we're learning. >> it's a tender side i hide so cleverly. i have loved it. good luck tonight with your show here. >> thank you. >> and i hope you rock and roll here for years. >> thank you. >> i can't think of a better place. >> you're so sweet. >> lovely to see you both. >> and it's nice to have you here in vegas. from cnn center, this is "cnn sunday morning," i'm joe johns in for t.j. holmes this memorial day weekend. also a good morning to the service women and men watching us on the armed forces network around the world. country music's zach brown band is sporting new jewelry to help the troops. some say they offer a little bit of extra protection in the war zone. we'll explain about that. plus a dramatic escape for

passengers aboard a delta flight. we'll tell you twhapd. and take a close look at the circle on your screen. sometimes baseball fans will do whatever it takes to catch a ball, including dropping their kid just to make a catch, come on. it's sunday, may 29th, 6:00 a.m. in atlanta, 5:00 a.m. in joplin, missouri. the nation's chief executive offering a shoulder to cry on this morning, headed to tornado damaged joplin, missouri. president obama is expected in joplin shortly after 1:00 eastern. te will meet with tornado victims and deliver brief remarks at a 3:00 eastern memorial service at missouri southern state university. his visit comes as the death toll rises to 142 this morning. more than 90 people remain missing, more than 1,000 have been injured. later this afternoon, at 5:41 central, the city is observing a moment of silence, that is the

exact time one week ago the tornado plowed a half-mile swathe through joplin. we take you live to joplin. paul brickhaven is there. paul what are people expected to hear from president obama? >> reporter: they're expected to hear words of comfort from president obama. they want to make sure the focus stays on them. as you can tell from the devastation you've been seeing they need all the help they can get. while this is going to be difficult, the city managers say, they are glad to know the president is coming here. >> it's going to be a challenge. he can handle some of the specifics but it is also something that can focus attention on us and get us the assistance we need to get through it so there are going to be some inconveniences but also a lot of positives associated with it. >> reporter: and again the

president will tour the destruction zone and we also hear that the governor nixon will speak today at the service. by the way, speaking of other services, with he had a lot of churches damaged in this tornado, up and down the stretch and all making plans and contingency plans for sunday. some masses held in the parking lot and others will lean on places of worship to help get their parishioners into church today so it will be an interesting and sad day in some ways here in joplin, the one-week anniversary if will you and as you said at 5:41 the entire city will observe a moment of silence as they remember when that twister hit here. joe? >> paul, the president spent about a week in europe before coming home to joplin. are the people there feeling he ignored them or was sort of too slow to come out after they had all this trouble with the tornado? >> reporter:

>> reporter: we haven't heard anything like that. i think what you hear time and time again, what they do want however is a commitment from obama at the federal level so help rebuild the town. some of the people refer to joplin not being able to get back on its feet entirely until decades because of the devastation and how long it's going to take. it's a severe economic blow in very tough economic times so more than anything i don't think they're worried about whether or not he was in europe. they want to know what the commitment is going to be to rebuilding their city of 50,000. >> paul vercamen in joplin, missouri, thank you for your report. we'll be checking back in with you. president obama's visit to joplin comes one month to the day after he visited tuscaloosa, alabama, an april 27th tornado there killed 41 people. homeland security secretary janet napolitano toured pratt,

alabama, after that tornado. more than 230 people were killed in alabama over a three-day period in april. people are back in their homes this morning after a scary situation in hudson, north carolina. a massive fire at a chemical plant there forced the evacuation of some 700 homes in the area. crews fought the fire well into the night. we do not know how it started. the plant makes chemicals to coat furniture. the epa says the air is safe to breathe. we're going from the food pyramid to the plate. the government is trying a new shape to illustrate what it we should be eating as part of a new initiative to promote healthy eating and good choices. the food pyramid has been the standard for 20 years. here is elizabeth cohen. >> reporter: the pyramid to put it gently is not considered a great public health success.

you don't look at it thinking i get it, now i know how to eat right. it was confusing, divided into lots of intricate sections and one of the biggest criticisms is the stuff you weren't supposed to eat so much of, were at sweets and sugars were at the top of the pyramid which is counter intuitive. >> the new design is expected to be unveiled thursday. investigators are taking a closer look at a delta airlines plane that caught fire as it landed in atlanta. the faa says the plane blew a tire. delta says the brakes overheated. the tail cone popped off, part of the evacuation procedures. none of the passengers or crew were injured. the flight was coming in from pittsburgh. former honduran president manuel xia liezalaya comes home cheering crowd.

he told supporters to support peaceful changed. his return also clears the way for honduras to rejoin the organization of american states. the country was kicked out of the oas after the coup. just ahead, $1 billion squirrelled away by congress kept in a hush-hur fush fund soy can pay for pet projects. how does this not violate the earmark ban? how about busting out the skis for memorial day? reynolds has a varied holiday forecast. >> it is the winter, joe, that will never end. aspen, some ski resorts open today. slushy towards the bottom of the mountain. for the top, nice looking snowfall. rain around parts of the county. mark, show people what we're going to get in atlanta, plenty of sunshine. beautiful day. more coming up here on "cnn

sunday morning." see you in a bit. their every fi. [ thunder rumbling ] [ thunder crashing ] and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable. ♪ and they danced. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you.

hitting the slopes on memorial day weekend? seriously? that doesn't even sound right. in aspen, colorado, though, you bet. heavy spring snow coupled with cool temperatures left plenty of powder on the mountain for skiers and snowboarders to take full advantage of, but getting there may be half the battle. check out the road to yellow stone national park. they're trying to dig out from more than 20 feet of snow. campers may want to add a few blankets to go along with the tent and the backpack if you can reach the campsite. wild stuff. it's beginning to look a lot like summer. it is nine minutes after the hour. reynolds wolf has our first check of your weather forecast. that's a trip. i just can't get over that. >> you want to know something freaky, joe? i'll deliver something freaky as can be. more snow in aspen, colorado,

now, than on january 1st. it's cuckoo for cocoa puffs. it's absolutely bananas. lots of people getting their ski boards, snowboards rather, getting skis, a little taste of winter before summer digs in. not just in parts of the central rockies but also portions of the sierra nevada. see this purple barney looking color, barney the purple dinosaur, we're indicating winter weather advisories. i know the calendar says, we all do as we're drinking our coffee, but five inches of snowfall in the higher elevations and the heavy snowpack in parts of the central and northern rockies. let the good times continue. what you can expect for the rest of the nation is kind of rainy in a few places if you happen to be in detroit, michigan, milwaukee, putting out the bratwurst on the grill, holding an umbrella at the same time. be ready, scattered showers are possible but at the same time you have to keep in mind there's

also the potential of seeing rough weather across parts of the northern plains and into the central great lakes, namely into michigan, just a slight risk into the afternoon hours. in terms of your temperatures muggy and warm conditions expected for portions of the southeast. atlanta high temperatures up to 89 degrees but that's kind of an interesting thing because when you have the high humidity it will feel like it's 94 degrees. doing yard work you'll be amazed how quickly things get warm. 91 for tampa, 90 in st. louis, wrap things up toward minneapolis, 69 degrees. seattle with 64, san francisco and into los angeles ten degrees the separation into the 50s and into the 60s. joe that's the latest in the forecast. kick it right back over to you. >> not bad at all. a good memorial day weekend i say. >> should be interesting. >> i got to hit the pool a little bit here, no snow hopefully. >> after the newscast. absolutely. >> let's go for it. >> there you go.

>> all right, great. for this next story keep in mind that father's day is a few weeks away. check out the guy circled here at last night's marlins and dodgers game in los angeles, wanted a souvenir, wanted one bad and he was apparently willing and able to drop everything, including his little girl, and not only did he drop the girl but he also fumbled the catch, and to make it worse, of course, it was on camera. security did talk to this guy but i like the daughter's elbow to the ribs, you know, come on. that's unbelievable, drop the little girl and drop the ball. >> joe, i love you, man, but if it were me i'd drop you, too, to get the baseball. >> i'm not a little girl. >> very true. i think it's going to be a little bit too much. i think the guy -- here's a great shot again. >> unbelievable. >> there's the drop and -- >> whoa. >> oh! >> he's got his priorities in line.

>> gosh almighty. who is the lady we're going to see in a few seconds on his right? you don't see in these images, she would make eye contact with the dude, i'm wondering, understandably so. >> now he's on cnn, oh, well. >> it happens. >> yeah, buddy. all right. how much vacation time does your company give you? if it's not much, you should check out cnn's list of companies with the best vacation perks. google makes the list offering 15 to 25 vacation days depending on how long employees work there, 12 paid holidays and all the sick time they need. intuit offers flexibility and a healthy amount of time off. employees up to five weeks off and also save up to two years' worth of vacation and take it all off in one big chunk at a time. did i mention the 32 hours of paid volunteer time?

not all the best perks come from computer companies, st. jude children's research hospital has the most altruistic vacation poli policy, employees not only get 15 to 20 paid days off but the company has a vacation time bank. staffers can deposit unused special time and sick leave and make those days available to other employees in need. if you think these companies are generous, what if your company didn't count the number of vacation days you took. i'll tell you who does that, right after this. ♪ ooh-oo, child, things will get brighter ♪ ♪ ♪ someday, yeah [ male announcer ] wherever you are, whatever it takes, like a good neighbor, state farm is there. ♪

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before the break i told you about some companies with great vacation perks. what it about the ultimate perk of all, unlimited vacation time. about a year ago the software company hubspot stopped tracking its employee vacation and sick days completely. it reduced administration costs and employees take the time they leave. it's been a great recruiting tool. other companies with a similar policy include morningstar, ibm, best buy and netflix. there you go. potential presidential candidate sarah palin kicks off her nationwide bus tour in washington, d.c., today. she hasn't declared yet but this could be a big step toward an official run. cnn deputy political director paul steinhauser has more on the other political stories we will

be watching this week. >> hey, good morning, joe. mitt romney makes it official this tweak. romney formally launches his second bid for the gop nomination. >> americans will do what it takes to keep this nation as it's always been, a strong and vibrant nation with a strong economy. >> and the former mass mass governor announces its candidacy in neighboring new hampshire, the state that holds the first primary in the presidential primary and caucus calendar. winning new hampshire is crucial to his chances of winning his party's nomination. who is showing up in new hampshire a few hours after he tosses his hat into the ring, rudy giuliani. he headlines an event for the new hampshire republican event. he's think being making another bid for the white house but hasn't taken any concrete steps. friday a bunch of presidential candidates will be here in washington to speak to a major gathering of social conservative activists, who always have an influential role in picking the republican nominee.

>> paul steinhauser in washington this morning. no earmarks, no problem. looks like lawmakers have found a way around the congressional ban on pork projects, taking advantage of a roughly billion dollars put aside in a special fund. so how's it work? cnn's senior congressional correspondent dana bash takes a look. >> reporter: red stone arsenal in northern alabama, home of army rocket and missile programs, it could get $2.5 million added to a defense bill to developed unmanned vehicle technology thanks to congressman mo brooks who represents the district. that is probably going to go to your district and help your constituents. >> i can't say it's going to go to the fifth congressional district but i will say if that is a service we can offer to america i'll be tickled pink. >> reporter: brooks boasted about getting more jobs for his district. that sounds like an earmark which the house banned this year. what is this all about? watchdog groups worry it's a

back doorway around the ban. hundreds of millions of dollars was cut from a variety of defense programs and put in a pot and lawmakers are using it to pay for projects and policy proposals. to some it's a pet project slush fund. >> this money has never been in this bill before. it's certainly suspicious it has occurred for the first time after earmarks have been placed under a moratorium and it looks like a work-around. >> reporter: but it's another form of pork? >> no, i disagree. i don't think it's pork because you're not able to allocate where it goes. >> reporter: that is a big difference, with traditional earmarks lawmakers guaranteed funding for projects back home. here the defense department has final say over the money. in some cases there appears to be little doubt lawmakers districts would benefit.

there was a corrosion prevention and projects and so happens the university of akron has the first corrosive engineering in the country. betty sutton declined an interview request. then there's steve palazzo, scored $19.9 million for navy ship design and feasibility studies and sent out this press release promising much of it will directly benefit south mississippi shipbuilding. he also declined to talk to cnn cnn, and an aide said the navy would ultimately decide how the money is spent. senator claire mccaskill knows the way things work and doesn't i would it. >> somebody is going to call the defense department and say this is what it represents. if it looks and walks and quacks like a duck, it's a duck, it's an earmark. >> reporter: other secures millions to benefit their districts and rejected cnn's requests for interests to

explain. most said the pentagon will make it a competitive process. the gentleman who did talk to us said if he can help his district in this post-earmark world no apoll jeelz. >> none whatsoever. i'm doing my job. >> reporter: until the pentagon decides we won't know for sure if lawmakers successfully steered pork to their districts. regardless, some say members of the house armed services committee should have used the hundreds of millions in pentagon savings to pay down the deficit, not for more government spending. dana bash, cnn, washington. losing a parent is especially hard on children. losing them to war is really tough. we go inside a camp where all the children have one thing in common, a parent is a fallen service member. you love the aroma of beef tenderloin, don't you? you inspired a very special dog food. [ female announcer ] chef michael's canine creations. chef inspired. dog desired.

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cnn, washington, d.c., there, looking at a picture of the white house there in that town, where they're expecting rolling thunder, the vets on motorcycles rally, to come rolling down into town in just a little while. the united states capitol, very nice morning there. good morning to all of my friends in washington, d.c. a painful reminder of the courage of our men and women in uniform, the remains of seven u.s. military personnel killed overseas returned saturday to dover air force base in delaware. the fallen troops include sergeant christopher solesby, killed thursday in an attack in afghanistan and chief warrant officer christopher thibodeau, died in a helicopter crash thursday during combat. it's tough for children of fallen service members to deal with their loss but the good grief camp organized by the nonprofit tragedy assistance program for survivors also

called t.a.p.s. brings children in mourning together and tries to help them cope. here's our sandra endo. >> reporter: a game of balance for 11-year-old anthony balmer. >> here you get happiness and then sadness. >> reporter: a mix of emotions at this memorial weekend camp for kids of fallen service members. are you hoping to smile a lot at camp? >> yeah. i do every year. >> reporter: his father, ryan, was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in iraq in 2007, but at this good grief camp, death is a shared experience with children from all across the country. >> most of the kids have gone through the same thing. their mom or their dad have been lost, and they're going through those emotions. >> reporter: and there's a big need to tend to those emotions. this year's camp run by the non-profit tragedy assistance for survivors or t.a.p.s.

increased in size. >> families gain coping skills, learn they're not alone in their grief, they need other family members who truly understand what it they are going through. >> reporter: for the families who weren't able to come here this weekend there are other smaller regional programs held throughout the year to help these young survivors cope. anthony's mother, danielle balmer also has a 4-year-old, gabrielle going to the camp for the first time. she says the effects of war on kids are life-changing. >> they've had to grow up a lot faster than most kids, and i think they have a better understanding of life, and different aspects of life, and so i'm sad that they have to have that but i am grateful that they do because it's allowed them to be better people. >> reporter: what do you think after you've done with the whole camp experience? >> i feel like it's okay to cry and you don't, there's not as much weight on my shoulders from all the sadness.

>> reporter: mrs. balmer focuses on the positive. she's engaged to widower christopher sweets who wife was in the air force and died of cancer two years ago. he has three kids of his own who are also in the camp. >> we're going to provide them a lot of love and that's based on what we, the love that we learned from our spouses, and they still live on in our family. >> i love it for all of us and i love that we're able to have this happiness again. >> reporter: sandra endo, cnn, arlington, virginia. coming up, tearing down the food pyramid, the government is moving ahead with plans to restructure nutritional guidelines. we'll reveal the new shape of healthy eating next. hi, everybody, this is staff sergeant lyle williams, afghanistan. i want to take this opportunity to say hi to my mother and father, jenna and david willi s williamser anna and bailey.

i love you. i wish you a happy memorial day and hope you guys enjoy the game. take care. ♪ you love money ♪ well, you know i love it too ♪ ♪ i work so hard at my job ♪ and then i bring it home to you ♪ ♪ i love money in my pocket but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] introducing purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] new purifying facial cleanser

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it's 31 minutes after the hour. i'm joe johns in for t.j. holmes. president obama offering comfort today to the victims of the joplin tornado. president obama is expected in joplin shortly after 1:00 eastern. he's going to meet with tornado victims and deliver brief remarks at a memorial service at missouri southern university. that's at 3:00 eastern. his visit comes as the number of dead rises to 142, more than 90 people remain missing, more than 1,000 have been injured. later this afternoon at 5:41 central, the city is observing a moment of silence, that is the exact time one week ago when the tornado plowed a half mile path through joplin. just a couple of days after that tornado hit, people were planning to rebuild. the president is expected to talk to local leaders about rebuilding efforts. our correspondent in joplin has already interviewed one man who was busy yesterday rebuilding his wife's business.

other people there tell him they can't wait to get started. >> i just had two police officers stop by and said man, we want to shake your hand, the first glimmer of hope we've really seen towards the town rebuilding. at some point, we're going to have to stop scratching our heads and standing staring at the rubble and roll up our sleeves and get things back to some sort of normalcy. time to roll up our sleeves and do what we can do to move on with our lives. >> the joplin city manager says the president's visit today will keep the national focus on his city's problems. people who live in t tuscaloosa know the challenges that come with rebuilding after such devastation. the city was hit april 27th with a tornado that killed 41 people. our david mattingly tells us recovering from such a powerful storm isn't easy. >> reporter: joe, it's been a month since the devastating

tornado hit here in tustuscaloo. we came here to find an abundance of hope and a recovery that's moving slowly. one month since a monster tornado killed 41 people here, tuscaloosa, alabama, offers little hope for recovery to the victims of more recent tornadoes in places like joplin, missouri. what's this over here? >> my grandson's tent. >> reporter: i find gail hardin in a moment of despair. >> today it hit me i'm not ever going to be able to go back home again. >> reporter: after living in tents for weeks with her family, almost everything hardin had sits in a massive pile next to the road, letting go of the life she knew has been the hardest thing of all. >> hard to start over with everything, everything is just dirt and debris.

but i got my family and we'll make it. >> reporter: a thought echoed daily across tuscaloosa as small signs of hope emerge. the streets are finally cleared. water is back on. electricity returns to more homes by the day but one thing hasn't changed, so many neighborhoods like this remain in pieces, abandoned, lifeless ghost towns. if you look around and look at all this destruction that's still all around us here, it looks like the storm hit yesterday. and it feels like it to survivors whose lives were broken, bent and battered. what was it that went in here? >> it was a 2 x 4. >> reporter: right through the house? >> right through the house. >> reporter: in one of the hardest hit areas, steven brown is the only one i find trying to rebuild. his house, the only one on the street still standing, but shredded inside and out by

debris. >> that was a piece of paneling come through and wedged inside of that right there, just wedged inside of that wall there. >> reporter: if someone had been hiding in this closet that wouldn't have been safe. look it came all the way through. >> um-hum. >> reporter: his family survived huddled and praying in the hallway floor, three next door neighbors died. a google street view of brown's street shows a wooded neighborhood that was full of life. this is what it looks like now. after everything that's happened, what made you decide to come back? >> this is home. >> reporter: and like so many hit by this tornado, brown is getting help from volunteers, offering food, sweat, and comfort. brown tells me he's learned something, and wants to tell the people of joplin, don't turn down help, and don't give up. >> if you can't go anywhere else, you always can go home, so. >> reporter: would it have been

easier to pack it in and just say i'm not going back, start over somewhere? >> yeah, it would have been a whole lot easier, definitely been a whole lot easier but i won't let this get me down. >> reporter: a full month after a deadly tornado, and so many still so slow to turn the corner from surviving to recovery. there is an intense determination to rebuild these neighborhoods, but not to rebuild them the way they were before. most people here now believe that these homes should be put back, but better, stronger, and safer. joe? >> david mattingly in tuscaloosa. more on alabama's tornado recovery in our top stories. homeland security saecretary janet innapolitano will visit.

the usda's food pyramid will go the way of the dinosaur soon. the department of agriculture is expected to reveal a new icon on thursday in a renewed effort to improve the nation's health and diet. what will it look like? the pyramid will be replaced by a dinner plate. and former republican vice presidential candidate sarah palin, remember her? she's kicking off a national bus tour today in washington, coinciding with rolling thunder, the annual war veterans motorcycle rally in the nation's capital. save money and help the troops. it's as easy as snip, snip. the king of coupons is coming up next with some tips to slim down your grocery bill, and more. ♪ things are gonna get easier ♪ ooh-oo, child, things will get brighter ♪ ♪

♪ someday, yeah [ male announcer ] wherever you are, whatever it takes, like a good neighbor, state farm is there. ♪

yeah, let's check out the horses under the hood! show me the carfax. show me the carfax. horsepower, foxpower, same thing. just show me the carfax. before you buy a used car, get a carfax vehicle history report. see accidents and service reported to carfax... and a price based on the car's history. free, at thousands of reputable dealers. just say, show me the carfax. well, it's the weekend and many of you are probably gathering your coupons for a trip to the grocery store but

you probably don't go nearly as far as nathan engalles, he's been featured on tlc's "extreme couponing." he's also helping u.s. troops serving overseas. >> i started it because my wife and i got married and combined our finances. we were drowning in debt. it was so much it was incredible. we set a grocery budget and i realized i had to stretch my money and so i naturally turned to coupons to do than bebuy a lot of stuff as you can see on tlc's extreme couponing. we can give it away. we're empowered to give through that. i think that's one of the great things about it. a lot of people when they see the show wow those people have so much stuff but they don't understand the purpose of why we stockpile. why would you pay for something

later when it's free or cheap today? buy a couple extra so you can give it away. that's the cool thing, we're empowered to give to organizations like operation troop aid, operation homefront, great organizations you can support and this week there are wipes that are free at major grocery stores, a highly requested item troops in afghanistan request. i wouldn't be able to buy $300 or $400 but because i have coupons i can donate them to the troops in afghanistan. >> how many boxes of stuff you have in your house right now? >> i do have a lot. if you watch the show you can see my stockpile, it's, it impresses me sometimes but our stockpile is designed to prevent me to spending $200 or $300 at the store. i have 20 or 30 tubes of toothpaste, 50 boxes of cereal, 300 or 400 cans of vegetable or

soup. they have a great shelf life, i don't have to buy them when they're expensive at the store. >> you're an extreme example but is there any way the average shopper can do this, use coupons to donate stuff to troops? >> sure, you can get on our website and that's a great place where you can learn how to do this. really simple for the average shopper, doesn't take too much time if you know what you're doing. if you learn how to play the coupon game but you have to learn the rules. websites like ours are a great way to empower you to learn. we provide you with lists and coupon matchups that will make the time that you spend doing this a lot quicker. >> i read that you dumpster dive for coupons. how does that work? >> yeah, i dumpster dive for coupons. who wants to spend money for them. if you buy the newspaper, like a lot of couponers do you spend $20 or $30 or $40. we stress different ways, creative ways to find coupons

cheaply. go to a convenience store, sorry, like a cafe and see if anybody's purchased a paper and discarded it, go to a dumpster and pick out the sunday newspapers. there are lots of different ways to get coupons cheaply. talking about antiquity this morning, unearthing an ancient discovery. scientists found secret markings in the egyptian pyramids that haven't been seen in more than 4,000 years.

a brazen attack on high-ranking military officials in afghanistan. the taliban targeting the

nato-led international force and their afghan counterparts. cnn's stan grant has more from islamaba islamabad. >> reporter: the taliban says it has specifically targeted this high level meeting between international and afghan officials in northern afghanistan. the militants saying they wanted to disrupt any plans to launch a military offensive against it. now inside the meeting was the head of all of nato forces in northern afghanistan, german general marcus knife. he has survived. not as fortunate some of his troops. a german foreign minister has described the attack as barbaric. also police chief general dawoud, former commander in the northern alliance which fought the taliban in the days leading

up to and after the u.s.-led invasion in 2001. this attack complicates a confusing and complicated picture inside afghanistan. u.s. troops are preparing to withdraw or draw down at least in the coming months. nato forces also looking at handing over responsibility for security to afghans. at the same time there are these fledgling talks between the taliban and the government there and u.s. forces as well to try to reconcile the militants with the rest of the country. now at the same time there have been a spate of attacks across the border in pakistan as well in the weeks since osama bin laden's death, also targeting americans, nato and pakistani troops and installations here, as well as in nato supply lines. a very complicated picture, caught in the middle, ordinary afghan taken pakistani civilians and international troops as well. around 200 troops killed in afghanistan so far this year.

stan grant, cnn, liz lama bad, pakist pakistan. a massive fine for hosni mubarak. the $34 million judgment comes while mubarak awaits trial on more serious government krups charges. c corruption charges. diana magnay, what is this all about? >> reporter: mubarak and what of his other officials will have to pay because they apparently cut off five days at the height of the revolution all of the mobile phone services and internet telecomes communications. the loss to the national economy amounted to around $90 million, around a third mubarak will have to pay himself.

mubarak's lawyer said he wouldn't be able to pay that money because his personal fortune amounts to $6 million. that is a bone of contention on the streets of cairo how much this man is worth, whether' massed a funlg personal fortune at the expense of the public's purse. he's facing corruption charges, the amounts of money he managed to enrich himself and others. more seriously a charge which carries the death penalties whether he authorized the use of deadly force, all of which he categorically denies. >> thank you so much, diana magnay in cairo this morning. scientists are trying to decipher drawings deep inside a pyramid. a camera has taken new images from inside one of the pyramids

still sealed chambers and tunnels. found a series of drawings and other markings. the scientists are trying to learn the real purpose for all of the rooms and passageways. for more on the story, check out cnn.com. country music's zach brown band is sporting new jewelry to help u.s. troops. ♪ and that's home you know >> we'll tell you how a bracelet is helping to protect service men and women overseas. ah! fiber one honey clusters cereal!

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♪ that's the zac brown band there. if you've ever seen them in concert you may have noticed they're each wearing battle saint bracelets, not-for-profit bracelet idea comes from cynthia lemay, the wife of our weekend managing editor jim lemay at cnn. reynolds wolf has the story of the battle saint bracelet.

>> reporter: a somber march. a loud ovation. and a last good-bye for these deploying troops. the atlanta airport is the final stop on their way to war, so that's where you'll find military moms like cynthia lemay. she knows the pain of deployment all too well. >> our son is on his way to afghanistan. my nephew got back from his third tour. >> reporter: while she can't onnen the front lines protecting her son she can ask for a little help from above. >> we put together the saints bracelets. my son has been wearing it since he's been over. >> reporter: this is the battle saint bracelet, it's made up of 12 to 16 different saints, each with a unique military connection. >> these are bracelets actually had a different saints on them including st. christopher, protect you when you travel, st.

barbara, protect you with explosives, they have specific meaning to the military, provide them specific protection. >> reporter: she started it as a way to feel connected and to show support for the troops overseas and now the small memento has spread to hollywood and beyond. ♪ may freedom forever fly, let it reign, salute the ones who died ♪ ♪ the ones that give their lives, so we don't have to sacrifice ♪ ♪ all the things we love, and a little bit of chicken fries ♪ >> reporter: like zac brown and the cast from band of brothers and now you can get them online, too, a token of support for those at home and those on the front lines. >> i feel pretty proud to wear this, and it makes me feel like i'd be a little more protected over there like i got somebody watching over me a little more. >> when you have a loved one in

harm's way not a moment goes by when you don't think of them so we wear these every day, we think of our loved ones and all the other servicemen and women who make so many sacrifices every day. >> the battle saint bracelets cost $5, $1 of that goes to the intrepid fallen hero fund and these things are very cool. they're wood, and as bracelets go the kinds that you get and they sort of create buzz around the country, this is like the most colorful and nicest looking. >> it's very simple and elegant. the great thing about it, one thing i love is the story of what cynthia lemay did. all moms worry, especially the child going off to defend our country to go fight it's got to be a terrifying prospect. to take that stress and turn it into something positive is a bold and amazing move. it's something you can take part in. even if you don't believe, maybe you don't share the faith it's

still a great bracelet. five bucks and $1 to thank goes to -- >> if you share the faith it's more special. good for cynthia lemay. part of the family here at cnn. coming up, sarah palin is hitting the road, this morning, first on a bike, then on a bus. i'll tell you more about that just ahead. lieutenant colonel neil harper from ft. bragg, north carolina, currently serving at ft. prosperity, shout out to wife michelle and two kids, ash jlyn and anthony, i'll be home soon. love you! it's true.

you never forget your first subaru.

from cnn center, this is "cnn sunday morning." i'm joe johns in for t.j. holmes this memorial day weekend. sarah palin will be hopping on a motorcycle this morning, she's joining the rolling thunder for their ride. some people aren't too happy about it. some call it abuse but most americans call it borrowing their own money. a new bill that could limit the

loans you take from your 140ek pla 14k pla 401(k) plan. first the president expected in joplin shortly after 1:00 peern today. he'll meet with tornado victims and deliver brief remarks at a memorial service at missouri southern university. this as the number of dead rises to 142. the city is observing a moment of silence at the exact time one week ago when the tornado plowed a mile and a half path through joplin. live now to our paul vercammen in joplin. what is the significance of the president's visit to the people who are there? >> reporter: first and foremost many people are looking for as

you said the president to deliver words of comfort at a time when the city of 50,000 is hurting so much. officials and the townspeople want the federal government to step in as much as it possibly can to rebuild joplin. there'sen utter devastation, about a third of the city hit by the tornado. when the president speaks at the local university tonight it will be something infused with local clergy. just downed road there's st. paul's methodist church. the message will be delivered down there. also is st. mary's catholic church. it will be congruous if you will. they also have a remote closed circuit tv t seems to me more than 2,000 will turn out

tonight. logistically it could be difficult with the city being ravaged by the tornado. the police will seek outside help and allow for the president's visit to go smoothly. >> there is no question it will be a little inconvenient, our streets are not in particularly good shape even now. it will be inconvenient but we will make more provisions so people can get around. >> reporter: also on this sunday fema will be open and people will be able to go in front of them and be able to state their cases if you will. a lot of people looking for loans so they can rebuild. >> joe we've been talking about this over the weekend. the president just coming from europe to joplin, the scene of so much disruption but you haven't heard people explaining about how long it's taken them to get there. >> no, not in the least and in fact, people here have been so laser focussed on the task at

hand. i mean look at this behind me. when people are on their hands and knees literally sifting through rubble trying to find important documents or just trying to clean up the remains of their house and of course there's been so much focus on the missing and the deceased, i think the last thing on many people's minds was and is when would the president get here. i have not really heard anybody and we've talk to a lot of people over the last week, the week anniversary, and no one has complained about the president not immediately arriving here. >> paul vercammen thank you for the reporting. an april 27th in tuscaloosa killed 41 people. janet innapolitano toured that area there.

more than 250 people were killed over a three-day period in april. meanwhile, former gop vice presidential candidate sarah palin wheels into washington later today, she's kicking off a bus tour that coincides with the annual rolling thunder bike ride. exactly where, she's not invited sandra endois live at the pentagon. what are people saying about sarah palin coming to rolling thunder? >> reporter: joe, i can tell you, you may hear the revving of engines behind me, hundreds of motorists behind me, motorcyclists coming out here, all excited for this event and former gop vice presidential candidate sarah palin joining their event this morning as well. we haven't seen her bus arrive here yet, also this is just a starting point for the day's events for rolling thunder ride to freedom, their annual event to commemorate and remember all

of the nation's veterans as well as prisoners of war and those missing in action. from here later today going to the national mall where they'll have a bigger event and hearing from robert gates and admiral mike mullen. the big draw and spec collision around sarah palin, will she and won't she be running. the potential presidential candidate will be kicking off her one nation bus tour. it will be interesting to see her perception and the message. the stek clags swirls around whether she'll enter the race and the flirtation continues today. we'll be along for the ride as well as the roll thunder. >> there's been some reporting she's been trying to rent a motorcycle to make her way out there and rolling thunder is such a big event in washington, d.c. do you have any idea whether she'll bring the bus with her

big picture or try to use a motorcyc motorcycle? >> reporter: it will be an interesting scene, good imagery either way for a social candidate as you know, joe so yes she has gathered up, that bus ready to go from a tour from d.c. up towards the northeast later in the coming days so that is her plan for that one nation bus tour so we are waiting to see that bus roll in or whether she rolls in on a harley, the beginning of a if you day of events. >> suspense, that's one of the things that sarah palin's always been very good at, some of her homework, she keeps media and the nation guessing. thanks for that, sandra endo. we'll talk more about how sarah palin may factor into the 2012 presidential election with ed o'connell in ten minutes. we go from the food pyramid to the plate. the government is trying a new shape to illustrate what we

should be eating as part of a new initiative to help good eating and healthy choices. the food pyramid has been the standard for 20 years. here's elizabeth cohen. >> reporter: the peer sill to put it genally is n lgentally c public success. one of the biggest criticisms the stuff you weren't supposed to eat so much of were sweets and sugars were at the top of the pyramid. >> the new design is expected to be unveiled thursday. we're getting our first look at never published pictures of marilyn monroe, the sexy new pictures were bought as negatives, leaves this as a garage sale decades ago. the art dealer are trying to figure out who took these

picture pictures. >> found the group of negatives, realized they were old, 2 1/4 and 23 1/4, medium format negatives. you can't really see what they were, because they're negatives. being a photographer, what the heck i paid $1 or $2 for the package and i took it home, put them on the light board with the loop. needless to say i mean these are marilyn. so that was probably my greatest garage sale discovery ever. >> that's just unbelievable. it is thought that the photos were taken in los angeles probably around 1950, it's just not known how much they are worth but my guess is they're priceless. the heat is on for many this ream reel day weekend. where some are laying down the snow skis. reynolds wolf has the details on the day's forecast. >> sorry, i'm still flawed about the pictures.

i'm the guy who gets the broken rubik's cube or oven mitt. snow is falling out to the west, and heat around parts of the nation and the possibility of you guessed it, severe thunderstorms. it's coming up here on "cnn sunday morning." imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported.

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let's check with reynolds wolf for your forecast. so what's happening here, man? >> it depends on where you happen to be. there are parts of the nation where it will be horrible. headed out to the beach some places look good. galveston, mobile or destine you can't rule out the chance of rain, slight percentage, 10% which means there's a 90% chance of plenty of sunshine. whatever showers form, will not last that long. upper 80s in some spots. tampa, rain goes up and so will the temperatures. 86 degrees. in savannah and hilton head 80s and 90s. virginia beach, atlanta city and cape cod, water temperature upper 50s, highs mainly 70s and into the 80s. complete opposite, talking about snowfall. look at this incredible spot in yellow stone national park in

some places the snow is up to 20 feet or so. this is the winter season that will never end. we'll have the possibility of sthormz developing across the central plains. look at the temperature gradient, one side is the 70s, one is the 80s and 90s. you can see the storms developing through the great lakes and upper midwest. more coming up but now joe pitching it back to you. >> reynolds where are your favorite beaches in the united states? >> folly beach in south carolina and elbow beach in bermuda. i was there during a hurricane but magnificent, beautiful place. >> santa barbara, hilton head. >> bismal beach in california is good. >> memorial day marks the start of the summer season according to aaa, 34 million people will

hit the road. dr. beach has you covered, dr. beach is steven leatherman, director of the florida international university's coastal research lab. this guy has scoured the country for america's best beaches and got a list, coming in at number five, cape hatteras, north carolina, okay, number four, a main beach in east hampton, new york, number three, kahanamoku beach, hawaii, top two wait until after the break. [ woman ] welcome back jogging stroller.

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before the break we began counting down america's best beaches as listed by dr. beach. coming in at number two, coronado beach in san diego. i'll buy that, okay. and the top beach in america, that we finally got the drum roll, that would be white sands of see's ta beach on see's ta key in sarasota, florida. yeah, man, i'm about ready to go to the beach. sarah palin hits the road today in a bus, starts her one nation tour in washington and will head up to new england. palin has not yet said whether she plans on running for president in 2012 but this bus tour could be an indicator, joining me now from washington is republican strategist ford o'connell. ford, you worked with mccain/palin. is there anything we can add from this one nation tour? >> i think the big question out there, is this a publicity stunt. with sarah, every time we talk

about sarah, satellite links light up. if she sees it, if the bus tour is well received she may enter the race. she's looking to remain politically relevant, she is a tremendous political talent, 47 years old and has a political future ahead of it. >> today is rolling thunder in washington, d.c., she is in town and apparently participating in the rally, there you see some of the motorcycle riders, some receipt vans and controversy about whether she ought to be doing that. number one is this the kind of thing she might do to get involved with the motorcycle rally from your experience in the previous campaign? >> from my experience with sarah is the bottom line she's pro-veteran and very sort of pro-frontier mentality and i think that makes the motorcycle rally and the veterans a perfect fit for her. >> does she ride to your

knowledge a motorcycle? >> we may find out today. i'm not sure. obviously she's into it with todd with the snow machines but this is again a natural fit for her constituency. i think for a group of people in america that our governments talk down or feel our government's talked over them. >> how would you gauge her chances if you were to handicap them today? >> i think she's got a road ahead of her. she'll be kept in the game because the primary rules have changed. with her name i.d. she can make the name as long as her anti-establishment is a mantle. she can come up with a game plan and that game plan will go through iowa. >> i talked with richard vigery. to a lot of conservatives she's an unknown quantity, the last campaign, the one you worked on,

sarah palin in fact basically had to do whatever john mccain wanted in terms of policy. do we know exactly what sarah palin stands for at least at this point? >> i think she stands for limited government. i think that's the big thing and she wants to put the economy back on track. with that said, yes, she is a blank slate to some extent and part of going from sort of a flame flower candidate which she is seen by media pundit, she has to up her game, get on message and understand the substantive issues faced in the american public. >> ford o'connell in washington, d.c., thank you for coming in on the holiday weekend. see you on the campaign trail. >> thank you, my friend. >> you bet. hands off that 401(k). congress is considering a plan to limit access to your money. why is that? we'll explore it next. my job at ge capital is to get bobcat all the financial and business support they need. we provide financing for every bobcat dealer in north america.

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you know a lot of people are struggling in this economy. it's tough. some folks need extra money just to get by but two senators don't want you dipping into your 401(k). democratic senators herb kohl and republican senator mike enzi would limit the loans you're allowed to take from your

401(k). i asked clyde anderson why they're pushing this legislation. >> with social security having problems they want to make sure we have some retirement fund even though this is our own retirement money. herb kohl, owner of the milwaukee bucks, flan pis and lineage of the kohl's department store. i have the bill in my hand and i think he may be out of touch with what middle class americans are having problems with now. they want to limit the amount you can touch. people are using the money to avoid foreclosures to make ends meet. >> what does this men bit? >> they want to again protect the consumer, limit the amount of times you can pull loans. some people may be in situations where they may have abused this, i needed to pay for certain

things as americans consume. you got a lot of people in positions where they're being smart about what they're doing but realize this is money they've taken aside and put away. you're talking about putting money aside that came out of pre-tax dollars and a lot of times we get caught up in the pre-tax and seems like so much more and we go with the 401(k) and invest it. >> what i did hear on the radio they were using that term 401(k) abuse. if you look at it on the other side, what is 401(k) abuse supposed to be? too many loans or taking money out and not paying it back or what? >> they're saying there's too many loans but also as a lot of people are taking the loans out they lose their job. usually you have several years to pay back the loan if you're taking it from your employer. once you lose your job you have 60 days to pay it back. 70% taking the loans are defa t defaulti defaulting. everybody is losing from that standpoint looking at it from a government and company

perspective. >> maybe it's 401(k) financial disaster. >> you may be right. there's time for a shift. this has been in place for awhile. time to look at a different mechanism, instead of the 401(k). i think it's outdated right now. >> i asked viewers to weigh in on the 401(k) plan and i got some responses on it was either my facebook or twitter page. i don't remember. judy says my two older kids had to dip into their 401(k) but they pay out of their check. i see no problem with it. >> again you mentioned it's your money like a piggy bank. it's my savings account. if i need to pull from it and then i'll pay it back. >> nardra, no comment considering they have the golden parachute retirement that takes care of them and their families for the rest of their lives. there is a pretty good deal on capitol hill when it comes to benefits if you're working there, certainly working for a long time. >> untouch with