cruise ship disaster. this time fire erupts on board. more than 2,000 passengers watching in fear as the decks burst into flames. >> look at that. an american grandmother thrown into jail. why mexican officials are saying she was framed. >> a wildfire forcing thousands to evacuate. this morning, it's moving back. good morning, i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. >> not again, a vacation up in

flames, literally. thousands and thousands of passengers in life jackets. many fearing for the worst. the royal caribbean is docked in the bahamas. people are waiting to be flown back to baltimore one day after their ship caught fire at sea. look at those pictures. here is erin. >> reporter: the entire back end of a ship scorched. more than 2200 passengers were roused by a terrifying wake-up call. >> the boats have been lowered. in our life jackets. not a drill, not a joke. i was freaking out. >> reporter: for the third time this year, mechanical problems caused a major cruise ship to aban dan a caribbean ship for thousands of passengers. this time, it was a fire. a passenger told cnn --

>> it's the most terrifying thing in my life. >> reporter: in february, it was a fire on "triumph" shutting down the power for days. one month later, carnival's "dream" lost power. now, royal caribbean has their own set of problems. they said in a statement on monday, may 27th at approximately 2:50 a.m., grandeur of the seas experienced a fire. the fire has been extinguished. in an abundance of caution, they mustered all guests at the assembly skagss. all passengers were found and safe, but some took to critic claiming there was fainting and vomiting as they waited for seas. the ship was renovated last year. it was rerouted for evaluation. the ceo surveyed the damage.

the national transportation safety board and the cost guard will investigate. royal caribbean canceled the cruise and all passengers will return to baltimore on tuesday. they will get a full refund for this cruise and a voucher for another one. >> we are going speak with two passengers on board that ship. they were terrified. wait until you hear that coming up at 7:00 a.m. a grandmother accused of smuggling pot in mexico may figure out if she's go free or remain in jail. they arrested her as she and her husband were returning by bus from a family funeral, her ount. they found marijuana under her bus seat. she says she's innocent saying she's framed. her daughter wants her free. >> i know there's people out there saying or asking did she

really do it, are you sure? it hurts, you know, to see that. if you would have known my mom. if you would met her, you would know she had nothing to do it with. >> people said the mexican consulate is working on the case. the arizona senator, john flake, had many conversations trying to bring her home. a story that gripped us all. the escape and rescue of three women in cleveland. the women finally tasted freedom three weeks ago after years being in prison. this morning, they are about to get financial help. they talked to neighbors about trying to help the girls. >> reporter: anthony lives two doors down from a home where a decade long secret came to a dramatic end. for all these years they were two doors down. >> with the boogey man.

>> reporter: he's talking about ariel castro, the man accused of kidnapping the three girls and holding them captive. now, they are trying to adjust to their new normal. if we were to spend a day with you after what happened next door, what would it be like? >> almost like a mardi gras. a constant stream of cars. >> reporter: what's a tourist attraction for some is an eyesore for neighbors. >> when you wake up, you see the same thing. a metal house of horrors. i wish they could knock it down. >> reporter: what happened inside the walls left a mark, the women's courage inspired people in that community and beyond. >> the e-mails keep coming and coming wanting to help. we are trying to channel those now, more towards contributions

to the fund. >> chris kelly of the jones day law firm runs the courage fund set up for the women and little girl rescued raising more than $650,000 with the funds to be equally distributed into four separate trusts. >> what does it say about the girls that they put the money in a trust? >> they have the savvy and sense to know that they want to have the money protected. >> reporter: those who know the women say they are drawing on the same strength that helped them survive so many years in captivity. >> they are exceptional human beings to come out and heal and move forward so quickly is amazing. >> reporter: we spoke to a councilmember who helped start the courage fund. it's already gone up at least $50,000. it ballooned at $700,000, at least. if you would like to learn more,

go to our website, cnn.com/impact and go to the cleveland foundation link. it's clear, talking to people who know the girls, they are healing and trying to move forward with their lives. >> what about charles ramsay? a lot of people want to know about the man who helped those girls. >> reporter: yeah, he became an overnight sensation. the video of him being interviewed after he rescued amanda berry went viral not only here in the u.s., but around the world. we are hearing he doesn't like all this attention. he spoke to one of his good friends yesterday. charles ramsay wants to be out of the spotlight, the focus to be on the girls. he's getting free hamburgers for life and donations. he doesn't want that. he wants to go back to the way life was before this happened. >> thanks so much. new this morning, a u.s.

pilot rescued after ejecting from his jet over the pacific ocean. he was found floating on a life raft, plucked him out of the water after being forced to eject from the flight. it took off from the u.s. air force base in okinawa. no word on how the pilot is doing this morning. the air force is investigating what caused the crash. this morning, we learned julie herman will keep her new job set to begin next month. she was going to turn the athletic program around after the situation with mike rice. they uncovered a letter from 1997 that accused herman, herself of mental cruelty and abuse when she coached tat university of tennessee in the 1990s. she's not sure of the motivation of players bringing up that

turmoil 17 years later. she has no plan to resign and the president of rutgers says he plans to keep her on. on the next jersey shore, president obama and governor chris christie together again todd. they will look at superstorm sandy's -- they were together days before the november election. heightened security in oregon after a teenager was arrested for allegedly planning a columbine attack. this 17-year-old boy is due in court. he was arrested after police received a 911 tip that he was making a bomb to blow up west albany high school. he was making bombs and molotov

cocktails. he suffers from a rare form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. george zimmerman is returning to court. they are pressing the judge to allow jurors to visit the scene where he shot trayvon martin. a wildfire growing and on the move outside california. it's been burning for 12 hours and forced 6,000 residents and campers to evacuate. it's 5% contained right now. only 5%. forest officials think the fire began at a camp sight. what it feels like to be inside a tornado packing winds up to 175 miles per hour. these pictures were taken yesterday in smith county, kansas by renowned storm chasers from the hit i-max movie,

"tornado alley." they drove their vehicle right into the twister. this is what the vehicle looks like. the instruments on the roof were ripped away and a door and a hatch were torn open. everyone made it out safe and sound. i got in there last year with them. >> yeah? it looks like a batman vehicle. >> it's awesome. it's awesome. i still would not ride it into 175-mile-an-hour winds. >> 11 minutes after the hour. 76 years old and into the war zone. senator john mccain sneaks across the border. military jets passed dangerously close to one another in washington, d.c. we have the air traffic control tapes. ® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®. for full strength sun protection.

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ranking official to go there since the war broke out. he met for an hour with members of the syrian army. conditions grow desperate and deadly in a town near the lebanon border. nick is joining us from beirut with the latest. what more can you tell us about senator mccain's visit? >> short, but effective in turkey south on the board about a kilometers inside. near the entry to syria. a lot of refugees there. he met with the head of the free syrian army and other leaders from around the country. clearly, to give them some vote of credibility, him being a high-ranking u.s. official, but of course, to embarrass the obama administration about how they thought of intervening, not

wanting to be dragged in. mccain much more direction. he wants to see a no-fly zone, military assets, perhaps not u.s. groups on the ground. as long as america does not act, the more harmful it will be. >> the eu ending the weapons embargo. does that mean it will supply the rebels? >> not yet. the story is how much effort it's taken to get the embargo lifted. the eu and french position was simply they wanted to change the threats. the assad regime might take negotiations more seriously. this change in sanction says nothing will be supplied to the rebels alone until the first of august when they'll have another talk about what these sanctions actually mean. the lengthy debate they have had emphasizes how torn the west is on helping the rebels.

they are against changing the sanctions in the eu. they were concerned weapons supplied may end up in the hands of radical and extremists. a key move by the eu, but nothing on the ground yet. >> nick, live in beirut, thanks. 17 minutes after the hour. a thousand right wing protesters taking to the streets of central london shouting muslim killers off our streets. they are angry about the brutal, hacking death of a british soldier last week. two suspects say they did it in the name of islam. six kids burned in a boat explosion in maryland. two burned seriously when a flash ignited trying to start a stalled motor. >> mom threw the kids overboard. >> it was crazy. we thought it was a joke. who would do this. it's so cold. the water is freezing.

they were frantic. >> the gentleman was pushing them off and started taking life jackets and throwing them off. >> none of the burns are life threatening. crews are working to remove the debris from the bridge collapse in washington state along with twisted metal. there's a truck, a trailer and a car in the river that need to be taken out. a temporary bridge is expected to be in place within a few weeks. a permanent new bridge alongside the damaged one is expected to open by september. a officer breaking up a brawl using a stun gun. they were punching, kicking and pulling each other's hair. he used taser after one girl's head bounced off the pavement. amanda bynes will sue the new york city police department

over her arrest. they illegally entered her apartment, lied about her marijuana and drug pa fa kneel ya and spoke of a career change. i'm getting in shape and a nose job. looking forward to a long, wonderful career as a singer/rapper. >> doesn't end, does it? >> no. the san antonio spurs are back in the nba finals. they are old, but good. tony parker pouring in 37 points to lift the spurs to a 93-86 victory over the memphis grizzlies. san antonio has a six-game winning streak and will face-off with the winner in the finals. the heat lead the pacers two games to one. the spurs have been around forever, it seems. tim duncan leading them to four championships. it would be amazing if they won.

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>> there's a nice segway. you are a pro. you have done this before. >> a couple times. markets are open after the holiday. the dow future is up more than 100 points. s&p, nasdaq pointing higher. investors want to know how you are feeling. they may wind down the bond buying program. the qe3 is pushing home prices higher. they are looking for clue toss figure out how the markets perform without the fed. home prices have been on the rise. economists expect a big jump in home price numbers. a read on consumer confidence. later, how much you are making and how much you are spending. a study found 20% of americans plan to cut back on saving as a result of the payroll tax hike that kicked in at the beginning of this year. nearly 80% say they will cut back on spending. they expect the average family to spend 720 bucks less this

year because of the payroll tax change. with mess money to spend, americans may cut back on vacations. no problem according to a report from the center for economic research. the report finds the u.s. is the only advanced nation that doesn't require lawyers paid vacation time. they aren't required to pay them extra for working on official holidays. japan is the next with ten paid vacation days. workers in france get 30 paid vacation days. austria, 22 vacation days, 13 paid holidays and a month's pay to help pay for your vacation expenses. >> i don't speak austrian or i would go there. >> look at the gdp of those countries. >> but they are off. >> your accent is very, very good. >> thank you. >> i will tell you, futures are

higher this morning. 100 points higher. after a short week, this will be a short week to try to recover the losses. >> can't wait to see that. 25 minutes after the hour. here is a near miss over the skies of washington, d.c. a passenger plane and helicopter pass dangerously close to one another. you are going to hear the audio that caught all the chaos. that's coming up. [ female announcer ] there's one thing dave's always wanted to do when he retires -- keep working, but for himself. so as his financial advisor,

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new demands from an accused murderer. why the man accused of killing

trayvon martin and why he thinks his trial should be delayed. scare in the air. when a passenger plane and helicopter nearly collide. president obama's second term agenda in jeopardy. what is the white house doing behind closed doors to fend off lame duck status? welcome back to early start. i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. george zimmerman will be back in a florida courtroom today. his attorneys are expected to ask judge debra nelson to delay the trial and request jurors visit the scene where zimmerman shot and killed trayvon martin. they want to block testimony that says they heard martin begging for his life. more from david mattingly. >> reporter: february 26, 2012, 17-year-old trayvon martin buys

skit ls and a bottle of iced tea, walks toward a condo where he's staying with his dad. he catched the attention of george zimmerman. itis not long before a wave of frantic calls to 911. you think he's heyelling help? >> yes. >> gunshots. >> you heard gunshots? >> yes. >> how many? >> just one. >> reporter: one shot ending the life of trayvon martin. zimmerman is not arrested. florida law allows people to use force in self-defense, the stand your ground law. a fire storm of protest descends on sanford. >> justice for trayvon! >> 44 days after he shoots and kills trayvon martin, george zimmerman is charged with second degree murder. since getting out on a bond,

zimmerman's sightings are few and far between. he fears for his safety and never ventures out without a disguise and always wears body armor. >> each time he shows up in court, his weight gain is astonishing. they may try to show him as profiler and killer. they are building their own profile of trayvon martin, no stranger to pot, guns and fighting. >> he's used to fighting and has used drugs in the past. many 17-year-olds have. >> reporter: will a jury be allowed to see the images of trayvon martin? a pretrial issue looming in an already contentious case. david mattingly, cnn, sanford, florida. a man who tried to open an emergency exit door during an

air alaska flight will make his first appearance today. he began making bizarre comments and tried to pry open an exit door as the flight was on the runway at portland international airport. it did not take long for passengers to spring into action. >> i put him in a choke hold and kind of went up over the seat a bit and brought him down to the ground. >> passengers tied him up with shoelaces and seatbelts. they landed safely. they tell kgw that his son has a history of mental illness. a scare in the air. a close call between a passenger plane and military helicopter near reagan national airport. we get the details from cnns brian todd. >> reporter: how close did a plane come to hitting a military helicopter? listen to the plane's pilot on

air traffic controller's audio tape. >> they had a helicopter right there and we nearly collided with him. >> reporter: the faa and national transportation safety board are investigating the close call that happened friday afternoon. a u.s. airways flight with 73 people on board was approaching reagan national airport from the south, toward runway 33. a military helicopter based at nearby andrew's air force base was in the air flying toward the plane. they were at the same altitude, about 400 feet off the ground. air traffic controllers warned the chopper pilot going by the handle muscle nine three times. >> make a right 360. mussel 9, you have that traffic in sight for run way 3-3? muscle 9 maintain visual -- >> after the collision avoidance

sounded the passenger jet circled. the helicopter also landed safely. they came within 940 feet of each other at the same altitude, not far from where it happened. i'm standing a football field's length away from the camera. 940 feet is more than three times the distance of me and the camera. steve wallace is with me now next to the camera. steve, 940 feet seems like plenty of space, is it? >> in situations it's natural to focus on the distance. what's more important is whether it's actively controlled by the air traffic controllers. it's true in the case here. >> reporter: military, police and other helicopters are constantly flying over the potomac river. is this too crowded? are there too many helicopters flying over the river or near it for it to be safe?

>> i don't think it's too crowded. it requires precise procedures followed. that's what we have. >> reporter: another key factor is whether the plane's pilot and helicopter pilot had visual contact? did they see each other. faa says they had each other in sight. brian todd, cnn, washington. a new start for lady liberty. was she a prime target for a terror attack? [ female announcer ] now you can apply sunblock

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welcome back. a dire warning that a security plan for the statue of liberty would leave it vulnerable for attack. tourists have went under a security check. now, it will screen them on liberty island or nearby ellis isla island. chuck schumer says it's a bad idea. >> can you imagine if airplane passengers were not screened before getting on the plane. that's what the park service is doing here with trips to the statue of liberty. they say it does not compromise visitors. six weeks after the

bombings, life on boyle street is getting back to normal. they carry reminders of the attacks with them. investigators are working on the complicated answer to one simple question, why? here is jason carroll. >> reporter: federal investigators focus on tamerlan tsarnaev's visit last year. he could not relate to american culture. did he spend six months there to reconnect with his homeland or was he trying to make contact with his militant groups? he visited this mosque. he later joined a militant group and killed in a fire fight with russian forces. investigators believe he and his i don't thinker brother may have acted as so-called lone wolves.

they are still investigating tamerlan tsarnaev's contacts overseas and at home. his wife, kathryn russell, according to her attorney continues to cop operate with investigators shchlt understands the government position and why they want information. the constant questioning may be making its toll. it's difficult. she's a young woman trying to bring up her baby without a dad and dealing with this. the sooner it's over, the better. the bombing killed three people and injured 275. one remains hospitalized. some of those released, still in rehabilitation, challenging at times. we first met two weeks ago. >> i hate going down there. when i get down there i feel awesome. >> reporter: he and his brother lost a leg in the bombing. jackie's injuries would have been worse had it not been for the brothers. >> they were throwing me over the barrier when it went off saving my life.

>> reporter: weeks into the healing, sh rap nell and other debris starting to surface. the dots are tiny pits of metal? >> and they pull them out. >> i had a b.b. come out here. >> reporter: this was a b.b.? >> yeah. this one is trying to force its way out. >> this one is trying to force its way out. >> reporter: they were honored at a bruins playoff game saturday. boylston street looks normal. to some, it will never be. >> it doesn't seem right. it feels weird that it's so normal again. >> it's a place that will always hold a special place in my heart. it's somewhere i think i will never forget. >> reporter: jason carroll, cnn, boston. >> if you would like to contribute to their recovery, go to the website on your screen. it's amazing to see it surface

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welcome back to early start. grilling not an option for people in kansas city on memorial day. torrential rains left cars and trucks stranded in high water. look at that. more than an inch of rain fell in less than an hour. thousands of homes without power. the storm system spawned several tornadoes in kansas. let's check in to see how the back to workday is shaping up. good morning. >> good morning. we are talking about the midwest. we are talking about it day after day.

it is still raining in the midwest. look at the rain totals. eight to ten inches of rain. we are talking another one to two inch ofs rain today. you can imagine the area inundated with rain. saturated. the flood watches and warnings with the rivers high. another thing we are talking about. a warm front pulling into the northeast. sunshine. wet weather now on the way with the warm front moving in. we are talking temperatures jumping up. temperatures going up 25 degrees higher than what we are seeing today. 60s today. 80s. low 90s, not ruled out. unfortunately, the big story remains. we keep talking about this. the moisture pooling out of the gulf. the low is going to make its way toward the plains. look at the severe weather threat. a slight risk today. look how far it extends. 50 million of you looking at the weather threat from philly across the plains and down through texas.

the different between today and tomorrow where the threat is higher. the jet stream is not lining up perfectly. we are going to enhance that around the wichita area. christine? john? >> not just moisture, but ample moisture across the east. 48 minutes after the hour. the best plans for the second term, immigration reform, the economy, gun violence. three issues it president intended to focus on. instead, his administration has been sidetracked by controversy. we have more. >> reporter: benghazi, the justice department surveillance of journalists and the irs. controversies are swirling at the white house and republicans smell blood. >> we are seeing from this administration is an arrogance of power. >> reporter: three congressional hearings so far on the irs targeting conservative groups seeking tax exempt status, condemnation from the president. >> it's inexcusable.

>> reporter: the head of the irs was placed on administrative leave last week. >> i have not done anything wrong. >> reporter: after invoking her fifth amendment rights before congress, they launched a criminal investigation. it's the justice department against another controversy, phone records as well as personal e-mails from fox news reporter, james rosen. even though attorney general, eric holder, told congress this. >> the disclosure of material, that is not something that i have ever been involved and heard of or would think would be a wise policy. >> reporter: he okayd justice officials to get rosen's public e-mails. now the president has ordered holder to review guidelines for

investigations involving reporters and to consult with media organizations. >> i'm troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the investigative journalism that holds government accountable. >> reporter: a conflict of interest, republicans say. >> allowing the very person that authorized the two things that we are very aware of today, to investigate whether or not he did that appropriately is inappropriate. >> reporter: then there's benghazi. did the administration down play the role in terrorism that killed four people, including u.s. ambassador, chris stevens. several suspects have been identified, but not arrested in libya. co-author of an internal state department review agreed to brief members of congress. how is president obama weathering all of this? quite well, so far any way. his approval rating held steady,

likely buoy'd by the economy. one-third of americans polled in a recent survey said economic conditions are good. up for march and december. it's not brain surgery. actually, it is brain surgery. a team of ucla doctors putting a something in his brain. he was strumming the chords. it helped guide the surgeons as they placed an electrode in his brain. >> my music is important to me, so i'm hoping this will allow me to do that, to play guitar. i'm a finger picker. i want to record. i want to perform live, again. >> it's the 500th time they have performed this procedure. it's the first time they have tweeted it and had a live stream. >> that is so cool.

>> isn't it? later on, we are going to talk with the ucla doctor that led the team. still ahead, pizza so good, even the delivery guy could not resist sampling some toppings. we will show you more of this. you might not want to see it. yikes. you are watching early start. for aveeno® positively radiant face moisturizer. [ female announcer ] only aveeno® has an active naturals total soy formula that instantly brightens skin. and helps reduce the look of brown spots in just 4 weeks. for healthy radiant skin. try it for a month. then go ahead and try to spot a spot. aveeno® positively radiant. naturally beautiful results. aveeno® positively radiant. and do you know your... blooa or b positive?? have you eaten today? i had some lebanese food for lunch.

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welcome back to early start. things your pizza delivery guy will not tell you. at the top of that list, that he's chowing on your toppings on

the way over. >> reporter: it's bad enough when you pick off the toppings from your own pizza. but when the delivery guy helps himself to your toppings using his fingers. >> no! >> gross. >> reporter: this special delivery was captured by an elevator camera in russia. he took a total of eight bites, closed up the box, straightened his outfit and made the delivery. >> oh. he's licking it, too. >> reporter: viewers recognize the box as a chain from 2 coast. they fessed up saying friends, we realize our pizza is so tasty even couriers cannot resist. we decided to prevent our customers from staff. from now on, the boxes will come

sealed. they are trying to figure out a way to better seal the boxes, they are resorting to scotch tape. some suggested a more innocent version of events. >> did they order no pep rowny and he was trying to quality control? >> reporter: the chain's idea of quality control was to fire the delivery guy. if it's not pizza, it's snow cones. video of a snow cone dealer in a bathroom stall is all over the web. he was seated in a stall when a fan captured this image of snow cones resting on the floor next to his feet. >> no, it's disgusting. >> reporter: jay leno called it, hel code violation of the day. like the pizza guy, the snow cone vendor was fired. >> if you had to eat one or the other? >> the pizza. >> the pizza for sure. >> i think the snow cone.

>> reporter: what was the pizza guy eating? olives? sausage? it gives a new meaning to hold the pep rowny. who knew it would be a delivery guy holding it. we hope you are enjoying your breakfast this morning. early start continues right now. cruise ship nightmare. flames bursting on board leaving thousands of passengers terrified and desperate to get home. >> more than 1,000 california residents forced to evacuate as a fire rages on. >> winds barrelling at 175 miles per hour. this is video you simply do not want to miss. >> good morning, welcome to early start. i'm christine romans. >> right now royal caribbean's

"grandeur of the seas" is docked in the bahamas. more than 2200 frustrated vacationers waiting to be flown back to baltimore this morning. one day after their ship caught fire. erin mcpike live for us this morning from baltimore, washington,nternational airport. good morning, erin. >> good morning, christine. well, royal caribbean has apologized. but it didn't change that these more than 2200 passengers were woken up in the middle of the night, just after 2:00 a.m., and they stayed awake all night long because this fire raged for more than two hours. scorched. more than 2200 passengers aboard a bahamas bound cruise were roused by a terrifying wake-up call early monday morning. >> boats have been lowered around deck around 3:00 a.m. and our life jackets. not a drill. not a joke. everyone is freaking out.

>> reporter: for the third time this year, mechanical problems caused a major cruise ship to upend a caribbean vacation for thousands of passengers. this time it was a fire aboard royal caribbean's "grandeur of the seas." passenger katie coleman told cnn -- >> it's the most terrifying thing in my life. >> reporter: in february it was an engine room fire on the carnival "triumph" shutting down power and the ship's sewage system for days. one month later carnival's "dream" lost power from a generator failure while in port. and now rival royal caribbean has its own set of problems. royal caribbean said in a statement, on monday, may 27th, 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. but, in an abundance of caution the captain deemed it necessary to muster all guests at their assembly stations. all passengers were found and safe, but some took to the

message board of cruise critic and complained there was fainting and vomiting as they waited for hours. the "grandeur of the seas" was just renovated last year. it was rerouted on monday to freeport for evaluation, and royal caribbean's ceo adam goldstein already surveyed the damage. the national transportation safety board, and the coast guard, will investigate. now, even though their vacations were cut short, royal caribbean is giving all of the passengers a full refund on this cruise, and a voucher for another free cruise in the future. christine? >> all right, erin, thanks. we're going to speak with two passengers who were on board that ship at 7:00 a.m. hour of "starting point." we'll find out if that deal sounds good enough to them. >> interested to see that. now the latest developments on a story that has gripped us all. the dramatic escape and rescue of three women in cleveland from the home of their alleged kidnapper ariel castro. the women tasted freedom three weeks ago after spending years essentially in prison right

under their neighbor's noses. this morning they're about to get financial help. pamela brown joins us now live from cleveland. pamela, tell us what's happening right now. >> well, john, just a few weeks after the arrest of ariel castro, neighbors of the accused rapist and kidnapper are trying to put a disturbing past behind them. but the home behind me, castro's home, all boarded up, guarded by a fence, is a haunting reminder. anthony westry lives just two doors down from the home where a decade-long secret came to a very dramatic end. is it sort of a creepy feeling to think for all these years they are just two doors down? >> with the boogeyman. >> reporter: he's talking about ariel castro, the man accused of kidnapping gina dejesus, michelle knight and amanda berry and holding them captive for years. now neighbors like westry say they're just trying to adjust to their new normal. if we were to spend a day with you, after what happened right next door, what would it be

like? >> almost like a mardi gras. constrant stream of cars. >> reporter: what's a tourist attraction for some is more of an eyesore neighbors like israel. >> every time you wake up, you got a 60 foot gate around the house, and you know it's the same, no it's my backyard but it's like i wish they could just knock it down. >> reporter: though what allegedly happened inside these walls has left an indelible mark the women's courage has inspired people in this community and beyond. >> the e-mails keep coming and coming wanting to help. we're trying to channel those now more towards contributions to the fund. >> reporter: chris kelly of the jones day law firm runs the courage fund set up for three women and little girl rescued earlier this month, raising more than $650,000, with the funds to be equally distributed into four separate trusts. what does it say about the girls that they chose to put the money

in a trust rather than take the money directly now? >> they have the savvy and sense to know that they want to have the moneys protected. >> reporter: those who know the women say they're drawing on the same strength that helped them survive so many years in captivity. >> they're exceptional human beings. having gone through this ordeal and to be able to come out of it and start to heal and move forward so quickly is amazing. >> we spoke to one of the council members who helped start the fund. he tells us that an additional $50,000 has been raised on top of the $650,000. every penny will go to the girls' trusts, we're told. if you'd like to learn more about the fund go to cnn.com/impact and you can click on the cleveland courage fund right there. >> a lot of people looking for ways to help, pamela. a lot of people also wondering about charles ramsey, the man who helped rescue those girls. >> yeah, charles ramsey became an overnight sensation.

since then he's been going to d.c. he went to kentucky recently to look at a part of a statue that was unveiled. he's been -- he's received, you know, lifetime of free hamburgers from local restaurants here in cleveland. but we're being told by his friends that he's actually trying to back away from the spotlight. that, maybe he enjoyed fame a little bit right after everything happened. but now, he's trying to go back to the way of life before he rescued amanda berry, and before he became this global sensation from all the interviews he did. >> all right. pamela brown in cleveland this morning. thanks so much. in oregon, 17-year-old grant acord will make his first court appearance today. he's accused of planning a columbine-style attack at west albany high school in oregon. the teen was arrested after police received a 911 tip that he was making a bomb with the intention of blowing up the school. extra police will be on hand at west albany and other oregon

high schools. the prosecutor said police found six types of explosives and recovered napalm, pipe and drain cleaner bombs, as well as molotov cocktails from akord's bedroom. his family says he suffers from a rare form of obsessive compulsive disorder. george zimmerman returns to court today for what could be the final hearing before his murder trial begins in two weeks. his attorneys are expected to ask for a delay today. they're also pressing the judge to allow jurors to visit the scene where zimmerman fatally shot trayvon martin last year. new this morning, an army of about 700 firefighters getting ready to tackle a fast and furious wildfire in a national forest near santa barbara california. the fire started yesterday afternoon possibly at a campsite. it has now burned about 1,000 acres since then. it's only about 5% contained. up to 6,000 people had to evacuate the popular camp ground on memorial day. firefighters hope today's weather will help them get this thing under control. also new, u.s. pilot rescued after ejecting from his jet over the pacific ocean.

a japanese helicopter found him floating on a life raft and plucked him out of the water after a problem forced him to eject from his f-15 midflight. this flight took off from the u.s. air base on okinawa. the pilot was found about 70 miles off the coast from there. no word on how that pilot is doing this morning. the air force is investigating what caused this crash. in just a few hours, president obama will join new jersey governor chris christie for a look at post-sandy repair work along the jersey shore. the two men will tour some of the areas hardest hit by superstorm sandy. just as they famously did in the final days leading up to the 2012 presidential election. new this morning what it feels like to be inside a tornado. packing winds up to 175 miles an hour. these pictures were taken yesterday in smith county, kansas by renowned storm chasers brandon ivey and sean casey from the hit movie, imax movie

"tornado alley." they drove their vehicle right into the twister. this is what the specially designed vehicle looks like. >> looks like the batmobile. >> we're told the instruments on the roof were ripped off by yesterday's twister, a door and a hatch were torn open but everyone made it out safe and sound. i climbed around in that last year when they came by with it. i still wouldn't drive into a twister but it's a cool thing. >> especially designed for tornadoes and it still suffered some pretty heavy damage. >> all right ahead on "early start," a senator sneaking into a war zone. john mccain's secret mission into syria, next. >> plus the rutgers athletic director accused of abuse speaking out this morning. hear what she had to say and why the school says she's going to keep her job. hey, look! a shooting star!

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new this morning, just minutes ago, syria state tv revealed that russia is shipping air defense missiles to syria. serious escalation as the report says russia is following through with an established deal to deliver the s-300 missiles. nick paton walsh live in nearby beirut. nick, what does syria plan to do with these missiles and any reaction to this deal from the

u.s. or israel? >> well, certainly u.s. officials have been clear that the s-300 air defense system is very sophisticated, and could mount a serious threat in the unlikely future event that may amount to some sort of airborne intervention in syria or the region. i should point out what we know so far. we know that syrian state tv is saying the missiles are being supplied. we have russian state media suggesting that the supply of these missiles will, quote, stabilize syria. we don't know for a fact they'll be delivered. and there's been a gray area over the past few weeks as the u.s. put pressure on russia to suspend this particular delivery. but it is absolutely vital there, because it does seem in the eyes of pentagon officials to be a bit of a game changer when it comes to syria's ability to defend itself. israeli officials even saying that the power of some of these missiles could, in fact, lead them to be offensive, even against the main airport of tel aviv. john? >> all right. the other big news, senator john mccain literally sneaking in to syria to meet with rebel leaders yesterday. nick, what came out of that

meeting? >> well the key thing, of course, was a bit of an embarrassment to the obama administration. john mccain long-term advocate of strong u.s. intervention militarily into syria, airstrikes to cripple the syrian regimes, air power, artillery, potentially a no-fly zone. perhaps not u.s. troops onhe ground necessarily. there he met, when he crossed over from the turkish city about a kilometer inside syria, mostly an area of refugee camps he met the syrian rebels, military leader, and other leaders from across syria. talked about his fears about extremism. talked about his fears of the conflict becoming more regional. but above all sending a strong message there the organizers hoping this would be heard, it's possible to go in to syria. it's possible to talk to these people on the political level. and the top part of syria, the north rebel held at the moment is an area, perhaps, where the u.s. could intervene. that's what john mccain would like to see happen imminently. but many analysts looking now and seeing that the ideal window

for a strong u.s. intervention passed some months ago and now we're just looking at a bigger quagmire potentially that the obama administration might get caught up in. >> there's another big development which could change the equation is the eu saying it has lifted its embargo on arming the rebels. they plan to send any weapons any time soon? >> one of the key caveats in this long and messy eu debate now they've resolved it and said they are going to enable sanctions to be modified to supply weapons to the syrian opposition is a caveat there that says none of this will actually happen until the first of august. that gives the next two months breathing room for any peace process in geneva, the u.s. and moscow are trying to push through to happen. above all, britain and france, who pushed this through against many eu members being opposed, they pushed this through because they wanted a threat of the implicit threat of the potential to supply weapons to syrian rebels in the future in the hope that that would somehow make the assad regime take the peace process a little more seriously.

they could force a political transition. now we've seen this peace process for geneva potentially next month begin to rumble through. many skeptical about where it will go. and of course the first effect we've seen today from this eu embargo being lifted is the strong message from russia that it believed double standards at play and that will harm any future peace talks. john? >> nick paton walsh in lebanon this morning. thanks, nick. >> 16 minutes after the hour. anti-muslim sentiment is building in england this morning. about 1,000 right wing protesters taking to the streets of sent electoral london yesterday, shouting muslim killers off our streets. they're angry about the brutal hacking death of british soldier lee rigby last week. two suspects say they did it in the name of islam. the incoming athletic director accused of abuse at rutgers university says she was intense but not abusive. this morning we've learned that julie hermann will keep her new job which is set to begin next month. hermann was tapped to turn the school's athletic program around after an abusive coach scandal involving former rutgers

basketball coach mike rice. but the new jersey star ledger uncovered a letter from 1997 that accused hermann herself of mental cruelty and abuse when she coached volleyball at the university of tennessee in the 1990s. hermann said she's not sure of the motivation of players bringing up that turmoil 17 years later. she said she has no plans to resign from rutgers and the president of the school rutgers is backing her. the u.s. marine suspected of going on a shooting rampage in west texas that left one dead and five people injured is also wanted for questioning in another murder. esteban jays smith died early sunday morning. investigators are looking for a link between the texas shootings and a murder at a north carolina mot motel. amanda bynes is threatening to sue the new york police department. she says officer illegally entered her apartment and lied about her alleged drug possession. the former child star is hinting at a career change. she tweeted i'm looking forward to a long and wonderful career

as a singer/rapper. it's a happy reunion for a couple and their missing dog who was found more than 500 miles away from home. karen and victor stevenart of terre haute say jasmine disappeared back in april. somehow she managed to make it down to atlanta where fulton county used a microchip to identify jasmin and her owners. >> i love her. when you see her you'll see how pretty her eyes are. looky there. looky here. ooh! where you been? look at that. look at that. i didn't think we'd see her again. >> they believe jasmine may have hitched a ride to atlanta with a truck driver. he says their house is only a mile from i-70. 19 minutes after the hour, you've probably used an automated checkout line at the

store. now chicago o'hare set to become the first u.s. airport to get an automated check-in line for passports. >> the program, which is already in place at vancouver airport allows u.s. passport holders to enter customs and border information at a self-service kiosk. you then bring your passport and receipt to an agent for ver fngz. so people are fill involved. the idea is to shorten wait times without compromising security. the program is set to launch july 1st and could extend to other major hubs, as well. may not be the only change you see if you're passing through o'hare. >> the airport will be hosting a herd of goats. >> of course they will. >> the job will be to keep vegetation there trim. other airports have used animals for sustainable gardening include atlanta and san francisco. the goats arrive later this spring. there's an organic herb garden on the roof of o'hare. like you can go up and see it. it's really kind of interesting. >> i hope the goats don't get up there. that will be a problem. 19 minutes after the hour. ahead on "early start," controversy brewing for coffee lovers. oh, no.

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♪ welcome back. "minding your business" this morning. futures are trading higher. the dow up about 100 points. the s&p, the nasdaq futures higher, as well. stocks bouncing back today, as european central bank and the bank of japan signal they won't be changing their easy money policies any time soon. the fed and central banks around the world have been pumping money into the system, and markets generally cheer any

signal that that policy won't change. home prices have been on the rise. economists expect another big jump in today's numbers. also later today we'll find out how confident you are about the economy. so that's another important signal for futures. right now we've got futures up pretty sharply. now, if you're up early like us, this is not going to make you happy. prices on coffee are the lowest they've been in three years. thanks to excess supply of coffee beans in brazil. the country produces around one-third of the world's coffee and farmers there held onto their last beans, their beans last year waiting for higher prices that never came. as a result about 20% of last year's crop hasn't been sold, that's pushing prices down. j.m. smucker and kraft have already lower prices for maxwell house and folger's brands but don't expect a big price drop in your starbucks latte any time soon. >> that's not fair. >> you tend to see grocery store prices go down a little bit but not coffee shop prices. >> brazil is holding onto their beans. >> yep. >> so what's the one thing we need to know about your money? >> the people in moore,

oklahoma, they want your cash. they don't want your hand me downs. you guys i see this every time there's a disaster. you get clothing donations pouring in. you get pallets full of stuff and it's so overwhelming that local groups are asking donors stop sending things to moore, oklahoma. stop sending food. stop sending diapers. the city suggests donating money to the red cross or local food banks. i see this every time there's a disaster. and it's so overwhelming for local officials to try to figure-there's also no central planning about how to get the right kind of stuff there that they need. it's money. it's cash donations that they need. >> they would love that, please. >> absolutely. don't send -- there's one disaster where somebody sent a truckload. a truckload of sweat shirts. men's extra large sweat shirts and the firefighter who was coordinating it said to me i don't need sweatshirts. we need money. coming up, a visit to mexico lands an american woman, a grandmother, behind bars. mexico says she's a drug

smuggler. and now there's a fight to get her out of jail and back to the u.s. and scary moments on board a flight as a man tries to open an emergency door forcing other passengers to restrain him with shoelaces. their story coming up. [ female announcer ] are you sensitive to dairy? then you'll love lactose-free lactaid® it's 100% real milk that's easy to digest so you can fully enjoy the dairy you love. lactaid®. for 25 years, easy to digest. easy to love.

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an american woman thrown into a mexican jail accused of smuggling drugs. was she framed? security compromise. chinese hackers gain access to blueprints for u.s. weapons. and an amazing rescue. a baby cut out of a sewer pipe after being flushed away by his parents. a newborn baby rescued right out of that pipe. >> oh, my goodness. >> amazing video. welcome back to "early start" i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. we're going to begin with a developing story.

an american woman accused of smuggling marijuana in mexico may find out today if she will go free or remain in jail until her trial. she says she's innocent, and now a mexican state official believes her, saying she was framed. an american mother of seven is behind bars in mexico accused of smuggling marijuana. from phoenix, arizona, she was traveling to mexico with her husband gary to attend her aunt's funeral. while returning home the couple's bus was stopped at a military checkpoint. police allege they found marijuana beneath gary's seat and charged him with smuggling. then, they released gary and arrested his wife instead. saying the marijuana was actually under her seat. a mexican state official with extensive knowledge of the case believes maldanado was framed telling cnn she would not have been able to carry twelve pounds of pot onto the bus without being noticed.

gary visited his wife over the weekend at the name's jail in nogales where she's being held. >> -- jumping up and down and giving me a big hug and we just cried. >> reporter: the couple who have seven children and two grandchildren between them have denied the charges. gary claims they never told or even used drugs their daughter, 21-year-old anna soto is pleading for her mother's release. >> i know there's people out there saying or asking did she really do it? are you sure? you know, it hurts. you know. to see that. if you would have known my mom, if you just would have met her you would have known that she had nothing to do with that. >> twelve pounds of pot. yeah that would be hard to miss smuggling that on. arizona senator jeff flake says he is personally involved. he is working the case. he's had several conversations with a deputy ambassador, the mexican ambassador to the united states. they're trying to bring maldonado home. coming up at 7:30 we're going to

speak to her husband gary and her father-in-law about their efforts to bring this woman back to the u.s. >> federal aviation officials investigating a close call. a jet nearly colliding with a military helicopter near reagan national airport. it happened last friday. a us airways regional flight was approaching from the south and a military helicopter from nearby andrews air force base was playing toward that incoming plane. at one point these two aircraft were at the same altitude within 940 feet of each other. how close were they to disaster? >> it's natural in these situations to focus on the distance between the aircraft. what's really more important is whether the situation is being actively controlled by the air traffic controller in conjunction with the pilots. that was clearly the case here. >> both the plane and the helicopter landed safely. a court appearance today for an arizona man who allegedly tried to open an emergency exit door during an air alaska flight. witnesses say 23-year-old alexander herrera began making bizarre comments and tried to pry open the exit door as the

flight approached the runway at portland international airport yesterday. it did not take long for passengers to take action. >> i put him in a -- a choke hold, and kind of kind of went up over the seat a bit and brought him down to the ground. >> passengers tied up herrera with shoelaces and seat belts, as well. the flight landed safely. herrera's father tells cnn affiliate kgw that his son has a history of mental illness. nearly six weeks ago a horrific fire and explosion put the small town of west, texas on the map. 15 people were killed, 200 hurt, more than $100 million in property were damaged or destroyed and this morning it's still not clear what caused the disaster. cnn's ed lavandera has been covering the story from the start. he joins us live this morning from west, texas. good morning, ed. >> good morning, christine. the residents here in the town of west may never know what caused the fire that led to this deadly explosion.

but they really don't have time to worry about that. they have lives and neighborhoods to rebuild. right in the middle of that chaos was firefight robert paine, which makes seeing him now, six weeks later, all the more remarkable. the explosion, do you remember it? >> don't remember it at all. not at all. no. watch it in video and see how violent it is and how loud it is, no, i don't remember any of that at all. i don't really remember anything really until the next morning. waking up in icu. >> reporter: this was the blast site. payne was trying to retreat and made it about 35 yards away behind a fire truck, which apparently shielded him just enough. the truck was left a mangled ruined, somehow robert payne survived. >> when i visited with the guy that rescued me, brad, he filled me in on a few things about where i was found, and about the

fact that i was blown out of my boots. my boots were in one place, and i was, he described i think about as 35 feet away. >> reporter: payne has nerve damage in his right arm, broken ribs, broken facial bones and bone chips in his leg. and he needs surgery to repair his right eardrum. but he's alive. 12 other first responders weren't so lucky. >> those are some of the firefighters that we lost. >> reporter: west's mayor took us to the fire station. the names of the firefighters who died are still on the lockers. there are two new donated fire trucks, and west firefighters just resumed handling calls again this past week. >> it's got to be hard for these guys to come in here. >> they may not want to get back on that horse but they're going to have to get back on that horse. that whistle blows we're in charge of this place now and we've got to go. >> reporter: the calls keep coming. >> they don't quit. >> reporter: but the hard work is just beginning. this is the foundation from the building. >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: that blew up. >> yes. there's pieces all over this place. >> reporter: mayor mushka needs $4 million to fix sewer and

water lines and several hundred homes need to be rebuilt. but he does say one building won't be welcome back. the fertilizer plant. >> we don't have the ability to say you can't -- you can't build here. >> reporter: what do you think the town reaction would be? >> the town reaction would probably be to the point where they wouldn't want to rebuild anyway. >> and, christine, investigators say that the cause of the fire is still undetermined. they have three theories that haven't been ruled out yet. one of them is an electrical short in the building that caught fire. a golf cart that may have caught on fire as well. there's the possibility that this fire was intentionally set. one man a former ems worker in the town of west by the name of bryce reed is arrested on an unrelated firearms charge, and is in custody and awaiting trial. but his attorney and several city officials here say they don't believe he had anything to do with this explosion. christine? >> the cause still a mystery. ed lavandera, thanks. a dire warning that a new security plan for the statue of liberty would actually leave it

more vulnerable to attack. since september 11th visitors have gone through airport-style security checks in manhattan or jersey city before boarding a ferry to the statue. the new park service plan would instead screen visitors on liberty island, and nearby ellis island once they arrive. chuck schumer says it's a bad idea. >> can you imagine if airplane passengers were not screened before they boarded a plane and instead they were screened after the plane landed? that makes no sense. it would be unimaginable. that's what the park service is doing here with trips to the statue of liberty. >> park service officials sayed plan does not compromise the safety of visitors or security at the statue of liberty or ellis island. chinese hackers reportedly gained access to designs for some of the most sensitive u.s. weaponry. "the washington post" says designs for more than two dozen major weapons systems were compromised by cyber spies. they include designs for combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defenses fatal for

europe, asia, and the persian gulf. coming up, cars submerged in the heavy rain and the severe weather may not be over yet. we will have the forecast for you next. >> plus the incredible video you can't miss this morning. a baby rescued from a sewer pipe. i am an american success story. i'm a teacher. 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.

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welcome back to "early start." parts of missouri deluged by torrential rain leaving numerous vehicles stuck in high water. more than an inch of rain coming down in less than an hour. several thousand homes are still without power this morning. storm system also spawned several tornadoes in nearby kansas. >> street to indra peterson for a look at the weather across the country and what it looks like today. >> good morning. we're still talking about all this rain in the midwest. it's about so tough for them. the last 48 hours, take a look at these rain totals. eight to ten inches of rain. keep in mind there's still more rain in the forecast. two to four inches are possible. there's no question that we're dealing with flood watches and warnings throughout the area. unfortunately looks like more thunderstorms will continue to be in the forecast here for the next day or so. speaking of the rain. head over to the northeast, it was gorgeous yesterday. it dried out.

but today that warm front will start to make its way to the north. meaning more rain and the threat for some light hail and even stronger winds will be in the forecast there. jersey, good chance for a little bit of hail out there today. look at the temperature difference. this is what we're going to be talking about. notice the cool air. 60s in salt lake city and these 90s when you get towards am lilo. this is that setup. a moving low towards the plains you get the contrast between those two temperatures and we have the severe weather setup. that's what we have today but also more importantly tomorrow as the jet stream really makes its way right over the low. we're talking about that risk enhancing. so potential for tornado outbreak is possible tomorrow, again, right in the peak area, right around wichita and oklahoma area. something we'll be monitoring. a lot of us seeing that as well today. the risk from philadelphia through texas and up through the dakotas. unfortunately, even a bigger threat out for tomorrow. >> stay alert out there. indra peterson, thanks so much. george zimmerman will be back in court today two weeks before his murder trial is set to begin.

his attorneys are expected to ask the judge to delay the trial. they're also going to request jurors be allowed to visit the scene where zimmerman shot and killed trayvon martin last year and they want to block testimony from an audio expert who says he heard martin begging for his life in the background of a 911 call. more now from cnn's david mattingly. >> reporter: february 26, 2012, 17-year-old trayvon martin buys skittles and a bottle of iced tea, walks toward the condo where he's staying with his dad. that's when he catches the attention of neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman. it's not long before a wave of frantic calls to 911. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> what is your -- >> there's gunshots. >> you heard gunshots? >> yes. >> how many? >> just one. >> reporter: just one shot to the heart ending the life of trayvon martin. a bloodied and bruised george zimmerman tells police it was self-defense. zimmerman is not arrested.

florida law allows people to use force in self-defense, the stand your ground law. a firestorm of protest descends on sanford. >> justice for trayvon! >> justice for trayvon! >> 44 days after he shoots and kills trayvon martin, george zimmerman is charged with second degree murder. since getting out on a million dollar bond zimmerman sightings have been few and far between. his attorney says that he fears for his safety, never ventures out in public without a disguise, and always wears body armor. each time he shows up in court, his weight gain is astonishing. zimmerman's attorney says he's put on 120 pounds. prosecutors may try to portray him as a profiler and a killer. zimmerman's defense is building its own profile of trayvon martin. as a troubled youth, no stranger to pot, guns, and fighting. >> he's used to fighting and has used drugs in the past. again, many 17-year-olds have.

but that he has, as well. >> reporter: will a jury be allowed to see the images of trayvon martin? prosecutors will argue against it. one of the many pretrial issues looming in an already contentious case. david mattingly, cnn, sanford, florida. six kids burned in a memorial day boat explosion in maryland. two of those kids burned very seriously when a flash ignited after someone tried to restart a stalled motor. >> mom threw the kids overboard. >> it was crazy. we thought it was a joke. then we're like who would do this? the water is so cold. this is freezing. then it was like, you could see they were just frantic. >> the gentleman was pushing them off. all of a sudden he started taking life jackets and throwing the life jackets off. >> a fire official says none of the burns appear life threatening. two adults were also hurt. the flash fire triggered the boat's fire protection system which then quickly snuffed it out. the supreme court watch is on between now and the end of june the high court expected to issue 30 rulings.

some of them very important. the list includes several politically explosive cases. supreme court will rule on same-sex marriage, the use of affirmative action in college admissions, the future of the voting rights act, also gene patents. the justices have scheduled five public sessions over the next month to announce their decisions. work crews are trying to remove all of the debris from last week's bridge collapse in washington state. there's a lot of twisted metal along with a truck, a trailer, and a car in the skagit river that need to be hauled off before a temporary bridge can be installed to handle the traffic. a permanent new bridge that will be built alongside the damaged one scheduled to open by september. incredible rescue to show you right now. a newborn baby rescued from a sewer pipe. >> the disturbing part, it appears the infant had been flushed down a toilet. cnn has more. >> reporter: the dramatic rescue began after cries from a fourth floor apartment toilet. alarmed neighbors saw a tiny foot, and called the fire department.

unable to pull the baby out, rescuers went to the floor below and sawed away the entire section of sewer pipe. but still, the baby remained wedged inside. so sewer section and baby were taken to the local hospital. where firefighters and surgeons removing the pipe, piece by egan piece. an hour later, success. a newborn baby rescued. the afterbirth still attached. chinese media said he's a baby boy. now in stable condition. police say they're looking for the parents. they say no one has yet come forward to claim the child. cnn. >> oh. and just how careful they were with that pipe taking a section. just amazing. all right ahead on "early start," you know, don't like a call in a tennis game? no problem.

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welcome back, everyone. after sweeping the memphis grizzlies the san antonio spurs are heading back to the nba finals once again. >> andy shoals joins us with more in the "bleacher report." >> good morning, guys. this group of spurs players have cemented themselves as one of the greatest teams of all time. just to put it in perspective of how great they are, tim duncan, tony parker and manu ginobili are the first trio not from the

celtics or lakers to reach the nba finals four different times together. last night it was the tony parker show. the spurs point guard scored a season-high 37 points as san antonio led wire to wire to win game four, 93-86. parker said he promised duncan last year that they would make at least one more great run together and sure enough the spurs are back in the finals for the first time since 2007. >> every year it get tougher and tougher. every team wants to beat you. and that's why it makes it even more special to go back after all the year than playing at the high level with the same coach, with the same big three. >> one of the top stories on bleacherreport.com is greiner's rim rattling wnba debut. the fourth quarter of the mercury sky game greiner throws it down with the one handed slam. then moments later.

the first time in wnba history that a player dunked twice in one game. chicago would go on to win the game 102-80. a week ago robert griffin iii tweeted out a pick of him laying on all the empty boxes from the wedding presents he received from fans filling orders off his bed, bath and beyond registry. now he's sending out thank you notes. one of the fans received a thank you note and he tweeted it out. it included a nice handwritten message and an awful from rg3. pretty cool deal there. in the french open yesterday, stephkosski's forehand is called out. he was so set on the fact that this ball was in he pulled out an iphone, went over and took a spot of where the ball landed on the clay court. he eventually tweeted out this pic and you take a look at it. while it's close, it's certainly debatable whether it was in or out.

we around the sports office took a look at this picture for about five or ten minutes, couldn't figure out if we thought it was in or out. >> i can't see the mark. >> i say that's a rorschach test. in the eye of the beholder. >> he was certain it was in and decided to get everyone on twitter behind him. it's pretty debatable. >> i'm sure the chair ump loved to be shown up like that. sure that went well for the rest of the match. america's favorite cartoon family getting an upgrade at universal studios in florida. the popular simpsons attraction at universal will be expanded with a lifesize version of springfield surrounding it. springfield is the home town of homer, marge, bart and maggie simpson. visitors will be able to get beer at the duck brewery. there will also be mow's tavern and a kwik-mart. >> can't wait. >> that's "early start" i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans.

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marijuana, but she says she's innocent. we'll speak with her husband live here on cnn. >> plus we're monitoring a fast-spreading wildfire in california. a thousand acres up in flames. thousands forced to flee. we will have the latest out of santa barbara county. >> good morning, i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. it's tuesday, may 28th, welcome to "starting point." happening right now, 2200 angry, frustrated passengers stranded in the bahamas waiting to be flown back to baltimore after a near disaster at sea. their cruise ship royal caribbean's "grandeur of the seas" caught fire yesterday after the coast of freeport. one vacationer called it the most terrifying day of her life. erin mcpike is live from baltimore international airport with the latest. good morning, erin. >> good morning, john. those passengers will show up here starting in about four hours, and they will continue on through tomorrow on chartered flights from the bahamas. that's, of course, after many were up all night on sunday night, and into monday morning,