to the point where they don't even understand why they're failing when they're failing. someone should talk to them about the math guy. good morning. right now on "first look," explosions and gun fire. the taliban hits one of the most secure parts of kabul and our nbc news crew is there when the suicide attack happened. the fugitive edward snowden, exact whereabouts unknown and the u.s. at odds with russia, china and ecuador. hockey heaven. chicago blackhawks fans are celebrating the team's second stanley cup victory in four years. plus, an update on that wily escaped red panda. fireworks at the trial of george zimmerman and paula deen's empire gets a little smaller. good morning. i'm mara schiavocampo. we begin with persisting

violence in afghanistan amid the pursuit of peace talks. the taliban is claiming responsibility for yet another wave of deadly violence. late monday, suicide bombers blew up a car outside the presidential palace in kabul. that's supposed to be one of the most secure areas in the capital. duncan, good morning. we're really glad you're okay. what can you tell us about what happened? >> good morning, mara. we were on perimeter of the presidentialle palace in what is meant to be the most secure parts. we were out on the street with about a dozen journal alists when suddenly gunfire erupted all around us. everybody went running for cover. me and the nbc team managed to get into the back of a car. a group of journalists had to hide behind a wall. and they were looking after a young school boy who was caught up clearly terrified because this this gunfire just went on and on. and then there were a series of explosions.

and it's all lasted for around 40 minutes. we've since discovered what happened is taliban insurgents drove up to a check point, they prevented fake i.d.s. when they were stopped, they got out, started shooting and dead natured a car bomb. as far as we understand, all the attackers have been killed. taliban tell nbc news they claim responsibility, they say they were targeting the presidential palace and the cia. the timing of this is really important. just one week after the taliban opened an office in qatar in the gulf supposedly for peace talks. >> that just sounds terrifying. thanks for the record. snowden is still in hiding. nbc's jim a ceda joins us from moscow. jim, good morning. >> good morning, mara. 9 the big question is where is

edward snowden. after journalists on board said he was a no show. the assumption is he's still at the airport here or somewhere in moscow. could be really miles per hour in russia. ecuadoran officials met with snowden after he arrived from hong kong handing him refugee papers. which would you allow him to travel anywhere despite the fact that his u.s. passport was revoked. now, wikileaks founder julian assange said on monday that he's safe, in good spirits, but he couldn't divulge his whereabouts due to what he called an aggressive pursuit of snowden by the u.s.. snowden is clearly now at the center of a growing spat between russia and the united states especially at a time when relations had already soured.

russia is officially saying it just doesn't know where snowden is and has nothing to do with the case, but kremlin watchers here are pretty skeptical. they're saying the snowden affair is exactly the kind of putin moment, if you will, that he's always looking for to make himself look strong by sticking russia's thumb in america's eye. mara, back to you. >> thank you so much. explosive first day in the george zimmerman murder trial with both sides painting conflicting portraits of the man charged with killing trayvon martin. ron mott takes us inside the courtroom. >> reporter: [ bleep ] they always get away. >> prosecutor john guy opened his statements quoting george zimmerman's words to a police dispatcher before unarmed trayvon martin was shot and killed. getting an already tense case

off to a gripping start. >> george zimmerman did not shoot trayvon martin because he had to. he shot him for the worst of all reasons, because he wanted to. >> zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second degree murder, telling police he fired his concealed gun in self-defense after martin attacked him. >> knock, knock, who's there? >> reporter: in contrast don west began his opening with a joke. >> george zimmerman who? all right, good. you're on the jury. r r rr9. >> reporter: west later apologized detailing zimmerman's call to police, saying it was martin who initiated the encounter and martin who attacked zim he man. >> trayvon martin armed himself with the concrete sidewalk and used it to smash george zimmerman's head. no different than if he picked up a brick or bashed the head against a wall. that is a deadly weapon.

>> reporter: the state's first several witnesses testified about basic facts leading up on to the shooting. but more central to the case attorneys on both sides argue will be that 911 call. >> so you think you're yelling help? >> yes. >> determining who is screaming for help, according to observers, could well decide the jury's verdict. >> they're going to listen to that tape over and over again to see if they can decide who was yelling for help. if they can, that may be the answer as to whether george zimmerman was a murderer. >> nbc's ron mott reporting. well, the chicago blackhawks are stanley cup champions in game six of the nhl final, brian bickell tied the score and then just 17 seconds later, the game winning shot. >> here is one thrown by frolik. they score!

bolland, 3-2 with less than a minute to go. >> and the blackhawks held on to beat the bruins for their second nhl title in four years. in chicago, blackhawks fans cheered the victory in bars and restaurants and hundreds poured out into the streets to celebration. congratulations to blackhawks fans. more fallout for paula deen. smithfield foods is dropping her. in a statement, the pork producer says it condemns the use of offensive behavior of any kind. during a discrimination lawsuit deposition, deen admitted to using racial slurs in the past but has asked for forgiveness. and now your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. in massachusetts, democratic congressman ed markey is running in today's special senate election. he faces gabriel gomez and the

winner will fill the senate seat of john kerry. president obama talks about climate change today at georgetown university. he'll layout his vision for a comprehensive plan to reduce carbon pollution. the supreme court has agreed to rule on president obama's recess appointments, the high court will decide if presidents can fill cabinet vacancies and other government positions during breaks in senate sessions. something presidents for both parties have done. signs of 2016, former secretary of state hillary clinton told an audience in los angeles last night that china damaged its relationship with the u.s. by allowing nsa leaker edward snowden to flee from hong kong despite a request to arrest him. a petition on the white house website to pardon edward snowden has passed the 100,000 signature threshold, which means an official response must take place within 30 days. and south carolina's republican governor nikki haley has not yet decided if she'll

run for re-election in 2014. with her husband deployed in afghanistan, she might not run again if it's too much on the family. and that's your morning's dish of scrambled politics. now for a look at the national weather forecast. the weather channel's todd santos is here. >> good morning. yeah, a number of things to keep a close eye on. it was a little toasty outside. >> just how i like it. >> really feels like summer already across a good stretch of the east coast. we'll hang on to it, but still the potential for pop-up thunderstorms during the afternoon. yesterday we had some of the stronger ones especially across portions of the northeast. and you notice a few things on the full u.s. view. showers moving into the northwest. also some of the thunderstorms across lower lake michigan, that cluster of storms as they were moving toward chicago, the lightning tracker is turned on, good news in the short term for flights this morning in and out of chicago, but later this afternoon, keep in mind some

storms could fire up again. another spot that could see isolated severe storms, hail and wind damage, that whole yellow area including chicago with a chance for some of the stronger storms. but hot again. >> another good day. thanks so much, todd. well, the number one reason 70% of american workers are not engaged or totally disengaged in their work. that's coming up next. [ male announcer ] erica had a rough day.

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nelson mandela remains in critical condition at a south africa hospital. officials say the former leader's health has worsened over the weekend. kyra simmons is live in pretoria with the latest. >> reporter: you you may still be able to see a small crowd of people behind me. just in the last few minutes, a group of ordinary south africans really have come over and released 100 white birds just

outside the hospital. people are deeply worried about nelson mandel will and we are hearing at the family home some members of the family, nelson mandela's daughter and one of his granddaughters have arrived there for a family meeting some of kind. we haven't confirmed that or indeed why they are potentially there for that meeting. but as i say, people are very concerned about nelson mandela. we haven't had an update on on his condition today, so we assume so far that he is still in a critical condition. >> okay. thanks for that. other stories making news this morning, part of a bill yefrle hauling the nation's immigration laws sailed through the senate on monday by a 67-27 vote. senators approved an amendment aimed at strengthening border security by adding 20,000 more border agents and building some 700 miles of fence.

the former prime minister of italy was found guilty monday of having sex with an underage prostitute during one of his infamous bunga-bunga parties. silvio berlusconi received a lifetime ban from politics and was sentenced to jail. congressman levin says the irs singled out tax exempt applications with words like progressive for extra scrutiny. a lost red panda from the national zoo has been found. rusty had been missing since sunday night but was recovered after an extensive search. he makes it back to the zoo just in time for his first birthday next month. now for your first look at business. wertha coombs. >> good morning.

more people are falling behind on on their car payments. trans union says the rate of late payments rose in the first three months of the year as banks are extending financing to more borrowers with less than stellar credit. the ford f 150 is deemed the most american vehicle. the pickup tops the annual car.com american made index replacing the camry which has held the crown since 2009. the index ranks vehicles by sales, the amount of u.s. made parts and where they're assembled. right now futures are higher after stocks fell monday on continuing fallout from the fed meeting last week. and worries about china's economy. today we'll get data on durable goods, housing apand consumer confidence. a recent gallup survey of 150,000 american workers found only about 30% say they're inspired by what they're doing and engaged in their work. but 70% are either not engaged

or basically checked out by being totally disengaged. it's a feeling that researchers call permanent mondays. the biggest reason for the negative feelings? bad managers. >> just ahead, a huge upset at wimbledon and the highlights and low lights of sports coming up next. new flamed out mascara from covergirl. the volume igniter brush shapes each lash up and out for bigger hotter flamed out volume. new flamed out mascara. hot enough for you? easy breezy beautiful covergirl. a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®.

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nadal was ousted by darcis in straight sets. former nba star scotty pippen was questioned after an argument that got physical. he alledgedly fought with an autograph seeker and left the man hospitalized with a head injury. but pippen was released pending further investigation. nfl hall of fame quarterback jim kelly still recovering from surgery did not let that keep him from his annual football camp for kids on monday. what a good guy. doctors recently removed cancer from his jaw. his prognosis is said to be good and he won't need radiation treatments or chemotherapy. >> the between thing is, you know, it's just going to take a little time but hopefully next year at this time i'll be completely cancer free and everything will go well. >> we hope so, too. the nba champion miami heat

enjoyed their celebration parade on a double decker bus through the streets of the city on monday. thousands you you see right there turned out to honor the heat for their back to back win. they beat the san antonio spurs in seven games. but check this out, lebron james and teammates had to dodge a few close calls. the 6'8" superstar came close to hitting his head on the overpasses as he stood on top of the party bus. no worry, though. king james has reflexes of a champ. >> you definitely don't want your mvp getting caught by a bridge. >> no one wants to go out like that. time to dig a little deeper into our top political stories. joining me now for our first look at politics is the washington bureau chief for the sun times. lynn, good morning. i want to talk about snowden because this is such a compelling cloak and dagger story. so let's start with him leaving hong kong. they let him leave the country freely against u.s. wishes. now he's thought to be hiding in russia.

what kind of diplomatic challenges does this create for the u.s.? >> it puts tensions between countries that we had some of our most delicate diplomatic challenges to. so now the relationship between putin and obama was frosty. this makes it even tougher. >> and was the existing ground work there for diplomatic channels to be successful in this case or had that not been laid for that to work now? >> it is such a novel situation in that you can do have someone on the run who we can't find and who russia has yet to even admit that they will or will not try to help. so there is really no -- nothing to -- nothing that could be helpful right now if russia is not willing to work with the u.s.. >> and quickly, what kind of message, assuming that snowden is in fact in russia, what kind of message is putin sending to president obama with everything that's happening?

>> well, i think he's frustrated with dealing with the united states. and certainly those suggestions that the nsa might have been listening to russia while hardly surprising to anyone i think makes this an exception rather than any kind of routine diplomatic challenge. >> thanks so much for your time this morning. >> thank you. coming up, betty and todd will be here if first buzz, all the stories we're talking about today. that's coming up next. ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. need a little kick? ooh! and didn't know where to start. a contractor before at angie's list, you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. no company can pay to be on angie's list, so you can trust what you're reading. angie's list is like having thousands of close neighbors, where i can go ask for personal recommendations.

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time for first buzz, all the stories we're talking about today. good morning, guys.

so you have a story about a racing prodigy. >> dale earnhardt's granddaughter. she piqued my interest because of a press conference that went on on this past weekend. she's 12 years old and she starts 8th grade in the fall and she just got her new racecar. >> is she any good? >> sponsored by nickelodeon. >> how is it that a 12-year-old can drive? >> you can race. >> they're racing what? >> it's a little -- basically an mini outlaw series. yeah, a lot of kids race go carts. they're legitimately fast. so it's a name to look for in the years to come. >> i think i'm too paranoid of a mother. >> not letting your daughter. >> exactly. and betty, a little mysterious? >> this is spooky. there is a statue at a you museum in manchester, england that is actually spinning on its own. check it out. it's in the background right

there. see the tall statue? and it's just turning. this obviously is time lapse. this statue has been in the museum for some 80 years. it is 4,000 years old. but just a few weeks ago, it started spinning. scientists are trying to explain this phenomenon. they're calling it differential friction. what that means is that subtle vibrations on the glass where the statue is sitting is causing to turn. and it kind of makes sense when you see the people walking by. so maybe the vibrations from all the people. >> doesn't explain why the others wouldn't be. >> i don't know. maybe it's a ghost or something. who knows. >> and i think it was last week you brought us these harry leir pants. here is another one. all male chest hair. over 1 million strands. took 200 hours to make. you can have it if a mere $3800. a british drink coma it because they're protesting what they

call the emass could you laization of fashion. something like that. >> doesn't look very soft. >> that gives women a chance to have as much chest hair as they want. >> yeah, i shave mine every day. "way too early" starts right now. it doesn't matter where moscow is because snowden may not even be there. he was supposed to be on a flight this morning from moscow to havana cuba, but a reporter on on the flight tweeted this photo of snowden's empty seat. meaning either he didn't show or he was in the bathroom. after all, he is a known leaker. >> on the run. he's being called the most wanted man in the world. but the certainly for edward snowden is more than just a manhunt. now it's a complicated game of international politics. explosives start the trial

of george zimmerman in florida and this will be a case worthy of our attention. and game six of the stanley cup finals goes down to the final minute and a flurry of dramatic goals. this is way too early. my bruins, they're done. so sad. good morning, everybody. i'm brian shactman. it is tuesday, june 25th. and we want to start you you off with breaking news from afghanistan. the taliban launching a suicide attack on the presidential palace, a place believed to be one of the safest in the war-torn country. afghan and u.s. forces exchanged gunfire with taliban fighters who infiltrated the palace grounds as reporters gathered for a news event. president karzai