm in the back of an ambulance having a heart attack. i was in shape, fit. i did not see it coming. i take bayer aspirin. [ male announcer ] so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

see your doctor and get chec before you begin an aspirin regimen. kids are like sponges. they soak up everything. especially when it comes to what you say and do. so lead by example and respect others.

you won't let prejudice into your home. the more you know. i've always had to keep my eye on her... but, i didn't always watch out for myself. with so much noise about health care... i tuned it all out. with unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters... my individual health profile. not random statistics. they even reward me for addressing my health risks. so i'm doing fine... but she's still going to give me a heart attack. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. >> more on that breaking news in texas. you can see the flames shooting from the roof of a hotel there just south of houston. that's now a five-alarm fire. four firefighters have been injured so far. again, this is just south of houston. you can see the flames shooting from the roof of that hotel

there. fire trucks, emergency responders are on the scene right now. we've seen several people rushed away from the scene on stretchers there. we're told by, again, this is coming from our affiliate there, kprc. that's the southwest inn. that's the hotel, just south of houston. you can see the flames shooting from the roof. we're going to continue to follow this thing. five-alarm fire. we're going to update you -- update you as more information becomes available there. we are also waiting details of a second meeting today between attorney general eric holder and major news organizations concerning the justice department's recent handling of leaks to the news media. abc news, bloomberg news, "usa today," and "the l.a. times," "chicago tribune" all accepted the invitation to attend. it followed yesterday's meeting attended by the "washington post," "wall street journal," "new yorker" magazine, "new york

daily news" and politico." a number of news organizations, including nbc -- phone records seized and a fox news reporter had his personal e-mail seized. this is what some who did attend yesterday's meeting said afterwards. >> they also expressed a commitment to making changes in the guidelines for issuing subpoenas and possible steps toward changes in the privacy act. >> i mean, it's the beginning of the conversation. there will be other conversations. i'm not sure anybody's satisfied until we know what happens. but it was a starting point. >> politico's white house reporter josh gersten joins us live. your colleague at politico reports yesterday's meeting lasted more than an hour. mr. holder sought to ensure journalists that he and the justice department were trying to seek that delicate balance between the demands of national security and, of course, the free flow of information. he apparently also sought suggestions from journalists as well.

what else can you tell us about what happened at the meeting? >> well, i know right off the bat, there was a lot of discomfort about this issue of it being off the record. i don't think it's something that news organizations were happy about. and so, there was some agreement made that at least people could go out and talk about what they talked about and talk about what general topics that came up in the session. but you're right, the basic issue there was how the guidelines that the justice department applies to investigations that might involve journalists could be tweaked and the possibility of some statutory changes. i'm not sure that those would actually make things better necessarily for journalist, but they might avoid the situation we had with james rosen, as much as his being named as a potential criminal in order to get his e-mail records. >> the co-conspirator. do you think the meetings are anything more than a charm offensive by attorney general holder? or do you think this is going to lead perhaps to a real attempt at some change? >> well, i think there's going

to be a real attempt at some change. you know, the president has asked for a report from holder by i think july 12th deadline. and, look, holder i think wanted to change the tone of the deb e debate, make clear that he has some sensitivity to the media's concerns, so i do think from will be changes. the policies will be updated from the sort of silly 1970s version they have now when it was all about ma bell, at&t, and e-mail didn't even exist. so a lot of the policies, no matter what they're going to say, need to be updated. that said, i'm not sure the different interests here can really be accommodated. there's really no way to do a really thorough leak investigation in a tough, tough case -- >> yeah. >> -- without intruding e ining journalists' reporting. >> josh, thank you. >> thank you. there's a new poll out today, on the 2016 presidential race. and although she has not even announced she is running yet, the numbers having to do with hillary clinton are standing out. our nbc news first read team

writes, quote, hillary clinton still looks strong against potential gop competitors, but her numbers, not surprisingly, have come back down to earth. joining me live now with all of the details, nbc news senior political editor mark murray. mark, let's start with this. where does hillary stand against her republican rivals, if the election were held right now? >> well, craig, it's important to know first of all this is very early. we have a long way to go before 2016. but because they have these numbers from quinnipiac, they show hillary clinton is up eight points among two potential republican opponents. that would be jeb bush and also rand paul, the kentucky senator. these are down a little bit from a march poll against marco rubio and paul ryan when she led both by more than double digits. and so, eight-point lead versus double digits, you're still ahead. >> yeah. >> there is a little bit of notice that her numbers have come back down to earth.

>> what's driving the narrowing of the gap there. >> according to this one poll, a couple of things. one, it seems republicans have come back home. hillary clinton support among republicans has gone down a little bit. that should not be surprising. as soon as she turns from being secretary of state to more of a domestic political figure, her erosion among republicans was always going to happen. also, the polls show there's a little erosion among independents. she was ahead in the march polls among independents. now, in this may quinnipiac survey, she's running dead-even against the hypothetical republican opponents. >> are there any potential game-changers that you can see on the horizon? >> the thing that struck me most about these numbers, craig, was that hillary clinton is leading by 20 or more points among female voters. and she was trailing a republican candidate by, among men, in the single digits. and if that actually holds up, where she's winning female voters by a huge margin and losing men by a certain margin but less than that, that is a

recipe for electoral success come 2016. now, again, we have a very well long time to go. things can change. but the historic nature of a female president and somebody who might be running is not something -- is definitely something to watch moving forward. >> yeah, i love the fact that you did point out that these early polls are more for our entertainment and amusement. more for that than anything else. mark murray, thank you. >> thanks, craig. up next, a close call. in a few hour, an asteroid as long as the golden gate bridge is going to fly by earth, and it's not coming alone.

music ... music ... music... new beneful medley's... ...in tuscan, romana, and mediterranean style varieties. just mix it in... ...and take play to new places. three cans in every pack. new beneful medley's.

whoa! hey, we got a weather alert for this location... golf-ball sized hail and damaging winds are on the way...

kids... eh, don't worry. it's tornado-proof. anyway, i'd put the car in the garage and secure these things. they could become flying debris. kids! watch this. [ beep ] [ children screaming ] [ car alarm chirps ] awesome. [ male announcer ] mobile weather alerts from your home insurance? that's allstate home insurance. great protection plus helpful tools to make life better. talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] and let the good life in. you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter. although the cdc recommends adults get between 5% to 15% of

their daily calories from a combination of solids, fats, and sugars, the average american gets 13% from sugar alone. the agency states this is a major common cause of obesity and nutrient deficiency. the countdown is on. in about two hours from now, 4:59 eastern, a huge 1.7-mile-wide asteroid will make a close flight by earth. its closest pass for the next 200 years. the asteroid is the 1998-qe-2, and as it approaches, nasa scientists have made a pretty exciting discovery. the asteroid has its own moon, as well. a moon that is twice the size of an ocean liner. derrick pitts is chief astronomer at the institute. we know it's making this close pass. how close are we talking here? >> well, fortunately, it's not that close a shave, craig. it's 3.6 million miles away.

that is 15 times the distance between the earth and the moon. so it's a safe passage for us. >> so we won't be able to see it? >> you know, the difficulty about seeing it is that it's very dim. if you have a large telescope under dark skies over the next week, a few nights you might be able to see it. it is dim, though. >> how significant is it that the asteroid has its own moon? what does that mean? >> what it does is it tells us some about the early history of the solar system. it tells us what kinds of bodies can possibly have asteroids. if we can get a good enough read on the composition of this asteroid, using the radar setups that nasa's going to be using, it might help to tell us a little bit more about asteroids themselves. >> you know, anytime we talk about asteroids, there are a lot of folks out there, well, what would happen if an asteroid, you know, the size of this one, were to hit the earth, and how likely is something like that? >> well, if an asteroid this size were to hit earth, it would cause widespread destruction. there might possibly be

extensive extinctions as well of life of certain kinds on the planet. let's say, it wouldn't be a very good day. the really good thing, craig, is that, the united states researchers have put together enough equipment and enough teams to have been able to identify 98% of the asteroids of this size. that's a really good thing. so we know where most of these of this size are. what we now have to do is we have to turn our attention to identify the smaller asteroids, those that won't destroy the planet or cause a lot of extinctions, but those that might destroy a city or a reg n region. those are some that we have to pay attention to. >> after this solar event, what's next on the horizon, so to speak? >> well, what's next on the horizon is the activity of the sun. the sun is doing very well these days, creating sun spots, solar flares and prominences. folks that live near polar regions or higher latitudes from us down here, are seeing really, really nice northern lights this year, as we're -- during the period of the sun spot cycle,

the high point of the sun spot cycle. so that's good activity that's going on. and there's a comet coming up later this year that everyone hopes will be really spectacular. >> derrick pitts, from the franklin institute, have a great weekend. >> thank you. up next, the "news nation gut check," what some are calling a deplorable scheme to cut the lines at the happiest place on earth. jeff rossen caught it all on tape, and what he found is probably going to leave many of you steaming mad. don't forget. you can always like the "news nation" on facebook. there we are, facebook.com/newsnation. oh this is lame, investors could lose tens of thousands of dollars on their 401(k) to hidden fees. is that what you're looking for, like a hidden fee in your giant mom bag? maybe i have them... oh that's right i don't because i rolled my account over to e-trade where... woah. okay... they don't have hidden fees... hey fern. the junk drawer? why would they... is that my gerbil? you said he moved to a tiny farm.

that's it, i'm running away. no, no you can't come! [ male announcer ] e-trade. less for us. more for you.

let's update you on the breaking news just south of houston, texas. you can see it right there, flames and smoke shooting from a rooftop there. that's a five-alarm fire. it's burning through a hotel in south houston. our nbc affiliate kprc is now reporting that four firefighters

are hurt. two of the firefighters, we're told, are in critical condition. the "houston chronicle," paper of record there, says the fire broke out at a nearby restaurant. we have not heard what sparked this blaze, but we can tell you that we've seen a number of folks placed on stretchers over the past hour. the traffic is also backed up in both directions there. but again, this is a five-alarm blaze. and you can see the firefighters are actively working to put this thing out. we'll continue to follow the story and update you as new information becomes available. right now, though, it's time for the "news nation gut check." today, we take you to disneyland, and what many are calling a shameful trick to skip the lines on rides. and this has made a lot of headlines recently. we all know how frustrating it is waiting in those long lines at disney. but now, some families are apparently cheating the system. they're hiring disabled tour guides so they can cut right to the front. and if you think that's appalling, just wait until you

see it happening. "today" national investigative correspondent jeff rossen went undercover and caught it all on tape. >> reporter: disneyland. the rides. the characters. the happiest place on earth. except if you're waiting in these long lines. you and your kids waiting hours in the heat. >> ready to go? sorry. >> reporter: how does this family get to skip past everyone? >> we get past everybody. >> reporter: they do it at ride after ride after ride. escorted to the front every time. >> that took about two minutes to get on. >> i know. the ride's going to take us longer. >> reporter: it's the outrageous business few even know about. families bypassing the lines by hiring disabled tour guides with these special passes. it gives them speedy access to rides.

most theme parks, like disney, have great policies like this, to help the disabled. but now, healthy families are abusing the system. paying disabled guides to get them in with up to five guests. >> these parents call them black market handicapped disney guides. >> reporter: just look at these ads we found on craigslist. tour guides bragging about their disabled passes. let's cut the disney lines together. access to special entrances. so we had our producer and his family go undercover. with home videocameras rolling, hiring two of the disabled guides to show them around disneyland. first up, guide number one, mara. she says she got her pass because of knee and back problems. >> i'm here to make sure everyone has fun at disneyland and gets on as many rides as possible. >> you have a secret weapon today that will help us. >> i do. i have a special card that will help us beat the lines. >> reporter: she charges $50 an hour to do it. we start at the teacups. look at that line.

no problem for us. we skip ahead and get right in through the exit. >> which one are we getting in? the pink? okay. >> reporter: our second disabled guide, ryan, charges our family $200. he didn't tell us his disability. but he uses that pass to get us into star tours through this side door, down a special hallway, and right up these stairs, up to the ride. >> i can't believe we're getting past everybody. >> reporter: meanwhile, check out the line at splash mountain. at least an hour long. but we slipped right in through this back exit, thanks once again to that trusty disable pass. >> another ride? one less line. >> reporter: in fact, over two days, ryan and mara flashed their passes and got us nearly instant access to some of the most popular attractions, bypassing this monster line at pirates of the caribbean, and breezing past all these people

at alice in wonderland. those guides happy to take our money while other families had to wait. jeff rossen from nbc news. i met up with mara in the parking lot. you're profiting from this. >> well, disneyland's profiting a lot from all of the people that enter. we live in a capitalist country, and i don't feel like it's morally wrong. >> reporter: maura is unapologetic, but when i interview ryan, he's defiant. do you think you're abusing the system? >> no. >> reporter: why not? >> i gave him a wonderful tour. >> reporter: about your disabled pass, where you went into side entrances and exits, and they're not disabled at all a. they're complete strangers, and you charged them for it. >> and? >> reporter: do you feel pangs of guilt when you pass the people waiting in line for the people that are paying you? >> it's a moral question. >> reporter: that's the question. you don't feel morally -- >> i couldn't care less. >> reporter: -- about those people waiting in line? >> no. >> reporter: but disney has a big problem with it. telling us in a statement, we find it deplorable.

we have initiated a review of this abuse, and we'll take appropriate steps to deter this type of unacceptable activity. that way no one's jumping ahead of you this summer who shouldn't be. >> all right. so that's jeff rossen there. the investigation is getting results, as well. disney is cracking down, sending out warning letters to anyone advertising those services online. they say if they catch any of these disabled tour guides in the act, their disabled passes will be revoked and they won't be allowed back into the park. jeff also called the american association of people with disabilities, and they agree with disney that this practice is abusive and should be stopped. so what does your gut tell you? do you think the families that hire these guides should also be penalized by the park? all you have to do is go to facebook.com/newsnation to vote. take a quick look at what the "news nation" is saying about yesterday's "gut check." you remember this one. it's about a couple battling

with the town of holmes beach, florida, to save the elaborate tree house on their property. the town says the couple did not get the proper permit. the couple says officials gave them verbal permission. we asked, should the tree house be taken down? 5% of you said yes. 95% of you, an overwhelming majority, want the tree house to stay. thanks for watching this edition of "news nation." i'm craig melvin in for tamron hall. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 2:00. but first, "the cycle" is up next. it's usually when i want to wear my favorite dress that i remember i should probably do laundry more often yeah yeah. cause' by the time i do there's all these mystery stains. i mean is it coffee? is it bronzer? did i play rugby at some point? could be gravy. i do like gravy. anyway, so my mom sent us these tide boost thingies to put in the wash with tide. together they're like twice as strong. yeah. so it's like bye bye stains, hello perfection. what? [ chuckles ] [ female announcer ] together, tide and tide boost double your power against stains that's my tide what's yours?

double your power against stains ♪ i' double your power against stains 'm a hard, hard ♪ i'm a hard, hard worker and i'm working every day. ♪ ♪ i'm a hard, hard worker and i'm saving all my pay. ♪ ♪ if i ever get some money put away, ♪ ♪ i'm going to take it all out and celebrate. ♪ ♪ i'm a hard, hard worker... ♪ membership rallied millions of us on small business saturday to make shopping small, huge. this is what membership is. this is what membership does.

breaking weather news this friday in "the cycle," and a triple threat. another afternoon of tornadoes bearing down on the midwest and the plains, areas outside of the twister zone are dealing with torrential rains. and out west, equally dangerous threat. massive wildfire is burning through southern california right now. a thousand acres wide. hundreds of residents evacuated.

the most important number right now, it's only 15% contained. here in new york city, we're high and dry, but baking under temperatures in the mid-90s. more of that ahead into the weekend as we prepare to possibly record our first heat wave of this summer season. lots to get to. foremost on our minds this afternoon, our friends under the tornado threat once again. nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer leads our team coverage. dylan, what have you got? >> toure, outside of the zone, we got a tornado warning in north dakota of all places. not even anywhere near where the severe weather is expected today. but it is active all across the country. it's the area in yellow, though, from wisconsin over into michigan, right down into texas where we will see very strong thunderstorms. that means hail, large hail at that, also torrential downpours, dangerous lightning, and the possibility of wind gusts over 60 miles per hour. then, on top of that, you have the red zone down through