last month in an op-ed in "new york times" that she had the surgery. that does it for me today. i'm brooke baldwin. see you back here tomorrow. in the meantime, "the lead" with jack tapper starts right now. they're still counting the dead from the latest oklahoma tornado. i'm jake tapper and this is "the lead." the national lead. another rash of killer storms so powerful and unpredictable, even expert storm chasers are caught off guard. while the rest of us seek shelter, these men and women run right into danger. three were killed just this last weekend. we'll ask a friend and fellow storm chaser why do you do it. the world lead. it started small, and it erupted into this. thousands injured in antigovernment protests in turkey. authorities cracking down with force. remind anyone of the arab spring? what the unrest in key u.s. ally turkey means to you.

the politics lead. lying is practically a language of its own here in the nation's capital, but it's rare to hear political enemies accuse one another of it. a top republican accused the white house's answer man of being a paid liar and the obama team hit back, bringing up a republican congressman's arrest in 1972. we'll begin with the national lead and the search becoming more desperate by the hour for six people still missing after an outbreak of tornadoes in oklahoma. within just the last few moments the death toll in that state alone has risen to 17 from the rash of violent stornls this weekend. this has been a punishing stretch of bad weather for oklahoma. just two weeks ago an ef-5 tornado practically wiped the town of moore off the map. this time a seasoned team of storm chasers are among the dead. they made their living driving toward some of the most terrifying sights imaginable, but their considerable experience could not save them from the production. >> tornado is five miles southwest of el reno.

>> reporter: >> this is the reason it's called tornado alley. touching down in illinois, missouri and oklahoma where the force was strong nuenough to do this. the oklahoma city area still reeling from the ef-5 tornado that destroyed the town of moore two weeks ago once again caught the worst of it. the storms hit during friday rush hour, and with memories of moore still fresh, many tried to flee on the roads. and for some it would be a deadly choice. >> most of those victims, if not all, came out of vehicles. >> the tornado that ripped through el reno, oklahoma, proved especially unpredictable. it made an unexpected left-hand turn, suddenly traveling north. it caught even experienced storm chasers completely by surprise. >> that thing is rotating. >> it is? >> storm chaser tim samaras seen on discovery channel's storm chasers show along with his son and colleague carlor young.

they were chasing the tornado in el reno. their white truck twisted almost beyond recognition. >> something must have gone horribly wrong. >> storm chaser reed timer says it all seems like a nightmare. >> they're the best, most experienced group of storm chasers i know at getting close to tornadoes. >> this is the instrument i've been working on for the last month. >> samaras was more than a storm chaser, he was a scientist at his core. his company used equipment seen here on the discovery channel to gather research about tornadoes and advance warning time. >> they weren't out there doing haphazard adrenaline junky kind of things. they were doing official research. >> what if a superstorm formed out there and we missed it. that would be absolutely disastrous so we have to give it a try. we just have to give it a try. >> we're all glued to the tv watching these storm chasers film life or death moments in the middle of a tornado.

for those of us who cover these storms, as they happen, their work is irreplaceable. but is the data and the footage storm chasers collect for us worth the danger to them? let's talk to someone who does it for a living. ed grub is a storm tracker who was part of tam im samaras' cre. he was not with him on this trip. lanny dean was also a close friend. lanny, i want to start with you. you knew him for more than 20 years. what was he like? >> i've got to tell you tim was a very passionate individual, probably one much the most passionate individuals that i had ever met personally. he was certainly very scientific and probably more importantly tim had a care about other people that i had never met in my life. i'd never seen that type of a caring individual. he was truly, truly caring more

about other people than he did himself. >> ed, i want to play a clip from friday, an interview that tim did about the storm. >> we are looking for the very special type of storm called a supercell. a supercell is a very violent storm that is very capable of large hail and pretty destructive tornadoes. >> pretty destructive tornadoes. ed, explain to us, what is the data that you all get when you go on these missions? why is it so important? >> well, from our standpoint, it's extremely important because we can utilize the data collected and figure out why one particular supercell thunderstorm which tim was referring to in your clip, why one particular supercell thunderstorm, will produce a tornado and why one will not. and if we can find that it common denominator as to why it does put down a tornado, if we see that little denominator in a storm sooner than later, we can

increase the warning times a lot sooner, or a lot later, so that people in harm's way can get out of the way much, much quicker. >> lanny, you were going to go over some of this data over the weekend with tim. what exactly were you going to go over with him? >> i tell you, tim and i, as you mentioned earlier, had been friends for many, many years, and as ed had mentioned -- tim was certainly a scientist first and foremost. so the data we were working together on was regarding acoustics, infrasonics in and around tornadoes. as some people may or may not know, supercell thunderstorms, much like tim was referring to and ed, they generate an infrasonic sound. our atmosphere around us generates infrasonic sounds. so most particularly tim and i were going to kind of look at and research some of the possible infrasonic sounds in

and around tornadoes. our end of it was truly around tornado genesis, right before the tornado actually happened. what kind of noise, what kind of signature could we pick up just prior to tornado genesis. fortunately for us, myself and my crew, we had gained some data already prior to tim and i, and this weekend tim and i were planning on going over the data. i'm sorry. >> no, it's okay. we understand. lanny, i just want to ask you, when you think of -- because we want our viewers to understand who this man was beyond what he did on television and beyond his heroism in tracking storms. what will you remember most about him when you think of tim? >> certainly i will remember -- certainly i'm going to remember his dedication and his passion,

but i think -- of course the scientific level -- i mean, tim was a very smart individual, probably one of the smartest people that i know. but ultimately i will remember his caring attitude. i mean, this is a man that i -- very hard to describe to you. you would almost have to meet him. he truly did care more about other people than himself, and that certainly showed anytime you spoke with him. you could be a novice chaser or what have you or just somebody off the street, and tim would take time to visit with you. and i think that caring attitude and that -- just that aura about him really i'm going to miss dearly. that's what i'm going to remember. i'm going to hold on to those -- i'm going to hold on to those memories. >> and, ed, lastly, what will you remember most about tim, having been a member of his team? >> well, just the knowledge that

he was willing to impart on those around him. even when he wasn't storm chasing, sort of echoing what lanny just said, in the off-season he enjoyed going to schools, he enjoyed talking to children, trying to educate them, trying to get them involved in science. from my standpoint, he believed in integrating that scientific knowledge in the younger kids so that as they got older there would be a new generation being able to carry on some of the programs and studies that he had envisioned in his dream. >> lanny dean and ed grubb, thank you so much. our deepest condolences on your loss. >> thank you so much. the politics lead. the end of an era on capitol hill today that we learn as the very last world war ii veteran to serve in the senate died. frank lautenberg died this morning at the age of 89 succumbing to complications from

viral pneumonia. lautenberg served five terms with only a two-year gap. he cast more than 9,000 votes in his time and some of his legislative crusades forever changed how we americans live. in april, lautenberg made one of his last senate appearances to vote for expanding background checks on gun sales, though that was deeted. lautenberg's now-vacant seat 0 is a major problem for democrats. new jersey's republican governor chris christy can appoint a temporary replacement until a special election can be held. today christie remembered lautenberg fondly. >> i think the best way to describe frank lautenberg and the way he would probably want to be described to all of you today is as a fighter. senator lautenberg fought for the things he believed in. today is a sad day for the people of new jersey. >> i want to bring in our chief congressional correspondent dana bash on capitol hill. let's talk about the legacy lautenberg leaves behind.

what will he most be remembered for? >> a lot of legislative accomplishments, jake, that actually affect people's lives. we talk about inaction. but he was somebody who did act. lit me give our viewers some examples. when you get on a plane and there's no smoke, it is because of legislation that frank lawsuiten burke helped push. there's the reason there's no smoking on airplanes. with regard to tobacco, he was a fierce opponent to tobacco even when it was unpopular. and alcohol as well, he was mainly responsible for helping to curb drunk driving by having a national standard blood alcohol level of 0.08. and also he helped make sure the drinking age was 21. so those are just some parts of the law that he really helped push that, as i said, really do affect people's lives. with regard to how he is being remembered here today, jake, as is tradition, they have put a black drape over his desk in the senate and flowers as well.

there's a condolence book in his office. he is somebody who lived a very long and a very robust life, but he also is somebody who stuck out here and can say this is a point of personal privilege, you did, too, walking around the halls of congress, he was always polite, always had good humor, even when he clearly was not feeling well in recent months and even when we were talking about political issues that really got under his skin like, for example, the idea that the newark mayor cory booker, fellow democrat, announced he was going to run against him which eventually helped lautenberg decide to retire. >> and briefly, dana, democrats have a very narrow majority in the senate to turn to crass politics. they just lost a seat, the senator probably replaced by a republican. walk us through the options that governor chris christie has right now. it's pretty complicated. >> it is complicated and some things we don't know because there are disputes in the law. but we do know that he as a republican does have the ability to appoint somebody who is republican.

so at least in the near term it means that that democratic seat will go republican. the open question is when or if there has to be a special election. because senator lautenberg's term is up in 2014, it is possible that chris christie could argue there doesn't have to be an election until then. that's not what democrats prefer because that would probably keep a republican in the seat for a year and a half. but also democrats are probably going to say there must be a special election before. so that is still in dispute as you said, it is quite complicated. >> very interesting to see who chris christie appoints to that seat. thank you so much, dana bash. coming up on "the lead", sure they made some missteps but wait until you see their dance steps. the irs scandal. meanwhile, the politicians are wasting no time attacking each other. and it happens every time. just when you fall in love with a tv character, bam, they fall victim to a violent plot twist. so how did tv show producers decide who will die next? stay with us for the pop lead.

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welcome back to the lead. the white house respondsed to a acharge made on krfrn krn' cnn' "state of the union," when darrell issa said this about the irs scandal. >> their paid liar, their spokesperson, picture behind, he's still making up things about what happens and calling this local rogue. >> issa suggesting white house press secretary jay carney was lying about those irs officials who targeted republicans being rogue. today jay carney laughed off the accusati accusation. >> darrell issa over the weekend called you a paid liar for the administration. i wanted to give you an opportunity to respond to that. >> i had heard that. that's amazing. i'm not going to get into aba back-and-forth with chairman

issa. >> smuns else did not show such restraint. david plouffe, the unofficial adviser to president obama tweeted this, strong words from mr. grand theft auto and suspected arsonist/insurance swindler and loose ethically today. no one was ever charged with anything and issa collected insurance money. 1972, 1982, why are we even talking about this? plouffe told me, quote, the credibility and motivations of accusers are valid here. let's bring in kevin madden cnn contributor and former senior adviser to mitt romney's campaign, glen thrush from politico. why is david plouffe going after

darrell issa? >> well, i think he is trying to offer a distraction. i mean, this is -- they've done this before. if you remember during the campaign they actually insinuated the president's campaign that mitt romney was a fel felon. whenever they have a problem with the facts, what they do is demonize and go after the character of their opponent. i think it's a mistake. i think it's a bigger distraction from the issues and i would hope now that chairman issa and other house republicans don't chase those distractions, they don't be the squirrels after that nut. instead, keep the focus back on the white house and asking the tough questions because that's what the american people want. they don't want the name-calling. >> ruth, does david plouffe have a point that the credibility of the accusers is relevant? >> no. but more to the -- but more to the point, it's a stupid tactic. i thought chairman issa who had been doing a pretty good job of holding himself in check and presenting some reasonable hearings totally crossed the

line when he described jay carney as a paid liar. and the person who responded correctly to that was jay carney, by laughing it off and not getting himself down in the gutter with darrell issa. the plouffe response just really dredged up old news and just covered everybody with dirt, and that was not a smart thing to do. i don't think -- but i think it was a not smart thing to do that was done out of anger and lack of control and i could keep going on those things. but not -- >> the problem with twitter. >> that's right. that's why your mother told you to count to ten. but it wasn't -- i don't think it was done in an effort to change the subject. they would have been much better off if we only had been talking about darrell issa attacking jay carney on the one hand than the other. >> what do you think? >> who hasn't boosted cars when they were 19, jay. >> they dropped the charges.

>> they were. i was 3 years old when that happened. why even bring it up? >> i think first of all, what's the line about you never pick a fight with somebody who buys ink by the barrel? it's not all that wise to pick a fight with somebody who has subpoena power. david plouffe was senior adviser in the white house when a lot of these things went down. i don't understand why the white house or some of these former obama advisers are looking to pick a fight with issa. they had him where they wanted him on sunday. he really stepped in it. i thought that went way over the line. and this really puts them back on par and loses the advantage that they had over the weekend. >> you could argue that we have just all, especially me, have played into what plouffe wanted because we haven't spent a great deal of time talking about the irs scandal that we have previous days. >> i think it's to the detriment of what people up on capitol hill, particularly republicans, think are valid oversight duties that this is sort of regressed into this debate over who called

who what first, like we're on a playground. and i think the american people believe that the tougher iter question is about what happened with this irs scandal. they need to be asked and answered before we continue with the name-calling. >> in fact, the acting irs director in congressional hearing says the irs failed the american people by targeting conservative groups the way they did. thanks for your time. we'll have you back shortly. the buried lead. is he an enemy of the state or a hero whistle-blower? the soldier accused of the largest leak of classified information in u.s. history finally faces trial today. and after a whole day at disney world, your feet will hurt and so will your wallet. the price of admission to the happiest place on earth just got even more painful.

well kwom back to the lead. i'm jake tapper. time for the buried lead. he could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars for spilling the government's secrets. the court-martial trial begins today for private first class bradley manning, the american soldier who has already admitted to helping make public more than 700,000 war related and classified u.s. documents through the secret sharing web site wikileaks. manning is accused of aiding the enemy. prosecutors today says the government will provide evidence indicating that materials al qaeda operators delivered to bin laden can be traced to manning's download and transmission to wikileaks. but manning still has a lot of sue 0 popporters who see him as

victim of an overly secretive government. they argue, wouere it not for manning -- in this helicopter strike in 2007. manning has also found what some might consider an ally in the new documentary "we steal secrets: the story of wikileaks." alex gibbney joins me from new york. you focus on manning's life and julian assange creator of wikileaks. let's take a quick look. >> disclosures like these tear at the fabric of responsible government. >> we're looking at all of the things that we can do to stem the flow of this information. >> this was the biggest leak in the history of this particular planet. >> my name is julian assange, i'm the editor of wikileaks. we help you get the truth out. if you get this material, give it to us, no questions asked, and you will help change history. >> there was this kid who had

reached out in confidence and said, hey, i'm leaking secrets. >> it's a compelling and controversial documentary. it casts manning as a sympathetic character, alex. he uses his security clearance to make public moments in the war that he believes are unconscionab unconscionable. what do you think about his work putting others at risk? >> are you talking about the charge aiding the enemy that the government is charging him with in the trial? >> i mean just putting out in the public names of individuals in it afghanistan and iraq that the u.s. was working with that maybe would not have been known to the taliban or to iraqi insurgents beforehand. >> well, i think it may have been somewhat naive of private manning to have leaked documents they might be handled by how - wikileaks. and some of those documents were

not properly redacted. but let's also say that nobody was actually hurt by their release. so i think it's fair to say that he was a little bit naive about the use to which they would be put. but i also think that he actually -- this was not a data dump. he actually scrutinized these documents and had some sense of the fact that they would not hurt anyone in an operational sense and furthermore would shed some light not only on the damage which had been done in iraq and afghanistan but also on some rather good things that had been done by american diplomats around the world. >> some of the fans of julian assange take issue with your documentary and the portrayal of assange. how do you view him? >> i think julian assange actually is admirable in many ways. i think the wikileaks platform as a publisher and also anonymous leaking site where you can send documents none nanonymi think was an important precedent to be set. i think the problem with assange

is he ended up bungling his own operation but conflating his own personal misdeeds with the transparency agenda. that's where i lost some sympathy with him. >> the film also talks about how private manning was kept in it a cell, a 6 x 8 cell, for nine months. do you think the u.s. government has been cruel to private manning? >> yes. i think what the u.s. government has done to private manning has been outrageous. absolutely outrageous. and i think it's particularly outrageous that it happened during the obama administration that pledged to be on the side of whistle-blowers and indeed pledged to be on the side of human rights. so his treatment both in kuwait as you mentioned and also being kept in solitary confinement, having his clothes removed, having his glasses removed, being forced to stand naked before guards, these are -- and the lights on all the time, these were techniques that were not unlike what was done to try to muscle information out of people in guantanamo, for

example. so i think what was done to bradley manning was absolutely cruel and unusual punishment. >> alex gibbney, thank you so much. the film is "we steal secrets: the story of wikileaks" o. thank you. we'll have you back. as for bradley manning, his trial is ongoing. we'll cover all angles hearing from many different voices. coming up, just a few weeks ago he was standing side by side with president obama at the it white house. now protesters want him out of office. unprecedented violence erupts in turkey. what are the consequences for the u.s.? plus, michael douglas claims his throat cancer was caused by a sexually transmitted disease. then today he backed off. but could he be right?

welcome back to "the lead". thousands hurt as our critical ally turkey erupts in protests and crackdowns. comparisons are being drawn to the arab spring.

but if that movement taught us anything, it's be careful what you wish for. the money lead. planning on taking the family to disney world for summer vacation? you might want to apply for a loan. prices are going up at the magic kingdo kingdom. and the pop lead. it was just unreal, hbo's "game of thrones" pulled one of the biggest twists in tv history last night. we'll hear from top series creators in the business on how they decide who gets the ax or the crossbow on your favorite shows. welcome back to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. the world lead. the protests in turkey have turned deadly. one was killed after a car drove into the crowd and over 3,000 have been injured in just the last two days. >> reporter: it's a pretty festive scene here in central

istanb istanbul. until about a week ago, very few people really knew what this place was, even if you were a turkish citizen. but it has become the center of a national debate and a movement that's really been challenging the government of this country unprecedented for the last ten years. it's because last monday 40 or 50 demonstrators held a sit-in. they didn't want the government to bulldoze this place to make way for a shopping mall. and the government cracked down. it sent in riot police with tear gas and water cannons and pepper spray again and again, and that has triggered these protests that have erupted in a number of different cities and towns across turkey. a significant challenge to the turkish prime minister who has repeatedly denounced the demonstrators, calling them members of extremist organizations and marginal groups. >> ivan watson in istanbul,

thank you so much. protests that quickly spread across a nation. accusations of a government who doesn't listen to its people. police accused of using excessive force. sound familiar? to find out what's going on in turkey and how it's different in the arab spring, we're joined by richard haas, president of the council on foreign relations and the author of foreign policy begins at home: the case for putting america's house in order. richard, thanks for joining me. explain to me, why should americans sitting at home care about what happens in turkey. how could this unrest impact us? >> turkey actually is a pivotal country, jake it's about 80 million people it's got a fairly large economy, some say about the 17th largest in the world. it's a nato ally so we have all sorts of obligations. it borders on syria. so for better or for worse it can both affect and being affected by the crisis there. perhaps as much as anything, though, turkey has become

something of an example or a model for the sort of political events you alluded to in the arab world over the last couple of years. so how goes turkey could have a bic big impact on the entire middle east. >> i want to play something the turkish prime minister said about the causes of these protests, if we have that sound ready. >> translator: if we put aside people who join this protest with their naive feelings, extreme elements organize these protests and unluckily people joined it. >> were these extreme elements? >> using force in some ways doesn't help because you set off a cycle of action and reaction. no, if it wasn't caused by this plan to bulldoze this park and build a shopping mall, it would have been caused by something else. what you have is essentially a large group of turks who feel alienated from this government in power for ten years it'ss

increasingly a one-party country. all the politics happen within it. the opposition is weak, divided effectless. you have a lot of people in turkey who feel both alienated and intimidated by the government and this is the way they decide 0ed to push back. >> i know there's no way to poll the people protesting in the street, but what's your impression of who they are? are they young people who want more democracy, more openness? are they people who want a more religious government? who are they, do you though? >> turkey is to some extent a democracy, though it's a little top-heavy. what i think the people in it the streets are, mainly young, as you say, quick secular. many of them went to great lengths to be seen visibly drinking beer to show that they distance themselves from some of the drift towards a greater role for islam. that's essentially what they represent. it's a minority in the sense that probably half the country voted for the party. but what you have is a large number of turks, whether in the

business world, obviously in the military, in the media who are feeling that this government is not only not responsive to this but is trying to consolidate power and to bring about a turkey that really isn't that comfortable with the west or with secularism or with the kind of real liberal democracy. >> richard haass with the council on foreign relations, thank you. >> thanks. you can't put a price on a child's happiness. well, maybe you can especially after you hear how expensive disney world just got. we'll tally up the insane cost for a family of four in the money lead. plus, a basketball player's homophobic slur takes the attention away from lebron james as the heat/pacers get ready for game seven. we'll be live in miami in the sports lead.

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time for the money lead. it may be a small world after all, but, man, that is a pricey ticket. the so-called happiest place on earth just got more expensive. a single one-day passes in california costs $92 for adults, $85 for children, a $5 increase in admission. in orlando, florida, it shoots p to $95 for kids and $89 for the little ones. let's say you have a family of four, one child over 12, toss in the $16 for parking and lunch based on the average price of a disney meal, you're looking at a total of $459 for one day at the theme park. and good luck telling your kids

they'll only be there one day. here's hoping that wish you made upon the star is the sweet little marionette will turn into a million dollars. disney is defending the costs. i will say i went to disney world with my family once. they had a blast, especially my daughter at the biptty boptty boutique. she was a little disappointed, however, to see the little mermaid had legs, not a fish tail. maybe with the extra money you can take care of that. dunkin' donuts has introduced a new breakfast item, the doughnut bacon sandwich. yes, it's exactly what it sounds like, bacon and fried eggs between a doughnut. turns out the sandwich is not nearly as bad as it sounds, clocks in at only 360 calories, actually lower than most of dunkin' donuts other breakfast options. compared to wendy's pretzel

burger 1400 calories by some estimates that's practically a spinach salad. be sure to follow me on twitter. next in the pop lead, spoiler alert. favorite television characters are dropping like flies. why do the creators of some of the biggest shows kill off their creations? well, i'll ask them. plus, michael douglas makes a shocking claim about his off-screen sex life. what he says might have caused his cancer.

welcome back to "the lead." the pop culture lead. it's june, which means your favorite tv series are likely ending their seasons, which means in some cases cliff-hangers, in other cases bloodbaths. that's right, we're noticing a proclivity to kill off characters. and we don't just mean the bad guys or unpopular characters like when l.a. law's roslyn chase fell into that elevator shaft all those years ago. we mean really beloved heart of the series characters. we recently chatted with the creators of some of the hottest shows on television to see what's abehind this epidemic. if you have access to the internet, you likely already know there was a bloodbath last night on hbo's "game of thrones" burr we won't spoil it for you. that's why we're showing you these dragons instead. >> death is so boring. >> but brace yourself for when you do watch it. it's already being described as one of the goriest scenes ever

in television history and at least one major character does not make it out alive. >> bring me his head. >> it's hardly the first time the show killed off a major character. when i sat down with "graim of thrones" co-creator earlier this year, he told me it's no small task to take someone out. is it tough to kill off a character? ff is tough. it's enough the story telling sense because you miss characters you loved writing for but it also is tough because our favorite people to hang out with are no longer on the show. it's many of our most beloved friends from the series we've had to kill. and it's, you know -- it makes you sad. but they've got to go. >> and benioff isn't the only producer playing god. as tv series wind down, some tell me an actor's last gasp were as tough to write as they were to watch. do you feel you've gotten a little trigger happy?

>> i feel like medical traumas rnts that interesting if you know that everyone is going to live. >> you listen close. what i choose is you. >> one of the hardest to let go? season two's heart transplant heart breaker who passed just after proposing to katherine heigl's character izzy. >> he didn't want to die. but the story really dictates everything. if you can't stay true to the story just because i've gloen wildly attached to an actor, then we have a problem. >> in fact, it seems there are some really itchy trigger fingers among the creative types these days. in recent weeks and months, we've seen major characters meet their makers on "downton abbey," homeland, boardwalk empire and not surprisingly the walking dead. do our favorite characters auld have targets on their backs? >> what's going on? >> lane hanged himself in his office. >> on "madmen," the price in the

firm was no more. was it tough to kill off lane? >> yes, that was hard. >> with just three episodes left this season, madmen obsessives are wondering, who's next? if the season ends up being your seasonfavorite's last -- >> the stakes are very human. if you're going to pull the trigger on something that permanent, you want to make it count. >> shows like "lost" and the sopranos offed beloved characters in the past, but seriously "game of thrones" took it to another level last night. the michael douglas interview that got the internet into a tizzy over the weekend is in dispute by the actor. the guardian quoted douglas saying the throat cancer was owned by hpv, according to the art very well douglas said he got hpv tlou sexual contact. but douglas' publicist says the

guardian overstated it. they said douglas nevpointed to as a cause but said it was one of many possible causes. a 2011 study found the proportion of throat cancers related to hpv jumped by nearly 50% between 1984 and 2004. so much for the big three. if lebron james wants another championship ring, he may have to get it on his own. how the very move that made him hated in cleveland is coming back to haunt the king.

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liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? ...and we inspected his brakes for free. -free is good. -free is very good. [ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke. welcome back. time for the sports lead. you're looking at the american airlines arein 0 na in miami, florida, live shots xs that's the site of our sports lead. he didn't take his talents to south beach just to win one championship. he came to pass jordan and kobe and try to build a dynasty. that's why tonight's game seven against the indiana pacers may be the most important game of lebron james' career with a trip to the nba finals and repeat on the line. rachel nichols joins us live from nimiami.

rachel, we've heard the word legacy a lot. what's at stake tonight? >> reporter: this a "prove it" game. lebron james' name is known around the world, but this isn't the world of entertainment where you can kim kardashian your way into being famous. you've got to put up the stats, win the rings, prove it when your team needs you the most. we're just a couple of hours away here in miami from lebron james being in one of those situations. mj, kobe, larry bird, they were able to have their performances when it looked the darkest of and that's what we remember about them. and you talk about legacy, lebron james is still building his. if he comes through tonight here in this building, it's going to be a big part of what we eventually remember him for. >> and on another subject, what's the fallout from roy hibbert's comments, his homophobic comments after game six? >> reporter: yeah. look, the nba really came strong on this. they fined hibbert $75,000, which even if you're an nba

multimillionaire that is not chump change. couple that with the fact that they fined kobe bryant $100,000 last year for making homophobic comments. they have shown as a league they have a zero tolerance policy. look, i cover the nfl, major league baseball. these leagues are not handing out these kinds of fines for this language. so the nba trying to be a leader here, and it's no coincidence that jason collins, an active nba player came out this year. the nba is trying to create a comfortable environment. i can tell you roy hibbert did actually reach out to jason collins in the past 24 hours. collins reached back. so hibbert is trying to mend some fences. he's a smart kid. he wnt to georgetown, and he said he made a serious error and is trying to make up for it. >> thank you, rachel. talk to you soon. >> tip-off is at 8:30 tonight, game seven between the pacers and heat. you can see it on tnt, part of the turner family it here. that's it for a the lead."

i'm jake tapper. i will leave you now in the very capable hands of wolf blitzer in "the situation room." he's just there next door. mr. blitzer, take it away. >> jake, thanks very much. happening now, the white house press secretary hit by a partisan slam that he calls amazing as a political controversy takes a very nasty turn. mrsalso, police, your dna a rights. and storm chasers become storm casualties. the death toll climbs in oklahoma. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." a nasty and personal turn in the controversy over the irs targeting of conservative groups. republican congressman darrell issa leading a house investigation is in a bitter war of words with the white house. the first bombshell