of milk. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com in a deadly mid-air crash of two hot air balloons we got this dramatic video for you. a few years ago one hero cop's actions got him a seat right next to the first lady. now that same man is under arrest and he's suspected of rape. good morning to you when welcome to early start. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm john berman.

>> in town after town, state after state, tornado savage the heartland. a tornado touched down in missouri. meanwhile, look at this. in oklahoma a massive tornado just huge bears down on the city of shawnee. one man in a trailer park has died. dozens of others have been injured. twisters tearing down roofs off homes, streets, power lines. state after state. the national weather service said tornado reports stretched the country's mid-section. we are on the ground in the hard hit shawnee, oklahoma. good morning, nick. >> reporter: good morning. that storm spreading across hundreds of miles of the mid-section of the country. in oklahoma it was shawnee that was hit the hardest. you don't get a sense of the

destruction. this represents the power of the storm that moved through here. you can hear the roar as this tornado tears across the land headed straight towards shawnee, oklahoma. a total of 26 twisters plowed through four states in the midwest sunday, over 45 homes damaged. one person killed. and at least a dozen injured. >> coming up on houses here. >> reporter: a trailer park hardest hit. mobile homes toppled over, houses demolished. john welsh said he's never seen anything like it. >> when you came over the shawnee trailer park were you not astound at the amount of devastation? >> this was gone. everything was just, it was just gone like you took the house, you put it in a gigantic

blender, turned on pulse and dumped it out. rescue workers scrambled through the devastation to reach the injured. >> because there were tree limbs flying we hunkered down. >> i-40 was littered with debris as two semis were overturned. this one was blew off the overpass and flattened. >> my brother-in-law called me and i was at home and he said that a tree had fallen on my mother's house and i needed to pick her up. she's 79 years old. she's dieabetic and blind. residents were in utter disbelief. >> we were in the storm shelter and it was like a water pressure in our ears and the top came

off. there's 13 people living in hour house, and it ripped off the top storm shelter. sound like a train and after all the noise and then when we came out the house and everything -- the trees and the electric -- we knew we would be trapped there all night. >> tornadoes ripped through three other states, illinois, kansas and iowa. in kansas, downed power lines and hail the size of golf balls cover the ground as this tornado blue through wichita. >> it was very eerie. very dark. the sky got very dark. we went to the cellar and so thankful. >> a sigh of relief as two residents of the shawnee trailer park have been found. loom is not out of the wood yet as more storms are expected

throughout the rest of the day. >> reporter: just incredible pictures. we're on the fringes of this trailer park where deputies continue to canvas the area and assess the damage. >> i imagine as the sun comes up those pictures will get more and more devastating. as nick just mentioned threat of tornadoes is not over yet. so, nick said they have more storms headed in that direction. how serious are that he? >> unfortunately the tornado outbreak is still under way. i want to show you in the last 24 hours things have calmed down. we're not looking at current watches and warnings. notice in the last 24 hours how quickly these storms can develop. two dozen storms spotted in the last 4 hours. over 55 million of you out there are currently under the gun. we're talking about the severe weather threat extending anywhere from wisconsin all the

way through michigan down through texas and in fact a moderate risk still exists. it pushed further off to the east. if you're out in northeastern portions of oklahoma and missouri that's 5 million of you under a moderate risk. keep in mind this will be lasting for some time wean as we go through tuesday. this threat will stay with us. a slight risk. last week granbury, texas you were under a slight risk with an ef-4 tornado went through your area. this weather will stay with us for some time. even through wednesday we'll talk about that threat spreading through illinois, kentucky and new york. let's talk about what's going open we're dealing with warm moisture cruising in. we have the dry air banking up against the moist air that produces the lift. we have tell low. most importantly we're talking about the core of the jet stream allowing the turn of the winds.

threat for a tornado is still out there. >> 55 million people. thank you for joining us. new this morning dramatic new video to show you. one person was killed early this morning. look that. two hot air balloons collide in mid-air. that crash happened in central turkey. the balloons were flying above several volcanoes at the time. 18 people were injured in that crash. a fight mayor for rail commuters in the northeast this morning. the key section of track is closed as the ntsb investigators look into a broken rail as the possible cause of last friday's rush hour collision between two metro north trains in connecticut. it ruled out foul play which injured 70 people. five of those remain hospitalized this morning. one in serious condition. the mess of train cars stuck on the track were removed on sunday. bad news is a long stretch of track is shut down indefinitely affecting metro north and amtrak

service from boston to new york. seven minutes past the hour. police on long island said the officer who shot and killed a student didn't know a hostage situation was under way when he entered that house. the officer opened fire early friday on a home invasion suspect after the gun was pointed on him. smith was holding 21-year-old andrea rebello in a helped lock. eight bullets hit smith another hit rebello in the head. both were killed. a former hero police officer in philadelphia finds himself on the wrong side of the law this morning. he was shot in the face back in 2007 but chased his attacker for three blocks until he passed out from blood loss. he returned to the force and helped capture the suspect and his work earned him a spot next to michelle obama in 2009. but his career soon took a

downturn. he retired in 2011. this over the weekend he was arrested for drugging and raping two women he met at a party. >> today jodi arias could find out if she will get the death penalty for the brutal murder of her boyfriend. arias is set to take the stand today along with her ex-boyfriend daryl brewer and her friend. once testimony wraps up prosecution and defense teams will offer final statements and the case will go the jury who must decide between life in prison and the death penalty for arias. a number that might surprise you despite a trio of scandals polygamying the white house, benghazi talking points, tapping of phone records and targeting of conservative groups. the president's approval rating is holding steady. at least for now. here's c n n national correspond jim acosta. >> reporter: as president obama

escaped the white house to deliver a commencement speech in a steady rain at moorehouse college, the republicans are pouring it on. top gop leaders fanned out on the sunday talk shows vowing to get to the tomorrow of the irs scandal. >> who knew, when did they know, why did they do this. >> what they want to do is drag washington into a swamp of partisan fishing expeditions. >> reporter: dan pfeiffer was asked time and again when did the president find out about it. >> when it came out on the news on friday. here's the cardinal rule. not for just this white house but for all white houses you don't interfere in an independent investigation. >> reporter: the irs scandal hasn't damaged the president's approval numbers according to a new poll. a deeper look at the numbers finds the republican is concerned about the irs along

with the questions about benghazi and the government seizure of phone records from associated press journalists. after his address to college graduates on sunday the president said it's him versus washington. >> sometimes you feel as if washington is impeding rather than advancing the possibilities that these young people represent. >> reporter: with more hearings featuring top irs officials coming this week it's a feeling the president may need to get used to. jim acosta, cnn, washington. >> 11 minutes fast hour. a lot of buzz about the personal nature of president obama's commencement address yesterday at moorehouse college. the president focusing on the subject of race and responsibility at this all male historically black alma mater of dr. ma in the luther king. >> whatever success i have achieved, whatever position of leadership i have held have depended less on ivy league

degrees or s.a.t. scores but due to that sense of connection and empathy, special obligation i felt as a black man like you to help those who need it most, people who didn't have the opportunities that i had because there but for the grace of god go i. i might have been in their shoes. i might have been in prison. i might have been unemployed. i might not have been able to support a family. and that motivates me. >> powerful for those young men. the president called on the moorehouse graduates to be responsible family men. president obama's speech wasn't the only special moment at sunday's graduation ceremonies. the name dorian jordan were called out twice as father and son stepped up to get a degree.

joyner in 2010 told his son he was going back to school with him not just for a visit. >> fantastic story. lead by example. >> i'm not so sure the son wants his dad at college. >> i bet it was fun and cool. >> coming up on our early start and the winner is -- nobody knows yet. a small florida town eagerly awaiting who the winner of the more half a billion jackpot is. we'll be live in florida. >> he's a high school dropout who may soon be worth than a billion dollars. how financially sound is this deal? and then the craziest video of the time a mistimed jump by an artist at the billboard music

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so the kai the hitchhiker is spab establishing a legal defense fund online. a check this morning of his go fund me legal website shows $247 in donations is far short of the $3 million goal. he's accused of fattaly bludgeoning a lawyer at his home in clark, new jersey. it is 17 minutes past the hour. the largest single powerball drawing ever, $590 million and it all went to one lucky winner in florida. someone walked into the grocery store and walked out a multimillionaire. so far no one has come forward to claim the winning.

john zarella is in florida. >> reporter: we first got here early yesterday mornings people would come up to us and say what are you guys going here, what's the commotion. by the end. day all the shoppers were coming up to us and asking do we know who the winner is yet. of course the answer is no, we don't. this is the zephyr hills publix. this is where somebody bought the single ticket, $590.5 million. some shoppers didn't know the ticket was purchased here or already had relatives calling. some long lost. >> i'm hearing from relatives all over the country. >> wanting to know if you have the winning ticket. >> absolutely that i haven't heard from in years. i told them you have to buy a ticket. >> did you happen to buy the powerball? >> check the ticket.

no. >> no it wasn't me. >> wasn't you. >> that's all i got. >> the winner has 60 days to claim the cash pay out prize and show up at florida lottery headquarters to collect. the winner can take an immediate cash out of $377 million after taxes or a smaller pay out now fold by yearly pay outs over the next 29 years. in a statement publix made it clear let the media drive who won it speculation. publix said quote we off terrify lottery as a service to our customers. however we don't promote the lottery or participate in lottery stories. we're excited for the winner and respect their privacy as well. privacy for the winner, that won't last long. by florida law once he, she or they come forward the name is public. now, whoever actually won is apparently doing the right thing, they are probably getting an attorney lined up, probably

getting an account ant lined up, getting their house in order before they go tot tallahassee o collect. >> that's not the only winner, right? >> reporter: that's exactly right. there were two, $2 million tickets. one sold in new york and one sold in south carolina. and there were 33 tickets sold in 17 states that netted each of those people a million bucks a piece. some good prizes out there. >> those sound effects are courtesy of john berman. where in new york, do we know? >> reporter: i think it said berman's address. >> i didn't buy a ticket. someone in new york won. >> oh, no. how funny. thank you so much, john.

we appreciate it. we'll check back in with you. coming up, terrifying images of the deadly series of tornadoes tears aparts the plains and midwest. these poor folks, more storms on the way. we'll go live to loom for the very latest. >> memorial day is almost here. can you afford the gas for your family's road trip. >> this is the same sorry every year. >> not bodying well for americans like you. is there a break in sight? are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers.

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welcome back. you may have noticed you were digging a little deeper at the pump these days. that's because the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas is up to 3.65 a gallon. that's up 11 cents over the past two weeks. this is just in time for the summer driving season. we go to new jersey. what is driving up these prices? >> reporter: john, much of the price hikes are coming from the midwest. we're seeing gas prices rise by more than 43 cents a gallon. a lot of refineries are close for schedule maintenance. they are close for inspection, repairs that kind of thing. refineries are switching over to their summer blend of gasoline. all of this is putting a constraint on supplies. let me give you and example.

minnesota, $4.28 a gallon. second only to california by the way. north dakota, $4.20 a gallon. nebraska, $4.05 a gallon. i'm here in new jersey. i did speak to drivers who are experiencing rising gas prices in the past week. here's what they had to say. >> it's really hurting a lot of people's pockets. the economy is bad, there's no work. you can't spend nothing because if you do spend something you got to know what to budget on. it's difficult just surviving out here especially with these gas prices. you can't take your kids anywhere. >> reporter: and i just spoke to one analyst who said he expects gas prices to continue rising. ate big driving weekend demand does go up but he did say after that good news that gas price will decline in june. >> zain asher there for us.

when people show up they have a bad surprise in store for them. a fateful decision that ended with a miracle. a woman who boarded the passenger plane forced into a dangerous belly landing tells us what happened aboard that aircraft. she was never supposed to be on that plane. her story still to come. joanne artist at the billboard music awards legs drop fans during his performance. it's ugly. we'll show you the incredible video just ahead. aching us thatt create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history. instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. 80 thousand of us investing billions... in everything from the best experiences below... to the finest comforts above. we're not simply saluting history... we're making it.

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roofs torn off, power lines down, neighborhoods completely devastated as dozens of tornadoes rip through the midwest and the plains. >> crash, crash, crash. the pilot's voice echoed through the cabin as a plane was forced into a belly land. wait until you see the amazing video. >> vets returning from overseas expect some changes to happen at home while deployed. but one army wife took to it a whole new level. >> can't tell you how special this story is. you want to stick around for it. it's unbelievable. one you haven't seen before. >> it's fantastic. welcome back to "early start". 31 minutes after the hour. i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. dozen of tornadoes reported overnight and a tornado touched down on the western edge of missouri and golden city. at this moment emergency crews are assessing the damage, possible injuries we understand there. meanwhile look at this. this is central oklahoma. a massive tornado bearing down on the city of shawnee.

that's just incredibly huge. one man who lived in a trailer park in that area died. about a dozen people have been injured as well. the national weather service says tornado reports stretched through the country's mid-section. oklahoma, missouri, kansas, iowa and illinois. nick valencia is in hard hit shawnee this morning. what can you tell us? >> reporter: we're on the fringes of that trailer park that was devastated by the tornado that swept through there yesterday. it really is difficult to understand looking at a radar how much it was damaged but you can tell by looking at this tree, this is a 20-foot tall tree completely uprooted. these roots are almost as tall as i am. that gives you a sense of the power and magnitude of the tornado that swept through here. the death toll still stands at one. a welcome sigh of relief as well. to people were reported missing yesterday. they were unaccounted for. i spoke to the local county

sheriff who told me late last night those two people were not in the trailer park at the time the tornado hit. that's why they couldn't find them. a nice well come sigh of relief for this area. >> as we're looking at these images it's incredible to know that anybody survived there. you know, you're showing us a picture right behind you. it's a little dark so it's hard to understand the size of that tree. so i think when it lights up more we can see that a little bit better. nick valencia, live for us. >> the threat of these tornadoes not over. still very much continuing. our meteorologist joins us live now. where are these storms headed next? >> unfortunately today will be just as bad as yesterday. we're still talking about a huge risk area. i want to show you the last 24 hours. two dozen tornado reports were out there. by no means do we want to relax at any point. 55 million of you are under the

gun today. we extended the risk area spreading a little bit farther east even towards portions of michigan and texas and a minor area in the forecast. portion northern portion of texas all the way into missouri. little of an eastward tilt. potential for more severe weather and higher risk for tornadoes in those zones. keep in mind this is a slow moving. as we go through the next few days 70 million of you impacted. tuesday and wednesday we're talk about this risk for tornadoes. keep in mind, remember last week we saw granbury, texas. only under a slight risk and still an ef-4 tornado was able to cruise. so stay vigilante. we have all the ingredients here for a large storm. we have warm moist air, dry air. seeing that lift. we have a low in place. cold air coming in from canada. the biggest thing are these very strong winds at the high level, the jet stream there really

pushing through the area. the reason that's significant it allows for the turning of the winds. lower level direction and higher level direction and that's what's allowing that rotation. unfortunately that will be with us again today. >> the headline there, indra 70 million people affected by these storms. passengers and crew aboard a u.s. air flight are counting their blessings. they survived a spectacular crash landing. sparks flu as the plane touched down saturday with nolanding gear at newark liberty airport. we have the story of a passenger who survived. >> this happened saturday morning. passengers still shaken up. all u.s. airway passengers wanted to start off with a direct flight to newark but there was a kink in her travel plans. 24 people aboard this us airways

flight as it made a belly lands at new york airport. linda was one of them and never thought this could happen to her. >> i thought it was it. basically it was a controlled crash but it was a plane crash. you see it on the news all the time. not many people survive plane crashes. >> the mother of two said she was exhausted as she was making her way back it home to new jersey after training for her new nursing job in dallas. the flight was going smoothly until -- >> the captain comes out of the cockpit with a flashlight and starts looking at the wing. at this point everyone on the plane knew something was going to happen. >> moments later crew confirmed her worse fears. >> the flight attendant told us there's a mechanical problem. you can see the flaps opening for the landing gear on the right side but on the left side

the flap wouldn't open. >> her first thought contact her family. >> i wrote to my husband we can't land. one landing gear went down. they are trying to tucks it before we make an emergency landing. then i wrote to him no announcement from the pilot yet. i love you. then i wrote we are crashing and that's when i turned off the phone. i kept thinking of my kids and my husband. they were going to lose me. then i thought back about 9/11 how families left messages for their loved ones so i texted each one of them that i love them and i turned the phones. >> what she heard next she will never forget. >> about 200 feet before we hit the captain comes on the speaker yelling crash, crash, crash. she's yelling stay in position

head down keep.signatures head down. so we're like this on the back of our seats. >> with sparks flying the cabin of the turboprop filled with smoke. emergency chutes deployed. passengers evacuated. she said those minutes felt like a lifetime. >> just kept saying to myself stop, stop, stop, please stop. when you finally stop it's like elation. you made it. >> us airways said nobody on the plane was injured but linda says for her and her family the gravity of what happened still hasn't sunk in. >> i joked with somebody i should have played mega millions but then i thought i already won. so i don't need to play. i have my family. >> she says she wants to give a big thanks to the pilot and crew and even saying the pilot is the captain sully of land. a spokesperson told cnn that the

incident is a testament to how our crews are trained to respond and fact at any time most professionalism. linda also added she doesn't think she will be flying soon. and, in fact, she told us she heard a plane flying overhead the other day and gave her chills. >> i imagine she would be rattled forever. >> that account was chilling. i can't believe it. >> we don't know anything about pilot. >> everything is under review. that's what the us airways spokesperson said they are looking into everything. as you saw there she's hailing the pilot as a hero. >> an incredible story. thank you. all right. 39 minutes past the hour. taylor swift was the belle of the billboard music awards winning a staggering eight statues. she was generous enough to let rihanna, justin bieber gate few trophies as well.

during the show some fans got a faceful of r and b singer miguel. oh, oh, he went airborne. he slammed into two women. one woman laughed it off back stage. was interviewed. the other young woman took the worst of it but we don't know how she is doing this morning. >> when you try a move like that you better nail it. every time i tried it i nailed it. >> free concerts for that woman in the future. >> if you're going to try that and wear the white outfit do it right. 40 minutes after the hour. with her husband serving in afghanistan for one year she decided to change things up and had one heck of a surprise in store for him when he arrived home. we'll tell you why she was

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great things happen. 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. the new american is arriving. welcome back to "early start". it's 44 minutes past the hour. vets returning home from military duty expect changes in their families. one army specialist from north carolina found an amazing transformation in his wife when they were reunited. take a look at this. 27-year-old army specialist

larry shafer returning from a year in afghanistan. his wife had lost 100 pounds while he was away. >> when i saw her at the airport i was in shock. i didn't know what to expect and when i saw her i was like -- there's no way that's my wife that it left, you know, a year ago. >> misty shaffer went from 254 pounds to 150 pounds in 1 months and her husband had no idea what she was up to. >> i was like, you know what, i'll keep this as a surprise. >> misty lost 15 pounds within the first two months eating healthy foods. >> when he was gone i was like hey i'll try this. without him here eating ice cream at night i can do this. >> she only sent photos from her shoulders up. he couldn't tell until he met her at the airport last week. >> five years we've been married it's, you know, i haven't really been this long without seeing

her and then i come home and she tells me that she's losing all this weight and now i'm here and she's literally half the person she used to be. i couldn't say anything, i didn't know, words couldn't describe how i felt. it was pretty amazing. >> larry also got another amazing gift. a reunion with his 3-year-old daughter whom he hadn't seen in over a year. and while larry couldn't recognize the new misty their daughter can't recognize the old misty. >> she does look at old pictures of me and she's like mommy whose that. i said that's mommy. she goes no. yes, it is. >> her transformation wasn't her only gift to her husband. she also surprised larry with a new home and he says he's proufd how she's managed while he was away. >> she kept her weight loss and house away from me in the past year. she can face pretty much

anything. >> you just love that story. ironically the first thing larry wants to do after arriving home is get food. he's being very careful making sure it's healthy food. larry shaffer is looking forward to spending time with his daughter. he says he can finally have adult conversations with her since she was only 2 when he left. >> that daughter was loving her dad. >> beautiful. a great story. >> 47 minutes after the hour right now. the midwest and plains getting a destructive pounding from tornadoes. question is, is the worst over? the latest on these powerful storms that don't wreak havoc coming up next. mission a for a final go.

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the heartland gets hammered, dozens of tornadoes touching down through the night and the threat of severe weather not over in many spots. the latest a tornado touched down in golden city, missouri. at this moment emergency crews are assessing the damage there. also counting the possible injuries. check this out too. in central oklahoma, look at that. huge tornado caught on camera as it bears down on the city of shawnee. one man who lived in a trailer park in the area died. two other people from the same park were missing, i believe now they have been located. >> yes. yahoo! is set to be buying the blogging site tumbler. an official announcement expected dane new york. this smaj move for the ceo to

tap into a young active online user base. under the deal he has to stay at yahoo! for another four years. so ever wonder what it's like to have a grizzly bear eat your face. wonder no more. this biologist was using a go -- a camera to videotape grizzlies in alaska. one of the bears tried to eat the camera. look at that. >> incredible thing here is the camera was not damaged. one more close up. there we go. can you imagine what that camera felt like. saliva on that camera. all right. brad the man who owns that camera and had to clean it up after will join us live in the 8:00 a.m. hour of "starting

point" to talk about that. >> that was disgusting. >> i'm not sorry. that was a wonderful story. want to get nba dwayne wade to go with you to the prom. all you have to do is ask. one gurl's crazy story that when there's a will there's a way. >> cnn's own anderson cooper help bill hader play a hilarious clip for you. >> anderson cooper, 360. look what mommy is having.

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welcome back. 57 minutes past the hour. taking a look at the top cnn trends on the web this morning. a surprise dunk by dwayne wade. a florida senior asked the miami heat superstar to go to prom with her. wade never responded but then just showed up at the prom. we'll speak live with nicole about her dream date coming up in the 7:00 hour of "starting point". >> so a star stud salute to bill hader last night on "saturday night live" had some hilarious surprise guest. during weekend update one of his more popular characters announced to seth meyers he was leaving to marry another man who turned out to be none other than

our own anderson coop per the complication at the altar he's one for the ages. >> anderson cooper, 360. >> it is too late for me but -- >> wow. that's incredible. even though it explains the title anderson cooper 360. we wonder how they came up with that title.

in a "saturday night live" sketch the couple resumed to the studio where presumably they will live happily ever after. here's anderson cooper 360. >> "early start" continues right now. >> showing no mercy dozens of tornadoes tear through the midwest and plains leaving a path of destruction. the big question is the threat over >> president obama getting heat over three wide ranging scandals but how so doing? new results reveal the president's approval rating. >> gas prices going up, and up, and up just in time for your holiday road trip. how will this affect you and your wallet? good morning. welcome to "early start" everyone, i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. nice to have you. it's 6:00 a.m. in the east. town after town in america's heartland ravaged by tornadoes. the latest a tornado touched

down in golden city, missouri. emergency crews are assessing all the damage and injuries. meanwhile look at this. this is central oklahoma. it's a massive tornado. bearing down on the city of shawnee. one man who lived in a trailer park in that area has died. about a dozen others are injured. the twister is tearing roofs off of homes. downed a lot of power lines, trees, even streetlights. the national weather service said tornado reports stretched through the country's mid-section, oklahoma, missouri, kansas, iowa and illinois all affected. nick valencia is in hard hit shawnee, oklahoma with the very latest. good morning to you, nick. >> reporter: good morning. that severe weather system spreading across hundreds of miles of the country's mid-section. shawnee was hit the hardest. sometimes it's difficult to understand the significant damage that caused by the tornadoes until you look at something like this. this is nearly a 20-foot tall tree completely ripped from the ground, roots and all and that's

indicative of the power of the storm that moved through here. you can hear the roar as this half mile wide tornado tears across the land headed straight towards shawnee, oklahoma. there were more than two dozen reports of tornadoes from oklahoma to iowa sunday. more than 45 homes damaged at least one person killed and a dozen injured. >> it's coming up on a row of houses here. >> reporter: the hardest hit a trailer park near shawnee, oklahoma. mobile homes toppled over, houses demolished. john welsh said he's never seen anything like it. >> when you came over the shawnee trailer park to begin with were you not a bit astounded at the amount of devastation there? >> yeah. i'm used to seeing trees ripped up but the house usually there. this, everything was gone. it was just gone like you took the house, you put it in a gigantic blender, turn it on pulse for a couple of minutes and then dump it out.

>> reporter: the massive amount of rain dumped in the area had rescue workers scrambling to reach the injured. >> the electricity went down. then hitting. then tree limbs were flying we hunkered down and hoped for the best. >> reporter: i-40 was littered with debris as two semis were overturned. this 18 wheeler blew off the overpass and flattend. overnight video of the rescue crowd tossing debris around trying to find victims. >> i was at home and my brother-in-law said a tree fell on my mother's house and i needed to pick her up. she's 79 years old, she's diabetic and blind. >> reporter: the oklahoma governor declared a state of emergency. residents fortunate enough to get underground were in disbelief when they surfaced. >> we were in the storm shelter and it was like a water pressure in our ears and the top came

off. there's 13 people living in our house. and it ripped off the top of the storm shelter. sound like a train and after all the noise and then when we came out the house and everything, the trees and the electric, we thought we would be trapped there all night. >> reporter: tornadoes ripped through three other states, illinois, kansas and iowa. in kansas downed power lines and hail the size of golf balls cover the ground as this tornado blew through wichita. >> it was very eerie. very dark. the sky got very dark. we went to the cellar. >> reporter: a sigh of relief as two missing resident from shawnee trailer park was found. oklahoma is not out of the woods yet as more storms are expected throughout the rest of the day.

at this hour authorities continue to canvas the area behind me. that's that trailer park that was devastated by that tornado. new information the report. i just spoke to the american red cross. they tell me at least 200 homes damaged or destroyed here. throughout the state of oklahoma 300 homes damaged. also last night 28 people spent the night in shelters. >> got a lot of work on their hand. thanks so much. nick valencia live for us. >> they say the threat of tornadoes is not over yet. we'll bring in our newest meteorologist, indra petersons joins us live. where are these storms headed next? >> today can be as bad as yesterday. we're seeing a little bit of the break in the action. look at the last 24 hours. over two dozen reports of tornadoes quickly spread throughout the plains and today that severe weather threat is huge. 55 million of you under this

slight risk, another 5 million under a risk for severe weather. wichita up towards missouri. a slow system. it will stay with us for the next few days. the severe weather threat shug. it will spread over 70 million of you as it slowly progresses off to the east. what's going on? we have all these perfect elements combining here. we have that warm moist ire filling in out of the gulf. we have dry air. we have the low and we have the jet stream which is allowing turning and seeing the rotation in these clouds and that, course, is what's producing the severe weather. it will be here with us again today. so stay vigilante. >> indeed. thank you so much. again it could be a busy and dangerous day out there. kansas faced four tornadoes. two reportedly touched down in the same town. randy duncan is director of emergency management for that

county and now joins us. thank you for joining us. can you tell us what the latest is? >> it's unchanged from yesterday afternoon. we had no fatalities, no injuries and a relatively small amount of property damage. i think somewhere in the neighborhood of 22 structure a combination of residences and rural areas. given the scope of the storm yesterday i find it remarkable that i'm able to tell you that today. >> we're happy to hear it. what does it compare to what you've experienced in the past. >> as you're aware this is an active area for tornadoes. our most reason one prior to this one was in april of 2012. we had two rather large ones one back in 1991 in april and another in may of 1999. so, we certainly experience these and i like to think our

experience combined with getting the warning out on a very timely basis also contributed to nobody being hurt or killed. >> absolutely that warning seems to be incredibly significant here. also as of last night there were thousands of people without power. has that changed at all? >> yes. the numbers are slowly dwindling on that as the utility companies restore power, things are returning to normal. we'll, of course, know a great deal more after sun up today and hopefully everybody will be back online in terms of power. >> we're shocked here. we're seeing the size of this tornado and it looks like you really dodge ad bullet. this could have been far worse than it is. look. it's really incredible. i don't know if you're watching what we're watching. the cnn weather service says kansas could see a lot of shoerks thunderstorms today that could lead to flooding as well. do you think you have all the support you need? >> at this point in time, yes.

the national weather service has taken a look at the tornado damage path from yesterday and officially rated the one tornado as an ef-1. i think that you are correct, we did dodge a bullet, because of the heavy precipitation outflow associated with the thunderstorm. it managed to cut the intake off. otherwise i think we could have seen a much larger tornado. >> unbelievable. randy duncan we appreciate your time. good luck to you. we'll check back within you. >> amazing pictures. they are lucky. great news this morning. new this morning we have dramatic new video to show you at least one person was killed early this morning when two hot air balloons collided mid-air. this happened in turkey. the balloons were flying above receivele volcanoes. 18 people were injured. >> the white house struggling to move past a trio of scandals. despite the apparent altering of benghazi talking points, tapping

of reporter phone records and targeting of conservative groups by the irs, the president's approval rate is holding steady for now. here's cnn national political correspondent, jim acosta. >> reporter: as president obama escaped the white house to deliver a commencement speech in a steady rain at moorehouse college in atlanta republicans were pouring it on. >> there's a culture of intimidation. >> reporter: top gop leaders fanned out on the sunday talk shows vowing to get to the bottom of the irs targeting scandal. >> who knew, when did they know, why did they do this, how high up in the government did it go? >> they are trying to drag washington into a swamp of fishing expedition. >> reporter: dan pfeiffer was asked when did the president find out about it? >> when it came out in the news. here's why. because here's the cardinal rule when you do situation like

these. you do not interfere with an independent investigation. >> reporter: the irs scandal hasn't damaged the president's approval numbers according to a new cnn poll. a deeper look at the numbers the public is concerned about irs along with questions about benghazi and government seizure of phone records. after his address to college graduates on sunday the president told a democratic fundraiser it's him versus washington. >> sometimes unfortunateyou feen sim paiding rath i-- is impedin advancing. >> reporter: ate feeling the president may need to get used to. jim acosta, cnn, washington. >> the president getting vernl while delivering that commencement address yesterday at moorehouse college in atlanta. the president focused on race

and responsibility at the all male, historically black alma ma terrify of dr. ma in the luther king. >> whatever success i have achieved, whatever positions of leadership i have held have depended less on ivy league degrees or s.a.t. scores or gpas and have been due to that sense of connection and empathy, special obligation i felt as a black hand like you to help those who need it most. people who didn't have the opportunities that i had. because there but for the grace of god go i i might have been in their shoes, i might have been in prison, i might have been unemployed, i might not have been able to support a family. and that motivates me. >> powerful word there. the president also called on the moorehouse graduates to be responsible family men and extend a hand to those less privileged. >> coming up -- >> this is the best tornado video of my life. >> look at that.

listen to that. a terrifying twister caught on tape. the two brave storm chasers that took that video will join us. >> who are they and will they come forward? is it a they? one winner in the record half billion dollar jackpot and florida residents are eager to find out who among them are the luckiest person in america this morning. >> internet celebrity kai is asking for your help to fight a murderer rap. are you ready to cut him a check? that story next. changing the world is exhausting business. with the innovating and the transforming and the revolutionizing. it's enough to make you forget that you're flying five hundred miles an hour on a chair that just became a bed. you see, we're doing some changing of our own. ah, we can talk about it later. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving.

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>> welcome back. there's just one winning ticket in that largest powerball drawing ever. $590 million going to a winner in zephyr hills, florida. the ticket was sold at this grocery store. so far no one has come forward to claim the half billion dollar prize. cnn john zarella is in zephyr hills, florida where speculation is running wild this morning, john. >> reporter: hey, john, it was really quite comical pretty much all day yesterday. a lot of people showing up here at publix with their tickets in

hand-checking to see if they had the number. all of us the collective media running around and asking them did you have the ticket? of course no one has come forward. this is the zephyr hills florida publix. this is where someone bought a single winning ticket in the richest powerball ever, $590.5 million. southeast sunday shoppers we spoke with had no idea the ticket was purchased here or already had relatives calling. some long lost. >> i'm hearing from relatives all over the country. snoopting to know if you have -- >> absolutely. that i haven't heard from in years. i told them you have to buy a ticket. >> you didn't? >> didn't. >> did you win the powerball >> let's see. >> check the ticket. >> no, winter me. >> it wasn't you >> that's all i got. >> the yuaner has 60 days to claim the cash pay out prize and show up at lottery headquarters

in tallahassee to collect. they can take an immediate cash payout of 377 million after taxes or a smaller pay out now followed by yearly pay outs over the next 29 years. in a statement publix made it clear letting the media drive the who won it speculation. publix said quote we off terrify lottery as a service to our customers. we don't promote the lottery or participate in lottery stories. we're excited for the winner and respect their privacy as well. privacy for the winner, that won't last long. by florida law once he, she or they come forward the name is public. you know, this publix back here clearly is the most famous supermarket in the world yesterday and today and certainly going forward but, you know, john, it's hard to believe and fathom with all those millions and millions of tickets bought only one winning ticket. that's amazing.

>> it is. that person, he, she or they when they come forward if they need a new best friend i'm available. john zarella for us. >> reporter: get in line. jodi arias could find out as soon as today if she will receive the death penalty for the brutal murder of her boyfriend travis zaernd. arias is set to take the stand today among with her ex-boyfriend and a friend as the sentencing phase of her trial continues. once testimony is wrapped up prosecution and defense teams will offer their final statement and the case will go the jury who must decide life in prison and the death penalty for arias. kai the hitchhiker is establishing an online legal defense fund. yes so. the 24-year-old viral video star is facing murder charges in new jersey. he's accused of fatally bludgeoning a 73-year-old lawyer at his home in clark, new

jersey. a check this morning of his go fund legal defense website shows $247 in donations. that's far short of his $3 million goal. >> long way to go. coming up this morning, listen to this. it's back here. we got to go, dude! >> we're done. >> just listen to that. the incredible footage inside one of the tornadoes that ripped apart the midwest and plains. we'll talk to the two brave men who chased down this twister next. >> did you hear him say we got to go soon. firsthand account of what was happening aboard this aircraft as passengers prepared for a crash landing. one woman's fateful tale of the flight she was never supposed to take. ng to dream about that steak. i'm going to dream about that tiramisu.

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23 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "early start". prices at the pump are creeping up. right now the average price of unleaped gas is 3.65 a gallon up over 11 cents in the past two weeks. summer driving season straight ahead. that's what happens every year. zain asher is live from richfield, new jersey. what's driving up these prices? >> reporter: much of the price hikes are actually coming from the midwest out there gas prices have risen by more than 43 cents a gallon in the past week alone. a lot of refineries are closing for scheduled maintenance. it's normal and it happens this time of the year. they are switching over to summer gasoline, more eco friendly and slightly expensive. all of this is putting push on supplies. let me give you and example of what the midwest states are

dealing with. minnesota $4.28 a gallon. north dakota $4.20 a gallon. also nebraska $4.05 a gallon. i'm here in new jersey. average price of it was slightly less, $3.40 a gallon but they have risen in the last week. here's what drivers are saying. >> it's really hurting a lot of people's pockets. the economy is bad. there's no work out here. you can't spend nothing because you if you do spend something you got to know what you got to budget on. it's difficult to surviving out here weapons these gas prices. you can't take your kids anywhere. >> reporter: one analyst i spoke to said he expects gas prices to continue rising through memorial day. that's when it usually surges. after that in early june he expect prices to start to decline. >> let's hold him to that, how about that zain.

hold them accountable in june. >> your threatening the gas price guy? >> no. >> zain will join me on that. coming up -- this is the best tornado video of my life. >> so they are a force majeure that pulverizes everything in their path. then a crash landing caught on tape. this is an unbelievable story. we'll have the firsthand account of what was happening aboard this aircraft as passengers prepared for the worst.

take a look at this crazy video. a deadly tornado sends people running way. you'll hear from two people who ran through the terrifying tornado. >> a pilot announces crash, crash, crash, what happened to this aircraft that cause crashed landing and what was it like to be inside the cabin. you'll hear a chilling account exclusively from one of the passengers coming up. for some it was a night of victory for others a night of disappointment. for one woman in the crowd it was just plain pain pul. >> welcome back, i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we begin with another round of deadly tornadoes. a tornado touched down in western missouri in golden city. at this moment emergency crews

are assessing all of the damage. meanwhile look at this. this is central oklahoma, ate massive tornado bearing down on the city of shawnee. one man who lived in a trailer park in that area died. about a dozen other people have been injured. the national weather service says tornado reports stretched through the country's mid-section, oklahoma, missouri, kansas, iowa and illinois all hit. nick valencia is in very hard hit shawnee, oklahoma. nick, what's the latest there? >> reporter: i just spoke to the american red cross and they tell menu information, 200 homes damaged or destroyed. the hardest hit county in the state of oklahoma, potowme county. 300 homes damaged or destroyed. 28 people spent the night in two shelters. it's just a terrible situation for the people here this very hard hit community. behind me we're on the fringes of the trailer park.

you see the images. that area devastated by the tornado. sometimes it's hard to get a sense of the damage. hard to understand the magnitude of just how powerful a tornado can be. this is a tree that's about 20 feet tall, 10-foot wide and its roots completely uprooted, lifted, put on its side. gives you a sense of how strong that tornado was that moved through here. overnight some good signs, a sigh of relief two people were reported missing initially unaccounted for in this trailer park behind me. the local sheriff here tells me those people were not here at the time the tornado hit they were staying with friends so that's a sigh of relief and welcome news for this area that's still recovering from a very devastating tornado. >> nick as you show us all that damage we're surprised there weren't more injuries or more people dead there. so we're really happy about the fact they found those two people. nick valencia, thanks very much. >> this was a big storm system. people across oklahoma, iowa,

missouri seeking cover from the tornadoes touching down there were storm chaser out including brandon sullivan and brett white. they captured this terrifying footage of the tornadoes in central oklahoma. look at that. >> when you actually hear them and they were talking on the video, you can hear them saying, you know, hurry bullpen because we got to get out of here. >> they are joining me now from shawnee, oklahoma. describe to me what it was like to be in the middle of this all as it was happening? >> well, it's actually pretty horrifying experience. we were less than a quarter of a mile from where we are now filming the tornado at one point. we could see significant amounts of debris in the air, we knew damage was being done. all we could do was watch and do our best to document it. >> at one point in the video,

you say this is the best tornado of my life. let's listen. >> this is the best tornado video of my life. >> kind of an amazing thing to say as you're watching something like this. what made this strichk storms differe different from what you've been in before >> the atmosphere yesterday was very volatile. it's different when it hits so close it home to. we watched tornadoes all the time but when they hit so close it home to it makes it a surreal experience. i have friends in this area. but the tornado was very powerful. we were in a very close range. and, you know, it's an awe striking experience to see what happened. >> it's awe striking and flat out dangerous too. i want to listen again to part of this video right now because

it seems like you guys get awfully close to big trouble. let's listen. >> brett, get back here, we got to go soon! >> sure? >> if this shifts we're done. >> brandon that was you saying if this shifts we're done. how did you know that the situation was getting untenable? >> well, when you get so close to the tornado, like you hear all the time, it does sound like a train or a waterfall. we had very strong winds coming from behind us rushing into the tornado. when you're so close to the tornado you can oftentimes tell when it's about to shift direction, which way it's headed. we could tell that if it stayed on its current path we would be okay but it's clear it was a violent tornado and we know if it turned towards us we had to bail immediately. >> brett, did you know it was

time to get out? >> well i was watching carefully at the motion of the tornado and it seemed like we were okay. there was one point where it seemed like you want might have been coming at us but it became apparent it would miss us. we got the footage of the career. >> really is amazing. amazing footage right now. how do things appear to you right now as people are picking through the pieces? >> well it's very chaotic here. there's a lot of people and a lot of emergency crews here and everything is just happening so fast. and it seems like hopefully that it all gets taken care of and everybody is okay. >> i'm glad you guys are okay. and amazing pictures of that very dangerous string of storms. appreciate it, guys. >> 36 minutes nufrt. from one close to another. passengers and crew aboard a us airways flight are counting their blessings. they spifd a spectacular crash

landing. sparks flew as plane touched down on saturday with no landing gear. no one was injured. pamela brown joins with us an interview of a passenger who survived that flight. >> for linda, a us airway passenger, a simple kink in travel plans turned into a fateful night that she will never forget. 34 people sat aboard this us air weighs flight has it made a belly landing at newark airport. linda never thought this could happen to her. >> thought it was hit. we were going down. basically it was a controlled crash but it was a plane crash. you see it on the news all the time. not many people survive plane crashes. that was my thought. >> the mother of two said she was exhausted as she was making

her way back home to new jersey after training for her new nursing job in dallas. >> the captain comes out of the cockpit with a flashlight and starts looking at the wing. at this point everyone on the plane knew something was going to happen. >> moments later crew confirmed her worst fears. >> the flight attendant told us that there's a mechanical problem. you can see the flaps opening for the landing gear on the right side but on the left side the flaps wouldn't open. >> at first she thought contact her family. >> i wrote to my husband we can't land. one landing gear went down. they are trying to fix it before we make an emergency landing. then i wrote to him no announcement from the pilot yet. i love you. we're crashing. i turned off the phone. i kept thinking of my kids and husband. that they were going to lose me.

then i thought back about 9/11 how families left messages for their loved ones, so i texted each one of them that i loved them and i turned the phones off not knowing. >> what she heard next she will never forget. >> about 200 feet before we hit the captain comes on the speaker yelling crash, crash, crash, crash. while she's yelling stay in position, head down, keep positions, head down. so we're like this on the back of our seats. >> with sparks flying the cabin of the turboprop filled with smoke. emergency chutes deployed. passengers evacuated. the plane was foamed. she said those minutes felt like a lifetime. >> i kept saying to myself stop, stop, stop, please stop. when you finally stop, elation. you made it. >> us airways says nobody on the plane was injured but linda says for her and her family the

gravity of what happened still hasn't sunk in. >> i was joking with somebody i should have played the mega millions but then i thought you know what? i already won. so, i don't need to play. i have my family. >> absolutely. she says she wants to give a big thanks to the pilot and crew even saying that the pilot is the captain sully of land. overnight us air weighs spokesperson told cnn the incident is a testament to how our crews are trained to respond and fact the utmost professionalism. by the way, she added she doesn't plan on flying any time soon. no surprise there. you can understand that. >> texting her family saying i love you we're crashing. unbelievable. >> thank you. talk about a brush with a rush.

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welcome back, everyone. the u.s. heartland gets hammered. dozens of tornadoes touching down overnight and threat of severe weather is not over in many spots. initial estimates shows 300 homes were damaged in oklahoma. check this one out. this massive tornado poured down on central oklahoma, the city of shawnee. one man who lived in a trailer park in the area died. there were some missing people two others from the same park, i believe, nick valencia has been reporting those people were located. >> they were not at the trailer park. president obama's approval rate is holding steady despite three serious scandals now

burdening the white house according to the latest c hmhnnc poll. 53% still approve. >> rough commute in the northeast. a long stretch of track remains shut down following friday's collision between two metro north trains in connecticut. track closure affects metro north and amtrak serves from new york to boston. that's a busy stretch of track. ntsb investigators ruled out foul play in the accident. they believe a broken rail may have caused this collection. >> 47 minutes past the hour. taylor swift was red hot winning eight statues at the billboard music award. the award show took a painful turn for one fan. r and b singer miguel accidentally kicked that woman in the face while michelle turn sirn l.a. following all of the billboard buzz for us this morning.

>> messy. >> man, the greatest thing is kind of like the aftermath of it. he kept on singing then grabbed the wrong girl. he grabbed another girl that he didn't land on her head and started singing to her. pretty funny. i'm out here on the west coast. we don't see this show until three hours later. during his experience my twitter exploded. i didn't know why at the time. the sunday night billboard music awards turned into monday night wwe raw. here we go slow motion. the leg drop right to the head of that fan. >> she's bent over. poor girl. >> right. he landed on the brunette's head but then grabbed the girl, the blonde girl and started singing to her thinking he landed on her. he did not. it was pretty interesting. girl is okay. that's the good news. that's why we can have some fun.

miguel invited her back stage then she went back out to the mosh pit for the rest of the show. although i don't know. someone tweeted they saw her back stage with an ice pack on her head. miguel said i just got caught up in the moment. you think? >> so did everybody else. there's a guy who keeps on dancing while he's hanging on to a girl. an incredible moment there. what else are folks talking about this morning? >> well, they are talking about taylor swift like you alluded to at the lead in to me. if you see a u-haul heading down i-70 it's her hauling those trophies back to nashville. she walked away with eight awards including top artist, top female artist and top bill roared 200 artist. taylor swift won all of them. madonna received a special honor as top tour artist. yeah. hello.

as much money that tour made you would think she could buy a skirt. that's me, hating 54-year-old woman looks like that. it puts me to shame. yes that's my little commentary this morning. prince, oh, prince, rocking. he picked up an award last night. he looked fantastic. showed those young whipper snappers how it's done. dehis version of "let's go crazy." one of my favorite moments of the night. >> he's not jumping on people either. which is good. >> he's smarter than that. i wish we could listen. nichelle turner thank you for sharing with us this morning. appreciate it. >> 49 minutes after the hour. coming up on our bleacher report hell has no fury as a woman who gets covered with beer. this poor, poor man.

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i find what i need, at a great price. and the money i save goes to important things. braces for my daughter. a little something for my son's college fund. when people look at me, i hope they see someone building a better life. vo: living better: that's the real walmart. the city of noun -- newtown, connecticut continues to heel from the shooting. we have more in the bleacher report. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the kids in newtown, connecticut have been through a lot over the last six months but this weekend they got a chance to be kids again and play a little

football. rob gronkowski along with 30 pbs from the patriots franchise were on hand at newtown high school. they played some fun games. over 500 kids attended the one day camp and patriots owner said he was happy they could bring smile to their faces. >> if it could happen in the town of newtown it can happen in any city or town in america, but that's not what our country is about. i guess out of bad things good things can happen. >> it was really fun. great experience to get instructions from professional players. >> all right. what do you get a star nfl for his wedding. if it's for rg3 you go to bed, bath and beyond.

redskins fan has been hitting up their registry fulfilling orders. he tweeted thank you fans, him on top of those empty boxes. >> this may be the best nonhome run catch by a fan all season. the cubs/mets game a home run heads to the bleachers. this guy goes to the ball and protests his wife. he gets the ball and his wife pours the beer on his head. >> what's the back story there >> in an interview she said she got mad he bumped her causing her to spill the beer on her. >> he's trying to protect hearn that's what he gets in return. >> she's thinking he's bumping me in order to catch the ball. >> ingratitude. >> we've seen people bail on their wives and girlfriends before. that's a situation -- >> she's lucky to be alive.

she owes him a beer at least, one to drink not to spill on. >> thank you for that story this morning. >> coming up next on "starting point," daybreak in the heartland. residents are trying to figure out how to prepare as more extreme weather is coming their way. we'll go live to the region. >> and some ran towards the violent storms and got this incredible footage of the tornado. we'll speak to the man in the middle of this when we come back. thank you orville and wilbur... ...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history.

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our "starting point" dangerous and deadly tornadoes ripped through five states and today could be just as bad. one person killed. dozens more injured. homes flattened. people stay safe. oh, no it's hitting the house. there goes the house. >> wow. >> we'll talk with the storm chasers who captured this stunning and terrifying video. >> dramatic new video of a hot hair balloon crash. we'll tell you what happened when these two balloons collided in mid-air. then you know fans always want to get close to their favorite star but one girl got