good wednesday morning. right now on "first look." severe weather. torrential winds, high rains, and hail causing trouble all over the country. we'll show you what's ahead today. election results from eight states are giving a definite sign of where our county is headed. bergdahl backlash grows. the roars from senators on both sides of the aisle to free our p.o.w. is getting louder. plus a wedding day dunking that could not stop love. and donald sterling speaks out about the nba. hello, everybody. thanks for joining us. breaking overnight, the taliban has released video showing sergeant bowe bergdahl being

handed over to american forces. the video seen here was sent to nbc news by a known taliban spokesperson. it shows bergdahl waiting as a u.s. helicopter lands. he is then escorted by men carrying a white flag. bergdahl is patted down before being loaded onto the chopper. meanwhile the president has found himself playing defense on the issue of swapping bergdahl for five detained terror suspects. chuck todd reports from warsaw, poland. >> reporter: what began as a triumphant rose garden announcement 72 hours ago. >> yes. it's a good day. >> reporter: has now exploded into a full blown political fire storm with the president facing questions about bergdahl's disappearance, the threat of the taliban prisoners in the exchange, and bypassing congress. traveling in warsaw, he waved off questions about why he left his unit. >> regardless of the circumstances, whatever those

circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an american soldier back if he's held in captivity. period. >> reporter: and he played down the risk of the taliban commanders' release. >> is there the possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to us? absolutely. that's been true of all the prisoners that were released from guantanamo. >> reporter: the need for secrecy and speed trump the need in realtime. on capitol hill intelligence committee leaders from both parties says that didn't count as consultation. >> it comes with some dismay and surprise that the transfers went ahead with no consultation, totally not following the law. >> i hadn't had a conversation with the white house on this

issue in a year and a half. if that's keeping us in the loop, then, you know, this administration is more arrogant than i thought they were. >> reporter: speaker boehner promised congressional hearings. the white house expected blowback over the taliban release. what they didn't expect was the public doubt about bergdahl's intent on leaving his unit. down to the wire. we are still watching the votes trickle in from mississippi and the race between thad cochran and his tea party challenger chris mcdaniel. with 99.5% of the votes in, the associated press says mcdaniel holds a 1% lead. if neither wins a majority, it will force a costly runoff election. mcdaniel in a late night speech rallied his backers. >> this is a historic moment in this state's history. and because of your hard work, because of your dedication we

sit here tonight leading a 42-year incumbent. >> meanwhile, iowa could elect its first woman. joni ernst has won that. in her victory rally, she referenced her ad that said she grew up castrating hogs. >> i grew up walking beans, canning food, and feeding hogs on our family farm. and, yes, some of you may know that i did more than just feed the hogs. >> and california's govern jerry brown declared victory in the primary. he is heading to the general election where he will seek a fourth term as governor. america's heartland is getting hammered right now.

in the last 24 hours there have been at least 400 reports of severe weather in central states like nebraska and iowa. >> the wind started picking up and then stuff was hitting the house. we headed to the basement and we could hear stuff banging around. >> the storms made for dangerous driving conditions for many people out on the road. drivers in nebraska caught this gust-nado, as it's called, on video. here the roof was blown right off. hail caused extensive damage. more than 4500 vehicles were pummelled at two dealerships in nebraska and iowa. the owner estimates that's about $152 worth of inventory. strong winds and storms could be on the way for parts of missouri and illinois. meteorologist bill kairns is here with a look ahead. it's been a busy night. >> i mean, these storms were all afternoon, all evening, they continue this morning with

dangerous weather. we still have a chance of life threatening weather as we speak. a lot of water being produced by these storms. flash flooding is now the issue. the northern half of the state north of i-70 in missouri is now under flash flood warnings. and now parts of illinois dealing with flash flooding. it's one of those silent killers. you don't hear a lot about it. as far as the storms go, right now they're still rolling. this is kansas city. you're in the clear. columbia, south carolina, has strong storms with damaging winds nearby. they were all heading for st. louis this morning. later today these storms will roll right through kentucky, southern portions of the ohio valley and then through northern tennessee. again, the threat today is not as bad as it was last night, but we're still going to get damage out there. wind damage and large hail. shouldn't see that many tornadoes. the rest of the country is looking good for any of your

travel needs for your activities. the problem areas would be this morning through missouri and kentucky this afternoon. >> thank you, bill. well, there are more details that are emerging engulfing the veterans affair health care system. a coverup of excessive wait times for veterans wasn't just limited to phoenix. as many as ten secret waiting lists were also found at hospitals in kansas, missouri, illinois, and indiana. there's also been growing speculation over who will replace eric shinseki who resigned last week. sources tell nbc the obama administration has spoken with dr. toby cost grove, but no offer has been made. they are trying to gauge if the heart surgeon would be interested in taking the top job. meanwhile, four senate republicans are pushing for an alternative v.a. health care bill. under the proposed plan,

veterans would be given more options. they would be able to see a private doctor, visit a military hospital if they are forced to wait more than a month for an appointment at a v.a. clinic. pulitzer prize winning columnist maureen dow revealed she recently tried marijuana and, nope, it did not go well. she traveled to colorado to cover the legalization and tried edible pot. she says the caramel chocolate flavored candy bar didn't take effect right away but then, quote, i lay curled up in a hallucinatory state for the next eight hours. and further explains as my paranoia deepened, i was convinced i had died and no one was delling me. she doesn't say how much of the candy bar she ate, but she says after the fact the bar should have been divided into 16

pieces. there lies the issue for those who aren't regular marijuana users which she clearly was not. today a memorial service will be held at temple university for philadelphia inquirer co-owner lewis katz. katz and six others died saturday night when his private jet crashed. among the speakers, bill clinton, ed rendell, cory booker, bill cosby. it took nine years for nasa to create the most comprehensive and colorful photograph of deep space yet. you have to see this. this one image contains 10,000 of the oldest galaxies in the universe, billions of stars. these clusters are as faint as a fire fly as seen from the distance of the moon. that's tiny. this will help scientists

uncover secrets of how stars are formed. that is a beautiful image. all right. sports action now. we begin with the very first comments from donald sterling since the sale of the l.a. clippers. >> it may have worked out differently, but it's good. it's all good. >> so you're done? >> well, i'm okay. i'm okay. is the nba okay? i'm not sure about that. >> sterling's wife is actually the one who orchestrated a $2 billion sale of the team to ex-microsoft ceo steve ballmer. dan marino removes himself from the latest lawsuit against the league for allegedly misleading them about the long-term effects of concussions. the hall of famer says he was unaware he would be attached to the lawsuit and will rather file a separate claim. the san antonio fans leave no doubt on how they feel about

this matchup. the billboard says it all. built versus bought. i think you get the picture. game one of the stanley cup finals starts tonight. it's the first time in 33 years teams from new york are going for any major sport. on hand for the dvd promotion and to throw out the first pitch. now to the game. toronto had a two-run game when they get more off the homer. scoring three in the bottom of the ninth. but still lose 5-3. making it look easy against panama. check out this no-look pass which leads to a goal and a celebration dance featuring the macarena from back in the 1990s. that's a throwback. a hunger games inspired protest in thailand is catching fire.

plus when taking the plunge conjures a new mean for weddings. "first look" is back in three. the was a truly amazing day. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today at angieslist.com when laquinta.com sends him a ready for you alert the second his room is ready, ya know what salesman alan ames becomes? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! a "selling machine!" ready for you alert, only at lq.com.

stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the flexcare platinum from philips sonicare and save now. philips sonicare are like music to your nose. ♪ your love keeps lifting me ♪ ♪ ♪ higher and higher [ male announcer ] more gain scent plus oxi boost and febreze for three big things in one gain fling! it's our best gain ever.

welcome back, everybody. stories we are following for you. president obama is calling on congress to provide up to a billion dollars for so-called european reassurance initiatives. this show of support would increase joint exercises and send more military equipment to nato allies in europe in response to russia's recent actions in ukraine. the fbi is stepping up efforts to crack down on lasers pointed at planes. a new plan will place public safety messages similar to this one before movies in certain states. they're offering rewards of $10,000 for information. they went from nearly 300 to 4,000. the fictional three finger salute of resistance made famous in the hunger games is catching

fire in thailand. inspired by the fictional character katniss. military rulers are threatening to arrest groups who use it. old, new, borrowed, blue. how about soaking wet? an entire wedding party lined up on a dock for a photo shoot just an hour before the ceremony then you saw there it came crashing down forcing the bridesmaids to make a run for it. believe it or not the vows were only delayed by ten minutes. naptime at u.s. embassies. john kerry caught fighting jet lag. scrambled politics is next. [ male announcer ] type 2 diabetes affects millions of us.

and for many, it's a struggle to keep your a1c down. so imagine -- what if there was a new class of medicine that works differently to lower blood sugar? imagine...loving your numbers. introducing once-daily invokana®. it's the first of a new kind of prescription medicine that's used along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. invokana® is a once-daily pill that works around the clock to help lower a1c. here's how. the kidneys allow sugar to be absorbed back into the body. invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose some weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause some people to have loss of body water and salt.

this may also cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, or increases in cholesterol. do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis or if allergic to invokana® or its ingredients. symptoms of allergic reaction may include rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking invokana® and call your doctor right away or go to the nearest hospital. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. it's time. lower your blood sugar with invokana®. imagine loving your numbers.

ask your doctor about invokana®. all right. here's your hump day look at scrambled politics. a super pac founded by gabrielle giffords and her husband mark kelly has announced it will invest millions of dollars in key races to bolster 11 candidates who support stricter gun laws. new york mets second baseman daniel murphy sparked a national discussion when he took paternity leave and missed the first two games of the season. now he has been invited to the white house to help mark father's day. the june 9th event will be a day of discussion. a white house official says it will look into the, quote, dusty outdated stereotypes and explore the new reality of fatherhood today. in a private talk, arianna huffington urged the u.s. ambassador to london to install

nap rooms at the uk embassy. that sounds good. but state spokeswoman explained yesterday there will be no such naptime. >> while we are not considering establishing nap rooms at any of our diplomatic stations at our time, we believe work/life balance is important and some day i will attempt to find it. >> speaking of naps, did john kerry get shut eye during a meeting in poland. one tweeted kerry a screen shot to when he replied it was just a really long blink. nice way. mark your calendars. monica lewinsky will be interviewed for a national geographic mini series about the 1990s. according to new release, she will talk about being, quote, a white house intern whose relationship with the president led to her becoming a target in an investigation and a media

target like the world has never seen before. a new study from the policy center finds that people learn more from colbert report than watching the actual news. researchers found viewers who watch colbert were better informed about campaign financing than those who watched actual news. we got to fix that. and the fcc tweeted on monday that it was experiencing technical difficulties with its comment system. it was because -- or was it because of john oliver's rant? >> we need you to get out there and for once in your lives focus your rage in a useful direction. >> a spokeswoman for the agency says it's not clear if the disruption was do to the oliver show. that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. joining me now "washington

post" reporter ed o'keefe. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> there is blowback, more of it, on both sides following the prisoner swap. did the obama administration miscalculate the reaction to sergeant bowe bergdahl's release? >> you know, if you talk to democrats and republicans on capitol hill, i think they would say yes, they did. but that's mostly because they're sort of burned by the fact the white house didn't give them a heads up whether that was on saturday morning or by following the law and giving them a 30-day notice that the law says they're supposed to. when you put the question to lawmakers, what are you going to do about it? they say i guess we can hold hearings and really that's about it. they may be outraged, but there's not much to do about it. >> they are demanding some classified information. they say the fab five of terrorism being released, lawmakers want secret administration files on those

five taliban prisoners to prove it. so is this fire storm about to heat up more if that information is released? >> absolutely. that's where this will head. they'll say if you think they've safe enough to be out there in the world, then let us see their files. let us understand why it is you suddenly believe it's okay to release them. i think you'll also see some attempts to get some information that we shared with lawmakers as late as 2011 about why the administration thought this would be a good idea. we were told yesterday by several different people about the possibility of doing this five for one swap began in late 2011 and continued in 2012. there were a lot of letters and documents shared at that time. we'll see if we get to see those. >> it's going to be interesting to see all of this play out and the information that's to come with all the questions. ed o'keefe, thank you. we appreciate it. bill kairns is coming back for first buzz. we're talking about this terrifying close call on a beach

in northern germany. when "first look" returns. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew.

[ barks ] nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. look at what i put together. cheddar and honey nut chex mix. get outta here! i made this belt with traditional, bold, and peanut butter chocolate chex mix. you guys are cute! i've got trail mix, peanut lovers, chipotle cheddar, dark chocolate, hot n' spicy... turtle, cookies 'n cream, italian herb & parmesan, sour cream 'n onion, and brownie supreme chex mix. and it rotates. 20 flavors, lots of pieces. chex mix pick your mix. now try popped in white cheddar and sweet and salty.

guys, thank you for sharing all your love stories, for showing me a million reasons why love is not a bad thing. this is for you. enjoy. >> justin timberlake's not a bad thing music video he compiled videos and photos he compiled into a video. it includes all kinds of different love. >> he's so cool. >> he is. >> everything he does is -- >> right on the money. and it's genuine too.

okay so we got to get to buzz. this video is pretty incredible. imagine laying on the beach sunbathing, right? then all of a sudden, check it out, this plane comes -- ooh -- flying over barely missing. don't know exactly why the plane came so close but we have heard from the pilot and the pilot says as the pictures show, it wasn't one of my greatest achievements in the cockpit. in my defense, he said i didn't see him. >> the guy ducks at the last second. you think the person taking the video was yelling get out of the way. the one lady is just literally watching it. >> i don't know if you want to yell get out of the way. stay right there on the ground. >> you don't want to say duck and then the guy lifts his head. >> he's a goner. we just took that to a depressing level. >> this is just cute. momma bear trying to get her cubs across the road. she's actually a lot more

cautious than you think. she looks both ways numerous times. seeing oncoming traffic, hits the brakes. >> everyone made it out okay. thanks for watching. "way too early" with thomas roberts starts right now. ♪ a made for tv handover. bowe bergdahl being returned to u.s. forces. but the voices against the circumstances of his release hit louder. mississippi runoff senator thad cochran and chris mcdaniel live to slug it out another day. and a wedding party plus an old rickety dock equals hindsight being 20/20 just what you might expect. this is "way too early." ♪ that's right. mid-week, everybody. good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it is wednesday, june the 4th.

welcome to "way too early." the show that recommends in case of a water emergency, your wedding, take the photos after the service. wait until you see that video. it's going to give you something for the june brides to think about there. want to start off with president obama continuing his european visit today ahead of this week's 70th anniversary of the d-day landings in normandy. but it's america's current war dominating the conversation and the controversial surroundsing the captive american soldier swapped by the taliban by five senior commandsers of the taliban. video shows the transfer of bergdahl to u.s. forces in afghanistan. the 28-year-old is seen sitting in the back of a pickup truck when a u.s. military helicopter comes up. militants are positioned on hillsides. bergdahl is then given to the u.s. military. he is then escorted to the aircraft and checked