on different occasions. it doesn't make any difference what occasion. >> i love this guy. this time it was not just for the thrill, however. so he actually took this dive, helped raise money for a nonprofit group that helps homeless families. way to go. i might try that. that is it for me. joe johns takes it from here. maybe he's a little more daring than i am. >> not at all, thanks, suzanne. i am joe johns in for brooke baldwin. first up, another cruise ship nightmare to tell you about. a fire breaking out on a royal caribbean ship this morning, the grandeur of the seas was en route to the bahamas when pandemonium erupted. passengers were woken up in the middle of the night and told to get to the decks and they were ordered to put on life jackets while crews worked to put out a fire that started on the mooring deck and spread to the fourth deck. royal caribbean was no one was injured in the fire. two guests who were on board are with us now. danielle miller and katie coleman joining us on the phone

from free port. you were quoted as saying you thought there was a chance you wouldn't say daylight again. this say nightmare, started around midnight. we saw the video you gave us. talk us through what happened when you woke up. >> i woke up hearing announcements on our intercom saying to put our life jackets on and run to our location. and our room attendant was pounding on the door and i opened the door and i see people running around and yelling at us to get our life jackets on and run as fast as we can up to deck five. so i woke up my roommate and she honestly didn't even believe me, but we were both, just, like, shaking and so much adrenaline pumping through our veins. we probably ran up to that deck faster than we ever ran before. so we were terrified, though. and a lot of people were just crying and freaking out. >> it sounds terrifying.

and katie what about you? you heard about the announcement over the intercom, is that right? >> i actually slept through it. and danielle woke up and i was -- i -- she was panicking, she was freaking out, and she told me that we had to get our life jackets on and run upstairs. i honestly didn't even believe her. i thought she was having a bad dream or something. i didn't even believe her, but, yeah, we changed, grabbed our life jackets and ran. >> danielle give us a sense of how long all the excitement lasted. how long did it take you to find out what was going on? was there any panic on board? >> people were panicking because we had no idea what was going on. before we went to bed, there was a pretty bad storm and the ship was really rocking. so our first thought was that we were sinking. we had life jackets and run and we got up to the deck and we see the lifeboats being lowered down. we saw a light sparking and

catching on fire. we heard basically shoulder to shoulder with a ton of people who were just as terrified as we were. and we didn't know what was going on for about half an hour when they made an announcement that there was a fire. >> and, katie, so what is going to happen now? you're in free port, bahamas, and you really have an option to make your way home, or what? what are you going to do? >> we plan on staying and, i don't know, we'll try to have fun. i don't know. i mean, the pool is empty, so there is not too much to do on the boat right now, but we'll probably get off the boat later and -- >> are you ever going to go on a cruise again or is this it for you? >> we're not sure. honestly it was the most terrifying thing in my life. but, i mean, i don't know. i would probably go on a cruise again. >> i would, just because the

workers handled it really well and even though it was terrifying, they tried their best to make everyone comfortable and they're so well trained that i felt confident that we would be okay. >> all right, then, thanks so much, danielle miller and katie coleman. >> thank you. as much of the nation takes a welcome monday off, the commander in chief urges us not to forget the brave men and women who died ensuring our freedoms. that's president barack obama. >> present! see it almost every year, commemorating memorial day at arlington national cemetery, just across the potomac river from washington, d.c. since last memorial day, we lost 234 fighting men and women in the war in afghanistan. but as the president noted, none in iraq. for america, that war is over.

>> last memorial day i stood here and spoke about how for the first time in nine years americans were no longer fighting and dying in iraq. today a transition is under way in afghanistan, and our troops are coming home. fewer americans are making the ultimate sacrifice in afghanistan and that's progress for which we are profoundly grateful. this time next year we will mark the final memorial day of our war in afghanistan. >> cnn's barbara starr is live for us now from arlington cemetery. barbara, it's always a moving scene there on memorial day. >> reporter: it absolutely is, joe. you know, president obama, after giving those remarks, came here to section 60, to visit with some of the military families and friends who have come to visit their fallen comrades, some 800 troops have fallen in

battle in iraq and afghanistan are buried here. we're here talking to the family of marine corps sergeant david james smith. you can see his friends have left mementos here. his family, his other marine buddies are here visiting him today, but i want to talk to a very special young man, this is his nephew logan. logan, you have the opportunity to speak to the president of the united states. tell us what that was like. >> well, it was really cool because he's, like, very high in the government and was nice to talk to him. >> reporter: do you remember anything he said to you? >> he said -- he said we thank you for your sacrifice and god bless you. >> reporter: was he nice? >> very nice. >> reporter: so kind of cool. >> yes. >> reporter: tell me about your uncle. sergeant smith. tell me about david. >> he was very funny. he loved to just have fun and mess around with people. >> reporter: cool guy? >> yeah, very cool. >> reporter: yeah.

and this is your mom. >> yes. >> reporter: right. and back here some of sergeant smith's buddies in the marine corps, in the same unit he was in. tell us, sir, who are you, give everybody your name. >> my name is casey. he was a fantastic marine. he was the kind of marine that everyone wanted to be like and he was a great leader. >> reporter: he was in your unisnun unit. >> it was our first deployment, he was a great person to take us in and horrible to lose him, but definitely learned a lot from him and we'll carry out his legacy. >> reporter: on this memorial day, would you have been anywhere else but here? >> no. >> no. >> reporter: this is where you wanted it all to be, with him? >> yes. >> reporter: that's what we're seeing from so many of the troops that have come here to visit their friends, fallen friends, colleagues, battle buddies, a lot of them tell us they wouldn't be anywhere else

on memorial day except here at section 60 at arlington. joe? >> barbara starr, thanks for that. vietnam veteran and senator john mccain has just become the highest ranking u.s. official to enter war ravaged syria. he went there and met with rebel leaders. the dwr daily beast reports he entered syria from turkey. he sent out a photo several hours ago and with it the tweet, quote, with u.s. air force before taking off from turkey. thank you for your service. going to turn now to cnn's nick paton walsh in beirut, lebanon. the senator is no longer in syria. when did he leave? do you know? >> reporter: i think it was purely in the last few hours. that trip across from where he was earlier on today, through killish, another turkish town, and across the border, a very populated crossing there, refugee camp i've been to myself, just inside the border, slightly further on a key town

of azaz. perilous journey, certainly a difficult one for a man of his seniority. >> do we have some sense of who the senator actually met with there? >> reporter: well, daily beast who appeared to have spoken to the ngo he went with known as the syrian emergency task force, say he met a bunch of activists from cities across the country and, of course, military general salaam idriz that is key because it is a high ranking u.s. official giving credibility and standing alongside these vital parts of the syrian military rebel opposition here at a time when the u.s. is corralling the opposition towards a negotiating table, mccain has long been an advocate of military intervention here. he wrote recently in "time" magazine that the costs of inaction are significantly higher than the costs of action. and, of course, many now looking at when the u.s. would best intervene in seeing that time has long past. that conflict here now

increasingly regionalized. >> do we have any sense of whether the syrian regime was notified of senator mccain's trip before it hit the media? >> reporter: no, it would be highly unlikely. he kept the whole thing secret from the fractured rebel opposition themselves purely for security reasons, a very dicey part. mr. mccain has been a very outspoken against the syrian regime and it would be highly unlikely he would have notified them and given the area is mostly rebel held now at peril from regime air strikes, he wouldn't have needed damascus to be on board. >> nick paton walsh, thank you so much for that. up next, picking up the pieces in oklahoma, one man recovers thousands of dollars thought to be lost in the storm. an amazing discovery next. [ male announcer ] running out of steam? ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. need a little kick? ooh!

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>> reporter: residents are starting to slowly trickle back into this moore neighborhood and dig through the rubble, trying to find some valuable possessions. we're here with tom bridges. and, tom came back here after a week. you got back. what did you find? >> i found $2,000. >> reporter: and then you came back to look for that. how did you find it? >> well, kind of figured i knew where it was and everybody just started digging around in that area. and we got down to the bottom of it, there it was. like we were guided there. and just, you know, a miracle that, you know, that i found it and -- >> reporter: look at that. look at that. >> put it in my pocket and still got the band, says $2,000 on it. so that's -- i was meant to still have it in my pocket. >> reporter: what did you think when you first saw? >> i couldn't believe my eyes.

i wasn't expecting it. it was just -- it is a miracle. it is a miracle. it just -- just like it was meant for me to still be here, you know, god still got another purpose for me. and so he's taking care of me. so anyhow i still got that. and. >> reporter: this neighborhood is filled with miracles and that's not the only one you experienced. you rode the storm out in your cellar. >> i did and got buried in it and about 25 minutes, and i heard somebody hollering at a distance and i started holering back at them and they started following my voice to where i was at. and they all got all the rubble off the door. couldn't even open the door to the cellar. and -- >> reporter: you were rescued by strangers. >> i still don't though who they are. they told me my name, i don't remember. but they got the door open, drug

me out of there in one piece, you know, and so that was -- that was a miracle right there. and a blessing. i survived that too. so the main jury in her jury box a couple of days later, i was targeting that. and -- >> reporter: you found that too. >> i found which direction that went and started looking there. and there it was. >> reporter: you were talking, you lived here for 19 years. some people say it is foolish to rebuild. tell them why you want to live here, why you want to rebuild here. >> i love moore. i love the people here. i love the neighborhood. i just -- i don't -- i just don't know any place any better. we chose this place to live because there was a nice place and it still is. >> reporter: it is treated as such, so well. our crew, thank you so much for taking the time. it is these miracles that are keeping hope alive here in the

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the police chief in barts towntown, k town, kentucky, is vowing revenge after an officer was shot and killed. jason ellis was attacked on the exit ramp on saturday when he stopped to remove debris from the roadway. he never had a chance, his gun was still in his holster. his chief was blunt about the hunt for the officer's killer. >> i can assure you we won't give up on this person until we have him either in custody or in the front side of one of our weapons and i personally hope the latter is the choice. >> joining me now is alina machado. police believe the debris was actually placed in the middle of the road as sort of a trap? >> joe, at this point, that's what it looks like. police tell us that they believe

officer jason ellis was ambushed. this all happened early saturday morning, just as ellis was driving home from work. they say the 7-year veteran stopped to remove some debris from the road and that's when someone started shooting at ellis, killing him. police say the suspect used a shotgun and was a distance away, but they aren't saying much else about the investigation. now, ellis was a husband and father of two young boys. those who knew him are trying to make sense of what happened. take a listen. >> when you know a guy like jason, who is just a great man, and a wonderful guy, you just don't expect this to happen. he was a courteous kid awhen he was a teenager. a lot of times teenagers go do their own thing, but jason stayed just as respectful as he always was when he was a kid. he wanted to make a difference in people's lives and so he had a passion and always wanted to be a police officer. there is three characteristics that come to mind about jason. his integrity, his honesty, and his respect.

>> so alina, the first question is, target versus stranger. was this officer an intended target? do we know? what do we think? >> authorities that the point believe this was a planned attack. pilot bu but they're not sure if he was targeted or if the shooter was going to shoot at whoever stopped to clear that debris from the road. >> considering the possibility of a stranger, you would think authorities would say be on the lookout because it could be a dangerous situation. >> that's what is going on. people are te authorities are telling people to be vigilant. this is someone who shot and killed an officer who was inside, who approached the scene in a marked squad car. this person could potentially be willing to kill anyone. >> alina machado, thank you very much for that. in the wake of hurricane sandy, things are beginning to get back to normal in the jersey shore. we'll talk to one long time business owner looking forward to the vacation season. we can start losing muscle --, >> we did what we had to do.

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it's business as usual again on the seaside heights boardwalk, sort of. most of the iconic jersey shore landmark reopened this weekend. seven months after superstorm sandy. much of the region still has a long road to full recovery, but this weekend's memorial day reopening marks a hopeful comeback. president obama will visit new jersey tomorrow, joining governor chris christie, to tour the progress. the president last visited the region in october, and the immediate aftermath of the storm. victims of the superstorm have some advice for tornado survivors in oklahoma. keep on fighting. seven months later they're still trying to take back what sandy took from them. seven months after superstorm sandy tore through long beach, long island, fran adelson is about to rebuild her home. four feet of water caused so much damage that she decided, like many of her neighbors, to raise the house on a concrete

platform. what caused the delay, a protracted battle with her insurance carrier. >> seven months later, this is what's going on. not just for me, for everybody else. it has been nothing but frustration, nobody ever expected it would take this long. nobody ever expected. you figure, okay, a couple of months, but then time goes on and time goes on and you just -- you know, the money coming too late, it is coming too late for a lot of people. >> reporter: superstorm sandy didn't claim any lives in long beach, but it affected nearly every one of the 35,000 residents. a quarter of the population is still displaced and businesses are still shuttered as memorial day marks the beginning of the summer tourist season. the city has been famous for its boardwalk and its surfing. the iconic boardwalk is being rebuilt, and the waves are still breaking. but luke hamlet who has run the long beach surf shot for 32 years, says the town still feels

empty. >> there is still a little weird feeling going on in town. people are rebuilding still, people are waiting for insurance money, for spa money. >> reporter: in hamlet's case, insurance didn't cover his losses from flooding and the government programs didn't do much to help him reopen his doors. what mattered in the end was his own sweat equity. >> we spent five months demoing everything down to the brick, down to the original ceilings, down to the floors, and then we just put it back together, just my family and kids that work with me. >> reporter: a long beach street, the doughnut is back in business. swing belly's barbecue reopened this weekend. for fran adelson, the lessons of sandy are that communities, whether on long island or oklahoma, shouldn't lose faith in their struggle to rebuild. >> i would say fight for every dime, every single dime from the insurance companies.

do not stop. be tenacious. i don't care if you need to have it become your second full time job. do it, go for it. you deserve it, you've been paying insurance all along. do not stop until you get what you deserve, until you're able to rebuild and get back in your home. >> reporter: the people of long beach say their greatest asset in rebuilding came not from the federal government or the insurance industry, but their own tight knit community. now, in new jersey alone, storm damage from sandy has been estimated at more than $36 billion and one of the hardest hit areas was the iconic seaside heights boardwalk. joining me is seaside heights business owner wayne simmerelli. what does this weekend's reopening mean for the jersey shore? >> it means a lot. we started off with bad weather on saturday. and i think we were all a little nervous, the weather definitely

had an effect on the crowds. people came out in spite of the weather, but it certainly wasn't a normal beginning. but yesterday the sun came out yesterday, and we always say in our industry, when the sun comes out, we're all geniuses. yesterday was a tremendous day for seaside heights. all the shore towns that i spoke with had a great day yesterday. families poured out. people were very -- very -- it was different. i must have heard the word thank you a couple hundred times. you know, thank you for rebuilding our boardwalk. thank you for rebuilding our shore. it was an emotional day. a very busy day. a lot of families. it was great. >> your business, the spicy can tina bar and grill. you suffered something like a million dollars in damage after the storm. how are you recovering? >> ask my wife.

it was, you know, it is behind us now. it was 5 1/2 grueling months. we had six feet of water the entire block, five feet of sand, the first 30 feet, the entire length of the block. we lost everything that we had in the basement, all our infrastructure was gone. it was a lot of work, a lot of hours, my crew, i have people who worked for me as much as 20 years, and we all pulled together. we worked hard. we got it done. and we rebuilt and if anything -- if there was a silver lining in the hurricane cloud, it was we rebuilt better. >> was this the worst you've ever seen? have you ever been through something like this before? >> no. i started on the boardwalk in 1967. the most water i ever had in my basement was about a quarter of an inch. about eight feet long by 36 inches wide. for the entire basement to have six feet of water, and for us to have that much sand in our

basement, nothing like that had ever happened before. it was -- it was -- it still is daunting that, you know, there is always going to be concern that it could happen again. but we're, you know, listen, we're ready to go, the casino pier is going to have 18 rides up, they bought some new rides and they'll be ready to go real soon. and we had tremendous support from the media, which has been quite a surprise to me, just how passionate the media has been about letting people know that we are -- that we're open. and it has been very -- it is amazing, really. >> so are all the customers back? are you still sort of waiting for that to happen and, i guess the president is coming tomorrow, what do you think about that? >> well, the president of the united states coming to the jersey shore is a big deal. i think it is tremendous. it is a little overwhelming, i think. the governor of the state, governor christie, i mean, he's

been to our boardwalk so many times. he reminds me when i speak to him that that's the boardwalk he grew up on. he's been really -- everyone's been helpful. so it's -- i'm -- even this interview today, i mean, it is -- i think for a long time we always thought that we were taking a bit for granted. and because we employ a lot of children with what we do for the entire jersey shore is for a lot of people in new jersey it is the first place they'll ever get a job. so we're appreciated. and we're coming back. we're ready. and cnn having us on for this interview, it is -- it is more than kind. it is -- i don't even know how to thank you. >> well you guys have been through a whole lot and so thanks so much for that. wayne, cimorelli, all the best. >> thank you very much. cell phone users take notice. there is a problem on the horizon that could slow your speed, force more dropped calls and raise the price of your

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now, we have all experienced dropped calls, calls not going through, and you know how frustrating that can be, usually when it happens. there is a lot of people in the same area all trying to use their cell phones at once. take, for example, new year's eve. cnn's business correspondent zain asher joins me now from new york. zain, this is part of a broader problem that could end up getting worse, right? >> reporter: exactly, and it is troubling, joe, because whenever there is a disaster, earthquake or tornado as we saw in oklahoma where a lot of people are trying to use their cell phones at once, sometimes the calls will not go through. that's a shortage known as spectrum. think of it as wireless capacity. you can't touch it, can't see it, but this is really the lifeline of the cell phone

market. the problem with spectrum is that there is a limited amount. you can't create more of it. there is a growing concern because there is more and more people using smartphones and tablets, the more the wireless capacity gets clogged and that's when you get things like poor cell phone service over time, and slower data speeds. now the entire world uses less than one exobite. that's expected to increase ten times. smartphone usage is expected to increase by 81% in the next five years. tablet usage by over 110%. so unless something is done, those dropped calls as you mentioned, joe, could become more and more frequent. joe? >> it is not up to the user on the street to try to increase spectrum, of course, but is there anything we can do to sort of use it more efficiently? >> reporter: so one option is for cell phone carriers to upgrade their systems to make sure their spectrum is being used to full capacity. now, the problem with upgrading is that it costs tens of billions of dollars. and carriers will typically pass

on that cost to consumers. another option might be for two cell phone companies to merge that way they can get their hands on more spectrum. t-mobile and at&t did try to do this a couple of years ago as a way of doubling the amount of spectrum available to them. their bid was blocked because the fcc thought it would reduce competition. lastly, though, one solution is for broadcasters to give up some of their spectrum and give it to the mobile phone companies, but, of course, broadcast doerz in the not want to do that. it may be years before any real progress is made. >> i would say that's a sticky question. thanks so much for that, zain asher in new york. thanks. as americans observe memorial day, we're going to talk to a veteran and former prisoner of war about his captivity and release from a vietnamese prison 40 years ago. everybody has different investment objectives, ideas, goals, appetite for risk. you can't say 'one size fits all'. it doesn't. that's crazy.

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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.

a select group of american veterans is heading home after a special reunion in california. prisoners of war gathered at the nixon presidential library 40 years to the day after they were welcomed to the white house by then president richard nixon. ross perot, a staunch supporter of the p.o.w.s during and after their captivity, was among the guests. one of the men who attended that reunion is with me now, retired air force colonel lee ellis. he was shot down over vietnam in

1967, endured more than five years of captivity in and around hanoi. good to see you and thank you for coming in. wasn't to talk to you about that reunion in a minute, first, what do you think about on memorial day? who do you think about on memorial day? >> i lost four guys who were roommates, either in flight school, combat training or the war, who didn't come home. i do think about them during the year, but especially on memorial day. i go back and remember them, the great sacrifice they made and their families. the families are the ones that are still suffering from the losses and i try to connect with some of them. it is just a time to really reflect and remember what great americans they were and how we missed. >> you wrote a book about leadership "leading with honor." and there are a lot of things you write about. one thing i found most interesting was the chapter on resilience, coming back through adversity. talk about that a little bit. >> we had to bounce back.

because there were health issues from time to time, there was torture, there was isolation. there was a tendency at times to get down because, well, we have been here two years and it looks like we could be here two more. it was really going to be 3 1/2 more. there were times when you would be down or someone in the group would be down and we would just try to reach out to them and encourage them and say, come on, man, we're going to get out of here. we did that for each other. we were always encouraging each other and we need that to bounce back. we need other people who are speaking into our lives giving that encouragement. >> this is the 40-year anniversary of that big celebration, sort of, at the white house, with president nixon and a cast of thousands. we have some pictures of that. bob home was there, john wayne was there. talk to me about that. sammy davis jr. >> i had -- he was -- the celebrity host at our table, so my mom and i sat beside sammy davis jr. and what a great evening that was. he was entertaining just to be at the table, so cordial and so

nice. he then performed on stage as did many of the special guests. it was a wonderful evening. a time that we really realized that we were free and home. >> one of the people who was actually at the hanoi hilton with you was former senator and presidential candidate john mccain who happens to have just taken a trip over into syria. so you were there with him, and one of the things that we found very interesting is he talks all the time about vietnam, his experiences there, even the hanoi hilton. did you come back and talk about it or did you sort of find your way into discussing all of it with friends and family? >> i think we had time to process before we came home, so most of us were okay with talking about it. i never brought it up. if someone brought it up, i was very happy to talk about it and share whatever, you know, they wanted to know. but until this book came out, i really didn't talk about it that much. but as i finish that, i realize it was a message here about great leadership that we --

really, i was a 24-year-old kid. and what helped me get through that experience most was the tremendous, courageous leadership. >> and now, as you look at these wounded warriors coming back, and families dealing with so much of what americans had to deal with in vietnam, what is your message to them? >> it is one of resilience and hope, i think most of them already have the message. you have to live one day at a time and they're doing that. those of us who are around them, we circle around them to help them live that one day at a time, to get better and better and better. i think the fact that they're valued and still have a great deal to offer to our society, most important message that they need to hear. >> do you remember john mccain in the hanoi hilton? >> yes. >> and communicating with them. you wrote about it in the zblbo >> we were in the the same cam initially, different cams for two years and came back to the same camp for another two years. the last nine months of the last two months of the war, rather, we were in an open compound

together where we talked together and talked together every day. >> he was -- >> he was kind enough to write the forward to my book this time. we know each other. we see each other once or twice a year. and i just really admire the way he conducted himself in the vietnam p.o.w. camps, very courageous, set a great example. >> colonel lee ellis, agrgreat meet you, happy memorial day. >> thank you. cnn has a unique way to honor u.s. veterans from wars in afghanistan and iraq who sacrificed their lives. servicemen like trevor johnson, 23, the marine from montana was trying to diffuse a roadside bomb when afghanistan's helmand province when it exploded in january 2009. and kevin cardoza, 19, one of five killed earlier this month when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in afghanistan's kandahar province. just two of the fallen heroes

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from the public murder last week to public protest, today on the streets of london.

members of the anti-muslim group the english defense league were protesting the brutal daylight killing of british soldier lee rigby on wednesday. rigby's alleged killer say the attack was in response to the deaths of muslims overseas. the defense league's rally triggered counterdemonstrations forcing london police to step in. all of this comes as british muslims fear backlash against them is on the rise. going to turn now to cnn's atika shubert in london. atika, first to the murder investigation. there has been a tenth person arrested? >> reporter: yes. a tenth person arrested. a 50-year-old man was arrested by armed police on the street earlier today. we don't know his connection, but like the other nine suspects, he has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. now, the thing is with all of this, we don't know how they're connected, so we don't know if they supplied weapons or if they supplied help, we don't know. and police aren't giving any details at this point. the two main suspects who were

shot seriously wounded and now remain in separate hospitals under police guard, police, we understand, still have not been able to talk to them fully, joe. >> back to the protests and islamophobia. has there been a rise in taattas against muslims since the soldier was murdered or -- >> reporter: there has been a rise. what we have seen is arson in at least two islamic centers earlier yesterday, actually, late last night in the town of grimesby. two people were arrested for a fire that started in the mosque there. we also have seen a man who walked into another mosque, making threats with a knife. we have seen those tensions rise. and a lot of british muslims say when they see a protest like the english defense league, they're fearful it could get worse. there are a thousand protesters from the english defense league today just outside the gates here near the prime minister's office. they sealed off this area for

security. so the tensions are definitely simmering and they're threatening to boil over. and this is why the government has put out extra police to try to calm things down, bring it back to a normal level. >> now, speaking of arrests, in the investigation it turns out the prime suspect was actually picked up three years ago. tell us about that. >> reporter: yeah this is a really interesting twist to the whole story. in 2010, michael adelolajo, the main suspect, talking into cameras with weapons in his hands, he was arrested in kenya on the border with somalia. according to authorities, he was allegedly trying to meet up with the terror group al shabab. he showed up in a kenyan court, made his case, in detention for a few days but later released without any charges and he returned back home to britain. >> atika shubert, good to see you. thank you for that. coming up in the 3:00 hour, the woman known as death row

debbie, on death row for 23 years, convicted in the murder of her 4-year-old son. now, she might walk. we'll have that story for you in just a few minutes. spokesman i have to look my best on camera. whether i'm telling people about how they could save money on car insurance with geico... yeah, a little bit more of the lime green love yeah... or letting them know they can reach geico 24/7 using the latest technology. go on, slather it all over. don't hold back, go on... it's these high-definition televisions, i'll tell ya, they show every wrinkle. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. ♪ fly me to the moon

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this memorial day holiday, congress and the white house honored another kind of freedom fighter. not members of the military, but you can call them casualties of a major american conflict, civil rights in the south.

president obama has signed a bill that posthumously awards the congressional gold medal to four girls murdered by ku klux klan members 50 years ago. the 1963 bombing of the 16th street baptist church in birmingham, alabama, helped galvanize the nation against racism. >> that tragic loss, that heart break helped to -- and a more just and equal and fair america. >> denise mcnair was 11 and cynthia wesley, addie may collins and carol robertson were all 14 years old when they were killed. before those deaths at the 16th street baptist church in birmingham, children were already putting themselves on the line for civil rights. they marched along with the grown-ups at an event that now the subject of a new television movie. cnn's tina kim has that story. >> reporter: it was the time

many in the south were not ready to face. alabama 1963. state law enforcers turned against their own citizens, african-americans who cried for an end to jim crowe laws. and all of this is now the latest backdrop for a family movie? >> the family, you first meet them, they're a typical, slightly oddball, funny, think the cosbies, american family. >> reporter: nicky silver, executive produced the watsons go to birmingham with tonya lewis lee, the wife of spike lee. the television movie just wrapped production this month, marking the 50th anniversary of the children's crusade, when more than 1,000 students from elementary schools, high schools and colleges marched for civil rights. the made for tv film uses this piece of history to tell one family's story and much more as the director explains. >> it is funny. and it is serious. so one can laugh, think and cry and it says something to us right now as we deal with

bombings in boston, we deal with security at airports. >> reporter: the plot revolves around an 11-year-old boy whose michigan family heads to alabama where he sees how badly african-americans are treated. >> it is kenny's discovery and understanding of this, and the love that his family gives him and helping him understand. >> reporter: kenny sees how kids put themselves on the line for the children's crusade, like the grown-ups, the younger are subjected to dog attacks, detainment and police abuse. and just like the grown-ups, they overcame it. >> yes, there is a dark side to humanity. that is real. but the power of standing up, taking a stand to make a difference in your world is more powerful than the segregation, more powerful than the negativity. >> reporter: so powerful, its message rings true decades later. tina kim, cnn, atlanta. the watsons go to birmingham is based on the book of the same

name by christopher paul curtis. the film airs september 20th on the hallmark channel. welcome back, i'm joe johns. it is memorial day. 3:00 p.m. in the east. we'll go and take a couple of pictures at arlington national cemetery, just outside of washington, d.c. where you can see people holding hands there. this is the moment established by the country as a moment of remembrance. you're looking there at them and let's listen now.

>>. ♪ land that i love stand beside her and guide her ♪ ♪ from the mountains to the prairie ♪ ♪ to the ocean ♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪

♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪ >> may they all rest in peace! >> barbara starr, you've been there all day, it seems. give me a sense of the feeling right now. >> reporter: i don't know we could have been anywhere else but here, of course, today, joe. what we're seeing is the families, friends, battle buddies, the children of those who fell on the battlefields of iraq and afghanistan. some 800 troops from those wars buried here, many, many of them young people from all over this country. and every year what we see is the people come here to leave mementos, memories. it is especially moving when we see the children, when we see the battle buddies come here to say hello and good-bye to the friends that fell on the

battlefield with them. many of these people have been here since early this morning when the cemetery opened. and we see them year after year, when they come to visit their loved ones. it is a very emotional day, very emotional moment. full of love and respect for the troops. and we ran into defense secretary chuck hagel himself a vietnam veteran, highly decorated, served many tour -- served multiple tours in combat, wounded, and he came here today to pay his respects and spoke to us a little bit about what he remembers from his war. on this day, men that you served with in vietnam that you remember, that you would like to tell people about. >> well, there are. and there is an individual that is buried over here, because these are new graves, dean philips, who was a green beret

and an individual i got to know after i came home from vietnam. people i served, john summers, another one that was killed in an ambush, but there is an inventory of people that you remember and you remember every one. i gave -- >> reporter: you remember every one. and that's what we find here, half a century perhaps after vietnam ended, the troops will tell you the same thing. they can tell you everyone who served in their unit they can tell you every battle, every fire fight they were in, everything that happened to them on their tour of duty and they come here to remember and pay their respects to those who didn't make it back. joe? >> cnn's barbara starr at arlington national cemetery. thanks so much for that on this memorial day. earlier today, the commander in chief urged us not to forget those brave men and women who died ensuring our freedoms.

that's president barack obama. >> present! >> the president was there late this morning, commemorating memorial day at arlington, since last memorial day we lost 234 fighting men and women in war in afghanistan, but as the president noted, those numbers are going down as a nation ends its involvement there. he said this time next year will mark our final day of war in afghanistan. senator john mccain has just become the highest ranking u.s. official to enter war ravaged syria. he went there and met with rebel leaders today. the daily beast reports mccain entered syria from turkey, with this man. general salem idriz of the free syrian army. mccain reportedly met with rebel

leaders from across the country. the senator continues to urge more u.s. intervention in the conflict, which is all now in its third year and led to the deaths of more than 70,000 syrians. you're looking at pictures of the aftermath of a cruise ship fire. this morning chaos erupted when a fire broke out on the royal caribbean's grandeur of the seas, just off the coast of the bahamas. passengers were woken up in the middle of the night by an emergency announcement over the ship's intercom, this video showing the moment terrified passengers were evacuated on to the deck and asked to put on life jackets. earlier i spoke to the woman who shot this video and asked her what happened when she heard the announcement. >> our state room attendant was pounding on our door and i opened the door and just see people running around and yelling at us to get our life jackets on and run as fast as we can up to deck five. so i woke up my roommate and she honestly didn't even believe me.

but we were both just, like, shaking and so much adrenaline pumping through our veins. we probably ran up to that deck faster than we ever ran before. we were terrified, though. and a lot of people were just crying and freaking out. >> for more now on the unfolding situation, erin mcpike joins me from the port of baltimore where the ship originally set sail. erin, what is the royal caribbean company saying about what happened? >> reporter: joe, it's tweeted updates today for passengers and for loved ones of passengers. royal caribbean also put out a statement explaining what happened early this morning and i'll read that to you. they say, today at approximately 2:50 a.m., grandeur of the seas experienced a fire on the mooring area of deck three. the fire has since been extinguished. in an abundance of caution, the captain deemed it necessary to muster all guests at their assembly stations. the fire took about two hours to

put out, joe. but at this point they are saying that all guests are safe. >> so do you have any sense of how operational this ship is? passengers have the option to leave from freeport or stay. >> reporter: well, joe, the ship actually is operational. and some passengers are still on it and they will be staying on the ship. now, passengers who were in impacted rooms, though, some of them are being put up in hotel rooms in freeport. >> so there is also a question about what caused this fire and whether they're actually going to end up giving the passengers some of their money back. >> reporter: they haven't made any sort of recommendations yet on what they will be doing, but we just got word that the national transportation safety board is launching a team to investigate today. also, the royal caribbean ceo adam goldstein has already been to the ship to inspect some of the damage, joe. >> erin mcpike at the port of baltimore, thank you for that.

people in moore, oklahoma -- people in moore, oklahoma, who lost everything in last week's deadly tornado today are searching for anything worth salvaging from the rubble of what used to be their homes. some 12,000 houses were either damaged or destroyed, so meaning up is going to take a long time. our nick valencia is in moore, where he's been speaking with residents as they begin the daunting task of trying to pick up the pieces. nick? >> reporter: hey, joe. yeah, for so many people their lives are going to be divided by what happened before the storm and how are they going to carry on afterwards. this community is used to this sort of thing. we're going to talk to two people who were pretty prepared for what happened. this is j.t. and his wife kelly. tell me where you were during the storm. >> as the storms came in, we had been sheltering in an inside closet, watching the weather all day, and we knew there was severe weather, we didn't know where it would go. and my girls and i, i have a 1-year-old and 4-year-old, we had made a pillow fort in our

side closet. as the weather got worse, we started to really stay in there, i brought the girls in with the movie, so they weren't really worried. and we just listened and were paying attention to the different cross streets and finding out it got closer to us and it was getting bigger, we heard that it was coming for the warren theater. a lot of people heard that as a landmark. we were a mile east of that. so at that point, when they said it was headed toward the warren, and they said that interior room wasn't sufficient, the girls and i grabbed our rain boots and went to a neighbor's storm shelter. >> reporter: neighbors have been so good to each other here. j.t., you told me there were a lot of good and uplifting things that came out of here. you're encouraged by what? >> the biggest thing is friends and family have come throughout the wood works. people that we haven't seen long time have come and they have been very giving, very supportive, we had one friend that came out, and she basically called us up and said, you know

what, somebody come out and said what do you need? give them my number. i'll take over and make sure you guys are good to go. >> reporter: a lot of people look at this, you look behind me, it is just block after block. you live on the other side in another subdivision here, and your homemade it. it was not as bad as the others. it was totaled, you say, but not as bad as the others. tell people why you want to rebuild here. you plan on staying here. why? >> well, we live in oklahoma. and anywhere in central oklahoma you might have a tornado. so, you know it a good neighborhood. and through this we have met more of our neighbors. we have gotten a lot closer with them. we like the area still. so we're just going to make sure we build a storm shelter this time. >> well, we hope for next one you're safe as well. thank you, j.t. and kelly, for joining us. just incredible stories of survival and, like they said, they're meeting their neighbors. there is a lot of good coming out of this. too bad, you know what had to happen had to happen, but if there is any good news, j.t. and kelly have it. joe, back to you.

>> nick valencia, great reporting out there, thanks so much. coming up, kentucky police officer stopped to remove some debris from the middle of the road in the middle of the night and was shot to death. police are calling it an ambush. we'll have that story coming up next. i'm a firefighter. i'm a carpenter. i'm an accountant. a mechanical engineer. and i shop at walmart. truth is, over sixty percent of america shops at walmart every month. 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. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+. it has 7 antioxidants to support cell health.

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now we're going to take a look at the investigation in kentucky where a police officer was ambushed and murdered over the weekend and his chief is vowing revenge. >> an eye for an eye. you kill one of my guys, i'm not going to rest until i have you in cuffs or on the front side of a weapon. and i mean that. >> the officer is 33-year-old canine officer jason ellis, driving home early saturday when he stopped to remove debris from an exit ramp. police say the debris was actually a trap, and that's when ellis was shot to death. the young policeman never had a chance. officer ellis' gun was still in his holster when he died. he survived by a wife and two young sons. joining me now is alina machado. what is the latest? >> there is now a reward of at least $6,000 being offered in this case. police are actively searching

for the person they say ambushed one of their own, officer jason ellis. they tell us they have several people working on this case, but no one is in custody and so far there are no solid leads. le they also say the killer shot officer ellis from a distance using a shotgun. authorities believe this attack was planned. the seven-year veteran leaves behind a wife and two young boys. the killing shocked those who knew him. >> when you know a guy like jason, who is just a great man, and a wonderful guy, you just don't expect this to happen. he was a courteous kid. and when he was a teenager, a lot of times teenagers go kind of do their own thing, but jason staid just as respectful as he always was when he was a kid. he wanted to make a difference in people's lives and so he had a position and always wanted to be a police officer. there is three characteristics that come to mind about jason. his integrity, his honesty, and his respect. >> so above all, i just want to

know, was he the intended target or was this a much more random situation? >> joe, that's exactly what police are still trying to figure out. they say they don't know if officer ellis was specifically the target of this attack or if the shooter was simply trying to get someone to stop on the road so they could shoot and kill them. >> and you said there is a reward, but if he wasn't targeted, then the potential exists that perhaps someone else is also at risk there in that community. >> yeah. that's the thought here. authorities have told people to be on the lookout, to be vigilant, because they really don't know what is behind this shooting. >> wow. what a story. all right, thanks so much for that, alina machado. accused of murdering her own son and sentenced to death, deborah milky has been on death row for the past 23 years. but she may go free now. the story of the woman they call death row debbie coming up next. capella university understands businesses are trying to come

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move over, jodi arias. another woman accused of a grisly murder is stealing the limelight in phoenix, arizona.

deborah milky has been sitting on death row for 23 years, accused of killing her own son. but could the woman known as death row debbie walk soon? christine romans has this story. >> reporter: a death row inmate convicted of killing her 4-year-old son could walk free next month. deborah milky 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, she's 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 deborah milky 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 that the boy was killed to collect on a $5,000 life insurance policy. she has always maintained her innocence. but the key witness, the detective, 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. because the guilty vert was based largely on his testimony, the appeals court overturned her conviction. >> want to dig deeper on this case now. danny savlaes is a criminal defense attorney live from philadelphia. debbie's lawyer was on cnn this morning and take a listen to what she says about the man who essentially almost put the nail in the coffin for deborah milky.

the police officer who says she confessed to him. listen. >> this detective has a history of misconduct, lying to grand juries under oath, to secure grand jury indictments. he has falsified and coerced confessions of severely vulnerable suspects. he has tainted photo lineups. and even early on when he was a patrol officer, basically extorted a woman who he had pulled over who had an arrest warrant for sex. and that was later discovered by the phoenix police department. he was suspended for five days, and they indicated that that called his credibility and his integrity into question. >> okay, so, danny, tell me how this could happen. there is no physical evidence against debbie. both of the convicted killers refuse to implicate her in the case, even when presented with

the plea deal. so why does it take 22 years for this officer's testimony to be called into question? >> so this is an unusual murder case because the only evidence against this defendant was the testimony of the detective. so there was no real forensics, we know who killed the child. it was the boyfriend and the friend, the real question is was she involved? and the only evidence of that that we know is the confession. it is a literal he said and she said. in this case, what the other courts apparently got wrong according to the 9th circuit, one of the secondest highest courts of appeals, is the government should have turned over what we call brady and gigolo material, evidence that a defense attorney could use to impeach, in other words, call into question the credibility of this detective. again, his credibility is critical because he is the only witness against this defendant.

so now because the government refused to turn over this information about his prior cases, those people out there who are saying why do those prior cases matter, they do if they go to his credibility. and because the court, the 9th circuit court of appeals felt that it should have been turned over, under that -- those supreme court decisions, brady and gigolo, we defense counsel, we're entitled to that. that's not a discretionary issue by the court or the government. they have to turn that over. the government in this case moved to quash the subpoena, they did not want to turn that information over. but the 9th circuit disagreed. why did it take so long? it -- this case was -- went through almost every avenue of appeal that it could go through, every court underneath the 9th circuit held against the defendant until it got to this circuit court of appeal, this federal circuit court of appeal. under federal law, the federal court recognizes it is supposed to give great deference to the state court. however, only when they find

some error like this will they overturn it and in this case, they felt they did. >> sounds like all they needed to do was turn over the personnel file and have done with it. after that it would have been up to a jury. but thanks so much for that, danny. and good to see you. memorial day weekend at the jersey shore, seven months after superstorm sandy and many businesses are back in action. cnn's poppy harlow went down to the boardwalk to see how things are progressing. we'll go there live next. ♪

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region, well, there is still a long way to go. >> reporter: the games are back on in seaside heights. >> it's back. it's back. we're back. >> not back -- >> 100%, but we're back. >> reporter: and the people who came back liked what they saw. >> 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 serino's family owns the pier. how much progress have you made? >> in three months we did what should have taken 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 the people know that seaside height is open. but there is so many things we have to do. >> reporter: like more benches and lights. but mayor bill acres is satisfied. >> you can walk the boardwalk north to south 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 of what we did last year. >> reporter: but that hasn't dampened spirits. >> look around. you couldn't ask for better weather. couldn't ask for more people. this is great. >> this is the golden goose, lucky leo's. we knew it would be slow, but just the idea that we're here and that naturally is the remarkable thing. >> reporter: what a way to ring in 100 years. >> i guess we're doing the same thing they did back 100 years ago. they needed to build a boardwalk. we're building it. >> reporter: and just to give our viewers some perspective here, the new jersey shore brings in about $19 billion a

year in tourism revenue. that is huge. that is more than half the entire state brings in from tourists. last year they had $ 7.5 millio people here on the jersey shore. a lot of progress here. 85% of the businesses are open. even with all that they have gone through from hurricane sandy. want to bring you one of the business owners, steve whalen. we were lucky enough to spend many time with you leading up to the big weekend. you own lucky leo's, a big arcade, around 60 years. how has it been so far for you guys? >> actually it's just been absolutely phenomenal. >> reporter: wow. >> the last two days, the weather has broken. it's been gorgeous. we look like incredible business men because of this great weather. it is very encouraging. >> reporter: i have to say one of the things that i have seen in this town and in the towns nearby is that a lot of the houses still are really, really

damaged, uninhabitable. so the mayor here is telling me that is going to hurt in terms of being able to rent those or come back for the summer. is that going to impact us? >> sure, that's going to have some kind of impact. we hope to get them on board as soon as possible. but it is nice having 85% of the businesses open. people are back at work. working hard, paying taxes and making money for the jersey shore. >> reporter: you had a lot of spotlights, prince harry was here a few weeks ago, president obama coming tomorrow with governor chris christie. good luck to you. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> reporter: a reason they call it jersey strong, because of people like steve whalen working hard to get business back. >> poppy harlow, thanks so much for that enjoy the rest of the day. up next, thieves targeting your cell phone. it is a growing problem. one congressman is proposing the idea of a cell phone kill switch. we'll tell you how that works next. ♪ fly me to the moon

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when you're out on the street using an expensive cell phone, it can make you an easy target for thieves. and believe it or not, some stolen phones can fetch up to a thousand dollars on the black market. cnn's dan simon looks into one possible remedy they're calling a kill switch. >> reporter: this surveillance video shows a woman getting robbed of her cell phone while in the middle of a conversation. a crime so common that type in cell phone theft on youtube, an you'll find tons of surveillance video of people having their phones ripped off. san francisco's police chief says in many cases, users are asking for trouble. >> think if you took $300 out of the atm machine, you would not walk down the block for several blocks counting the 20s. >> reporter: the problem is becoming so rampant, that it is estimated that stolen devices cost consumers $30 billion a

year. so pressure is mounting for cell phone carriers and the devicemakers to figure out a way to deter theft. san francisco district attorney george gascon wants to see a so-called kill switch on phones. >> so when they get reported stolen, they could be rendered inoperable. >> reporter: he accuses the industry of dragging its feet to what he calls a technological solution. >> every time a phone gets stolen, we go back and replace a phone. so the carrier gets to make another sale, the manufacturer gets to make another sale, and their profit margins continue to build. >> reporter: the nation's largest carriers are getting more aggressive. now participating in a new nationwide database for stolen phones to prevent them from being activated. critics say it is yet to have a meaningful impact because stolen phones often wind up overseas and fetch more dollars. >> late model iphone, right down street from here, can bring

$300. if it gets exported to latin america or asia or africa, it can bring in as much as $700 to $1,000. >> reporter: is a kill switch even possible? we went to arguably the leading mobile security company in the world, lookout, which makes a popular app for smartphones. >> the notion of just being able to render a phone useless, can that happen? >> it is technically plausible. a phone is just a computer. if you destroy the operator system that the phone relies on, the phone can't be used. >> reporter: so if it is technically possible, why isn't it happening? >> it is not an easy thing to do. >> reporter: apple's iphone does have a feature that will track stolen phones and erase the data, sometimes more valuable than the phone itself. lookout has a similar feature for phones using google's android. the point according to critics is the entire industry needs bolder thinking. for now, police say the best advice is to be aware of your surroundings. and use that software that allows you to lock and wipe your phone clean if you happen to

find yourself in a situation like this. dan simon, cnn, san francisco. the athletic department at rutgers university is back in the spotlight, under scrutiny again. you might remember the university fired coach mike rice after video showed him throwing things, hurling expletives at players. now questions are swirling about the new athletic director who was hired to clean the mess up. that story is coming up. [ female announcer ] what if the next big thing, isn't a thing at all?

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in oregon, officials with bomb-sniffing dogs are scouring west albany high school for explosives after the arrest of a student for allegedly planning an attack on the school. prosecutors say 17-year-old grant accord had six different types of explosives hidden in a secret compartment in his bedroom. they say the high school junior was planning an attack he hoped would rival the columbine school shootings. he is in custody and police say he will be tried as an adult. crews have been pulling vehicles and debris from the water below the i-5 bridge that collapsed in washington state last week. workers are using cranes and hydraulic scheigh drauydraulic strong scissors. they reported heavy traffic all weekend as drivers try to navigate a detour route off the interstate and along county

roads. the summer movie season has exploded on to the scene with the biggest box office ever for memorial day weekend, a reported $314 million. leading the pack of blockbusters this weekend, "fast and furious 6" which took in $120 million according to entertainment weekly. "the hangover part 3" came in second with $51 million. and "star trekked into darkness" took third, bringing in $47 million this weekend. you know, the last thing rutgers university needs is another controversy in its athletic department. but that's exactly what the university has. this time involving accusations against the new athletic director, julie herman. john berman has more. >> reporter: rutgers university faced tough criticism in the days after a video surfaced of

its head basketball coach being abusive towards players. the video captured the former coach'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 tedeeply disturbed by e 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 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 herman's volleyball team at the university of tennessee wrote her a letter. the players wrote in part, the

mental cruelty 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 herman responded, quote, i never heard any of this, never name-calling them or anything like that whatsoever. herman has promised she will bring a new era to rutgers. >> it is a new day. it is already fixed and there is 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 hinline in 1997. 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.

hermann responded -- >> there is a video -- did you say there is a video. there is 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. >> hermann was a top athletic administrator at the university of louisville for 15 years before accepting the ad's job at rutgers. she told the news jersey star ledger this morning she has no plans to quit. she also told the star ledger he never called players whores and is unsure why her turmoil with the team in the 1990s is coming up now. now that marijuana is legal for recreational use in the

state of colorado, that could mean big bucks for businesses in the state who grow pot. making money off of marijuana legally, that is the story coming up next. ever. nurses are dealing with a wider range of issues. and there are ever-changing regulations. when you see these challenges, do you want to back away or take charge? with a degree in the field of healthcare or nursing from capella university, you'll have the knowledge to advance your career while making a difference in the lives of patients. let's get started at capella.edu. and do you know your... blooa or b positive?? have you eaten today? i had some lebanese food for lunch. i love the lebanese. i... i'm not sure. enough of the formalities... lets get started shall we? jimmy how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico?

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january, the state of colorado is going to take a huge step into unchartered territory. despite strict federal laws,

marijuana will be made available in the state for recreational use. cnn's jim spellman talked to one one grower who is more than a little nervous about the future. >> reporter: like many small businessman, shawn dependy has employees, warehouse and retail stores and headaches. >> i make this work paycheck do paycheck. >> reporter: gendy grows and sells marijuana. >> this is what a flower room looks like. >> reporter: he grows the cannabis in denver and has two dispensaries in the suburbs. >> i have about 20 people working for me. they do anything from growers to trimming to working as caregivers in the stores. >> reporter: so far, his business has been limited to medical marijuana, selling only to colorado residents with a doctor's recommendation and state-issued red card. but last year voters passed amendment 64 legalizing recreational use of marijuana.

the state is still working out regulations ahead of january 2014 when recreational marijuana stores are expect ed to open. dispensaries like gindy's are expected to convert and sell to anyone over 21, but there are several catches. this is still against federal law. that must create an unbelievable amount of stress for you. >> yes, it does. i'm talking to you right now. there is a voice in the back of my head that there is an innate nervousness to being in this business. >> reporter: a bill in congress would bar the federal government from going after people in states that have legalized marijuana, but it's unclear if the bill has a chance of becoming law. are you afraid that all you've built here will be taken away from you? >> yeah. i can't even keep my face straight right now saying that. that's such a real fear. >> reporter: nate lapguard runs the warehouse. i want to learn more about

exactly how you grow marijuana on essentially an indoor farm. so where does it start? >> it starts here in the lab. >> reporter: with cuttings known as clones. >> get a little gel on there. >> reporter: that go into these tanks for about two weeks, then this room for about five weeks under simulated sunlight in a co2-rich environment. >> each plant has its own bar code? >> that's right. every single plant when can comes out of the cloner is coded individually. we're able to trace that plant from this stage all the way to the end product. >> reporter: then the light is cut back to simulate the shorter days of autumn, triggering the plants to flower, and finally it's off to be trimmed and dried. the entire process is regulated by the state. after a criminal background check, employees are issued a worker i.d. card. every time a plant is moved, the employee logs it using this software, a fingerprint scanner tracks the employees at every turn. >> there's no scarface here, no ak-47s. none of that stuff.

inspeblgtors from the state are in here all the time. >> reporter: even though gindi pays sales and income tax, marijuana is still against federal law so expenses cannot be deducted from federal taxes and fdic-backed banks won't take their money. >> there's nothing glamorous about this business. it's a struggle trying to operate without a bank account, trying to run a business without being able to take deductions. >> reporter: gindi operates in a highly competitive marketplace, about 500 medical marijuana dispensaries in colorado compete for business. they become more convinoisseurs about their marijuana? >> definitely. you don't see a quote, unquote shrag. >> reporter: competition has driven prices to half of what they were three years ago creating razor-thin margins. could that change when people, even pot tourists from out of state, can legally buy weed? gindi isn't so sure.

>> there's a risk that comes along with it. >> reporter: that might push the government to acting where they weren't willing to do so with medical marijuana. >> that's right. >> reporter: these marijuana pioneers will probably never convince all critics pot should be legal, but they see themselves as the good guys. >> every single person that works for me, when they clock in, they put a finger on a sensor and they know they're committing a federal crime. every single person who works in this industry is here for one person, because we believe marijuana prohibition is immoral and we have to do something about that. >> reporter: jim spellman, cnn, denver. >> tomorrow, part two of our pot boom series. meet a guy who has five drivers working around the clock delivering marijuana. we'll be right back.

next a cnn special with jake tapper coming up thext. but first a look at the hand-picked soldiers who stand centusen centry over the tomb of the unknowns. >> it's an honor being able to work in the cemetery. there's some days where you just get that hair-raising on the back of your neck feeling that it's just right, that it's just

perfect, you wouldn't want to work anywhere else. when we work on each other's uniforms, you'll have somebody else around you taping you off, making sure there's no lint, debris or anything in there. may not look as good or may not look uniform to the other soldiers on the plaza. >> let's see your pants. >> the reason some of us is it's work for us to calm us down before we go out t door. one of those things that just gives you motivation, hey, i'm going to crush this. guard change. it will be amazing. you have the sun hitting the plaza and then with it being so bright it often hits you back. and it just feels like the temperature is even warmer than it is.

♪ i did not think i would ever be guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier. we need to realize your freedom isn't free. it really isn't. thousands of soldiers have died for our country. i don't look at it just as three unknown soldiers i'm guarding, i look all the soldiers that gave their live for this country. >> october 3, 2009. a storm of bullet s rockets, grenades and mortars rained down on a u.s. outpost in eastern afghanistan deep it in a valle