. breaking news. explosions and flames too difficult to fight. a fire burning out of control in a pair of field barges close to a cruise ship. >> new clues in the investigation into the boston marathon bombings. we now know what may have been used to trigger the deadly blasts. plus, tracking down the russian connection. cnn with a first-hand look at the place where the suspects may have learned to make their bombs. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman in boston. we'll have live coverage from here coming up in a few minutes.

>> and i'm in new york. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. we begin with breaking news overnight. two fuel barges burning at this hour. they're docked in alabama. the fires are simply too hot and too dangerous for firefighters to battle there. the barges are loaded with gasoline. they exploded. take a look at that. this was last night. officials say there were six explosions. they were heard up to 20 miles away. the shipping channel where the barges are docked are closed right now and leaves three people hospitalized. we do not know what condition they're in. fire officials believe everyone has been accounted for. the barges are burning from where the chip will ed carnival cruise ship is docked. we're going to continue to follow this developing story for you. let's head back to boston. john berman is standing by

there. >> thanks. important new developments to tell you about in the boston marathon bombing case. right now the tsarnaev brothers used a remote control device similar to one used to operate a toy car to set off those explosive devices. that could be a critical piece of information for investigat s investigators. we're told the father is set to fly to the u.s. as early as tomorrow. he is said to be cooperating with the fbi. we're also finding out the russians not only warned the fbi about tamerlan tsarnaev, they also asked the cia to investigate him but both agencies determined there was not enough hard evidence to act on. a lot of questions about that. we begin our coverage this morning with cnn's miguel marques in boston. good morning, miguel. >> reporter: good morning. we're learning much more. we begin at the beginning where this bomb blew up. this is the finish line of the boston marathon and over here in

front of marathon place sports is where the first bomb exploded. it now is hallowed ground. investigators tell cnn and other news agencies at least one of the homemade bombs was triggered by remote control. possibly a crucial clue. were the devices based on a blueprint in al qaeda's english language magazine "inspire" or similar to ones built in camps? whether he or tamerlan tsarnaev ever met, now one part of this massive worldwide investigation. [ "taps" plays ] this as boston's bed are remembered. >> he was born to be a police officer and he lived out his dreams. ♪ shower the people you love >> reporter: thousands in

attendance for a memorial for m.i.t. police officer sean collier. >> officer sean collier, we love you. >> reporter: in attendance, vice president biden who seemed to make news by suggesting the tsarnaev brothers were self radicalized. >> why were two twisted, perverted cowardly knockoff jihadies? >> reporter: investigators saying nothing is ruled out as boston takes another big step toward normal. >> i think for life in boston it's very important that things move on because everyone's been very much -- very upset for the past week. >> reporter: the urban flow returning to boylston street at the location of each bombing. those places, like a world still on hold. places of reflection, places

where emotions still flow. and at the memorial to the victims, jill biden, wife of the vice president stopped to pay her respects. now 33 victims still remain in area hospitals here, one in critical condition. and for the remaining bomber, dzhokhar tsarnaev, he may be moved from beth israel in the next couple of days. john? >> thanks so much, miguel. there is such a mixture of emotions between tragedy and jub lan jub lens. people were on the street packed where you are standing there. such emotional scene where the bombs went off and also the memorials. the tsarnaev brothers were apparently planning a trip to new york city following the bombings. new york's police commissioner says investigators learned of those plans from surviving suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev. will is no evidence that the brothers were plotting an attack. the commissioner says they

planned to party in the big apple. we're also learning what could be a critical piece of the puzzle here, a small scale militant in dagestan ran camps for foreign visitors. russian special forces killed him in september. tamerlan tsarnaev had a video of him on his youtube channel. we're not sure if the two men met face-to-face during his visit in russia. we're following the developments from the capital of dagestan. >> this abu dujan and a video tamerlan posted on his youtube file. they killed him last september and we don't know if he ever met tsarnaev. pakistani police revealed to cnn this small time militant ran training camps for bomb making that foreigners came to.

three images of abu dujan's group training in the woods. this one explains how to mix and prepare homemade explosives almost anywhere. and the group's pictures suggest they learned to use a mobile phone addss a detonator. the militant trained foreigners. >> translator: we do not have audio or visual confirmation but we do have information concerning that abu dujan met with foreigners. >> what do foreigners learn in the woods? >> translator: i can't talk about the number of foreigners but they met to exchange their experience. there are dagestani's who have taken citizenship elsewhere to come here to meet in the historical mother land. >> reporter: and could that have included americans? >> translator: it's entirely possible. but i know there were arabs and turks among them. but whether there were americans, i don't know.

>> reporter: the police chief told us that he was often observed coming here to this islamic mosque behind me which denies any links to extremism. it is possible, though, that tamerlan tsarnaev last year also prayed here. >> translator: of course the mosque is their mosque where they all go. our technological work is a operational information that abu dujan went there, met people, and agitated. not once but many times. >> reporter: there are reports that dujan was observed at the mosque and observed meeting tsarnaev. do you know this? >> translator: i really can't answer this. for different reasons, i can't answer. you understand me? >> reporter: that doesn't mean they ever met.

if you look at the jigsaw here, there are pieces overlapping in many ways and if it were that the elder bomber wanted bomb training, it is possible he could have gotten it from abu dujan. we just finished an interview with the mother of the alleged boston marathoners. she spoke to us at length for a half hour. one interesting thing stood out. she said the fbi did come to them in 2011 because they had become concerned, what they referred to is the radical elements of tamerlan tsarnaev's fate. they said they were going to be watching him and watching people like him just in case they turned into some sort of extremists or had the capacity to violence. that is them taking a point they deny that he had any intention to do that at all and describe how he at some point in the 2000s when he was in america turned to the islamic faith and tamerlan telling his mother to put on a head scarf because that's how islamic women should

behave. she also went on to say how she believes that police took her son alive. she's seen video of a naked man being bundled into a car during the manhunt. she believes that was tamerlan. she is trying to reconcile her two different beliefs, that her son did not commit this crime and while seeing all this photographic evidence. a clearly distraught woman in many different ways. >> an interesting amount of information there. nick peyton walsh, thank you for that really interesting piece of the puzzle. let's go back to new york. happening now, picking up the pieces. the national weather service confirming two tornadoes struck the new orleans area yesterday. it damaged several homes. they were part of a series of storms that battered that region

flooding streets, knocking out power to some 30,000 customers in southeast louisiana. we're monitoring the situation for us as well as the continuing flooding in the midwest. i was asking earlier, this is the worst flooding they've seen. folks that are in and around the chicago land area are saying they have never seen anything like this. >> you know what? we've seen flooding across parts of missouri as well as illinois. a lot worse than years in the past. i want to show you what we're looking at now. some of the reports from the tornado from yesterday out of new orleans. we do know it was an ef-1 and ef-0. here it is. you can see where it moved through jefferson perish yesterday. the good news is all that severe weather is gone. what we're looking at some rain showers, trying to make its way off the east coast. you can see for new york and boston, very light scattered showers there. and the same for parts of the midwest. mainly looking at showers. you can see the upper peninsula, we're looking at a little bit of snow. again that, is now going to

melt. many of the areas still dealing with some awful flooding. certainly chicago, this is one of the worst you've seen in many, many years. want to point out, we're talking minor flooding for the des plaines river. mississippi river, we're expecting that to crest tomorrow and then it will continue to fall downment we'. it will be a little slow. but the area that we're watching for potential flooding, that's going to be in the northern plains across parts of the dakotas. we're talking cold temperatures right now. a big warmup on the way. temperatures will be running 15 degrees above average. that is going to spell rapid snow melt. and that is going to lead to flooding for areas like fargo as we go through the next couple days. you can see the temperatures are going to warm. on a wider view across parts of the u.s., temperatures are still going to be a little cool across the midwest, that includes chicago where today they're expecting high of 57 degrees and

70s towards the south. certainly that flooding has been a mess. we'll continue to follow the area up north. >> that cleanup is the next mess. and the folks expecting it. jennifer, thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >> five living u.s. presidents will be on hand later this morning for the dedication of the george w. bush presidential library in dallas. the nation's 43rd president is currently enjoying being a new grandfather. he has become somewhat obsessed with painting, we understand. he says the new library is all about laying out the facts and he tells our john king he doesn't feel any need to defend himself or his presidency. >> i know this. laura and i gave the presidency eight years of our life. we gave it our all. we made the best judgment calls i could. didn't compromise my principles. i'm a content man. >> that appears the nation is beginning to look a little more kindly on the bush presidency. according to a new cnn poll, 68% of americans considered his two terms in office a failure right after he left the white house.

that was early 2009. now, that number has fall tonen 55%. in the 8:00 hour of "starting point," laura bush takes our john king on a tour of new bush presidential library. looking forward to that. and new information in the case of the letters tainted with ricin. why the fbi is now focusing on a former politician and a martial arts studio. "early start" back after this. . step! [ mom ] my little girl...she loves to help out on big jobs. good thing there's bounty select-a-size. it's the smaller powerful sheet that acts like a big sheet. look! one select-a-size sheet of bounty is 50% more absorbent than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. ♪ i got it! [ mom ] use less with the small but powerful picker upper. bounty select-a-size. and try bounty napkins. bounty select-a-size. welcnew york state,

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also this morning, we're learning the russians not only warned the fbi about tamerlan tsarnaev, they also asked the cia to check him out but neither agency believed there was enough hard information to act on. back here in boston, boylston street behind me opened yesterday, packed. crowds of people walking on the streets going to the restaurants. the mayor actually said there will be free parking on boylston street until this weekend because he wants people back here, you know, to go to all the businesses and buy as much up as they can. >> that's a gret idea. i suspect you'll be having lunch and dinner there as well, john. >> do what i can. >> all right. thank you. 18 minutes past the hour. we're monitoring breaking news. two fuel barges burning at this hour docked in mobile bay, alabama. take a look at that. the fires so hot, so dangerous. firefighters cannot battle it. the barges loaded with gasoline exploded last night. at least six explosions were reported. they were heard up to 20 miles away. the shipping channel is closed. at least three people were hurt.

we don't know their conditions at this hour. fire officials believe everyone has been accounted for there. we're going to continue to monitor the developments. and we're following new developments in the investigation of the ricin tainted letters sent to president obama and others on capitol hill. the fbi's focus shifted. they're now searching the site of a formal martial arts student in mississippi and the home of a former politician who was an stre instructor there. victor blackwell is monitoring the developments. any idea if investigators found anything? >> no. no reports from the fbi today that they found anything. but i'll tell what you we're finding is that this unusual story is become even more bizarre shifting from a celebrity impersonating political activist to a tae kwon do teacher who once ran for public office. the home of a former republican candidate for the mississippi state shouhouse is involved in

federal investigation into who sent letters tainted with ricin to president obama, a mississippi center and a county judge. federal agents in full body hazmat suits searched his home. in a youtube video posted this week, the former candidate talked about the search. >> i met with the fbi. i consented to a paper saying to search the house. >> on wednesday, they spent several hours searching a tae kwon do studio he rented until january. it's not known if anything was found. the studio shut down after duskey was arrested on child molestation charges. his attorney says he is now free on bond. the fbi has not filed any new charges in the ricin investigation and dusky has not been named as a suspect. the charges against the celebrity impersonator kevin curtis have been dropped. >> during kevin curtis, during his pretrial hearing, his

attorney accused me of being the one that sent out the ricin letters instead of him. >> reporter: his attorney told cnn that he had nothing to do with the letters. but earlier curtis told cnn he believes he was set up. >> i knew it had to be or they had the wrong person. >> i don't have anything at all to do with this. i don't hardly know the guy. in fact, we've only met on two occasions. >> curtis said he had bad mouthed him for years and is now implicating him in a plot to poison the president. >> that's serious. that's when someone says we want him gone. >> reporter: we had a conversation with dusky's attorney and there was one other search. be on alert for one of the vehicles that were owned by the duskies. once that information came out that he drove that car to the fbi, it was processed. she's not aware if that car has

been returned to him. >> oh, my gosh. victor blackwell, this is seriously bizarre. appreciate that this morning. coming up next, good news for the economy. prom season? i'm like what is that all about? apparently it's thanks to prom season. "early start" after this. oh, boy. [ groans ] ♪ ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ with the innovating and the transforming and the revolutionizing.

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welcome back. christine romans is here. we're "minding your business" this morning. >> good morning. big headlines are overseas. the uk economy grew ever so slightly in the first quarter, up 0.3%. so that means no triple dip recession for the uk. in spain, the jobless rate, look at this number. it hit a new high this morning, 27.1%. compare that to the 17 countries in the euro zone, 12% unemployment. here in the u.s., 7.6%. europe's economy is essentially stalled as governments cut spending and raised taxes. >> all right. so how is this for a quusirky economic forecast in the u.s.? let's call it the prom indicator. families are spending more on prom for the second year in a row. the average u.s. household spends $1,139 on prom related events. that's up 5% from last year. families in the northeast spend the most on average, more than

$1500. families in the midwest, spend the least, around $720. parents pay 59% of the costs. kids kick in 41%. you know, research says as long as mom and dad are paying more, teens have incentive to cut their costsment one troubling statistic, families who make less than $50,000 are planning to spend more than the national average. >> you probably appreciate though the fact that the kids are paying anything at all, right? you think they should pay 50%. >> i was surprised they pay 41%. they really goal out. when i was growing up, in limo, no hotel room to get ready number stylist, no hair people. >> they do that these days? >> that's what they have. >> prepare yourselves. all right. thank you. 27 minutes past the hour. evacuations overnight near the scene of explosions. take a look at them. that's on the water on the gulf of mexico. breaking news coverage coming up. salon facial hair removal can be costly. challenge that with olay

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breaking news overnight. explosions and fire raging out of control on two gas barges in a bay off the gulf of mexico. were there more missed warning signs? we're learning the fbi may not be the only intelligence agency that had a chance to act on the bombing suspect before the marathon attack. plus, the key bomb component that could tell investigators where the us is sick learned to build their deadly weapon.

welcome back to "early start," everyone. we'll have more from here with the latest on the marathon investigation just ahead. >> thanks, john. it is thursday, april 25th. we're following breaking news overnight. two fuel barges burning at this hour. they're docked in mobile bay, alabama. the flames are so dangerous it will be left to burn themselves out now. the barges loaded with gasoline exploded last night. at least six explosions were reported. the shipping channel is closed right now. take a look at that firement three people have been hospitalized. we know nar krknow they are in critical condition. the barges are burning not far from where the crippled carnival triumph is docked. it was towed back in february after an engine fire left it adrift at sea with more than 4,000 people onboard. we'll continue to monitor that for you. john? thank you. new developments here in the

boston bombing. it turns out that the russians were so concerned about the radicalization of suspect tamerlan tsarnaev they not only warned the fbi, they also asked the cia to check him out. but neither agency felt there was enough detail, enough hard evidence to take any further action. we're also learning more about how the tsarnaev brothers allegedly pulled off their act of terror. they apparently used a toy remote control to detonate the explosives. that deaf revelation could be critical for investigators. so these investigators are now focusing on how the bombs were made and if the tsarnaev brothers had any help from militants. we have more on that. good morning, miguel. >> reporter: good morning, john. all of those details are starting to come to light. i want to take you back to the beginning. it's shocking to me how close the finish line of the boston marathon is here to where the first bomb actually went off just right down the way here at marathon sports. these guys at marathon sports aren't sure when they're going to get back into business.

this hallowed ground, people across boston visiting, walking up and down boston street now that it's open again. but at this particular spot, they come here, it is literally hallowed ground. they stop, they reflect. it is a place of great emotion. we even have some people that were injured in the blast starting to return. one woman in a wheelchair yesterday came to this site. there is also a great picture of the man who lost both his legs in this who is visiting another person in the hospital. really people starting to get back together. on the investigation side of things, it is -- investigators tell cnn that a remote control device was used to set off those bombs and very important clue, important because it will tell investigators perhaps giving them road map as to who inspired the bomb. important to know because they need to know how these guys developed these bombs, planned their plot and knowing exactly

the construction of those bombs will help do that. john? >> all right. miguel marques, we saw joggers run past behind you when ch is a lovely sight to see in boston these days. >> reporter: lots of them here. >> boston strong. russian president putin called the boston terror attacks a disgusting crime and during a televised question and answer session with the russian people just this morning, he told them the bombings should reinforce the need for more u.s.-russia counter-terrorism situation. they called it a potential gift to putin if he tries to enlist the use as an ally if his fight against the chechen people. they lived in dagestan before moving to the united states. we're starting to see how the marathon bombings might affect other big sporting events like the kentucky derby, for instance. this year backpacks, duffle

bags, even large purses, they will be banned. and more security staff at churchill downs will be screening people before they go through the gate. the derby which is the first leg of the triple crown is a week from saturday. hopefully they'll still let people wear the big hats which are really the key to the kentucky derby. >> i suppose that is really the key to the kentucky derby, mr. berman. thank you. >> and happening right now, people are picking up the pieces. residents in this new orleans suburb are assessing the damage this morning after not one but a pair of tornadoes ripped through the area on wednesday. they were part of a series of really intense storms that battered the region flooding streets and leaving some 30,000 customers in southeast louisiana in the dark. and some relief for cars of the soggy midwest. floodwaters peaked. those areas should see the water slowly receding over the next day, perhaps next two days. other rivers are still closed to the public because of debris and really fast currents.

the national weather service says parts of the mississippi river will peak at more than 11 feet above flood stage. all right. this morning, rhode island is one step closer to legalizing same sex marriage. the state senate approving a bill that extends marriage rights to same-sex couples. supporters are elated. >> we did it together in solidarity with such phenomenal people. so you never know what something is going to feel like. it feels amazing. >> and one finalized by the state house, rhode island will become the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage along with the district of columbia. fleet week, one of new york's most famous spring events sunk by the forced budget cuts in washington. officials hope this will be back next year. the annual docking of military ships pumped about $20 million into the city. that will be sorely missed. and just ahead, as president obama heads to texas to attend a memorial service for the victims of the blast at the fertilizer

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breaking news. while you were sleeping, two fuel barges burning at this hour. they're docked in mobile bay, alabama. we're told the flames are too dangerous for firefighters to battle there. the barges loaded with gasoline exploded last night. in fact, at least six explosions were reported and they were heard up to 20 miles away. at least three people are hospitalized. they are listed in critical condition. and on the heels of that, new this morning, president obama will attend a memorial service in texas today in honor of the 14 people killed in the blast at a fertilizer plant in west, texas. the service to be held at baylor university in nearby waco. and that's where cnn's reporter is live right now.

and, ed, will the president be speaking at that memorial service? >> reporter: it's our understanding that will be happening. but what's more impressive that will happen here at this scene here today is the massive contingency, a show of force of firefighters from around the region who will be showing up to hohn yort victims to honor the victims that died in that fire. all this happening as the investigation at the scene continues. and yesterday we got our first up close look at the blast scene. >> a bomb just went off inside here. it's pretty bad. we have a lot of firemen down. >> reporter: captured from firefighter radio transmissions, those were the frantic moments just after the west, texas, explosion sent a deadly shock wave through this central texas town. this is the first upclose look at the blast site. this is the blast site here. you can see the crater which is 93 feet wide, ten feet deep. and that was part of one of the

buildings that was on the ground here. investigators say they still don't know what caused the fire or what triggered the explosion about 20 minutes after firefighters were called to the scene. >> it's like putting puzzle pieces together. reenacting that fire to see what transpired to cause the explosion. >> reporter: the damage is so extensive that state and federal investigators are using shovels to sift through the debris, looking for clues to what ignited the fire that led to the explosion. >> it could be remains of the buildings. it could be electrical components. it could be fertilizer remains, chemical remains. it could be the way that the material was stored. they may be able to find pieces of containers. there's a whole list of things that they'll be looking for. >> reporter: this is an aerial picture of the fertilizer facility before the explosion. this part of the building is where the explosion erupted. this is the sight after the blast. the twisted and charred remnants of two fire trucks are still at

the scene. >> you can see the charred remains of the second building that was on this site. and between these two buildings, we're told is where many of the firefighters and ems teams that were killed in this explosion were working at the time of the explosion. >> killing me. killing me bad inside. i just want some answers. >> reporter: this woman is still waiting for investigators to identify her brother's remains. 41-year-old morris bridges was the father of three children. he joined the west volunteer fire department three years ago. he was one of the first people on the scene. >> reporter: you just pray he didn't suffer? >> yes. i do. every day. i know he didn't suffer. i know he didn't. we're suffering. we want him back. >> reporter: luis says her brother loved wearing his bright red firefighter shirt and showing off his volunteer firefighter badge. for morris bridges, jumping into harm's way is how you earn the

firefighter's badge of honor. and the work continues on getting those residents within a close radius of where that explosion happened back into their homes. the immediate neighborhood surrounding the fertilizer facility still has not been reopened. but many of the streets here in the coming days should be open and people can begin the process of moving back in and cleaning up. >> and that is a long, long process. ed, thank you. and coming up, a high school freshman arrested after a nasty fight and the fight was with her math teacher. look at it. what lead to this throwdown coming up. d it. how did i know? well, i didn't really. see, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive... but when i started losing energy and became moody... that's when i had an honest conversation with my doctor. we discussed all the symptoms... then he gave me some blood tests. showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number -- not just me. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t

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welcome back, everyone. i'm john berman live in boston this morning. we have new information in the boston marathon bombing investigation. investigators now believe they

know how the tsarnaev brothers allegedly detonated the two bombs at the finish line. there was a remote control device similar to those used to operate a toy car. those toy remotes. that set them off. that is a critical piece of evidence that the investigators look for a possible link to al qaeda or another terror group. we've also learned that the father of the bombing suspects is cooperating with the fbi and plans to fly to the united states for more questioning. he could do that as early as tomorrow. later this morning on the campus of southern methodist university in dallas, five living former or current presidents will be on hand for the dedication of the george w. bush presidential library. the exhibits include a look back on the terror tacks of 9/11, a memory that came rushing back for america's 43rd president following the events last week in boston. >> as the man who was commander in chief on 9/11, what went through your mind when you heard

explosions at the finish line of the boston marathon? >> yeah. i was reminded that evil exists. and that there are people in the world who are willing to kill innocent people to advance a cause. i don't know what this cause is. but we'll find out. during the same week in a town close to us in crawford, a plant exploded. and both incidents remind me of how fragile life can be for some. and both incidents, you know, made us weep knowing that somebody was hurting a lot. >> and you can keep it here for a special live coverage of the dedication of the george w. bush presidential library hosted by wolf blitzer starts at 11:00 a.m. eastern right here on cnn. apparently the end is near. the judge in the jodi arias murder trial expects the case will finally go to the jury a week from friday.

the trial has dragged on for four very long months. the 32-year-old arias is charged with shooting and stabbing her lover in 2008. she faces a potential death sentence. this is incredible video. take a look at this. it's a clash in a california classroom. a high school freshman and her math teacher pushing then pummelling each other. the fight started when the teacher took away the girl's makeup and took away her cell phone. the student was arrested for assault. she could be expelled. the teacher is on paid leave and has not been charged. incredible. when i saw that brawl i thought no way that is a teacher. three years after the federal reserve shut off benjamin's face lift, the new bill is ready. he has new security features that should make things tougher for counterfeiters. there are cosmetic changes as well.

the bill goes into circulation in october. and later tonight, a huge moment for pro football fans. the 2013 nfl draft begins at 8:00 eastern at radio city music hall in new york city. the kansas city chiefs have first dibz. they are expected to offensive tackle luke joekel from texas a&m university. and still ahead, first veronica mars, now a follow up to garden state? the new kick start a plea to help him make his new movie. how is he doing? we're going to check in. at tyco integrated security, we consider ourselves business optimizers. how? by building custom security solutions that integrate video, access control, fire and intrusion protection. all backed up with world-class monitoring centers, thousands of qualified technicians, and a personal passion to help protect your business. when your business is optimized like that, there's no stopping you. we are tyco integrated security.

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welcome back to "early start." 55 minutes past the hour. trending this morning, it worked for veronica mars. now zach braff is launching his own campaign. it's a followup to the first feature "garden state" in 2004. here is part of braff's appeal to fans. >> i have no idea of raising money on here is going to work. i think it's worth a try. i want to bring you, my fans, the truest representation of what i have in my brain. that means i'll have the final cut of what ends up in the movie and i get to only cast the actors i think are perfect for the role. please help me make another movie for you like "garden state" with no compromises. >> zach gets working and fans are responding. he is already more than half way towards his goal, raising more than $1,395,000. guess what? that was just in one day. and a preemptive strike from the president to the first lady.

listen to this. it's against white house rebellion. it's enough to make daughters sash why and malia krifrpg. he told the girls if you ever decide to get a tattoo, then mom and dad will get the exact same tattoo in the exact same place. and if that wasn't enough, the president added, then we will go on youtube and show it off as a family tattoo. imagine that. mr. president, what if they take you up on that? all right, reese witherspoon behaving badly and a grandpa selling his grandson on the internet. let's have some late night laughs. >> reese witherspoon over the weekend, she and her husband were running around in hollywood like the stars do on weekends. the cops cuffed her up and she said to the cop, do you know who i am? >> right. >> do you know who i am? the cop said catherine hiegel?

>> horrible store. a man in india is arrested for trying to sell his grandson on facebook. how awful is that? isn't that shocking? a grandpa who knows how to use facebook. i never heard of that. how many of those, seven? >> pizza hut is releasing an xbox app that lets you order pizza right from your xbox. we're getting lazier. you don't have to put down the xbox controller. you get to put all your toppings and whatever you want on there. they also have cool delivery options. take a look at. this come right into my mom as basement and find me on the couch. then they have prop me up between two pillows and gently tilt my head back. the last is called chew up a piece of pizza and baby bird it into my mouth. >> all right. that last one is a little disgusting. "early start" continues right

now. >> take a look at that. breaking news. explosions and flames simply too tough to fight. a fire burning on a pair of fuel barges dangerously close to a cruise ship. new information live from the scene just ahead. new clues in the investigation into the boston marathon bombings. we now know what may have been used to trigger the deadly blasts. also, tracking down the russian connection. cnn with a first-hand look at the place where the suspects may have learned to make their bombs. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman live in boston this morning. live coverage with the latest developments in the boston bombing case coming up in just a moment. and i'm back here in new york. it is thursday, april 25th. it is 6:00 a.m. in the east. and we begin with breaking news. two fuel barges burning at this hour with three people now

critically injured. the barges are docked in mobile bay, alabama. and we are told the fires are too dangerous for the firefighters to battle. the barges loaded with gasoline exploded lastgasoline, exploded last night. look at that. at least six explosions reported. they were heard up to 20 miles away. firefighters say everyone now has been accounted for, at least to this point. they're letting the flames burn themselves out. the shipping channel is closed right now. the barges are burning not far from where the tripled carnival triumph is docked. that was towed back to port in february after an engine fire left it adrift at sea with more than 4,000 people on board. remember that? coming up, we're going to go live to mobile bay for an update on this breaking news story. john? >> all right, we have several new critical developments unfolding in boston in the boston marathon bombing investigation. this is what you need to know. tamerlan and dzhokhar tsarnaev used a remote control device

similar to use for a toy car. that could be a critical piece of evidence for the bombing investigation. also, we've learned that anzor tsarna tsarnaev, the father of the bombers are set to fly to the u.s. as early as tomorrow. we found out that the russians not only warn the fbi about the possible radicalization of tamerlan tsarnaev, they also asked the cia to check him out. neither agency felt there was enough hard information apparently to have done at the time. we begin our coverage here in a windy and rainy boston this morning. good morning, miguel. >> good morning there, john. lots of important details out there that are coming to life. this is a massive investigation. i want to take you back to the beginning. this is the finish line of the boston marathon. we're on boylston street. it's shocking to me how close this is. the site of the first bombing now hallowed ground here. investigators tell cnn and other

news agencies at least one of the homemade bombs was triggered by remote control, possibly a crucial clue. were the devices based on a blueprint in al qaeda's english language magazine inspire or similar to ones built in cams by dagestani militant. where they ever met, now one part of this massive worldwide investigation. ♪ this as boston's dead are remembered. >> he was born to be a police officer and he lived out his dreams. ♪ thousands in attendance for memorials for m.i.t. police officer sean collier. >> officer sean collier, we love you. in attendance, vice president biden who seem to make news by

suggesting that tsarnaev brothers were self radicalized. >> why were there al qaeda central out of the fatah or two twisted, perverted cowardly knockoff jihadis. >> investigators saying nothing is ruled out as boston takes another big step toward normal. >> i think life in boston is very important that things move on because everyone has been very upset for the past week. >> reporter: the urban flow returning to boylston street except at the locations of each bombing. those places, like a world still on hold, places of reflection, places where emotions still flow. at the memorial to the victims, jill biden, wife of the vice president, stopped to pay her respects. >> reporter: now, one other thing i want to point out to

you, jeff bowman, the guy who lost both legs in the bombing here, there was a picture tweeted out of him at the hospital sending a birthday to another victim, it is absolutely amazing. eight -- ten days on, life is moving on for these folks. that doesn't make you feel a little better today, your heart is made of stone. john? >> miguel, so many acts of kindness, so many acts of courage. look at that picture, amazing. miguel marquez for us on the streets of boston. we also are learning about what may be a critical piece of the puzzle. a militant in dagestan ran a bomb making training camp for foreign visitors. russian special forces-day-old abu dujan in december. they had a video of abu dujan on his youtube channel but we don't know if they ever met face to

face during tamerlan's visit. good morning, nick. >> john, i should point out a few hours ago with spoke to the mother of tamerlan tsarnaev in a fairly length think interview. two things standing out from that. she said the fbi approached in 2011 and was going to put him on surveillance. she also said to us that she believes the father will be traveling to the united states in the coming days and she will probably be staying behind here following his foot stips later. above all in that interview we got a real sense of the distress that she's under. >> you know mother, you're a moth have a mother, right? just because you are not mother, you won't understand it. i am mother. loving mother of two kids. i don't know.

i'm feeling crazy. i don't know. i have no strength. i have nothing. i have no sleep. i am just like dead, like a dead person. >> really a woman struggling to reconcile her vision of her sons as angelic devout muslims and that being put out by u.s. officials that they were bombers trained perhaps by "american idol" broad. key part of the investigation may be here. abu dujan killed in the n. december, russian special forces. a video of him linked to on the youtube channel of tamerlan tsarnaev. we don't know if they ever met but we do know abu dujan was running a training camp of making homemade bombs is what is being told. >> this is dagestani militant abu dujan in a video of that one of the alleged boston bombers

tamerlan tsarnaev posted on his youtube channel. russian special forces killed abu dujan in a shootout last december in dagestan and we don't know if he ever met tsarnaev. but dagestani police revealed to cnn this small time militant ran training camps for bomb making but foreigners came, too. police gave us images of abu dujan's group training in the woods. this one show how to mix and prepare homemade explosives almost anywhere. and the group's pictures suggest they learned to use a mobile phone as a detonator. local police chief who helped hunt down abu dujan say the militant trained foreigners. >> translator: we do not have audio or visual confirmation but we do have information confirming that abu dujan met with foreigners. >> what did the foreigners learn in the woods? >> translator: i can't talk about the number of foreigners but they met to exchange their

banded experience. there are dagestanis who have taken citizenship elsewhere who come here to meet in their historical motherland whose t roots are here. >> reporter: could that have included americans? >> translator: it's entirely possible, but i know there were arabs and turks among them, but whether there were americans, i don't know. the. >> reporter: the police chief told us that he was heard coming here to the heart to this islamic mosque behind me which itself denies any links to extremism. it is possible though that tamerlan tsarnaev last year also prayed here. >> translator: of course, the culture of mosques is their mosque where they all go. technological work gives us information that abu dujan went there, met people, and agitated. not once but many times. >> reporter: there are reports that dujan was observed at the

mosque and he was observed meeting tsarnaev. do you know this? >> translator: i really can't answer this for different reasons, i can't answer. you understand me? >> reporter: now, the mother did say to me that tamerlan tsarnaev did attend the culture of mosque a few moments ago but i didn't see anything significant. there is no confirmation that the two men met but the pieces are overlapping. they were here at the same time and probably had to have some source of training that wasn't on the internet and abu dujan were running camps in the forest. at this point though there are no information theyed that district contact, i should point out. >> you say those overlapping pieces simply fascinating. and i'm sure investigators here and in russia will want to look into that. thank you so much. let's go back to zoraida in new york. back to our breaking news,

john. two barges loaded with gasoline exploded last night. look at that. this is mobile bay, bralabama. at least three people hospitalized in critical condition. a reporter joins us live in mobile bay. what can you tell us from where you are? >> reporter: good morning to you. the view behind me is a little darkened and blacked out at this point. that's because investigators believe the flames are out. now, they are not going to investigate until the sun comes up. they don't want to take the chance of anyone else getting injured. if you look behind me, that area that you can see, there's silos over there, that dark rned area, that's where the two ships are. the ships are carrying well gas. that is gas additives. that's something you would find at your regular gas station. they believe crews with oil recovery were working to clean out the tanks when these

explosions happened. people talking about the skylighting up orange and red and various different colors and it sounded like multiple explosions. we now know about seven explosions, three people were sent to the hospital with burn injuries, still listed in critical condition. >> as we understand it, they could actually see -- or actually hear this 20 miles away. could they see the burning flames, as well? >> they could see them earlier. now there is nothing that you can see from this far away. they don't believe that the boat is still either barge or still on fire but they're not entirely sure. they're going to wait a little bit more. just a waiting game at this time. >> thank you for being there this morning. we appreciate that. happening now, cleaning up the mess after two tornadoes hit new orleans. damaged several homes in that area. they were part of a series of powerful and intense storms that

battered the region, flooding streets, knocking out power to some 30,000 customers in southeast louisiana. jennifer is monitoring all of this as well as the flooding in the midwest. she is live in the severe weather center. what's going on? >> hi, zoraida. of course, still following the flooding as well as the tornado. that tumouched down in new orleans. still many areas are at threat for major flooding. areas in illinois and missouri, especially right along the mississippi river. we focus on the cape gerardo area because we expect to it crest tomorrow morning at 42 feet. we're talking potentially homes are going to be threatened, people could be evacuated and even in peoria, still at major flooding. light rain moving through chicago. it's just that light stuff. it's nothing that's going to be significant. the area up towards the north we're really concerned about. let's go to some video coming out of fargo, north dakota, where they are sandbagging and

preparation for temperatures to climb into the 70s. well, you're thinking warm temperatures, that sounds good. you're talking about an incredible amount of snow pack, potentially record flooding. it could rise by the red river 20 feet next week. i want to show you quickly for today, still very cold in the northern plains. this is the last day before that big warmup comes and affects the red river. zoraida, back over to you. >> thank you. so it should be quite a sight this morning. five living u.s. presidents standing side by side for the dedication of the george w. bush presidential library in dallas. these days 43 is preoccupied with being a brand new grandfather and a new painter. he tells our john king he doesn't feel any need to defend himself or his presidency. >> i know this, that laura and i gave the presidency eight years of our life. we gave it our all. made the best judgment calls i

could. didn't compromise my principles. and i'm a content man. >> and you can stay with cnn in the 8:00 hour of "starting point." former first lady laura bush takes john king on the tour of the new bush presidential library. new information this morning in the case of these letters tainted with risin. why the fbi is focusing on a former politician and martial arts studio. bizarre story.

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i'm john berman live in boston this morning. while you were sleeping there have been several new developments unfolding in the boston marathon bombing investigation. the father of tamerlan tsarnaev and dzhokhar tsarnaev will fly to the united states as early as tomorrow for questioning. he is cooperating with the fbi. we also learned from the congressman on the house and intelligence committee that suspected bomber used a remote control for a toy car to detonate tex ploat the time nate the explosives. were the russians not only warned the fbi about tamerlan tsarnaev but they also asked the cia to check him out but neither agency believed there was enough concrete information to move on. so missed chances, missed signals. those are the subject of a lot

of questions today on capitol hill and here in boston. we're following new developments in the investigation of the ricin tainted letters sent to president obama and others on capitol hill. the fbi focus has now shifted. they're now searching the site of a formal martial arts studio in tupelo, mississippi, and the home of a former politician who was an instructor there. victor blackwell is following all of these developments for us. victor, this is pretty bizarre. >> it's bizarre. and we got one other note after those searches, there was one search late yesterday. this is from the attorney for that tae kwon do/politician, that there was a search of his car. the fbi wanted to get into that car and process it. all in the effort to find out who tried to poison president obama. >> the home of a former republican candidate for the mississippi state house is now involved in a federal investigation into who sent

letters tainted with ricin to president obama, a mississippi senator and a county judge. federal agents in full body hazmat suits searched his home on tuesday, his attorney said it was related to the ricin investigation. in a youtube video posted this week, the former candidate jay everett dusky talked about the search. >> i met with the fbi. i consented to a search, signed a piece of paper saying go ahead and search the house. >> reporter: on wednesday they spent several hours searching a tae kwon do studio he had rented until january. it's not known if anything was found. it shunt down after he was charged with child molestation charges. he is now free on bond. the fbi has not filed any new charges on the ricin investigation and he has not been named as a suspect. the charges against celebrity impersonator kevin curtis has been dropped. >> during kevin curtis, the ricin mailer, during his pretrial hearing, his attorney

accused me of being the one that sent out the ricin laters instead of him. >> reporter: his attorney told cnn he had nothing to do with the letters but earlier curtis told cnn he still believed he had been set up. >> i knew if it had to be or they just had the wrong person. >> i don't have anything at all to do with this. i don't hardly know the guy. in fact, we've only met on two occasions. >> reporter: curtis says he had bad mouthed him for years and imp my t indicating him in a plot to poison the president. >> that's serious. that's when someone says, we want him gone. >> reporter: the fbi has not said anything about what they found during the search of the house, the search of the tae kwon do studio or this car now. but it's shifting from the impersonator now to an tae kwon

do/insurance specialist. >> glad to have you there. thank you. coming up, a disturbing fight at a high school. this is not two students, folks. look at this video. it is a student and her math teacher in a brawl. that's coming up. when our little girl was born, we got a subaru. it's where she said her first word. (little girl) no! saw her first day of school. (little girl) bye bye! made a best friend forever. the back seat of my subaru

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welcome back. good morning. christine romans is minding our business. >> good morning. u.s. stock futures are mixed this morning. pulling a little bit higher but marketses in europe and asia are mixed or big headlines over seas. in spain, the jobless rate hit a record high. 27.1%. compare that to the 17 countries in the eurozone, 12%. the u.s., 7.6%. also we found out today the uk economy grew ever so slightly in the first quarter, up just 0.3%. so no triple-dip recession for the uk but europe's economies are essentially stalled as governments cut spending and raise taxes austerity. a big week to talk about austerity in europe in week. here in this country, home price increases are slowing a bit in the first quarter. zillow says it ticked up 0.5%, compared to the fourth quarter last year. still up significantly. in march, prices rose for the 16th month in a row. so home prices are rising but

they're not rising as quickly as they had been. there's a lot of hope for a strong spring selling season. inventories are low. people are not putting their homes on the market. they need better prices. >> maybe they're waiting it out a little bit. >> sellers are really looking carefully at this trend. they want to see robust price increases. if you live in these places you saw home values slip. i'm going to rattle off some towns. new york, chicago, philadelphia, st. louis, pittsburgh, cincinnati, charlotte. prices will actually declined from the fourth quarter of last year. >> i wonder why. >> you know, some of those places didn't see their run-up that we saw and the bursting of the bubble that we saw. so economists are telling me it's a normalizing of prices so they don't get too concerned about it. in new york and chicago in particular, two markets i watch closely, a little bit of a softening of home prices. >> what is the one thing we need to know about our money? >> low interest rates we've been seeing cut both ways. supporting the housing market but hurting savers. a new survey from wells fargo

finds 35% of retirees, they think they'll outlive their savings. 46% of non-retirees think the same thing. >> isn't that interesting? >> it is interesting. >> those really low interest rates great for home buyers, horrible for people who are in retirement. >> two sides to a story. >> it's true. >> thank you. it is 27 minutes past the hour. president obama heads to texas for a memorial service for victims of that fertilizer explosion as investigators comb through all of the destruction. they are earning for whatever clues they can find. one compared it to a giant jigsaw puzzle. we are live in texas, just ahead. [ dog barking ] ♪ [ female announcer ] life is full of little tests, but your basic paper towel can handle them. especially if that towel is bounty basic. the towel that's 50% stronger. in this lab demo even just one select-a-size sheet of bounty basic

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breaking news overnight. explosions and a raging fire on two gas barges off the bay of mexico. were there more missed warning signs? we're learn that the fbi may not be the only intelligence agency that had a chance to act on the

boston bombing suspects before the marathon attack. plus, the key bomb component that could tell investigators where the suspects learned to build their deadly weapon. welcome back to "early start," everyone. i'm john berman. live in boston this morning. we'll have more from here with the latest on the marathon bombing investigation just ahead. and i'm zoraida sambolin in new york. it is thursday, april 25th. we're following breaking news this morning. in mobile bay, alabama, two fuel barges on fire. they were loaded with gasoline and they exploded last night. look at the flames. firefighters stayed away because the flames were too dangerous for them to fight. and now there's word the flames appear to have died down. however, fire officials will wait until daylight to get a better handle of this situation. we know that at least three people are hospitalized with burns. they are in critical condition. fire officials believe everyone has been accounted for. john? >> all right, thanks. a lot more information there.

plus, new information this morning in the boston bombing investigation. it turns out the fbi was not the only u.s. agency tipped off by the russians about the possible radicalization of tamerlan tsarnaev. we're learning this morning that also asked the cia to check them out well over a year ago but neither agency felt there was enough detail, enough hard evidence to take further action against the sus speed boston marry zone bomber. we're also finding out how the tsarnaevs allegedly pulled off the terror t attack on marathon monday. they apparently used a remote control like the ones you find to operate a toy car. they used that remote control to detonate the explosives. that revelation could be a critical piece of the puzzle for investigators. investigators are now focusing on how the bombs were made and if the tsarnaev brothers got any help from foreign militants. cnn's miguel marquez is joining us now on that in boston. good morning, miguel. >> this is where it all began, john, this massive worldwide

investigation. this is the finish line to the boston marathon. it is absolutely incredible to see just how close it is to the first bombing site which is now hallowed ground here on boylston street. another nice thing is that you see a lot of runners up and down the street. it's nice to see life coming back here. on the investigation front, investigators looking at those detonators and whether or not they were inspired by or designed with the help of either a militant in chechnya or by al qaeda's english language magazine "inspire." important to know for investigators because it will give them a blueprint or give them a sense of the blueprint for the plot themselves and how these two were able to bring it off on their own and how long it took them to develop i'm, as well. also investigators going through a landfill not too far from the brothers' dorm room and looking for clues there. hoping to find any indication of what they bought, where they bought it and how they brought this all together, also going

through several different locations here in town looking for clues to put this all together. it seems as though a lot of this investigation is focusing now in the boston area and where they purchased fireworks, for instance. critical clues. one of the things i want to pint out is a picture tweeted overnight by the guy who we will all remember, gives me shivers to think about it. the guy who lost both his leg just ten days ago. he delivered an 18th birthday gift to sydney corcoran, also injured in the bombing. fantastic to see just ten days later, a guy who the entire world focused on and worried about and wondered how he was ever going to bet get back going and now he is. one of the things, come back live here, i want to point out joggers and down boylston street. it is great to see. john? >> they are out in force today. the runners are back in boston. at truly wonderful site.

miguel marquez, thank you for being there on the streets for us this morning. new this morning, russian president vladimir putin is speaking. he had a q and a with reporters there and he spoke about the boston terror attack. during this televised session with the russian people he said that the bombings should re-enforce the need for more u.s./russia counter terrorism cooperation. >> translator: the tragedy would motivate us to work together in addressing the common challenges and threats and terrorism is one of the main threats today. >> chechen opposition leader called the boston bombings a potential gift to putin if he tries to enlist the u.s. as an ally in his fight against the chechen people. the tsarnaev brothers are of chechen heritage and lived in

the dagestan region before they moved to the states. president obama attends a memorial service in texas today in honor of the 14 people killed in a blast of a fertilizer plant in a town in west texas. the service will be in baylor university and waco. that's where we find our ed lavandera this morning. >> the president will be here after he attends the dedication of the bush library in dallas. it will be a show of force as thousands and thousands of firefighters are expected to come here today to pay honor and their respects to the firefighters killed in that explosion. and yesterday we got our first very up close look at that blast site. >> a bomb has went off. it's pretty bad. we got a lot of firemen down. >> reporter: captured from firefighter radio transmissions, those were the frantic moments just after the west texas explosion, sent a deadly sho

shockwave through this central town in is the first up close look at the blast site. this is the blast site here. you can see the crater which is 93 feet wide, 10 feet deep. that was part of -- one of the buildings that was on the ground here. investigators say they still don't know what caused the fire or what triggered the explosion about 20 minutes after firefighters were called to the scene. >> it's like putting puzzle pieces together. reenacting that fire to see what transpired to cause the explosion. >> reporter: the damage is so extensive that state and federal investigators are using shovels to sift through the debris, looking for clues to what ignited the fire that led to the explosion. >> it could be remains of a buildings. it could be electrical components. it could be fertilizer remains, if that's what we're looking at, chemical remains. it could be the way that the material was stored. they may be able to find pieces of containers. there's a whole list of things they will be looking for.

>> reporter: this is an aerial picture of the fertilizer facility before the explosion. this part of the building is where the explosion erupted. this is the site after the blast. the twisted and charred remnants of two fire trucks are still at the scene. >> you can see the charred remains of a second building that was on this site. between these two buildings we're told is where many of the firefighters and ems teams that were killed in this explosion were working at the time of the explosion. >> it's killing me. it's killing me bad inside. i just want some answers. >> reporter: louise mills is still waiting for invest gators to investigators to identify her brother's remain, father of three children. he joined the west volunteer fire department three years ago. he was one of the first people on the scene. >> you just pray he didn't suffer? >> yes. i do, every day. i know he didn't suffer. i know he didn't.

we're suffering. we want him back. >> louise mills said her brother loved wearing his bright red firefighter shirt and showing off his volunteer firefighter badge. for morris bridges, jumping into harm's way is how you earned the firefighter's badge of honor. >> reporter: in a poignant sign of solidarity here in the central texas area, the city employees in the town of west have been given thursday and friday off so they can attend memorialer is vess and funerals for all of their friends who were killed in this explosion. it's city waco employees who will help cover and help out with the city government there in the town of west over these next couple of days so those workers can attend the funerals. >> that's wonderful to hear and to see. ed lavandera live for us. thank you for that. happening right now, dangerous weather has people picking up the pieces this morning. look at this. residents in this new orleans suburbs assessing a damage after a pair of tornadoes ripped through that area on wednesday.

they were part of a series of really intense storms that battered the entire region, flooding streets, leaving some 30,000 customers in southeast louisiana in the dark. later this morning, unusual gathering. five living u.s. presidents all standing together for the dedication of the george w. bush presidential library. we're going to go live to dallas. straight ahead. and what we love.n us so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. and don't get heartburn in the first place! ♪ even superheroes need superheroes, and some superheroes need complete and balanced meals with 23 vitamins and minerals. purina dog chow. help keep him strong. dog chow strong. i really like your new jetta! and you want to buy one like mine because it's so safe, right? yeah... yeah... i know what you've heard -- iihs top safety pick for $159 a month --

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welcome back to "early start." cyst mean romans is with us now. >> good morning again. ahead on "starting point," we're going to talk to the father of the boston bomber, he is expected to travel to the u.s.

tomorrow. investigators hope he's got important information about the marathon attack. plus, we're learning more about how the tsarnaev brothers pulled this thing off allegedly and what their plans may have been for new york city. then, explosions overnight on barges in alabama's mobile river and blast were near the beleaguered carnival triumph. plus, we're getting inside scoop about the drama behind the scenes at the network morning shows, author around journalist joinings me live with a new book "top of the morning." we'll talk about morning shows, cable news, the whole bit. >> i've been reading excerpts online. really interesting. >> looking forward to it. thank you, christine. all right. 44 minutes past the hour. the end apparently is near. the judge in the jodi arias murder trial expects the case to do to the jury a week from friday. it's dragged on for four months. arias is charged with shooting and stabbing her lover travisal

xa commander in 2008. she face potential death sentence there. in four hours four living presidents will stand side by side for the dedication of the george w. bush presidential library. the new facility is all about showing people what it's like to be commander in chief. brianna keilar is going to join us for a live report shortly here. we're going to take a quick break. n, once you try an oral-b deep sweep power brush, you'll never want to go back. its dynamic power bristles reach between teeth to remove up to 76% more plaque than sonic in hard to reach areas. oral-b deep sweep 5000 power brush.

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we're having some problems there with the audio of this morning. so we're going to get to john berman in boston in a moment. but now we're going to go back to today's dedication of the george w. bush presidential library. just over four hours from now five living presidents will stand side by side. brianna keilar got a sneak peek at the museum and she is live in dallas for thus morning. good morning. >> good morning to you, zoraida. yeah, i got a sneak peek yesterday going into this library which will be dedicated today in which the public will be able to go into at the

beginning of next month. it's striking because as you walk in, you do see a statue that a lot of folks have talked about of george w. bush alongside his father, george h.w. bush. as you go into the exhibit, it really shows you can legacy that president bush clearly wanted for himself. a domestic agenda that included no child left behind, tax cuts, as well as faith-based community initiatives but very quickly the exhibit changes to the event that ultimately defined his presidency, 9/11. you see the twisted beam from part of the south tower of the world trade center and we're told by employees at the museum that the twisted beams you see are actually the point of impact of that tower which was the second one that was hit by a hijacked jetliner but the first one to fall. and everything really just kind of follows from there. the bullhorn that president bush used when he spoke at ground zero on september 14th. other features of the museum is

an interactive exhibit called the decision point theater. obviously president bush made a number of controversial decisions and the ones that he considers his toughest on invading iraq, the serge in iraq, hurricane katrina, whether to dedicate federal assistance and how to dedicate federal resources, the financial crisis, how did he respond to that? folks get to go in, get advice from his actual advisers. they get to hear questions from the press, they get to sort of talk to military commanders. and they get to make their decision. this is something that president bush talked to john king about. >> the museum is -- it does give people the opportunity to hear the different points of view that i got on these particular issues. the purpose of which is not to try to defend a policy. the purpose of which is to try to show people what it's like to be the president and how you make decisions. history will ultimately judge the decisions that were made for

iraq. and i'm just not going to be around to see the final verdict. >> you're not going to be around, interesting way to put it. >> in other words, i'll be dead. >> now, i will tell you there are also a number of more light-hearted points to this exhibit. you'll see a number of former first lady laura bush's ball gowns that she wore to state dinners including one she wore for queen elizabeth when she came to washington toward the end of president bush's time in the white house. she actually spoke to reporters yesterday, zoraida, and she was can asked about giving up all of thesegown, she said it wasn't all that hard because george, quote, isn't big on black tie. >> oh. so she won't have much need for them moving forward. who is expected to attend today, brianna? >> exactly. there are a number of dignitaries but obviously what most people are talking about are the fact that you're going to have all of the living former presidents, as well as president

obama, here. and that's going to present, as you can imagine, quite an interesting scenario. think of all the motorcades, think of all the security, at an event which already is quite the undertaking here at southern methodist university, zoraida. >> it looks really spectacular behind you. brianna keilar reporting live for us. of course, you can keep it here for essentispecial live dedication. it's hosted by wolf blitzer at 11:00 a.m. eastern. again, right here on cnn. [ bleep ]. >> take a look at your tv. a high school freshman and her math teacher pushing, then pummeling each other in class. this happened in stockton, california. the fight apparently started when the teacher took away the girl's makeup and took away her cellphone. the student was arrested for assault. she's facing expulsion. the teacher is on paid leave and has not been charged. that sin credible.

i -- that is incredible. the first run of the nfl draft. it's like christmas for all 32 teams. this year's class lacks major star power but it does not lack talent. joe carter is here with the "bleacher report." >> it's on odd year for the nfl draft, not a lot of hype surrounding the first few picks. we're not going to see a wide receiver, running back, or quarterback go in the top five. most likely an offensive, defensive lineman or cornerback. most interesting player in tonight's draft has to be ziggia anash. he's expected to be drafted top 15. considering this guy has only played football for three years. originally he's from ghana. he got into byu in 2008. tried out for the basketball team twice but was cut. then he decided to walk on the track team. he was so fast at track he got the attention of the football team and that's where he played for three seasons. really excelling in his senior season. he's this year's ultimate risk reward selection so it's going to be interesting tonight to see

which team selects him. speaking of picks, over 40 million votes were tallied and the winner is, barry sanders. yes, the hall of fame running backbeat out minnesota vikings running back adrian peterson for the comp of the nfl video game "madden 25." this year's version is an anniversary edition is so it makes sense. well, louise suarez, or as i like to call him, luis the vampire. he's been suspended for ten games for biting. yes, biting another player during an english premier league soccer game. suarez is the guy in the red shirt. he bit his opponent's arm. why in the world would he do such a thing? basically because that's what he does. in 2010 he also bit another player. fans describe him as an animal both in a good way and in a bad way. suarez, of course, has apologized for his actions and

he was also heavily fined by his team liverpool. last night it was a back and forth game between oklahoma city and houston. they squeaked out the win. oklahoma city, 105-102. the thunder are now up 2-0 in the series. we got kevin durant, russell westbrook, each scored 29 points. most of the attention, at least this morning, has shifted to what russell westbrook wore to the post-game presser last night. check him out. the man is dressed in leather. yes, leather. and it's not just his shirt, it's also his pants. somebody call tim gund, please, really. the guys are trying to outdo each other. that's competition on the court and competition afterwards when they show up in he's outrageous outfits. i don't know if you remember or not but on monday, i believe it was, lebron james showed up in that tacky christmas sweater looking thing after the heat won. maybe it was sunday or monday. they're trying to outdo each

oth other. it's kind of fun. >> brings back the days with michael jordan and they wore sharp suits. i love that era. 55 minutes past the hour. if you're just waking up, evacuations overnight near the scene of explosions on the water off the gulf of mexico. "starting point" with breaking news coverage coming up. welcnew york state, where cutting taxes for families and businesses is our business. we've reduced taxes and lowered costs to save businesses more than two billion dollars to grow jobs, cut middle class income taxes to the lowest rate in sixty years,

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that's it for "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. john berman continues our coverage in boston right now. >> good morning, everyone. i'm john berman. breaking news this morning. a massive explosion on the mobile river. fuel barges burning out of control. at least three critically injured and all of this happening just a few feet from the carnival cruise ship triumph. we will have a breaking details coming up. also breaking news of the marathon bombing case as we continue our special coverage live from boston. the parents of the bombing suspect speaking out at this moment saying that the u.s. is accusing them of being terrorists and saying they will not be able to see their

surviving son when they come to the united states. that as we learn more about how the tsarnaev brothers may have pulled off this attack. cnn with a firsthand look at a place where the suspects may have learned to make their bomb. and exclusive interview with their mother about the mysterious man who may have influenced their son. >> it just opened our eyes, you know. really wide about our son. >> live team coverage of the boston marathon bombings from boston to russia, doing it like only cnn can. plus, five u.s. presidents will be in one place today for the opening of president george w. bush's presidential library, giving mr. bush a chance to reflect on his legacy. >> history will ultimately judge the decisions that were made. >> later we'll have the first