i'm lynn berry. and here's some top stories making news this morning. one of president obama's top economic advisers, austan goolsbee, chairman of the white house council of economic advisers said yesterday he will leave his post this summer to return to teaching. goolsbee's departure comes as president obama faces growing criticism over the nation's economy. a new "washington post" abc news pool says 6 in 10 have gotten back on track. the president's approval rating now stands at 47%. >>> according to the associated press, the u.s. is scrambling to arrange a power transfer in yemen while the president is in saudi arabia for medical treatment. officials for the yemeni president says he plans to return home within days. >>> dramatic footage from chinese television shows the damage from devastating floodwaters from the country's southwest region. china's official news service said 14 people are dead, 35 are missing. >>> and finally, how do you like this? a discovery by a self-styled arm chair astronome

i'm lynn berry.oday, we begin with fear over the economy. a slew of recent reports have renewed concerns on both wall street and main street over the state of the u.s. recovery. today, the nation awaits what could be a crucial monthly jobs report from the government. all this as the country's stellar credit rating may be in jeopardy. tracie potts joins us from washington with more on all of this. good morning. >> reporter: hi there, lynn. good morning, everyone. economists are predicted 100,000 jobs created last month. it's let me tell less than half the growth we saw from the month before. it raises the question is this temporary or is this the beginning of weakening of this recovery? home sales are down. manufacturing is sluggish. consumer spending is weak. car sales are down. president obama will be visiting a chrysler plant today in ohio and then summer is coming with thousands of pink slips for teachers. here in washington, critics, mainly republicans, say the increases in food prices and energy

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with truth and consequences. representative anthony weiner's political career hangs in the balance this morning as a number of women are claiming to have had online relationships with him. this as fellow democrats fail to come to the new york congressman's aid while republicans call for his resignation. nbc's trait tracy potts joins us with more on this. >> reporter: republicans have been quite outspoken. there are a number of lawmakers who want him to step down. >> i wish there was some way i could defend him, but i can't. >> if congressman calls him for advice. he'll say -- >> call somebody else. >> reid is one of the few democrats who spoke out of the w weiner admitted sending his lewd photo of himself to a sledge student. >> i think they should be kicked out of office for betraying the people's trust. >> i think the lying part was worse than the pictures. >> a poll found that just over half of voters think he should stay unless he was sexting at work on government p

i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with a stunning confession. after days of denial, married congressman anthony weiner admitted yesterday that he did, in fact, send a lewd photo to one of his twitter followers. weiner, however, says he has no plans to resign. tracy pots is in washington with more. he wants voters to decide. >> i am deeply sorry for the pain this has caused my wife, huma, and our family and my constituents, my friends, supporters and staff. >> reporter: admitting it was him that sent an explicit photo to a woman over the internet. then panicked and lied what he posted it publicly. turns out it wasn't his first time sexting. nbc has not verified photos. >> we wrote the story after a congressman admitted that his computer had been invaded by a hack. nancy pelosi is calling for an investigation. he says he will cooperate but won't step down. he had been considered a rising star here on the hill. but in fact, lynn, there are those that think he can still win re-election. tracey, thank you.

i'm lynn berry. welcome to our viewers including those across the pacific time zone. today we begin with out of control. some parts of the u.s. recover from the tumultuous tornado season, arizona is now dealing with a blaise covering more than 200 square miles. residents are evacuating at the state's third biggest wild fire ever rages on. nbc's frances coe reports. >> reporter: the temperatures and high winds seemed a perfect mix for this historic blaze in eastern arizona, smoke spread as far as new mexico and colorado. >> that would be horrible. >> reporter: the fire is a week old blanketing 140,000 acres. on the scene, 1300 firefighters from across the country. but the numbers were no match to mother nature. >> the column that's up in the air is about two days of being in excess of 30,000 feet. if you have something that large and that huge, it generates its own weather. >> reporter: not just arizona baking. record shattering temperatures have melted the south and the midsection. >> the nation up i

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with truth and consequences. representative anthony weiner's political career hangs in the balance this morning as a number of women are claiming to have had online relationships with him. this as fellow democrats fail to come to the new york congressman's aid while republicans call for his resignation. nbc's kristin dahlgren reports. >> reporter: one day after representative anthony weiner's shocking mia culpa -- >> i've exchanged photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last six years. >> democratic leader nancy pelosi was calling for an ethics investigation to see if rules were broken. we have a code of conduct that we have to -- that we have to follow. so it's a much higher standard than people realize. >>> house majority leader eric cantor was among republicans calling for even more. >> i don't condone his activity. i think he should resign. >> reporter: but the new york congressman has vowed to stay in office. >> i don't see i did that violated any rules of the house. >> reporter: still, t

i'm lynn berry.oday, we begin with northeast twisters. tornado devastation has become a familiar sight in the midwest this spring. but new england, of all places, is dealing with twister wreckage of its own. a line of storms triggered rare storms in massachusetts yesterday, killing at least four people. for more now, we go to nbc's kurt gregory. >>> nature's power captured on camera again. this time, in springfield, massachusetts. the tower cam at the nbc affiliate shows what appears to be a towering funnel cloud whirling above the city. residents were stunned. >> we had a tornado come down and took out houses behind our building. >> reporter: several buildings in springfield were heavily damaged, large vehicles were flipped, heavy trees were toppled. thousands of customers are without power. massachusetts's governor declared a state of emergency. >> at least 19 communities have been affected so much. we have an emergency on our hands. >> reporter: many residents plan to stay in emergency shelters. >

iowan i'm lynn berry. this is "early today."ust your first stop of the day on your nbc st >>> for one town in spain -- food fights are for kids. wine fights are for adults. over 5,000 people participated in an annual wine spraying showdown. a tradition dating back to the middle ages. it took more than 13,000 gallons of vino to super soak the crowd. the event takes place in a region known for some of the finest red wine in the world. what a waste of good wine. >>> well, here's a sport that combines mud with mayhem into one big mess. the swamp soccer world cup took place in scotland with the team from moscow beating out england and russia. the sport started five years ago. it's just like normal soccer, but all the grass is removed from the field with water added to make the sloppy ground, and the only real rule? have some fun. >>> one couple in france take their work home with them. literally. without a child of their own, a couple who work as zoo managers adopted a female gorilla, whose mother rejected her. digit the and entertai

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with coming home. this evening military families are expected to get some welcome news from president obama. in a primetime speech from the white house, he is expected to announce his plans to start winding down the nearly decade-long u.s. mission in afghanistan. for more on that we go to nbc's tracie potts. she's in washington for us. >> everyone wants to know what are the numbers tonight. we believe that he'll say 5,000 troops will come home in july, another 5,000 either by the end of the year or possibly late spring. the rest of the troop surge, the remainder of the 30,000 troops he sent to afghanistan could come home, according to some source, by the end of next year. some on capitol hill here say that is not fast enough. some very conservative republicans have teamed up with liberal democrats, almost 60 of them, sending the president a letter saying we need to speed this up. half of the troops should come home, some say, by the end of this year. but military comman

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with critical clues. the "new york times" is reporting a cell phone seized in the raid that killed osama bin laden contained contacts to a militant group that has ties to pakistan's militant intelligence agency. the phone belonged to one of bin laden's trusted couriers who was also killed in the raid. according to the "times" the discovery was that bin laden used the group as a network inside pakistan. it raises questions about whether the military organization supported him on behalf of pakistan's spy agency. but officials tell "the times "there was no smoking gun showing that the agency had protected bin laden. >>> it is a race against time for the community of minotte, north dakota. calls for new evacuations has thousands fleeing to higher ground as a giant surge of water heads their way. reporting from minot, is kevin tibbles. >> reporter: national guard troops racing against the clock and the relentless surge of the souris river. already many homes have succumbed,

i'm lynn berry.oday we begin with too close for comfort. this morning the nation's premier nuclear laboratory is under siege. fire crews in new mexico are scrambling to drive back a wildfire that's now reached within just 50 feet of the los alamos national lab. nbc's kurt gregory reports. >> reporter: a fierce wildfire continues to grow in los alamos very close to the national laboratory. firefighters are working day and night to clear brush and extinguish spot fires near the sprawling nuclear research facility. >> we have not lost any structures at the laboratory or in the town site, and we don't plan on losing any structures. >> reporter: the secretive los alamos laboratory is made up of 2,000 buildingsed a nearly four dozen sites. it's home to the nation's largest supply of nuclear weapons. >> our facilities and nuclear materials are protected and safe. >> reporter: another concern. the possible release of radioactive and harmful materials. thousands of 55-gallon drums containing plutonium-contami

i'm lynn berry. here's some of your top headlines this morning. president obama visited puerto rico on tuesday making him the says first u.s. president to officially visit the commonwealth in 50 years. the trip was widely seen as a campaign swing courting the 4.6 million puerto rican voters who live on the u.s. mainland. >>> a government investigator tells congress the social security administration made $6.5 billion in overpayments in 2009. most of that money went to supplemental income recipients who underreported their worth. >>> a federal judge in san francisco has upheld last year's ruling by a gay judge that struck down california's same-sex marriage ban. the federal judge ruled the gay judge's sexuality and ten-year same-sex relationship did not affect his ability to be impartial. >>> more flights have been grounded from south america to new zealand as volcano in chile continues to spew ash. the volcano roared to life earlier this month after lying dormant for decades. >>> and starting today,

i'm lynn berry.oday we begin with a recipe for disaster. as if crews in the southwest don't have enough of a challenge battling fierce wildfires burning across the region, now they're in a race to keep those flames from approaching a nuclear weapons facility in new mexico. nbc's curt gregory has more. >> reporter: a fast-moving fire continues to burn less than a mile from the los alamos national laboratory. a mandatory evacuation was ordered for the city of 44,000. >> kind of makes you nervous with all this nuclear stuff around. >> reporter: the secretive nuclear lab has been shut down. for now all hazardous and radioactive materials are protected. fire crews are working nonstop. >> i will not say -- we're doing our best to keep it off the laboratory. >> reporter: los alamos is famous, home of the manhattan project where scientists developed the first atomic bomb. it's spread out over 36 square miles. >> obviously, our priority is to protect the national asset here, protect the facility, but also we'

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with leave of absence. congressman anthony weiner is still refusing to follow calls to resign over lewd photos. but suddenly, he is requesting a temporary break from his job. he's getting professional treatment. this, as still more photos surface of the embattled new york democrat. nbc's brian moore reports. >> reporter: outside the new york office of embattled congressman anthony weiner a small but vocal group demanded he resign over a growing internet sex scandal. >> in order to be an effective leader, you have to be respected. >> reporter: hours earlier, tmz.com released a new batch of suggestive photos. apparently self-portraits taken in a congressman gym. now, the congressman is being forced to explain his online communication with a 17-year-old girl. >> it's nothing explicit, nothing indecent. >> reporter: though he's taking a leave of absence to deal with his problems, top democrats have heard enough. >> we have made clear that he needs to resign. >> i don't see how he can proceed and effectively rep

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a remarkable step. arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords has reached yet another milestone in her remarkable recovery from severe injuries suffered in an assassination attempt. she is now home, beginning a new chapter in a story that has captivated the nation in so many ways. here's nbc's curt gregory. >> reporter: just six months after suffering life-threatening head injuries, arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords was discharged from tirr memorial hospital in houston. doctors treating giffords say her cognitive abilities and physical strength have improved to the point where she no longer needs to be hospitalized. the chief medical officer says, "we are very excited that she has reached the next phase of her rehabilitation and can begin outpatient treatment. we have no doubt that she will continue to make significant strides in her recovery." long-awaited photos of congresswoman giffords taken in may were released on sunday on her facebook page. her smiling

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with out of control. while some parts of the u.s. recover from a tumultuous tornado season, arizona is now dealing with a blaze covering more than 200 square miles. residents are evacuating as the estate's third biggest wildfire ever rage on. nbc's francis coe reports. >> reporter: smoke spread as far as new mexico and colorado. >> that would be horrible. >> reporter: the fire is a week old. now blanketing more than 140,000 acres. on the scene more than 1,300 firefighters from across the country, but the numbers were no match to mother nature. >> the columns up in the air the last few days has been in excess of 30,000 feet. when you have something that large with that much heat, it kind of generates its own weather. >> reporter: and it's want just arizona that's baking. record-shattering temperatures have melted the nation's south and midsection. >> temperatures even in the north rising

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with the bumpy road to 2012. gop presidential hopeful newt gingerich says he is still in the race for the white house, despite yesterday's unprecedented mass exodus of several key members of his campaign staff. brian moore joins us from washington with more on that as well as the latest details on the road to 2012. good morning. >> good morning. newt gingerich's campaign manager and several other top aides have jumped the bandwagon gingerich says he's very much still in the campaign. that is the eve of a big debate that will be attended by non other by mitt romney. that's a clear sign that he wants to side step the social issues and focus on the economy. sarah palin is about to have to face 24,000 pages of e-mails that are being released by the state of alaska. this is in response to media request made during the 2008 presidential campaign. >> brian, thank you. >>> elsewhere, in a courtroom in orlando yesterday, there was high drama as jurors got their first look at the

i'm lynn berry.oday we begin with the final touchdown. for the last time, the space shuttle "endeavour" has returned to earth. "endeavour" delivered a six-member crew early this morning beginning a new chapter, retirement. with more, nbc's jay gray is at the kennedy space center in florida. jay, good morning to you. >> and good morning to you, lynn. mission managers say from the start to this morning's finish that the final trip of "endeavour" could not have been much better. everything picture perfect as it landed here at kennedy space center earlier this morning, it was the first shutting and the last to put the finishing touches on the space station. putting parts and supplies to keep the station goes there. it logged 123 million miles in space, 299 days it spent in orbit. now nasa managers turn their attention to what will be the final launch here scheduled to launch here on july 8th. that is the latest here from kennedy space center back to you. >> jay gray, thanks so much. >>> president obama w

i'm lynn berry. here's some of your top headline this is morning. in yemen, anti-government protesters have been celebrating the departure of their president. he's in saudi arabia recovering from an operation to remove shrapnel from the rocket attack. 11 people die in that assault. but the wounded leader is returning to power despite months of protest calling for his departure. >>> >> in pakistan, a bombing claimed two dozen people. one attack happened at a bakery declaring 18 dead. the pakistani taliban have taken credit for other attacks saying they're avenging the death of osama bin laden. >>> a pakistani security officials said authorities are nearly certain that a recent strike killed ilias kashmiri. he's believed to have been replacing bin laden as the chief. >>> the field for presidential contenders will get more crowded today. former pennsylvania senator rick santorum is expected to officially kick off hissed by for the gop nomination. >>> volcanic ash from chile has been raining down on argentina. the volcano erupted this weekend after bein

i'm lynn berry. here are your top headlines this morning. after 16 years on the run, accused boston crime boss james whiteyx bulger was arrested in california. the fbi caught up with the 81-year-old after launching a new publicity campaign to find him. bullger was on the ten-most wanted list for his alleged role in 19 murders. >>> in arizona a jury has found a self-help guru who led a sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead guilty of negligent homicide. james arthur ray could face more than 11 years in prison. >>> in a facebook posting former alaska governor sarah palin says she's putting her one nation bus tour on hold because of jury duty. palin, who has hinted at a possible white house run, disputed online reports she had canceled the tour. >>> in washington a consumer product safety commission held its annual demonstration on the dangers on fireworks ahead of the july 4th holiday. last year more than 8,000 americans were hospitalized with fireworks-related injuries. >>> and a newlywed co

i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with the sizzling spring. across much of the nation, the heat is on. the soaring mercury from texas to new england already has many hoping these temperatures aren't foreshadowing a summer season that's still weeks away. nbc's kurt gregory reports. >> reporter: with temperatures soaring into the 90s, new yorkers are trying to beat the excessive heat. >> my apartment is as warm inside as it is housed. -- outside. >> reporter: but the extreme heat can also be deadly. five possible heat-related deaths have already been reported in three states. and cooling centers for the elderly are open in st. louis and chicago, where health safety workers are going door to door checking on senior citizens. >> do they have an air condition, do they have a fan? >> reporter: record-breaking highs of 99 degrees in baltimore and washington, while philadelphia hit a record-breaking 97 degrees. blistering conditions for work crews, but not everybody was miserable. >> i like the heat. i've waited for it all winter. >> reporter: the bro

i'm lynn berry.hanks for watching "early today" just yourself first stop of the day today on your nbc station. of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i'm lynn berry. here are some of your top headlines this morning. one president obama's top economic advisers, austin gulsey chairman of the white house council of economic advisers said yesterday he will leave his post this summer to return to teaching. this comes as president obama facing growing criticism over the nation's growing economy. >>> a new washington post/abc poll shows nearly 6 in 10 say the economy has not even begun to get back on track and the majority who say it has improved call it weak at best. the president's approval rating now stands at 47%. >>> the u.s. is scrambling to arrange a power transform in yemen while president saleh is in saudi arabia for medical treatment. officials say he plans to return home within days. >>> dramatic footage from a chinese television shows the damage from the devastating flood waters in the country's southwest region. china's official news service says 14 people are dead, 35 are missing. >>> and finally, a discovery by a self-styled armed chair astronomer has the internet buzzing about the possib

i'm lynn berry, this is "early today," your first stop today on your nbc station. >>> one fest central fest central in london made a cultural splash. an annual dragon boat drew a crowd of participants. 40 teams from around the country used the large boat to race one another. along with riverside action were art displays and traditional dancing lions. it was meant to celebrate different aspects of chinese culture. >>> you've heard of pop-up amplt what about pop-up pianos. 88 pianos are being installed for the public to try their hands at the keys. it's a way to bring music to the people and display unique artwork. the festival offers over 1,000 free musical performances for those passing by. >>> one little girl's bucket list has gone viral. after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, alice made a list of dreams and posted them online. she had global attention with katy perry following her on twitter. on the lirs everything from entering her dog in a show to swimming with sharks. some of which she's already gotten done, but you know what's number one on the list? she wants as many people