today," at close range, a gunman goes on a horrific shooting spree in seattle. unhappy hour, surveillance video captures a pickup truck plowing in a minnesota bar, and its patrons. king without a thrown. a centuries old mansion in engld goes on the market, with one very important amenity missing. captions paid for by nbc-universal television this is "early today" for thursday, may 31st, 2012. hello, good morning, i'm lynn berry. we begin with a killing spree. a gunman shot four customers at

a cafe yesterday. police believe the same man killed a woman during a carjacking before later taking his own life. seattle has seen 21 homicides this year, the same total for all of 2011. jim foreman from nbc's king 5 news in seattle reports. >> i think i could have easily been shot also today. >> reporter: the two crime scenes converged. >> i heard about all that happened here, and i think -- i think just the huge loss of life. >> when joann came here to the cafe racer, joann was downtown when she came face-to-face with this man, identified by the times as ian stawicki, who police say shot six "people" killing five. the first gunshots at 11:00 a.m. on roosevelt, where crime scene experts were working. half an hour later when he shot and killed a woman at 8th and

seneca and sped off in her suv. after the carjack, he headed to west seattle where police found the stolen mercedes by late afternoon convinced the shootings were connected a team spotted stawicki, when he turned the gun on himself. stawicki's brother tells the times he was mentally ill. those who knew him from the racer say he was unstable, event thrill asked not to come back. >> would be normal, then all of a sudden crack and become slightly deranged, asking the same, crazy stuff. they kicked him out at a certain point. this morning they said you're 86'ed, can't be here, would you like a coffee to go. he was nice, courteous, no thank you, walked to the door and turned and started shooting. that was jim foreman reporting. the u.s. is imposing new financial sanctions on syria aimed directly at those responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people last

friday. hoping to add economic pressure on syrian president bashar al-assad, the treasury department targeted the syrian international islamic bank for its role in helping other syrian banks evade sanctions. the new penalties prohibit the bank from financial transactions in the u.s. and freezes any assets under u.s. jurisdiction. it also hoped the move will make it more difficult to pay the salaries of the pro-government thugs who perpetrated the massacre in how hoo la. u.n. observers say 13 bodies have been discovered bound and snot eastern syria. a warning to our viewers, the report contains graphic images you may find disturbing. we have been following the story from cairo. >> reporter: the u.n. observer mission in syria says it's appalled and disturbed of another gruesome attack inside syria, this one taking place in

the eastern part of the country. amateur footage posted on line which we couldn't authenticate show bodies laid on the ground with hands tied behind their back, shot execution style. now this attack comes on the heels of another deadly massacre that took place in houla on friday that left more than 100 people dead and triggered international condemnation with many western powers expelling syrian diplomats. >> i don't know what would possibly justify going in to homes with guns and shooting children and women in their own homes. >> reporter: while the french president suggested there was the possibility of military intervention with the approval of the u.n. security council, russia and china say they would reject any type of foreign military intervention inside syria. now here's a look at other stories making news "early today" in america. in minnesota incredible video shows a pickup truck

plowing in a bar. six people including the driver were injured. amazingly no one was killed. the driver apparently had a medical condition. in illinois, a state lawmaker lock lost his cool big time. >> not the american way. these damn bills -- vote for my people. >> representative mike bost explode afrd he says a bill was sent to a vote before he and colleagues had a chance to read it. is the tirade went on for two minutes before he slammed the microphone away. he could be seen flinging papers in the air during his rant. in texas, the best tip this waiter ever got, that may be an under statement, a married couple long time regulars in his restaurant, gave him a $5000 tip on a $27 bill. after hearing his car had broken

down and he was taking cabs and buses to get to work. not a bad day at the office. in ohio, if you dreamed of having someone come in and imaginicly clean your home, think twice. someone broke in this house, proceeded to tidy up the place without permission and left a bill for $75. no word yet if the maid who did identify herself will face charges. now for a look at national and regional weather, here is meterologist todd santos with the weather channel forecast. see, todd if it's too good to be true it is. >> that happened to my lawn, someone mowed my lawn. >> did they leave a bill? >> no. >> out of the goodness of their own heart. >> had the wrong house. want to share at least video with you this morning. we have out of north carolina a confirmed ef-1 tornado, 67 houses damaged because of this, maximum winds at 110 miles an

hour. not a long-tracked tornado, a half mile but was 250 yards wide. seeing some of the damage there. the day before confirmed the first tornado of the year in the state of vermont. that was an ef-0 tornado. as far as today is concerned we have a few areas of showers and thunderstorms pushing toward the mississippi valley. remnants of beryls not involved in the coastline today, wanted to show clouds there, beautiful day across the mid-atlantic, d.c. toward boston, about an hour or so left on that severe thunderstorm watch area, see chances for thunderstorms moving toward memphis throughout the day. that is a look at region, let's check out the local forecast. philly, 84, beautiful sunshine, a lot more sunshine across a good stretch of the area. tampa, florida getting in on showers and thunderstorms during the heat of the afternoon. temperatures topping off around 90. we'll see more showers moving east in the finish of the

week talk more about that coming up. todd, thanks so much. euro fears make for a downer day on wall street, facebook fall-out hits the founder. the ultimate soof nir for that hunger games fanatic in jush life. business headlines are straight ahead. teased about her weight in the past, she is laughing all the way to the bank. fighting the battle of the bulge for big bucks. dramatic fine toish game one of the stanley cup final, celtics rajon rondo scores 41 hots. the latest conspiracy theory to hit professional sports. you're watching "early today."

good morning, welcome back to "early today" i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top headlines this morning. the house may vote on a bill that would make it a federal crime to carry out an abortion based on the gender of the fetus. critics call it the latest

gimmick. if it passes the house, it would face certain defeat in the senate. in canada, authorities say an adult film actor is wanted in a gruesome case of dismembered body parts. the severed foot found tuesday in a package mailed to conservative party hand quarters in toot wa, a hand in a postal warehouse. new york city may ban the sale of super size drinks. the mayor is proposing first in the nation ban to combat obesity. incredible 48 room english mansion, built in the 1400s is up for sale. it has no bathrooms. that is a bargain price of $3.8 million, whoever buys it likely can afford to add a few new amenities. an early look at top held lines on msnbc.com, a new study finds being sleepy behind the bheel can be almost as bad as drinking and driving. reel searchers found drivers who were drunk or sleepy were dwies as likely to be responsible for

a vehicle accident than wide awake or sober ones. coffee can help but if it wears off it's a problem. take a nap before you drive. for more information on thanld other health stories check out the health page at msnbc.com. earl throw day health is brought to you by vagisil cream. now here's an early look how wall street will kick off the day. dow opens at 12,419 after tumbling 160 points yesterday. s&p dropped 19, nasdaq dove 33. overseas trading this morning in tokyo the nikkei down 90 point gs in honk kang the hang seng lost 60. stocks tumbled wednesday as tensions mounded over europe's ability to solve the growing debt crisis. fears spain can't save its troubled banks sparked a global sell off sending the euro to a two year low against the dollar. new polls showing the political party against a greek bail out

is gaining ground ahead of june elections fueled fears of a greek exit from the euro zone. eninvestors fled to the safety of u.s. bonds. the yield on treasuries fell to the lowest flefl 60 years. oil tumbled 3% on worry as euro crisis would drain demand for commodities. research in motion plunged again on sbroe growing speculation of a possible sailor reorganization. facebook's faild ipo knocked mark successorburg off forbes billionaires index. facebook closed lower for sixth day out of eight. fallout is causing some companies to reconsider going public. london based jeweler graff diamonds postponed their ipo. online travel company kayak delayed their public debut. the fda wurds rejected a request by the corn refiners association to rename high

fructose corn syrup, corn sugar. >> you have until july 31st to bid for the land where "the hunger games" was filmed near hickory, north carolina. bidding begins at $1.4 million. the heat swept the celtics while the conspiracy theories rage over who got the nba's first draft pick. kings of the road, los angeles takes the opener in the stanley cup finals. your early morning sports had lines are straight ahead. we talked about thunderstorms today we'll check out the friday forecast, you're watching "early today."

good morning if you're just waking up this is "early today." in sports last night in game one of the stanley cup finals, the los angeles kings made history on the road. here's mario solis with an early look at sports headlines. good morning, if game one of the stanley cup final is any indication how the series will go, we're in for a wild ride. to new jersey, devils and kings played each other twice during the regular season spent game one getting reacquainted. nobody backing down on hockey's biggest stage. l.a. gets on the board first,

fr frazier beats brodeur. jonathan quick makes the save. the rebound goes off a kings defenceman and in, a fortunate bounce for the devils, tied at one. stays that way through regulation. on to overtime. justin williams finds a wide open anze kopitar, scores the game winner. kings have yet to lose on the road, they win game one, 2-1 in overtime. to the nba, dramatic finish between the heat and celtics, late in the fourth, ray allen for three, gets it. that ties it at 99. forces overtime. rajon rondo had the game of his life scoring every point for boston in o.t., finishing with 44. that wasn't enough. dwyane wade with the dagger, celts miss a golden opportunity. heat take game two. finally, back in 1985, the knicks won the draft lottery, everyone thought the fix was in. move over knicks, there is a new

conspiracy in the nba. the hornets won the lottery over the favored bobcats. why this is the latest conspiracy theory in professional sports? the hornets were owned by the nba and sold last month to tom benson, the owner of the saints. not only did benson get a basketball team from the nba, he got the number one pick. i think league commissioner david stern will have flowers and a thank you card on his doorstep this morning. that is a look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. coming up, he has a hit on his hands, no one knows how to let him know about it. entertainment headlines are straight ahead. kids in the clutch at the national spelling bee. so how did the youngest contestant ever do? stay tuned you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." a number of us waking up to cooler temperatures. in chicago, temperatures in the 50s. 72 in d.c., later this afternoon, beautiful across the east coast should help out travel conditions. central u.s. along the lower mississippi valley the chance for showers and thunderstorms, some capable of producing hail and gusty winds. friday showers toward the capitol. if you're watching us in hartford, in guilford, works of arts inspired by pets going to

the dogs and cats and birds. here is an early look at headlines in entertainment. jessica simpson is going to weight watchers, for four million bucks. after an endless pregnancy they thought about cravings about salted canteloupe, she signed a deal. one not so good sign, she is looking forward to "guilty pleasures" every now and then, too. finally, the l.a. times reports while "hatfields and mccoys" is a smash hit, he's unaware of it. he is off the coast of africa on a treasure dive. >> he lives a charmed life. >> i'm not over the buttered pop tarts. >> i'll take one now. this comes to us from maryland the youngest contestant

ever scripps spelling bee. >> ingluvies. >> e-n-g-l-u-v-i-e-s. >> that is incorrect. >> lori ann madison started with an e instead of i. but the director praised her noting it was one of the toughest competitions they ever had and by the way, she is only 6. unbelievable. i'm lynn berry this is "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

nice. the best word to describe the cool conditions we're waking up to this morning and the weather for the entire day. tom will qualify that, i hope, in a minute for us here. first, good morning. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. welcome to this thursday, may 30, 2012. today, a final tribute to the father of go-go. more than 5,000 are headed for the ceremony. it will last until 3:00. long-time local radio personality donnie simpson will hold the ceremony. there will be performances by the chuck brown band including

sugar bear, maysa, james funk and more. he died from complications to pneumonia. and you can watch the entire chuck brown memorial service live starting at noon on our website on nbcwashington.com and on nbc washington nonstop. comcast 208, vios 460 cox and 4.2 over the air. the pentagon says a maryland marine has died in afghanistan. sergeant julian chase died. the 22 linked in edge water and gruted in 2008 from woodrow wilson high school in d.c. an army soldier was also killed. he died when his helicopter crashed near kabul. >> a dramatic sequence in prince george's county. police say it ended with a