for now, however, i'll settle for fixing my headache. that hurt. deadly flash floods, torrential downpours, parts of texas under water. people trying to clean up the mess this morning. a history of abuse. the woman that rutgers said could clean up the university's athletic department after a coach was caught abusing his players, she's now accused of doing the same thing herself. and caught on camera. a california man beaten to death by police. what sparked this violent attack? good morning, everyone, welcome to "early start," i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it's memorial day. >> we're going to start with the

dangerous and deadly weather in too many parts of the country this holiday weekend. starting in texas where at least three people died in historic flash flooding. one woman swept away as rescue workers tried to desperately to pull her from her vehicle. and texas, not alone in this unseasonable weather stretching across the united states. let's bring in cnn's iger peterson. >> it's been a holiday weekend weather of extremes. that has many wondering, it really says what is on the calendar? is it really may right now? right? look at all this unbelievable weather. i want to show you what it's like out there. the unofficial start of summer looking nothing like it's supposed to. torrential rain and historic flooding blamed for at least three deaths in the san antonio area. the body of an 18-year-old missing since saturday was recovered from floodwaters on sunday night. >> whether it's the floods of '98, 2002 or again this year in 2013, powerful force of water

comes down that creek, and it takes out homes, disrupts lives, in this case, talk a life of a young man. >> reporter: drivers had to be rescued from floodwaters. submerged in more than nine inches of rain that fell in less than seven hours. even this bus was no match for flooded roads. riders escaped the bus through the hatch in the roof. drenching rains and flooding washed away any outdoor plans in the central plains. in iowa, residents breaking out their shovels, instead of their grills, to make sandbags to protect from rising waters. the final week of may looking more like a winter wonderland in parts of the northeast. the memorial day weekend storm brought chilly temps and dumped nearly three feet of snow on a new york ski mountain in the adirondacks. and in stow, vermont, more than a foot of snow recorded on sunday. the latest in the season it's ever had that much snow.

well, that probably did not look like may to anyone out there. today it's memorial day. we want to have some fun, right? let's talk about where we're seeing the showers. the midwest unfortunately. look at all this instability. the lightning and thunderstorms still in 9 forecast for you today. but the northeast finally looking a little bit better. not to mention also in texas. very showery, a lot of heavy thunderstorms out there. but today looks like it's going to be drying out. 88 for dallas and the northeast alone. finally some 70s, new york today. looking for 74 degrees. beautiful after a rainy, cloudy, cool weekend. people wraed up in scarves and boots out there. much better outlook for us. here is where the slight risk is for us today. huge chunk of the country looking for slight showers. not really the threat for tornadoes as much as damaging winds and large hail. out in moore, oklahoma, the potential for 50-mile-per-hour winds and gusty winds out there. you guys, yes, a little bit better for us in new york but you know, it was cold. we got through it, right, guys? >> i still can't believe three feet of snow at a ski resort here in new york state. that's nuts.

right? >> thanks, indra. >> one week since that devastating tornado changed life in moore, oklahoma. survivors honoring the 24 people who lost their lives at a memorial service last night. the dead include ten children. and president obama getting a firsthand look at the damage reassuring victims that he would not abandon them in their grief. nick valencia following developments live in moore, oklahoma. good morning. >> a lot has changed here in moore, oklahoma, in the last week. we've gone from chaos to calm as the people of moore begin to piece their lives back together again. ♪ jesus loves me >> reporter: thousands gathered at the first baptist church in moore sunday night to remember the 24 lives lost. last monday's tornado was the strongest and deadliest to strike oklahoma in years. >> our spirits have been shaken this week. our hearts have been broken. but our resolve is strong. and we will rise again.

>> reporter: president obama saw the devastation left by the powerful tornado. >> obviously the damage here is pretty hard to comprehend. our hearts go out to the families who've been impacted. including those who've had loved ones who were lost. >> reporter: the president offered solace and aid to those hard-hit by the tornado. >> it's going to take a long time for this community to rebuild. so, i want to urge every american to step up. >> reporter: this weekend, the parents of bethany paine joined her at what was once her house. the cleanup has just begun. >> we're just getting real and starting to clean up. starting to take the next steps. >> reporter: but by bit, piece by piece, the residents of moore, shawnee and other cities impacted by the recent outbreak of tornadoes, are beginning to put their lives back together. and they're not doing it alone. oklahoma governor mary fallon offered her help to the residents of this moore

neighborhood. >> for those hat are just overwhelmed and it's just too much to do, get their personal belongings out, and then we'll come in and then we'll take care of it as a state. >> reporter: a bittersweet yet familiar sound of pomp and circumstance provided a needed respite from the devastation as seniors from three area high schools graduated. >> i mean, it kind of seems we're ending our senior year like this but then again it brings us all a lot closer and more together. so that's always a good thing, too. >> reporter: it's a closeness that will bring renewal to a communi community ravaged by the storm and provide them the courage to rebuild. last night i ran into a group from joplin, missouri. if you remember just two years ago they suffered their own tragedy when a tornado ripped through that town. this group came and they're an important part of the recovery process and they have a very important message for the people of moore that with every day that passes, things will get better. christine? >> all right, nick valencia, thanks, nick. developing this morning a new firestorm engulfing rutgers

university and its athletic program. so it turns out that the school's newly hired athletic director, the one hired to clean up the scandaled program may have been guilty of the same type of abuses that got the rutgers men's head basketball coach fired in the first place. rutgers university faced tough criticism in the days after a video surfaced of its head basketball coach being abusive towards players. [ bleep ] the video captured former coach mike rice's aggressive behavior, hurling basketballs at players and yelling homophobic slurs. the university fired rice after a public outcry, and the athletic director was also forced to resign. >> i was deeply disturbed by the behavior the video revealed. >> reporter: this time the university's president will have to answer to governor chris christie, after reports surfaced that the new athletic director, hired to turn the university's image around, is herself accused of being an abusive coach.

the governor's spokesperson said in a statement he's not going to be making any judgments at this time but he expects to be talking with the rutgers administration this week to get the details. it has emerged that back in 1996, all 15 members of julie hermann's volleyball team at the university of tennessee wrote her a letter. the players wrote, in part, the mental cruelty that we as a team have suffered is unbearable. we have been lied to, publicly humiliated, and ripped apart as both players and people. they said the coach had called them whores, alcoholics and learning disabled. one of the players provided the star ledger with a copy of the letter. the paper says hermann responded, quote, i never heard any of this. never name calling them or anything like that whatsoever. hermann has promised she will bring a new era to rutgers. >> it is a new day. it is already fixed. and there's no one that doesn't agree about how we treat young people with respect and dignity and build trust.

>> reporter: but at that news conference, hermann was asked about a jury award of $150,000 to former assistant coach ginger heinline back in 1987. she claimed she was fired because she was pregnant. in 1994, hermann was a bridesmaid at her wedding and in the video the coach said this about her becoming pregnant. >> i hope it's good tonight. i hope it's not too good because i don't want you to come back in february any surprise. you know, the office and all. >> there's a video? there's no video, trust me. >> reporter: hermann is even seen here catching the bouquet. the university says its attorneys had investigated that case before hermann was appointed. but as it prepares for the big ten, rutgers has another big headache. a lot going on there. and two rutgers officials say the question of what to do next

is still being considered. they told the new jersey star ledger, the issue is of grave concern. you heard governor chris christie says he'll be taking a look this week. a high school student arrested over a plan to bomb his high school. it was reportedly modeled after the columbine shootings and police say he had the power to pull this one off. 17-year-old grant acord will be charged as an adult for attempted aggravated murder. oregon state police say they found a bombmaking materials and at least six explosive devices inside acord's home in albany, oregon. >> the types of bombs include pipe bombs, napalm bomb, drano balms, molotov cocktails, those that were intended to be used in carrying out the aggravated murder. >> cnn attempting to reach grant acord's attorney for comment. ahead on "early start" from the irs scandal, to sexual assault in the military, it was a rough last week for the white

house. so, can the president hit the reset button with congress now out of town? >> and the jersey shore is open for business. for business. but will tourists buy in?

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neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®. welcome back, everyone. so congress is on a week-long recess and the white house is going to spend this time trying to reset the agenda. the president locked in a battle to refocus the national conversation away from the series of so-called scandals that have plagued him over the last few weeks, and toward his own agenda, like immigration reform, and major changes to national security. but, his opponents, they're not going to give up without a fight. here's cnn's dan lothian. >> reporter: after weeks of dealing with scandals, the president is struggling to reset his agenda. and with congress off this week, he has a chance to do so. but even as he tries to limit damage from the irs uproar, republicans are demanding a broader investigation. >> there's clearly an organized

effort within the irs to target political opponents of the president. that's undeniable. how does such a culture come about? how vast was it? who was involved? this really does call for a special counsel. >> reporter: the president wants his attorney general to review whether his own justice department has gone too far pursuing those leak investigations targeting reporters. >> and i've raised these issues with the attorney general who shares my concerns. >> reporter: but republicans are pressing for a special counsel for that, as well. noting eric holder was involved in seeking a search warrant against fox reporter james rosen. >> you cannot investigate yourself, and i think it's a total conflict of interest. >> we have to be determined to stop these problems. >> reporter: mr. obama is also dealing with a sexual assault scandal in the military, giving republicans a new line of attack. >> i think the constellation of these three scandals ongoing really takes away from the president's moral authority to lead the nation. nobody questions his legal

authority. but i think he's really losing the moral authority to lead this nation. >> it passes. >> reporter: immigration reform, a top priority for the president, is headed to the senate floor after winning committee approval. but it's not clear there are 60 votes to stop a republican filibuster. and his new push to close the guantanamo facility is facing stiff opposition on capitol hill. >> i once again call on congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from gitmo. >> reporter: so after a memorial day break, mr. obama faces no shortage of political headaches. dan lothian, cnn, the white house. secretary of state john kerry working toward peace between syria's government and opposition leaders. he meets in paris with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov day. but the syrian government and the opposition syrian national coalition have expressed interest in a peace conference, which is set to take place next month in geneva, switzerland. but opposition leaders have not yet confirmed that they will attend. a man dies after a struggle with sacramento police.

now two officers are on leave. >> the police got him. the police got him. >> the police say the man had tried to barricade himself inside a cell phone store and overpower the officer trying to arrest him. it took several more officers and even a couple of customers to subdue him. at least one witness said officers kept beating the man after he was on the ground. >> just prior to that video the suspect actually was on top of the officer assaulting him, and pinning him down to the ground. you can imagine how dangerous that is for an officer with all his weapon systems. >> the 42-year-old suspect was pronounced dead a short time later. it is not clear yet how he died. police have not said if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. angelina jolie's aunt has died of breast cancer just two weeks after jolie revealed she had a double mastectomy to prevent the disease. that's according to e! online. debbie martin was the younger sister of jolie's mother, who died from ovarian cancer in

2007. martin, like jolie, had the defective brca1 gene. jose canseco apparently passing a lie detector test. a woman recently accused him of sexual assault. canseco said he wanted to take the polygraph to prove his innocence. the man who gave him the test said the results were some of the cleanest he has ever seen. the accuser has not filed charges but now canseco says he might sue her. actress amanda bynes lashing out on twitter against recent drug charges and the officers who arrested her. bynes called charges that she threw a bong from the window of her new york city apartment all lies saying she was the real victim. bynes says a new york officer sexually harassed her, slapping her genitals. the nypd has opened an investigation. bynes is due back in court july 9th. so other happier enterta entertainment news, the hangover disappointed fast and furious did not. the sixth film in the popular cars and -- >> sixth? >> if you liked the first five, you'll love the sixth.

it ruled the box office. estimated four-day gross more than $122 million. the hangover part three was a distant second. the predicted haul is just $61 million. less than half of hangover part two's opening. and in third, star trek into darkness expected to earn $48 million. everyone told me it was awesome. when it's all said and done it's expected to be a record-setting memorial day holiday at the movies. >> coming up, people line up to get their hands on just about any new apple product. but would you pay for the very first apple computer? what would you pay? what one collector shelled out, next. >> $11. 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.

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oh, angie? i have her on speed dial. welcome back to "early start." live pictures of new york city. the empire state building on monday of this memorial day weekend. we hope you're having a great holiday weekend. we also hope you're taking a moment to remember what this weekend is all about. all those who have given so much for this country. >> hmm. absolutely. "minding your business" this morning. markets are closed for the memorial day holiday. that means traders will have just four days to make up for lst week's losses. after four straight weeks of gains, the dow, s&p and nasdaq all fell last week because traders are getting worried that the federal reserve may start to pull back on its bond buying program known as qe-3. the fed has been pumping $85 billion into the economy every single month in an effort to bring down the unemployment rate. that's been driving gains in the markets over the last few years. but if the fed can't juice the markets anymore maybe consumers

will. we'll get reports on consumer confidence and personal spending and a reading on economic growth. now tell me if you've heard this one before. banks are behaving badly again. that's according to a letter from the new york state attorney general. last year, five banks agreed to pay out $25 billion as part of a settlement designed to put a stop to mortgage and foreclosure abuse. the banks also agreed to a set of standards for processing mortgages. but the ag says banks haven't complied with the terms of that agreement. in the letter obtained by reuters eric schneiderman says the banks are quote engaging in much of the same misconduct that precipitated the national mortgage settlement. and it's not just new york. the ag says other states have identified similar recurring deficiencies. and how much would you pay for an apple computer? >> i'd pay a lot? >> $1,000? $2,000? >> 6 pund for an ipad? how about $670,000. >> that's a lot. >> that's how much an anonymous bidder paid for a working apple 1. that broke the record last week

when another auction house sold a working apple 1 for $640,000. the auction house says there are only six apple 1s in working condition. apple produced 200 apple 1s in 1976. they originally sold for $666.66. that's about $2700 in today's money. the auction house will only say it's a wealthy entrepreneur from the far east. >> i barely even knew there was an apple 1. everyone had the ap tl 2. >> we had the apple 2e and a 2c and i think we have a commodore 64 in my parents' basement. >> i have an atari 600. and it still works. 25 minutes after the hour. technology. coming up this morning. flash flooding turns deadly in texas and there could be more severe weather on tap for today. and a woman found dead in the home of a high profile criminal attorney. the bizarre details of that case.

another body pulled from the water after historic floods bury a texas community. the rain may be over but the cleanup has just begun. a young paralegal found dead inside the home of her boss, a prominent criminal attorney. was this murder? and havoc on the speedway. a nascar race comes to a screeching halt after a cable, a cable falls on the tracks. >> that was something. welcome being to "early start" i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. it is 29 minutes after the hour. first up, historic flooding claims the lives of three people in southern texas.

san antonio has been under water since torrential downpours started on friday, and the waters are subsiding now, but the damage, it certainly remains. texas not the only part of the country experiencing extreme weather right now. flash floods also inundating eastern and central iowa over the weekend. and a near impossible three feet of snow dumped on an upstate new york ski resort this weekend. three feet. look at that. >> cnn's indra peterson is monitoring all of this for us. good morning. >> good morning. look at all the wild, wacky weather we've been having. today, memorial day, where is the instability? where is it going to be a soggy day? bulk of the midwest unfortunately seeing all of this instability. a lot of thunderstorms. a lot of lightning. anywhere from half an inch to an inch of rain is possible in the forecast. but where it is starting to look nicer is the northeast. we have this kind of cool, windy, wet weekend but now for monday, finally, the 70s back in the forecast. a nice warm-up in the northeast. and in stow, vermont, upper 60s,

instead of snow flurries like they saw yesterday. unbelievable. drying out in texas. that's good news. we do have some slight risk out there. about 10 million of you, again, seeing that slight risk for weather, not really seeing a big threat for tornadoes yet. most likely today some large hail and some of these heavier thunderstorms and the damaging winds. speaking of the winds. moore, oklahoma, threat for 50-mile-per-hour gusting winds. with all that damage on the ground we're going to be watching for that. one of the bigger things we're going to be watching, currently showers on the west coast. the reason that's so important, pretty atypical for this time of year, the very cold low will track its way to the middle of the country by about wednesday. with that we have another potential for severe outbreaks by the middle of the week. so we're definitely going to be watching that. otherwise, warmer in the northeast, and no snow in the forecast today. which is probably pretty big deal, right? >> no snow is a good thing on memorial day. indra peterson, thanks so much. oklahoma strong. thousands of people turning out for memorial service in moore, oklahoma, last night for the victims who lost their lives in

the tornado that was one week ago today. president obama toured the devastation in moore yesterday, comforting residents and reassuring them that they are not alone. >> whenever i come to an area that's been devastated by some natural disaster like this, i want to make sure everybody understands i'm speaking on behalf of the entire country. everywhere, fellow americans are praying with you, thinking about you, and they want to help. and so i'm just a messenger here today, letting everybody here know that you are not alone, that you've got folks behind you. >> the president getting a positive response from those trying to piece their lives back together. >> the president's message was like jeremy said, extremely personal, was not in a hurry, was really about shaking the hands, encouraging the community to rebuild and get us back to where we need to be. extremely personal. very surprised. >> the president really everyone

there acknowledging it will take a long time for that community to rebuild. so open for business, those three words are music to the ears of small business owners along the jersey shore. seven months after hurricane sandy, many of the popular summer tourist destinations have been cleaned up, rebuilt, and now reopened in time for memorial day. tomorrow, president obama will pay a visit with new jersey governor chris christie. a young paralegal found dead in the philadelphia home of her boss, a high profile attorney she had been dating. he says he was out of town when she died. but what, if anything, have investigators come up with? the body of 26-year-old julia law was removed by police from the home of prominent philadelphia criminal defense lawyer a. charles perudo jr. a maintenance worker found her unresponsive just after 10:00 a.m. saturday. police sources say she was found naked, face down in a bathtub. investigators have combed through the home, removing brown bags of possible evidence.

perudo told police he was on the jersey shore when lah's body was discovered. police sources say they have no suspects in the case. the medical examiner's office has carried out an autopsy but the cause of lah's death has not been disclosed. according to her facebook and linked in profiles law worked as a paralegal and was dating the 58-year-old attorney. in a statement to cnn peruto said she was my girlfriend and i loved her more than anyone can imagine. the people at my firm know that. this is god's theft of a perfect human. the news of law's death shocked neighbors in this quiet neighborhood. >> certainly bizarre. >> i mean that's shocking. >> reporter: peruto was visibly upset as he returned to his home. when cnn affiliate asked him how he felt. >> who is this girl? >> are you serious? >> reporter: for now, just how julia law died remains a mystery. julia law reportedly had been

peruto's paralegal for two years. some of his past clients have included alleged mafia leaders. you have to check this out. chaos on the speedway. ten nascar fans were injured during last night's coca-cola 600 in charlotte when a nylon cable supporting an overhead tv camera from the grandstands, it fell onto the track below. three of the fans were taken to the hospital. they are expected to be okay. the other seven were treated on the tracks for cuts and scrapes. the fallen cable also did some damage on the racetrack tearing up kyle busch's number 18 car. he wasn't happy at all. >> i bet. >> you may have heard him swearing on the tv if you were watching. several other drivers also reported problems. the race was stopped for 27 minutes so the cable could be cleared away and the cars could be repaired. crazy, huh? ahead on "early start," put down that diet soda. why it may be as bad for your teeth as crack or meth. >> whoa. >> seriously. >> and she's been on death row for 22 years. now debbie millke may walk free.

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some big, controversial issues at stake from affirmative action to same-sex marriage. for the next month, questions about some of the biggest social issues of the day could be answers. and those answers will feat the lives of millions of americans. cnn's athena jones takes a look. >> reporter: from now until the end of june, the supreme court is expected to rule on big issues. affirmative action, and same-sex marriage. >> it's almost unimaginable the number of things the supreme court is going to decide that affect all americans in the next month. >> reporter: first up could be whether public schools can consider race when admitting students. abigail fisher sued the university of texas, arguing she was rejected because she's white. >> i hope the court rules that a student's race and ethnicity should not be considered when applying to the university of texas. >> reporter: the school says race is one of many factors it uses to achieve diversity on campus. court watchers say anthony kennedy could side with conservative justices to

overturn or limit a major supreme court decision from ten years ago that allowed affirmative action. the justices are also dealing with another hot-button issue, same-sex marriage. >> a marriage is between one man and one woman. you guys won't accept it. >> reporter: considering whether california's proposition 8 ban is constitutional. and in a second case, if the defense of marriage act can deny same-sex couples the same federal benefits as heterosexual ones. >> i think it's going to be good. >> reporter: that case was brought by edith windsor, a new york woman who had to pay higher estate taxes after her wife died, than someone in a heterosexual marriage would have. >> i think it's likely in the defense of marriage act case that the supreme court will invalidate the federal law that says we won't recognize state same-sex marriages. but in the california proposition 8 case the justices seem unlikely to require under the constitution every state to recognize same-sex marriage.

the ruling may not be a huge gay rights victory at all but i doubt it's going to be a significant loss, either. >> reporter: another case involves the kind of genetic testing that led actress angelina jolie to undergo a double mastectomy. the court is considering whether human genes, so-called products of nature, can be patented. athena jones, cnn, washington. all right. coming up he's accused of butchering a british soldier in the street. now we're learning more about the accused killer's connection to al qaeda. [ male announcer ] if you can clear a crowd but not your nasal congestion, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter.

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welcome back to "early start." the british government targeting extremist groups following the alleged terrorist attack on a soldier in broad daylight on the streets of london last week. we're also learning more about one of the two men arrested for that fatal attack. cnn's matthew chance live for us this morning from downing street in london. matthew, we know now nine people

in total have been arrested in connection with this case. what's the latest on this investigation? >> nine people arrested christine. a number of them have been released without any charges. at least two of them, in fact. another three have been released on police bail, and have to return to the police station later on pending further inquiries. but of course the two main suspects, michael adebolajo and michael adebowali, britons of nigerian descent are in police custody. the other main developments on this investigation in britain is that the british government has announced an initiative to look at the extent of extremism in the country. the focus is on general extremism and militancy within in the country with a specific understanding that the main threat is coming from islamic fundamentalism. that's a key point, and raised the ire of many muslim groups in the country. that group that inquiry will be

headed by the british prime minister david cameron as this investigation continues, christine. >> matthew, right now in france, authorities investigating the stabbing of a french soldier, do we know if that attack is somehow related to the incident in london? >> it is astonishing, isn't it? a soldier in his 20s, as well, from the french military, stabbed in the neck whilst on patrol in the western part of paris. the french capital. it looks very similar, doesn't it? he was wearing a uniform when he was attacked by someone who was described by, as wearing islamic dress. the french authorities, though, are being very cautious about drawing any parallels. they've not yet caught the perpetrator of this attack and they're stopping short at this stage of saying it's linked. but france has its own problem with militant attacks. it recently intervened in the country of mali, as well, where it's been fighting against militants from the al qaeda in the islamic nagrib which is a

militant group in that part of the world. that country is very much on high alert as well. >> over the weekend we saw anti-islam groups taking to the streets in the uk. have there been reprisal attacks on muslims or concerns about that from authorities? >> yes, certainly this killing insoutheast london has, you know, kind of led to a spike, i think, in support for those far right extremist groups on the streets of britain. according to one charity in britain called faith matters there's been a tenfold increase in the number of attacks against muslims in the country since that killing on wednesday. so that's something of great, great concern here. >> all right, matthew chance for us, 10 downing street. thank you, matthew. arizona death row inmate convicted more than 20 years ago of killing her 4-year-old son could be released from prison this week. debra milke known as death row debbie was convicted in 1990 of plotting with two men to shoot her son christopher in order to collect on a life insurance policy. milke argued her conviction was based largely on testimony of a crooked phoenix detective.

>> she manipulated two other gentlemen to get rid of the child, and they got rid of the child and made up a story that he had gotten lost at a mall. >> the appeals court overturned milke's conviction because it said prosecutors should have revealed the detective's history of misconduct, which included lying under oath in other cases. rescuers helped save an elderly couple after their car plunged into a river outside boston. apparently they were trying to park in the lot near a riverside diner. police believe the car was in reverse, instead of drive, and it just sailed over the edge. >> a gentleman who was in the restaurant who was off duty police officer, i believe, ran across the street and helped them. >> they couldn't get any momentum to brake the window, so that they chose to push the car back on its tires. >> they were working over them through the windshield, and they pulled them out of the side. >> wow. the couple were in the water

more than five minutes and were feared dead but they were revived at the hospital. authorities plan to use steel girders on that collapsed bridge in washington state as a temporary solution while a permanent bridge is completed. the patch could have traffic flowing again by mid-june. three people were injured in that bridge collapse which happened when a truck slammed into an overhead support. the permanent bridge is expected sometime in september. disturbing new information this morning about diet soda. a new study claims drinking diet soda can do the same kind of damage to teeth as using crack or crystal meth. researchers noted the case of a woman in her 30s who drank two liters, two liters of diet soda daily for more than three years. >> that might be a problem to begin with. >> yeah, there's a lot of issues there. she had similar rot and tooth decay as a 29-year-old meth addict and a 51-year-old crack users. the temple university study says it's because diet soda like meth and crack, highly, highly acidic. >> that's a lot of diet soda a

day. >> two liters. wow. >> the math there is tough. 50 minutes after the hour right now. ahead on "early start," when it's time, it's time. the moment when an expectant mother discovers she isn't going to make it to the delivery room or even make it inside the hospital. ♪ if loving you is wrong ♪ i don't wanna be right [ record scratch ] what?! it's not bad for you. it just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal -- heart-healthy, whole grain oats. you can't go wrong loving it. has a lot going on in her life. wife, mother, marathoner. but one day it's just gonna be james and her. so as their financial advisor, i'm helping them look at their complete financial picture -- even the money they've invested elsewhere -- to create a plan that can help weather all kinds of markets. because that's how they're getting ready, for all the things they want to do. [ female announcer ] when people talk, great things can happen. so start a conversation with an advisor who's fully invested in you. wells fargo advisors.

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welcome back to "early start," everyone. trending online this morning, the beatles couldn't do it but the bruts did.

the cult classic arrested development has reunited seven years after it was canceled by fox. all 15 new episodes began streaming on netflix just after midnight on sunday. the first episode focused on michael bluth who's fallen on hard times. >> michael? >> joe. >> lindsay. >> george michael. >> george. >> lindsay. >> tobias. >> lindsay. we've got to get you to that acting class. >> i just want my son to have a job where his incompetence won't be out of place. >> well, that's not a great sign. >> i would love to help you. we like to pull together -- >> no, you watch your back, mister. >> all of us, really. >> because we have -- >> canceled shows. >> will smith may be a big movie star now but he hasn't forgotten his time as a fresh prince of bel air or his career as a rapper. while appearing on graham norton's bbc talk show smith joined his old music partner dj

jazzy jeff for a rendition of the fresh prince theme. ♪ philadelphia born and raised a play ground where i spent most of my days ♪ ♪ >> smith brought out former co-star alfonso ribeiro and his son jaden to show off some dance moves. >> i saw him do that live like a few years ago at a concert in philadelphia. people get into it there as you might imagine. >> i can imagine. >> a newborn girl in florida just could not wait a minute longer. not a second longer. her mother brought her in to the world in a wheelchair on the way to the hospital. the birth photographer the couple hired, they hired a birth photographer, that's one thing to begin with, they thought she'd be snapping pictures inside the hospital, instead 1450e had to get the camera out for a sidewalk delivery, this all happened on the sidewalk. amy beth says her first daughter was a quick birth, too.

but probably not quite this fast. we're going to talk live to the new mother at 7:00 a.m. on "starting point." hopefully she is off the sidewalk by now. >> whoa. that's cool. check out our top cnn trends head to cnn.com/trends. this is secretary of defense chuck hagel's first memorial day since taking office. >> and today hagel, who is a vietnam veteran is paying tribute to our servicemen and women in america's fallen warriors. >> these are not easy times for our country. for the world. and certainly these are not easy times to be part of our armed forces. >> memorial day is a uniquely american day. it is the one day of the year we set aside completely to remember, to honor, and thank those who give so much, and have given so much to this country.

memorials are not built to honor war. they are built to remember great causes and great actions and the people who helped shape the world for the better. i would like to thank the men and women who serve this country, their families, i especially want to thank their families for their tremendous sacrifices and what they give. and i appreciate that. we all do. >> i took the oath of office to become the 24th secretary of defense. it's a great honor. it's a privilege. to be part of your team, who you are is the honor, that's the great privilege. i'm proud of my background. i'm proud of my career, like you all are. but nothing makes me prouder than my association with the military and the veterans.

our country will never forget those who fell in battle, and those who have yet to return home. their dedication and selfless service resonates deeply across the country, and their legacy is carried forward proudly by those who wear our nation's uniform today. thank you for your service. and god bless you and your families. deadly flash floods, snowstorms in may. extreme weather clobbering the country this holiday weekend. a closet full of bombs. a high school student accused of planning to blow up his high school and it may have been modeled after the columbine attack. oklahoma strong. president obama giving people in moore words of hope and comfort, as they face the tall task now of rebuilding. good morning, welcome to "early start" i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. it is monday, may 27th.

6:00 a.m. in the east. memorial day. >> let's get to the dangerous and deadly weather slammed much of the country this weekend at least three people died in historic flash floods in southern texas. one woman swept away as first responders were frantically trying to free her. and the southwest wasn't alone. the wild and unseasonable weather reached all the way up to the northeast. cnn's indra peterson is following all of this for us this morning. >> wow, the pictures out of texas are amazing. unbelievable. snow in vermont. it's been a holiday weekend of weather extremes. that has had many wondering, does it really say may on the calendar, really? the unofficial start of summer looking nothing like it's supposed to. torrential rain and historic flooding blamed for at least three deaths in the san antonio area. the body of an 18-year-old missing since saturday was recovered from floodwaters on sunday night. >> whether it's the floods of

'98, 2002 or again this year in 2013, powerful force of water comes down that creek, and it takes out homes, disrupts lives, in this case, talk a life of a young man. >> reporter: drivers had to be rescued from floodwaters. submerged in more than nine inches of rain that fell in less than seven hours. even this bus was no match for flooded roads. riders escaped the bus through the hatch in the roof. drenching rains and flooding washed away any outdoor plans in the central plains. in iowa, residents breaking out their shovels, instead of their grills, to make sandbags to protect from rising waters. the final week of may looking more like a winter wonderland in parts of the northeast. the memorial day weekend storm brought chilly temps and dumped nearly three feet of snow on a new york ski mountain in the adirondacks. and in stow, vermont, more than a foot of snow recorded on sunday.

the latest in the season it's ever had that much snow. unbelievable. and definitely very cold storm bringing that snow in vermont. today a lot of instability in the midwest. still a lot of showers out there. about half an inch to an inch of rain possible. of course heavier in the mountains and local thunderstorms. to the northeast, finally thawing out. vermont had highs only in the 30s as you can imagine with snow. today the mid 60s. so big 30 degree temperature jumps that they've been waiting for. in new york about a ten degree jump. 70s instead of that cold, soggy, wet, windy weather that we saw over the weekend. in texas all of that flooding, drying out for the next several days there. we do have a slight risk again today. looking anywhere from the dakotas down to about lubbock, texas. we have about 10 million of you with the threat of some heavier thunderstorms. some larger hail, strong winds, moore, oklahoma, 50-mile-per-hour gusts today. one of the things we're going to be watching very closely is a low producing some showers out on the west coast. the reason for that, once you get a really cool low this late in the season producing showers on the west coast, once that

tracks off to the east we have the threat for instability. potential tornado outbreak again bull's-eyeing right around oklahoma. the central plains here by wednesday. so definitely monitoring over the next several days and of course, for today, definitely enjoying at least the warmer weather out in the northeast. >> all right. indra peterson, it would be nice if they get a break in oklahoma as they continue to try to clean up from the storms. it's been one week since a tornado nearly destroyed their town in moore, oklahoma. people there face the monumental task of recovery. the two dozen victims who lost their lives were remembered last night during a memorial service. just hours earlier, president obama surveyed the devastation, promising that the country will not turn its back on the people who've lost nearly everything. cnn's nick valencia, who was on the ground mr. minutes after that storm hit, he is in moore, oklahoma for us this morning. good morning, nick. >> good morning, john. so much has changed here in the last week. we've gone from chaos to calm as the residents of moore,

oklahoma, begin to slowly piece their lives back together again. ♪ jesus loves me >> reporter: thousands gathered at the first baptist church in moore sunday night to remember the 24 lives lost. including ten young children. last monday's tornado was the strongest and deadliest to strike oklahoma in years. >> our spirits have been shaken this week. our hearts have been broken. but our resolve is strong. and we will rise again. >> reporter: president obama saw the devastation left by the powerful tornado. >> obviously the damage here is pretty hard to comprehend. our hearts go out to the families who've been impacted. including those who've had loved ones who were lost. >> reporter: the president offered solace and aid to those hard-hit by the tornado. >> it's going to take a long time for this community to rebuild. so, i want to urge every american to step up. >> reporter: this weekend, the

parents of bethany paine joined her at what was once her house. the cleanup has just begun. >> we're just getting real and starting to clean up. starting to take the next steps. >> reporter: bit by bit, piece by piece, the residents of moore, shawnee and other cities impacted by the recent outbreak of tornadoes, are beginning to put their lives back together. and they're not doing it alone. oklahoma governor mary fallin offered her help to the residents of this moore neighborhood. >> for those hat are just overwhelmed and it's just too much to do, get their personal belongings out, and then we'll come in and then we'll take care of it as a state. >> reporter: a bittersweet yet familiar sound of pomp and circumstance provided a needed respite from the devastation as seniors from three area high schools graduated. >> i mean, it kind of seems we're ending our senior year like this but then again it brings us all a lot closer and more together. so that's always a good thing, too. >> reporter: it's a closeness

that will bring renewal to a community ravaged by the storm and provide them the courage to rebuild. last night i ran into a group of joplin, missouri. you remember the tornado that shredded that community just two years ago. they've been playing a very important part in the recovery process. they also came with a very important message that with each day that passes here, things will get better. >> nick, you're still standing in front of a debris field which is right behind you. when i was walking through it last week with you, you can't imagine where all this stuff can go. how will they get rid of it? >> that's a great question. i actually spoke to governor mary fallin yesterday and i asked her that question. she says that they have a designated landfill for all of this stuff behind me. our viewers can see this stretches block after block, mile after mile, 17 mile stretch of tornado when it touched down. so, it's going to take a long time, though. she said it could take weeks, months, perhaps even the rest of the year. john? >> looks like junk, nick, but remember these are pieces of people's lives here that will be going to that landfill.

nick valencia in moore for us this morning. great to see you this morning. a disturbing developing story this morning. an oregon high school student is accused of planning an attack on his school that was allegedly modeled after the columbine shootings and prosecutors say he had enough firepower to pull this off. 17-year-old grant acord will be charged as an adult for attempted aggravated murder. oregon state police say they found bombmaking materials and at least six explosive devices inside acord's home in albany, oregon. >> the types of bombs include pipe bombs, napalm bombs, drano bombs, molotov cocktails, those that were intended to be used in carrying out the aggravated murder. >> cnn attempting to reach grant acord's attorney for comment. two sacramento police officers on leave this morning after they struggled with a suspect. >> the police got him! the police got him!

>> police say the man tried to barricade himself inside a cell phone store and overpowered the officer trying to arrest him. it took several more officers and a couple of customers to subdue him. at least one witness said officers kept beating the man after he was already on the ground. >> just prior to that video the suspect actually was on top of the officer assaulting him, and pinning him down to the ground. you can imagine how dangerous that is for an officer with all his weapons systems. >> the 42-year-old suspect was pronounced dead a short time later. it is not clear yet how he died. police have not said if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. congress is dark for this week's recess and the president seizing this opportunity to brighten up the national conversation hoping to turn away from those controversies dominating the last few weeks. and toward his own agenda, like immigration reform and major changes to national security. but he's already getting pushback from opponents who are not going to go down without a fight.

here's cnn's dan lothian. >> reporter: after weeks of dealing with scandals, the president is struggling to reset his agenda. and with congress off this week, he has a chance to do so. but even as he tries to limit damage from the irs uproar, republicans are demanding a broader investigation. >> there's clearly an organized effort within the irs to target political opponents of the president. that's undeniable. how does such a culture come about? how vast was it? who was involved? this really does call for a special counsel. >> reporter: the president wants his attorney general to review whether his own justice department has gone too far pursuing those leak investigations targeting reporters. >> and i've raised these issues with the attorney general who shares my concerns. >> reporter: but republicans are pressing for a special counsel for that, as well. noting eric holder was involved in seeking a search warrant against fox reporter james rosen. >> you cannot investigate yourself, and i think it's a total conflict of interest.

>> we have to be determined to stop these problems. >> reporter: mr. obama is also dealing with a sexual assault scandal in the military, giving republicans a new line of attack. >> i think the constellation of these three scandals ongoing really takes away from the president's moral authority to lead the nation. nobody questions his legal authority. but i think he's really losing the moral authority to lead this nation. >> it passes. >> reporter: immigration reform, a top priority for the president, is headed to the senate floor after winning committee approval. but it's not clear there are 60 votes to stop a republican filibuster. and his new push to close the guantanamo facility is facing stiff opposition on capitol hill. >> i once again call on congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from gitmo. >> reporter: so after a memorial day break, mr. obama faces no shortage of political headaches. dan lothian, cnn, the white house. >> a heck of a week ahead for the president. ten minutes after the hour. ahead on "early start" she's been on death row for 22 years.

now death row debbie may be about to walk free. we're going to talk about the key to her successful appeal, next. >> and the jersey shore open for business this memorial day weekend. just months after hurricane sandy. will the tourists be there? i'm going to dream about that tiramisu. what a night, huh? but, um, can the test drive be over now? head back to the dealership? [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today.

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good morning. welcome back. about 14 minutes after the hour on this memorial day. after more than 20 years on death row an arizona woman could soon go free. but she has one big stumbling block. the state's attorney general says he will do everything he can to keep debra milke behind bars. a death row inmate convicted of killing her 4-year-old son could walk free next month. debra milke had her conviction overturned by a federal appeals court after arguing for years that she was the victim of a crooked cop. known locally as death row debbie, milke has been sitting on arizona's death row for nearly 23 years for the murder of her son christopher in phoenix. >> he was my pride and joy. he was so much more brighter than me. and stronger. >> reporter: in december 1989, according to the prosecution, christopher was told he was going to see santa claus at a local mall. two male friends of debra milke drove him instead to a desert

where one of them shot the young boy three times in the back of the head, allegedly on her instructions. the two men told police the boy disappeared at the mall. but a day later one of them confessed to police and led them to the boy's body. prosecutors argued the boy was killed to collect on a $5,000 life insurance policy. she has always maintained her innocence, but the key witness said she confessed to the plot to him and him alone. >> she then manipulated two other gentlemen to get rid of the child, and they got rid of the child, and made up a story that he had gotten lost at a mall. >> reporter: the appeals court said prosecutors should have revealed the detective's history of misconduct, which included lying under oath in other cases, bus milke's guilty verdict was based largely on saldate's testimony the appeals court overturned her conviction. later this morning we'll hear from debra milke's attorney lori voepel at 7:30. secretary of state john

kerry is teaming up with his russian counterpart to bring the syrian government and opposition leaders to the bargaining table. kerry meets tonight in paris with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov. both the syrian government and the opposition syrian national coalition have expressed interest in peace talks which are set to take place next month in geneva. but opposition leaders have not yet confirmed that they will attend. angelina jolie's aunt has died of breast cancer. just two weeks after jolie revealed she had a double mastectomy to prevent the disease. that's according to e! online. debbie martin was the younger sister of jolie's mother, who died from ovarian cancer in 2007. martin, like jolie, had the defective brca1 gene. the three women rescued from ariel castro's cleveland home have the chance to keep any of the three dogs found with them. the city's chief animal control officers says amanda berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight may have bonded with the dogs in the almost ten years castro allegedly held them captive. the dogs are being kept at a foster home until the women

decide what they want to do. jose conseco taking and apparently passing a lie detector test. a woman recently accused him of sexual assault. canseco said he wanted to take the polygraph to prove his innocence. the man who gave him the test said the results were some of the cleanest he has ever seen. the accuser has not filed charges but now canseco says he might sue her. actress amanda bynes lashing out on twitter at police against charges she through a bong out of her manhattan window. she called the charges all lies saying she's the real victims. she claims one of the arresting officers sexually harassed her the night before her arrest, slapping her genitals she says. the nypd is investigating those allegations. bynes due back in court july 9th. >> the story is getting more and more disturbing. >> the wigs. >> so it is a record-setting memorial day weekend at the box office. led by fast and furious 6. it is time to catch up on the first five, folks. this is the latest in the fast

franchise. it's expected to bring in over $122 million over four days. this virtually guarantees there will be a fast and furious seven. it's estimated the hangover part three will gross $51 million which is lower than anticipated. and in third star trek into darkness expected to earn $48 million. the total holiday weekend box office take expected to top $320 million. what was the last movie you saw in the theaters? >> oh, wow. raiders of the ark? >> raiders of the lost ark exactly. >> i don't know. i can't even think. >> that was a good action movie like gandhi. great action. that was the last movie i saw in the theaters. >> coming up on "early start" as you get ready to fire up your grill get ready to pay a little bit more for your burger. beef prices are on the rise. >> outrage. >> only one burger for you today. (girl) what does that say?

(guy) dive shop. (girl) diving lessons. (guy) we should totally do that. (girl ) yeah, right. (guy) i wannna catch a falcon! (girl) we should do that. (guy) i caught a falcon. (guy) you could eat a bug. let's do that. (guy) you know you're eating a bug. (girl) because of the legs. (guy vo) we got a subaru to take us new places. (girl) yeah, it's a hot spring. (guy) we should do that. (guy vo) it did. (man) how's that feel? (guy) fine. (girl) we shouldn't have done that. (guy) no. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. [ female announcer ] neutrogena® pore refining cleanser. alpha-hydroxy and exfoliating beads work to clean and tighten pores so they can look half their size. pores...shrink 'em down to size! [ female announcer ] pore refining cleanser. neutrogena.®

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beautiful picture of atlanta, georgia. atlanta, the world headquarters of so many important companies, like delta and coca-cola, and other companies, i think. but a beautiful morning there. >> welcome back. u.s. markets closed for memorial day. traders will have just four days this week to make up for last week's losses. after four straight weeks of gains the dow, s&p and nasdaq all fell. traders are worried that the federal reserve will may start to pull back on the bond buying program known as qe-3. the fed has been pumping $85 billion into the economy every month in an effort to bring down the unemployment rate. that's been driving gains in markets over the past few years. but if the fed can't juice the markets anymore, i don't know, maybe consumers will. we're going to get reports on consumer confidence and personal spending. also get a reading on economic growth. a lot in store for us. just a week after paying $1.1 billion for tumbler, yahoo!

is reportedly looking to buy hulu. they've bid between $600 million and $800 million for the video streaming service. one of seven companies bidding on hulu according to "the wall street journal." yahoo is looking to add video content that it could use to lure advertisers. hulu launched in 2007 as a joint venture between newscorps, disney, abc and nbc universal now comcast. hulu says in the last year the number of users paying for its services has doubled to 4 million. by comparison netflix has about 29 million subscribers in the u.s. it's hard to say how hoo hulu. >> they haven't decided yet. what's interesting there. yahoo going on a buying binge. >> marissa mayer trying to get young users, also trying to get talent. her company has been buying companies for ideas and talent for the engineers that they have, so, yeah, she has been buying a lot of companies. >> what's the one thing we need to know about our money >> i told you so.

if you're going to be planning a barbecue, it's going to cost you a bit more. wholesale beef prices hit an all-time high last week. that means the price you pay at the store could hit records. a pound of choice beef costing $5.26. all caused by the terrible droughts in the heartland over the past few years. last year brought down the size of the u.s. cattle herds the lowest level in six decades and drove up corn prices. you use corn to feed hogs. so hogs and the whole she bang, beef and also poultry. maybe a hot dog. >> hot dogs and beef both more expensive. >> how about both? why do i have to limit myself. >> just one hamburger. prices are going up. got to conserve in the berman household. >> that will not happen. coming up on "early start," watch out for that cable. a television cable comes tumbling down on a nascar track, sends the race into chaos. this is really amazing picture. >> and flash flooding turns deadly in texas. today more severe weather could be on the way. la's known definitely for its traffic,

congestion, for it's smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the busses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution to the earth. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment.

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deadly flash floods leaving parts of texas under water. near record-breaking rainfall devastating a community. more could be on the way. destroyed by superstorm sandy seven months ago, the jersey shore rebuilt and ready for business, but will summer travelers return to the beachfront? a mysterious death. a young paralegal found dead, naked, inside her boss' home. was this murder? >> intrigue. welcome back to "early start" i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. >> we're going to start with the historic weather. the flash flooding claiming lives of several people in southern texas. san antonio's been under water since torrential downpours started on friday. the waters are subsiding but the damage, it remains. texas not the only part of the country experiencing this extreme weather, either. flash floods also inundating eastern and central iowa over the weekend. and get this, a near impossible

three feet of snow dumped on an upstate new york ski resort this weekend. three feet of snow, and it's may. not just may. it's the end of may. >> cnn's indra peterson is monitoring all of it for us. good morning, is it memorial day? i'm not sure. >> trying to keep you guys on your toes, right? we were talking about some of those heavier thunderstorms in iowa and we're still dealing with that this morning. look at this lightning around des moines. still looking for heavy thunderstorms from half an inch to an inch of rain possible, of course, larger amounts in those heavier downpours. but one place starting to feel a little bit better, the northeast. all that cold air finally getting out of here, starting to warm up today. in fact talking about temperatures 30 degrees warmer. that's what we're looking for in vermont where they had freezing temperatures yesterday. today they're seeing some 60s over in new york itself looking for some mid 70s. beautiful weather for us. one of the things we have to be watching is still once again the slight risk area. not really big tornado day. most likely seeing some damaging winds and some thunderstorms with some large hail out there. but it is covering about 10 million of us. we're talking about for montana

through texas stretching through portions of illinois. monitoring that threat. unfortunately, the threat will be enhanced by the time we go to the middle of the week. the reason for that is we're going to be watching a low that's producing some showers currently on the west coast. now that low, very cold for this time of year, is going to make its way to the middle of the country. when that happens, we have the potential for another tornado outbreak by the middle of the week. of course, unfortunately, it does include the plains, including oklahoma, as well. so that severe risk again coming to us about wednesday or so. until then, today we are going to be dealing in moore, oklahoma with clearing skies, sunshine. they had a lot of thunderstorms over the weekend, but gusty winds in the forecast for them today with gusts about 58 miles per hour. we're still looking ahead to more of this springlike weather with the tornado outbreaks. >> not out of the woods yesterday in moore, oklahoma. amid the heartbreak and all the loss there, the healing, it begins. thousands gathered for memorial service last night in honor of the 24 people who died in the tornado in moore, oklahoma. this came just hours after

president obama toured the devastation and promised the people there that america stands with them. >> whenever i come to an area that's been devastated by some natural disaster like this i want to make sure everybody understands i'm speaking on behalf of the entire country. everywhere, fellow americans are praying with you, thinking about you, and they want to help. and so i'm just a messenger here today, letting everybody here know that you are not alone, that you've got folks behind you. >> the president's visit getting a positive response from those trying to piece their lives back together again. >> the president's message was like jeremy said, extremely personal, was not in a hurry, was really about shaking the hands, encouraging the community to rebuild and get us back to where we need to be. extremely personal. very surprised. >> the president acknowledged it will take a long time for that community to rebuild. and get back on its feet.

the jersey shore back from the brink and just in time for summer. it's been seven months since superstorm sandy devastated many of the beachfront communities. in sea side heights new jersey, a town that relies on tourism for 65% of its economy the importance of a strong start to summer cannot be emphasized enough. our poppy harlow is live in seaside heights. when it was bad weather on saturday i felt so bad for those homeowners. but -- or business owners, rather. >> but now it's sunny, christine. it was a beautiful sunday. it is a beautiful memorial day. making up for some bad weather saturday. believe it or not this marks a centennial of seaside heights and its board walk. this may be the most critical memorial day weekend ever for the new jersey shore. not in terms of sheer numbers but in terms of importance. because this is really going to be an indication of whether or not this critical tourism area is coming back post-sandy. i want you to take a look at

some video of the destruction to the entire jersey shore right after sandy, and now we're going to show you where we stand seven months later. >> three, two, one! >> reporter: the games are back on in seaside heights. >> oh, it's back. we're back. >> it's not back -- >> 100%, but we're back. >> reporter: and the people who came back liked what they saw. >> oh, it's great. it's really good to see everything back to where it used to be. almost close to where it used to be. >> reporter: almost, because the rebuilding continues. nearly seven months after sandy tore up much of the jersey shore. vincent's family owns casino pier. before sandy, it held 38 rides. now, this. how much progress have you guys made? >> we made tremendous progress. in three months we've done what should take three years. >> reporter: it hasn't come cheap. millions?

>> it's millions. >> reporter: tens of millions? >> i would say tens of millions. >> reporter: the new boardwalk alone cost nearly $8 million. >> we did what we had to do to get the doors open, to let people know that seaside heights is open. but there's so many more things we got to do. >> reporter: like more benches and lights. but mayor bill acres is satisfied. >> you can walk the boardwalk north to north, and it seems like we got a few people up here today. enjoying it. >> reporter: a few people less than a typical memorial day weekend. >> i would say we're doing about half what we did last year. >> reporter: but that hasn't dampened spirits. >> i mean look around. you couldn't ask for better weather. couldn't ask for more people. this is great. >> this is the golden goose, lucky lee yo's. we knew it was going to be slow. but, just the idea that we're here, and that truly is the remarkable thing. >> reporter: what a way to ring in 100 years. >> well, i guess we're doing the same thing that they did back 100 years ago. they needed to build a boardwalk. we're building it.

>> reporter: i got to give credit, christine, to the spirit and the perseverance of the people here. every day working to get this place back. that's because it is so important. 19 billion dollars. that's how much money comes in to the jersey shore every year. it's more than half the total state brings in in tourism dollars. about 7.5 million people came to the shore last year and we're told about 85% of the businesses on the boardwalk are open this memorial day weekend. that is progress. >> good for them. a lot of homes, though, are they still uninhabitable and how much is that expected to hurt the businesses this summer? >> so that's a great question. because that's the one thing that could really hurt. you look around this town, you look next door, you look at all the shore towns and a lot of the homes that people either come to live in for the summer or rent out to tourists in the summer, they are still severely damaged. a number of them still uninhabitable. the mayor told me that is the one thing that could really stand in their way of getting enough peel and revenue here

this summer christine. >> poppy harlow in seaside heights. thanks. >> 36 minutes after the hour. it is memorial day. president obama wishing americans a happy monday holiday with their families. but also reminding everyone what this day is really all about. >> on monday we celebrate memorial day. unofficially it's the start of summer. a chance for us to spend some extra time with family and friends, at barbecues or on the beach. getting a little fun and relaxation in before heading back to work. it's also a day on which we set aside some time on our own or with our families to honor and remember all the men and women who have given their lives in service to this country we love. they are heroes. each and every one. they gave america the most precious thing they have. last full measure of devotion. and because they did, we are who we are today, a free and prosperous nation. the greatest in the world. >> the president will lay a wreath at the tomb of the

unknowns later today. and, of course, taps will be played at some point. 24 notes of emotion that really cannot be put into words. mike mcclanahan from our birmingham affiliate wiat introduces us to a man who's made a proper and perfect rendition of taps his mission. >> reporter: polished, precise, professional. gene ramsey practices, perfects his bugle playing with military discipline. though he never served in the military, this is his way of serving veterans and their families. he's not with them long. just a moment, a very important moment. just long enough for 24 notes. >> so to me the notes, the 24 notes of "taps" is a way for us to say good-bye to that portion of their life. and send them on. it's a very meaningful process for the family. i get -- i get more guys probably that tear up when they hear "taps" than probably the women do. it's the final call to be heard

at the graveside of somebody who has served our country and served so willingly. >> reporter: ramsey performs "taps" upon request at military funerals. he's the alabama state director for bugles across america. >> the notes alone, 24 of the most haunting notes you'll ever hear. they mean something different to everybody. what it means to me, it is the final -- it is the final good-bye to a hero. >> reporter: the notes are etched in his memory, like the names inscribed in these bricks, or the faces of those he honors in the minds of those they leave behind. >> unfortunately did not get to serve in the military. i tried but i had a health condition that kept me from doing that. and this is my way of serving. finally. i get that opportunity. it's our job to make sure that they have a final send-off. i try to play the words. it's more than just notes. i try to play the words. these are the words that go through my mind as i play. day is done. gone the sun. from the hills, from the lake,

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welcome back this morning. a young paralegal found dead in the philadelphia home of her boss, a high profile attorney she had been dating. he says he was out of town when she died. an autopsy was done. possible evidence was collected. but so far this case has far more questions than answers. the body of 26-year-old julia law was removed by police from the home of prominent

philadelphia criminal defense lawyer a. charles peruto jr. a maintenance worker found her unresponsive just after 10:00 a.m. saturday. police sources say she was found naked, face down in a bathtub. investigators have combed through the home, removing brown bags of possible evidence. peruto told police he was on the jersey shore when law's body was discovered. police sources say they have no suspects in the case. the medical examiner's office has carried out an autopsy but the cause of law's death has not been disclosed. according to her facebook and linked in profiles law worked as a paralegal and was dating the 58-year-old attorney. in a statement to cnn peruto said she was my girlfriend and i loved her more than anyone can imagine. the people at my firm know that. this is god's theft of a perfect human. the news of law's death shocked neighbors in this quiet neighborhood. >> certainly bizarre. >> i mean that's shocking. >> reporter: peruto was visibly

upset as he returned to his home. when cnn affiliate asked him how he felt. >> who is this girl? >> are you serious? >> reporter: for now, just how julia law died remains a mystery. julia law reportedly had been peruto's paralegal for two years. some of his past clients have included alleged mafia leaders. 45 minutes after the hour right now. the stabbing of a soldier in france was an act of terror. that's according to officials in paris. the stabbing happened this weekend, and they say it may have been inspired by at street murder of a british soldier in london. the suspect in this case is still at large. investigators say he fled into a crowded train station after attacking the soldier with a knife or some kind of box cutter. the british government looking to crack down on extremism after the murder of that soldier in broad daylight there. prime minister david cameron will lead a terrorism task force targeting radical religious groups. two men suspected in the soldier's killing have been linked to islamic extremists.

a temporary solution is in the works in that bridge collapse that injured three in washington state last week. officials say new steel girders could restore traffic by mid-june along this crucial artery between the u.s. and canada. on thursday, a truck slammed into an overhead support on the bridge, knocking out a portion of interstate 5. a permanent replacement bridge is expected sometime this september. 46 minutes after the hour. cnn's jeanne moos now shows us why it is never smart for a driver to block a fire hydrant. >> reporter: at first glance you can almost mistake it for a snake. >> it's like a giant squid is trying to eat a guy in a car. >> looks like they're trying to make it into a water bed. >> reporter: oh, there was water involved. take it from the fireman in charge that day in merced, california. >> i heard this loud glass crash and i turned around and i saw my engineer throwing a hose through the center of the car. >> reporter: ever since that day a little over two years ago, photos with captions like five reasons why you should never park in front of a fire hydrant

have periodically surfaced on the web. in this case, the car was blocking a hydrant in front of a fire at a marijuana grow house with 3,000 pot plants inside. yet it's the car that blocked the hydrant that have everyone remembers. >> just took his hydrant french, took out the driver's side, walked over, took out the passengers side. >> reporter: exactly like they did in the movie backdraft. >> oh, [ bleep ] >> reporter: firemen say it's rare that they have to do this. but it's crucial to keep the hose straight. a serious kink could cut the water supply in half. or as one new york city fireman put it. >> this idiot, whoever it is, parked on a hydrant and left it, now just jeopardized somebody's life. >> reporter: it doesn't seem to be a nickname for this practice so we'll just call it hosing. as in hey chief, this car needs to be hosed. doesn't matter if it's a bmw, firemen have been hosing cars when necessary since the days of

black and white. no one expressed sympathy for the shattered windows. >> not only does he deserve a ticket he deserves exactly what he got today. >> reporter: for a minute i looked and thought oh, that's nice they put that towel there to protect the car. then i thought, no they didn't. >> no, no, it's to protect 9 hose. at that point the car is the least of our worries. >> reporter: so think twice about parking at a hydrant. or when they say -- >> here comes the water! >> reporter: it may be coming not in buckets but across bucket seats. jeanne moos, cnn. did you guys chuckle a bit? >> yeah. >> reporter: new york. >> you know how many people care about the actual owners of the cars? i say exactly zero. >> right, right. >> or the ticket no one cares they got a ticket either. coming up ten nascar fans hurt when a cable goes tumbling onto the tracks. details next in our "bleacher report." ess story. i'm a teacher. i'm a firefighter. i'm a carpenter.

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so the boston marathon bombings robbed many runners of their chance to cross the finish line. sunday the indianapolis 500 gave those people a second chance. >> andy scholes joins us with more in the "bleacher report." good morning. >> good morning, guys. the best part of a marathon has to be crossing that finish line. the officials at the indianapolis motor speedway wanted to give that feeling back to those boston marathon runners who were robbed of it after the bombings. nonfinishes from indiana and surrounding states were invit to come to the track and finish the marathon before yesterday's indianapolis 500. about 35 people took them up on the offer, and they ran the half mile stretch from turn four to

the yard of bricks as a crowd of over 250,000 chanted usa. great moment there. once the race got going it was a good one. there would be a record 68 lead changes and with three laps to go tony kanaan would take the lead. shortly after that dario franchitti crashes into the wall. kanaan takes the checkered flag under caution to finally get his first win at the indy 500. afterwards he thanked his fans for sticking with him. >> the way they spoil for me because every year they did the same. me winning or not. this tastes a lot better for all the support they gave me all these years i couldn't do it. you know, i couldn't do not a better race for them. >> it was a bizarre afternoon for everyone involved at the coca-cola 600 yesterday in charlotte. a tv cable above the track snapped during the race, ten fans were injured, but luckily no one was seriously hurt. kyle busch's car got the worst of the damage during the 27-minute delay he went and got his phone to take some pictures.

once the race eventually resumed kevin harvick would go on to get the win. the eastern conference finals continuing last night in indy with game three between the heat and pacers. this one would be all miami. lebron james led the heat with 22 points as he played the majority of the game down low in the post. miami would win 114-96 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. the heat have won 23 of the last 24 road games. game four of the series is tomorrow night. last night in l.a., 26-year-old robby rogers made mls history as he became the first openly gay athlete in the u.s. to compete in a professional game. rogers had retired from pro soccer back in february when he made his sexual orientation public. he decided to make a comeback and says he hopes he can be a role model for gay teens. the funny thing is rogers said he wanted to come into the game with not much pressure. maybe if galaxy was up 4-0.

sure enough they took a 4-0 lead and he came in in the 77th minute. it was great to see the support he had. >> andy scholes, thanks so much appreciate it. you can see it right there, the bluths are back. all 15 new episodes of the cult comedy classic arrested development now streaming on netflix. episode one centers around michael bluth who's moved on and moved in with his son george michael in his dorm room. >> we have no secrets from each other. we know everything there is to know about each other. we're like twins. >> i don't see us as twins. >> yeah? you name me one way in which we're different. >> well i think you tend to be better at feeling like you belong places. >> do i? >> you just got to love that show. it's just awesome. i cannot wait till after we're done this morning and then i'll go home and watch 15 of the episodes. that is all for "early start" everyone. i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans.

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good morning. our "starting point" this morning, memorial day today. we remember the men and women who died while serving in the united states armed forces. today we honor the ultimate sacrifice. and many americans see memorial day as the unofficial start of summer. the folks in vermont may not exactly be firing up the barbecue and heading to the pool

this morning. why? snow. snow in vermont. more than two feet in new york. ear going to track this extreme weather. >> and history seems to be repeating itself at rutgers university as another scandal hits that school. we'll explain why some are alleging the school is continuing a cycle of abuse. >> plus one woman's labor and delivery story that begins and ends at the hospital doorstep. no further. her incredible story with pictures this hour. >> wow. >> i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. welcome to "starting point." it is memorial day. we have dangerous and deadly weather -- great to see you this morning. we have dangerous and deadly weather slamming much of the country this holiday weekend. in texas at least three people died in historic flash floods that inundated the san antonio area. and texas was not