that benchmark. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper. i'll turn you over to wolf blitzer right next door in the situation room. take it away. >> thanks very much. happening now, president obama and governor chris christie are together again on "the jersey shore" and they both have something to gain from this visit. house lawmakers now investigating the attorney general eric holder and whether he lied to congress. plus, a truck and a train collide and the resulting derailment sparks a possible hazmat crisis. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." they were first brought together by superstorm sandy last october. today the president and the new jersey governor both teamed up once again seeing the results of billions of dollars in federal disaster aid and rekindling what you could call their bromance. our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin travels with the president today

to new jersey. she is joining us now live. jessica, how did it go? >> reporter: wolf, the reunion was short and sweet with a short-term upside for both men. political odd couple together again. >> let me first of all say thank you to governor christie for that introduction and the great work he has done here. >> reporter: visiting a reopened boardwalk and facing off on an arcade game where the president went 0 for 5. but no worries. the governor won him a stuffed bear. the obama/christie political bromance started days after superstorm sandy devastated new jersey and the president promised -- >> we will not quit until this is done. >> reporter: since then the federal government has poured more than $3 billion into the state. for a governor facing re-election, this visit is a

chance to highlight progress rebuilding after the storm. >> it's pretty amazing what they've done. >> and win some free media for the shore. >> welcome back to "the jersey shore." >> the jersey shore is back and it is open for business. >> reporter: that's got to be a plus for christie, who was slammed for spending $25 million in federal funds on this ad campaign. >> because we're stronger than the storm. >> reporter: the president's return is not without long-term political risks for new jersey's republican governor. just months after he welcomed the president last time, he was not invited back to the annual gathering of conservatives known as cpac, important to gop presidential hopefuls. and the latest visit showed off plenty of fresh material for future gop attack ads. so far in this blue state his bipartisan approach has been a political plus. >> i really must think him and the president work together and that's the way they should be

working together in washington. >> reporter: since sandy christie's poll numbers have risen 15 points. now at 69% approval in the latest survey. the governor told nbc news when the president wants to visit -- >> i'm the governor. i'll be here to welcome him. >> this resident who was also a little league coach says the dieting mr. christie should apply his governing principles to his waist line. >> i'll stoug him that just got to get in a training program and stick to it like he is sticking to his promise to help the people here in new jersey. >> reporter: wolf, the president had something to gain from this visit, too. it gave him a chance to pivot away from the controversies in washington and to focus on an example of government working. wolf? >> what does it look like to you over there along the jersey shore, jessica? business back almost to normal? >> reporter: well, here where i am on the boardwalk it is remarkable. the people i've talked to said it was places that were completely decimated have been

brought back to full functioning order. you wouldn't know a storm has hit here, wolf. it was open for business all day long. there are other parts of the state where there is real devastation still and the governor acknowledges that and says more work is yet to be done. they're on their way. >> i'm sure there's a lot of grateful people in new jersey right now, grateful to the federal government for stepping in with those billions and billions of dollars. thanks very much, jessica yellin traveling with the president. let's dig a little bit deeper right now with our chief political analyst gloria borger and chief national correspondent john king. who gets more out of this visit today, the president politically we're talking about or governor christie who is up for re-election as we all know? >> i think it's a win-win for both men. who gets more? i'll be a little contrarian and say governor christie in the sense he is way ahead of his democrat opponent. he is in a blue state. why not play it safe? you spend more time with the most popular democrat in the country. does it hurt him in 2016? maybe. but it fits chris christie's dna. what does the president get?

he's out of washington. if you look at the irs controversy, many of the other things, his critics say can't run a lemonade stand essentially. obama critics say they don't manage the government very well. fema, i was just in oklahoma. you have a republican governor there, republican governor christie all across the country fema gets high marks and the president deserves some credit for that. >> he certainly does. gloria, the republican strategist, our contributor, he wrote this. some republicans will not only never forget but never forgive. christie's embrace of obama is much like florida governor charlie crist's obama love. after jumping in bed with obama crist eventually had to leave the gop. >> come on, alex. i don't think so. look. chris christie has a problem in his own party but if you look at the national polls he's also the only one who can give hillary clinton a run for her money. the republican party right now is split. you see john mccain fighting

with republicans in the senate and you're going to see the same issues with chris christie. i would argue that the visit from the president doesn't hurt him any more than he already has been hurt because people believe he's moderate and if you don't like a moderate republican, you just are not going to support him. >> he has made this calculation that he is who he is and is going to call it like he sees it and stand with a president who helped his state, answered his phone calls, has checked back to see how you're doing. chris christie's calculation is there are some republicans who will never forgive me, they'll blame me for mitt romney's loss, not going to get their vote anyway. his take is if the party doesn't grow up using his words he'll lose anyway. but that if he can win a broader group of republicans who say this is a, absolutely no pun intended, here is a larger than life personality who has a chance to be somewhat of a different politician, different kind of republican like bill clinton was a different kind of democrat, if he can make that argument then that little fringe will get left behind.

>> i'll make a prediction here that the truth teller will be the most appealing kind of politician in 2016 because people are waiting for one and that is exactly chris christie's brand. embrace a democrat if you're telling the truth and embrace a republican if you aren't. it's got a lot of appeal. >> i think christie looked better today than seven months ago the last time he was with the president. he clearly has lost some weight. take a look. before what he looked like seven months ago right at the height of the aftermafgt the storm and now look at him and the president, clearly his face looks thinner. he's lost some serious weight. he's had a procedure. i think it's paying off. he has a long way to go but clearly looks a lot better. >> do they always dress alike those men? look at them. >> matching ties. >> and jackets. set politics aside for a moment and take the governor at his word his top priority was his wife and children and family. that he wants to be there for them. he does have a long way to go but he's made key steps.

he is about 40 pounds lighter right now. god bless him and good luck. >> i feel the same way. standing next to president obama anyone can look a little hefty right? >> the president is tall and thin. >> yes. >> it looks great. >> i'm very impressed. thanks very much. two men assigned to the united states embassy in the veinsan capital have been shot but the state department is staying very tight lipped about the incident raising even more questions about what really happened. cnn's lisa sylvester is looking into this story for us. what are you finding out? >> well, we know that the two officials worked at the u.s. embassy in venezuela and this occurred after hours in northeast caracas. what we don't know is what led up to the shooting. the shooting happened early tuesday morning outside a night club in caracas. two members of the defense department assigned to the u.s. embassy in venezuela were hit. one in the abdomen the other in the abdomen and the leg. the state department confirmed the shooting took place but provided few details.

>> i don't have any more information about the extent of the injuries other than to say we don't believe they are life threatening at this point. this did not happen at the u.s. embassy compound. this was off site. >> where did it happen? >> my understanding is this was at some sort of social spot or somewhere outside of the embassy grounds. but in terms of the exact location of it i don't -- >> a social spot? do you care to be a little more -- >> i'm not sure if it was a night club or actual establishment. that's why we're in touch with the personnel -- >> was it in fact a strip club? >> i have no information on the site whatsoever. >> reporter: cnn has confirmed the shooting happened here at the antonella club 2012 located in the basement of a mall. local police are investigating and we're told family members of the men have been contacted. >> we'll wait until all the information comes out to establish what occurred there. right now, two people are injured. information is being accumulated

at the site of the incident. once everything is mapped out regarding the offense that took place there, we can provide an official version of the events. >> now both men were taken to the hospital and they are both expected to make a full recovery. we are waiting for more information from the department of defense. wolf? >> when you get it, let us know. lisa, thank you. up next a collision, a derailment, and a fire. they sparked fears about hazardous materials. we're going there live. and what's possibly the largest u.s. money laundering case, an alleged $6 billion scheme involving theft, fraud, child pornography, and drugs. all of it based on lying. all of it based on lying. stand by. at start off white, it yellows over time. when it comes to your smile, if you're not whitening, you're yellowing. crest whitestrips whiten as well as $500 professional treatments. guaranteed. crest 3d white whitestrips. you know who you are.

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we're following an ongoing emergency near baltimore. look at this. a collision between a truck and a train that led to a fiery derailment and giant plumes of smoke that prompted fears about toxic chemicals. cnn's shannon travis is on the

scene for us. what are you finding out? >> reporter: the fire is still burning. just thick plumes of black smoke literally bellching into the air. two of the train cars are still burning right now with about 60 fire emergency crews on the ground. we're told the nnts is launching a team to talk about what happened.

there were chemicals on the train but officials are talking about how dangerous they might be or might not be. there is a concern because some chemical is burning but we've been informed there were no toxins or inhalaninhalants whic be cause for concern if they were. >> does that mean the evacuation order -- >> it would be much more significant if there were toxin inhalants. from the incident to here and mainly commercial areas. >> reporter: now, wolf, that is a serious concern. no toxic inhalant we're hearing from the chemicals but any kind

of chemical spewing on fire and spewing the way they are right now obviously a concern. officials are saying there is an evacuation order for 20 block radius. that eslings means they're asking people to stay inside to close their doors and windows, not going door to door and telling people to get out. also one last thing, wolf. fire officials are saying this fire will essentially for now the plan is to let it burn into the night. why? because they don't know what the chemicals are just yet. they don't know where to attack, whether to attack with foam or water or anything else. >> they don't want to make a bad situation potentially worse. what about amtrak service along the corridor between washington and new york? it goes right through baltimore. any impact? >> that's right. obviously a good question. we're not hearing about any service interruptions just yet. this was a hazardous materials train with just two people onboard essentially an engineer driving the train and another

engineer in the back. so only those two people on the train, itself. we're hearing those two people are unhurt, wolf. >> all right. thanks very much, shannon. we'll stay on top of the story. another story we're following, an online money laundering scheme of staggering proportions. get this. $6 billion. the justice department says a major internet cash transfer business was a cover for crimes ranging from credit card fraud and identity theft to child pornography and drugs. our business correspondent zain asher is working the story for us. what are the charges they're facing? >> hey, wolf. money laundering and trafficking charges among others. the justice department and the u.s. secret service have taken down what is being called one of the largest international money laundering cases ever. officials shut down payment process at liberty reserve over the weekend. charges filed in new york tuesday call liberty a financial hub of the cyber crime world.

it works by allowing users to anonymously purchase liberty's online currency and transfer it to another anonymous account. according to a justice department the merchant who accepted the currency were overwhelmingly criminal in nature including traffickers of stolen credit card data, peddlers of various ponzi schemes, computer hackers for hire, unregulated enterprises and underground drug dealing websites. the government has arrested five defendants including the founder and cofounder of the company. two more defendants are still at large in costa rica, wolf. >> how did the government catch these guys? >> well, first the biggest red flag was the fact the company never registered with the treasury department any business that transmits money is required to do just that. secondly liberty reserve allowed accounts to be anonymous and unverified and that is precisely how the justice department caught them in the act. a law enforcement official opened and executed transactions

through an undercover account at liberty resnoiv the name of joe bogus and the address 123 fake main street in a completely made up city in new york. once joe bogus had an account he was able to accept payments for all sorts of illegal activity and the feds took it from there. they were kind of their own worst enemy, wolf. >> allegation of $6 billion of money laundering. thank you. when we come back, house lawmakers now questioning whether the attorney general eric holder lied under oath. we have details of the congressional committee investigation now under way. and a 17-year-old accused of plotting to bomb his high school in an attack deadlier than columbine makes his first appearance in court. stay with us. few industries are changing more rapidly than healthcare.

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another vicious and deadly day in iraq. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and some of the day's other top stories here in the situation room. what happened today? >> seven people are dead and dozens injured after a car bomb exploded in eastern baghdad while a local intelligence official is gunned down in a drive by shooting in the northern city of mosul. the deadly attacks are the latest in a recent surge of violence sweeping iraq largely tied to the growing conflict between the sunnis and shias. yesterday 57 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded in attacks across the country. and a big loss for george zimmerman in the upcoming trayvon martin murder trial. a judge ruling today that the defense is bard frred from admig any information about martin relating to his familiar ill yart with guns or alleged marijuana use in court though it could change if proven relevant. the trial is set to begin june

10th and zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the february, 2012 shooting and is currently out on bail. new questions about whether brazil is ready and prepared to host next year's prestigious world cup soccer tournament after a roof collapsed under heavy rain at one of its host stadiums. workers used buckets to remove water from other sections of the roof in the hopes of preventing further collapses. owners of the stadium say human error is to blame for the tear you see. the stadium is set to host matches in less than two weeks at the confederations cup in june. it was a huge day on wall street. the dow surging to another record high adding more than 100 points on the heels of more positive economic news. a new report shows housing prices had their biggest increase since 2007 and a separate may reading on consumer confidence hit a five-year high jumping much more than expected. the nasdaq and s&p also with good days today. good news all the way around as far as the markets are concerned. >> investors are pretty happy

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everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch, up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? happening now house lawmakers questioning whether the attorney general of the united states eric holder lied under oath. we have details on a congressional committee investigation now under way. plus six weeks since the boston marathon terror attacks we go back to the bombing suspects where many questions still remain unanswered. a royal first for camilla stepping out as a queen in waiting in a city steep in memories of princess diana. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

fresh trouble brewing on capitol hill for the attorney general eric holder. republican sources telling cnn the house judiciary committee is investigating whether he lied to lawmakers under oath. our chief congressional correspondent dana bash is here with details. house republicans are moving forward on this not holding back at all. >> that's right. it is the first day of summer unofficially and like welcome to the first summer of your second term mr. president. they are pursuing on a lot of fronts. let's start with eric holder the attorney general. they're looking at whether he may have lied to congress and according to testimony two weeks ago before the house judiciary committee when holder said he has never been involved in potential prosecution of the press. now, ironically holder was responding to a democrat who was lobbying him a softball question. watch this. >> we need to protect the ability of the first -- of the press to engage in its first amendment responsibilities.

>> i would say this. with regard to the potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material, that is not something that i've ever been involved in or heard of or would think would be a wise policy. >> the reason republicans are looking into whether that statement was misleading is because it turns out holder actually had approved a warrant for fox news reporter james rosen's private e-mails. and that warrant said there was probable cause rosen had broken the law which could mean potentially prosecution. legally there are lots of shades of gray here on both sides but politically especially, wolf, as you know when it comes to eric holder republicans have disdain for him so pounced on the ability to try to go after him particularly on something as dire as lying to congress. >> another house committee the government oversight committee darrell issa's committee, they're moving forward on a separate front as far as the benghazi atark is concerned. >> that's right. he used one of the sharpest tools he has and that is the power of subpoena. he sent a subpoena to the state

department today in order to try to get e-mails from some of hillary clinton's top advisers. you see them there. with regard to those infamous benghazi talking points. now the administration you remember just recently turned over a hundred pages of internal e-mails but what issa says is he wants more because those raised even more questions especially about the involvement of some of those top hillary clinton aides. of course the aides of somebody who may run for president in 2016. >> a lot of people are asking this question. the polls so far show none of these controversies have had much of an impact politically as far as the president's job approval numbers are concerned. so are republicans responding to what the polls are showing? >> you know, i talked to several republican sources, senior republican sources in the house today about that asking why are you guys still pursuing this so heavily when it looks like it is not penetrating at all? the answer was they say it's been a few weeks since this has bubbled over and they think there could be time especially

if they get something salacious or worse from their perspective. it is very interesting. republicans admit they are walking a fine library. they have tremendous pressure from the republican base to use the majority in the house for oversight of the obama administration. but they also remember and you remember very well the last time republicans investigated a second-term democratic president bill clinton. they went too far and it didn't go very well. that's why the speaker and other top republicans i'm told in private are very clear with the chairman, the rank and file, stick with the facts. don't get too heated in rhetoric. the other thing i think is really fascinating is that this is the packet they sent home with members of congress for the republicans for recess. so many issues on here. mostly dealing with the economy. oversight is the very end. they still understand the jobs and economy are what people will vote on issue number one and always will be. thanks very much for that. all right. good reporting. we'll get more on this controversy involving the attorney general of the united states eric holder being

investigated by the house judiciary committee for possible, repeat, possible perjury. this is an investigation that could go on for a while. the national political correspondent for "newsweek" and the daily beast has an excellent article that just came out about eric holder, which i read. dan, thanks very much for coming in. what's your reaction to this investigation now that he may have committed perjury, that he lied under oath? >> i think this would be an almost impossible case to make. you know, the issue here is did eric holder sign on to the prosecution of a reporter? he didn't. what he did was sign on to a pretty hard nosed tactic, legal tactic to try to get a search warrant approved. there was never any intent to actually prosecute james rosen. >> they used the word aiding or abetting or they used some other

technical terms. coconspirator. >> that's right. >> to make it sound like james rosen was being investigated for espionage. >> that's right. at the end of the day what eric holder said was, i would not support and have not been involved in the prosecution of journalists. that was never the intent here. the intent was to get this search warrant approved by a judge. sometimes prosecutors say things as legal tactics. i think that is what was going on here. >> it came across in the very good article you wrote that holder, though, himself would acknowledge that politically he was sort of tone deaf as far as the potential fallout from this -- these actions going after the news media. >> yeah. i think that's right. i think there are a lot of reasons that the justice department officials throw out as to why this was approved by the attorney general. one is that the attorney general and justice department was under enormous pressure from both, within the administration from the intelligence community but also from congress to crack down on national security leaks. but at the end of the day, i

think it really was the sort of cultural factor that prosecutors are trained to cast a wide net, get as much evidence as they possibly can, so that at the end they can sustain a conviction in court. and eric holder is a life long prosecutor and i think to some extent looking back on this he probably thinks that he had that same kind of tunnel vision that prosecutors all the way down the line who are in court every day have and that that may have influenced him, may have colored his views of this case. >> he had an exchange with a reporter today. on your article in "the daily beast" i'll play it right now. listen to this. >> yeah you're going to be working with you guys. we're going to have a real frank, good conversation about this. and i think we're going to make some changes because i'm not satisfied with where we are. >> is it right that you have regrets? was that a right term at the time, daily beast? >> i'm not satisfied.

not satisfied. >> okay. >> are you going to have meetings this week? >> i hope so. >> meetings with news media executives because the president has charged him with coming up with a new plan if you will. he acknowledges based on what that exchange, your article is right. he does have regrets. i'm sort of surprised because he is not a newcomer to the world of politics. he was the deputy attorney general during the clinton administration. i got to know him during that time. he is a pretty sophisticated, hard nosed political guy. in addition to being a prosecutor and the attorney general of the united states. >> yeah. i think he probably would say that in this particular case his politic political -- it was not sharp enough. it's not politics in the crude sense. in the larger sense that you have to understand when you're prosecuting cases, when you're investigating people, that there are larger implications or larger policy questions that you have to consider, and one of those is you have to find that

balance between cracking down on leaks and national security leaks, which the administration and others take very seriously, and what that does in terms of the free flow of information in a democracy. i think his view is he didn't strike that balance properly, which is why he's now going back to look at these guidelines and see how they might be able to avoid these kinds of problems in the future. >> if he had a do over i'm sure he'd be happy to do it a little different. >> he plays a little golf. it would go a mulligan. >> thanks very much for that. when we come back, six weeks since two deadly u.s. tragedies. cnn catches up with the parents of the boston bombing suspects in their native russia. we're in dagestan and we're also in west, texas, where survivors of the horrifying plant explosion are now struggling to put their lives back together. [ female announcer ] yoplait greek 100. 100% greek. 100% mmm... wow, that is mmm... it's so mmm you might not believe

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it's been about six weeks since this country was hit with two massive and deadly tragedies within days of each other. the worst terror attack on u.s. soil since 9/11 over at the boston marathon. and a fertilizer plant explosion in texas that killed 14 people. cnn isn't leaving either one of them as the search for answers goes on. we begin with our own nick walsh in the boston bombing suspects' ties to dagestan, russia. >> it's ban while since the parents of the alleged boston bombers were in the public eye. now they're back in dagestan and tired of questions. >> good morning. >> reporter: collecting the sick

father's medicine they are distraught. >> they see everything. they see all the evidence you know right there. >> reporter: they and a group of internet supporters insist the tsarnaev brothers are being framed. unanswered questions remain about tamerlan's sibs months here, relatives saying he innocently prayed, went to the beach, even as radical islamist militancy swirled around him. when tamerlan tsarnaev was here in dagestan last summer playing around with three to four friends of his on a beach like this just outside of town. the people who showed me the video wouldn't let me hear the audio or broadcast it but it shows tamerlan tsarnaev with a thick, black, bushy beard and silver rimmed aviator sunglasses in the characteristic slicked

back hair. his friends and him were wearing swimming trunks and some are buried up to their necking in the sand the demeanor of relaxed, playful men at a time when in the city and its outskirts just behind me police were regularly in clashes with radicalized militants. but u.s. officials have one question. did tamerlan meet with a key militant nidal? the half palestinian 19-year-old was killed in this standoff with russian special forces last may. police video shows women and children allowed out but negotiators told us he didn't want to give himself up. so russian troops moved in. among the ruins, neighbors asked why. >> translator: he was afraid to get into their hands, this man says, afraid that something worse than death awaited him if they got him. >> it may be the violence that engulfed this house, the victims of the boston bombings lost the

clearest chance they had of learning whether or not one of the alleged bombers, tamerlan tsarnaev, had key meetings with a militant here in dagestan. answers that may in the cycle of violence here never be heard. now to the town of west, texas where our ed lavandera is standing by live with a closer look at how folks there are struggling to recover from that horrific blast. what is the latest? >> here in the town of west, a lot of work. it was the first responders who responded to the fire at the fertilizer plant who really took the brunt of the casualties. 12 in all that were killed. there were a handful of them who raced to the scene and somehow are still alive today to tell their story. right in the middle of the chaos was firefighter robert payne which makes seeing him now six

weeks later all the more remarkable. do you remember the explosion? >> don't remember it at all. no. watched it in video and you 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. >> 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 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 were 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. he needs surgery to repair his right ear drum. but he's alive.

12 other first responders weren't so lucky. >> those are some of the firefighters we lost. >> reporter: west mayor tommy mushka 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 this past week. it's going to be hard for these guys to come in here. >> they may not want to get back on the horse but they have to get back on the horse. that whistle blows we're in charge now and we got to get on the trucks and go. >> reporter: the hard work is just beginning. >> this is the foundation of 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 does say one building won't be welcomed back. the fertilizer plant. >> we don't have the ability to say you can't build here. >> reporter: what do ung the town reaction would be? >> probably to the point where they wouldn't want to rebuild

anyway. >> reporter: a spokesman for the plant owner said that it is highly unlikely that he will rebuild himself that fertilizer plant but this community needs one so it is a question as to where it will go. many people here have said the cause of the fire that led to the explosion is officially listed as undetermined and many people here are kind of resigned to the fact that perhaps they will never know what caused the fire that triggered that deadly explosion. >> all right. thanks very much. ed lavandera on the scene in west, texas. coming up, an oregon teenager accused in a high school bomb plot appears in court. now his family says a rare illness may be the cause of his actions. plus, details of a very troubling report. it says chinese hackers have compromised some of the pentagon's most advanced weapons systems.

into "the situation room." moments ago, an oregon teenager accused of planning to bomb his high school in an attack dead leer than columbine shootings faced a judge the first time. we are learning some chilling details about the alleged plot. cnn's miguel marquez joins us from albany, oregon now. you were in court, what was going on? >> reporter: yeah, this was a video link where he is held. he looked like a scared, gawky, 17-year-old teenager, slumped in the chair. when the judge came in, he popped to attention, wasn't sure what to do. we have a little -- didn't say

much during the hearing, we have a little sound of him talking to the judge during it. >> setting bail at this time at $2 million and if you are released, there are some other conditions, you don't have contact with the high school. you also would require 24 supervision and you cannot possess any weapons if released. do you understand those terms? >> yes, your honor. >> reporter: it was pretty extraordinary to see this young man clearly under extraordinary circumstances, 19 counts the d.a. announced against him, no plea from his attorney. we will hear from them again june 4th. >> what was the plot? >> reporter: it is laid out in the documents the police

released today. part of it is harrowing. let me read you a little. worst case scenario, leave home with stuff in trunk at 7:30. wait until 11:00 a.m., drive to smoke spot to gear up. move to parking lot near the third exit. he planned out the exits here, parked backwards at 11:10. get gear from trunk, carry dufflebag, napalm fire bomb, walk towards school with airport stack, music from call of duty. dropped off, throw napalm, unzip bag, start firing. the russian grim reeper is here. in either entrance, throw a smoke bomb prior to walking in, proceed to enter the school, throw bombs through the school. kill myself before the s.w.a.t. engages me, wolf. >> was he very far off from

doing this? >> reporter: it appears he may have been farther off than authorities are saying. in this he did not seem to possess any handguns or rifles, he did want a high point on the wish list and moss berg pump action shotgun. the high point is what we come to use as assault type weapon, 9 millimeter based weapon. he wanted those. he wanted to build many more bombs before he carried out this attack. seems he was a little ways off. back to you. >> thanks very much. when we come back, online espionage by chinese actors. looking at a new report that says they've stolen information about critical american weapons. we will be right back. and her financial advisorria made a retirement plan, they considered all her assets, even those held elsewhere, giving her the confidence to pursue all her goals. when you want a financial advisor who sees the whole picture, turn to us. wells fargo advisors. even in stupid loud places.

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it is a royal first for cam i will a. she's stepping out on her own in an unlikely city. here is our cnn royal correspondent, max foster. >> reporter: wolf, it was a bold decision for camilla to come to paris, a city so closely associated with diana. this is part of her defining herself as a future queen. an iconic dutch brand, covetted by her husband's first wife. there are also stark differences. these are her first steps towards defining herself outside the uk. and luckily there are horses at hand, her big passion.

this is the dutchess in her element. she showed her down to earth side at a market, traders getting a glimpse into her sense of humor. so this is the piece of meat she tried. i thought she was very nice, he tells me, very agreeable. very in line with her status. >> she bought dresses for her grandchildren. what did you think of her? >> reporter: she was very nice, polite. she loved everything i sold. she was very respectful. and before she heads home, a must do for all visitors to paris. she went to see the mona lisa. all of this part of a long, slow emergence for a queen in weighting. that visit to the louvre capped a successful tour as it has been

seen by the french and international media. wolf? happening now. secret pentagon designs for advanced aircraft and weapons targeted by chinese cyber spies. i will ask the house intelligence chairman about this shocking security breach. inside the burned out caribbean cruise ship. passengers return home early and tell stories of freaking out during the fire. and brave or crazy? i'll ask a storm chaser about the remarkable way he shot video inside a tornado. >> ears are popping. >> i am wolf blitzer. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. you're in "the situation room." we're getting an extremely troubling new look at a growing

threat to america's military security, chinese cyber spies reportedly are hacking into blueprints for sensitive pentagon weapon systems in a much bigger way and more dangerous way than we ever realized. some defense experts now say the amount of cyber spying that's been revealed is staggering. cnn's brian todd is breaking it down for us. it is enormous what's going on. >> it is enormous. the u.s. traditionally had a technological advantage in military capability, but they're catching up. there are allegations they hacked their way closer to the top. they're the advanced combat system, f-18 fighter jet, a combat ship, a missile defense system. according to a new report, the designs for these and other high tech weapons have been breached by chinese hackers. a confidential version of the report from the defense science

board made up of government and civilian experts was given to "the washington post." the report doesn't accuse china of stealing entire designs, but if they didn't steal them, how did they compromise them? we spoke with a top security expert that did a report earlier on chinese military hackers. >> bits and pieces taken from many different sources, different laptops and computer systems that have been compromised. it is hard to take these pieces and gel them into one comprehensive picture of what might be being built or what the designs are. >> reporter: cnn couldn't independently verify the latest report findings. several members of the defense science board we contacted declined to speak to us. u.s. defense and other officials downplay the report, saying some of the information is dated, that they've taken steps to address the concerns. one saying, quote, the idea that somehow whoever the intruders were got the keys to the weapons kingdom is a stretch. but the pentagon has recently

accused china trying to extract information from u.s. government computers, including military ones. if the chinese even got into parts of a combat or missile defense system, how could they have gotten past the safeguards? >> there's engineering done in a defense setting, at a base. a lot of these places have been compromised for years. >> reporter: they have been off the charts in recent years, launched a satellite killer missile into space. in the past two years, deployed the first aircraft carrier, test flown the first stealth fighter jet. one expert tells me the technology for that was taken from the u.s. china's alleged hacking could be deadly for u.s. forces on the battlefield. i asked one expert about the publicly released part of the report on the consequences of cyber snatching of weapons technology. >> if you mess with the software, the airplane won't fly, the ship won't get to where

it is intended to go. >> reporter: they haven't responded to calls and e-mails about the report, but the chinese government repeatedly insisted it doesn't conduct cyber espionage on u.s. agencies or companies. >> the chinese, though, apparently have done this for years. you have been speaking to and lists and experts. how can the u.s. stop it? >> experts say there's no way to completely stop them. what top defense contractors have to do, reduce the target area in cyberspace, a lot are good at doing that. if they sense a breach, pounce or it, limit the impact. >> the u.s. spends billions or trillions of dollars on these high tech weapons. >> absolutely. >> the chinese go ahead and come in, get the blueprints, study this, and spend a pittance in exchange. >> they get bits and pieces then can piece together what it looks like. the aircraft carrier, stealth jet, they have that technology, they're catching up because of

this. >> thanks very much. later this hour, i will speak with mike rogers about the threat from the chinese cyber spies and what the united states can do. mike rogers here in "the situation room." let's go to baltimore where more than 2,000 passengers are returning from a cruise nightmare. they're telling dramatic stories about the fire that erupted monday night and their panicked dash to the decks for safety. erin mcpike joins us from baltimore. what are you hearing, erin? >> reporter: wolf, royal caribbean cruise line said they hoped to get all of the 2200 passengers back to baltimore today. so far from what we know, just two of the 11 chartered flights they have made it back. for passengers that arrived so far, they seem to be in pretty good spirits given the ordeal they've been through. more than 2200 vacationers started making it back to rainy baltimore on a fleet of 11

chartered flights. they cut their trips short, thanks to an early morning panic on a royal caribbean cruise ship. >> it was terrifying at first. >> scary trying to get them together, not knowing what was going on, what to crab, just to make sure they were safe. >> bad thing is we had to stand for four hours, but we didn't realize how bad the fire was. >> reporter: the ship, "grandeur of the seas" isn't in as good shape as the passengers, will be dry docked in the bahamas for repairs. royal caribbean says it will be awhile before they know the origin of the fire. >> it was reported to be a class a fire, didn't involve electrical components or flammable liquids, so it is kind of unusual, yes. >> reporter: despite the circumstances, cruisers gave cudos to the crew. >> the captain, the officers and crew could not have handled this incident any better.

>> yes, they were great, they were fantastic. >> i was pleasantly surprised in how it ended. >> reporter: and industry experts say royal caribbean has responded appropriately so far to the challenge. >> they have to be able to show them even though there was a fire on board the ship because of the high quality of construction on board that ship as well as the training of the crew that cruising is a very safe vacation. >> reporter: now wolf, a number of those passengers told cnn they would be happy to take cruises again, but travel experts told us because of the recent string of pr disasters for the cruise industry, they expect prices may go down for awhile, wolf. >> erin mcpike in baltimore for us. thanks very much. we are also just getting some new video in to cnn from that fiery train crash and explosion just outside of

baltimore. watch this. >> whoa! >> oh, my god! >> oh [bleep]. >> holy moly. >> a freight train and tractor-trailer collided setting off that explosion, triggering a fire. that has burned most of the afternoon. officials aren't sure what chemicals the train is carrying, but the railroad companies told them there are no toxic inhale and thes aboard. the truck driver appears to be the only person hurt. we will update when we get more information. president obama is sending a message today that disaster victims can and will recover on his watch. he joined republican governor chris christie, touring the new jersey shore seven months after superstorm sandy hit.

they visited shops that have been rebuilt and reopened. all of this is days after the president got a firsthand look at the tornado devastation in oklahoma. >> part of the reason i wanted to come back here was not just to send a message to new jersey but send a message to folks in oklahoma. when we make a commitment that we've got your back, we mean it. and we're not going to finish until the work is done because that's who we are. >> superstorm sandy caused millions of dollars of damage on the east coast. up next, two different people that claim they were set up. more on a mormon mother from arizona being held on drug charges in mexico. and the mayor of toronto is firing back at the news media and his own staff as he denies allegations he smoked crack. oh, he's a fighter alright. since aflac is helping with his expenses while he can't work, he can focus on his recovery. he doesn't have to worry so much about his mortgage, groceries, or even gas bills. kick! kick...

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as political scandals go, toronto has a whopper going on

now. the city's mayor is accused of smoking crack cocaine. we can't show you the evidence, for that matter hardly anyone has actually seen it. tom foreman is here to explain what's going on. what is going on? >> reporter: in the middle of the stanley cup, biggest event in canada, is there a video or not a video of toronto's mayor doing something wrong. mayor rob ford is on the ropes, but still punching as toronto city hall reels from blow after blow. it started when two reporters from the toronto star and editor from the website gawker said they were approached by men trying to sell a video purportedly showing the mayor smoking crack with drug dealers. one of those reporters, kevin donovan, is one of the few to have seen the alleged tape. >> he was rambling and he seemed to be high. i mean, there's no real other way to describe it than to say the mayor was high. >> reporter: but the toronto

star reporters didn't buy the video, which is allegedly still offered for around $200,000. and the mayor is attacking. >> there has been a serious accusation from the toronto star that i used crack cocaine. i do not use crack cocaine nor am i an addict of crack cocaine. as for a video, i cannot comment on a video that i have never seen or does not exist. >> reporter: wait, it gets better. >> did this come as a shock to you? >> no. >> reporter: since the video broke, he fired the chief of staff and two press aides quit after he went on the radio and called the media. >> bunch of maggots. >> reporter: he later apologized. >> i am sure you understand this has been a very stressful week for myself. that doesn't justify using the terminology i did. >> reporter: but wait, it gets better still. the star now reports police are looking into possibilities that someone else from the mayor's office tried to hunt down that

video, and the deputy mayor who also at first said the video did not exist now tells the star. >> i think if we could just get the video, we could analyze the video, see if it is doctored, if it is real and we could go from there. that would clear up a lot of things. >> reporter: mayor ford was in trouble before, accused of conflicts of interest, but he has remained popular with voters who like his policies and his common man approach. in washington, d.c., that formula led mayor marion barry back to power after his use of drugs. so he tweeted a picture of a birthday cake, thanks for all the support, passed out pieces to reporters, many of whom clearly wonder if he will wind up being served. >> who wants a piece? >> reporter: there are two views, wolf. there either is a tape, and if it surfaces, the mayor is cooked, or there is not a tape or one may never surface, in which case many think he is

popular enough to still survive the accusations. >> or if the tape exists, if the tape proves conclusively that he was doing it, the way he was described by the reporter could be that maybe he was drunk or whatever, too. >> reporter: many other possible interpretations. it comes down to a question about the tape which allegedly exists, the reporter said he has seen that precious few have. >> we will stay on top of this story as well. tom, thank you. in arizona, a long, anxious day for the family of a mormon woman, the mother of seven held on drug charges in mexico. we reported this story yesterday. her family insists she's innocent and victim of a setup. they have just received word about a court hearing that's been going on today. cnn's casey wian joins us from goodyear. what's the latest? >> reporter: wolf, the latest is the hearing you're speaking of has been going on since 10:00 local time this morning according to a family spokesman. he says four different witnesses

have testified so far, including yanira maldenado's husband gary, her father, and the person that drove them to the bus station was on that bus where mexican authorities claim they found 12 pounds of marijuana under yanira maldenado's seat. they have taken her into custody, she has been in custody since wednesday last week. the family was hoping she might be released from the mexican jail as early as today. authorities say that's not going to happen because the military officers who took them into custody at the check point in mexico will be testifying or at least are scheduled to testify tomorrow. here's what the family had to say to cnn earlier this morning. >> it's been tough, but yanira seems to be strong and holding up. she's not happy where she's at, but she has high hope that she will 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. what do you think happened here? do you think someone else put a package of marijuana on that bus? what do you think happened? >> it was either that packages were already on the bus or they were never on the bus and we were just framed, set up. >> reporter: more specifically, gary maldenado said he was specifically asked, wolf, to pay a $5,000 bribe to get his wife out of jail. while he was trying to raise the money, she was sent into custody. they say they're optimistic she will be released sometime this week, wolf. >> you'll stay on top of this. casey, thanks very much. coming up, frightening new details of a teenager's alleged plot. hear part of what police say is

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lisa sylvester is joining us with some of the day's other top stories. what's going on? >> hi, wolf. a shooting in a nightclub at a basement of a maul in caracas. they say investigators going in and out of the antonella 2012 club. they aren't giving many details. they say there were two department of defense personnel injured. the injuries not life threatening. a judge in oregon set $2 million bond for the teenager

accused of plotting a columbine style massacre at his high school. he faces 19 counts, including attempted aggravated murder. he didn't enter a plea today. his parents say he suffers from a rare mental disorder. investigators say the boy had six types of explosives, and get this, a minute by minute plan. we want to update you on breaking news from last night at this time. new york police say the abandoned vehicle that shut down the brooklyn bridge is registered to an owner in pennsylvania but aren't giving any other details out. bomb crews checked out the vehicle before declaring it not suspicious and opening the bridge. >> thanks for that update. up next, we have seen storm chaser video before, but not like this one. going to speak to a man who was inside a tornado and i'll ask the house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers about a plan to try to help the syrian rebels reportedly under

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happening now. designs for some of america's top defense systems compromised by chinese hackers. the house intelligence committee chairman is standing by live to talk about the growing danger from cyber spying. also, i'll ask a storm chaser what it felt like to be inside a tornado and shoot this remarkable video. and the nine-year-old boy that took on chicago's mayor. i'll talk to him about his fight and the way he fires up a crowd. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

back to our top story. a disturbing new report about chinese cyber spying on some of america's most advanced weapons and aircraft. it lists more than two dozen defense systems whose secret designs were targeted by hackers. joining us now, the house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers. mr. chairman, thanks very much for coming in. >> thanks for having me. >> you saw the story in "the washington post." chinese hackers have gone through all these plans that the u.s. spent maybe trillions of dollars onto develop some of the most sophisticated weapons and they stole it. how significant, how serious is this problem? >> it is tremendously serious. this is something the intelligent committees have seen for awhile, the intelligence community has been trying to get ahead of for awhile. the viciousness and the volume of attacks, not only by the chinese but russians and others, trying to get the blueprints of our most sensitive material is

just breathtaking, and they're getting better, so their capability for getting into systems and getting that kind of information, it is not just government networks, wolf, they're also doing the supply chain, anybody connected to the defense industry is vulnerable to this type of attack. >> can you confirm just "the washington post" story it was chinese military hackers if you will that stole all of this material? >> i can't confirm what they've gotten, i can tell you it was the chinese military and they have been aggressively pursuing, and i will tell you this, for folks at home, what does this mean to me, we in some cases have to go back for any material that may have been stolen as you can imagine and redesign it. it costs more money. it costs billions and billions of dollars extra to try to make sure we are staying ahead of our adversaries with technology. when they steal it, they leap ahead. that means we have to invest more, change that technology. it is a serious problem. >> in the real world, you can't blame the chinese trying to

steal it, blame the russians or others trying to steal this kind of stuff, but you can blame the u.s. national security infrastructure if you will if they can't protect this kind of information. >> well, here is something to think about. about 10% of the networks are government networks. we ask the intelligence agency to go overseas, find out what the bad guys are up to. they bring information back and do a pretty good job about protecting government networks. it is that 90%, there's a myth that the nsa and others are monitoring the private network, they're not. so what happens -- >> they should be. i mean, if you have these private defense contractors and their security is not good and they're getting access to all of this sensitive material and chinese hackers are stealing it from one of the big defense contractors, that's a major problem. >> it is a huge problem. we think we have a separate answer by allowing the government to share malicious source code with the private sector and private sector to share back, that should happen.

>> why hasn't it happened? >> it passed the house, i think we will get a bill this year, bipartisan bill sponsored by myself and ranking member that will pass in some form this year. i think that will happen. but remember, you don't want your government monitoring the 90% of the private sector networks. i think this is a uniquely american problem, but we have to have a uniquely american solution. i think we have that, and part of that is making all of the supply chain, everybody that makes the screws for a particular weapons system, to putting it together in final form. it is the weakness of the supply chain. >> it is one thing trying to steal blueprints and technology. it is another to use that hacking ability to undermine a power grid or communications network to do something like that that could grind a big chunk of the country to a halt. is there any evidence the chinese, for that matter the

russians, want to do that? >> absolutely. we have seen it is now and forever more part of military planning. we saw that in estonia, they took a statue of a russian soldier down from a square, did a vicious and effective cyber attack. prepped the battlefield before they went into georgia with a cyber attack before they sent their takes in. you know that now this is part of nation state military planning. they will launch an aggressive cyber attack when we are in conflict. what should worry people, yes, chinese have the capability, russians have the capability, but now who is creeping up are iran, south korea, still a ways behind. >> south korea. >> excuse me, north korea. apologize. we hope they have defensive capability anyway. >> you're saying iran and north korea have what? >> they're gaining in capability and not rational actors. china isn't going to necessarily shut down the electric grid unless we are in conflict. you can't say that about iran or

north korea. what's happening is that you've seen the iranians are here on our shores, they have been probing our financial institutions, we know that they have been probing certain electric grids and what not. that's a real problem for us because again, there's a cyber war going on now. most americans are aware of it. and it is not one we are well prepared to handle from the private sector's perspective. >> let me shift to syria while i have you. this report out that the u.s., the president asked the defense department to take another look at a no fly zone other syria to deal with bashar al-assad. maybe arm the syrian rebels. what do you think? >> we have to do something, it is destabilizing the region, it is not just getting involved in a conflict. will he be anthony is starting to deteriorate, the humanitarian crisis on turkey, jordan, the pressure it is putting on israel, you have every flavor of terrorist operating now in

syria. the problem, wolf, is that if it deteriorates, if it falls apart, if there's nothing left, you have all the terror groups that want chemical weapons and sophisticated conventional weapons. this is turning into a disaster beyond its borders, and i think we need to take some serious steps. >> you would support a no fly zone? >> i would but not necessarily the way some called for with planes. we can use arab league partners in the north and south, have weapon system capability that wouldn't allow helicopters and airplanes to cause havoc. >> what about arming the rebels? there's concern some of the weapons could get in the hands of el misra, al qaeda type group. >> the problem is those groups are being armed already. arab league folks have been in there a year providing weapons. the one thing that's been missing is u.s. leadership to make sure the weapons get into the right hands. so we have the unique

capability, this is not about troops on the ground, about engaging our air force. we want to use the arab league, then we can vet the folks that should be getting these weapon systems, train them, and give them intelligence packages. >> i hear you saying, going to wrap it up, you would support some sort of no fly zone and some sort of provision of hardware, weapons if you will, lethal weapons to the rebels? >> i would, in the cases we just talked about. >> under those circumstances. it is a tough situation. you have to be concerned if the weapons wind up in the wrong hands, which they easily could be. >> absolutely. >> congressman, thanks for coming in. >> thanks, wolf. up next, i ask a storm chaser about the special vehicle that kept him safe while he shot this wild video inside a tornado. and the zingers fly as he returned from political scandal to run for the next mayor of new york. i honestly loved smoking,

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there were plenty of jokes about anthony weiner's attempt after the scandal that forced him to quit congress. there's evidence that new yorkers are taking his mayoral campaign seriously. jim acosta is in new york for us. jim, what's the latest? >> reporter: wolf, anthony weiner has said he just wants a second chance from voters. judging by the latest polls for mayor in the big apple, he may get one. to the political pundits writing off anthony weiner in the race for new york city mayor, don't say forget about it just yet.

>> you can have a safe classroom where teachers can teach and students can learn. >> reporter: he resigned in disgrace after posting lewd photos online, received a warm welcome at the first candidate's debate and getting a serious look from the voters. latest mayor's poll shows he is gaining fast, five points behind the front runner, christine quinn. 53% say he deserves a second chance, and 39% say he lacks character to be mayor. >> are you getting a second chance, is that what this means? >> i said for the moment i got in the race, i honor the right people have questions for me. for the most part, questions people have been asking are things that effect their families. >> reporter: quinn dropped out of the event, organizers insist she helped set the date. >> we are disappointed, it is a loss unfortunately. >> reporter: wienner didn't seize on that in typical style.

>> i can't speak for any other candidate. >> reporter: publicly, he has changed. the subject of tabloid punch lines, he talks about lessons he learned the hard way. it's almost the same approach used by congressman mark sanford and his successful bid for redemption in south carolina. but in new york, the zingers fly fast. last year, governor andrew cuomo told a newspaper shame on us if weiner is elected. cuomo told reporters he was kidding. >> that was my comment on the mayoral race, we will let them run the race and see what happened. >> reporter: he joked he could handle the governor. >> honestly, he started it. >> reporter: while anthony weiner has reason to be encouraged by polls, he shouldn't get too excited. if no candidate in the primary gets 40% of the vote in the primary election this fall, there would be a runoff, then head to head matchup.

according to the latest poll, christine quinn, front runner, crushes him by 15 points. >> but there's a lot of time as they say in the world of politics. jim acosta in new york. thank you. the chicago mayor, rahm emanuel may prefer taking on republicans here in washington. compared to the political fury who doesn't want the mayor to close his elementary school. check this out. >> come into our schools -- you don't care about these kids. he is not caring about our schools and caring about our safety. he only cares about his kids. he only cares about what he needs. he does not care about nobody

else but himself. >> listen to this. a couple days after that speech and that rally, chicago's board of education voted to close dozens of schools and transfer thousands of students, but his school is one of four that received last minute reprieves and will stay open. and he joins us live from chicago. this is very impressive, shawn. how do you feel about that? how did you decide to get involved and speak so directly to the mayor? >> well, i got involved by when i first heard about the school closing, which is like -- like when i was at school, my teacher asked me did i want to speak, i said i would speak to fight for my school. >> did you prepare a speech, did you practice it, did you write it? tell us how you came into the rally? >> i came into the rally, i didn't know i was going to

speak, it was really last minute. first they asked my mom if i would speak, then they was like no, my mom was like no, i didn't want to speak. then they asked me did i want to speak, i said okay, i will speak. so it was pretty last minute, but i didn't have no script written or nothing. i just spoke from my heart. >> and you certainly did. your school was almost shut down, but at the last minute it survived. have you heard from mayor rahm emanuel? >> no. >> not yet. >> i did not. >> maybe you will after this show because i know he watches this show. if you could speak to him, what would you say to the mayor? >> i would say the mayor should not be coming in, closing these schools without you, yourself looking into these schools, and if you already know what is happening in these schools, why wouldn't you invest in them because you know how cps and the

mayor already knows about this. so why wouldn't you invest and help these schools out from what they need, but then you want to close them. that's why i didn't understand. you're closing schools that are like maybe underutilized and don't have everything that you want, but you never invested in them. >> a fair point, asean. they ask you someday do you want to run for president. i am told that would be your second choice, is that right? there's something else you would rather be when you grow up? >> yes. i want to be a football player, but for now i want to get back into acting and modeling. >> acting and modeling, and football player, and maybe someday after that you could run for president. the current president is from chicago, so there's a history of people coming from chicago and

winding up president of the united states. you never know what could happen. but you've got a huge future, asean, no matter what you do. thanks so much for joining us, we really appreciate it. good luck. >> thank you. >> asean johnson. we will be hearing a lot from this young man in years to come. did a great, great job in chicago. thank you. up next, amazing pictures from inside a tornado. we're going to talk with one of the men that survived this. look at it. students everywhere are looking for someone who can help them reach their full potential.

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we've all seen

now you are about to see and here what a tornado is like from the inside. this amazing video shot by a pair of storm chasers monday in smith county, kansas. watch this. brandon ivy, a storm chaser who was inside that tornado's joining us on the phone right now from wichita. what does it feel like being inside, literally, being inside a tank as you were right in the middle of a tornado? >> it was pretty intense. it was pretty exciting to try to get in there.

we're in a reinforced tank. basically a storm shelter on wheels, if you will. our mission is to try to get close and intercept some of these tornadoes to document them and collect information on wind speeds and temperature, barometric pressure and there's always fear in the back of your mind that, you know, what we're doing's risky. and there is an element of fear any time you go in to any of these tornadoes, especially a large one like we intercepted yesterday. your ears pop. it's noisy. sounds like a jet engine roaring overhead and what we intercepted yesterday was the strongest i would want to be in. >> tell us about the tank-like vehicle you use. how does the tank not get blown away? when i was in moore, oklahoma, last week, cars, suvs clearly seen, they were strewn around. looked like a war zone. how does your tank survive? >> well, this tornado is an open country and those are the tornadoes we are looking for.

we don't want to intercept a tornado with any major flying debris or flying projectiles and this is going through open farmland. didn't have a lot of debris but grass, rocks, dirt and that was about the gist of what was inside the tornado. we have a 16,000-pound tank developed by shawn casey and he's an imax filmmaker. we have flaps and spikes on the vehicle that go in to the earth a little over three feet that help keep us anchored and planted. so the vehicle we're chasing in is designed to intercept tornadoes up to ef-4 strength. as long as they're in open country and little in the way of debris inside that vortex. >> the tornado, moore, oklahoma, an ef-5. i have to tell you, brandon, a lot of people look at the video. they hear what you're doing and say, you know what? you're crazy. what do you ato these folks? >> well, i've been very

passionate about severe weather and tornadoes since i grew up as a kid in wichita. we had a lot of really nasty storms in the late '90s. and even in the early '90s in wichita and sparked my interest. i got a degree in meteorology and chasing since i was in high school. and every year you kind of, i guess, push the envelope a little bit further. but, you know, the goal and the mission behind what we're doing is trying to collect information to better understand these tornadoes so hopefully in the future we can give more warning, lead time when tornadoes are going to occur in the storms and also try to reduce the amount of warnings that are based solely on doppler radar and this storm failed to produce tornadoes. >> thanks very much for doing this. be careful. we'll stay in touch with you. we appreciate it very much. >> thank you. up next, very, very different story. jeanne moos with a special delivery. get this.

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whether at the ballpark or just ordering at home, jeanne moos has a story that will make you think twice before taking that first bite. >> 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! >> ew, gross. >> reporter: this special delivery was captured by an elevator security camera in st. petersburg, russia. the delivery guy took a total of eight bites and then closed up the box, straightened his outfit and presumably made the

delivery. >> oh. he's licking it, too. >> reporter: viewers recognized the box as being from a chain called tukos and they fessed up saying, friends, we realize that the pizza is so tasty that curriers cannot resist. but all the same time it was necessary to protect our clients from gluttonous staff. they showed a mock-up of a locked up pizza and said from now on the pets are sealed. some jokingly suggested a more innocent version of events. >> maybe they ordered no pep rowny and he was trying to quality control. >> reporter: the chain's idea of quality control was to fire the delivery guy. and if it isn't pizza, it's sno cones. video of an sno cone vendor in a men's room stall where the astros play. he was seated in the stall when a fan captured this image of his sno cones resting on the floor next to his feet.

>> no. that's disgusting. >> reporter: jay leno called it -- health code violation of the day. like the pizza guy, the sno cone vendor was fired. if you had to eat one or the other -- >> i think i'll have the pizza. >> for sure. >> i think i'd seat the sno cones. it's in the bath rom. >> but it's in a styrofoam. >> reporter: what was the pizza guy eating? olives? sausage? gives a whole new meaning to hold the popperoni. who knew it would be a delivery guy holing it? yaenne moos, cnn, new york. >> that's totally, totally gross. the pizza company, by the way, reports sales are up since the incident went viral. a spokesman says they have apologized to the people who received the tampered with pizza and that that customer has since reordered twice. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. you can follow us and what's

going on on twitter. tweet me @wolfblitzer. i'm filling in for anderson cooper on "ac360." until then, thanks for watching. "outfront" starts right now. "outfront" next, america's defense compromised. according to a report, chinese cyber spies breached more than two dozen american weapons systems. an inferno at seas. passengers were scrambling for safety. what was it like in their own words tonight? and a major setback for george zimmerman's defense. let's go "outfront." good to see you. i'm brooke