details on the soon-to-be tallest building in the western hemisphere. also, president obama lets the jokes fly, shooting arrows at republicans, the media, and of course himself. >> these days, i look in the mirror and i have to admit, i'm not the strapping young muslim socialist i used to be. >> it is monday, april 29th, and "starting point" begins right now. we are following new developments underfolding this hour in the boston marathon bombing investigation. i want you to take a look at this man, he is reportedly a key part of a militant group, and today, russian special forces killed him. that militant group has possible ties to alleged boston bomber tamerlan tsarnaev. meantime the fbi is joining forces with russian security

officials to piece together tamerlan's every move during a six-month visit to russia. and even though they believe the brothers were self-radicalized watching online videos, they are still looking into the possibility that other people maybe in russia, perhaps in the u.s., may have been influences. among the people investigators are looking at, the mother, and tamerlan's wife katherine russell, who converted to islam when she married him back in 2010. the bombing suspect's father has now postponed his trip to the united states. he told russian state media that he's in a hospital because of what he calls a blood pressure spike. of course, today marks two weeks since the day of the boston marathon. two weeks since the terror attack. and two dozen people are still in the hospital recovering. bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev is now at a medical facility for federal prisoners. he's locked up in a tiny cell west of boston. our pamela brown is live there in devens, massachusetts with the latest. good morning, pamela.

>> good morning to you, john. new developments this morning. we spoke to a prison hospital official who tells us that 19-year-old dzhokhar tsarnaev is speaking and interacting with medical staff here. we don't know if he's talking with anyone else, but this is an indication that his conditioned has significantly improved. inside these federal prison hospital walls in devens, massachusetts, 40 miles outside of boston, bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev is living in solitude, in a 10x10 cell equipped with a steel door, slot for food, and a small window where he's being observed 24 hours a day. the accommodations are bare, limited to a toilet, sink and bed. tucked away in a restricted area reserved only for high risk inmates. there's only room for 30 offenders in this special section and now tsarnaev is one of them. as investigators try to figure out how and why he allegedly carried out the attacks with his brother, later killed in a police shoot-out, the justice department's role in the investigation has come under

intense scrutiny. tsarnaev has stopped giving substantive information to authorities since being read his miranda rights, sources have indicated. in an exclusive interview with cnn's brianna keilar at the white house correspondents dinner saturday night, attorney general eric holder defended the decision. >> will you comment on the suspect being mirandized and whether that was appropriate? >> well, i mean, the decision to mirandize him was one that the totally consistent with the laws that we have. we had a two-day period that they were able to question him under the public safety exception so i think everything was done appropriately and we got good leads. >> reporter: republican congressman peter king strongly disagrees, saying more time to interrogate tsarnaev could have brought forth new critical information to keep america safe. >> absolutely disgraceful, because that interrogation could have ended up saving many american lives. we don't know what the full consequences are going to be. who else was involved? who was involved then. who could be involved in the future.

we may not know because of eric holder. >> tsarnaev's brother tamerlan and his brother had been listed in a u.s. counterterrorism database since russia raised concerns about both of them in 2011 an intelligence official told cnn. it was in that same year an official with knowledge of the investigation is now saying that russia intercepted communication between tamerlan's mother, and one of the two sons discussing jihad in a conversation described as vague. the information came from a wiretap of the mother the russians have turned over only in recent days. earlier in the week, russia's president, vladimir putin, acknowledged the situation could have been handled better. to my great regret, he said, we were not able to provide our american colleagues with information that would have had operative significance. attorney general eric holder declined to comment on that wiretap. now, in addition to the terrorism charges he's already facing, tsarnaev may face more charges sometime in the next three weeks. john?

>> all right, pamela brown live for us in devens, massachusetts. our thanks to pamela. the biggest development overnight might have come from russia. there was a special forces raid there, targeting a militant group that may be linked to suspected boston marathon bomber tamerlan tsarnaev, and cnn's nick paton walsh is live in moscow with the details on again what could be a really key development here, nick. >> john, let's reel back a little bit and explain to you why the pictures you're seeing of the very early morning raid yesterday in a village in dagestan, and the fact they k l killed shakhrudin askhabov relates to this whole bombing. shakhrudin askhabov we've seen him hanging out with the people in the same group run by abu dujan. abu dujan is a key militant killed in december by russian special forces. he's linked to the bombing case because a video of that man was

linked to by tamerlan tsarnaev on his youtube page. the link is certainly there. we don't know if these people ever met. we do know tamerlan tsarnaev was interested in abu dujan and do we know russian forces hunted down and killed one of the members of abu dujan's group. this man they killed today was the brother of the successor of the leadership of that particular organization. we don't know if it's purely coincidental. perhaps. but it's clear that russian special forces are now hunting down members of the abu dujan militant group. it could be a coincidence. ee don't have concrete proof tamerlan tsarnaev actually met abu dujan apart from that youtube channel link being the key thing that connects the two. but definitely activity on the ground right now, john. >> we have a web of possible connections, nick, and certainly increased special forces activity among the russians. meanwhile, nick, you've spoken to the tsarnaev's mother. what is she saying now? >> i spoke to the mother and father in the last 15 minutes,

and to put it in context. the father doesn't seem to be well at all. the conversation was extremely short. he was gravely, i think, under pressure physically. he said simply, i am sick. i am sick. wouldn't elaborate on anything else. the mother went into more detail. she confirms they will not -- the father will not be traveling to the united states until his health improves. the travel plans appear to be conconsistently changing. she was clear on one thing, show, she will go to the united states, regardless of any risk or charges against her, an arrest warrant for shoplifting or anything subsequent things emerging in this investigation. she would like to travel if she can see her son dzhokhar. she doesn't have any guarantee of that. but we're talking about people under great strain here, physically as well. it seems as though the father's condition relates to his high blood pressure. perhaps something else, as well. he seems to be in very poor condition. i think the emphasis for them now is to put him in a comfortable place where he can get some sort of medical assistance. they weren't at point where they had a concrete plan for their

whereabouts. >> all right, nick paton walsh our thanks to you. just off the phone with the bombing suspect's parents this morning from russia. meanwhile, the new york review says it has spoken to the man the accused bomber's family says radicalized and brainwashed tamerlan tsarnaev. a reporter for that group says the man known as misha is 39 years old and lives with his parents in rhode island. again, misha told the review, the review says this man they think is misha has not been in touch with tamerlan for about three years and that he's been cooperating with the fbi. this man they identify as misha is also insisting he had nothing to do with the bombings, and that investigators are about to clear him. that's going on in the investigation right now. i'm standing at the site of the memorial in copley square. about a block away from the finish line. we've seen some amazing things. i want to show you right now a message board. there are four of these giant pieces of paper where people write messages to the victims and the people who suffered in these tragic attacks.

four giant pieces of paper. every inch of the paper is covered with notes. now, boston officials told us they've had to replace these six times, at least, over the last few days, because more and more people keep coming and leaving messages, and we've seen messages from all over the world, all over the u.s., as far away as istanbul. so many people want to join here and commemorate this event and really these tragic events and do it together. it is a remarkable, remarkable memorial here. let's go back to christine romans in new york with more of the day's other top stories. >> good morning, john. breaking news from prague. an explosion in the heart of the city leaving nearly 60 people injured. there were also reports of people trapped in the rubble. czech authorities say the blast brought down the first floor of a tv and film school. the blast shattered windows of other buildings nearby. state-run tv there is reporting that a gas explosion caused that blast. developing this morning the desperate search for the person behind the brutal murder of an 8-year-old girl.

her brother discovered her saturday inside their home in the rural community of valley springs, about 60 miles southeast of sacramento. leila fowler's mother says the family's devastated. that this girl was so full of life and she's pleading with someone to turn in the killer. cnn's paul vercammen is in valley springs this morning. what's the latest? >> christine right now detectives are at it. here it is 4:00 a.m. california time and they're still trying to solve the mystery of who killed this little girl in this quiet foothill community. >> it's a rural community on edge. >> they had the helicopters going over our house last night. >> reporter: a place where doors often go unlocked, now bolted shut. >> i'm sure a lot of families last night locked all their windows, locked all their doors for the first time. >> reporter: a killer is on the loose. the killer of an 8-year-old girl, leila fowler. police say she and her 12-year-old brother were home alone saturday afternoon when he says he saw an intruder leaving the house.

the boy called his parents, who called 911. he then found his sister stabbed, severely wounded. she later died. since then police have been running down leads, but have no specific suspects. >> we're searching, you know, extensively into attics and storage sheds. it is a difficult area to search. it's rural, remote, the grass is tall right now. >> there are a lot of empty homes and out-buildings around here. there's like huge rock croppings where somebody can hide in. >> reporter: authorities have combed the home and the neighborhood for evidence. >> we did collect some fingerprints during that search and we also collected what we believe to be dna. those prints and that dna will hopefully be processed within the next week. >> reporter: there will be an added police presence today at schools and bus stops in the area. as one resident said, this kind of thing just does not happen here. and now back here live, one

insider telling us this may be a very difficult case to solve. christine? >> certainly a mystery and very sad, sad morning. again, in california, thanks so much paul vercammen. new in syria, the government insisting a car bomb in damascus was intended to kill the country's prime minister. he was not harmed but one person was killed in that blast. no one has claimed responsibility but the attack is significant because it happened near president bashar assad's palace. expected to be dramatic, emotional and star-studded. we're talking about the michael jackson wrongful death suit which begins in just a few hours. casey wian live outside the courthouse for us in los angeles. good morning, casey. >> good morning, christine. just about six hours from now opening statements will begin in this courthouse behind me we'll hear from attorneys for michael jackson's family and attorneys for aeg live who will both begin to lay out their version of who caused michael jackson's death.

michael jackson was in the last weeks of rehearsal for what was to be his grand comeback. the exhausted 50-year-old insomniac died in 2009 from an overdose of sedatives and the surgical anesthetic propofol. dr. conrad murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving jackson the fatal dose in an effort to help him sleep. he's in prison. now the company that promoted the comeback tour, aeg live, is fighting legal claims by jackson's mother and children that it shares responsibility for the singer's death because it hired and supervised murray. >> what do you think, as his mother, caused his death? >> i don't know. all i know is that they used propofol, and they shouldn't have used it, and they used it in the wrong setting. that's all i know. and that's what caused his death. >> the gist of the plaintiff's claim against aeg is that you controlled dr. murray and you used your control over dr. murray to pressure him into

taking unnecessary and excessive risk with his patient, michael jackson, leading to michael jackson's death. >> reporter: aeg live's attorney says there was never a signed contract with murray. and that jackson was the only one who controlled him. >> he was chosen by michael jackson. he'd be there at michael jackson's behest. he'd be michael jackson's doctor alone. that this was only being done because michael jackson asked for it. michael jackson was the only person who could get rid of him at will. >> reporter: potential witnesses include jackson's teenage children, prince michael, and paris. quincy jones could testify about the billions of dollars michael jackson would have earned if he had lived. money his heirs now want from aeg a multibillion dollar sports entertainment and real estate conglomerate. trial is expected to last between two and four months. perhaps even longer. jackson's family attorneys want to call dr. conrad murray to the stand. but if they do, he says he will take the fifth. that's because the appeal of his

manslaughter conviction is ongoing. christine? >> all right, casey wian in los angeles. thanks. president obama will nominate charlotte mayor anthony foxx to become the next transportation secretary later today. foxx's city hosted the democratic national convention last year. the nomination would make him the only african-american picked for a cabinet spot in the president's second term. new this morning in just five hours, and after more than six years of construction the final section will be raised to the top of one world trade center. these are live pictures of the freedom tower as it's known, which will officially become the tallest building in the western hemisphere at 1,776 feet, 1776, that's once the spire is placed on top today. only two buildings in the world will stand taller. the burj khalifa at the dubai the actualest at 2,717, followed by the makkah royal clock tower in mecca. there you go. saudi arabia. ahead on "starting point," was there a foreign connection to the boston marathon bombings?

we will look at the latest evidence with former cia officer gary berntsen. then if you're flying this memorial day, relief may be on the way for your wallet. then no one is safe from mockery at the white house correspondents' dinner. >> the president is hard at work creating jobs. since he was first elected the number of popes has doubled. >> the press, congress, and the president all skewered in good fun. that's ahead. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker oats. today is going to be epic. quaker up.

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welcome back to "starting point," everyone. we are live in boston this morning, covering the latest developments in the bombing investigation. let's bring in gary berntsen, the author of "human intelligence: counterterrorism and national leadership." he's also a former cia officer and a former unit head of the cia's bin laden unit. gary, thanks so much for being with us. let's start with this latest development. because just hours ago, cnn learned of an overnight raid in russia. russian special forces raiding a militant group with possible links to tamerlan tsarnaev. at a minimum we know that tamerlan tsarnaev had posted youtube videos of this militant group in russia. so my question to you is what do you make of this uptick in russian special forces activity? >> well, clearly the fsc, the russian internal security service, would have had source

information, they would have been doing a lot of things. and that special forces unit just awould have been the action arm to go against them. when the russians come knocking, they mean business. they are covering not just a small number of individuals, they're covering hundreds or thousands of leads in their area. people wondered why, you know, when they sent us a lead, you know, how do they know? why didn't they do more follow up? they didn't do more follow-up because they have hundreds or thousands of their own leads because they're in a serious fight there in the caucasus. >> let's talk about the russian leads, that they provided to the u.s. over the weekend we learned that the russians had intercepted phone calls between tamerlan and dzhokhar tsarnaev's mother and tamerlan and also another person where they were discussing loosely jihad. the russians had that information, did not pass it on to the united states. how useful might that have been? >> well, look, they already provided a lead early on saying that he was possibly involved in, you know, in islamic

fundamentalist or jihadist activity. that should have been enough. you know, an additional statement on that, in my opinion, wouldn't have added much. it's incumbent on the u.s. when you're given a lead to follow it. not just to go poll them, interview them, as the fbi did, but to get on them, to surveil them, to run sources at them, to do the full gamut of operations against a possible terrorist. we're not at a point where we should be blaming the russians on this one. it's on us. he was on our turf. >> let's talk about the bombs, because there are some key members of congress who have've been talking about the makeup of the explosive devices that were used, these pressure cooker bombs and there's a sense among members of congress that these were complicated enough that these two brothers, who were in the u.s., could not have built them without some training. based on your expertise here, is thissed type of thing you really could build just by following directions online? or would you need to have some kind of special training here, perhaps from overseas? >> i am convinced that they had training.

you know, i've had training myself when i was in the agency, and special operations training. that was probably 15 to 20 hours of hands-on, one-on-one to build those devices. if you look at many of the big bombers around the world, people like ramzi yousef, all of them had accidents when they were doing this stuff. when you're experimenting with explosives and you make a mistake, you're going to get hurt. and this was complicated what he did, and i am certain that he had training. >> all right. former cia officer gary berntsen, thanks so much for your expertise. >> you're welcome. >> ahead on "starting point," those forced budget cuts creating a big problem for the irs. it may actually work out for you, though. we'll tell you how. you're watching "starting point." [squeals] ♪ [ewh!] [baby crying]

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welcome back to "starting point," i'm christine romans "minding your business" this morning. the stock rally continues. dow futures up about 40 points today. at this rate the blue chips will end the month higher for the fifth month in a row. fewer people will be audited this year. it's because of the forced federal spending cuts. nearly 100,000 irs workers will be furloughed. they'll take days off without pay. as a result, the federal government will, quote, see fewer proceeds from our enforcement activities. but that also means less money for the government at a time when it's trying to find -- trying to reduce debt. but that is the upside, i guess, of the forced spending cuts. fewer odds of getting an audit. a plane ticket this memorial day will cost less than last year.

may 23rd to may 31st is down 2% from last year. you should still book early. according to travelocity, history shows leading up to memorial day, prices go up 10 to 25 dollars each week. ahead on "starting point" the surviving boston bombing suspect says he and his brother were not helped. but new information has some lawmakers expressing doubt. and the man accused of sending ricin laced letters to top officials due in court. why an old-fashioned feud may be behind the whole thing. and president obama gets the last laugh at the white house correspondents' dinner. you're watching "starting point." [ lorenzo ] i'm lorenzo. i work for 47 different companies. well, technically i work for one.

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welcome back, everyone. john berman here live in boston. where behind me so many people still paying their respects here at the memorial for the boston marathon bombing victims. we have some new developments overnight in the bombing investigation coming from russia. the tsarnaev's mother telling our nick paton walsh that the mother plans to travel to the u.s. no matter the risk, as long as she's able to see her surviving son. that's by no means definite. the father's health is taking a turn for the worse. overnight russian special

forces raiding a group with possible links to tamerlan tsarnaev taking out this man reportedly a key member of that group. this comes as the fbi and russian security officials try to piece together tamerlan tsarnaev's movements during his six month visit to russia. they want to know if others in the u.s. or russia may have influenced or helped the tsarnaevs. that includes the mother, as well as tamerlan's wife katherine russell who converted to islam when she married tamerlan in 2010. the fbi and russian officials are working together trying to determine if the tsarnaev brothers had help carrying out the boston marathon attacks. the texas congressman who heads the house homeland security committee appears convinced, he says, that they did have help. >> i think the level of sophistication of this device, the fact that the pressure cooker is a signature device that goes back to pakistan, afghanistan, leads me to believe, and the way they handled these devices, and the trade craft leads me to believe

that there was a trainer. >> cnn's nic robertson is following developments for us live from dagestan this morning. good morning, nic. >> good morning, john. and you certainly when you get somebody who's gone away to a place like dagestan, as we've seen with other terror attackers, where they've gone to get training in pakistan, for example, it's when they come back, that's when they begin to activate their plans. now, there's no hard evidence yet that tamerlan tsarnaev did hear, that he did make connections, but if there was anywhere where it was going to be relatively straight forward for him to be able to meet with people who regularly made bombs, dagestan is the place. this is an active fight going on between rebels and the government here, and he was attending had reputation for being a hard-line mosque under surveillance by government officials because of the hard-line reputation they had

and they would believe that if with somebody, that. but no hard evidence so far that this was absolutely the sort of region where you could get the bombmaking training and experience and know-how that a lot of people suspect he may have received. john? >> nic robertson following the investigation for us in dagestan. nick our thanks to you. meanwhile, christine romans back in new york with the rest of the top stories. >> good morning, john. the mississippi man is due in court today accused of sending letters to president obama and two others, letters tainted with the deadly poison ricin. 41-year-old james everett dutschke a martial arts instructor and former political candidate was arrested over the weekend, charged with possession and usage of a biological agent. dutschke allegedly sent the tainted letters to the president, mississippi senator roger wicker and a local mississippi judge. the gun bill that would have expanded background checks shot down two weeks ago in the senate

might be coming back. the bill's co-sponsor senator joe manchin of west virginia says there was confusion the first time around and he's not giving up. >> pat toomey co-sponsor of manchin-toomey says he's done. >> i don't think he's done. i was with pat last night and pat's totally committed to this bill. >> i want to make it clear you are going to bring this bill back. >> absolutely. >> to the senate floor. and you think it's going to be different? >> i truly believe that if we have time to sell the bill and people will read the bill and i'm willing to go anywhere in this country, i'm willing to debate anybody on this issue, read the bill and you tell me what you don't like. >> a ban on assault weapons is also defeated in the april 17th vote. majority leader harry reid said at the time that he was hitting the pause on gun legislation. this week star of washington, media, gathered to award excellence in journalism. president obama hit it out of the park with lines like this. >> these days i look in the mirror and i have to admit i'm

not the strapping young muslim socialist that i used to be. >> as you all know the president is hard at work creating jobs. since he was first elected the number of popes has doubled. and the number of tonight show hosts has tripled. congratulations. >> don baer was at the dinner and the parties that followed. he's the worldwide chair and ceo -- thanks so much for being here. >> nice to see you, too. >> what was your best moment? what do you think the best moment was? >> oh, i thought you had a couple of them. that were good ones there. i also liked the president's line about his own presidential library, you know, maybe being near where he was born but he decided he wants to have it in this country. you know, so the ability to poke

fun at yourself and the people who are poking at you, i think, at the same time is pretty good. >> how did the room respond? >> the room loved it. they loved the president's remarks and they loved conan's remarks. one of the things about the president, he has great comic timing in terms of his delivery. i think conan maybe should watch out, because perhaps when the president is done in the white house, he might become a late night television host. >> you know, i got to ask you though, we talk about how the room loves the president. the president worked the room. i mean, are they -- is this too close for comfort? does this shine a lot on washington that maybe we don't want to see that cozy? >> i don't think so. there's so much attention and focus paid on the divisiveness in washington. you just had a piece about the gun fights. this, you know, this is a moment, at least, when people come together, and are able to appreciate one another in a social setting. by the way, it's not just one big party. there are things all weekend long where people are being thrown together. so i think it's all for the better, really, at the end of the day. >> you've been to 27 of these.

>> it's hard to believe. >> we've been to, we, you sent us some picture with the psy, m.c. hammer. there are a lot of people you don't necessarily associate with the inner workings of politics in washington. so do you think the celebrities presence has gotten a little out of hand here? >> well, i guess you could say that. although i have to say i really had a great conversation with m.c. hammer who was a fascinating and really informed person and we talked a lot about new media and investments in the internet which he is very active in and these people, it's great to be exposed to and learn from different kinds of people from all over. those of us who live and work in washington and live and work in different sort of sectors, we don't always get a hans to be exposed to these people and have opportunities with them. so it's fine. everyone loves a good time. so why not have one? >> i know it's access to that good time you know i mean and listen what better newsman tom brokaw said, it was always a fun gathering but work could be done. it was a mix of important washington sources and then somewhere along the line it began to freewheel out of

control and then we got to the point where everyone had to bring in whatever paid celebrity happened to be around and for me the breaking point was lindsay lohan. she became a big star at the white house correspondents' dinner. give me a break. does tom have a point? >> you know, you can still get business done there. you can talk to people and meet with people. i was able to have conversations with about a half a dozen people that would have taken me three weeks to reach by telephone or in person. i'm sure if tom came he would still be able to do a lot of work with sources, and really advance whatever journalistic agenda that he had. so i wouldn't worry too much about all the other things at the margins. it is a big, big party now. there's no question about it. but, it's number one, nothing wrong with the nice party so people could have a good time, especially when they're working as hard as they're all working here in washington, even if they're not getting much done. and number two, there's still work to be done even during a weekend like this. >> think conan did a good job? >> conan was great. i thought he was terrific.

>> nice to see you. >> nice to see you. thanks a lot. >> take it easy. ahead on "starting point" it's been six months since superstorm sandy unleashed its fury on the east coast. we're going to talk with one woman who lost everything. she joins us with congressman michael grimm with a look at where this recovery now stands. and it's nba playoff time. "bleacher report" looks at who's in and who's out. the recent increase in cafeteria prices is not cool. when you vote for flo, we'll have discounts. ice-cream discounts.

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41 minutes after the hour. there was no hollywood ending for the los angeles lakers last

night. they were knocked out of the playoffs by the san antonio spurs. jared greenberg is here with more in today's "bleacher report." good morning. >> good morning, christine. no hollywood ending unless you're a fan of horror movies. so much for those preseason predictions that had the lakers winning it all. golf season starting two months early for the lakers who headed to the overseason with more questions than answers. sunday could have been dwight howard's final game in a lakers uniform. he was ejected after scoring just seven points. a blockbuster trade brought howard to l.a. in august. this summer he'll be a free agent. shortly after howard hit the showers, kobe bryant made his first appearance at a laker game since undergoing surgery. he was courtside. celebrity row was empty. what was supposed to be a magical season is now over. a year that really seemed surreal. >> like a nightmare. just like a bad dream. and they couldn't wake up out of it. that's what it felt like.

you know, just felt like nothing can do right from the start. >> the basketball season does continue in boston, after blowing a 20-point lead the celtics needed overtime to beat the knicks. extending their season for at least one more game. jason terry scored nine of boston's 13 points in the extra session. knicks still lead 3-1. game five at new york on wednesday. minus one superstar the defending nba champs are one step closer to repeating. dwyane wade sat out with a knee injury but miami still has the best player in the world, lebron james, hitting 65% of his shots. by the way, that's real good. he scored 30 points as the heat sweep the bucks to advance to play the winner of the chicago/brooklyn series. can anyone beat the heat? right now on bleacherreport.com, the guys discuss if any team in the eastern conference has enough to beat the heat once, let alone in a seven-game series. it's a bird, it's a plane, nope, just a man in a ridiculous squirrel costume.

apparently a stash of nuts is hidden in left field. the squirrel turns on the after burners. the latest right here on cnn. the padres are clearly buried in the cellar after their division. they did have a great weekend but eric stealing the spotlight. >> jared greenberg, thanks so much. ahead on "starting point" this morning, this woman lost everything in superstorm sandy. her daughter, her husband, her home. i'm going to talk with pat dresch next about the difficult recovery for many sandy victims and the help they're still waiting to receive. you're watching "starting point." [ tires screech ]

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it has been six months since the northeast was ravaged by hurricane sandy and on staten island, which suffered some of the worst devastation, residents are still recovering. one of the more powerful stories is that of pat dresch, whose husband and 13-year-old daughter were among 24 staten island residents to lose their lives in that storm. she joins us along with congressman michael grimm to talk about the recovery and where things stand. they both join us this morning. thank you, nice to see both of you. i'm sorry for the circumstances. >> thank you. >> thank you for coming and reminding us what we've all been through in these six months. you're wearing your husband's wedding ring. they found it in the rubble. >> yes, my brother and his friends were walking down the road. he kicked a piece of china and out popped this ring. they picked it up, didn't know what it was. they brought it to me in the

hospital. they said do you recognize this? gentlemen, it's george's ring. >> tell us what happened that night. >> we were in the house. my husband didn't want to leave because he we left in hurricane irene we were robbed. and we stayed. we were a family. we stayed. all of a sudden the house started coming apart. and we went upstairs to the bedrooms. we went in the closet, and he said look the water's coming out through the wall, we had to get out of that room. i went in to my bathroom and i'm holding my daughter, and we felt the water rising, and i did go under in the bathroom but i was able to pick her up. and all of a sudden the walls just gave out and out we went out in my yard. and as we went out, she was on my arm, he was behind us. and a piece of the roof came and hit us in the head. and we both went under. and i knew i lost her immediately. she was gone. and as i'm going under, i said, i'm not going to die. they're not going to find my body under his rubble and i woke

myself up and kicked myself up and as i came up out of the water i grabbed on to the phone cables that were there. >>hone cables. >> it was as as high as the pho cables. i just grabbed on wires. and -- >> they found you some hours later. >> yes. five hours later. >> so now it's been six months and you have to put everything back together. are you going to stay in staten island? >> yes, i am. i saw always house that i like. and until the buyout comes, that's what i'll do, i'll sell off the property. i can't go back down there anymore. >> so these are your constituents are starting over, it's been six months. how has the recovery been? how has the rebuilding been, how has the money flow been? a lot of people are in transitional housing. >> it's been extremely difficult. a lot has been done, but there

is still so much more to do. in many ways we're really just starting major aspects of the recovery. and a big part of that is you have to understand $60 billion in total, $9 billion toward the repleni replenishing, a lot of taxpayer money. so obviously the congress wants to be stewards of that money and make sure that it's spent correctly for those like pat that really need it. and to do that through a massive city like new york and a massive state, there are a lot of things that have to be put in place. so we just approved for $1.7 billion by hud and now we're expecting the city to be approved for $1.8 billion. and that's going to go directly towards buyouts and exactly people like pat to get them finally back in homes and where they need to be. but there's a lot of work to be done for not only people like that, but also the small businesses that have been struggling. and if they don't get their funding soon, unfortunately, they will close their doors forever.

>> it will be a slow process for staten island. with or without money, it's a slow process to come back from something like this. >> of course. this is a massive endeavor. >> so you get up every morning and you are working at your church. you're doing religious education for second graders. >> yes. >> how do they help you, how does that routine help you? >> they hug, we pray together, they cry with me, they've been through so much these children, the families. they're so welcoming. they don't know what to say to me. we just hug and cry. and that means so much to me that they're out there caring for me. they have been there since day one recovering. that gets me through the days. >> she's a strong one. she's been through so much and i remember from seeing her in the hospital that morning, i was there in the hospital with her and we said one day at a time then and she's taken it one day at a time and she's doing remarkable. she's a real trouper. and staten island will get

through it, it will take time. we're working night and day. but we're a resilient tough town. and i have to tell you something, from all that the government is doing and we appreciate that, but the real heros are just the average ordinary people that really can together in a way that i've never ever seen. and i was a 9/11 first responder. i've seen some amazing things in my life. but the people that came and took care of pat and throughout, just amazing. >> in the dark they were out there cooking, bringing food, the donations of clothes that came in, the cardinal karkcame, was firsthand on there. >> so nice to see you. and we wish you all the strength and prayers. congressman, nice to see you. thank you both. ahead on "starting point," back to boston for late breaking developments. russian special forces raiding a militant organization that may be linked to one of the suspects. and we're just a few hours away from the dramatic showdown in

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good morning. i'm john berman live in boston. our starting point, a raid overnight in russia. why special forces wanted this man ted and his possible connection to one of the suspected boston bombers tamerlan tsarnaev. plus the u.s. and russia working furiously to piece together his

every move up to the marathon attack as his surviving brother is questioned in a 10 by 10 cell. we're live in boston and moscow with the latest developing details. and then a manhunt under way for the stabbing death of an 8-year-old girl. plus opening statements expected today in the michael jackson wrongful death trial. a preview of the courtroom drama and shocking testimony we could hear in the coming weeks. and live pictures as u.s. history reaches new heights. the final section of one world trade center goes up today. details on the soon to be tallest better than in the western hemisphere. it is monday, april 29, and "starting point" begins right now. we begin with brant new developments in the boston bombings. their mother told our nick paton

walsh that she will travel to the u.s. no matter the risk as long as she's able to see her surviving son. their father's health is also taking a bad turn. overnight russian special forces raiding a militant group with possible links to tamerlan tsarnaev taking out this man, purportedly a key member of that militant group. and this comes as the fbi and russia security officials try to peace together tamerlan tsarnaev's movements during his six month visit to russia. they want to know if others in the u.s. or russia may have helped. that includes his mother as well as possibly his wife catherine russell. dzhokhar is now locked in a 10 by 10 foot cell in a medical facility for federal prisoners. it's about 40 miami miles west

boston. pamela brown is there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, john. according to a prison hospital official we spoke with earlier, we have learneded that 19-year-old skrdzhokhar tsarnaes speaking and interacting with staff here. officials won't say it if he's talking with anyone else, but this is an indication that his condition has improved significantly. inside these federal prison hospital walls 40 miles outside of boston, bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev is living in sal tud and in a 10 by 10 foot cell equipped with a steel door. slot for food and shawl wsmall window. accommodations are spare, tucked away in n. a restricted area, reserved only for high risk inmates. there is only room for 30 offenders in this special section and now tsarnaev is one of them. as investigators try to figure

out how and why he allegedly carried out the attacks with his brother later killed in a police shoot-out, the justice can department's role in the investigation has come under intense scrutiny. tsarnaev has stopped giving substantive information to authorities since being read his miranda rights sources have indicated. and in an exclusive interview with brianna keilar at the white house correspondents dinner saturday night, attorney general eric holder defended the decision. >> can you comment on the decision to mirandize in. >> that was totally consistent with the laws that we have. we had a two day period that we were able to question him under the public safety exception, so i think everything was done appropriately and we got good leads. >> reporter: republican congressman peter king strongly disagreed saying more time to interrogate tsarnaev could have brought fort new critical information to keep america

safe. >> disgraceful because we didn't know what the full consequences are going to be, who else is involved, who was involved then, who could be involved in the future. we may not know because of eric holder. all right tamerlan and his mother had been listed in a u.s. counterterrorism database since russia raised concerns about both of them in 2011. and it was in that same year an official with knowledge of the investigation is now saying that russia intercepted communication between sammer plan's mother and one the two sons discussing jihad in a conversation described as vague. the information came from a wiretap russians have turned over only in recent days. earlier in the week, vladimir putin acknowledged the situation could have been handled better. to my great regret, he said, we were not able to provide our american colleagues with information that would have had operative significance. in addition to the terrorism

charges he's already facing, tsarnaev could face more charges soon. a grand jury is looking over evidence and then an indictment will be presented sometime in the next three weeks. from there we can expect to see tsarnaev in court sometime down the road. john. >> pamela brown for us live following developments concerning dzhokhar tsarnaev. as we mentioned before, we have a lot of developments overnight from russia. russian special forces targeting a militant group over the weekend that may be linked to suspected bomber tamerlan tsarnaev. nick paton walsh is live from moscow with those details. also nick has just spoken to the tsarnaev parents. what's the latest, nick? >> reporter: well, first let's deal with the parents. i spoke to the father and the mother in the last couple of hours. and the father in a grave state saying i'm sick, and not much else during the phone call. it was clear he wasn't in good condition at all. spoke to the mother. she said our travel plans are

changing, but at the moment given the current condition of health of the father, a journey to the united states for him seems highly unlikely. she said, however, she would go to the u.s. regardless of any outstanding arrests, warrants against her or potential threat of investigation or inquiry from prosecutors there if she was allowed to see her son, dzhokhar. talked about how the husband was really, really sick in her words and i think the focus for them right now in what must be a traumatic time for them is looking of a hafter his health. >> what are the developments concerning the special forces raid in russia you can tell us about? >> reporter: what we know is that early hours of yesterday morning, there was a raid in dagestan. it killed a man called shakhrudin askhabov. how does it relate back to the

boston bombings? tamerlan tsarnaev made a link to abu dujan. we don't know if the two men met, but what is curious at this point, not only that tamerlan had interest in abu dujan, but russian authorities are hunting him down across dagestan. this particular video we know shakhrudin askhabov is connected to abu dujan because i've seen a wanted list that shows him as part of the team and we've seen pictures from the police in which it's clear askhabov is part of that particular group. so ongoing manhunt in russia related to the man russia speci forces activity, a raid on a militant group with possible connections to tamerlan

tsarnaev. so let's talk more about that with tom fuentes. former assistant director of the fbi. you hear a special forces raid in russia on a militant group that tamerlan tsarnaev had youtube videos of. what does that indicate to you? >> to me it indicates that they have been monitoring this group all along. obviously through 2011 when they're intercepting phone calls with the mother in russia and then through 2012 when they actually attacked and killed abu dujan this past december and their monitoring of that organization continues to this day with the recent attack over the weekend of another member or success or to abu dujan. >> you were talking about the wiretaps, the intercepts of the phone calls between the tsarnaev mother and at least one call to tamerlan and another call to someone inside russia. in those calls loosely we believe that she mentioned the word jihad, those are from the

russian wiretaps. how significantly would that information have been to the fbi when they first looked into tamerlan back in 2011? >> i think it would have significance for a number of reasons. one is that if they're wiretapping her and if they're asking the fbi to look into tamerlan's background as a potential jihadist, that it would indicate that the russians are probably looking at tamerlan as someone that will come to dagestan, join up with that militant group possibly, and attack russia. do an attack in russia. it doesn't seem like the russians are indicating that, oh, should you watch this guy because he's going to attack you. they're interested in what he might do in russia. and when the fbi does all of the investigation that they can at that time and find no connections in the u.s. to other individuals, they would see phone calls to his mother or to his father and that wouldn't

raise a huge suspicion if you don't know that they're already monitoring the mother. if they're conducting electronic surveillance on the mother, then phone calls from the son to the mother take on newer light than just family phone calls. >> let me quickly ask you about parents and their possible travels to the u.s. which seem delayed now. what kind of witnesses would they be, what would the fbi hope to get from them? >> well, if the fbi had the opportunity to interview let's say the mother here when she comes and the father, what did you do during that six months, what did you talk about on the phone before he travels there, but in 2012, he spends six months in dagestan in the area. are you aware of who he met with, what did he do, did he learn something that he told you about that he was taught how to make explosive devices or encouraged in some way to come back and commit an attack or

maybe being encourageded to join jihad against the russians there. they know more, it would be important to find out what more they may know if they're willing to say. >> if they're willing to say, if they're willing to come to the u.s. and of course they are not here yet. tom fuentes, thank you so much for being with us this morning to help us bring us up to indicate on the latest. of course we still want to focus on the victims. there are still some two dozens in hospital. we're at copley square which is the site of the memorial for all the victims. flowers. we've been watching people stop by and there are notes from all over the world here. we saw people leaving notes from istanbul, from kashmir, from the middle east. from an india reservation. so very local element here, a special place in boston, but clearly a special place for people from all over the world. you see that note right there from kashmir, from ireland. truly an international site of

mourning and remembrance now. let's go back to christine romans in new york for more on the other top news. good morning. developing news this morning from prague. an explosion in the heart of that city leaving nearly 60 people injured. there were also reports of people trapped in the rubble. czech authorities say the blast brought down the first floor of a tv and film school, shattered windows of other buildings nearby about that a glass explosion may have caused that blast. we're following a developing story in northern california, the desperate search for the person who murdered an 8-year-old girl. leyla's brother discovered her body saturday inside their home in the rural community of valley springs about 60 miles southeast of sacramento. her mother says the family is devastated, this little girl was so full of life, and the mother is pleading for someone to turn in that killer. paul is in valley springs. do police have any leads at all? >> reporter: they do believe

they have fingerprints and they believe they have dna, but that of course will take time to process. right now here in this community people who live here always talk about the peace and the quiet, but that tranquility shattered over the weekend. it's a rural community on edge. >> they had the help coulters going over our house last night. >> reporter: a place where doors often go unlocked. now bolted shut. >> i'm sure a lot of families last night locked all their windows and doors for the first time. >> reporter: a killer is on the loose. the killer of an 8-year-old girl leyla fowler. police say she and her 12-year-old brother were home alone saturday afternoon when he says he saw an intruder leaving the house. the boy called his parents who called 911. he then found his sister stabbed, severely wounded. she later died. since then police have been running down leads but have no specific suspect. >> we're searching extensively into attics and storage sheds.

it is a difficult area to search. it's remote. the grass is tall. >> there are a lot of empty homes and outbuildings around here. a lot of huge rock croppings where somebody can hide in. >> reporter: authorities have combed the hope and neighborhood for evidence. >> we did collect fingerprint and what we believe to be dna. that will hopefully be processed within the next week. >> reporter: there will be an added police presence today at schools and bus stops in the area.sident said, this kind of thing just does not happen here. and leyla's mother telling cnn that the fowlers were a blended family and that leyla had five brothers and sisters here in is it area and also three out of state. she would have been nine years old in june. >> wow. thanks so much, paul. a mississippi man is expected in court today accused

of sending letters to president obama and two others tainted with ricin. james everett dutschke, former political candidate, he was arrested over the weekend, charged with possession and use of a biological agent. dutschke allegedly sent the tainted letters to the president, to roger wicker and to a local mississippi judge. starting tomorrow, search planned to look for human remains near ground zero in new york. they will be looking in an alley behind an islamic community center. its eye believed the gear came from one of the planes that hit the twin towers on 9/11 and became lodged in a very narrow space. new this morning, the spire will be raised to the top of the freedom tower. these are live pictures this morning. once attached, the freedom tower will officially become the tallest building in the western hemisphere at 1776 feet.

only two buildings in the world will stand taller, the burj khalifa, at 2717 feet, followed by the clock tower hotel in saudi a ra. we have reports that tim tebow has been released. >> they traded up in the second round to pick geno smith out of west virginia. tim tebow spending just one year on the jets roster. did not have a very successful run at all. spending time on special teams and as the teams backup, certainly the most heralded and talked about backup quarterback probably in the history of the nfl. the media attention that he received, you just don't see that from a backup quarterback. but the new york "post" the first to report that tim tebow has been released from the jets.

prior to tebow being released, they had six quarterbacks on their roster including a guy getting paid a boat load of money, mark sanchez. but they do pick geno smith out of west virginia in the second round, so tim tebow's days in green and white appear to be over. >> do you think all that cel brittity hurt him? >> i just think he wasn't that good of a quarterback. and he's talked about that he's gotten lighter over the offseason, that he's work order his mechanics. he prepared to be in that conversation to be the starting quarterback this year. but obviously the jets front office just don't believe in him at this point and where he goes from here on out, we don't know. and the jets releasing him says a lot because you would think that they would try to trade him and get value in return for him. but the 31 other teams in the nfl apparently weren't invited. >> okay. thanks so much. that news just in. ahead on "starting point," opening statements expected in

the michael wrongful death trial. ann bremner is next to break down the legal showdown. room for balls and tees, it doesn't leave room for much else. there's no room left for deadlines or conference calls. not a single pocket to hold the stress of the day, or the to-do list of tomorrow. only 14 clubs pick up the right one and drive it right down the middle of pure michigan. your trip begins at michigan.org. i don'without goingcisions to angie's list first. you'll find reviews on home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. with angie's list, i know who to call, and i know the results will be fantastic. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

in just a few hours a jury is beginning to listen to opening statements in the michael jackson wrongful death suit. first witnesses could be called as early as tomorrow. joining me now, anne bremner. this is a case essentially of the jackson family saying, look, you aeg hired this doctor to keep michael alive. just keep him propped up so that you can make more money. right? and the company saying, no, this is michael jackson's hire. is that what it boils down to? >> exactly. you've got the issue in a nutshell. and the thing is, you can argue both sides, but the fact of the matter is they had a requirement. he met it.

he had a contract with the doctor. and the question is should they have known or did they know that dr. murray would do what he did or could do what he did. >> so do you think we'll see the michael jackson medical records unsealed during this process and would that be some sort of a game changer? >> i do. and there are things coming out i noticed when i got up this morning, there is more coming out about things i haven't seen or didn't know about in terms of his history or allegations about him. but this is a bombshell trial all the way around in terms of celebrities being called to testify, in terms of michael's background, in terms of how michael dealt with that molestation trial inle c califo, kids have lost her dad, katherine loth her sst hier sot world lost a pop star. >> do you think the medical records will show a deeply troubled michael jackson and how does that play with the jury?

>> well, it will again cut both ways. i hate to say it in lawyer speak, but the jurwill feel sympathetic with his mom that here she is the voice for her son, who died at 50. on the other hand, you can look at it and say he was headed towards his own demise. this was inevitable. the fact is nobody could have stopped this train on a track. and like dr. murray said, he did to himself. that's the other side of this cutting both ways. >> so potential witnesses include lisa marie presley, quincy jones, diana ross, spike lee, lou ferrigno. if you're an attorney trying to do your -- whatever side of the case you're on, how do you make sure your jury isn't star struck? >> i think it's almost impossible. i was with cnn for the trial in santa marimaria. we saw jay leno, a lot of celebrities. and the fact of the matter is

the jury heard the evidence and then in a case like this with these kinds of celebrity, it will be the same kind of thing. you listen to the evidence, but i wouldn't want to cross-examine in-qui convince city jon quincy jones or lisa marie presley. it's tough. >> three months we're expecting. we'll be talking to you. ahead, iron man 3 getting a $195 million jump on its u.s. release this weekend. the first ever blockbuster is already a global block bluser. what's this one do? i dunno. the name's bear, fancy bear. score planner is free to everyone. free score applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com fancy bear slider still in beta.

. trending this morning, michael jordan is walking on air. he got hitched over the weekend in palm beach in front of several hundred guests including spike lee, tiger woods. the reception was much bigger, about 2,000 people under a huge tent. and how is this for entertainment, usher was one of the wedding singers. and iron man rules the world. the sequel made more than $195 million at the international box office. that is a very good head start for the first summer blockbuster which makes its u.s. debut this weekend. ahead, the surviving boston bombing suspect says he and his brother weren't helped, but new information has some lawmakers

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welcome back to boston. we begin with new developments in the boss tton bombing case. the mother just telling nick paton walsh that she plans to travel to the united states no matter what the risk as long as she's able to see her surviving son. nick spoke to the father, as well. his health nick says is taking a bad turn. overnight, russian special forces raided a militant group with possible links to tamerlan tsarnaev taking out this man purportedly a key member of that militant group. this comes as the fbi and russian security officials try to piece together tamerlan's movements during his six month visit to russia.

they want to know if others may have influenced or helped the tsarnaev brothers, that includes their mother as well as tamerlan's wife catherine russell who converted to islam when she married tamerlan in 2010. as for weather thether the bomb help, shall appear convinced they did. listen. >> i think given the level of so he missity indication of the device, the fact the pressure cooker is a signature device goes back to pakistan, afghanistan, the way they handled the devices leads me to believe that there was a trainer. >> did they have help in dagestan? nic robertson is following developments live from dagestan this morning. good morning, nic. >> reporter: good morning. well, this is certainly a place where you could get bomb

training and weapons training. there is a vicious fight going on between security forces and rebels hiding out in the mountains here and roadside bombs, suicide bombs are typical of what the rebels are using against government forces. so when tsarnaev was here, betwedid he have the opportunity to meet with bombmakers, potentially absolutely yes. is there a proven link, no. he attended a mosque here that has a very radical reputation, a mosque that russian security services monitor, a mosque where people who have sympathies towards the rebels do attend, but were some of those people actual rebels, were they the rebel leaders that he later posted on one of his social networking sites, it's just not clear. did he actually talk to them. that's what russian security services here will be asking themselves as they continue in this daily battle, two fighters killed last night, three killed

the day before in a daily battle with the rebels here. >> battles clearly intensifying as the investigation continues. nic robertson for us this morning, thanks so much. we're standing about a block away from the finish line of the boston marathon and ten runners who could not complete the race because of the bombings, well, they got a second chance to compete in a marathon and cross thatti finish line in oklahoma, of all places. they accepted an invitation to enter the oklahoma city memorial marathon which is an event that honors the victims of the 1995 oklahoma city bombing. security was stepped up for the race. no backpacks were allowed. this has become a mecca for runners here in boston. so many people going out for their morning jog stop by here and pay their respects at this memorial site. let's go back to christine romans in new york for the rest of the day's top stories. a car bomb exploded this morning in the syrian capital

damascus and it looks like the intended target was syria's prime minister. he was not hurt. but one person was killed. the blast taking praise nelacen assad's palace. >> our actions should not be dictated by whether bashir assad used the chemical weapons or not. sooner or later, he most likely would in order to maintain his hold on power. >> the president has said syria's use of chemical weapons would cross a red line, but on friday, mr. obama insisted the intelligence assessment about chemical weapons is preliminary at this point. a rescue operation is slowly turning this to a recovery effort in bangladesh. crews are now using heavy machinery to remove wreckage at the collapsed factory building indicating the search for survivors may be drawing to a close. the death toll is approaching 400 this morning. three factory owners and two government engineers have been

arrested. the building's owner was arrested as he tried to flee the country and again that factory housed companies that made garments intended to u.s. consumers and european consumers. president obama will nominate charlotte mayor anthony foxx to become the next transportation secretary today. the nomination would make him the only african-american picked for a cabinet spot in the president's second term. new this morning, the experiment is over. jets quarterback tim tebow has been released. the new york "post" reports the decision comes just three days after the jets drafted geno smith in the second round to compete for the starting qb slot. tebow is now a free agent. not clear if another team will attempt to pick him up. faa saying employee furloughs are over. that should fix the problems from last week when flyers saw big delays at major airports. the faa furloughed 13,000 controllers because of forced spending cuts.

congress passed a bill friday to deal with the problem. today marks six months since super storm is anly slammed into the east coast causing massive damage and heartace. tens of thousands of people remain homeless. congress ma'man michael grimm w here early with pat who lost her daughter in that storm. >> a lot has been done, but there is still so much more to do. and in many ways we're really just starting major aspects of the recovery. >> new jersey residents and business owners have until wednesday may 1 to apply for disaster assistance from fema or for a loan from the small business administration. a lesbian teacher fired from a catholic school in ohio is fighting to get her job back she was let go after 19 years. listen to former students reacting to the students.

>> feel sad it had to happen this way. feel sorry that it was so publicized and that she doesn't have a job anymore. but i also don't think the school or the diocese had a choice. >> it goes against everything the catholic church preaches on hoe know next allity. yes, they don't believe in marriage, but they preach love and compassion. >> the diocese says staff that publicly mentions relationships that contradict church teachings cannot work for the church. and online petition supporting her has nearly 95,000 signatures. now time to take today's pl political news to the max. connie and mary bono mack. nice to see both of you. i want to talk about gun control. >> of course you do. >> joe manchin said something and i want to get your response. >> pat toomey, co-sponsor, says

he's -- >> i talked with pat last night and he's totally committed to th bill. >> you are going to bring it back to the senate floor and you think it will be different this time? >> i truly believe that if we have time to sell the bill and people will read the bill, and i'm willing to go anywhere in this country, debate anybody on this issue, read the bill and you tell me what you don't like. >> so he says it was misunderstood, there were m misrepresentations about what's in the bill and he'll bring it back, that it's not gone. do you think there is a chance that could happen? >> no bill passes immediately. i think if it does, you should be afraid of it anyway. but clearly there are people in congress who have championed this issue for a long time. of course carol mccarthy is second to none as far as leading the way here. but that bill might have been rushed. i think that there was definitely an emotional time in the country to put it out there. but in this case, i think a little bit of kicking it around probably isn't a bad idea. >> the longer you wait, though,

doesn't the, i don't know, the public fury about newtown start to fade? is that a risk? >> it's a risk, but it's not coming back to -- the sponsor wants to try to get it back to the floor, wants to keep the issue alive. the senate voted against. this was a bipartisan vote that killed the bill. you're not going to see that bill again. they might try to push it in all different ways, but he's saying it's misunderstood. the president said that people opposed to it were lying about it. but at the end of the day, i think the senators are very clear where they stand on this issue. >> did see some of the zingers from the koeshcorrespondents' d? there was a really good one from conan o'brien about governor christie. let's listen to that one. >> i'd like to acknowledge earlier this evening there was some confusion with the seating chart. for a moment, someone accidentally sat governor chris christie with the republicans.

that was awkward and i apologize. very awkward. >> always funnier when there's a little bit of truth in there. >> that's always a great night. and i've been there before where the humor gets over the top and so personal. if conan or whoever can tread that fine line, the president was great, president bush was great, president clinton was great. it's really a great night for them to shine and i think it's important for the town to come together despite what the critics say and actually like each other and be kind to each other. >> do you think there are too many celebrities, too? >> who cares? not who cares that they're there, but so a lot of celebrities went. >> the politicians aren't the celebrit celebrities? don't tell them that. >> i know there are a lot of people out there who are saying enough of this and they're partying when the rest of the country is hurting. >> even tom brokaw said when lindsay lohan goes, you know

you've gone too far. >> sounds like sour grapes to me. sorry. maybe he's got other -- i don't know. like people who are complaining about it, sounds like they have another agenda. i think it's a great thing. why not get humor in politics. why not have an opportunity where people can have some fun. it was a dinner party. >> so the faa people will be on duty again, those furloughs are over. do you think we'll see every single special interest group now or lobbyist pushing for their particular thing to be unsequestered? i mean -- >> if they're as clever as ray lahood. he knew how to play to his benefit. the funny thing yesterday when we flu from california to here, they are still using sequestration as a reason why the airlines are slow. and telling people hurry up and board quickly. >> so over the last week i traveled out of new york, all around the country. and i didn't have one delay.

you know? so what's going to happen now that all the money has been put back in place they say if i'm delayed, whose fault is it? >> i just want to know itinerary is. tim tebow quickly. >> he's such a great athlete and great person. a team would be lucky to have imhim. i think he'll have another shot. >> you consider him a god. >> i just think he's such a role model for kids. he's everything you want -- >> role model doesn't win games. >> he wins games. look, when he was in denver, he won games. he's a winner. you put him in the game, he will win. if you put him in and you kind of hamstring him and don't let him play, he won't win. it's gator nation. >> nice to see you. thanks, guys. ahead on "starting point," the new suspect accused of sending poison laced letters to the president appears in court today. the latest twist in the bizarre case may be linked to and the

old fashioned feud. and then a jaw dropping stunt. hear from the man attempting to fly through a hole surrounded by boulders wearing only a wing suit. so free credit score's redesigned site has this new score planner tool with these cool sliders. this one lets us know what happens if we miss a payment. oh.

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and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact that i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. join today and find out why over 1 million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. a mississippi man is expected in court today accused of sending letters to president obama and two others, tainted with ricin. james everett dutschke, former

political candidate, he's charged with possession and use of a biological agent. alaina is live for us in oxford. >> reporter: dutschke is expected to go before a federal court judge at some point today. meanwhile the man who says he was framed by dutschke tells us he is just happy an arrest was made. kevin curtis is relieved after learning of james everett dutschke's arrest. >> i was just like -- i took a deep breath and i told my ex-wife, i said thousand i feel like a weight is so much lifted off of my shoulders. >> reporter: investigators initially honed in on curtis after someone sent ricin laced letters. charges filed against curtis were crdropped last week and th fbi shifted its focus to dutschke, martial arts

instructor and former political candidate. >> just surrounded the house and knocked on the door. came out willingly. wasn't any struggling going on. >> reporter: federal prosecutors have charged dutschke with knowingly developing, proceeding, stockpiling and possessing a biological agent for use as a weapon. curtis' ex-wife laura womaned with dutschke at an insurance company. she says dutschke bragged about being a member of mensa, a high iq society. >> he had a mensa card and it was one of his things he was proud of. >> reporter: kevin curtis says dutschke has been harassing him online since 2004. why do you think he was interested in you? >> i don't know. i'm still trying to find that out. i'm so curious. i've been curious for years. >> reporter: dutchity denied curtis' accusations and any involvement with the ricin letters. in this statement posted on youtube. >> i don't have anything at all to do with this.

i don't yo hardhardly know the . we've only met on two occasion. >> reporter: for now curtis says he's focused on spending time with his four children and closing this chapter of his life. now, dutschke's court appearance here is expected to be very brief. we will bring you updates as we learn them. >> thank you so much. ahead, he flies through the air with the greatest of ease. but he has to be a little crazy, right? jeanne moos has his story. or good decisions? ones i've made. ones we've all made. about marriage. children. money. about tomorrow. here's to good decisions. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. ready to plan for your family's future? we'll help you get there.

welcome back to "starting point". smart is the new rich. stocks kicking off with a modest rally. dow futures up about 50 points. personal spending rose last month. wall street had expected a drop. investors also encourage that had italy has formed a new goem government. a sign of stability in a country with nearly 12% unemployment rate. have you checked your credit history? a new studdy says many don't. 22% of people have never looked at their credit report. remember it's free from annualcreditreport.com. basically your financial report card, the thing every lender even potential employers look at. so you should, too, especially if you're going to borrow money in the next six to 12 months. he's a wing suit pioneer, but something else to be said trying to fly lieu a tiny rock formation at 155 miles per hour.

>> reporter: it's one thing for james bond to pull incredible stunts flying a plane. but a real flesh and blood guy whose goal is to fly through a hole on a spanish mountain wearing a wing suit? that's winging on temperature 27-year-old alexander poley jumped out of a helicopter and flew atop stepeed of 115 miles r hour toward the mountain. >> pulling your shoulders up and forward. >> reporter: he was aiming for a 20 by 20 hole he calls the bat cave. >> one of the biggest laws of my life, flying your body. >> reporter: he tried busting through 2013 targets. and before that, he tested his control by knocking off phone poles. but rock isn't foam. you're heading for the hole. are you thinking i could easily smash into the rocks? >> absolutely not. none of that. >> reporter: alexander's

approach is zen. >> i did a full month of yoga and meditation. >> reporter: he made the attempt only once and it was a hole in one. flight lasted a minute and a half. and he floated to the ground. the bat cave was almost the same size as the gap between buildings that two of his friends flew threw. he's flown behind water falls. he's even buzzed his mom. >> there he is, my baby. >> reporter: alexander doesn't lack nerve. but he does lack a sponsor. he's even tried to sponsor himself by starting his own clothing company. his first t-shirt will feature a flightless penguin dreaming of flying like an eagle. and if you're tempted to fly, you can buy a decent wing suit for $1200 or $1300.

of course you'll still need a parachute and tons of skydiving experience and lessons in wing suit flying. just the other day he scraped his arm skydiving when his hair parachute didn't deploy properly. >> it wrapped around my arm and i had to cut it away. >> reporter: wing suit flying is like a cross between a flying squirrel and the flying nun. though even alexander hasn't done this yet. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> wow. "starting point" back in a moment. everyone's retirement dream is different; how we get there is not. we're americans. we work. we plan. ameriprise advisors can help you like they've helped millions of others. to help you retire your way, with confidence.

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welcome back. what you're looking at is them switching out the poster boards where thousands have left messages here at the boston marathon bombing memorial. these giant pieces of paper, they have had to bring in dozens

of them over the last few days because so many people have wanted to leave messages behind for the people there. that's all for our coverage from boston this morning. that is all for starting point. special edition of newsroom starts right now. >> good to see you. the global search for answers in the boston marathon bombings turns to russia. that a listen. you are looking and listening at special forces carrying out a special raid. one of those killed, a radical who may, may being a key word, have had ties to the boston suspects. meanwhile layer upon layer of tributes blanket boylston street two weeks to the day since the attacks, bostonians pause to honor the victims. this is newsroom and we begin right now.