the breaking news this hour, the state of oklahoma, botching the first of what was planned to be a double execution tonight. good wednesday morning, everybody. right now on "first look," a massive weather system sweeping parts of the u.s. has now claimed 35 lives. and the threat is not over yet. so what's next for the l.a. clippers after donald sterling gets banned for life. we're six months away from elections. and democrats are bracing for a new season. plus, a new list of the world's deadliest animals with surprising top spots. why we won't see a royal wedding anytime soon. and the new cast is officially announced listen to familiar names.

hello, everybody. i'm betty nguyen. we do want to begin with a deadly tornado outbreak that has left a path of destruction from iowa to the carolinas, killing at least 35 people along the way. in the hard-hit community of tupelo, mississippi, the mayor is calling it a miracle that only one person died. nbc's jay gray has the information. >> reporter: for a third straight day, from the deep south to the carolinas, splintering homes, businesses and lives. >> man, he was a good boy, guys. i wish you knew him. >> reporter: donald wassome sr. searches for anything he can find including answers in what's left of the home where his son died. the 31-year-old iraqi veteran was shielding his wife and two young daughters when he was killed. >> what a great son he was. you know. you couldn't ask for a better son. >> reporter: as survivors mourn those lost and begin the

overwhelming task of cleaning up and coming back, there is a growing concern over the next round of severe weather with a potential strike zone from louisiana through michigan, and a warning from those in the path of the system, from those who already felt the wrath of the storms. >> you need to get in a shelter or get underground and take it seriously don't take it for granted that there may be a tornado warning coming. you need to fight for your life and get where you need to be. >> reporter: as they continue their fight -- >> we will reveal, we will come back stronger. >> reporter: though most understand nothing about that recovery will be quick or easy. jay gray, nbc news, tupelo, mississippi. nbc's bill karins is here with today's severe weather threat. it looks like it's not over yet apparently. >> yeah, different elements. now, we're really adding flash flooding just incredible

pictures from mobile to the pensacola region. the flooding overnight has been historic. worse than many of the hurricanes we've dealt with recently. we didn't get the tornadoes yet over mississippi and alabama. here's some of the pictures coming in. this is the mobile fire department that went across a river. this guy is hanging ton a tree. he put the life jacket on him and the rope on him and drag him to safety. that's off to the mobile fire department. >> reporter: as far as the severe weather went, we did see breaks in eastern carolina. we did catch that break in mississippi and alabama. we didn't see too much in the way of huge tornadoes that were devastating. the storm itself is still located over chicago heading into michigan. now you it's dragging all that moisture up along the eastern seaboard. that's why we've seen this crazy flooding event. i-10 is shut down near the pensacola area. cars have been stranded for four

to five hours they can't go anywhere. there's literally a river over the highway. the amount of rain that's fallen, 11 inches in pensacola. the gates stopped working numerous hours ago. they're probably at 15 or 16 inches. from mobile, horrendous flooding down here. many pictures of houses have water all the way through the first levels. people are being told to stay where you are. you can't go anywhere anyways. this is a horrendous flood down there. >> you know what's bad when you said the gauge stopped working? >> yeah, a picture of downtown pensacola with three feet of water going through main street. i mean, crazy. >> thank you, bill. well, the nba has banned l.a. clippers owner donald sterling for life. and fined him $2.5 million. the nba says it plans to force a sale of the team. nbc's joe fryer has more. >> reporter: nba commissioner

adam silver on the job for only three months did not mince words. >> effective immediately, i am banning mr. sterling for life from any association with the clippers organization or the nba. >> reporter: no games, no practices, no ability to make any decisions about the team. plus a $2.5 million fine. the maximum aloud after the nba's investigation. >> mr. sterling acknowledged it was his voice on the tape. and he has not experienced to me directly any other views. we stand together in condemning mr. sterling's views. they simply have no place in the nba. >> reporter: on twitter, nba legend magic johnson said commissioner silver showed great leadership. and the he's he's lebron james wrote thank you for protecting our beautiful and powerful league. >> we all started clapping because he handled it the right way.

i'm so happy that he did that. >> there will be zero tolerance for institutional racism, no matter how rich or powerful. >> i felt the pressure on my players, you know, everyone was waiting for them to give a response. and, you know, i kept thinking, i mean, they didn't do anything, you know, yet, they have to respond. and so adam responded. >> reporter: across los angeles, the announcement was watched intently by fans who considered boycotting the team. >> yeah, i'm going to a clippers game now, they did something about it. he's not going to be around. >> reporter: sterling is accused making racism audio comments posted on tmz. >> yeah, it bothers me a lot that you're to promo or broadcast associating with black people. do you have to? >> reporter: they are forcing a sale saying sterling could be

removed an owner with three-quarters vote. >> i think it is an agreement that he made that if he acts in this type of a way, his fellow owners can remove him from this club. >> and that was nbc's joe fryer. now, in the wake of the nba's announcement the clippers revamped their website to show a simple yet huge statement. we are one. we are have more on last night's clippers game. that's coming up in sports. in the meantime with the 2014 midterms just months away, a new nbc news poll finds 45% of voters refer a republican-controlled congress. and equal 45% prefer a democratic-controlled congress. the poll also finds when it comes to the u.s. role in world affairs 47% of americans want to reduce it. while only 19% want the u.s. to be more active. in a newly released list of the world's deadliest creeches,

you might be surprised by what takes the top spot. mosquitos. yep, they are number one in killing about 750,000 people every year, mostly due to malaria according to the world health organization. now billionaire bill gates released the list of deadly creeches on his blog describing that months the key toes deserve their own round of shark week. humans, followed by snakes and dogs. and tied at number five the tsetse fly and assassin bug and freshwater snails. snails. let's get the latest in sports from richard lui. >> good morning. no more donald sterling as you were just saying in the stands or owners box as l.a. takes on golden state just hours after the nba banned him for racist remarks. clippers fans cheering, chant, "we are one." clippers take a 3-2 series lead

with a 113-105 win. memphis taking the lead with just over a minute left here. oklahoma's game-winner misfires but they get the tip-in to win this, right? watch it. no! says the ref, though, because the time expired. 100-99, memphis takes the lead there. washington's 49-43 rebounding edge and the key free throw down the stretch led them to a 75-69 win. wizards on to the next round. their first time ans '05. >> it's been a while. >> yes. and an arizona baseball fan trice catch that foul ball. he baubles it. he splatters his date with beer. look at her, she scowls. the guy next to him, na, na, na, na i got it!

>> goal! >> unstoppable. voted the best player in the world for a reason here, cristiano rinaldo proving it last night. first celebrating his 15th as you saw there. league record-setting goal for a single season. the 29-year-old leader reached his 16th goal in real madrid's 4-0 win over bayern munich. houston's football coach plays a prank. he sits his kicker down, he acts like he's got bad news, but instead, he's giving him a scholarship. >> and really when i say very, very soon, so congratulations. >> really? >> yeah, really. >> i don't know who was more surprised, him or his mother. >> what am i showing here? >> what is that? >> this is the 25th annual bed

races. kicking off the kentucky derby festivities. the driver say 17-year-old nascar driver. the kentucky desch ber airs on nbc this saturday. no beds to be seen then. you lose the game, your opponent who has the game winning run hurts her knee rounding first. no sore losers, betty. two florida players care the opponent around the bases for her. >> that might be a first. >> good sportman-like conduct. we need that. >> richard have a good one. coming up on "first look," an ominous warning about the summer olympic games in rio in 2016. and if you are wild about harry, you're going to want to stick around for his latest relationship status. ♪

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all right. it's time to get down to business. ebay is bringing billions of dollars in foreign earnings back

into the u.s. and the move is going to cost them. the company will have to pay a $3 billion tax charge in order to boost available cash here in the state to $6 billion. walmart wants to help you figure out auto insurance. the world's largest retailer has announced plans to partner with autoinsurance.com. the website will allow shoppers to buy directly from the site instead of being directed to other insurance providers like allstate or progressive. and amazon making it easier to find the newest cool tech gadget. a wearable technology section where you can shop for fitness gadgets and wearable tracker. zbroop a botched lethal injection has oklahoma barring injections. a convict shook in pain after being invekted. prison officials say he eventually died of a heart attack. the governor has called for a

new review of the method before executions can resume. it was a big day for our nbc news colleagues in l.a. our bureau there is now part of officially the tom brokaw news center. it was dedicated to tom brokaw who started in l.a. in 1965. we are two years away from the olympic summer games in rio, and things aren't looking so good. a vice president of the olympic committee is calling the preparations there the worst he's ever experienced. the ioc says it will step up efforts to help. and director j.j. abrams has announced that harrison ford and carrie fisher will reprise the iconic roles in "star wars." episode vii. it posted this photo. embattled candidate

mcallister breaks ranks. politics is next. er. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. [ banker ] sydney needed some financial guidance so she could take her dream to the next level. so we talked about her options. her valuable assets were staying. and selling her car wouldn't fly. we helped sydney manage her debt and prioritize her goals, so she could really turn up the volume on her dreams

today...and tomorrow. so let's see what we can do about that... remodel. motorcycle. [ female announcer ] some questions take more than a bank. they take a banker. make a my financial priorities appointment today. because when people talk, great things happen. make a my financial priorities appointment today. my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa. in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced.

seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa. here's your morning dish at "scrambled politics." house majority leader eric cantor told gop candidate mcallister that he should resign immediately. he fired back at the majority leader saying he didn't disclose their full conversation. the married louisiana

republican was caught on video kissing one of his aides. a federal judge struck down wisconsin's voter identification law that would have required voters to show a state-issued photo i.d. at the poll. the judge says it targets poor voters. and the 2014 midterms saying, quote, this is not the holy grail of this election. meanwhile, a new poll by harvard's institute of politics shows that only 23% of voters aged 18 to 29 say they will definitely vote in the midterms. that is down 11% from five months ago. and also down 8% from four years ago around this time, vice president joe biden. he helped roll out the white house's guidelines to stop sexual assault with a star-studded psa that includes the likes of steve carell and nbc's oath seth meyers.

>> it's a crime. it's wrong. >> if i saw it happening i was taught you have to do something about it. >> if i saw it happening i'd speak up. >> if i saw it happening, i'd never blame her, i'd help her. >> because i don't want to be part of the problem. i want to be part of the solution. >> senator barbara boxer was making the case to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 when he attempted to make a pop culture reference. >> i work for the minimum wage, a long time ago. at that time, it was a dollar an hour. and i earned 50 cents an hour because i was a teenager. today, 50 cent is a singing group, am i right about that? >> ah, not exactly, but nice try. that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." joined me now for the first look at politics is lynn swede, from the washington sun times. good morning, lynn. >> good morning. there's a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll out this morning that shows 47% want the

united states to reduce its role in world affairs. will this type of sentiment have an impact on the u.s. response to the russian involve innocent in the ukraine? >> no, it won't. you have there's a sense of surgency that the obama government is bringing to try to respond to the russian aggression. you just can't let one poll influence foreign policy like that. it does show, show, that the administration may have to do more of a job of explaining what the u.s. interest is in the area. >> speaking of russia, its deputy prime minister responded to sanctions that the u.s. should suggest reaching space by a trampoline. it's not funny when you consider nasa is dependent on astronauts to get to space. is this gop chess game about to get pretty ugly? >> well, yes and no. the russian official who said it is one who was sanctioned by the

government. and where we tried to free the fortunes of different russians to pressure russia you know in the wake of the ukraine situation. so, i don't know if it will backfire as much as this russian hoax, but it certainly shows that the sanctions are hitting a nerve. >> all right, lynn sweet. as always, thanks for joining us. coming up, bill karins and richard lui are back for our "first buzz" and we're talking about prince harry's new found freedom. and there she blows. or that's the song that new sweden residents are worried about. stick around. we'll explain. okay ladies, whenever you're ready.

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all right. we have some good stuff today in "first buzz." >> more pictures? >> no. listen, up, ladies, prince harry may be on the market. yep, we're learning according to "people," he has broken up with his longtime girlfriend cressida bonas, they have called it quits. >> if you dump -- another thing you'll know, you'll never be the princess. >> oh. >> and it's another thing to have your entire relationships on air all the time, too. >> but if you did date the prince. >> and women are flipping out right now -- >> oh, boy -- >> speaking of flipping out -- >> that's as bad as yours. >> you go first. here we go, richard lui, people like to do silly stuff when they graduate. this college student from davenport, well, he tried to flip out. yeah.

>> did he fall off the stage is that what happened? >> it looks like the stage caught him. >> on his face. >> he did get up. in front of everyone, too. that's what's so add about it. he did get up, saying he was fine. >> i did a cartwheel when i graduated. >> did you really? >> i couldn't believe that i graduated. why not? >> a front walk-over? >> no. we've got to get this to this nasty store. it's pretty gross. >> what is it -- >> yes. >> so that is a whale. sand it's 81 feet long. it's off the canadian town. >> enjoy those cheerios, everyone. >> it's decomposing slowly. it's only 45 degrees. word is it's going to purse. so you've got a lost bacteria inside. it's going to start warming up. >> explain to me what it really looks like inside, richard.

>> let's not do that. >> not only that, but the smell. it's got to be awful. >> it's one of nine whales according to the department of fish, and oceans that supposedly got caught in the ice. >> that's sad. all right. well, everybody, on that note, thanks for joining us today. "way too early" with thomas roberts starts right now. i believe that today stands as one of those great moments. where sports once again transcends, where sports provides a place for fundamental change on how our country should think and act. i hope that every bigot in this country sees what happened to mr. sterling. and recognizes that if he can fall, so can you. >> so the nba shows clippers owner donald sterling the door. but is his forced departure a real slam dunk? americans reacting to how president obama is handling

foreign policy. are people hoping that he commits military assets to the ukrainian crisis. and severe spring weather rips through north carolina. the scary sights that sent everybody running for cover. this is "way too early." ♪ hey, everybody, good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it is wednesday, april the 30th. welcome to "way too early." the show is not part of the cast of the new "star wars" movie, but we are under consideration for anchorman tres. gracias. after a due process that donald sterling, the nba commissioner adam silver delivered a swift judgment against the clippers owner for his racist remarks. >> the views expressed by mr. sterling are deeply offensive and harpful. that they came from an nba owner on