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, after this fire raged for more than two hours.

the entire back end of a massive ship 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, the good news for these passengers is that royal caribbean is issuing a full refund, and, john, if they can stomach another cruise, royal caribbean is giving them a

voucher for a free one in the future. >> we will see about that. erin mcpike at baltimore washington international airport where some of those passengers i'm sure will be flying today. >> danielle miller is the passenger who shot that footage on her cell phone as the ship's guests were being called to the deck. she joins us on the phone along with her friend katie coleman. they were -- they are both still on board the cruise ship. danielle, you said you went to bed, it was sort of stormy seas, 2:50 in the morning this all starts to unfold. you actually thought, danielle, you thought that maybe the ship was sinking or something. it was a little chaotic. walk me through what happened. >> the first thing i thought was the boat could have been sinking because when we went through that it was extremely wavy and we were rolling around in our beds. i'm sorry, they're making announcements right now. i can barely hear you. >> that's all right. keep telling me what you thought was happening. i mean you, at what point did you realize it was a fire? >> we were on the deck for about

a half hour before they announced that it was a fire. but when we did get on the deck, we saw the life 3 boats being lowered. so we were just freaking out and we saw a light sparking and catching on fire. but other than that we didn't see any smoke coming up from deck three, and we didn't know it was a fire until they announced it. >> katie, if you're on the line, i mean, what, what, what did you think when you were told to put on your, your life jacket i mean your life invest i mean this obviously a scary situation in the middle of the night. what were you thinking? >> honestly had no idea. the night before it was really rocky on the boat. so at this point, knowing that we had to get our life jackets on and seeing the lifeboats being lowered we honestly didn't know if the -- yeah if we were getting off the boat, if the boat was sinking, we honestly had no idea. >> i mean obviously before you took this cruise, you had seen the headlines of carnival cruise

problems. were you i don't know were you wary at all about taking a cruise? >> we honestly didn't really -- yeah we never thought it would happen to us. like 1 in a million chance that things like this would happen. so, we honestly weren't that nervous. we weren't expecting anything. >> danielle, what have you heard from royal caribbean at this point? what are they telling you? >> they're just telling us that they're incredibly sorry for what happened and they really want to make this up to us by having another great trip on another one of their boats. >> so you're going to get a full refund for this one, right, and then they're offering you a new cruise at their -- at their -- at their expense. you guys drove from ohio to baltimore to get this one. are you going to do it again? >> i think we are. we were talking about it last night. and we would definitely give it another chance. the first few days started out

great. so, we would definitely cruise again. >> all right, katie coleman, danielle miller. well, sit tight. >> i hope it ends better next time. nice to hear from both of you. thanks for sharing your cell phone video danielle. really appreciate it. >> those pictures of the fire on the boat, much worse than i thought. a lot of damage. >> yeah. >> six minutes after the hour. developing story we're following this morning. an american woman accused of smuggling pot in mexico may find out today if she will go free or remain in jail in mexico until her trial. yanira maldonado says she's completely innocent and now a mexican state official believes her, saying she might have been framed. >> mother of seven is behind bars in mexico accused of smuggling marijuana. yanira maldonado 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 women's jail in nogales where she's being held. >> she just kind of like started 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. >> bottom of the hour we're going to talk to her husband, also her father-in-law, about this dramatic case, and their efforts to get her released from this mexican jail where she is right now. >> george zimmerman will be back in a florida courtroom today just two weeks before he's scheduled to gone trial for the shooting death of trayvon martin. zimmerman's attorneys are expected to ask judge deborah nelson to delay the start of this trial and would also request jurors be allowed to visit the scene where zimmerman shot and killed martin last year. finally, they'll attempt to block testimony from an audio expert who says he heard martin begging for his life in the background of a 911 call. victor blackwell live from sanford, florida. good morning, victor. >> good morning, christine. the defense team for george zimmerman, they're asking for an additional six weeks. mark omar ra says he needs time to review the qualifications of

an expert who could be introduced by the state. the big decision made today will be if the jury will be allowed to see photographs and text messages taken from trayvon martin's phone. they show pictures of martin with gold fronts, they're false gold teeth. also holding up his middle finger, smoke, thick smoke coming out of his mouth. there's also pictures of small pot plants growing in plants also a picture of a gun. now let's talk about these text messages that were taken from the phone a week before, a month before, as well, that were sent then, let's show the first one and it mentioned possibly marijuana. it says i heed my weed. there's another one that mentions it's wrapped. and there are also texts suggesting that martin was actually trying to sell a gun. someone asks through texts, you want 150 for the .38? and the response is naw, i'm fixen to get it two late. the assistant state attorney in this case, the lead prosecutor,

has not spoken about the new evidence, not spoken about his strategy moving forward. but the attorney for martin's parents, ben crump, has spoken. also zimmerman's attorney mark o'mara has spoken. listen to what they say. >> i'm not sure if it's recreation or whatever but he's very used to fighting. that he has used some drugs in the past. and again, many 17-year-olds have. but that he has as well. >> are they trying to stay george zimmerman was justified in killing trayvon martin because of the way he looked? it's that same stereo typical mind-set that caused george zimmerman to get out of the car and chase trayvon martin. and that's just isn't acceptable in america. >> the question is, are these texts, are these photographs, relevant? well, o'mara has said that if the state goes after the character of george zimmerman, then he believes the jury needs to see this side of trayvon martin. the state is trying to keep these texts out of the courtroom. they filed a motion to keep those out, as well, today.

christine? >> all right, what's next in this case, then? >> well, o'mara has asked for an ef den shari hearing before the start of jury selection. he also speaks about the jury, the state has askedttorneys they say it's going to be very difficult to get an impartial jury if mark o'mara continues to get in front of cameras and talk about trayvon martyr and characterize his client, as well. >> victor blackwell, thank you. ahead on "starting point," senator john mccain's daring trip. the 76-year-old sneaks into syria to meet with rebel leadership. what did he accomplish? we'll tell you. >> and passengers forced to use shoe laces and belts after a passenger inexplicably tries to open the plane door in midflight. that story and much more. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for, because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy

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wildfire in a national forest near santa barbara, california. this fire started yesterday afternoon, possibly at a carve site. it's burned about 1,000 acres since then. it's only about 5% contained. up to 6,000 people had to evacuate a popular camp ground. 6,000 people on memorial day had to leave that camp ground. firefighters hope today's weather will help. >> just in cnn reports that two rockets fired from syria have hit lebanon. one of them in a residential area. this news coming just minutes after syria's state tv said that russia will go through with a plan to send air defense missiles to the assad regime. a lot going on there. israeli leaders very concerned about this. nick paton walsh is live in beirut. first, what have you heard about the rockets hitting lebanon? >> well, these rockets have been a reasonably regular occurrence, landing in a predominantly pro-hezbollah town. hezbollah having thrown their weekend in this weekend behind the assad regime joining the conflict against the syrian

rebels. you refer most importantly to the russian announcement on state media saying they will go ahead with the supply of something called the s-300 missile system to the syrian regime. those weapons haven't arrived yet but u.s. and israeli officials deeply concerned about their potential to interrupt any future, perhaps unlikely nato intervention, and israelis saying they have offensive capacity, too. they're high tech. they could perhaps even hit tel aviv's airport. great concerns on the ground here now that each day we keep seeing another step that seems to regionalize this conflict. that russian delivery of high-technology coming on the back of a cancellation of sanctions against the syrian opposition by the european union to allow them to supply arms. there seems to be a tit or tat going on diplomatically. >> the other big news is 76-year-old u.s. senator john mccain sneaking over the border, into syria, to meet with rebel leaders yesterday. what do you make of that meeting?

i think we lost nick paton walsh in beirut, lebanon. of course there was that news that 76-year-old senator john mccain of arizona did cross the border in to syria. he did meet with part of the opposition leadership right there. john mccain has been calling for much greater u.s. support of syrian rebels, really, for years. a lot of people think this was a little bit of a -- an attempt to show up the white house for their lack of support for the syrian rebels. >> he wants a no-fly zone. he wants american assistance. but not necessarily boots on the ground there. he is the highest profile american, certainly, to get into syria. all right. the supreme court watch is on between now and the end of june the high court is expected to issue 30 rulings. that list includes several politically explosive cases. the supreme court will rule on same-sex marriage, the use of affirmative action in college admissions, the future of the voting rights acts and gene patents. the justices have scheduled five

public sessions over the next month to announce their decisions. the odd couple is back. in just a few hours, president obama and new jersey governor chris christie will team up again for a tour of hard-hit areas by superstorm sandy. this time the emphasis will be on recovery. they're getting a firsthand look at just how far coastal communities have come back from the devastation. of course you will recall just days before last year's election the president, a democrat, and the republican governor, with a picture of bipartisanship inspecting storm damage there. an arizona man who allegedly tried to open an emergency exit door during an air alaska flight will make his first court appearance today. witnesses say 23-year-old alexander herrera began making some strange comments, then he tried to pry open an exit door as the flight approached the runway at portland international airport yesterday. passengers quickly took 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. >> herrera was subdued. he was tied up by passengers with shoelaces and seat belts. the flight landed safely and herrera's father tells cnn affiliate kgw his son has a history of mental illness. ahead on "starting point" an american woman jailed in mexico after mexican authorities say she was trying to smuggle pot. she denies these allegations. her husband will join us. >> and then for all the coffee drinkers out there, good news coming your way that pertains to your cup of joe. details straight ahead. everybody has different investment objectives, ideas, goals, appetite for risk. you can't say 'one size fits all'. it doesn't. that's crazy. we're all totally different. ishares core. etf building blocks for your personalized portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus, which includes

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welcome back to "starting point," everyone. officials in east china are now investigating the case of a newborn baby who was apparently flushed down the toilet. the infant survived after being cut out of a sewage pipe. 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 working together carefully began removing the pipe, piece by 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. "minding your business" this morning, u.s. markets are open today. dow futures up around 100 points right now. s&p and nasdaq pointing higher as well. markets, this is a big bounceback after last week's losses. the european central bank and the bank of japan signaling they will keep pumping money into the financial system and when you hear about central banks putting money in the system that tends to be good news for stock investors. good news for coffee drinkers, prices the lowest they've been in three years thanks to an excess supply of coffee beans in brazil. farmers there held onto their beans last year waiting for higher prices. those higher prices never came as a result around 20% of last

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welcome back to "starting point." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. classes resume at albany high school in oregon for the first time since 17-year-old student

grant acord was arrested. that student is accused of plotting to blow up his school. the suspect will appear in court today while police increase security at the high school. the prosecutor said police found six types of explosives. they recovered napalm, bomb, pipe and drain cleaner bombs as well as molotov cocktails from acord's bedroom in a secret compartment under his floor. his family says he suffers from a rare form of obsessive compulsive disorder. police in mexico released dramatic dash cam video of a high speed chase involving two young murder suspects. it began may 3rd on interstate 25 when officers tried to pull over the car for a traffic violation. they ended up on this chase at more than 100 miles per hour. two women inside the car ages 18 and 21 have been charged with killing the man who owned the vehicle. his body was found in the trunk. so the incoming athletic director accused of abuse at rutgers university says she was intense but not abusive. and 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 this abuse 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 says she's not sure of the motivation of players bringing up that turmoil 17 years later, she says she has no plans to resign from rutgers, and the president of rutgers at this moment is backing her. senator chuck schumer and new york city police commissioner ray kelly are warning that a new security plan for the statue of liberty could leave the monument vulnerable to attack. a live look at the statue on this beautiful morning. since september 11th, visitors have gone through airport-style security checks before boarding a ferry to the statue. the new park service plan would instead screen visitors on liberty island and nearby ellis island. senator schumer thinks that'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 but that's what the park service, in effect, is doing here, with trips to the statue of liberty. >> park service officials say the plan does not compromise the safety of visitors, or the security of the statue of liberty or on ellis island. updating you on a developing story. an american wife and mother of seven accused of smuggling pot in mexico. she may find out today if she'll go free or remain in jail until her trial. >> there is a hopeful development for yanira maldonado and her family. a mexican state official now believes she was framed. joining us is her husband gary and father-in-law larry live via skype from mexico. gentlemen, thank you so much for being with us. first, let me ask you how's she holding up? how are you holding up? >> it's been tough. but yarner ra seems to be strong

and holding up. she's not happy where she's at, but she has high hope that she'll be free of this falsely accused accusation against her. i got to see her yesterday. >> gary, can you tell me? what do you think happened here? you got on this bus. you were coming back from your wife's aunt's funeral. you were going back to the united states on this bus. and what do you think happened here? do you think someone else put a package of marijuana on that on that bus? what do you think happened? >> it was either that the packages were already on the bus, or they were never on the bus, and we were just framed, set up for those packages. >> why would someone frame you? >> it's about getting money here. so, the military was the only one there at the checkpoint. so from what i hear that's a regular occurrence. >> so you think they expected some sort of bribe so that you

could go home, and instead this is all just spiraled into a legal proceeding? >> correct. >> you have a court appearance today, or your wife does. what do you expect will happen? >> she'll go before a judge at 10:00 a.m. today, in nothingal es, arizona, and -- not arizona, mexico, and she will present her case with our attorney. i'll be a witness. we have a few witnesses coming, and it's just to gather up information to give to the judge. the judge will -- has until friday at 6:00 p.m. to decide whether she goes free, or if she is processed back into the system. but she'll be transferred to hermanosilo yesterday fal prison. >> authorities are saying they found twelve pounds of pot on the bus. you guys have said you never

even used drugs let alone sold them and now you think you're being fleeced. this has just got to be infuriating. >> it's very upsetting that this happens to innocent people, and from what i hear there's 65% of the people in the federal prisons here are innocent. similar situations like this. >> larry, can you tell me how helpful have been authorities in all of this? this, at some point becomes an international incident. right? so how, how, helpful have the authorities been for you? >> we have contacted the consulates and they were first set up, if you will. gary was the one that was arrested. and accused of having the pot under his seat. and so i first called the consulate in hermo sillo trying to get things going there, and

then afterwards, they released yanira -- excuse me, released gary, and charged yanira with this crime. and then i contacted the consulate in -- in nogales for help, and they've assisted, and lawyers, recommending lawyers, et cetera. >> all right. gary, you know, we're seeing these beautiful wedding photos of you guys. i mean what are you telling the kids? how are they holding up? >> it's been tough. it will be better when yanira is free from these unfalsely accusations against her and that she's back home with all of us. just thankful for all the love and support that everybody's reached out and shown us. it's amazing. >> we wish you the best. >> thank you. >> we wish you the best and hoe hope this ends soon and ends well for you all.

gary and larry maldonado thank you so much for being with us. >> you're welcome. >> ahead on "starting point" this morning. thousands of cruisers stranded after a fire on a royal caribbean liner. but the terrifying end to their vacation. the latest and what's being done to get those folks home. [ female announcer ] the best thing about this bar it's not a candy bar. 130 calories 7 grams of protein the new fiber one caramel nut protein bar. which shirt feels more expensive?

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welcome back to "starting point" this morning. let's check in with indra peterson to see how today is shaping up. >> good morning. still wet in the midwest. it's been so soggy the last 48 hours. 8 to 10 inches of rain. so much rain they're sat rated and yet more rain in the forecast again. we show you those graphics there. look at all that again. another two to four inches possible. no question here we're talking about the flood watches and advisories with more rain continues to pound the area. also in the northeast it was gorgeous yesterday. what happened, right? today, rain now with the warm front cruising in to the area. not too much, most places not seeing much. farther up to the north two to four inches. most places only about half an inch down towards jersey and new york. here unfortunately is the setup we continue to watch and it is the severe weather threat. today, again higher than yesterday and each day developed a little bit stronger. reason for that, look at the warm moisture pulling it out of the gulf. all the cold air clashing as the

system that was over the west coast yesterday made its way over toward colorado, exiting the rockies and once it makes its way right over the plains by tomorrow, we're talking even more enhanced weather threat for tomorrow bull's-eyeing over wichita and oklahoma. >> we'll watch it. >> they do not need that. important for a lot of the country to stay alert. so age is only a number, at least that's what the veteran group of san antonio spurs are proving right now. man they've been around forever, and they advance to the nba finals again. >> andy scholes joins us now with more on the "bleacher report." geriatric version. >> good morning, guys. last night's win over the grizzlies 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 to play for the celtics or lakers to reach the nba finals four different times together. in last night's closeout game it was the tony parker show.

he scored 37 points as san antonio led wire to wire. they won game four 93-86. parker says 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 gets tougher and tougher. every team wants to beat you. and that's why it makes it even more special to go back after all those years playing at a high level with the same coach, with the same big three. >> one of the top stories in the lineup on bleacherreport.com is britney grinner's debut. she throws it down with the one-handed slam. moments later she goes up for the two-handed dunk. this was the first time in wnba history that a player dunked twice in one game. despite griner's above the rhyme play phoenix lost to chicago.

the french open, the call was ruled out and stakhovsky was so sure it was in he took out his smartphone and snapped a photo to prove to the world that he was seeing it right and the umpire was wrong. he eventually tweeted out the pic to get the twitter world behind him. looks pretty close. it's certainly debatable whether the ball was actually in or out. a week ago robert griffin the third tweeted out a pic of him laying on all of the empty boxes from the wedding presents he received from fans filling orders off his bed, bath&beyond registry. now he's busy sending out thank you notes. one of the fans who sent rg3 and his fiance a gift received a thank you note and they tweeted it out and included a nice handwritten message and an awful from rg3. guys, pretty school deal when you can send your favorite team's star quarterback a wedding gift and get an autographed thank you note in return. >> and he's so punctual, too? don't you have a year to send the thank you notes after you get the wedding gifts?

>> the wedding hasn't even happened yet. >> that's amazing. he's got a copy of emily post on manners or something there on his bedside table. thanks so much andy scholes. how do you handle a hungry garbage truck? feed it a pontiac grand am, of course. this is awesome youtube video. shows the car being fed into one of the new refuse trucks as proof it can digest even the more challenging trash. desserts not pictured. >> i don't even know what to make of this. >> i know. >> it's like wally. you ever see the movie where wally just eats garbage. >> that is nuts. nuts. >> amazing. >> we'll see that again and again and again today. 44 minutes after the hour. ahead on "starting point," six weeks after terror ripped through the boston marathon, we check in with a family whose life was really changed forever. all three of them wound up in the hospital. >> wow. >> you're watching "starting point." lf. with unitedhealthcare, i get personalized information

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welcome back to "starting point" everyone. more than 2200 cruise ship passengers are stranded in the bahamas this morning waiting to be flown back to baltimore after a near disaster at sea. royal caribbean's "grandeur of the seas" catching fire off the coast of freeport yesterday. the cause of the fire is still not known. passengers are being offered refunds, and vouchers for a future cruise if they want it. six weeks after the bombings at the boston marathon life on boylston street is getting back to normal. survivors are moving ahead even though they carry reminders of the attacks with them. and investigators are working on the complicated answer to one very simple question, why.

cnn's jason carroll has more from boston this morning. >> reporter: federal investigators continue to focus on tamerlan tsarnaev's extended visit to dagestan last year. tsarnaev had told friends 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 islamic militant groups? we do know he visited this mosque. so did mahmoud masser nadal. he later joined a militant group and was killed in a firefight with russian forces. still unknown, whether tsarnaev met nadal or any other militant. investigators believe he and his younger brother dzhokhar, who awaits his next court appearance in a federal prison, may have acted as so-called lone wolves. but they are still investigating tamerlan tsarnaev's contacts overseas, and at home. his wife, katherine russell, according to her attorney, continues to cooperate with investigators, but the constant questioning may be taking its

toll. it's very difficult. she is a young woman trying to bring up her baby without a dad. and dealing with all this. the sooner all this is over, the better. the bombing killed three people, and injured 275. one some of these released. >> i hate going down. when i get down there, i feel awesome. >> jp and his brother paul, both lost a leg. the injuries would have been worse had it not been for the brothers. >> they were throwing me over the barrier. ultimately saving my life. >> those are tiny bits of metal in the fingers. >> this was a bb. >> yes, right here and this one is trying to force its way out. this one in my elbow, forcing

its way out. >> reporter: the brothers honored at a brunsz playoff game on saturday. and boylston street looks normal again, but to some bostonians, it will never be. >> it is a place that will also hold a special place in my heart and someplace will never for get. >> now the reality of having to pay mounting medical bills is starting to set in for many victims. insurance will only cover so much. the norton family struggling financially. they have set up a fund to help meet expenses and the one fun concert for victims will be taking place. the long road to recovery for many victims, just now beginning. john, christine. >> all right, jason carroll, thank you. some people aren't working, oh, just all the -- all the different attendant problems with recovery. >> so many people affected by this. six weeks ago, the brassars

enjoying the first boston marathon. they were there to cheer on their friend carmen. ten minutes after this picture taken, everybody changes, they were just ten feet from the first explosion. all three woke up in the hospital. now, though, they are back at home and recovering. the boston terror attacks, even all this time later have changed their lives in so many ways. join us live from their home in new hampshire. ron and karen, thank you for being here. six weeks later, how are you doing? >> good morning. >> good morning. we're doing well. doing well. >> taking baby steps moving forward. >> i see a cast still on your leg. walk me through your injuries. >> for myself, i had shrapnel that went into both legs. it appears that i got part of the device, not the bbs or the things that were in it. so i had an swrr ininjury into t

shin. three-inch piece of shrapnel in this leg. i developed compartment sin dro syndrome. they had to put four-inch incisions on either side to reduce the pressure. i had another piece of shrapnel in the left ankle. a nickel size around piece of pipe protruding and they were able to take that out right away, but two weeks later, i developed a bone infection and torn tenon that was also related from that, and so i had to go in for my third surgery to have that taken care of, just a couple of weeks ago. >> ron, your legs are still up. >> yeah, i had a -- kind of a chunk of the lower leg taken out with the explosion and they had to do skin grafting and i've got

some nerve damage in the foot, and it's just been a slow process because of the skin grafting. you have to take care of that and make no issues with the leg accepting the skin fwragraft. a little slow, but we'll get there. >> a little slow, but progress every day. a lot of support, sometimes from people you have never met. i want to read you this message left on your fund-raising website from a 12-year-old kid. it says this is a terrible thing that happened and i wish you full recovery. i'm 12 years old, and i live in missouri. i've saved up my allowance for something important and i thought this was it. how does that make you feel when you read something like that? >> it's unbelievable. such an emotional time in the hospital and that was one of those -- that was one of those things that when we read that, i mean, the tears just -- just started to flow. just amazing, the outpouring

that we've seen from -- from really everywhere. you know, folks that know us, folks that don't know us, and, you know, u.s. been so appreciated. >> i just -- i just think it's -- just such a great sign of hope, you know what? we have youngsters coming up behind us that they will do well for us and we'll be okay as a -- you know, community and as a country, because we've -- we just have so much positivity around us. >> even after everything you've been through, all of the injuries you have to fight and battle every day, is that the message? the message of hope you want to take from this tragedy? >> absolutely. >> no question about it. in fact, you know, i said from day one, that's all i'm interested in talking about. i'm not interested in talking about kind of before the event or who or why. just the people who have been so amazing from the moment it happened. i mean, from the minute it happened and, you know, a minute later we had people there helping us and everybody that we

encountered through the entire process has been just absolutely amazing. >> okay. >> i say two minutes of negativity and hundreds of hours of positivity since then. so it just overshadows it. you know. >> we are in awe of your positive outlook and all behind you here as you make progress every day in your recovery. ron and karen, thank you for joining us. really appreciate it. >> best of luck to them. best of luck to them. ahead on "starting point" thousands forced to flee from a wildfire in california, santa barbara county. what is being done to control this. moving quickly here. this guy playing guitar, you know what else he's doing? getting brain surgery. we'll speak with the surgeon who made this absolutely unbelievable image possible. the first time i saw a sony 4k tv, it was like opening my eyes. it's four times the detail of hd. colors become richer.

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our "starting point," after the cruise ship caught fire, more than 2,000 passengers return home today. what do these cruise disasters, why do they keep happening? such a nightmare for an

american family as a mother and grandmother sits in a mexican jail cell accused of smuggling marijuana. could she go free today? incredible new video from inside a torn. how the photographer captured this powerful force of nature. and then there is this. ♪ >> and that is actor brad carter playing guitar there. the impressive thing? doing it during open brain surgery. my word. somehow that possible? i'm john berman. >> and i'm christine romans. >> up first, a dream vacation up in flames at sea. 2,200, angry, frustrated passengers stranded in the bahamas, waiting to be flown back to baltimore. royal caribbean's "grandeur of the sea" caught fire off the

coast of freeport. erin mcpike at baltimore's international airport where some passengers will be returning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, john. that's right. they will be coming on chartered flights to this airport later on today and tomorrow, some of them stayed on the ship last night. others put up in hotel rooms in freeport, because, of course, that ship had pretty bad damage after it raged in fire more than two hours, sunday night and early monday morning. the entire back end of a massive ship. scorched. more than 2,200 passengers aboard a bahamas bound cruise roused by a terrifying wakeup call early monday morning. >> the emergency lifeboats have been lowered. and we are in our lifejackets. 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 up

end a caribbean vacation for thousands of passengers. this time, a fire aboard royal caribbean's "grannure of the seas." katy coleman, passenger, told cnn -- >> the most terrifying thing in my life. >> reporter: in february, an engine room fire on the carnival "triumph," shutting down power and the ship's sewer system for days. one month later, carnival's "dream" lost power from a generator failure while in part and now royal caribbean has its own set of problems. royal caribbean said in a statement, on monday, may 27, at approximately 2:50 a.m., "grandeur of the seas" experienced a fire on the mooring area of took three. the fire has been extinguished. but the captain deemed it necessary to muster all guests at assembly stations. all passengers found and safe, but some took the message board of cruise critic and complained there was fainting and vomiting

as they waited for hours. the "grandeur of the seas" just renovated last year. it was rerouted to the bahamas and adam goldstein, ceo, surveyed the damage. the national safety board and coast guard will investigate. now, royal caribbean is giving a full refund to all passengers, as well as a voucher for another free cruise, john and christine, i don't know if you have ever read tina fey's 2011 book "bossy pants." i have. she talked about a cruise ship fire on the cruise she took for her honeymoon. and a pretty funny chapter. she will never take another cruiseship after a cruise ship fire, not sure i would want to take one either. >> some passengers may go ahead and take the freebie. i am with you. i might pass. >> thank you for being with us.

an american wife and mother accused of smuggling pot in mexico may find out today if she will go throw. the woman arrested last week as she and her husband, gary, returning by bus from a family funeral. the officials say they found marijuana under her bus seat. maldonado says she was innocent, and a mexican official says she was framed. we asked her husband why someone would set them up? >> it's all about giving money here, so the military was the only one there at the checkpoint, so from what i hear, that's a regular occurrence. >> the family says the mexican consulate is working on the case and arizona senator jeff flake had several conversations with the deputy mexican ambassador to bring her home. the latest developments that really fwriped us all. the dramatic escape and rescue of three women in cleveland from the home of their kidnapper,

aerial castro. they tasted freedom three weeks ago. pamela brown talked with the neighbors of those trying to help the girls about how things are going now. pamela, what can you tell us? >> reporter: kl, jowell, john, girls continue to receive significant financial help. a few weeks after ariel 'arrest, the neighbors are trying to put a disturbing past behind them, but castro's home, right behind me, all boarded up, guarded by a fence, a haunting reminder. anthony westry lives 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 all these years they were just two doors down? >> with the boogieman. >> reporter: he's talking about ariel cast rock the man accuro. the man accused of holding the

women for years. neighbors are just trying to adjust to the new normal. if we spent a day with you with what happened almost right next door? >> almost like a mardi gras, constant stream of cars. >> reporter: this is an eye sore for this neighbor. >> the house of horror, and, you know, u.it's in any backyard. we want to knock it down. >> reporter: 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, and we're trying to channel those now more toward contributions to the fund. >> reporter: chris kelly the jones day law firm runs the courage fund set up for the three women and little girl rescued this month. raising more than $650,000 with

funds to be equally distributed to four separate trusts. what does it say about the girls that they put it in a trust rather than take it directly? >> they have the savvy and sense to know that they -- they want to have the moneys 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 having gone through this ordeal and come out of the, start to heal and move forward so quickly is amazing. >> reporter: and if you would like to learn more about how to help the girls if to cnn.com/impact and click on the cleveland courage fund to learn more. and meantime, we spoke to aerial castro's attorneys this morning and theyly to us -- they confirmed that ariel castro will plead not guilty to any charges he faces and they expect an indictment sometime in the next few weeks.

>> what about the man who helped rescue those girls? how is charles ramsey doing now? >> reporter: well, charles ramsey has certainly become a global sensation, ever since he helped rescue amanda berry, and he's been to washington, d.c. and been to kentucky just recently, to look at a statue being built of him that will come here, put in a museum in cleveland. there is a video game with charles ramsey in it. we have spoken to some of his friends and charles ramsey trying to stay out of the spotlight. he enjoyed fame a little while, but now wants to go out of the spotlight and put the focus back on the girls. >> pamela brown, thank you. a u.s. fighter jet pilot rescued after bailing out over the pacific ocean. 70 miles east of fic iokinawa. the pilot pulled out by a

japanese coast guard unit. the cause of the crash under investigation. an army of 700 firefighters ready to do battle with a fire in santa barbara, california. it happened yesterday afternoon, possibly at a campsite. it burned about 1,000 acres and just 5% contained. it forced up to 6,000 people out of a popular camping area on memorial day. firefighters hope doesn't weather will get them under control. >> what it feels like, sounds like, and looks like in a tornado packing winds up to 175 miles an hour. these pictures taken yesterday in smith county, kansas, by a storm chaser. they are from "tornado alley." they drove their tornado intercept vehicle right into this oncoming twister this is what the specially designed vehicle looks like. the instruments on the roof ripped away and a door and hatch

torn open, but everyone made it out safe and sound. >> that is crazy. ahead on "starting point," the man accused of killing trayvon martin back in court today. the judge will decide what jurors get to see and hear. is there a chance that george zimmerman's trial could be delayed? and incredible new video of actor brad carter playing guitar while doctors operate on his brain. the surgeon who led this impressive surgery. you're watching "starting point."

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block damaging testimony who said he heard the unarmed teenager begging for his life in the back of a 911 call. victor blackwell joins us this morning. >> reporter: good morning,mark o'meara, the it was attorney, says he needs more time to prepare for trial. he's asking for six weeks. the judge is committed to staying on schedule. that may be the most difficult argument for the defense team. we'll find out if information from tray vovon mart you know's past will be introduced. the suspension history and information from his cell phone, they want to be left out of the courtroom. they don't want the photographs and text to be releaseded. they show him breathing thick smoke and with gold front, gold false teeth and holding up his

middle fingers and a photograph of a small marijuana plant and gun. the text messages reference marijuana, where he said i hid my weed. it's wrapped. and text messages that suggest martin was trying to sell a gun. someone writes to him. you want $150 for the .38? >> no. i'm fixing to get it too late. the assistant attorney has not spoken about the evidence, not spoken about the trial. but the attorney for martin's parents has spoken. mark o'meara has spoken. what they have to say about the phone information. >> not sure if it's recreation, that he's used to fighting, used drugs in the past. but many 17-year-olds have as well. >> are they trying to say that zimmerman was killed for killing trayvon martin because of the way he looked? the same stereo typical mind-set

that caused zimmerman to get out of the car and chase trayvon martin. that's not acceptable in america. >> reporter: the state is asking for the evidence to be admissible. no guarantee that -- i'm sorry, the defense asking for it to be inadmissib inadmissible. no guarantee it was going to be introduced. zimmerman's attorneys wants to make sure if they attack his character, his client's character, they think the jury should see this information. >> a lot of people positioning before this trial begins. victor blackwell, thank you so much. >> let's talk more about this case with jose baez, yauthor of "presumed guilty." what is the defense trying to do in its portrayal of trayvon m t martin? are they hoping that a jury would be prejudiced against the dead teenager because of gold

fronts and pot smoke? >> i think what they are trying to do is trying to portray trayvon in a certain way to kind of offset, that this isn't the 12-year-old boy we saw on the cover of "people" magazine. i think this only gets admitted by a very small, small percentage. it probably will get excluded. the only time any of this behavior becomes relevant is if mr. zimmerman was aware of this type of information about fights and things like that. so the drug use might be relevant if they try to portray that he was on drugs that evening. i know in the 911 call from mr. zimmerman, he does mention that the suspect looks like he's on drugs or something, so that's probably the best thing that will get admitted. >> and what about a list of audiotapes that on the one hand it says that george zimmerman, sounding like an evangelist and

on the other hand, they heard trayvon martin screaming. is this lukely to get admitted? >> it is, since florida moved from a fry to a daubert state, though i don't believe that the governor signed off on that. i think it will get admitted. they have to have a hearing challenging it. i'm surprised it hasn't happened already since jury selection two weeks away. the likelihood is strong. can george zimmerman get an impartial jury where this case for a year has been a big case in the public? >> i don't -- i don't think the issue here is going to be that the publicity as much as it will be the community involvement in seminole county. now, the defense sought out the case to be in seminal county. what's fascinating, the jury selection, this case one or lost in jury selection, the defense doesn't want to have certain

types of jurors on there, and so does the prosecution and that really will be the key to this case. >> you say certain types. can you spell out exactly what you mean so there is no confusion? >> i think we want -- the defense wants people who are very strong advocates of gun rights and gun -- not gun control freaks or anything like that. i also think they will try and exclude african-americans. >> and others? you think mothers on that jury could be tough too? a mother can see her son pretty easily in trayvon martin? >> mothers of other children. children who are in their late teens, yes. but it's usually the opposite way around, the defense usually wants more african-american jurors on their panels, and i -- well, it all depends on the case, generally speaking that is the norm when it comes to defense cases. >> jose baez, thank you for

being with us. >> jury science so inexact. we have completely misjudged the jury. we thought we went in with all this science about what the jury would do. that's what makes it so interesting. president obama facing a series of controversies. can he get his momentum back? >> ever wanted to know what a cru krusty burger tastes like or get a duff with homer simpson? now you may get your chance. introducing the best civic sedan yet. made possible by honda.

minding your business. big open for stocks. dow futures up 100 point.

nasdaq and s & p pointing higher as well. the bounce back after last week's losses. and bank of japan will continue to pump money into the system. did you enjoy your three-day weekend? guess what? maybe you didn't get paid for y yesterday's day off. the united states is only advanced nation that doesn't require paid vacation. japan is next closest with ten paid vacation days, at the other end of the scale, workers in france get 30 paid vacation days. you live in austria, 22 vacation days, 13 paid holidays and a month's pay. a month's pay to put toward vacation expenses. >> doesn't seem fair.

>> 24 minutes after the hour. no place like homer, you might say. universal studios in orlando is opening its own simpson's mini theme park called springfield. opening this summer, built around the simpson's ride, part of the park in 2008. another ride will be added. and a krusty burger and grab a duff's beer at mo's tavern. no doubt expensive. doughnut. >> does the nuclear power plant leave? >> and the three-eyed fish. ahead on "starting point," a student accused of planning a columbine attack on his high school will go before a judge today. what his family says this teenager suffers from, next. more than 2,000 passengers stuck in the bahamas after their cruise ship caught fire. look at that. when can they expect to return home? we'll tell you, coming up. you're watching "starting point."

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welcome back to "starting point." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. another vacation cruise from hell. 2 2,200 passengers stuck in the bahamas, waiting to fly back to baltimore. the cause of the fire not known. danielle miller told us by phone, she thought the ship was going down. >> the first thing i thought was the boat could have been sink g i ing. it was extremely wavy. we didn't see smoke coming from deck three and we didn't know that there was a fire until they announceded it. >> the u.s. coast guard investigating the fire. passengers offered a full refund for this cruise and a voucher

for a free cruise in the future. >> following new developments in an alleged plot to blow up an oregon high school. grant acord, caused of planning a columbine style high school. they found numerous explosives and a journalist detailing plans. miguel marquez live in oregon for us. good morning, miguel. >> this is a very disturbing story. police caught him. a mature plan, but & it sounds as if a friend or family turned him in. he was prepared to carry out a coordinated attack against his school. >> this is the case of a planned assault on a target-rich environment. and that target-rich environment is the west albany high school.

>> reporter: hidden in a secret compartment in the floorboards of his mother's house, they found six explosive devices, including pipe bombs, bombs made from drano, molotov cocktail and n naplm. >> reporter: he will be charged with unlawful possession of a deadly weapon and attempted aggravated murder. authorities laid out their theory. >> in this case, we would be relying upon evidence of plan. in other words, what is the intense, diagrams, checklists, a plan to use explosive devices and firearms to carry out a plan specifically modeled after the columbine shootings. >> reporter: the 1999 in columbine, colorado, involving bombs and several powerful guns,

killing 13 and wounding 21. authorities are not yet saying how far along acord was in his planning. he is a quiet teen and doesn't fit the bill of a killer. >> you don't think that will happen in your neighborhood. and especially by a quiet young man. >> reporter: authorities say the 17-year-old will be charged as an adult. now, the parents of grant says he suffered from pandis, a very rare disease that triggers ocd or tourette's like symptoms who people who experience strep throat or any sort of bacterial infection, in very few people. they have expressed concern and we expect to hear more from them, but certainly more from authorities when mr. grant is arraigned here in corvallis. >> as you said, a disturbing story, but lucky it was caught. miguel marquez in corvallis,

oregon. thank you. to chicago now. a 6-month-old girl shot and killed sitting in her father's lap could get justice. police announcing an arrest. 33-year-old coleman willis thought the baby's father had stolen a video game console, and he was out for revenge. willis is a gang member with nearly 40 prior arrests. could the deadly explosion in west, texas, be avoided. they could have implemented a fire code that would have prevented this. are investigators closer to know what caused the blast? ed lavendera live with the latest? >> good morning, john. people here in the town of west, texas, know that so far investigators have only been able to come up with an official

explanation that is simply labeled as undetermined. that could be the best answer they get. but that can't stop there. many of the people still have to keep on rebuilding and healing themselves. right in the middle that chaos was firefighter robert payne, which makes seeing him now, six weeks later, all the more remarkable. the explosion, do you remember it? >> don't remember it 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 until the next morning, waking up in icu. >> this was the blast site, payne trying to retreat and made it about 35 yards away, hunted a fire truck, which apparently shielded him just enough. the truck was left a mangled ruin, 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 in one place, and i was -- he described about 35 feet away. >> reporter: payne has nerve damage in his right arm, broken ribs, broken facial bones and bone chips in his leg and needs surgery to repair his right eardrum. but he's alive. 12 other first responders weren't so lucky. >> these are some of the fire fight eveers we lost. the mayor took us to the fire station. two new donated fire trucks and west firefighters just resumed handling calls again this past week. it has to be hard for the guys to get in here. >> they may not want to get back on the horse, but they have to get on the horse. we have to get on the trucks and go. they don't quit. >> reporter: hard work is just beginning. >> this is the foundation from the building that blew up. >> yes. there are pieces all over this

place. >> reporter: the mayor needs $4 million, just to fix sewer and water lines and several hundred homes need to be rebuilt, but he says 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 would the town reaction be? >> the reaction would be to the point where they wouldn't want to rebuild anyway. >> reporter: and, john, that immediate area around the blast site is still pretty -- uninhabitable for the people who still live in those homes. we drove around the last few days, see people beginning the process of cleaning up, rebuilding, rebuild or start over and what is really striking here is the two schools, the middle school and the high school very close to the blast site, those two buildings destroyed, unusable, and the mayor says it will take at least two years before those students will be able to come back and learn in those schools. they will be learning out of

temporary school housing for the next two years. john. >> a lot of work ahead. a long road. ed lavandera, thank you, ed. a busy month ahead from the supreme court. between now and the end of june, the high court expected to issue 30 rulings, including several politically explosive cases, the supreme court will rule on same-sex marriage, the use of affirmative action, the future of voting rights act and gene patents. the justices have scheduled five public sessions to announce sessions. bipartisanship will be on display and president obama gets together with new jersey's governor chris christie, for a look at post sandy progress on the jersey shore. dramatically different from what they witnessed seven months ago and may score political points, but the big picture, they have the second term moving. the administration has been side tracked by controversy. briana keilar live from the

wousd. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, christine. immigration reform, the economy, gun violence, those are the things that president obama wanted to be focusing on during the second term. instead, plagued by controversies. it hasn't affected his approval rating, you might be surprised, at least not so far. benghazi, the justice department's surveillance of journalists and the irs. controversy swirling and the republicans smell blood. >> we're seeing from the administration an arrogance of power. >> conservative groups are seeking tax exempt status. condemnation from the president. >> it's inexcusable, and americans have the right to be angry about it, and i am angry about it. >> reporter: the head of the irs tax exempt unit placed on leave last week. >> i have not done anything

wrong. >> reporter: after invoking fifth amendment rights before congress. the justice department launched a criminal investigation. the justice department at the center of another controversy. seizing phone records of reporters at the associated press and from james rosen of fox news. even though eric holder told us this. >> with regard to the potential prosecution of reporters for not releasing records, that would not be appropriate. >> reporter: rosen could be a cocoon spira for. holders must review guidelines and consult with media organizations. >> i'm troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the ve investigative journalism. >> 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: and then there is benghazi. did the administration downplay the role of terrorism in the attack in libya, that included four people, including u.s. ambassador chris stevens. several suspects have been identified, though not arrested in libya. u.s. ambassador thomas pickering, co-author of a state department review, agreed to brief members of congress. how is president obama weathering all of this? quite well so far anyway. approval rating has remained steady, likely buoyed by the economy. unemployment down to 7.5% and in a recent survey, one-third of americans polled said economic

conditions are good, up from march and december. john and christine. >> certainly the conversation in washington has not been about recent progress in the economy, about the controversies. briana, thanks. ahead on "starting point," incredible. i'm going with wicked incredible. a man undergoing brain surgery playing guitar during the operation. that story coming up. stay with us. she got a parking ticket... ♪ and she forgot to pay her credit card bill on time. good thing she's got the citi simplicity card. it doesn't charge late fees or a penalty rate. ever. as in never ever. now about that parking ticket. [ grunting ] [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card is the only card that never has late fees, a penalty rate, or an annual fee, ever. go toiti.com/simplicity to apply.

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welcome back to "starting point." let's look at the weather. >> it's getting wetter. raining in the midwest for days. >> a broken record. >> i'm sorry people are sitting in it. 8 to 10 inches of rain over the midwest. some places saying 4 to 5 today. we know the flooding concerns are still out there. look at all of the watches and warnings. even us in the northeast, we'll talk about more rain. with that as the warm front passes, 25 degrees warmer behind the warm front. exactly why we call it a warm front.

in texas, drying out. the one thing we're really concerned about. the warm, moist air from the gulf of mexico and the cold air, clashing. this is entering east. rockies and threat for severe weather setup. it looks like slight risk will be tomorrow, a threat for tornadoes in oklahoma again. >> may tough in tornado alley. >> it is. a teenager in utah has no elbows that bend and only three fingers on each hand. his passion? playing the piano. we have this week's story on this week's "human factor." ♪ >> nothing makes landon weeks happier than singing and playing his piano.

but as you listen to him play, look closely. something about this 16-year-old may surprise you. weeks was born with a condition called fokomelia. a rare birth defect that affects upper limbs. >> fused radius and ulna, and my elbow is like bent backward, so it's in and i have two fingers and my slanted thumbs. >> reporter: and yet there are few things weeks can't do. zip lining, horseback riding and one of a small number of boy scouts to earn every available merit badge. >> this is drama, you have to make up like a panto mime thing and act it out. let's see. cycling. you have to too a 50-mile bike

ride. >> reporter: playing the piano is his first love. weeks started lessons in the fourth grade, and he practices two hours a day. his dream? to play for audiences around the world. ♪ when i see my arms there's nothing a thing that i would change ♪ ♪ because they are amazing just the way they are ♪ >> he's already won over local audiences. playing at assemblies around his hometown offing ing oogden, ut. and he even gets phone mail. he says his short arms are a gift, not a disability and shares wisdom with children that he performs for. >> keep going, never give up. keep trying and it will come to you eventually. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. >> that kid is amazing. >> never give up. never give up. >> ahead on "starting point,"

take a look at this. this guy, he's playing guitar, what else is going on? doctors are operating on his brain. brain surgery. we will speak with the surgeon who made this possible, you're watching "starting point."

fo > good morning. a patient undergoes brain surgery at ucla.

he is awake, strumming guitar. >> at least i have principles. >> they don't cost anything. >> you may recognize brad carter from his roles on "true blood" or "csi." but what he's doing offscreen he may be most remembered for. the 39-year-old actor and musician is about to undergo brain surgery to correct a condition called benign central tremors. >> putting off. trying to figure out why this is happening. so hopefully this will help that today. >> the neurological disorder causes carter's hands to shake, to treat it, his doctors at ucla medical center must operate while he's awake. doctors even had carter play guitar during the procedure. strumming the guitar chords helped guide surgeons as they placed an electrode in his brain. >> music is really important to

me, so i'm hoping this will allow me to do that, to allow guitar. i'm a finger picker. i want to record. i want to perform live again. >> reporter: carter, the 500th person to undergo the surgery at ucl aand first in the world to have brain surgery covered live for the world to see on twitter and short video share app, vine. he hopes sharing the videos will help other patients that are battling this disorder. joining us now is the neurosurgeon who led the team on brad carter's surgery. it didn't hurt him? he wasn't in any pain, and by strumming the guitar it was guiding you what to do? explain that to us. >> absolutely. we do the surgery to help patients with tremor. we want to personalize the surgery and treating symptoms most important for the patient. we had his bring his guitar,

that was such an important factor in his life and we were able to see how he played the guitar before we put the electrode in thinks brain, once we put it in and stimulating the brain, able to see an improvement in the performance. >> awake? >> go ahead. >> awake during brain surgery. seems so strange. playing guitar during brain surgery. >> right. we have -- we do this all the time this is our standard protocol for how we do the surgery. make sure the patient is absolutely comfortable throughout it all. we do it awake because everybody's brain is a little different. no matter how perfect we think the surgery is, we like to test during the surgery and make sure we are getting the response we want. >> the same comes from the incision and opening the skull, but it doesn't hurt to actually be, you know, doing surgery on someone's brain? >> no. absolutely not. so once -- like you said, the skin incision and opening the

skull can be a period of discomfort. we keep the patient sedated during the period. once everything is opened, no pain receptors during the surgery itself. we are able to put electrodes in and do the testing without significant discomfort. >> not only did you have musical accompaniment during the brain surgery, but putting out live on twitter while you were doing it. why the social mediacom upon nent? >> in this age of internet technology. a lot of patients doing more and more research on the own. this would be a good opportunity for a medical center, an expert center to put out some information about this type of therapy. we know there are a lot of people who don't know about deep brain stimulation or the brain pacemaker that can help the tremor. for those who do know about it, a lot of fear about it. we thought this was a good opportunity to teach them. >> the team shot a video before the surgery, where his hand is

tremoring, essential tremor he has, and after the surgery, you noticed an improvement. we'll show that video but tell me how he's doing? >> so he's doing great. you know, he left the hospital the very next day. as you might expect with brain surgery, he's a little bit tired, but recovering really well. just with a little bit of pain, but doing quite well. you know, we do the surgery in two stages, we were able to control the tremor immediately during the surgery, but he'll come back for a second-stage surgery, where we put the generator in, and that's when we'll start turning it on and see the improvement long term and he will really enjoy the benefits long term. >> have you done this 500 times. that's amazing. dr. nader, thank you so much. >> can't wait to hear the new song when he comes back. "starting point," back in a moment. without bidding. don't you just love those little cereal boxes?

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happening now in the "newsroom," inside a tornado. the tornado intercept vehicle takes us into the fury. also, high school bomb plot thwarted. drano bombs, napalm. did a neuropsychiatric disorder lead a teenager to violence? yet another cruise from hell. >> the emergency lifeboats have been lowered. we're on deck at 3:00 a.m. in our lifejackets. >> frantic moments from "grannure of the seas." king james, good-bye basketball, hello football? live in "the cnn newsroom." good morning, thank you so much for being with me. i'm carol costello.