dissident's daring escape from house arrest. destructive downpour -- storm chaser video shows what it's like to get caught in a shower of hail. and easy rider -- an amazing piece of americana crosses the pacific, washing up from the japanese tsunami. good morning, everyone, i'm lynn berry and those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we begin this morning with the challenge in china. secretary of state, hillary clinton, is headed to beijing today, where she faces talks that have a new complication. officials have now confirmed to nbc news that an escaped chinese dissident is under u.s. protection. but they did not make clear exactly where he is. nbc's ian williams reports from beijing.

>> reporter: the fate of chen guangcheng has become the biggest test for chinese relations in years after his daring escape from house arrest. no sign of extra security at the u.s. embassy today, but the issue is so delicate that there's been no comment from officials here, chinese or american. chen's crime in the eyes of the chinese government was to expose forced abortions and sterilizations over the country's one-child policy. the 40-year-old self-trained lawyer, was jailed in 2006, and then put under house arrest. he says he and his wife were beaten, his young daughter harassed. his every movement was monitored. visitors prevented from meeting with him. yet he was able secretly to plot his escape. secretary clinton, due here wednesday for previously-scheduled talks, has been critical of chen's house arrest. >> i can certainly guarantee that we will be discussing every

matter, including human rights, that is pending between us. >> reporter: one big sticking point may be chen's stated preference to stay in chine and fight for justice, instead of accepting a one-way ticket to exile. another is the fate of his family. now under virtual house arrest, them ssts and to his supporters, some of whom have been detained since his escape. back to you. well one year ago today, president obama, gave the go-ahead for the military mission that led to the death of osama bin laden. now the president is reacting strongly to gop criticism about a newly released campaign ad, praising that raid. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with details. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, the order to take out osama bin laden, we have since learned was a risky decision that even some of the president's closest advisers didn't recommend. >> the united states has conducted an operation that killed osama bin laden.

>> reporter: one year later, nbc's rock center got an inside look at the top-secret situation room the night president obama ordered navy s.e.a.l.s to take out osama bin laden. >> it wasn't so much a high five moment as a kind of looking around and just -- feeling together as almost one body that, okay, it's over. >> reporter: and it worked. a tough call, analysts say. >> he had to know and should have known that had this failed, with the loss of our people that he would have been looking probably to a one-term presidency at best. >> reporter: at the time, mitt romney called the decision ill-timed and ill-considered. now he says he wouldn't have blinked. >> you wouldn't have given the order, governor? even jimmy carter would have given that order. >> reporter: without naming him, president obama defending his own decision and challenging romney to explain. >> if there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they would do something else,

then i would go ahead and let them explain it. >> reporter: and his administration says even today -- >> these targeted strikes against al qaeda terrorists are indeed ethical and just. >> reporter: the u.s., one year after bin laden's death, still on the hunt against al qaeda. but should it be a campaign issue, the subject of a campaign ad? the obama team says it's an example of strong leadership under pressure. romney's camp calls it a chip political employ. lynn? >> tracie potts in washington, thanks. elsewhere the fallout continues over this weekend's remarks by republican house speaker, john boehner, that quote the american people don't want to vote for a loser. referring to president obama. in reaction, last night on "politics nation "former ohio governor democrat ted strickland, told host al sharpton, what he thought about republican leaders and the gop candidate. >> mitt romney's out of touch. speaker boehner is out of touch.

mitch mcconnell is out of touch. these people do not understand what life is like for the average american. they live in a different world. they live in a bubble. all of their needs are met. they don't worry about their family getting health care. they don't worry about paying their mortgages. this don't worry about having a decent car to drive. they have simply so lost touch with the average person who is out there struggling, trying to make it today in this difficult economy, they don't represent the american people. i really don't think speaker boehner represents very many ohioans quite frankly. because ohioans are pretty common-sense middle-of-the-road folks and they understand when someone is on their side. and president obama is on our side. and i think the people are coming to understand that. increasingly, as they learn more and hear more about people like speaker boehner and mitch mcconnell and mitt romney.

>> "lead forward" with reverend sharpton and "politics nation" right here on msnbc. in a rare public admission of the u.s. tactic of using drone strikes to kill militants in other countries, president obama's counterterrorism adviser inconsisted monday that the strikes are legal under international law. john vernon's comments mark the first time a senior white house official has spoken at length in public about what for years has been considered a covert c.i.a. operation. he defended launching missiles in pakistan, yemen and somalia, saying the drone campaign has saved american lives and caused few civilian casualties. your first look at other news in america today, in texas, scary moments for a storm-chasing crew from the weather channel. that's hail the size of golf balls that smashed into their windshield repeatedly. at one point, the driver even had to use a blanket to cover himself just in case the glass gave way.

fortunately, other than plenty of dents in their rig, everyone is just fine. in oklahoma, heavy flooding turned roads into rivers and caught some drivers by surprise. several feet of rain left farms, oil wells and hay bales flooded. and winds ripped off parts of roofs. in kentucky, this is what you do while waiting for the weekend's kentucky derby. you hold bed races, why not, right? one contestant dressed up as bob's big boy. the winning team finished in just under 35 seconds. the other race, the one with all the horses will take place saturday on your loebl nbc station. and minnesota, a tank was brought in to demolish a house. the home was more than 150 years old, it was headed for the wrecking ball. but instead someone got the brilliant idea to bring in a piece of military might to get the job done. a british tank if the '60s. it took a few tries, but eventually the tank did win.

now for look at your national weather, let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has the weather channel forecast. good morning to you, bill. >> it's good that you did the tank story after the mint julep story. >> exactly. >> for all the folks heading out there this saturday, enjoy. >> one mint julep is enough, trust me. we are watching a line of strong storms wushing through areas of southern missouri and arkansas. last night we did have six tornadoes, you saw the amazing video from the weather channel crew that got caught in hail in amarillo, texas. that's the end of april, now we're in may, this is the peak of the tornado season. typically in the u.s. in april, we average about 167 tornadoes. the preliminary count was somewhere around 205 from april. usually we get about 257 tornadoes in the united states in the month of may. and that's followed by a very

active june, too. so the next two months, if we usually get the big ones, the big outbreaks, this is when they'll be occurring. as far as this morning, no tornadoes to talk about, but just like yesterday, a lot of heavy rain exiting tulsa. to fort smith, to fayetteville, arkansas, springfield. and the line of storms moving along interstate 44, possibly with eyes on st. louis. two or three hours from now, in the peak of the morning rush hour. late today, if we're going to get tornadoes, central portions of minnesota, northern minnesota, isolated tornadoes, maybe get a handful or so. strong thunderstorms from omaha to iowa and then in areas of course, there in minnesota. but that's about it for today. so we can deal with that. as far as the rain goes this morning, if you're in new england, grab the umbrella, it's a pretty weak storm that's coming through, but there will be a good, steady light rain on and off, especially in areas of massachusetts, southern new england, eventually connecticut. in new york city, it's about to start raining here. and even in d.c., we think the

line of showers is approaching you, not an all-day rain for the big cities, but this morning is when you'll get some damp weather. so the forecast for tuesday, chilly and cool for new england, high of 51 in boston, that's a raw wind coming off the water. warmer around d.c. you may spark a thunderstorm or two. dry in the southeast, storms in the northern portion of the country and everyone in texas is looking just fine. so a gloomy start to our tuesday morning, especially many areas of new england. >> bill, thanks so much. coming up, home ownership tumbles. scooping up snow co-and the big business that is mother's day, your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, the knicks couldn't handle the heat. the caps got even and the celts rajon rondo was suspended. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] what can you do with plain white rice?

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here's some top stories

making news this morning. mayday protests are planned today by occupy wall street activists in cities around the country in support of the international may 1st workers holiday. they plan rush hour demonstrations in new york and san francisco to block bridges. dna evidence has cleared two men in texas who were officially exonerated in the rape and shooting case 30 years ago. james williams and raymond jackson shook hands with the judge who declared them innocent after decades behind bars. and in colorado, robert dewy was released after a court hearing that exonerated him of a rape and killing, also based on dna evidence. he had been in prison for 16 years. in canada, a large container was found washed up on shore, and inside was a harley davidson motorcycle, with a japanese license plate and was very rusty. indicating it was debris carried across the ocean after the tsunami in japan 13 months ago. well now here's your first

look at wall street. the dow opens at 13,213 after losing 14 points yesterday. the s&p lost five points. the nasdaq fell 22. taking a lk at kwloefr seas trading, the nikkei sang 169 points. well the s&p sealed its first losing month of the year on monday, thanks to economic worries overseas and here at home. banks were the biggest losers on news of spain's recession and that s&p 500 cut the credit ratings of 11 spanish banks, this as a much sharper-than-expected decline in midwest business activity added to worries that the u.s. economy is losing steam. elsewhere, home ownership fell to the lowest level in 15 years in the first quarter. as more americans lost homes to foreclosure and shifted to renting. this morning's "wall street journal" reports bank of america is about to cut 2,000 of its highest-paid employees from its

investment banking, commercial banking and global wealth management units. on the earnings front, insurance provider humana slid 8% after posting a 21% drop in profits. sunoco soared 21% after pipeline partner energy transfer partners agreed to buy the company. delta is shelling out $150 million to buy its own oil refinery. the airline hopes to save hundreds of million as year in jet fuel. barnes & noble shot up a whopping 52% after microsoft agreed to invest $300 million in its ereader and textbook businesses. how do you plan on showing mom some love on may 13th? well here's some pressure for you. according to retail survey, consumers are going to spend an average of $152 just this year on mother's day gifts. only the best for mom. coming up, the caps deny the

rangers, the thunder slip past the mavs and what's the punishment for bumping a ref in the playoffs? and the l.a. kings, take two on the road in the second round of the stanley cup playoffs. your "first look" at sports is straight ahead. uncover stronger, younger looking skin.

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finds himself out possibly for the season. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning, the knicks were better last night in game two, but still not good enough to beat the heat. let's go to south beach, knicks put up a fight thanks to carmelo anthony. after scoring just 11 on saturday, he stepped up and led new york with 30. but if lebron doesn't beat you, dwyane wade will. 25 for him. the heat simply too much. they won it 100-94. after the game, amar'e stoudemire was seen leaving with his arm in a sling. he punched a glass casing around a fire extinguisher, needing stit stitches, liking out for game three. dallas the lead, thunder would take the lead back. time seconds, the mavs down three, jason terry had two shots to tie it, but couldn't get either to fall. pacers even their series with the magic, pull away in the

third, outscored orlando by 17 in the quarter. indy won it. game three tomorrow night. one more nba note, the celts will be without rajon rondo. ejected after bumping a referee. second referee-related suspension in the last three months. game three tonight. hockey caps and rangers, alex ovechkin has been disappointed with his lack of ice time. if he keeps doing this he'll play the entire game. scored the game winner, the caps earn a split with new york with a 3-2 win. no place like the road for the kings. a perfect 5-0 away from los angeles this postseason. mike richards scored 31 seconds into the game and the route was on. kobe tar simply undressed ryan elliott with the first of his two goals. kings lead the series two games to none. that's your first look at sports. now for another look at the weather, we check back in with

nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. a wet one for the start of may. >> we had a beautiful end of april. an unsettled weather pattern the next couple of days. that's going to be the case today, we're going to see rain moving in already this morning near new york city, trenton, philadelphia, a lot of rain covering new jersey now, through central pennsylvania. a wider view, we show you the green on the map is the radar, that's the rain echoes being reported. anywhere you see the green is rain. and it's just covering all of upstate new york, much of vermont, new hampshire. light rain in boston. you get the idea, bring the umbrella today tore yourself and probably for the kids heading to bus stop. it will rain in the morning throughout much of the big cities it could be a rumble of thunder here or there. especially southern areas in philadelphia or d.c. the afternoon with some breaks of sunshine, it gets pretty warm. we should head up to 80 degrees in philly and 82 in d.c. it will feel more like

summertime heat. the warm air continues in the southeast. miami still a chance of rain today along with the keys and also by naples, late today, we'll watch the chance of strong thunderstorms up in minnesota and iowa. anyone on the west coast is okay. clouds early this morning, especially coastal california. we'll get you some sunshine this afternoon after it burns off. showers up in seattle and a peek at tomorrow's forecast. we get actually a dry day. very warm, too, around d.c., philadelphia looks nice, we're still kind of showery for boston and looking okay up there in areas of new england. not bad tomorrow. >> all right. good deal, thanks, bill. coming up the octo mom goes belly up in a manner of speaking. and bobby brown sits down to talk about whitney houston and drugs. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. so to make sure people get every word of the geico savings message i've been practicing how to talk like a true chicagoan.

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welcome back to "first lo " look." time for entertainment news. bobby brown has flatly denied what many long assumed. he said he did not introduce whitney houston to drugs. in an exclusive interview with "today show's" matt lauer, brown claims houston's drug use started quote way before he entered the picture. in fact brown claims before meeting houston, he only smoked marijuana and drank beer. >> only. >> the interview airs wednesday and thursday on "today." elsewhere, $200,000 lamborghini owned by celebrity chef stolen a year ago has been found in a crime suspect's storage unit in northern california, maybe that's where my lamborghini is hiding. jts and finally, nadya suleman,

the so-called octomom has filed for bankruptcy. she did it monday. and she claims as much as $1 million in debt. the chapter 7 bankruptcy would also see almost all of her assets liquidated by a court trustee. she said in a statement, bankruptcy are the best for the kids, there are kids involved in something like this. >> do those kids have a chance? >> you hope that they do. it's sort of a disturbing situation. >> it needs to be turned around in a hurry. >> we'll send bill karins on the case. i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned, "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. on the one-year anniversary of the killing of osama bin laden, he's gone from world's most wanted man to the centerpiece of the race for president.

with republicans calling president obama shameful for what they view as gloating about bin laden's death. the question is, are you offended by the president's campaign using bin laden to win votes? meanwhile the united states is in a sticky spot. as an he scaped blind chinese dissident is said to be under american protection inside beijing. the question is what will secretary of state hillary clinton do to handle this thorny issue on her current trip to china. and the knicks lose another one to the heat. all the talk is about what happened after the game. the knicks star center, amar'e stoudemire, apparently punched the glass in a fire extinguisher case. the question is, how badly is the man in the sling hurt? it's "way too early" for this. good morning, i'm willie geist and this is way too early, the show that has a balanced breakfast every morning of fruit loops and street