work for him to declaring he's ready to be president of the united states. which is technically a bigger job than the one he has now. "first look" is up next. good morning. right now on "first look," dramatic cell phone video captures a police officer shooting and killing an unarmed man. >> 233 dispatch shots fired. subject is down. he's got my taser. >> but that cop's version of the incident does not tell the whole story captured on video. next to the terror group isis using new english language radio bulletins to spread their message. then, the huskies make history with a big three-peat. and severe weather ahead, including possible tornadoes, that and much more as "first look" starts right now. good morning, and thanks for joining us today. i'm betty nguyen. all right, so reaction is pouring in following the shooting death of an apparently unarmed and african american man by a white police officer in

south carolina. officer michael slager has been charged with murder in the death of walter scott. we have to warn you, the cell phone video that captured the shooting is graphic. it shows the officer shooting at scott at least eight times as he runs away. a bystander recorded the video, which ultimately led to the arrest of officer slager. a small memorial has been set up where the shooting took place. south carolina governor nikki haley has released a statement, saying in part "what happened in this case is not acceptable in south carolina, nor is it reflective of our values and i assure all south carolinians that the criminal judicial process will proceed fully." nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, so can we expect more backlash today on this? >> reporter: absolutely and more protests is what we're hearing, too betty, down there in south carolina. we are following that criminal investigation that the governor talked about. it is worth re-emphasizing that the video we're about to show you is graphic. it shows what appears to be an unarmed man being shot at as he

runs away. it is disturbing or could be disturbing to some viewers. the fbi and the justice department are investigating. it happened saturday morning in north charleston south carolina. a traffic stop a brief scuffle then this. [ shots ] walter scott shot eight times in the back. >> we've got 343 police officers in our department. this is a bad decision by one of those 343 that is, that as the result of that video and the bad decision made by our officer, he will be charged with murder. >> reporter: officer michael slager says he felt threatened. >> 233 dispatch, shots fired. subject is down. he's got my taser. >> reporter: the video shows the officer picking up an object after the shooting and dropping it at scott's feet. >> this was a cop who felt like

he could get away with just shooting someone that many times in the back. >> i don't want to see anyone get shot down the way that my brother got shot down. we've all seen the video. if there wasn't a video, would we know the truth? >> reporter: scott's family is planning to file a civil rights lawsuit. back live now. to be clear, you can see and hear on that video eight shots being fired at his back. we don't know if they all landed. also, as we are learning this morning, we do expect there are going to be more protests. the family's attorney says not only are they filing a lawsuit, but also that the person who recorded that cell phone video is cooperating with authorities and will likely come out and speak at some point. >> all right, tracie potts live for us this morning. thank you, tracie. you can now hear from isis in english right on your smartphone. on the same day a fourth man in brooklyn is expected to be arraigned for trying to help the islamic militant group, the

islamic state is stepping up its recruiting tools. they've published a recruiting tool on their network. one of the things first discussed on the update, at alleged death of a commander in a syrian refugee camp. this pro-isis media video that purports to show a battle in the camp, although nbc news cannot verify the authenticity of it. the radio station is available online. it was a busy night at the polls in several areas across the country. in chicago, mayor rahm emanuel keeps his job. he won the city's first ever runoff election for mayor, beating out challenger and cook county commissioner jesus garcia. in ferguson, missouri voters have elected two african american candidates to the city council. ferguson is two-thirds african american. and until last night, only one city council member was black. now three of the six city council seats will be held by african americans. this was the city's first election since michael brown was fatally shot by a white police officer. and in springfield, missouri voters have repealed an ordinance that banned

discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. the city council had passed the ordinance last october. the republican side of the 2016 race is heating up. yesterday, kentucky senator rand paul announced his entry into the gop primary race at a hotel in downtown louisville. paul is hoping to appeal to a larger swath of voters with his anti-washington message. last year he bolstered his bipartisan credibility by partnering with new jersey senator cory booker on sentencing reform for nonviolent drug offenders, but his day-old white house run hasn't been without its quirks. his announcement was blocked by youtube for copyright infringement. the video was flagged because paul walked out to the john rich song "shuttin' down detroit." a youtube spokesperson says paul's camp can dispute the claim. and his official website store has the things you would expect from signs to iphone cases and hats but there are some unexpected items as well. for $15, you can get an nsa spy cam blocker to cover the camera

on your laptop or for $100 you can play a game of rand paul beanbag toss. and for $1,000 you can even have a bound copy of the u.s. constitution signed by none other than rand paul. on a sad note though seven people died yesterday morning when a small plane crashed on to an illinois field. they were returning from the ncaa men's basketball championship in indianapolis. among those killed two were from the illinois state university. deputy director of athletics aaron leech and men's basketball associate head coach torrey ward. authorities believe the heavy fog and light rain may have been partly to blame. >> what we can do from radar data is we can determine what's called ground speed. that's part of our investigation. it will be part of our follow-up activities. >> as you can imagine, the illinois state community is in mourning. the university tweeted, "the redbird family lost two today. thanks to all across the country for reaching out." now to a bombshell in the aaron hernandez murder trial. before the jury was set to begin

deliberations, listen to the wording in the defense's closing argument. >> he was a 23-year-old kid. who had witnessed something, a shocking killing. committed by somebody he knew. >> did you catch it? for the first time the defense admitted the former new england patriot was at the scene of the murder of odin lloyd, who was shot six times at an industrial park less than a mile from hernandez's home but they say hernandez was an innocent bystander and that his two friends, who will be tried later, were the real killers. the prosecution disagrees. the jury will continue deliberations today, considering testimony from 135 witnesses. now to california. according to the state's water board, california's water savings has fallen to just 3%. this is the lowest amount since water conservation efforts began in 2014. in february water usage dropped by only 2.8% compared to 8% the

month before and 22% in december. governor jerry brown has sounded the alarm, ordering the drought-ravaged state to cut water usage by 25%. talking about weather right now, part of the nation's midsection was just pounded with several inches of rain and 2 inches of hail on tuesday. flash flooding in the st. louis area turned streets and yards into ponds. storms in indiana toppled trees and downed power lines, and this, we understand is just the beginning. let's get the latest now from meteorologist bill karins. we don't like the sound of that bill. >> yeah, multiday severe weather outbreak. up to this point, we haven't had too many tornadoes. two reported yesterday, but very minor, if any damage. now, as far as today goes this is going to be a much bigger outbreak, and then tomorrow we're going to do it all over again. on our scale from marginal to high, high means it's going to be like the worst of the worst. that's a huge severe weather outbreak. we're kind of in the middle here with this orange enhanced area. it includes a lot of big population centers and a lot of little towns in between. so from kansas city to

columbia, quincy st. louis, springfield, joplin tulsa, oklahoma city to wichita to topeka, those are all the cities that are in this enhanced area. we don't expect a wide concentration of storms but whatever storms do form can get very strong in a hurry and have the potential to contain tornadoes. the timing of it looks to be about 7:00 p.m. is kind of the peak of it. you can see the concentration of the storms. it's hit-and-miss and then some strong winds possibly going towards st. louis as we go throughout the overnight hours. and then thursday we do it all over again. and this time, a little bit further to the east including dallas, memphis, cincinnati. but the area of greatest concern, betty, is going to be from chicago to st. louis. you can notice we've said st. louis a lot this morning. you showed the pictures of the flooding. they have a chance for really strong damaging winds tonight and a possible tornado threat tomorrow. >> brace yourself if you're in the area. thank you, bill. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> hey, guys. good morning. hopefully, the april showers will bring may flowers. i am so ready for summer. cheaper gas may lead to more cash in your wallet. the government says the average

household will save $700 this year thanks to lower prices at the pump. regular unleaded is forecast to average $2.45 a gallon during the summer driving season down from $3.59 last summer. mcdonald's is going upscale, adding sirloin burgers to the menu for a limited time. you get a choice of toppings -- bacon, mushrooms and lettuce or tomato. the burgers will be available through the end of june, the latest attempt by mcdonald's ceo to boost sagging sales. and 7-eleven wants to satisfy your slurpee cravings. saturday is bring your own cup day at participating stores. any cup that's 10 inches in diameter will work. that could conceivably get you a gallon of slurpee for the price of a medium drink at $1.49. betty, get your cup ready. >> absolutely. they said no boots, no shoes, no trash bags only cups that fit in those machines. so, you've been warned. all right, landon thank you. to sports the uconn women's basketball team are national champions for the third straight season. the huskies took down notre dame in tampa. kaleena moe tschida lewis and mariah jefferson each scored 15

points. breanna stewart had 15 rebounds and 8 points in the 63-53 win. the huskies coach had won all ten of their trips to the national title game. afterwards, he spoke bluntly about the historic win. >> some people are going to say this is really really great and historic and an unbelievable achievement, and some people are going to poo-poo it. as you can tell by some of my comments in the last couple weeks, i have lost the ability to care give a damn what people think. >> not shy at all, is he? well the coach ties john wooden for the most national titles in college basketball. the blue devils returned home from indianapolis after claiming the men's national title against wisconsin. >> here comes duke. >> the team received a warm welcome on campus. coach mike krzyzewski pumped up the crowd with some dance moves before speaking to fans.

>> we were getting beat by north carolina, and -- [ booing ] but i don't -- today's not a day to get into that. this is about national champions, all right? all right, switching gears over to the nhl. the rangers captured the presidents' trophy for the first time since 1992 following a 4-2 victory over the devils. they reached 52 regular-season wins to tie its franchise record with still two games left to play. and the mariners/angels game. a fan loses his snack while catching a foul ball. take another look. the ball lands in his popcorn! hey, who needs a glove anyway? well nasa scientists say we are getting closer to confirming alien life. plus how much food must the rock eat daily to remain the rock? and what happens when mr. burger marries ms. king? you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

know your financial plan won't keep you up at night. know you have insights from professional investment strategists to help set your mind at ease. know that planning for retirement can be the least of your worries. with the guidance of a pnc investments financial advisor, know you can get help staying on track for the future you've always wanted. you forgot the milk! that's lactaid®. right. 100% real milk just without the lactose. so, no discomfort?

exactly. try some... mmm, it is real milk. lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort. how much protein does your dog food have? 18 percent? 20? purina one true instinct has 30. active dogs crave nutrient-dense food. so we made purina one true instinct. learn more at purinaone.com

welcome back everybody. 15 minutes past the hour. president obama says climate change is harming the health of americans. at a roundtable discussion yesterday, he warned of intensified heat raising the risk of strokes and adssthma attacks. >> so, we have got to do better in protecting vulnerable americans. ultimately, though, all of our families are going to be vulnerable. you can't cordon yourself off from air or from climate. high above our planet nasa's chief scientist says we could have strong indications of life beyond earth within the next ten years and definitive evidence within the next two or three decades. it was a grand debut of a new stamp honoring the late maya angelou yesterday in washington but there was just one problem -- that quote, it's not hers. it comes from a children's book author. in defense of the postal service, though it says angelou did cite that quote in several interviews. dwayne "the rock" johnson is a big man, we know that and now we know why. he told "muscle and fitness" his

seven daily meals, he eads 1,000 calories in cod a day alone, about 821 pounds of it a year. not to mention daily servings of steak, chicken and eggs. he eats nearly double the average of calories of the 40-something male in the u.s. and nearly four times the protein. and from cnbc burger king to pay for wedding of mr. burger and ms. king. that's not a joke. the fast-food company says it wants to pay for the reception and gifts. the couple will join their names to become mr. and mrs. burger-king, of course. well bill clinton says he is no longer good at campaigning and conservatives are targeting a big-game candidate, john mccain. "scrambled politics" is next. introducing preferred rewards from bank of america the new banking rewards program that rewards our customers, every day. you'll get things like rewards bonuses on credit cards... extra interest on a savings account... preferred pricing on merrill edge online trades and more... across your banking and investing

get used to getting more. that's the power of more rewarding connections. that's preferred rewards from bank of america. in this moment your baby is getting more than clean. your touch stimulates her senses and nurtures her mind. and the johnson's® scent lather and bubbles help enhance the experience. so why just clean your baby when you can give her so much more™? there's nothing more romantic than a spontaneous moment. so why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? with cialis for daily use, you don't have to plan around either. it's the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision or any symptoms of an allergic reaction stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. why pause the moment? ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. for a free 30-tablet trial go to cialis.com ♪ music plays love you by the free design ♪ ♪ attendant: welcome back. man: thank you. it's not home. but with every

well considered detail . . . it becomes one step closer. no wonder more people. . . choose delta than any other airline. 20 minutes past the hour. time for your morning dish of "scrambled politics." senator rand paul's campaign website misspelled education. yep. "the huffington post" took this screen shot from randpaul.com where you can see the misspelling. "the post" says it was later corrected. first lady michelle obama shares the may cover of "glamour" magazine with sarah jessica parker and kerry washington advocating for military families. and president clinton can be found on the latest cover of "town & country" magazine. he is asked about his family running for office and says "i don't hillary that i don't think i'm good at campaigning anymore because i'm not mad at anybody." well conservatives are targeting one of their own.

the senate conservatives fund has launched a campaign to defeat arizona senator john mccain. the fund's president writes "there are few republicans that have betrayed our conservative principles more than john mccain." massachusetts governor charlie baker has shaved his head to raise money for cancer research. his wife is a fan of the new cut, saying it makes him look younger. and the first lady has been asking celebrities to take part in her give me five challenge. yesterday she challenged talk show host conan o'brien to give her five chin-ups. he accepted sort of. >> all right, first lady here are your five chin-ups. let's do it. one rks two, two, three, four five. yeah! >> that's it that's it! >> come on one more! >> no. >> one more, kevin! >> my neck hurts! >> kevin, one more! >> no that's it! >> you knew he was cheating. that's your morning dish of

"scrambled politics." in washington i am joined by jonathan allen, who was just named new chief political correspondent with vox. congratulations to you and good morning. >> thank you. good morning. >> let's talk about this. bill clinton says in his "town & country" interview he's not good at campaigning anymore because he's not mad at anyone. but when the gloves come off during the campaign season which they will do you think he'll change his tune? >> yeah i'm not sure that it's possible that bill clinton is not mad at anyone anymore. look, i think what the hillary clinton campaign's going to try to do is manage bill clinton, as he says to be a backstage adviser to her for a long time. and then what he's talking about in terms of having a transition later on for president obama he was a surrogate on the campaign trail at the end of the campaigns but didn't interact with the media or have a lot of ad hoc interaction with the public. that's where he tenthz to get in trouble, where he's not scripted. i think the clinton folks will try to keep him scripted as much as possible. >> well, it might not take long for bill clinton to get upset.

rand paul has already said he plans to attack hillary clinton's honesty. what's your view on that strategy? >> well i think it's a sort of double bonus for rand paul in terms of going after the democratic candidate, the presumed democratic front-runner at this point. but also it's not just about hillary clinton, it's about rand paul showing republican voters that he's tough. to go out there and be the one who's leading with his chin being critical of her, saying he can take her on. i think it's something that very much is an appeal to republican voters that he's the guy to take her on in the general election and that he's tough enough to be their nominee. >> well, you know, rand paul really seems to focus on domestic issues and appealing to his antiestablishment base. is that going to resonate though on a broader scale? we saw him announce his run yesterday. >> well i think there's a lot of people out there who feel like the united states has been too invested in foreign policy. i'm not sure that's a majority of americans or even a majority of the republican party, but i

do think there is a desire to look internally from some people in the electorate, certainly a lot of rand paul supporters some of his father's supporters ron paul libertarians some of the same way in terms of focusing on reducing the size of the federal government in the united states. and also rand paul gets himself in a little bit of trouble sometimes when he talks about foreign policy. when he first came to the senate, he said he wanted to get rid of all foreign aid, which was not particularly pleasing to people who support israel and other allies of the united states. >> yeah. all right, jonathan allen. we will see how all of this plays out. it's going to be interesting as we watch it go straight ahead. thank you for joining us today. >> take care betty. >> you, too. just ahead, a new report reveals just how long the government has been tracking americans' phone calls. plus we say good-bye to hazard county's beloved sheriff. it took tennis legend serena williams, fencing champion tim morehouse and the rockettes years to master their craft.

but only moments to master paying bills at chase.com. depositing checks at the atm and transferring funds on the mobile app. technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank. photos are great... ...for capturing your world. and now they can transform it with the new angie's list app you can you can get projects done in a snap. take a photo of your project or just tell us what you need done... ...and angie's list will find a top-rated provider to do the job. start your project for free today. there's only two of us... how much dirt can we manufacture? very little. more than you think. (doorbell) what's that? what's this? swiffer sweeper. i came in under the assumption that it was clean. i've been living in a fool's paradise!

you wouldn't buy a car without taking it for a spin and it's...well...just a car. test-drive our full lineup only at your local john deere dealer. how much protein does your dog food have? 18 percent? 20? purina one true instinct has 30. active dogs crave nutrient-dense food. so we made purina one true instinct. learn more at purinaone.com

in this morning's "usa today," an exclusive. u.s. secretly tracked billions of calls for decades. current and former u.s. officials tell the paper the feds started keeping secret records of international phone calls made by americans in 1992 nearly ten years before 9/11. the program intended to combat drug trafficking was halted in 2013 after fallout from nsa leaker edward snowden. and we have sad news to report. veteran actor james best died from complications of pneumonia on monday. his career spans six decades, but he was best known for his role as the bumbling sheriff roscoe p. coltrane -- >> loved him! >> on the "the dukes of hazzard." loved him! with his memorable laugh. >> i get it! i love it i love it! >> james best was 88 years old.

>> we've all done that. >> you do it really well! >> i watched the show enough that i should be able to do it well. >> i watched it every week because come fridays -- >> i wouldn't watch for daisy, either. >> i loved daisy duke! i'm betty nguyen and this is "first look" on nbc. "way too early" starts right now. ♪ i can tell you that as the result of that video and the bad decision made by our officer, he will be charged with murder. >> it's been a tragic day for

me, a tragic day for many. >> good morning. it is wednesday, april 8th. welcome to "way too early." i'm amy holmes. we begin this morning in north charleston, south carolina where a police officer is charged with murder after opening fire on a man as he ran away. and as we've seen in a series of recent incidents, it's raising issues of race and the use of deadly force by law enforcement. the shooting occurred on saturday and was captured on video by a bystander and provided to "the new york times." it shows the officer firing his weapon eight times, and we should warn our viewers, it contains graphic images. [ shots ] the officer is 33-year-old michael t. slager a five-year veteran of the department. the man killed is identified as walter scott, a 50-year-old african american. the officer says he first fired his taser, according to