nbc's john yang has more. >> reporter: large hail and dangerous thunderstorms pushed through several states including kentucky. triggering a dozen tornado watches. estimated winds of 85 miles per hour. trees and power lines were down and several homes damaged. heavy rains caused flash flooding in worcester, massachusetts. this round of dangerous weather produced a string of severe storms that made its way from canada to the great lakes and now stretches to the southeast. john yang, nbc news, chicago. >> also in weather, the los angeles coroner is trying to determine if lightning caused the death of a 20-year-old man on venice beach. more than a dozen people were injured. here's how one beachgoer described what he saw. >> all of a sudden, you hear this crashingle, this giant bolt up in the sky that i have never seen. all of a sudden, it was the loudest thunder that i have ever seen. i just high tailed out to get under the boardwalk. >> more on today's weather from bill karins in just a little bit. >>> nine people were take on the the hospital by the way in that situation. one remains

-- john yang's decision. this summer marks the 100th anniversary of the start of one of the greatest catastrophes of the 20th century. >> that were left millions dead. it read through the borders of europe and pave the way for another global concentration. the german parliament stopped to remember those in a solemn ceremony. >> the first world war is often considered to be the first industrialized war. it involved guns, tanks, and poison gas. it was thought in europe, the middle east, africa, east asia, and at sea. 17 million people lost their lives. the initial enthusiasm for the war turns to horror on all sides. in his speech to the german parliament, he said the two world wars affected germany much more than other european nations. >> the federal republic of germany is and remains a special case in europe. it was not built in the principle of a nationstate. in stand, it was from a political philosophy that reflect and stalin as a regional leader. >> president said overcoming militarism had made germany int

first, nbc's john yang tells us what they've done so far. >> reporter: large hail, intense lightning, high winds and dangerous thunderstorms push through several states including illinois and kentucky triggering a dozen tornado warnings and watches. the tornado touched down in central connecticut this afternoon with estimated winds of 85 miles an hour. trees and power lines were down and several homes damaged. heavy rains cause flash flooding in worcester, massachusetts, drivers pushing through several inches of rain on roadways. >> these severe storms will bring large hail and damaging winds and maybe even a strong tornado. of course, there is always the potential of deadly lightning. >>> meteorologists in jackson, kentucky, we main on high alert. these meteorologists monitor severe storms, the potential for flooding, damaging winds and any dangerous weather in the region. they train for days like today working with emergency management teams and sending out warnings and advisories to residents in danger zone. >> we use radar as primary tool. when we see something on radar, we want m

john yang, nbc news, chicago. >>> the los angeles coroner is trying to determine if lightning caused the death of a 20-year-old man on venice beach. officials say more than a dozen people were injured after a rare thunderstorm swept through the popular area and caused a series of light nipping strikes. here's how one shaken up beach goeer described what he saw. >> all of a sudden, we heard this crack, this giant bolt up in the sky. and i'm from the midwest and we see lots of lightning. all of a sudden it was the loudest thunder we ever heard. it was like a scene out of "jaws." all the mothers were going into the water to grab their kids out. i hightailed it out. >> nine people were taken to the hospital. one was injured severely. . >>> the united nations security council wants a cease-fire between israel and hamas. there was a brief reprieve from fight on sunday but the calm quickly shatter when both sides began rocket attacks. president obama spoke to prime minister benjamin netanyahu sunday. he reiterated israel has a right to defend itself, but says the u.s. is growing more concer

john yang, nbc news, chicago. >> ominous clouds there. >> strange weather keeps coming this way.s here now with a look at that. >> even though the state really sees less than ten thunderstorm they days per year we've seen a lot strung together and usually lightning will follow the shortest path from cloud to ground. if you want to be outdoors and you're seeing this activity take place, being flat to the ground is not where you want to be. lightning can travel through water or across the ground. the safest place to be is to get indoors and stay there until 30 minutes after last sound of thunder as the thunderstorm weakens and moves on. i mention this because we will another day or two where we could see lightning in the forecast. today we did have lightning earlier around gilroy. a very interesting statistic now. adding up the july rainfall, san francisco at .12 of rainfall is seeing the fifth start of a rainfall year. that said, on the glass half full, that's good news perhaps as we go through the end of july. we could add on a little bit more to that with more showers coming in

nbc's john yang is on the campus of the ohio state university this morning. >> reporter: well, this is of big ten college football and the halftime shows by the osu marching band. today this campus is reeling a the disclosure of all very different kinds of traditions. it's called the best damn band in the land. more than 10 million youtube hits for some of the most elaborate halftime shows in america. director waters 10-year relationship with the banda bankruptly ended fired after the end of a two-month internal investigation. >> very serious cultural issues in an environment within the band. >> reporter: the 92-page report told of late night underwear-only marches through the stadium. vulgar nicknames and body slang printed on t-shirts and guides. and quiz asking how many people have you had sex with, and draw a female reproductive organ and draw a sexual position for fat people. those are the ones we can use on tv. >> sexual harassment when it goes that far. drastic measures need to be taken. >> reporter: waters association with the band began in the 1990s when he was a student and s

here is nbc's john yang to explain.nown as the deadliest sniper in american history, once claimed he punched out ventura in 2006. >> jesse is just like jesse, he talks loudly, lives loudly. >> reporter: kyle was tragically murdered in 2013, shot to death, authorities said, by a troubled u.s. combat vet he was trying to help. but before his death, kyle wrote a best-selling autobiography that will soon hit the big screen with bradley cooper in the starring role. >> kyle said it had happened at a bar in california during a wake for a s.e.a.l. killed in iraq. he claimed he heard someone who he identified only as "mr. scruff face." bad-mouthing the war in iraq and the u.s. military. in a 2012 radio interview, kyle revealed mr. scruff face was ventura. >> then he said that we deserved to lose a few guys. >> reporter: ventura later denied it. >> the event and everything written about it did not happen. >> reporter: ventura said his career came to a screeching halt after the book's publication. his complaint as for the proceeds

john yang, nbc news, chicago. >> a twisted tale. >>> we'll get a check of the weather from mr.xpecting a good day in florida, we're not going to have a great one. we have low pressure developing off the florida coast. we've got a frontal system that extends right through central florida. the scattered showers will continue all day today. eyes on the tropics. we're watching what could become bertha in the next 72 hours or so. 35 mile-per-hour winds. got a 70% chance of developing into a tropical system in the next two days. we've also got a lot of wet weather making its way through the southwest. flash flood watches in effect there. up and down the west coast, gorgeous weather. not a lot of great news for the firefighters in interior sections of washington and california and some showers along a weak >>> 7:34. happy wednesday. temperatures mild out there, jumped to 61 degrees in san carlos, an indication you do not need a jacket for most spots across the bay area. you won't need one later on today. onshore flow slated to return, which is good news if you're sticking to humidity.

yang of working anywhere other than at jelly belly's. >>reporter: johnameson of jelly bellies takes us on an exclusive tour of the factory. >> the family started making candy in the 1800s. jelly belly moved here in 1986 and the visitor center opened in 1999. >>reporter: and john also gave us a blind taste test. okay. all together. tangerine. >> it's grapefruit. >>reporter: how difficult is it to make a jelly belly? well, it takes seven -- >> well, it takes seven to 14 days to make a jelly belly bean. >>reporter: let's say one of those jelly bellies do not turn out correctly. >> they do turn out to be belly flops and we do sell those here at our visitors center. try one of our fun flavors. >>reporter: i don't like this one. >> do you have any idea what it is? >>reporter: i have no idea. >> it's gleuber. >>reporter: oh! >> we get nearly half a million people a year come into our fairfield, california facility. >>reporter: and then for the adults a very special treat. >> we have our chocolate and wine experience. we pair five wines from the local valley wit