their lives back together after 16 tornadoes ripped their communities apart. we are live in granbury, texas, for a look at the devastation. there are people still missing. >> plus, remember this viral video hero who saved a stranger with his hatchet? >> smash, smash, smash! >> now the hatchet-wielding hitchhiker is accused of murder. the unexpected twist coming up. >> and a fiery rescue caught on video e. how two people were pulled from a burning car just momentses before it exploded. it is friday, may 17. "starting point" begins right now. so in a couple of hours steven miller, the man fired this week as acting irs commissioner will be on the capitol hill hot seat, facing tough questions about the agency's targeting of

conservative political groups. this ises the first of many hearings in the house and senate. the irs scandal has triggered a criminal investigation. the obama administration has been in full-on damage control mode now for days. cnn's dan lothian is following developments at the white house for us live this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as you pointed out this is just the beginning. the first of several hearings on the irs scandal. lawmakers will be digging for answers, many of them are unsatisfied and downright angry over what they have learned so far. three days after the white house counsel's office was first told of the irs targeting conservative groups, steve miller sat before the house ways & means subcommittee. he wasn't talking then about the scandal. >> let me report on the filing season.

talking then about the scandal. it was a friendly encounter. >> thank you, chairman. >> reporter: a routine update on the proposed budget. today he returns before the full committee to a much different atmosphere. rocked by scandal miller will be pressed by lawmakers on the information his agency gathered, not tax checks. >> it's important he appear and come forward truthfully, openly and give us real answers to the extent he knows. >> reporter: president obama tried to put out the fire, expressing outrage, vowing to hold people at the irs accountable and quickly appointing a new acting commissioner who starts next week. >> we've got to make sure that it is doing its job scrupulously without bias. >> reporter: his top aids are doing damage control. >> quick action. >> the fact is this administration has a record on

transparency. >> reporter: while the president is trying to shift attention to his other priorities. a trip to baltimore today will focus on middle class jobs. it follows thursday's meeting on sexual abuse in the military and a visit with the turkish prime minister where syria was at the top of the agenda. a dark cloud hangs over this white house. critics at a tea party rally are keeping up pressure. >> this is runaway government at its worst. who knows who they will target next? >> reporter: the irs scandal has given conservatives fighting the health care law more ammunition. sarah ingram who led the tax exempt office under fire now runs the division of the irs responsible for implementing the health care law. some officials say after all we have seen this week and the scandal at the irs the irs should play no role in health care. >> dan lothian at the white house. a big day in washington ahead. thanks, dan. >> in texas this morning the search is on for seven people still missing after devastating tornadoes touched down in texas. the national weather service

says there are at least 16 twisters that touched down. people in the neighborhoodseses hardest hit aren't being allowed back in to survey the damage. those who have seen the scope of the damage firsthand, they are saying this morning it's surreal and extensive. cnn's victor blackwell live in hard hit granbury, texas. good morning, victor. >> christine, good morning. the sheriff tells us that rescue teams searched overnight and now they are starting their second full day of sifting through piles because of some of the homes that's all that's left. sheriff roger deed has seen tornado damage in hood county before. but it is more than damage.

>> i have seen bad.c. this is about as bad as it gets. >> reporter: this is the rancho brazos community in granbury, texas. once small houses and mobile homes but now they are a scramble of glass and metal and a reminder of how quickly life can change. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: the national weather service estimates more than a dozen tornadoes touched down wednesday in north texas. it appears at least one stayed a while. >> they usually go street to street or jumps neighborhood to neighborhood. in this case, this neighborhood of 110 homes, it seems to sit down on top of it. >> i feel really an empty feeling in my stomach. the fact is this was someone's home. >> reporter: when there are so many homes and cars damaged and just completely destroyed like this h one, you can see that the air conditioning unit off the foundation. the windows bursted out. this house will have to be demolished. it is easy to get lost in how large it is. then you see something like this. just a child's drawing, red,

pink and blue hearts. children lived in this community. they have lost their homes. some of them maybe have lost family members. these are families that have to start over. this is more than just pictures of devastation on television. people now have to find a way to build a new normal for their lives. for their children. there is so much work to do and with optimism sheriff deeds believes they will rebuild. >> we are taking care of business, taking care of the people and we'll continue to do so. >> 24-year-old tina clark lives with her family in one of the 61 habitat for human homes in the hard hit neighborhood of granbury. she huddled in a closet with her husband and grandmother as the tornado shook their house. when the storm passed they were still standing but their neighborhood, in ruins. >> tina and her husband billy join us now from granbury. we're glad you're safe but we are so sad for you and your

community that you have had to endure this. can you tell us, tina, what you were feeling, what you were hearing when you were huddled in your house and this tornado was passing by? >> i was scared. sounded like a train was going to hit our house. it was really loud. our house was shaking. it was really scary. >> tina, you have never been through this before. what was it like when you knew that tornado was headed your way? >> i was really scared. i have never been through a tornado that close before or -- it was so scary. it sounded like a train was about to plow through our house. we just ran and hid in the closet. we just waited for it to be over. we didn't get thrown in the air. >> so you were in a closet. billy, you're holding the door shut when you hear the sound of the train. think about tornadoes. the strange pressure, the

strange feeling when you are close or in a tornado. billy, what did you see, feel inside that closet? >> we couldn't see anything inside the closet. i was holding the door shut. you could feel the pressue inside the house. it was like pulling on the doorses a little bit. it wanted to pull the doors open. the whole house was shaking really bad. it felt like the house was getting ripped apart. we couldn't see anything from inside the closet. we didn't know what was going on at the time. >> you could hear stuff hitting the house. >> that must have been terrifyingi into hear things hi the house. when it was over you went out to look at the devastation and took photos. describe what you saw. >> when we got out of the house, there was sheet metal from other houseses, nothing major. we got in the truck to go to a safer location and once we turned the corner and got up the street a little bit, everything was destroyed.

>> it was bad. >> people were injured. we saw all the injured people. they asked if we could help them to the hospital. so we started loading people up. the whole neighborhood was gone. >> you said you were loading people up -- >> we got halfway up -- yeah, we were asking people if they needed help. one woman said there were people hurt really bad. my brother and his girlfriend were already at the hospital. we were trying to go up there to be at a safer spot with them. the woman was like, can you take them? i was like, put them in the truck. we had a bed full of people. there were five people in my truck. two young girls that were covered in blood. we had a mother and a son in the back seat. she was -- the son said -- >> they both -- they said the wall got ripped off from the tornado. it sucked them out of the house. it threw the mom into a tree head first, busted her head open. >> i thought that lady was going to die in my truck.

>> the son went out to go get her during the tornado. it pulled him out of the house. he said it threw him through a field. he cut his head on a piece of sheet metal. the other kids in the car, the one little girl, all her teeth were knocked out. we think it was from a hailstone. then the other girl had bones sticking out of her legs, a big gash in her arm. everyone in the truck was badly injured. >> the force. >> we tried to leave the neighborhood. we were stuck everywhere. there were trees and pou lines everywhere. there's two ways out of the neighborhood. we tried to go through a different way. there was no way out. we took them to the house, called the ambulance and they told us to wait. we took them as far as we could go. we had to just carry them to the paramedics. they couldn't get to us. it was really bad. it was a disaster. everything is destroyed. >> some of the houses are

destr destroyed. is your house still standing? >> ours is one of many five still standing out there. >> it's not completely damaged. >> we don't know what's wrong with it. >> the front side was okay. just roof damage. we don't know about the back side. there are a few more standing. we don't know the damage on those either. >> i'm sure your neighbors are happy you could help. even though it sounds chaotic and scary putting people in your truck and trying to help them and seeing their injuries. we're glad you are both in one piece and you're able to help your neighbors. we hope all of you can start picking up the pieces starting today. thanks for telling us your story. we appreciate it. >> what a 24 hours they have had. >> unbelievable. >> new developments in a growing crisis in the military. a sharp rise in the number of sexual assaults. president obama called it shameful, disgraceful and a danger to national security. he ordered pentagon officials to

crack down yesterday amid a series of high profile cases of alleged sexual abuse involving service members assigned to prevent those very crimes. pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us. the situation is bad and seems to be getting worse. >> it is certainly grabbing the headlines. there are a rising number of sex crimes. the president is looking for answers on how to make it stop. >> reporter: another embarrassment for the u.s. military. this time at fort campbell, home of the 101st airborne division. lieutenant colonel darren haas was removed from his job in sexual prevention after being accused of violating a protective order to stay away from his wife. he had sent greetings to his wife while serving in afghanistan in 2010.

the incident came to light just hours after president obama met with top brass about sexual assault in the military. >> there is no silver bullet to solving this problem. this is going to require a sustained effort over a long period of time. >> reporter: the fort campbell firing was the third in two weeks of personnel assigned to military sexual assault prevention jobs. at ft. hood, texas, a sergeant first class is under criminal investigation by the army for pandering. a pentagon official says he may have forced someone into prostitution. other allegations -- abuse of sexual contact and maltreatment of subordinates. last week, air force colonel jeffrey krusinsky was arrested on sexual battery charges for allegedly groping a woman near the pentagon where he worked in sexual assault prevention. on capitol hill, pressure is mounting for historic changes in military law.

senator gillibrand is introducing legislation so in sex assault case where is there may be jail time, the decision to prosecute is taken away from commanders and given to military attorneys. many feel prosecutors from outside the unit will be more vigorous. >> we believe enough is enough. it's time to change the system that's been held over since george washington. it's simply not working for the men and women serving. >> reporter: defense secretary chuck hagel is warning this could become a national security crisis as the president said, what happenses if this becomes so bad american familieses do not want their children, especially their daughters, to join the u.s. military? that's the fear they are looking at down the road as they try to deal with the criminal behavior? john, christine? >> they have to clean it up. barbara, thanks.

troubling development overnight. russia is sending advanced anti-ship cruise i missiles to syria. the new york times reports they have advanced radar capabilitieses to help the syrian regime stop foreign forces from establishing no-fly zones or carrying out limited air strikes. >> a raging inferno after a car accident and rescue in kansas. look at this incredible video. caught on tape by a reluctant hero. two men who were unconscious in a corvette that crashed into a truck, rescued by two good samaritans. jim russell recorded video seconds after he and another man pulled the victims out. >> just helped pull this guy from the car. major truck. this car is on fire. the semi truck is on fire. it's all burning. i pulled two guys out of this. >> you can hear the adrenaline in his voice. both vehicles were completely

engulfed by flames. the accident victims are doing okay. >> that's lucky. ahead, he became an internet sensation after he saved a stranger being attacked. he saved him with his hatchet. now kai the hitchhiker is behind bars. how did he go from being a hero to accused murderer? >> then it was this little girl's dream to throw the first pitch at a baseball game. a better surprise was waiting for her behind home plate. you're going to want to see this heartwarming reunion. ♪ ten hut! you up for the challenge suds-maker? i'm gonna need more than that to get through the rest of these dishes! i want more suds! dawn? you won't last. [ female announcer ] a drop of dawn has active suds that stay stronger longer, so you can clean 2x more greasy dishes. to get the job done. you're full of suds after all. now drop and give me twenty spaghetti bowls!

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>> reporter: from hero to alleged murderer. >> smash, smash, smash. >> reporter: kai, the hatchet wielding hitchhiker is behind bars in philadelphia, accused of beating a new jersey lawyer to death inside his home. earlier this year kai skyrocketed to viral video stardom after this rambling tv interview captured the lively hitchhiker describing how he saved two victims from a deranged attacker. >> so came from behind with a hatchet, smash, smash, smash. >> reporter: that interview amassed close to 4 million views on youtube. kai even made a hilarious cameo on jimmy kimmel. >> hey, you're that dude with the hatchet. >> reporter: four months later the homeless hitchhiker became the subject of a massive man hunt for allegedly killing 73-year-old new jersey attorney joseph galfi, jr. >> this man was well known. that doesn't mean he did not or could not become involved in a crime. >> reporter: on the run since

monday kai took this picture. his long hair cut off, police say to try and conceal his identity. thursday night police tracked him down at a philadelphia bus station. it's still unclear how galfi and the hitchhiker know each other. police say galfi drove to new york city to pick kai up last weekend and then spent the weekend at galfi's home. kai's last facebook post says it was sexual in nature. police are investigating what happened. until more is known the internet's hitchhiker is off the streets and behind bars. >> the beating victim was a well respected attorney with more than 40 years experience in new jersey. ahead on "starting point" start salivating. taco bell. >> start drooling now. >> they are testing outta cos for breakfast. that's a waffle taco. >> send them here now! you know what?

it's a good way to spend money. what would you do with half a billion? that's half a billion tacos. find out your chances of winning saturday's powerball drawing. how high are they? >> you have a good chance of winning, john? >> i do. we'll tell you all about it next. when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. the next day, we sprayed febreze air effects and led in real people. i'd say it was very pleasant. flowers everywhere. oh! [ chuckles ] febreze did a really great job.

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welcome back. minding your business this morning, stock futureses point to a good day for stocks after markets hit the pause from a record run yesterday. we had weaker housing and jobless claims data and there is debate at the fed over how long to keep propping up the u.s. economy. still, stocks up an incredible

run. the dow is up 16% so far this year. the nasdaq is up 14%. the s&p 500 is up 15% in 2013. only half of americans invest in stocks but almost all of you fill up gas tanks. gas prices are spiking just in time for the summer driving season. the national average price is $3.62 according to aaa. folks in minnesota are seeing gas prices now averaging $4.15 a gallon, john. 53 cents higher than the rest of the country. all right. here's the big question of the morning. does this take hot sauce or syrup? look at the new waffle taco. taco bell testing it in three california stores. for 89 cents -- john is rapturous here. scrambled eggs and sausage on a waffle. you can wash it down with new mountain dew a.m., mountain dew

and orange juice. what's the sugar count of that? >> don't you make that taco at home? when you make waffles at home, don't wow put eggses and sausage in there? >> isn't it yogurt and muesli? >> why are you speaking ining foreign language. hundreds of homes flattened by devastating tornadoes including those from a habitat for humanity community. will they rebuild? >> how much do we know about the witness protection program? a startling revelation that suspect eed terrorists in the program ares missing. >> and she was just happy to throw the first pitch at a baseball game. wit until she finds out who the man behind the plate was. it was the surprise of her life. an emotional reunion all on video. >> 46 grams of shaugar in mountn dew a.m.

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welcome back. great to see you. >> it's friday morning and the search is on for seven people missing after devastating tornadoeses touched down in texas. of those who live in the hardest hit neighborhoods aren't even being allowed back to survey the damage. people who have seen the scope of the damage first hand are saying it's surreal and extensive. cnn's victor blackwell live in hard hit granbury, texas. as the sun comeses up you can get a picture of how the 16 tornadoes skipped through north texas and left this path of devastation. >> the second sunrise. the search continues. we want to be clear. we have spoken a lot about the devastation in granbury. specifically the neighborhood of ranchos brazos.

in cleburne there is a lot of damage as well. the six people who died in this storm, in this series of tornadoes all in the rancho brazos area were told the rescue task force continued to search overnight. that will continue throughout the day. we saw the numbers signifying the search was completed and what was found. in this area, one thing that stood out is that the devastation was everywhere. not skipping a house and one stands without damage and the next house is completely gone. but all the houses had some damage. most of it severe. >> just looking at the pictures behind you it's incredible. what can you tell us about the six people who died in the stormses. >> we just received their names and ageses as well. what's remarkable about that is that most of them are

seniorseses, as old as 82 years old. one person in their 30s. we are still learning more about who they were. but we are learning that they were mostly elderly people questioning maybe if they were sick and shut in and could not get out. so the search continueses and the work to clean up, as you can hear in the background is starting as well. >> thank you, victor, for that report. we'll continue to check in this morning. it's interesting when you look at the satellite image of the storm. it spanned -- wow, look at that. north texas. this image was taken 20 minutes before a twister hit granbury. it measured a mile wide. it is one of 16 twisters that touched down. interesting what victor said about not necessarily skipping as you often see sometimes the storms do. but barrelling through the region. >> that lookses like an angry storm. even to someone who's not a meteorologist. look at the pictures of the

damage d the ground. you can see debris in the electrical wires and telephone poles. people picking through debris there. dozens oh of homes built with the help of habitat for humanity. many homes are now damaged beyond repair. mario flores is the director of field operations for that organization. thank you for taking time out of your important job this morning to speak with us. can you describe to me what you have seen walking through the neighborhoods? [ inaudible ] >> we are having some trouble hearing you, mario. let's pause for a moment. hopefully our crew can get the microphone working. we'll tell you again what we are seeing on the ground there to update everyone.

seven people still missing and people today are having to deal with the wreckage, picking through their homes. a large part of this community is for habitat for humanity. i was asking you, mario, what you have seen since you have been on the ground. >> i think he's having trouble hearing us. we are looking at the pictures. there are six dead, seven missing. you can see in the moments before the tornado struck granbury, just how large this system was. just how devastating the potential in the clouds. victor blackwell reporting that frankly this wasn't a series of storms just skipping through north texas. it was almost barrelling through. he said what he's seeing on the ground are homes, all with some sort of damage sustained. some destroyed. but nothing really unscathed.

this is really are recovery operation now. they are trying to pick up the pieces and clean things up. >> we'll get back to mario when we get the issues fixed. >> we are learning more about cleveland kidnapping and rape suspect ariel castro. he likes dogses. last night reporter ed galek told piers morgan about a chihuahua found in the car the night castro was arrested. two other dogs were found inside his house. the cleveland dog warden is asked to hold onto the animals to see if the women who were held hostage want them as petses. donations are pouring in to help gina dejesus, amanda berry and her daughter and michelle knight. the fund established by city council members has taken in more than $480,000. >> cnn learned u.s. marshalls lost track of two former members of the witness security program identified as known or suspected

terrorists. according to a justice department report one of the former witnesses is now known to be living outside the united states. the other is believed to be out of the country now. the report says the marshal service failed to inform authorities who run the no-fly watch list about suspected terrorists within the witness program. potentially giving them access to commercial flights across the united states. >> tissue alert. check out this dad who returned from afghanistan to surprise his little girl right after she throws out the first pitch at a tampa bay rays game. he's the catcher. elena adams thought there was something weird about the way he caught the ball. then will adams lifted his mask. he was in afghanistan for a couple of years. tears flowed after the pitch. rays fans gave the family a standing ovation. can you imagine? >> just a beautiful thing. we want to go back to granbury, texas, to speak with mario

flores, director of the field operations for habitat humanity international. so many homes in that community were built with the assistance of habitat for humanity. you have been on the ground for a while. i wonder if you can give us a sense of what you have seen. >> yes. thank you very much. it's a scene of total devastation in the neighborhood. there is a little bit over a hundred homes in the area. the tornado destroyed most of them. there's very few that were left untouched. habitat has built 61 homes in the area. out of the 61, 58 have damage of, you know, all kinds -- from minor to total destruction. >> one of the things about habitat is people put their own sweat equity into building the houseses. they work so hard by hand to put them up. it has to be especially painful for them to go through it now.

have you had a chance to meet with the families? how is the community holding up? >> yes. i had the opportunity yesterday to meet with some of the familieses who are staying in shelter in the church. as you can imagine, they are at the moment trying to, you know, make sense of the destruction. some of them are very eager to go back to the neighborhood and see, you know, what was the result of the storm. as you know this happened during the night. they had to leave very quickly. some of them don't know, don't have an idea of what is the status of their home. on top of that, families are with opens to go back and rebuild. this is a very tight community. during the process of habitat develops with families, they

come together and really constitute a close-knit community. they are eager in the middle of the tragedy they are eager to rebuild. >> what happens next? and what will you help do? you have to get people in rental units, get people situated. not all these people had homeowners insurance, i'm assuming. >> not all the people in the neighborhood, but habitat homeowners have homeowners insurance. we will be working with them through the process. let the insurance process play out. we're going to be there the entire recovery process. not only for the homeowners but for the rest of the families in the neighborhood. again, this is a tragedy that was focused in one neighborhood. the entire neighborhood, all the families are very much in solidarity with each other. >> so many people watching are

probably wondering what they can do to help people in the community that was hit so hard. do you have advice for how people can get involved? >> yes. a number of organizations are putting forward their best effort to help. if people would like to help with the effort in front of us, i would direct people to habitat.org. information on how to help affected families in granbury. >> mario flores, thank you very much for taking time out of your busy day to speak with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> ahead, anthony bourdain takes a trip to libya to learn the power of fast food. you've known?w old isn we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much

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welcome back, everyone. the price is right, but the oddsodds are long. 1 in 175 million, to be exact. but this is hard to resist. the power ball jackpot of $550 million. even more attractive? >> you do the math and there is a total of $740 million up for

grabs if you add in tonight mega millions drawing. d we'll suspend our odds-making -- 1 in 175 million is long odds but let's talk about the hope. what are people telling you? >> reporter: people are hoping they will win the jackpot. the store clerk says people have been lining up all morning. he expects sales to increase tomorrow as the deadline drawses nearer. we are in passaic, new jersey, a town with a magic touch when it comes to power ball numbers. a couple months ago one man netted himself $330 million. he bought his ticket about five blocks away from where i'm standing. this time around the jackpot is much larger. $550 million at stake. if you pick the lump sum you will walk away with roughly $350 million. that's the equivalent of getting

a million dollars a day for almost a year. as you mentioned the chances are pretty dismal. one in 175 million. those are your chances of winning. the more people that play, that increase it is chances a winner will have to split the winningses with other people. i spoke to people in town and said, if you won $550 million, everybody is saying they would spend the money on family. some people say they would do a lot for the community and also build schools and give money to their local churches as well. >> if you win we can use the money to buy new audio equipment to hear you better. question we got most of the report. there are so many people hoping it will be them. $550 million. it's sure a lot of money. i won't let you drag me down. i'm hopeful. >> isn't it a voluntary tax? >> a little bit.

>> thanks, zain. >> ahead on "starting point" -- he normally thinks fast food is evil but on a trip to libya anthony bourdain saw it as a taste of freedom. that's one of many unexpected discoveries on this remarkable show. we'll talk about it next. where new york state is investing one billion dollars to attract and grow business. where companies like geico are investing in technology & finance. welcome to the state where cutting taxes for business... is our business. welcome to the new buffalo. welcome to the new buffalo. welcome to the new buffalo. new york state is throwing out the old rule book to give your business a new edge, the edge you can only get in new york state. to grow our start your business, visit thenewny.com

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one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours. kentucky fried chicken. the colonel and his buddies, the king and the clown, have that quite made it here, given the uncertainty of the situation. so in the meantime, places like have been popping up. >> continuing to eat his way around the world. in this sunday's "parts unkno unknown," he visits libya. i said why in libya to him fast food means freedom. >> as a parent, as a former chef, i have seen american fast

food as sort of the evil empire, this is really one of the first times i have looked at it as an expression of something else. this young kid, mitt ilya member who had just been part of and lived through ined credibly violent and stressful, turbulent bit of history, to have him look at the camera and say this is the taste of freedom, i really stunned me and broke my heart. >> you have been wanting to go to libya for a long time. why? >> i was in kurdistan doing a show, a previous show, and i started hearing from friends in the security business who were working in libya, shall we say, doing some things there for the british, and they were sending me texts and e-mails saying basicallyi it's awesome here, yu would love it. not the way it's depicted on

television. something surprising going on here and very exciting. the idea of who is doing these things, who these people, are very exciting. >> you went to a barbecue? >> yes. we spent much of the time in libya in misrata and libya. riding around in cars with machine guns with these kids and they took to us a beach barbecue in misrata, in the middle of a turbulent time. and it's like any other barbecue, throw an animal on a grill and you have a really good time and get your hands dirty, tell jokes and laugh and cry a little bit. it was an extraordinary experience. >> the difference with this beach barbecue filled with kids, these kids were heavily armed and just fought aiveley war. >> just fought a civil war with do it yourself home made

weapons, soviet or russian modern battle tanks with home made cross bows that would project molotov cocktails with repurposed rockets and ar artillery, ignited by a hair dryer. >> were you safe? did you feel safe at every moment? >> a highly stressful experience to be woken up every night at 2:00 to be told to grab your passport. make sure you are packed and ready. that's stressful. but frightened, scared for my life, stupidly or not, no. and i'm not a particularly courageous guy. >> the great places, not so great places. you eat your way through the country. the food there? stress relief or nuisance to worry about? >> great seafood in lia.

it's an ice breaker. when you talk to someone who is -- you know, has extraordinary things to say, in the conversation seems to be about food it often leads in wonderful directions, so, you know, in every case, the meal was a way in to more interesting subjects. >> still a lot of problems there. >> no doubt. >> where do you think it will be one year, two years, three years from now? >> the libyans i spoke to, realistically, you clearly have huge problems here. clearly a lot of bad guys out there who have no love for americans, they said, look, we have to be realistic here, not much of a government right now. five years? ten years? they want democracy. may not want the democracy that we want to have. but they want something like -- they want freedom, they want the things they see europe having as a matter of course. they want a life-style and a

freedom to speak. that i think most people want. but they are very aware of what they call the dark forces who would like to -- by their way of thinking, turn the clock back to chaos and to murder. >> you know, spoke know to anthony bourdain. never seen him taken by a place like this. this is a really unique place at a unique time. a really terrific episode. anthony bourdain parts unknown. libyan episode, this sunday at 9:00 p.m. >> ahead on "starting point," the former acting chief of the irs goes before congress. how much did he know? and one monster catch. we'll meet the teenager who bagged an 8 00-pound alligator.

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good friday morning. i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. the starting point, the irs scandal that continues to plague the white house. the acting commissioner that recently resigned is making his way to capitol hill. will he plead the fifth or cooperate with members of the powerful house ways and means committee? a cleanup in texas. the daunting task facing those residents. more than half a billion dollars up for grabs in

powerball. could it be yours? want to know what your odds are? we'll tell you. here is a hint. they are not great. >> and you can't miss this interview. call it skill or beginner's luck. how one texas teen nabbed this monster 800-pound alligator. what does he plan to do with the catch? we'll ask him. friday, may 17th. i'll say it one more time. it's friday! "starting point" begins right now. okay. "starting point," the first of several congressional hearings due to begin hours from now. steven miller will be on the capitol grill, facing tough questions from a house committee about the agency's targeting of conservative political groups and why he didn't come clean until lawmakers early on? dana bash live for us bright and early. >> good morning, christine.

a second irs official is stepping down, one hour from now, the man who was so publicly dismissed this week by a president in damage control mode, who will face frustrated lawmakers in both parties. >> this is a witness table. >> in this room, republican dave camp will share the first congressional hearings since the irs scandal exploded. his star witness? steven miller, embattled irs chief forced to resign on wednesday. this is literally the hot seat. >> i think it will be. we have been inquiring and he and the irs weren't forthcoming. >> reporter: miller learned one year ago irs agents were targeting tea party and other conservative groups for excessive scrutiny of tax exempt groups. he never told congressional investigators, including camp. >> i want to know what he knew, when he knew it and what they've done to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> reporter: do you think steven miller is the fall guy?

>> i don't think this will end up being one person's responsibility. this is an agency, there is a group of people. decisions made with lots of signoff. if it's incompetence, it's incompetence that goes into a level of wrongdoing. >> reporter: this urs inspector general report found no evidence that agent who's singled out tea party groups were influenced by anyone outside the irs. republicans are skeptical, especially the house speaker. >> somebody made a decision to do this, and i doubt it was low-level employees in the cincinnati field office. >> right now, this is mostly bipartisan. >> it's clear that the actions taken by some at the irs must be condemned. >> reporter: all of this could have a chilling effort on irs efforts to make sure groups that are blatantly political don't get tax benefits they shouldn't. >> tax breaks for the malicious superpac ads, that too i would

suggest is a scandal. >> top democrat on the committee says so far the investigation has been bipartisan, but he is concerned he says that it will deinvolve into a partisan show instead of a fact finding mission. some republicans are worried about that too. one house member told reporters yesterday he is warning his fellow gopers not to over play their hand. >> dana bash, thank you. the search continues for seven people still missing after devastating tornadoes touched down in texas. the national weather service says there were at least 16 twisters over a terrifying seven-hour period. the damage there so surreal, so extensive, that people in the hardest hit neighborhood are not even being allowed back to survey damage right now. cnn's victor blackwell from grandbury, texas. good morning. >> good morning. the people we have spoken with stress that the tangible things

are replaceable. but we make really strong memories in our homes and the homes hold special places in our hearts, like imagine the first time john, you took your kids through the front door of the home this is their front door now. this mailbox on top of a dining room table, where this family no doubt shared meals. something familiar as an easy chair, tossed over with particle board and bended metal. this is just one home, and the really hard hit neighborhood of rancho brazos, multiply this by more than 100. sheriff roger deeds has seen tornado damage in hood county before, but this -- this is more than damage. this is catastrophic. >> i have seen bad, but this is about as bad as it gets. >> reporter: this is the ranch o brazos community of granbury,

texas. they are transformed to a scramble of metal and glass and simple reminders of how quickly life can change. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: the national weather service estimates more than a dozen tornadoes touched down on wednesday in texas. one stayed a while. >> usually go street to street or jumps neighborhood to neighborhood. in this case, this neighborhood of 110 homes it seemed to set down on top of it. i feel really an empty feeling in my stomach, because the fact is, this was someone's home. >> reporter: so many homes and cars that are damaged and just completely destroyed, like this one, you can see that the air conditioning unit off the foundation, windows bursted out. this house will have to be demolished, it's easy to get lost in how large it is. but then you see something like this. just a child's drawing, red,

pink, and blue hearts, children lived in this community. they lost their homes. some of them maybe have lost family members. these are families that have to start over. this is more than just pictures of devastation on television. people now have to find a way to build a new normal for their lives. for their children. there is so much work to do, and optimism, sheriff deeds believes they will rebuild. >> we're taking care of business, taking care of the people, will continue to do so. >> patricia lopez saw the funnel clouds swirling minutes before it hit their neighborhood in granbury, texas. patty's sister and a friend huddled with their children in a bathroom. myrrh miraculously, they were

left unharmed. i'm so sorry this happened to you, and so happy you are both here in one piece. how are you holding up this morning? >> okay. just okay. >> what about you, patty? >> i think we're going to be okay. >> just see the pile of tef station behind you. this is the beginning of trying to pick up your stuff and where to go from here. what is going through your mind when you were huddled in there when the storm hit? what did you see and hear? how long did it last? >> it felt like it lasted forever, but it probably lasted about four to five minutes, maybe. >> four to five minutes. >> we saw the funnel cloud and ran in, and we threw everyone in the bathtub, children first, and put pillows and blanket on top of it. we tried to get a mattress, but

we didn't have enough time. it hit immediately. the roof came in, flew off. >> your 6-year-old daughter was with you, atika? >> yes, ma'am. >> what did you tell her? >> i just told her to pray and to thank god for keeping his protective hands around discuss keep us safe so we could go out. >> it must have been happening so fast. what were the children doing? you were rushing them to the tub. trying to cover them up, trying to help them from getting hit by things. how were the kids reacting? >> they were scared. they were strong, but they were scared. >> yeah. >> they are christian children, so they knew the lord would be there to protect them. >> wow. as a mother, trying to keep them safe when literally all hell is breaking loose outside of you. patty, what were you hearing and seeing as you were huddled with those children? >> once we were in the shower --

in the tub, i just -- we huddled over everybody and i had my eyes closed. we were all praying. it was just -- it was awful. it was -- the scariest feeling. i was worried about my kids. it was just an awful thing to experience. and i don't know. >> atyka, you were through a tornado when you were a little girl, when you were ten, right? >> yes, ma'am. >> did you know to go into that tub, to that bathroom, that was your safest hope there? >> yes, ma'am. they -- they teach you that when you are little in west texas, that all you have to remember is what my mom did to me and my brothers when we had that tornado in west texas, so that's what we did. >> patty, you weren't wearing

any shoes, so this storm passes, are you with the children, all there, and are you leaving and you are not wearing any shoes. tell me what happened. >> once we got out of the shower, none of us had shoes on, we were trying to get through my hallway, there was debris, there was all kinds of stuff. mainly all had nails and trying to be careful, and actually stepped on a nail, but it was -- just so much around, for to us get around and out. i mean, we could see outside, but we couldn't get out. couldn't get out of house. >> a lot of people want to go home, survey the damage, one of the reasons why authorities don't want to do that too quickly, because there is so much dangerous, shredded metal, and so many dangerous things out there. we're wishing you all just care and patience as we go through

here. what about your house? do you know, patty, about your house, what the status is? >> currently they are not letting anybody in. i don't know -- i don't know when we're going to be able to get back in. >> atyka, how is your daughter doing now? >> she is okay. i don't really think that she understands the tragedy really. i mean, when we came out of shower, the first thing out of her mouth was, you know, why do i see outside? and i was -- you can't explain to that really to a 6-year-old. she doesn't understand it. yesterday she said a bomb went off. i mean, that's how she understood it. she said, you know, when we were in that bomb. and i said you mean a tornado? so she doesn't -- >> she don't know. >> she doesn't understand really. i tried to explain it.

she knows she was really scared, frightened and god protected us and that she came out okay, but she doesn't understand -- like i was showing her pictures and she just she doesn't understand. >> patty, any last thoughts from you on how you will be able to move forward here? the image of you guys in the tub with the kids, you know, praying and trying to get through it, as that raged outside of you, it must be so close in your mind as you try to move forward. >> yeah. i can't hear what she said. >> what are you going to do next? >> what are you going to do next? >> just -- i don't know. i just -- i don't know. we're starting over. just glad my kids are alive, we're all together and still glad to be here. >> so are we, ladies.

thank you so much. patricia lopez, atyka ditto, we wish you the best as your town tries to heal. back after this break. when our little girl was born, we got a subaru. it's where she said her first word. (little girl) no! saw her first day of school. (little girl) bye bye! made a best friend forever. the back seat of my subaru is where she grew up. what? (announcer) designed for your most precious cargo. (girl) what? (announcer) the all-new subaru forester. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

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welcome back to "starting point." a sharp rise in the number of sexual assaults in the military points to a crisis. president obama calls it shameful, disgraceful and a danger to national security. pentagon officials were ordered to take action, amid a series of high-profile cases of alleged sexual abuse involving service members design assigned to prevent those very crimes. here is barb ra starr. >> another embarrassment for the u.s. military. this time at forth campbell, kentucky.

lieutenant colonel darren hawes, in charge of sexual assault prevention, removed from his job after being arrested for violating a protective order to stay away from his estranged wife. >> hi this is major darren haas from bagram, afghanistan. >> reporter: he sent greetings to his wife while serving in afghanistan in 2010. this came to light hours after president obama met with top brass about sexual assaults in the military. >> no silver bullet to solving this problem. this is going to require a sustained effort over a long period of time. >> reporter: the ft. campbell firing, the third in two weeks of personnel assigned to military sexual assault prevention jobs, at ft. hood, texas, a sergeant first class under criminal investigation by the army for pannering. a pentagon official says he may have forced someone into prostpy

tuition. other allegations, abusive sexual contact and mall treatment of subordinates, and jeffrey krysinski was arrested for groping a woman where he worked on sexual assault prevention. senator kirsten gillibrand is presenting legislation that the decision to prosecute is given to military attorneys. many feel prosecutors from outside a unit will be more vigorous. >> we believe enough is enough. time to change the system that has been held over since george washington. that is simply not working today for the men and women who are serving. >> reporter: and defense secretary chuck hagel warns if this problem of sex crimes in the military isn't solved it could get to the point where

parent and young people simply will not want to join the military. >> big problem, reaching a crisis level in washington. barbara starr at the pentagon, thank you so much. >> ahead on "starting point," a hatchet wielding hitchhiker, who found internet fame now accused of murder. and abercrombie & fitch's ceo responds to the man who is rebranding the company by giving clothes to the poor. what are the odds you will win more than half a billion dollar jackpot? we'll tell you. you're watching "starting point." peyou've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need

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welcome back to "starting point." new developments in the investigation in the catastrophic fertilizer explosion in texas. they have not ruled out the possibility that the fire was intentionally set. last week, a paramedic who responded to the scene was arrested for possession of pipe bomb components. he's pleaded not guilty. the u.s. attorney's office will not say whether he might have been connected to that blast. >> some disturbing new developments in the story of kai, the hatchet wielding hitchhiker. the 22-year-old homeless man, who thinks of himself as home free. you can remember his profanity laced rant of how he attacked a man who was assaulting a woman in california. got nearly 4 million hits on the internet. but this man is underarrest in philadelphia, accused of murdering a 73-year-old lawyer

in the victim's home in new jersey. >> this man was well known and that doesn't mean that he did not or could not become involved in a crime. >> the suspect was picked up at a bus stop in philadelphia after cutting his hair. >> abercrombie & fitch ceo is addressing the internet backlash by his decision to not stock women's xl and xxl sizes and controversial remarks. he said, we go after the cool kids and a lot of people don't belong, and they can't belong. yesterday, jeffrey said those old quotes were taken out of context. in a statement, jeffrey says abercrombie and fitch is an aspirational brand that like most specialty apparel brands targets a particular segment of customers. however, we care about the broader community in which we operate and are strongly committed to diversity and

inclusion. >> hmm. two mega jack pots up for grabs. what are your odds? not good. really bad actually. don't let that stop you. tonight's mega millions prize worth $190 million. the powerball for tomorrow's drawing, $550 million. that is a lot of money a grand total for you who are math challenged like me of $740 million. thank goodness for the promptter. dare to dream. >> get $2, and get a little bit of heat just for a second and you will have a payoff too. the other big story we're following, seven people missing after tornadoes tore through a northern texas community. damage is extensive. and 61 homes built by habitat for humanity is among the destruction. will they rebuild? we'll ask him. the craziest story of the day. mcdonald's drive through

employee gets the surprise of her life when the thief who stole her car drives right up to her window. talk about the right place at the right time. oh, my goodness. you are watching "starting point." ♪ the middle of this special moment and i need to run off to the bathroom. ♪ i'm fed up with always having to put my bladder's needs ahead of my daughter. ♪ so today, i'm finally talking to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling? ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machinery or do unsafe tasks

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metamucil has psyllium, which helps lower cholesterol, promotes digestive health, and helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. metamucil. 3 amazing benefits, 1 super fiber. welcome back, everyone. an update on the tornado recovery efforts in north texas. six people dead and the search on for seven people still missing. people who live in the hardest hit neighborhoods say it could be days, maybe a week before they get to see, what, if anything, is left of their homes. those who have seen the scope of the damage first hand say it's surreal, extensive, the national weather service confirms 16 tornadoes touched down on the neighborhood. more than we thought initially. before you can help the victims of the texas storms, visit our impact your world page at cnn.com/impact. 61 homes in the affected area built by volunteers from

habitat for humanity. members of the group are on the ground trying to help. jonathan reckford from our atlanta bureau, thank you for being here. have you had a chance to talk to representatives on the ground in north texas? >> we have. we are still doing early damage assessments. our hearts go out to all of those who are affected by this terrible storm. we want to first support the assessment process and help as many families as we can with cleanup, repair, and permanent rebuilding. >> how soon do you think they will be able to start rebuilding? people won't even be allowed back to their homes in the hardest hit areas for a week now. when will they get up off the ground? >> a slow process. and it depends. some families with repairs can get back in relatively sooner, here the utilities and water

have been wiped out as well. so one of the toughest things, you have an instant result. a long process of rebuilding we've seen in the many disasters we've helped recover from. >> disaster response is a big part of what habitat for humanity does. walk us through some of the process here. what will people in north texas be seeing from your organization over the coming days and weeks? >> initially our disaster response professionals on the ground, supporting the assessment process and we'll have opportunity after the search and rescue initial relief, we're not a relief organization, part of the long-term rebuilding, our teams working with local affiliates, bring in surrounding affiliates from the state of texas and after the assessments, tied to the amount of support, we'll work with the affected families, both habitat families and the other families in community who fit low-income criteria to affect the repair and rebuilding

process. >> the people who live in these houses, pour their hearts and sweat into them. help build them. doubly painful for them right now to see these homes so damaged and destroyed? >> you know, it's so true. in a way, we could -- it's an answered prayer they weren't in the home. one young mother of four children who had just finished all of her sweat equity, done all of the training, preparation, and her house complete. going to have the house dedicated and moved in this weekend, and the house is gone completely. but at least they are safe and okay and houses can be rebuilt. >> indeed they can. how can people around the country help habitat for humanity who will be going in to help rebuild? >> we launched today a campaign to raise $5 million. i'm grateful to say general motors made the first lead gift. if you go to habitat.org, learn about the disaster response

process and plug in, see how they can -- when the time is right, volunteer, but also donate and support that rebuilding process. >> jonathan reckford, thank you for being with us this morning. really appreciate it. >> thank you, john. developing this morning, the first congressional hearing on the irs scandal getting under way in a half an hour. the star witness? the fired ifrp rs interim chief, steve miller. he will be grilled by how and why the targeting of political conservative groups happened. the irs demonstrated a culture of coverup and failed to be honest with the american people. stay with cnn that hearing live at 9:00 a.m. eastern. three dogs that cleveland kidnapping suspect kept in the same home where he kept women captive for years. a chihuahua was found in the car the night castro was arrested. two other dogs, terrier/poodle

mixes, found inside castro's house that could go up for adoption, but first they will ask the former hostages if they would like to claim the dogs as pets. donations pouring in to a new trust fund to help the women. the fund has already taken in more than $480,000. a man accused of tricking his girlfriend to taking abortion pills to force her abortion is facing federal murder charges. the victim was thrilled when she found out she was pregnant with the boyfriend's baby. but wasn't ready for what happened next. 26-year-old remi lee was a woman in love. >> he was my everything. and more. >> elated that she and her boyfriend john andrew weldon was affecting a child. >> every woman dreams of becoming a mom. >> this sonogram taking at the obstetrics clinic owned by weldon's father showed she was six weeks pregnant.

bu lee said her boyfriend begged her not to have the baby. >> i was never going to do anything except go full term with it, and he didn't want me to. >> in a matter of days, her boyfriend called to tell her that blood tests revealed a bacterial infection and she believed it. she thought she was taking the antibiotic amoxicillin. she believed her. >> he told me to keep taking them. i was supposed to take three a day. for days. >> but the pills in that bottle were not amoxicillin. detectives say weldon later admitted to switching out the antibiotic for the pill known as cytotec that can cause abortion. lee was quickly hospitalized with bleeding and abdominal pain and lost the baby. doctors who inspected the bolting of pills told her the shocking truth. >> medical professionals saw it wasn't quite right.

>> earlier this week, a grand jury indicted weldon on charges of first degree murder and product tampering. he's being held without bond but not issued a plea. the murder charge under the federal unborn victims of violence act carries a possible life sentence. lee is left grieving and in disbelief. >> i can't believe that someone did something somalicio malicio me, and also to himself. it was our baby. >> cnn wasn't able to get a comment from john weldon's attorney. remee lee also filed a civil suit, seeking damages for the trauma, psychological and emotional injuries. fast food, faster justice. a washington state mcdonald's employee didn't have to wait long to get her stolen suv back. her toyota, taken from the apartment complex tuesday morning. she was working the thrive through window a few hours later at the local mcdonald's, when the thief pulled up in her suv. virginia quickly called police

and cops arrived just as the thief was pulling away, and they arrested her. that is crazy. >> that is good luck. bad luck to lose your car, good luck to get it back. a waffle, no, a tack york both sort of. take a look at the new waffle taco. testing it out in three california stores, taco bell. sausage patty, scrambled eggs folded into a waffle with hot sauce on the side. feeling bold? wash it down with the new mountain dew a.m. mountain dew mixed with sugar. 46 grams of sugar. >> i would be staring at that waffle. can we put that back up. >> get on a plane, go to california. if californians love this, might love it. >> california, help me out here. 37 minutes after the hour. you might see him riding his little tykes, but make no

escape. robert bobby tuft is mayor for all in minnesota. each year, they pick the mayor out of a hat and this time it was bobby's name that came up. >> looks pretty safe. >> how long have had you that stick, mr. mayor. >> not long, but now i have it forever. howdy partner. howdy partner. >> i can't wait to see the first scandal that the mayor has there. >> some hollywood agent is calling his parents right now. this kid is adorable. >> he told everyone at daycare he is going to be mayor forever. see, already a scandal there. hang onto power. >> mayor of "starting point" forever. we'll give him the title right now. bill gates back on top as the world's richest person. details on net worth. let's say he won't be playing saturday's powerball. and first time hunting alligators and that is what he caught. a record-breaking 800-pound,

monster of a gator. we'll talk to the teenager and his father, find out how they did this. why they tried. you're watching "starting point." stouffer's starts with ground beef, onions and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care, for you or your family.

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welcome back to "starting point." i'm christine romans minding your business. stocks took a break yesterday on the record run on weaker housing and jobs data. and a lot of debate over moves to prop up the economy to the tune of $85 billion a month. when will it end? that concerned stocks yesterday. look at this run. 16% the gain for the dow this year. nasdaq, 14%. s & p up 15% this year. american airlines rewarding passengers who travel light. the carrier says it will allow early boarding for passengers who don't stash any items in the overhead bins. this applies to traveler who's

board the planear under the seat in front of them it will help ensure packed flights will depart and arrive on time. bill gates, once again, the world's richest person. the 57-year-old founder of microsoft, reclaiming the title from carlos slim, according to the bloomberg billionaire's index. last time he held the title in 2007. fortune valued at 72$72.7 billi. largely because of the increased value of his stock holdings, that's right. stock holdings, good year for stocks and a good year for him. just in. a major theft at the cannes f s festival. the jewels belonged to a swiss firm stolen. meant for celebrities on the red carpet. thieves broke into an employee's

hotel room, stole the items from the safe. the new movie "bling ring," premiered last night as well. >> interesting. >> i know. i think we'll hear more about this soon. >> i will rent "to catch a thief." >> always good to rent that one. is there a point when art violates personal privacy? residents of one apartment building are part of a photography exhibit, although they didn't know they were being photographed. >> in the 1954 classic rear window, jimmy stewart took photos of his neighbors in part because he was bored. now an artist took photos across the street for art. he was able to peer inside the apartments of residents living across their street without

their knowledge. the captured in photos. a couple eating breakfast. a man taking a nap. a woman in a rocking chair and now some of the photo subjects are furious about having their privacy violated. >> in my case, it was my bedroom, so, you know, i change here, i -- you know, i do a lot of things. and to know that somebody was not only looking at me, but photographing me. >> mario, seen here, says she felt extremely vulnerable, because she as a young child. >> my biggest concern, a 60-year-old man was observing us, including minors. >> more infuriating, he could profit big time from these photos. they are being sold up to 8,400 each. the photographer would not be interviewed, but said this in a statement. for my subjects, there was no question of privacy. they are performing behind a

transparent screen on a stage of their own creation with the curtain raised high. and the owner of the gallery where photos are being shown says the photographer was extremely careful not to reveal the identity of his subjects. >> somebody has asked me, have the people in these photographs come into the gallery? i would have no idea. no one would. you could never recognize. and arne cognizant of that. >> the residents may have little legal recourse. >> they have to prove that the pictures are identifiable. that is the starting point for a lawsuit in new york. i don't see it in most pictures. >> can the people in the photos sue the artist for selling images? new york does have a criminal statute that would protect people from being filmed for sexual purposes, but this is clearly not what is involved in this situation, and he also says the subject -- if his face was identifiable, but he doesn't think that is applicable in the

case. >> the entire neighborhood ran and got blinds. >> people said what about curtains? make a big difference. >> certainly will be looking over your shoulder. ahead on "starting point," a texas teen sets out on his first gator hunt and gets an 800-pound monster. the high school senior and his dad will drop by next. you're watching "starting point." flying is old hat for business travelers. the act of soaring across an ocean in a three-hundred-ton rocket doesn't raise as much as an eyebrow for these veterans of the sky. however, seeing this little beauty over international waters is enough to bring a traveler to tears. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time.

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new delays in the jodi arias trial. defense websites to testify on her behalf are pushed back to monday. but not before siblings of the

man she killed delivered emotional victim impact statements to the court. >> steven alexander in the u.s. army in 2008 when he found out his brother travis had been murdered. as an emotional jodi arias sat and watched, he told jurors about the unanswered questions that haunt him to this day. >> how much did he suffer? how much did he scream? what was he saying? what was the last thing he saw before his eyes closed? what was his final thought in his head? >> reporter: next, sister samantha alex and every approached the podium, crying even before she spoke. >> travis was our strength. our constant beacon of hope. our motivation. and his presence has been ripped from our lives.

>> reporter: defense witnesses expected to speak about several mitigating factors that could spare arias' life, including her lack of a criminal past, her past effort to convert to the mormon faith and talent as an artist. >> this is a girl right here that you pledged when you were selected as jurors that after hearing or after possibly convicting her of first degree murder and finding aggravating factors that you would consider giving ms. arias life. >> reporter: in a trial full of gripping moments, one of the last is likely to come from jodi arias herself next week. when she's expected to beg for mercy from a jury that has already convicted her of an especially cruel first degree murder. casey wian, cnn, phoenix. >> coming up, the unbelievable moment a soldier dad surprised his little girl as she threw out the first pitch at a tampa bay rays game. full disclosure tearjerker.

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an 18-year-old texas high school senior made the catch of a lifetime. 800-pound alligator. take a look at the size of this thing. turns out this is the heaviest alligator ever caught in texas in the history of ever. braxton and his father troy are joining us now. talk about beginner luck. first time you go alligator hunting. level us with. you see the 800-pound alligator. what were your feelings? scared at all? >> yeah, we were pretty scared,

but we had our head on straight, going out there to hopefully get a big one. when we saw him, we knew what we had to do. >> how do you go about catching an 800-pound alligator? >> typical hook and line. 50 yards of rope. >> i'm sorry. walk us through it. >> get about 50 yards of rope pretty much and you just bait a hook with raw chicken on the end of the line, hang it a good foot over the water and let it sit overnight, and the alligators get on top of it. >> troy, also caught one. 10 1/2 foot long alligator itself. a lot of alligators caught in your family. were you proud of your son? jealous of the size of his? >> i was excited for him. once in a lifetime type trip and glad he was able to harvest an alligator. but the trick was -- we had a

great time, a lot of fun. >> did you ever feel in danger? this is a lot of alligator, and they have sharp teeth. braxton, ever feel scared? >> you know, when we saw the alligator and pulled him up to the boat, a pretty big shock to see something that big up close. but we were in a boat, so, yeah, my adrenaline was going, but we were having fun, really. >> so you catch him, so you have the raw chicken on the end of the rope, right, and it eats the chicken and what? you pull it in? >> right. with the alligator does, he swallows the chicken hole. once they swallow it, you pretty much have them, and just pull them right up to the boat. >> oh, wow. have you been a big fan of these gator shows, reality shows, for a while. "swamp people," "gator boys." this is your calling? destined for a life of mammoth alligator hunting? >> now that i have my 14-footer,

if troy landry wanted me to go to louisiana and help him harvest a 14-footer, i wouldn't be against it. i'll just see. >> sounds like your raising your hand. >> your job is rolling your eyes. how old are you? >> i'm 18 years old. >> your father is not so sure about that as a lifetime profession. we'll let you work that out together. thank you so much for joining us, great to see you this morning. congratulations. >> thank you. >> a lot of great father son bonding. tissue alert. check out this dad. this dad secretly returned from afghanistan to surprise her dad. she is the catcher. alayna thought there was something weird about how the catcher caught the ball. then lieutenant adams lifted his mask. the rays fans, you can imagine. they went crazy. gave the whole family a standing

ovation. look at that photo. love it. that's it for "starting point." i'm christine romans. >> and i'm john berman. stay tuned for live coverage of the irs hearing in the house ways and means committee. "cnn newsroom" begins right now. >> i thought christine was going to cry. thanks to you both. have a great weekend. "newsroom" gets to work with a special edition, right now on capitol hill, congress launches its first hearing on the irs and abuse of power. one week ago today, the irs admitted to bombshell allegations that workers unfairly subjected groups like the tea party to undue scrutiny. did this man try to cover it up by lying to lawmakers, steven miller, the irs acting commissioner until the scandal

forced him to resign on wednesday. here he is. just the day before, getting hounded by reporters. >> mr. miller. >> hi, guys. how are you? >> why didn't you tell congress -- >> i don't have a comment. thank you, guys. i'll be here on friday. >> sir, senator hatch said you purposeful misled him by not informing him about this. >> he won't be able to do an interview now. he will be back. >> why didn't you tell the truth when you were asked directly by congress? >> we'll talk on friday. >> well, here it is friday, and that gauntlet of questions is just a taste of what mr. miller faces today on capitol hill. chief congressional correspondent dana bash is taking a look at the big picture, gloria boerger in our washington bureau. steven miller already in the

hearing room. he was early. what do you expect he will face today? >> what he faces something you don't normally see with big controversy. which is really a bipartisan grilling. democrats and republicans equally outraged. sometimes when you have these hearings, it's more of a partisan show, members of congress trying to make political points. in this particular hearing, they genuinely have a fact finding mission. a lot of unanswered questions about who these agents were who started the -- these inappropriate criteria, that's the way the inspector general put it. how far up did it go, why was it done? and most importantly from the congress point of view, why didn't they tell congress, especially stever miller, he knew one year ago, congress investigating the very committee he is testifying before now. they were asking questions, didn't disclose, they want to know why. >> also, mr. miller tried to pave the way to this hearing with excuses and