, new york. >>> and that's nbc "nightly news" for this saturday.night's stories and much more on our new free app for the ipad. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today," then right back here tomorrow evening. "today," then right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good evening. i'm diane dwyer. take a look at that rainbow outside right now. it is rainy, windy and gray out there with little

nbc nightly news is next. >>> and, oprah's farewell. after 25 years, why saying good-bye is so hard for millions of americans. it's about a lot more than television. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. we begin with a developing story out of minnesota where severe storms and at least three tornadoes have swept through sections of minneapolis. early pictures from there show extensive damage in residential areas in north minneapolis and thousands are said to be without power. by late afternoon our colleagues at the weather channel had tallied at least 17 tornadoes across sections of minnesota, iowa and missouri. on what has been an especially dangerous and volatile weekend throughout the country's midsection. right now severe weather watches and warnings cover a 1,000-mile stretch from dallas north to the twin cities. nbc's janet shamlian leads off our coverage with this report. >> reporter: a first look at the devastat

janet shamlian, nbc news, memphis. >> reporter: this is anne thompson. this spring, the mississippi river refuses to be tamed. some 30 miles northwest of new orleans, a deliberate rush of water at bonnet carre, louisiana, this morning. officials opening 28 of the spillway's 350 gates, sending some of the swollen mississippi on a six-mile journey to lake pontchartrain, to prevent new orleans from being inundated like memphis. part of the plan following the great flood of 1927. >> there's going to be thousands of people who are affected by this very directly by having either their homes or their property flooded, and that's with everything working perfectly. >> reporter: levees, essentially giant walls made by man or nature, try to contain much of the mississippi where towns and cities crowd parts of the river. today, 4 million people are in the flood zone. what were once natural flood plains are now valuable farmland. the nutrient rich soil feeding america and the world. development that's erased 35 million acres of wetlands, nature's flood protection, an

kevin tibbles, nbc news, new york. >>> and that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. can follow us on twitter and facebook. we'd like to hear from you. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt. reporting from new york for all

jim maceda, nbc news, afghanistan. >>> up next, a grainy video that's getting a lot of attention. u'll see why a kindergarten teacher is being hailed a hero as "nightly news" continues on this memorial day, 2011. >>> a cell phone video popped up on youtube this weekend that reminds us how devastating the drug war in mexico has become and how small the victims can be. a classroom full of kindergarten kids is singing a cute little song from barney the dinosaur all while a gun battle rages right outside their window. the story tonight from george lewis. >> reporter: the teacher's name is marta rivera, and this morning, mexican officials praised her courage under fire. on friday, organized crime gangs fought a gun battle that killed five men outside the school where she teaches. inside, she calmly ordered the children to lie flat. nothing is happening, sweethearts, just put your little faces on the floor. the teacher said she shot the video because she's on the school safety committee and felt the need to record this. as they cower from the rainfall of bullets outside, she has the chil

miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >>> and here in new york today new twists and turns in that sex crime case involving one of the world's most powerful bankers and a housekeeper at a manhattan hotel. both sides are speaking out through lawyers about what did or did not happen there. nbc's jeff rossen is outside the rikers island lockup, where dominique strauss-kahn is locked up tonight without bail. jeff, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. good evening to you. law enforcement sources now telling nbc news that dominique strauss-kahn, the leader of the imf, the international monetary fund, the man who may have become france's next president, is on suicide watch here at rikers island. that means no shoelaces. that power suit he used to wear has been replaced by a gray sweatsuit and sneakers as well. they check on him every 15 to 30 minutes. we also learned much more today about the criminal case against him. police say they have forensic evidence including dna showing that he did in fact sexually assault the hotel maid at a luxury hotel in midtown manhattan over the weekend. in co

what happened after one man's prediction the end is here. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. free dpom from a new york city jail cell has come at a very high price for the disgraced former head of the imf, dominick strauss-kahn accused of sexually assaulting a hotel house keeper is spending his first full day und under house arrest. it's a deal well beyond the means of the average accused person. yet, the wealthy frenchman is finding his political prominence and stature can no longer seem to buy him a place to leavive h in new york. kristen. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the man who was once one of the world peace most powerful is holed up here. dominique strauss-kahn was released after posting the $1 million cash bail, a $5 million insurance bond and greeing to restrictions being called some of the most stringent in new york history. it is a world away from rikers island where dominique strauss-kahn spent part of the last week. instead of a small cell, he's now in a spacious apartment, a building that

tonight nbc news has learned that u.s. intelligence officials expect pakistan to turn over osama bin laden's three widows for questioning. those women are presently being held in rawalpindi. that's just outside of islamabad. a pakistani military official tells us the u.s. must wait until pakistan has completed its own interrogations first. among the wives, bin laden's youngest, the 29-year-old amal, is said to be his favorite. she's strongly committed to his ideology. she's also still recovering after being shot by navy s.e.a.l.s during last week's raid. and this evening users on top al qaeda websites are threatening "serious consequences" if the pakistani government gives the u.s. access to the widows or if the u.s. tries to bring the women back to the united states. nbc news has also learned that the u.s. has already shared threat information from materials seized in the compound with several other countries. brian? >> all right. peter alexander, our coverage from islamabad tonight. peter, thanks. >>> now to the other fr

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> from nbc world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> for almost ten years osama bin laden taunted his viewers with video tirades against the west. tonight the tables are turned and there is growing reaction to those newly released bin laden videos that he apparently did not want the world to see. those videos of bin laden in hiding are now central to an american campaign to unravel his mystique and demoralize his followers. those videos, of course, are just part of a major intelligence find from bin laden's pakistan safehouse that the u.s. is rapidly trying to exploit. nbc's jim miklaszewski joins us from washington with the latest. >> good evening, lester. u.s. intelligence officials are calling this the biggest haul of secrets from a top terrorist leader ever. it includes bin laden home videos which they were very eager to release. >> reporter: this is the video the white house wants the world to see. osama bin laden, once the world's most notorious terrorist, seen here with a tv remote as he dials u

nbc news has learned the president and top u.s. military officials were listed as potential targets. but the vice president was said to be less of a target. why the information onslaught? >> they're sending a message to members of al qaeda that the americans may have information about you, they may have information about your whereabouts, about your plans, about your intentions. and it causes them to question what they're going to do. >> reporter: also seized in the raid, personal correspondence between bin ladin and senior al qaeda leaders. with bin laden discussing the places he wanted to attack, the best times to attack. even which followers would be right for specific jobs. the navy s.e.a.l.s focused primarily on bin ladin's office and left behind detailed logs of his and al qaeda's activities and movements. logs now in the possession of pakistani authorities who have not yet agreed to share them. and tonight the associated press is reporting that bin ladin was actually a prolific e-mail writer, even though his compound had no

mark potter, nbc news, tennessee. >>> some other news when we come back. a romantic prom invitation backfires and now people are rallying to help a guy out. >>> and later, the difference our viewers made for friends of ours when a "making a difference" report aired on our broadcast. wait until you see the follow-up tonight. >>> if you're a guy, you know asking a girl to the prom is tough. always has been. this week, when a connecticut teenager decided to make a big splash with his invitation, it backfired big time. some found it romantic, the school did not. now the web is on fire with this story. he has supporters all over the globe, and the principal says rules is rules. our report now. >> reporter: it all started with the writing on the wall. late last week in the dead of night, shelton high school senior james tate and two friends dragged a ladder and 12-inch cardboard letters to campus, taping this message onto a school wall "sonali rodriguez will you go to prom with me?" >> i figured i would do something special, and it was a mistake. >> reporter: ro

kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >>> now we have to turn to the midwest. we think this story is going to occupy a lot of our time and attention next week. it's already been an awful flooding season. if you live in memphis or the surrounding area, all eyes are on the mississippi river. they're looking for perhaps the second highest crest in u.s. history, perhaps in the next five days. nbc's ron mott is in memphis on some hallowed ground there in that city. ron, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. we're standing at the low end of beale street tonight. as you can see behind me, it's taking on water, water that is starting to flow where it's simply not invited. >> maybe a boat for the lake, but not to your house. >> reporter: after 19 years in her community, tina picked the right time to befriend a neighbor with a boat. as both their mobile homes in memphis are filled with several feet of water tonight. >> i have a lot of my mom's stuff in there. i don't even know if i can get in. you can only do what you can. >> reporter: we paddled along w

tonight for an nbc news "education nation" gathering here tonight. l show you a bit of that tomorrow night. we'll also introduce you to the new education sheriff in town here in los angeles these days. >>> now, however, our making a difference report. tonight, it's about the 600 million women and girls in places around the world where they don't have what we have. developing countries with vast needs being helped by organizations like c.a.r.e., setting out to help make their lives better. maria menounos reports from kenya on one program helping girls to recognize their own strength. >> reporter: it may look like any other girls' basketball game, but it's more than sports for the players here. it's a refuge. >> what are the young girls mostly facing? >> rape cases. early marriage. early pregnancy. >> reporter: these girls are part of safe faces, a program supported by the global charity, c.a.r.e. >> we want to help the kids find solutions. they go with the lineup, then go with the dribbling, the two steps, and then the scoring. the scoring is what you

nbc news, cordova, alabama. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday.liams will be back tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from tuscaloosa, alabama. for all of us here at "nbc news," good night.

richard engel, nbc news, tripoli. >>> when we come back here tonight, the big business of flying highit's the new space race. >>> the scene up above today as the shuttle astronauts floated out of the space station and back into "endeavour" for their trip home. with just one more shuttle mission to go before the program ends this summer, a new space race is already well under way. nbc's tom costello has that story. >> it's one small step for man -- >> reporter: more than 40 years since the u.s. won the first space race with the soviets, the second space race is uniquely american. >> "endeavour" -- >> reporter: with the space shuttle fleet retiring this summer, private industry is battling to win nasa's confidence and the job of transporting astronauts to the space station and a company called spacex may be in the lead. >> we have liftoff of the falcon 9. >> stage one. >> reporter: already it's launched a rocket named falcon 9 with the spacecraft named dragon, orbiting the earth, separate rocket stages and splashed down in the pacific. >> we intend to take the dragon all the way to the

reporting live in san jose, mary ann favro, nbc bay area news. >> stay with us here at nbc bay area for continuing coverage of the bin laden story. coming up at 6:30 we're going to rejoin brian williams. a special edition of "nightly news" with in depth coverage of the deadly mission and the dilemma now facing teachers and parents coming up at 6:30. >>> a warning for one bay area county. the possible record spike for whooping cough. >>> also ahead, look for the best summer travel destination? you won't have to go too far. the one bay area city topping the list and the off beat attractions that make the city so unique. >>> another online data breach. another reason for us to protect ourselves. we've got some tips, coming up. >>> plus, why an illinois man could be facing charges here in the bay area for using the internet for some payback. >>> all right. good evening. we cranked up the heat a little bit today. we did have a few 80s here. especially in the south bay. we're talking about even warmer weather for tomorrow. we'll let you know if we'll have any 90s coming up in my complete fore

connect them in a way that will ultimately unravel the situation. >> reporter: steve handelsman, nbc newswashington. >>> and not surprisingly, our new nbc news poll shows overwhelming support for the president's decision to take out bin laden. 80% of americans say it was the right decision to kill the al qaeda mastermind. and that strong approval could be running off on the president. overall approval rating now stands at 52%, a three point increase. however, when it comes to the economy, the president isn't faring so well, just 37% approve of his handling. that's an all-time low. the reason? analysts point to skyrocketing gas prices. >>> and now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. spectators at a skateboard race in colorado ran for cover when a helicopter suddenly came crashing down. witnesses hid behind a nearby guardrail to shield themselves from mountain size debris scattered by the propellers. no one in the aircraft or on the ground was injured. >>> a new jersey store clerk is nursing injuries after a brutal confrontation with a thief. a camera was roll

news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. with so many americans already on the move for the holiday weekend and so many others with outdoor plans we have wild weather on the move tonight as we near the end of the week where tornadoes have already killed over 130 people in this country and injured over 1,000. just today, we had a tornado in california, a tornado warning in mobile, alabama, and tonight into tomorrow, rough weather or the risk of it covering the entire eastern third of the united states. from the deep south all the way up through upstate new york into new england. all of this setting up the weekend most of us define as the start of the summer season. tonight, if you live in joplin, missouri, you're focused on survival, focused on the list of miz missing persons after the tornado there. that's where we want to begin tonight with nbc's ron allen in joplin. good evening. >> reporter: there's been so much confusion about the number of people missing here that the governor himself appointed someone to figure it out,

and nbc news has learned the itr officials were listed as potential targets. but the vice president was said to be less of a target. so why the information onslaught? they're sending a message to members of al qaeda that the americans may have information about you, they may have information about your plans, about your intentions and it causes them to question what they're going to do. >> also seized in the raid, personal correspondence between bin laden and senior al qaeda leaders with bin laden discussing the places he wanted to attack, the best times to attack, which of his followers would be right for specific jobs. u.s. officials say the navy s.e.a.l.s focused primarily on bin laden's messages and left behind detailed logs of his and al qaeda's movements, logs now in the hands of pakistani authorities who have not yet agreed to share them. >> that was nbc's peter alexander reporting. >>> back here in the u.s., residents near the mississippi are battling historic flooding hoping the waters will spare their homes and businesses. as the water levels continu

jean elle, nbc news. >> did he confess to double murder? both murders?h, my god. . >>> a stunning admission. a man walks into a bay area police department and confesses to a double murder that happened 16 years ago. >> and battling skin cancer, a new break through. the drug that could lead to a cure and why patients are fighting to get it. >> and good evenenin i'm chief meneorologist jeff ranieri. . s in t-- temperaturesn the low s thke weebi ces.tieke, mendbingg-ha sierra know and thunderstorms. i'll time line it for you coming up.es >>> well, it's a stunning admission. a man walks into a bay area police station and confesses to a double murder dating back 16 years. nbc broke the news to the victim's family. >> did he confess to both murders? both mirds? oh, my god. >> reporter: 16 years after ruben solis and vincent betancourt were gunned down, their alleged killer said he did it. >> he walked into a police station and turned himself in. that's what our understanding is in this particular instance is, in this unusual circumstance, we don't have that ha

peter alexander, nbc news, new york. >>> before we go, a quick update on the making a difference report we brought you here last night. detroit dog rescue, the folks working to save strays in detroit. as of yesterday, they were down to their last $43 after paying some vet bills. since our story aired last night, they have received nearly $30,000 in contributions from generous viewers of ours. the funny thing is we never mentioned the possibility of donations but we will now. if you would like to help, you can find the information on our website, nightly.msnbc.com. that's our broadcast for tonight. thank you, as always, for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> right now at 6:00, deep impact and concerns about how strong earthquakes half a world away are impacting bay area fault lines. >>> i'm damian trujillo. students claim they were left in the dark about a double murder suicide. that's coming up next. >>> also ahead, charges that new surveillance video shows more misconduct by

cheers and applause ) >> jon: first of all nbc news can now confirm? nbc news can now confirm what we originally thought to be pictures of naked people wrestling. in fact, there was some talk in our morning editorial meeting as to whether or not it should be classified as erotica and then we saw a picture of a woman (beep) a horse. so we believe that at 1:12 p.m. eastern standard time this be straight-up porn. what a story! even before navy seals shot out his eyes, osama bin laden was probably going blind anyway. ( cheers and applause ) you like that, right? we came up with a bunch of them. this one is one of my favorites. come on! that's classy. anyway obviously we're extremely excited, all set to do this story. got all the materials we need to do this story just the way we like to do a story like this. we're very particular when we're going to take the time to do this kind of story. i got the paper to my right. the way i like it so i can flip it with my right hand. you know what i mean? my left hand is free. i got the video of the story queued up to

news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. today, the president of the united states delivered the thanks of a grateful nation to a group of men whose names we can't know and whose faces we can't show. members of the u.s. navy s.e.a.l. team who pulled off the high-stakes raid that killed osama bin laden. the president went to ft. campbell, kentucky, where halfway around the world, we're still learning more about the raid, what was grabbed, the official confirmation of bin laden's death, and a potential threat to all of us once again. we start off with two reports tonight, beginning at the scene, ann curry on the ground in pakistan tonight. ann, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. and confirming osama bin laden's death today, al qaeda is clearly trying to reinvigorate its jihad and sent a message that its war on americans will go on without him. at the same time, u.s. intelligence officials tell nbc news bin laden was fully engaged in al qaeda operations a s at t time of his death. coordinated protested that

surveillance video captures a group of teens trashing a new york city donut shop. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with scene of destruction. the battered community of joplin, missouri is just beginning to get a grasp on the devastation it has suffered. the death toll has now climbed to it at least 116 making it the deadliest single tornado strike in the u.s. in nearly 60 years. rescuers are still searching for more victims. they pulled 17 alive from the rubble and the governor says they are certain there are still more alive. jay gray reports. >> reporter: the massive tornado cut a path through the middle of town for six miles, neighborhoods were wiped away in a matter of seconds. st. john's medical center was ripped apart. those used to dealing with the aftermath of emergencies now suddenly caught up in their own. >> when we came out, it looked like a war zone. >> reporter: as soon as the wind stopped, rescue and recovery teams moved in, searching for victims trapped in all of this rubble. more than a day later, that eff

kevin tibbles, nbc news, nashville. >> terrific news.hat's our broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. as always, we hope to see you tomorrow evening. >>> right now at 6:00, caught on top, a man goes undercover to expose a restaurant's illegal practices. a story you'll see only on nbc bay area. >>> also ahead, what san francisco police officers will soon be wearing in the wake of several allegations of police misconduct. >>> and it's considered a private family matter, but one bay area city is putting the issue of circumcision before voters. the news at 6:00 starts

new york. first up on monday is nbc. mark barger has a preview of the lineup ♪ i went sky driving >> reporter: "the voice" has been ratings gold for nbc. >> we've been calling "the voice" the gift from god. >> reporter: and even though nbc entertainment chairman won't be bringing "the voice" back until mid-season, singing and dancing will still be a big part of the peacock's new season. ♪ down in new orleans >> reporter: the holiday a capella hit "the singoff" joins the lineup full time on monday nights this fall. >> it's a great show with an emotional core. it's really entertaining. it's a big idea. ♪ my hometown >> reporter: music will also be one element, among others. new monday drama, "the playboy club" set during the famed club's early days in the 1960. >> it's a fun, bright, sexy soap. ♪ >> reporter: singing and dancing will combine at mid-season with the drama smash, about the making of a broadway music allstaring debra messing and "american idol" alum katherine mcphee. >> choreography and original songs. just a

new center. a place where ghosts of jazz past can join a jam session with the future. nbca news. >>> we'll check in on the weather. and it is a changing on us, isn't it, rob? >> it is, big time. just from a couple of days ago. we were in the 80s and 90s. now today it's tough just to get to 70 degrees. spots around the bay area, south san jose toward the almadden valley, we did that. santa cruz, probably the warmest spot today. only 72 degrees. 66 in san jose. hayward to oakland and san francisco, the air temperature may have said 60 degrees. with the winds it did not feel that warm. 69 for the high in napa. in oakland, low clouds, 59 degrees. west wind at 22. gusty across the bay bridge. 58 degrees, west winds at 18 through san francisco. look at san jose, 61 degrees. that is a whopping almost 30 degrees cooler than this time on thursday. big pattern change underway. with all the clouds passing by, we could get drizzle or spots of light rain overnight. you see with the winds gusty all the way through the altamont pass. unfortunately, you've got allergies like i do, you fou

kirk gregory, nbc news. >>> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. the dramatic rescue of a 93-year-old woman who made the mistake of trying to cross a flooded highway was recorded by a sheriff assisting from the shore. using a safety line and cable, two missouri national guardsmen battled raging water to pull the woman from her car and ultimately to safety. no injuries were reported. >>> chicago's lake front harbors have a new hangout for raccoons. the spike in population has been a problem since last summer, leading to the capture of approximately 120 of the scavengers. officials say classified -- and they've classified that situation as an infestation. they've cautioned residents not to leave trash around, a steady source of food for the animals. would be that trash. >>> finally, america has its own polar bear survival story to tell. a female cub was rescued from an alaskan oil field. it was spotted weeks ago. with it's mother but may have been orphaned. zoo officials are caring for the cub and they hope to find it a new home soon. >>> now for a l

i'll relax and listen to some r.e.m. ♪ it's the end of the world as we know it ♪ >> kerry sanders, nbc newsearwater, florida. >> thanks for that, kerry. >>> if contemplating the end of the world is getting you down, this might help. the ferron family, new owners of a house in utah, got a surprise when they started poking around in an attic space. $45,000 in cash hiding in a metal box. though the family could have really used the money to fix up the house, they decided to give it back. it had been hidden there by the previous owner who had recently died. he grew up in the depression and stashed the cash without his children even knowing about it. they were floored by the honesty. the ferrons called it a simple lesson for their own kids. and by the way, the name of the town where it all happened, bountiful. >>> when we come back, next, dozens of girls getting an opportunity that's making a difference because of the two people who brought their vision to life. >>> finally from us tonight, our "making a difference" report. again tonight, it's about the lives of girls growing up in one of the po

nbc news. >> libyan officials are once again claiming that nato was trying to assassinate gaddafi.e was in a building that was bombed by nato. members of his family are reportedly dead. the deaths have not been confirmed, but nato officials insist they are trying to kill the libyan leader. brian mooar has the story from washington. andone of the gaddafi's sons three grandchildren were killed when missiles came down on this residence. they claim the libyan leader was the target. >> this was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country. this is not permitted by international law. >> nato officials us -- insist they were not try to kill gaddafi. they were just trying to eliminate his war machine. >> if he was killed or injured because of that line, that is fine. >> senator mccain is not ok with the decision to let nato do the fighting. >> we should be leading. we should not be following. we should not be behind. >> the narrative we want you to send is that the libyan people overthrew dictator now that we came in and toppled the despot. >> a despot who said he suffered

jay grey, nbc news, memphis. >>> ahead of the 2012 presidential election, the incumbent, president obama, is revisiting an old theme, immigration reform. yesterday he addressed the hot button campaign issue in el paso, texas, calling on washington to fix the nation's broken immigration system. nbc's brian moore reports. >> reporter: along the border in el paso, texas, president obama renewed his calls for comprehensive immigration reform. >> everybody recognizes the system is broken. the question is will we finally summon the political will to do something about it? >> reporter: it's a message aimed at hispanic voters who helped him win the white house in 2008 and are back into play in 2012. >> the republicans stepped forward and unveiled auto plan to get this done in a fair and comprehensive information. >> supporters say the president is doing what he can. >> the president can't single handedly pen an immigration bill and sign it. >> critics say too little, too late. >> he promised that he would make immigration reform a top priority in his first year and he did not. >> reporter: and i

jay gray, nbc news, joplin, missouri. >> and as jay just mentioned, oklahoma is also digging through tornado destruction. last night, weather channel meteorologist mike bettis was there getting a glimpse at some of the shocking images mother nature left behind. >> reporter: well, another round of violent storms and tornados, this time centering in oklahoma. and now, after sunset and on our night vision camera, we can observe some of the damage right here in el reno. we know a tornado crossed i-40 and then crossed highway 81. it did this damage. there's some utility lines down, we have trees that have been uprooted. this is on the property of tom and carla cronister. maybe more impressive is what's in the tree. it's actually carla cronister's convertible. it was tossed about 100 plus yards and right here into this tree. i thought one thing that was really, really telling about the power of the wind is look at that piece of wood that punctured right through the floorboard of the vehicle here. the tops of the trees are all taken off. they've been thrown back and off to the north where t

tom costello, nbc news, cape canaveral. >>> a veteran driver hits e.nd the come from behind thriller in the lone star state. plus, do you remember racing the toy metal cars on the orange track? you don't want to miss this. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. >>> heat and humidity for the east. then we're looking for dry and cool out west. storms in the middle. your regional forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today," and in sports, it's known as the greatest spectacle in racing. and this year, the indianapolis 500 certainly lived up to its legendary status. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all of your sports headlines. >>> hi there, good morning. two big races on memorial day weekend and both ending in surprising fashion. first off, indianapolis, 100th anniversary of the indy 500. five laps to go, rookie j.r. hildebrand takes the lead. imagine the 23-year-old's excitement coming to the final turn. a four-second edge. uh-oh, hildebrand loses co

nbc news pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski reports that u.s. officials are providing a clearer picture of the kind of fire fight that took place here. it wasn't an intense back and forth but really more one-sided. mostly it was the navy s.e.a.l.s doing the shooting. it's what they call a precision-clearing operation. >> stephanie gosk, thank you. we wanted to let you know as well, ann curry has now tonight arrived in pakistan. her reporting will begin airing tomorrow morning on "today." >>> back here at home tonight, flooding in the midwest is at such crisis levels, it's led to some extreme measures. as we told you last night, government engineers are actually blowing up levees to direct water away from inundated areas and some areas of population, but that's causing more problems downstream, and there are big fears for places like memphis in the days ahead. nbc's ron mott is there for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. officials in arkansas today discovered the body of a man in floodwaters there. in memphis, the

stephanie stanton, nbc news, los angeles. >>> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america -- three people are lucky to be alive after a boeing air tanker crashed during takeoff at a california naval base. in southern california. the aircraft skidded off the runway and burst into flames. the survivors escaped with minor injuries before firefighters put out the blaze. the ntsb is now investigating the crash. >>> the national weather service confirmed an ef-0 twister hit philadelphia leaving pockets of destruction in its wake. witnesses say it tore by nearby structuring vanishing as quickly as it appeared. no serious injuries reported. >>> also in pennsylvania -- one highway looked more like the yellow brick road. a tractor-trailer carrying 11 large paint containers overturned, obviously, paint containers. hazmat crews spent the morning cleaning up the scene and keeping the paint from nearby waterways. >>> and finally -- the tables were turned on a bear that wandered into a new mexico neighborhood. a pack of dogs chased the bear around the area until it was annal t

jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in americaone young man in kentucky made a disastrous decision on a recent late night drive, crashing into a gas station storefront, then leaving the scene. and it was all captured by surveillance cameras. police later arrested the 19-year-old who has been charged with a dui. >>> police in connecticut are having a hard time finding out how this rubber hit the road, investigating the mysterious question of who dumped as many as 2,500 tires behind a restaurant. the mountain of tires discovered by restaurant employees included multiple brands that were both new and used. investigators are hoping nearby surveillance cameras may help them out. >>> and we end with a warm-up for the 137th run for the roses. the annual pegasus parade entertained thousands of spectators live along the streets of louisville. the kentucky derby prerace parade featured clowns and marching bands draped in greek mythology. the race is scheduled for tomorrow and you can see it live right here on your nbc station. >> here is bi

nbc bay area news at 11:00 starts right now. good evening. i'm diane dwyer. the san francisco giants fan who was severely beaten back in march after opening day in los angeles is expected to be moved back to the bay area tomorrow. brian stowe's story has captured headlines around this country. how could a friendly rivalry between two baseball teams turn so violent? and his family says they are grateful to the doctors and supporters in southern california, but they're also very ready to get back home. kimberlier the have i at san francisco general hospital tonight with the latest for us tonight. kimberly? >> reporter: diane, there are a lot of people who have been waiting for this day to come. brian stowe's doctor says while he is still in critical condition, they think he is well enough to be moved here tomorrow which brings him much closer to his home in santa cruz and to his family and friends. coming back to the bay area is a big step for brian stowe. the san francisco giants fan severely beaten outside dodgers stadium on opening day. his return is somethi

news that one person is in custody. we'll have more on that tomorrow evening. for now we're live in san francisco, elise kirschner, nbcay area news. >> thanks for the update, elise. >>> severe storms are sweeping across the nation's midsection, and they have spawned several tornadoes over the weekend. more than two dozen people are confirmed dead, and there is a real concern that number could rise. nbc's francis cohas the latest. >> reporter: from the skies above minneapolis and its suburbs, the extent of the devastation was stunning. >> everybody okay? >> reporter: on the ground, reactions from residents were deafening. >> windows were flying. glass was flying every. we just barely got out of there. >> reporter: four suspected tornadoes dumped debris for miles and left thousands in the dark. further south in redding, kansas, mother nature also delivered a crippling ble on saturday. the small town was no match to an ef-3 tornado, which packed winds of up to 165 miles an hour. the twister crushed 20 homes and sparked a state of emergency across 16 counties. in joplin, missouri, a close confrontation with a twister was

peter alexander, nbc news, roxbury, massachusetts. >>> and that is our extended special one-hour broadcast for this tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com