not glue yet. pony stark. and teabiscuit. that's it for "the lead." we now turn you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." happening now, big flames are racing dangerously close to thousands of california homes. we'll get a live update from the fire zone. plus, new evidence that the bombs set off in boston were truly homemade. and after boston, the kentucky derby fans will face new limits when they back into churchill downs tomorrow. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta. you're in "the situation room." we begin with a new discovery in the boston terror investigation. authorities now appear to have evidence that the bombs were made at tamerlan tsarnaev's apartment where he lived with his wife and young child.

hi, deb. >> reporter: one of the reasons they believe that is because according to a source in the investigation, forensic experts did find explosive residue on the kitchen table, the sink and bathtub of the home where tamerlan tsarnaev lived with his wife and young daughter and catherine russell has been speaking to investigators all day. clearly if she was in the apartment, they want to know what she knows and whether she saw any of this activity that was going on, jim. >> and deb, what is the latest on what will happen to the dead body of tamerlan tsarnaev? >> reporter: well, the body was removed from the medical examine's office yesterday at 5:00 in the afternoon.

it was taken to one funeral home, then to another in worster, massachusetts. the body was claimed by his uncle that lives in maryland. the family is dmenepending an independent autopsy. they do not believe the cause of death will come out what it will be. they want an independent autopsy to be performed. so not clear when he will be buried. jim? >> all right. thank you. there's also new word that the federal government is about to revamp its system of allowing international students into the u.s. it comes days after three friends of "the lead" wesho dzh were charged with a cover up. more from our crime and justice correspondent joe johns. sounds like a good idea, john. >> reporter: this was bound to have a ripple effect, just the

fact that one of the men charged with conspiracy was able to get into the country on an expired student visa. a federal source tells cnn that the department of homeland security has put in place a policy that requires customs officials to verify that foreign students have a valid visa before they're allowed to enter the united states. the new policy is being viewed as a reaction to the boston bombing case and the discovery that azamat tazhayakov, one of the students had been allowed to enter the united states in january without a valid student visa. but the source says the tightening on visa policy is part of a number of reforms that have been under development which the government for several months. the timing of the policy and the intense focus on foreign students generally is raising

questions about whether people who come here from other countries will get singled out for special scrutiny because of what happened in boston. supreme court justice sonia sotomayor brought up the boston bombing suspects on her own at a speaking engagement in colorado. she was asked a question about racial profiling. >> if you've been following the news about the boston bombing, and about criticisms, whether they're justified or not, about following up on the activities of the two young men who were involved, is that profiling? could be. is it something that you just can't ignore? maybe sometimes not. it's a fine line that society walks in trying to be fair. >> reporter: and it's a potentially volatile issue, as well. the discovery that one of the students charged in the cover up got into the u.s. on an invalid visa has attracted attention on capitol hill and expected to come up in future hearings.

it's also about immigration reform that's being debated in the congress. senator charles grassley of iowa offered a three-page let tore the secretary of homeland security asking questions about the visa issues in boston. we have lots of questions about how this policy actually is going to be implemented. >> joe johns, thank you. the spring forecast for america's economy is suddenly looking brighter after today's better than expected jobs report. payrolls grew by 165,000 jobs last month. still not enough to make up for all the jobs lost during the financial crisis but enough to ease the fears of economists and investors. >> reporter: by now you've seen the headline. the unemployment rate the lowest since 2008. a lot of concerns about a spring slowdown, but this report put some of those concerns to rest, because in february, more than

300,000 jobs were created. that's the best hiring we've seen for a month since the census in 2010. and if you strip away the census, it's the best we've seen since 2005. also a stronger march than we thought, 138,000 and 165,000. that means on average over the past year, 173,000 jobs created each month. that is enough to lower the unemployment rate. the important thing is where are these jobs? because some of the jobs coming back don't have the pay or the benefits of the jobs we lost. retail jobs, 29,000 of those jobs created. those quite frankly are not always the best paying jobs but they show a consumer that is resilient. professional and business services, 73,000 jobs, higher paid jobs with benefits. wholesale trade employment, 29,000. when you see mining, construction and manufacturing flat, those show that we have some work to do. bottom line here, 176,000 private sector jobs created. you lose public sector jobs, you

come out 165,000 jobs here. you need to see this trend continue and accelerate to truly show a healing market. but this is a labor market report better than many economists expected. investors seemed to like what they saw in the april jobs report. it was a record breaking day on wall street. all three stock indexes were up at the closing bell. at one point during the day, the dow rose above 15,000, an all-time high and the s&p broke 1600 for the first time. let's bring in alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. was this about the jobs report? >> it was. it's the jobs numbers that got the bulls running today. the dow above 15,000 for the first time. the s&p 500 crossed the 1600 level for the first time ever. but some still worry about this disconnect going on between what

we're seeing in the market and the strength of the economy. the jobs report was good, but it wasn't great, because if you look at how the jobs numbers have been over the past year, an average of 173,000 jobs a month have been added. what that means is that you look at march and april of this year, those job additions were below those average months. but that didn't stop traders on the floor of the new york stock exchange from cheering when they saw the dow touch 15,000 for the very first time in its 117-year history. jim? >> all of the experts say we need to see something north of 300,000 jobs created every month for this unemployment rate to go down in a big way. anything long-term we can read from this record breaking day on wall street today? >> as far as the job numbers go, yes. you want to see the numbers into the 300,000 level to really put americans back to work. 11.7 million americans are still out of work. as for stocks, many believe the trend is going to be higher, at

least as long as the federal reserve has its hand in the mix. the fed is buying up $85 billion of mortgage backed securities, treasuries every month. that's pushing interest rates to record lows, making stocks the best game in town. pushing investors to invest in stocks. so it's caused this stunning run-up for stocks overall that we've seen this year. just this year, we're not even at june, the dow is up 14%. the s&p 500 is up 13%. the nasdaq is up 12%. these are huge levels already. one trader says when he sees it go up and up, it makes him nervous, because that greed prevents you from selling but it makes it tougher to find a bargain. but not looking like investors had any trouble buying into the market today. >> we can still see them sweeping up the confetti behind you. coming up next, a huge gathering of gun rights

activist. will the nra's opponents crash the party? a top california fire official is standing by to give us an update on the fire dangers in the los angeles area right now. that is coming up, next.

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stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. now to those wildfires as parts of the los angeles area look like an inferno right now. the flames have scorched 10,000 acres of land and 4,000 homes are threatened across the area. dozens of buildings have been damaged and there doesn't appear to be any relief in sight. joining us on the phone is the chief. you've been in close contact with the fire, chief. what's the latest you're hearing and how many homes are we looking at in terms of what's been lost? >> as you reported, we are right at about 10,000 acres, and 10% contained.

approximately 15 homes have been lost. as the fire progresses and as we ultimately, when it's contained, go in and do damage assessment. we make the final determinations on what the losses are. >> what's the next 24 hours going to look like? do we expect things to improve or might it get worse? >> we're looking at a conversion from the offshore santa ana winds that we've been seeing returning to the normal on shore influence. that will push the fire back on itself. and has the potential to burn in areas that have not previously had fires. so we're working to strengthen the control lines and prepare for that activity. we also anticipate some additional moisture that will help provide better humidity and better containment efforts. >> and what are the conditions like right now on the ground

that are leading to these wildfires and how would you compare that to years past? are you in an at-risk situation for more of this to develop as the days go on? >> that is the key this year, the vegetation conditions are in a place where we would normally be in june. we started seeing fire activity, significant fire activity towards the middle to end of april. and vegetation is at critically dry levels. all we need is potential for fire starts to drive this. remember, we're only on the third day of may, as we work our way through the heat of the summer, the vegetation is only going to be drier as the days get warmer. we anticipate the potential for these fires throughout california and for the remainder of the summer. >> so it can be a long summer for the folks in california. what is governor brown saying,

are you going to have enough equipment and people on the ground to keep these fires contained as they break out? >> we've been in constant communication with the governor's office and the governor. as you know, california is no stranger to this kind of fire activity. we are well prepared. all of our resources are being staffed up to meet the threat. we work very closely with california national guard fors a pets such as fixed wing c-130 aircraft and helicopters. california is well practiced as these kinds of fires and other disasters. the governor has set aside $200 million in emergency firefighting funds, budgeted for this purpose. so we're prepared and ready to go. >> chief, thank you very much for your time. we appreciate it and all the

best to you guys there in california. hope you can stay on top of this and get this turned around. appreciate your time. >> thank you, jim. coming up, a u.s. military plane crashes overseas. the latest on the horrifying scene coming up next. you're in "the situation room." , fighting seven signs of aging gets harder. introducing total effects moisturizer plus serum. for the ninety-two practices, two proms, and one driving test yet to come. she'll need our most concentrated total effects ever. made a retirement plan, they considered all her assets, even those held elsewhere, giving her the confidence to pursue all her goals. when you want a financial advisor who sees the whole picture, turn to us. wells fargo advisors. who sees the whole picture, turn to us. we are outta here! finding you the perfect place. hotels.com.

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an american military refueling plane takes off and crashes. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and some of the other top stories right now in "the situation room." >> well, the emergency ministry reports three people were on board and the u.s. military says the status of the crew is unknown.

they're assigned to a u.s. air base there that serves as a supply hub to american forces in afghanistan. there was a devastating hit that left a canadien star on the ice, and bleeding. the team says eller was cob shouse and alert at the hospital. an nhl disciplinary hearing is scheduled today. unbelievable video coming in from our affiliate of a train derailment in texas. the train was pulling these now zigzagged containers, which were reportedly empty. no injuries are reported. we're also getting a firsthand look inside oscar winning actress reese witherspoon's now infamous georgia state trooper that ended

in her arrest. take a look here. >> ma'am, what did i just tell you to do? >> i would like to know what's going on. >> he's under arrest. >> i'm a u.s. citizen and i can stand here and ask any question i want. you better not arrest me. are you kidding me? >> no. i told you to get in that car and stay there. >> i'm an american citizen. this is beyond. you are harassing me. i'm a u.s. citizen. i've done nothing against the law. >> yes, you have. >> i have to obey your orders? >> yes, you do. >> no, sir, i do not. >> reese, reese. relax. >> i'm now being arrested and handcuffed? >> yes. >> do you know my name, sir? >> i don't need to know it. >> you don't need to know my name? >> not quite yet. >> you're about to find out who i am.

>> i'm not real worried. i done told you how things worked. you wa it's called obstruction. >> i'm obstructing your justice? >> yes. >> i'm anti-american? >> yes. go sit down. >> wow. >> go butt first, lit will be a lot easier on you. >> interesting. >> i'm sorry. i absolutely had nothing to do with that. >> take a seat for me. >> understand me and understand me very well. >> yes, sir. >> i have a job i have to do. >> yes. >> if i ask -- i asked you nicely to stay in your vehicle, did i not? >> yes, sir. >> why in god's holy name did you get out of there? >> i felt like you were obstr t obstructing justice?

>> how am i obstructing justice? do you see that? >> i'm an american citizen. i can do whatever i want to. >> you can't get out of that vehicle. >> i can do whatever i want to. >> you hindered my investigation. >> that's your prerogative. >> it will be in the report. >> okay. >> do you have anything on you that i need to know about? >> no, sir. i'm reese witherspoon. this will be in the national news, i want to let you know. >> that's fine. why in god's holy name would you have got out of your car? you would have been able to drive. i told you not to get out of the car. >> absolutely, you told me not to get out of the car. then i said to you, i disagree. i am an american citizen. >> take a seat for me. >> yes, sir.

this will be national news, i'm just letting you know. >> that's fine. just take a seat. >> he's arresting me. >> i understand. >> what have i done? what did i do? >> he told you to stop. >> to stop? i'm an american citizen. i can say whatever i want to. he does not have jurisdiction over the ground he speaks on. he does not. i'm allowed to say anything i want to say. >> he asked you to get in the car. all you should have done is let me get arrested. >> arrested for what? >> a dui. >> and what did i get arrested for? >> you wouldn't listen to what he said to do, and you kept getting out of the car. now you have turned it.

>> wait, i have threatened him and put him in a position that he feels vulnerable? honestly, come on. come on. >> he hindered my investigation. >> you turned it really bad. >> wow. that went on, and reese witherspoon publicly apologized this week and pleaded no contest to obstruction to justice with a $213 fine. her husband pleaded guilty to dui and got a year probation. at the end, you could hear that her husband was telling her, you should be listening. he is her agent, too. >> so giving career advice, too. two takeaways from that, lisa. one is, you're always courteous to the police officers. not speaking from personal experience, but just saying that's a good rule of thumb. and most of the time they don't care who you are. >> and the other thing is do what they tell you to do. he said go in the car, she

didn't say in the car. that's the problem there. i had not watched that whole thing play out as it did, but it went on for much longer. they just kept going at it and at it. they were all very polite about the whole thing. just at the end of the day, she was arrested. she apologized and she was very embarrassed. >> that is one film clip she would like to see go away. coming up, the national rifle association plans its next moves. after newtown, what will gun rights activists accomplish this weekend? and find out what you might have to give up if you're going to the kentucky derby tomorrow. on the next parts unknown, anthony bourdaine takes us on a tour of canada. it's all new this sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific only on cnn and it's a great show.

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the spotlight is back on the national rifle association and its fight against gun control legislation. nra members are gathering in texas for their annual meeting, just weeks after their scored a big victory in the senate. but some gun control advocates want to crash the party. let's bring in dana bash. we're just noticing that sarah palin is speaking right now. they're drawing in a lot of people to this event, but there may be some other fights to come on there fight. >> sarah palin is joining the bandwagon of a lot of speakers, and they are bashing the president and we in the media as much as they are fighting for gun rights. but the central theme is that the president and his allies are taking advantage of tragedies to squeeze the second amendment. it's a packed house in houston.

an estimated 75,000 people expected at the nra's convention. with gun control on congress' agenda for the first time in a decade, the second amendment rallying cry is as urgent as ever. >> we will never back away from our resolve to defend our rights and the rights of all law abiding american gun owners. >> reporter: wild applause for a gop senator who helped defeat the vote to expand background checks. that nra victory was proof it still has incredible clout. before the senate vote, former congressman gabrielle giffords and her husband told us about a meeting they had with a senator -- >> the next sentence says, i can't vote for any of that. it's a tough issue because of the influence of the nra. >> reporter: at the nra

convention now, giffords and kelly's gun control group is taking action, hoping rank and file nra members are open to restrictions aimed at preventing gun violence. they're targeting nra convention goers. >> reporter: other gun control groups are there, too. this ad is on houston tv. >> had there been a background check, my sister would still be with us. i'm an nra member and i believe in sensible gun laws. >> reporter: the clout comes more from members than money. but it's impossible to discount the lopsided campaign cash flowing from gun rights versus gun control groups. look at this stark illustration. gun rights groups gave nearly

$528,000 to senators who voted no on expanding background checks. gun control groups only gave $5,000. john mccain voted yes, despite getting big bucks from gun groups. here's what he said about reviving the legislation. >> all i can say is that -- i would say the chances are 50-50. >> reporter: in order to pass expanding background checks, supporters have to find five new senate voters. senator joe manchin thinks key senators may be feeling enough pressure at home this week to change a sentence or two and what they would have to do is agree that they really needed this politically and be able to say look, i did this, i got this, but it is still a big question mark whether that will happen. >> that seems like a natural

thing to do when you consider the week we just saw with two senators who felt the heat from their constituents. we'll have to see what happens. but that's no assurance that anything will get passed even in the senate. >> not at all. i talked to democratic aides and they say the only way to bring this up is to have that guaranteed 60 votes. >> candy crowley and host of "state of the union" joins us now. candy, what about this? what is the benefit to the white house, to democrats to try to keep this fight alive, to go back to it? >> let's set aside that they want it and look at just the pure politics of it. if they cannot get it, this is -- and similar to immigration, which seems to be in a little more trouble than it was to begin with. nonetheless, the issue is, 90% of americans believe the same thing, support the position of

having expanded background checks. it is a passionate issue. it really enflames people. what better thing to run on than that? and the president said if i only had we had a slightly more democratic senate and if we could retake the house. yes, they want it, but i think republican also tell you, so will obama care. so we have seen the tables set for 2014. >> if you talk to operatives this week, they point to the polling out there that seems to suggest that democrats who voted against this may be taking a hit. democrats who voted for it are doing better. mary landrieu being one of those down in louisiana. so we're back to looking at polling. >> and back to looking at regions. yes, it was partisan in the sense that four republicans voted for it and four democrats voted against it. but nonetheless, it had to do

with region. i think we see that more and more when you watch the nra. there are pockets, and that's why it's such a difficult run in the house. because they're not running statewide. they're running in their districts, which can be very, very anti-any more gun control. >> and what about immigration? marko rubio was on the cover of "the national review." he's been taking a lot of heat from conservatives. could the boston bombing and that case have an impact? we've heard people say yes, it should be taken into consideration. will it have an impact? >> even if you don't see the connection, the gang of eight will tell you, they will say, listen, we take care of that. we're going to know through this reform system who is in this country, when they're supposed to leave the country, et cetera. but if you were against immigration reform to begin with, it's another arrow in your

quiver saying wait a second, wait a second, what about this guy. we've got to fix what we've got before we toss it. >> and all of this has to go through the house, which was the problem a lot of senators were saying with gun control. >> absolutely. both of these have to start in the senate. when you're talking immigration, you're right. the whole question of illegal immigration, this is not an issue. the whole boston issue is not an issue. a does not equal b. but you talk to everybody who is so desperate to kill this immigration reform bill, they will take anything they can get, and this is a big headline, the boston bombing that they're trying to use. >> we'll see you on sunday. thank you very much. candy will be joined by a panel of experts to talk about the boston bombing and self-radicalization. that's this sunday at 9:00 a.m. just ahead, a new measure of support for joe biden if he runs for president. but he still has a hillary clinton problem. we got this, right?

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the big day for the nra. let's talk about the future of the nra and its annual meeting under way in texas. joining us, two cnn analysts, donna brazil and "new york times" op-ed columnist ross duvat. and ross, let me start with you. the new incoming president of the nra, jim porter, there's some video circulating of some comments that he made last year about president obama. let's play that and get your take on that. >> i get so sick and tired of

all these people with this fake president, who want to say he hasn't done anything bad for gun owners. his entire administration is anti-gun, anti-freedom, anti-second amendment. the nra i can assure you has dug in, and we're whipping their ass everywhere we can go. right and left, up and down. >> doesn't sound like the nra will be toning things down with mr. porter. >> i think it's a barbecue behind him. i think we need some of that smoke coming up. but look, this is the problem in a way with being a really successful interest group. the nra is one of the most successful interest groups in the country. public opinion has probably shifted in its direction over the last 20 years. but that makes it harder to actually mobilize gun owners, especially after what was a big victory for the nra in the senate recently, what do you say to convince people that their

guns are under threat? you ratchet up the rhetoric. in a weird way, the success of the nra means it's not surprising that the rhetoric gets more and more heated, because interest groups depend on convincing their members that there's a threat around the corner. but ultimately, they're winning. >> donna, they are winning. one thing we did see this week is see the gun control advocates take a page out of the nra's playbook. they've been aggressive going to these town hall meetings. we saw the family member of one newtown victim showing up in a town hall in new hampshire. what are the chances that gun control could make a comeback? >> first of all, i don't think they're winning. they won round one, because with the threat to filibuster, the inability to get five senators to change their votes, perhaps right now it's not going to move any time soon. but i don't think this issue is going to go away.

simply put the american people are sick and tired of interest groups, left or right, controlling the politics in their city. so i believe we're going to see another debate in the house, in the senate, on gun safety laws. i want to say, the reason we saw all that smoke and fire, because he was lying. lying about the president, pants on fire, we've heard that. lying about president obama and vice president biden. they have not done anything to hurt the second amendment. they have not diluted the protection that gun owners currently have. they're trying to have simple background checks to people who are criminals and others who should not possess these weapons should not have them. >> let's see what senator ted cruise said at the nra's meeting. >> i would like to invite the vice president, if he believes the answer is not prosecuting

gun crimes but going after the constitutional right of law abiding citizens, i would like to invite the vice president to engage in an hour-long conversation and debate. how do we stop crime? >> we'll be happy to host that right here on cnn. we'll do it tonight. >> al gore, ross perot and now joe biden and ted cruz. >> who would win that debate? >> on points? i think ted cruz would win it. on bluster and charm, joe biden would win it. the thing for cruz, he's making a name for himself and antagonizing a lot of people. and that's not a bad thing from his point of view, since he's trying to brand himself as an outsider. and maybe run for president. this is the interesting thing, the career of barack obama has created a landscape where lots of tall ended first term senators come to washington and think, well, you know, it worked

for obama. i can run for president very quickly, too. i think cruz, i'm confident ted cruise wants to run for president. >> should joe biden take that advantage? >> he should say it's important to have a debate in the senate. go out and debate your colleagues in the united states senate. joe biden would say mularkey in terms of -- he would say it a few times and laugh. >> i want to get your take on this. there were some polls earlier this week. everybody knows what these polls show. if hillary clinton is in the democratic field, obviously hillary clinton is the runaway favorite. but if she decides not to run, joe biden way out in front there. donna, what advice would you give the vice president right now? >> just bide your time and be patient. we have 99 days until the iowa

caucuses. there's a lot of time. joe biden is a strong public servant. hillary clinton is fantastic. >> they're all great. >> all of them are great. >> which one are you rooting for? >> for pure political theater, you have to root for joe biden for democratic nominee. >> ross, donna, thank you very much for your time 679 >> can i say mularkey again? my irishness is coming out. coming out, we're tracing the early warnings about tamerlan tsarnaev, how he landed on a watch list but then dropped off the radar. we'll be right back. gift for your aunt... done. today, we're gonna be talking about your body after baby. yep. we're done. okay. let's get some lunch. yes! [ laughs ] all right! yes, honey. all natural -- everything.

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we know the federal authorities had tamerlan tsarnaev on their radar before the boss done bombings. he even wound up on a watch list. but it gets confusing after that. tom foreman has been looking into that. >> a curious trip to russia, loud confrontations at a mosque, visits to radical websites and behavior that made even relatives disapprove. >> what i think what's behind it, losers. >> reporter: some of that was enough to have tamerlan tsarnaev on at least one government watch list well before the boston bombings. rick nelson is an expert on these government data bases. so why didn't the watch list prevent this? >> it's difficult for the watch list to stop an attack. the watch list is just data. it's information.

>> reporter: there are many watch lists in government agencies, from the border patrol to the fbi to the cia. and the names of both the older tsarnaev brother and his mother were on one called the terrorist identity's data mar environment, or tide. a low-level list of about 700,000 names. something akin to a first line of defense. there is no active surveillance of people on tide. their names are kept in case they show up in connection with more serious threats. then they may be bumped to the no-fly or select list where their movements would be scrutinized much more closely just in case an attack is in the works. but -- >> with these particular suspects, you know, there was -- there's nothing that they did that, you know, suggested that they were going to do something like this. >> reporter: that is the problem. lone wolves like eric rudolph and the unabomber evaded capture

for years because they did not interact enough with others to reveal their plans. >> at the end of the day, it's very difficult, because with many of these individuals, we don't know when they're going to cross the line from relate oh rick to violent action. >> reporter: watch lists can still be enormously valuable to investigators tracking terror networks after an attack. but the fact that the boston bombings allegedly were the work of somebody already on a list is now in itself being looked at very hard. tom foreman, cnn, washington. >> when we come back, a major sporting event weeks after the boston marathon attacks, what are security officials planning to do differently at the kentucky derby. as a programming note, on the next parts unknown, anthony bourdain takes us to canada with two of the funniest and brilliant chefs of that country. all new anthony bower cane parts unknown canada.

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here's cnn's rayma brown. >> this is a big race leading up to the derby tomorrow. in some ways it's a test for the new security measures put into place in the wake of the boston bombings. the kentucky derby weekend is usually all about the big hats and mint juleps. and of course, the horse races. but nearly three weeks after this sporting event ended in tragedy, folks here are thinking about more than just waging their bets. >> it's what happened in boston, is it on your mind today? >> yes. it's definitely on my mind, just for the fact it's such a large crowd. you just never know how people's intentions are. >> absolutely. me and my buddy are coming from chicago. we were both talking today about, how scared at all about it? obviously it's on the forefront of our minds coming in today.

>> reporter: security has been tight at the derby since 9/11. but now officials are cracking down even more. >> the first thing you do after an event like that is you just get everybody back together and you say, what's the plan? do we need to make any adjustments? >> reporter: among those adjustments, a ban on coolers, cans, even large purses which came as a surprise to some. 100 additional officers from federal, state and local agencies were brought in to conduct more thorough searches, on the estimated 150,000 spectators pouring into churchill downs. most racing fans are taking the increased safety measures in stride. >> i was happy to hear that they had increased security. it means, you know, less makeup and goodies we can bring in, but it's worth it to just be more comfortable, and to know that we're all going to look after each other today. >> reporter: but one change had some women racing to the store. >> we had to shop for different size purses.

i heard a department store had a ruler on the counter. >> reporter: as a kentucky native, who grew up going to the derby, i can personally attest that the purse size limit is a pretty big deal, especially for the women coordinating their outfits months ahead of the event. >> thanks, pamela. happening now, huge clouds of smoke over the california coast. a massive wildfire threatens thousands of homes. relatives claim the body of a boston bombing suspect, but there's still a controversy over his burial as new details suggest he turned his home into a bomb factory. and former presidential candidate rick santorum joins us from of the nra's gathering in houston where they are slamming president obama. is it a victory, a party after the defeat of gun control legislation? we'll ask him. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. wolf blitzer is off today, i'm jim acosta, and you're in "the jim acosta, and you're in "the situation room."

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we're following a very dangerous situation in southern california. a huge wildfire burning out of control for the second day in a row. walls of flames are threatening homes and entire neighborhoods in ventura county, northwest of los angeles. and some cases, fire crews are battling the flames from house to house, in terrible conditions with high temperatures, low humidity and steep terrain. more than 10,000 acres have burned. right now, 4,000 homes are threatened. almost 1,000 firefighters are on the ground, and 14 helicopters and planes are helping battle the flames from the air. and take a look at this. this is what the fire looks like from space. the smoke filling hundreds of square miles of sky off the southern california coast. we'll talk to our severe weather expert, chad myers, in just a moment, about where that smoke is headed. but first, let's go to ventura

county. how do things look where you are? >> reporter: it's a very different picture than what it looked like several hours ago. firefighters have been hammering the hillsides. that's one hot spot over my shoulder there, you can see it smoldering. take a look at this charred hillside. firefighters, when we came up on this, a lot of this was on fire. it's burned all the way down the ridge. and they've been hitting this area with water from the sky, but also trying to keep an eye on anything that might flare up again. it is the winds here that are a huge concern. here's what a firefighter told us just a short time ago. >> is it better today, versus yesterday? >> what's better today is we'll have more forces in place to combat the fire with. what's probably going to be worse today is the weather.

>> are you going to let this burn right into the ocean? >> that's our plan. that's about really all we can do with this much wind behind it. we try to contain it and run it right into the pacific ocean. >> reporter: so, what you're seeing, again, the charred hillsides. this is the northern part of this 10,000-acre fire. this is a large fire that covers so much land here. a lot of homes still under mandatory evacuation. a lot of residents are at some of these evacuation centers watching their television, trying to figure out if this fire is going to affect their houses. jim, this is a very early start to fire season. we're seeing conditions and fires that you normally see in october, here it is only may. jim? >> wow. in california, fire officials told us earlier on "the situation room," kyung, you look like you're in a safer location than earlier today. when i was looking at your live pictures from earlier, the sky around you looked red.

it looked like it might have been difficult to breathe. what is it like for these firefighters battling these flames right now? >> reporter: well, i'm in the same location. we haven't moved. the conditions changed. and they can change rapidly. we're talking in just minutes, the sky will go from being red to being pretty clear, because of the shifting winds. very strong winds. what firefighters are going through is not just dealing with the winds, i'm actually going to pull up a piece of brush here. you can just crack this stuff in your hands. make it completely disappear. imagine if you put fire to that. that is what firefighters are facing. then they've got to put on the suits. they've got to stay hydrated and deal with all of these conditions at the same time. so a very tough job for firefighters. and again, it's just may. >> all right. ki young lah, where it could be a very long hot spring in ventura county, california. and weather is a critical factor, of course, in fighting this fire. cnn meteorologist chad myers has that part of the story for us. chad, here's the biggest

question right now, will firefighters be getting a break? >> yes. they are getting the break right now. yesterday, jim, i'm not kidding you, the winds were gusting to 48 miles per hour out of the east-northeast right at where kyung lah is right here. this is malibu right here. the winds today have shifted direction. this is a hot, dry wind. they come down the mountains, warm up. still hot earlier today. we still had right there 96 degrees earlier this afternoon. but right the winds have shifted direction. now they are coming in from the ocean. and that's bringing in a cooler, and a wetter wind. a more humid wind. that's the humidity you need to make this fire go away. and eventually by sunday night, that will be the rain that they need to put this fire away. it started here along the ventura highway, right there. you remember that song. right here, this is camrio springs, a retirement community. we showed you all of these, just rvs on fire. at least a dozen of them there. and the terrain, the topography

is so steep, that the firefighters couldn't get there. for a while yesterday, the winds were so high, that they had to take the planes, the fixed-wing airplane, they had to take them out of the sky. it was just too dangerous for them to fly. all they had were little helicopters. you can't dump as much water out of a helicopter as you can dump out of an airplane. this one here, you might want to go look up on google, find a 747 home, made from 747 wings, the fire was less than 100 feet from that home. firefighters have beat these one house at a time, beat the fire back. now the fire's kind of running toward the ocean, running away in this wildland area. there's nothing here to hurt, we'll protect one house at a time and we'll be good. the winds have died down, only 10 miles per hour right now, compared to 45 and 48 yesterday. notice how the wind is just not taking those smoke plumes and sending them right across the ground. some of these smoke plumes are

allowed to go up a little bit. when the smoke plumes go up, we know the wind is dying down. th this might take a week or two to mop up every hot spot here. and this is now, we talked about this, only may. in the last 24 months, southern california should have picked up 29 inches of rain. they picked up 14. that's less than half of what they should have. so all of these sticks, all of this chaparral, it's all dead or dying, and it's so dry, it's going to burn all season long. this could be one of the worst fire seasons that we have had. remember, in a very long time, jim. >> chad myers, painting a grim picture for us. chad, thank you. we're also getting word of mandatory evacuations at point magoo naval base. staff sergeant noah joins us on the phone right now. sergeant, what are you seeing right now? >> good evening, sir.

they evacuated us over here that they usually have for the naval reserves. we're waiting for the smoke to clear so we can hopefully go back home. hopefully tomorrow around 6:00 p.m., that's the word we got. we're just waiting. >> what were the conditions like before you left? >> they were pretty bad. actually, everywhere there was thick smoke. hard to breathe. but the firemen came in and took care of it and 208d us to hurry up and evacuate and get out of here. and gave us the direction to go. >> and sergeant, one thing we've heard from a lot of people is that typically this is the sort of fire activity you see during the summer. or late in the year. maybe going into fall. are you hearing some of that similar talk, and does that have people worried where you are? >> yes, sir, i heard a little bit from the guys who have been here longer than me, they were talking about it. they said that, you know, when it's usually dry later in the summer, this is how it gets.

but it really surprises him that it's so early. >> are you seeing the same thing, when you're looking at the dry brush and just the conditions that could lead to a wildfire breaking out, is the ground just that dry? >> yes, sir, it is. it's horrible. it's hard to explain. you have to really get used to that type of thing, you know, the grass and brush and see how dry it is. and the wind doesn't help either. >> staff sergeant noah stonehowell on the phone with us, thank you very much. as you're seeing right now, these live pictures of evacuations taking place at the point mugu naval base, with 4,000 homes being threatened right now by this fire. 10,000 acres already burned by this wildfire. we'll be staying on top of this throughout the hour here on "the situation room." relatives claim the body of boston bombing suspect tamerlan tsarnaev, but can they find a place to bury him? we'll take you inside the

growing controversy in boston. and an american citizen facing 15 brutal years in a north korean labor camp. he had made a number of visits there. why is he in trouble right now? that's coming up. it's lots of things. all waking up. ♪ becoming part of the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ trees will talk to networks will talk to scientists about climate change. cars will talk to road sensors will talk to stoplights about traffic efficiency. the ambulance will talk to patient records will talk to doctors about saving lives. it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. the next big thing? we're going to wake the world up. ♪

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did tamer larn tsarnaev turn his own home into a bomb factory? residue of explosives was found on the kitchen table, kitchen sink and bathtub of the apartment that tsarnaev shared with his wife and daughter. there's a growing controversy over his body, funeral and burial. brian todd is looking into that. brian? >> reporter: jim, tamerlan tsarnaev has been dead now for more than two weeks. but as you mentioned, the controversy surrounding him continues, as the community and his family struggle over how, when and where to bury him. he's causing emotional turmoil, even in death. tamerlan tsarnaev's body finally

claimed by his uncle and sisters, drew protesters to one funeral home, which only had him for a few hours. >> send him back to russia. >> reporter: the director of the funeral home in worcester, massachusetts, which currently has the body, says he's having trouble finding a cemetery to take tsarnaev for burial. a spokeswoman said the body won't be taken to russia, that he'll be buried somewhere in the general boston area. we went around asking people how they felt about that. >> it's too sad for words. it's too sad. he shouldn't be here. he should never have come, if he had never come, none of this would have happened. he had every advantage he could have here. he shouldn't be buried here. >> i don't really care where he's buried. he's dead already. how much more can you punish him. to me, it's too petty. >> reporter: the issue of how to bury tsarnaev is also hugely

controversial. especially within boston's muslim community. as for leaders here at the islamic society of boston mosque in cambridge, where the brothers sometimes prayed, they want nothing to do with the funeral. they're not involved with it, and they no longer even want to talk about it. as one official here told me, they understand the tsarnaev family's pain, but they're, quote, utterly devastated by this entire experience. after midday prayers at this mosque in brighton, i asked the imam why so many top imams, including him, won't preside over tamerlan tsarnaev's funeral. >> addressing his issue over addressing his concerns over the concerns of the entire commonwealth of massachusetts, it just doesn't balance out. so we don't touch it, to be respectful, in regard for all the sentiments out there. >> reporter: so in place of traditional burial with an imam, he says he would advise the family to have a relative or

another layperson preside. do it privately, with a traditional rites of washing the body, shrouding it, praying, placing him in the ground. do you think he should be buried in massachusetts, or in the united states even? >> i don't know what his nation status is, but if he's not from here, i think he probably should go back to his nation to be buried. but that's not up to me. >> reporter: aside from the questions of how and where tamerlan tsarnaev will be buried, there's also the continuing question of when. a family spokeswoman said relatives will not bury the suspected bomber until an independent autopsy is conducted. jim? >> brian, we're getting word that the alleged bombers did not plan to attack the marathon. what more do we know about that? >> reporter: that's right, jim. law enforcement official regularly briefed on the investigation told our susan candiotti today that the tsarnaev brothers originally contemplated carrying out a

suicide bombing attack on july 4th in boston. it could have possibly taken place along the charles river esplanade here. that's a huge event here in boston, some 500,000 people gather to watch fireworks and listen to music. there could have been massive car naj. that official said that dzhokhar told investigators that the marathon was chosen as a target only about a day or two in advance. they chose it -- they moved up the date, because the bombs were completed earlier than they expected. and that official also says the bombs were made in the apartment of tamerlan tsarnaev that he shared with his wife and child in cambridge. >> brian, thank you. investigators are keeping a close eye on the widow of tamerlan tsarnaev. let's turn to erin mcpike outside katy russell's family home in kingstown, rhode island. you spoke with russell's attorney. what did he tell you? >> well, jim, just to clear up any confusion about the meetings that katy russell has been having with the fbi, he said,

it's not as though they're looking across a table and just staring at each other, they are in fact spending a number of hours questioning her. and jim, the other thing i would add that i thought was very interesting is that he said the fbi is showing katy russell pictures and having her comment on them. now, we don't know any further details about that specifically, but the attorney did make clear that a very thorough investigation is going on. he just wouldn't answer more burning questions, jim. >> erin mcpike, thank you. >> coming up, compensation for the victims in boston. we'll look at how much they could get, and i'll talk to the mother of two victims. both of her sons lost a leg. plus, records were set on wall street today. details of what's behind the rally. no monties for miles this sunday on parts unknown. anthony bourdain takes us on a rail tour of canada with two of the country's best chefs. an all new anthony bourdain this

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record day on wall street. times three. lisa sylvester is here with that, and more of the day's top stories. >> jim, let's hear it for the 401(k)s. closing at record highs today. and for the first time, the dow topped 15,000. all of this thanks to a better than expected jobs report. the labor department says the economy added 165,000 jobs in april, bringing the unemployment rate down a notch at 7.5%.

president obama is in costa rica for a meeting with central american leaders. he's expected to urge them to act aggressively against drug violence. he praised mexico for their progress in the drug wars. platinum blond hair, and red lipstick, both forbidden under a new dress code for turkish airlines flight attendants. it's seen as the latest front in turkey's culture war pitting conservatives against the old guard in the secular muslim country. it's also sparking outrage on social media including a protest calling for women to send them photos of themselves in red lipstick. check out this ultra lightweight craft powered completely by the sun. and it can fly both day and night. it took off from san francisco this morning bound for new york with two pilots onboard. it has the swing span of a 747. the weight of a station wagon,

and the power needs of a scooter. the ultimate goal is to fly solar impulse around the world. i think, jim, they'll get it done, but i think they're going to have to pray for good weather if they're going to go around the world. >> solar doesn't mean sturdy in all sorts of weather. >> it looked like sort of a glorified glider plane is what it looked like to me. but check out that wing span. same wing span of a 747. >> i'm ready for a ride. >> also, you know those paper airplanes you just toss in the air? >> hopefully this will be better than that. just ahead, rick santorum joins us from the nra meeting in houston, where he's accusing president obama of looking down his nose at people who cling to their guns and bibles. his words there. coming up, and emotional tribute to the americans who died in the benghazi consulate attack, and new information about who may be behind that attack. [ male announcer ] at charles schwab, we've committed to setting the bar high

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happening now, rick santorum responds to newtown families pushing for new gun control. he joins us from the nra convention in houston. also, new details of the american man sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in north korea. his sister is now speaking out. and an emotional memorial for the americans killed in benghazi. we have new information about a possible al qaeda role. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta. and you're in "the situation room." up to 75,000 people are gathering in houston for the annual meeting of the national rifle association. it's taking on the air of a victory party after the failure of new gun control legislation in the senate. the nra meeting features several stars of the republican base. among them, former presidential candidate rick santorum, who wasted no time attacking president obama. take a listen.

>> when barack obama says he wants to transform america, and he looks down his nose at people who cling to their guns and bibles, understand, he understands that the critical transition america has to make is to reject the declaration, to reject that living, breathing document of the constitution. >> and senator santorum joins us now from houston. senator, thanks very much for your time. we appreciate it. let's get right to it. i guess you've been watching what's been going on this week at these town hall meetings that some of these senators have been having. take a listen to this. this is erica lafr ti, the daughter of sandy hooks principal who was killed in the newtown shooting. she was on with carol costello earlier today, talking about why

she's been confronting politicians like senator ayot on gun control legislation. here's what she had to say. >> i wouldn't say i'm trying to shame senators, i'm trying to get them to answer a very simple question. a lot of their defense has been, for example, the burden on people who are trying to sell guns. that's really irrelevant in my mind. what about the burden on the family members who are victims of gun violence? >> senator, if you were in kelly ayott's shoes, what would you have said? >> i would have said the words of president obama, which is none of the actions proposed in the senate bill would have done anything to alleviate violence in newtown. in fact, the statistics are very clear that an infinitesimal number of violent acts are committed with guns that are acquired in the way that this

senate bill wanted to stop them. so it's not answering the problem. the problem is, a much more complex problem, which the president doesn't want to seem to want to deal with, which is the pervasiveness of violence, the lack of sensitivity in life in our country, the glorification of violence by the media and particularly the popular culture. the problems we have in the mental health system -- and there are a lot of problems going on. lack of security in schools. there are a lot of issues. but to focus on one, in his eyes, i mean, again, the president admitted that the bill before the senate would have done nothing to fix the newtown, and then to use newtown as a reason to change the law that would have done nothing to stop the people in newtown from doing what they did, that's disingenuous. to kelly and everybody else, stand up for these basic freedoms of law-abiding people to acquire guns in a fashion

that has been consistent in this country for 200 years, that is not leading to the problems we're seeing in this country. >> isn't it possible, though, that by expanding background checks, you might stop the next newtown? >> you know, jim, there are lots of things we can do to pass laws to stop people from hurting other people. but the question is, how do we balance people's freedoms? there's lots of things we can do with automobiles to make sure people don't get in accidents, or hurt somebody else. there's things we can do with knives to make sure people don't hurt -- there's all sorts of things that the government can do to stop the next bad thing from happening. but you have to balance the burden on people, the intrusion of the government, and all of these things are things that are sort of it thrown out the window when it comes to guns. but when it comes to a whole lot of other issues, they seem to matter a lot more. >> but senator, whether or not it might have prevented what happened in newtown, if 90% of americans are in favor of this legislation, or this kind of legislation, shouldn't it pass?

>> well, you know, that's up to the elected officials to determine whether they defer their judgment on these things to what the public wants, or their job is to convince the public that what they're being sold, and frankly they're being sold every single day by the mainstream media, that this is some cure, a secret weapon that will end gun violence in america, they're being sold that day in, day out on the front page of almost every major paper and your network and others, and convincing them that -- >> but the numbers are there, that the background check system as it stands now does block some people from buying weapons who should not be buying weapons, whether they be mentally ill. >> sure. >> whether it be they have felonies on their records. doesn't the background checks -- >> and we need to improve that system. >> wouldn't you say it works? >> we need to improve -- sure, we need to improve that system, i would agree with that, that we need to do a better job of getting mental health records from states that don't

contribute mental health records to the national system. and criminal records and all sorts of things. there are lots of things we can do to improve the existing system. but when it comes to the types of, sort of off-retail sales that are going on, that is not where the problem exists. and it is not an area we need to focus on. we should focus on fixing the original, the current system of doing background checks as opposed to trying to expand it when it isn't effective right now. >> let me ask you about another issue that faced the president this week. he was asked about the fda's approval of over-the-counter sale plan "b," morning after pill. listen to what the president said. he was asked about the fda's conclusion that women, or girls, you might say, 15 and up, can purchase this over the counter. here's what the president had to say about that. >> the rule that's been put forward by the fda, secretary sebelius has reviewed, she's

comfortable with, i'm comfortable with. i'm very supportive of contraception. because i think it's very important that women have control over their health care choices. >> are you comfortable with it, senator? >> you're talking about 15-year-old girls who have to get permission to get aspirin in schools. now we're going to make these contraceptions available over the counter for little girls, without their parents' knowledge. i think that's a horrific infringement on parental authority. and i think it causes more problems. we want to have a society that encourages parents and children to talk to each other, to deal with these issues together, instead of having the government make it easier for children to do things behind their parents' back. >> finally, senator, you ran for president, obviously, last year, didn't turn out so well. but 2016, as you know, is looming out there on the horizon.

there were some reports recently that you were planning to go to iowa. but fell ill and couldn't make the trip out there. you're running for president, aren't you? >> well, no announcements today, jim. but thank you for the plug. i appreciate that. we'll be heading back -- we're heading to iowa, i think, in august. we'll be out there for the state fair for a few days. and we'll be, as here in houston, traveling around the country talking about the important issues. as i've said, very publicly, i haven't ruled out anything. sort of behaving like, you know, like we're hoping for the idea -- i always say, you know, i'm not running, i'm walking. and just trying to walk the path and discern what's in the best interests of our country. >> you're certainly behaving like a candidate. >> well, you guys cover me when i go there, so it's always fun. >> that we certainly do. senator santorum, thank you very much for your time. >> thank you. >> we appreciate it. we'll see you in iowa. thank you. >> i appreciate it, jim. coming up next, an american

citizen sentenced to 15 years in a north korean labor camp. is it because he may have given food to hungry orphans. and we speak to the mother whose two sons were hurt in the boston bombings. so we could be a better, safer energy company. i've been with bp for 24 years. i was part of the team that helped deliver on our commitments to the gulf - and i can tell you, safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge safety equipment and technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all our drilling activity, twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. safety is a vital part of bp's commitment to america - and to the nearly 250,000 people who work with us here. we invest more in the u.s. than anywhere else in the world. over fifty-five billion dollars here in the last five years -

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information that one of the most dangerous elements of al qaeda was involved in the attack that the families are still mourning today. >> it's a hard day. it's a day that brings back pain, but it's also a day i'd hope of comfort, and of pride. >> reporter: eight months after the attack on the u.s. compound in benghazi, libya, a state department memorial for diplomats killed in the line of duty, including the four americans at the compound that night. ambassador chris stevens. >> everyone felt like he was a personal friend. >> reporter: state department computer specialist shawn smith. >> shawn, throughout his career, went places that other people didn't. >> reporter: security officers ty woods and glen daugherty. >> thanks to their bravery and sacrifice, 30 americans escaped the attack.

>> reporter: but eight months after the attack, no one has been charged with their murders. cnn has learned western intelligence agencies now believe al qaeda operatives, working on behalf of their affiliate in yemen, were involved in the attack. >> three yemeni al qaeda operatives participated in the actual attack on the consulate in benghazi on september 11th. >> reporter: al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is the group whose former leader is said to have inspired the attack at ft. hood, texas, and the underwear bomb plot to bring down a passenger plane. >> what is not known yet is whether these individuals were actually dispatched from yemen specifically to launch the attack or whether they just happened to be in benghazi and joined in. >> reporter: the fbi also releasing three images, men it says were there during the

attack. it's not calling them suspects, but wants to talk to them about what they know. many in congress are pressing for more action. >> we have four dead americans, we have injured people, there's nobody that's been brought to justice. >> reporter: the administration insists it is seeking justice. >> look, there's been a very politicized campaign over many months to have all sorts of theories out there, and all sorts of speculation. >> reporter: but on this day, the vice president summing up the emotion. >> i must tell you, i wish i wasn't here today. our country wants to make sure, wants to make absolutely sure that the incredible heroism each of your family members, each of your loved ones showed is remembered. >> al qaeda in yemen, jim, it is worth remembering, this is one of the al qaeda groups still, again, that can reach out and touch inside the united states, and clearly still has the

organization, financing and capability to conduct terrorist attacks, something that u.s. officials say is very worrisome. jim? >> we do remember, barbara. thank you. we're also learning more about the american citizen who is facing 15 brutal years in a north korean labor camp. a tour operator who had made a number of trips to the communist north. cnn foreign affairs correspondent jim doherty has t -- jill dougherty has the story. >> reporter: his sister said kenneth never had trouble before traveling to north korea, five times last year. >> he's only had the biggest heart for the people and the nation of north korea. and, you know, he was really happy that he was helping in some small way to their economic growth. >> reporter: the 44-year-old korean american operated tours from china, bringing in businessmen. he was arrested in early november in russon, north korea, a special economic zone near the border with russia and china.

this week he was found guilty of unspecified hoss tail acts. >> he's generous and giving, and maybe he could have delivered bread to orphanages once or two. >> reporter: many people are malnourished or starving. after bae was arrested, u.s. officials told cnn he was involved with a protestant religious movement. that, too, could infuriate the north. on his eight trips to north korea, former new mexico governor bill richardson has been a go-between. in january, on a trip with google executive eric schmidt, he took a letter to kenneth bae from his family and asked to see him. >> the north koreans were saying he had committed a crime. but they also said they were very mad at the united states for additional sanctions that we've put on by the uae after their underground blast. i said, this is a man on a

humanitarian mission. let him go. >> reporter: now he's sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp. >> this is what the north koreans do. they sentence somebody, and the last four or five, then they extract a price. a visit by high-profile person. >> reporter: that's what happened in 20009 when the north free freed two to president clinton. kenneth bae's friends have started a website. he likes helping people, they say, and now they say it looks like that got him in trouble. and potentially, there could be three people who could go to north korea, and at least try to get kenneth bae out. and that, of course, would be bill richardson, bill clinton and jimmy carter. but with this unpredictable leader no longer the new young leader, kim jong-un, it's really very hard to say how this is

going to be resolved, jim. >> far from predictable. thank you, jill dougherty. up next, we're talking to the mother of two men injured in the blast in boston. find out her biggest worry when she gets home from the hospital. i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours.

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man in charge of the compensation fund for victims of the boston marathon bombing say the families could each get more than $1 million. amounts for those injured will be discussed in two upcoming town hall meetings. the money would help with medical costs and some of the most severely injured victims

are still in the hospital. joining us now from boston is liz nordon. both her sons lost legs in bombings. they are in separate hospitals, but they did see each other for the first time this week. liz is good enough to join us under these circumstances. liz, the first question to ask, how are your sons doing? >> they are fighting every day. j.p. is actually in surgery, but they are fighting. so hopefully we're going in the right direction. >> what's this recovery process been like these last couple weeks? not only for them, but for you? >> it's been a long road. almost three weeks now, feels like a lifetime back and forth to hospitals. getting good information at one hospital and then not so good at the other hospital.

it's just been a long process. a roller coaster. but hopefully we're going in the right direction now and i'm just thankful they are alive. >> this obviously is going to be a long, tough process for both of them, for all of you. financially speaking, what's that going to be like for your family? are you going to be able to pay all of these bills that will be coming? >> honestly, i haven't even focused on that part yet. that's the furthest thing from my mind right now. my mind is trying to get my boys in the right direction. so at night when i go home and have that two minutes, i think, what am i going to do. but that's barely been a focus. my focus is getting the boys on the road to recovery. >> so let me ask you this. what should the rest of the country know about what your family is going through, what some of other families are going through right now, what can you

tell everybody? >> i'm not really sure. we're just going through a nightmare. my boys are being strong. like i said, they are being so strong is what's keeping us going. and we're thinking of everybody else that's going through this as well. it's a devastating thing. it's just horrible. but my focus -- my only focus is my two boys and the well-being of everybody else. >> liz norden, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your sons and everybody in boston dealing with this. we appreciate your time very much. >> thank you. >> if you'd like to help liz's sons, the family has set up the jp and paul norden benefit fund. you can k find the information on cnn.com/situationroom. self-image and soap? parodies of a commercial that's gone viral. that's next.

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if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the makers of a new ad campaign should be very flattered. we show you the parodies that popped up after the original went viral. >> reporter: you know you have a viral hit on your hands when everyone starts doing parodies. so to the makers of the dove video, let's hope your skin is thick rather than sensitive because it's getting hard to tell the original. from the spoofs. >> i'm a forensic artist. >> i have been a forensic artist for over 25 years. >> reporter: in case you're not one of the well over 25 million who have viewed the original video -- >> kel me about your chin. >> reporter: it features an artist sketching women without looking based on their own descriptions of themselves.

>> what would be your most prominent feature? >> reporter: he does a second sketch based on a stranger's depiction. the women describing themselves are way less attractive. >> just very strange. >> reporter: and while many were touch touched by the women's insecurities, the parodies zeroed in on what men would say about their looks. >> almost like a light denzel washington. >> tell me about your eyes. >> a lot of people say they are an abyss because they don't end. >> what would you say is your most prominent feature? >> probably my bulk. >> cockiness like that resulted in the self-described sketches resembling movie stars unlike based on one like a stranger's description. another famous is what men focus on when looking at women. >> it's a sketch you helped me create and that is a sketch that somebody described of you.

>> reporter: the real and the parody videos spawn different conclusions. women, you are more beautiful than you think. men, you are less beautiful than you think. and boobs are just as beautiful as you think. most of the spoofs involve men acting like boobs. >> you suck at drawing. skblr it's safe to try this at home. >> what about your eyes? >> my eyes are menthol blue. that's with or without my contacts. >> tell me about your ears. >> what? >> tell me about your ears. >> half deaf, extra large. >> describe your hands. >> soapy like that dove commercial. >> reporter: that didn't stop it from going massively viral. i say viral? >> how would you describe your nostrils? >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york.

it's time to go. remember you can follow me and what's going on in the situation room on twitter. tweet the show. that's it it for us. erin burnett "out front" starts right now. vice president biden and john kerry honored the victims of the benghazi attack and we still don't know what happened that night. will the republican-led hearing finally get answers? plus the national rifle e association begins a convention many hughouston today. how does a plan to ward off a second group of americans look to improve background checks? we'll tell you the latest we have just found out about the suspected bomber's wife. let's go "out front."