mirage, a distant gauze-covered memory, really. he's 4. i haven't seen him in 64 weeks. i don't know what his hair looks like, what his little voice is like, his language. and i have bad dreams about it all the time. you know, it's one of those things when i'm there, i'm just going to let him bring it to me. because i know people talk about this being jason patric's story. it's not jason patric's story. this is gus's story. gus was a little 3-year-old boy whose father all of a sudden dropped through a trap door and was taken away. whose parent took away every picture of him of his father, who never spoke about him again. this is gus's story. and it's about all these other children that are facing the same thing who do not have the voice and not able to open up the true narrative to what their loving relationships were. >> hopefully at the end of it, there's a little boy who's got a lot of love coming his way from a daddy who wants to be with him very much. jason patric, fred, thank you very much. keep us informed about the case as it goes forward. we're going to continue following it like we have from the beginning. >> thank you very much.

>> good to have you here today. let me get you right to the newsroom with ms. carol costello who's in washington. >> i am. thank you, chris. "newsroom" starts now. good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. it's not getting any easier in southern california as firefighters scramble to keep thousands of homes from going up in flames. it's a dangerous combination. record high temperatures hovering around 100 degrees. bone-dry conditions and gusty winds. it's all fueling nine separate wildfires. already there's a state of emergency declared in san diego county. >> oh, my god! oh, my gosh! oh [ bleep ]! >> omg is right. nearly 10,000 acres have already burned. tens of thousands of people have been told to leave. wildfires don't usually hit

southern california this badly this early. >> this is something i have not seen in my career. i've been in this fire service for 27 years. i haven't seen it this dry, this hot for this long in may before. and we've had extraordinary numbers of started fires, and each fire will be treated as a crime scene until it's proven tore accidental. >> akiko fujita is in san diego county. you just heard that fire official say, is this a criminal act? is an arsonist to blame for these fires? >> reporter: well, carol, i can tell you we just got an update from officials here on the ground, and there is some good news. 60% of the fire contained here in carlsbad. but i want you to take a look to the east of me here. we're going to go down the driveway, behind all the camera crews, behind those trees you see the plumes of smoke. that's the city of san marcos where crews are scrambling to gain the upper hand on this blaze that has spread overnight.

now, right behind me, you see this home completely destroyed. this is the kind of scene we're seeing all across san diego county. residents say they have seen fires before but never this early in the fire season, and it's not over yet. breaking overnight, at least nine fires now spreading rapidly, erupting one right after another, already destroying dozens of homes. you can hear the roar of massive flames engulfing close to 10,000 acres across san diego county. the governor declaring a state of emergency. >> we're doing mandatory evacuations. >> reporter: tens of thousands now fleeing their homes in jeopardy. even legoland, one of the county's popular amusement parks, forced to close along with the university campus, a nuclear power plant and camp pejdt pendleton, one of the largest military bases. >> we have low humidity down

into the single digits. >> reporter: attacking blazes from the air and on the ground. thousands of firefighters working around the clock, stunted by 100-degree heat and wind gusts close to 30 miles an hour. >> i mean, the wind can change and all of a sudden, it just seems like we're going to be safe and we're not, so we just packed everything, and we're out of there. >> reporter: the unpredictable winds producing terrifying fire tornadoes like this one. just watch the spinning vortex caused by intersecting wind patterns, scattering fire debris, further complicating efforts to douse the flames. the blazes so out of control, the military now intervening, battling the infernos with seven tankers and over 20 aircrafts including a dc-10 plane mounted with tanks that can hold up to 50 tons of water. >> we're getting help. but the fight is far from over. >> reporter: and there's a lot of speculation out here about just why so many fires started. seven fires that started on

wednesday alone. officials out here say they are not ruling out arson, but crews say they first just need to get an upper hand on the flames. carol? >> akiko fujita reporting live this morning, thank you. let's go to turkey now where anger is boiling over as hundreds of families suffer the anguish of the worst mining disaster in that nation's history. nearly 300 miners now confirmed dead. more than 100 others missing and feared dead. anti-government protests are erupting at the scene and across the country. protesters calling for the prime minister to resign, saying he brushed off complaints that his government failed to enforce mine safety. the president visited the site just a short time ago. cnn's diana magnay has more.

>> reporter: families in agony, devastated by the loss of more than 280 loved ones in the coal mine in western turkey. it's here at the bottom of this mine shaft that a power transformer exploded, sparking an electrical fire on tuesday. hundreds of miners trapped nearly a mile underground. this woman screams, "let this mine take my life, too," as relatives' lifeless bodies were recovered. the cause of death, carbon monoxide poisoning according to the turkish energy minister. at least 88 people found alive, but the incredible loss of life makes this turkey's deadliest mining disaster. the country already embroiled by political unrest. as they now threaten to strike, angry because opposition leaders flagged underground safety concerns just last month. now of interest, turkish government officials say the mine was inspected twice just

this past march, but no health nor safety issues found. turkey's prime minister erdogan visited the disaster zone on wednesday, vowing to investigate its cause. but even african sliter canceli, citizens booed him in the streets, calling for his resignation. now as they wait for news of their loved ones, protesters lay symbolic black coffins in front of government buildings. the turkish word for murderer etched in coal. and there have been protests across the nation today against the government that this kind of an accident on this kind of a scale could have happened, protests that have been met with a very heavy-handed police response. we have pictures from istanbul where you see them using water cannons, something that has become almost par for the course here in turkey. it was almost a year ago now

that the first anti-government protests started in geti park in istanbul, and it is terrible that that anniversary should be remembered with a national tragedy such as this. carol? >> diana magnay reporting live for us this morning, thank you. if you want to help victims of turkey's mine disaster, we've compiled a list of worthy causes and organizations. it's easy. go to our website, cnn.com/impact. here at home in new york city, a somber day lies ahead as president obama will join other officials at the dedication of the september 11th memorial museum. the mostly underground museum which officially opens to the public next wednesday will tell the full story behind the attacks from their planning to the aftermath. inside visitors can see remnants from that terrible day including an elevator motor from the world trade center, a charred fdny ambulance and the remains of the buildings' original foundation. joining me now from the scene, cnn's deborah feyerick.

deborah, tell us what the ceremony will be like today. >> reporter: well, it's going to be very moving and very powerful. the president, obviously, will be there, a number of family members and a lot of them have had a lot of input in how they wanted this museum to be. you're going to hear songs like "somewhere," which is a beautiful song, beautiful rendition. there ril will be fanfare for t common man. this dedication ceremony is about them coming together. i walked through the museum yesterday, carol. it's breathtaking. it's more than breathtaking. it's actually living. you feel as though it has a heartbeat. as you walk in, you hear the voices of people and how they heard that the planes had crashed into the towers. you continue walking and you see the images and shock and horror on people's faces. they know they are witnessing something significant. there are still beams at the point of impact where flight 11 crashed into the north tower. you can even see the corner of the north tower. you're standing where it was. you mentioned before the

foundation. there was argument as to whether they should cover that up. families fought incredibly, incredibly hard to make sure those remained intact. take a listen. >> anthony, when we first met, we met a number of years ago. and it was crucial to you to save these footprints. there was a disagreement as to whether, in fact, they would simply be erased. why was it so important for you to keep these -- the bedrock? >> the box beam columns are the last traces of the towers on earth. i mean, they will tell people long after we're gone that the twin towers were here and that something historically significant happened here. >> reporter: and what's also incredible, carol, is the head of the museum said something very actually profound, that this museum is not just about 9/11. this museum is about 9/12 and all the other days that followed, how people responded, how people reacted, how people united and came together. and mayor bloomberg -- and you'll probably hear this when he speaks later today -- he said

this is our commitment to the nation and to the souls that died on 9/11, that we would never forget that loss. and it took a lot of money. it took a lot of energy. but what you will see and what visitors will see when they come here is really a labor of love, really of something in recent history. carol? >> we kept seeing that body of water, deb, with the waterfall down the sides. what does that signify? >> reporter: yeah. this is such an incredible structure. and i was -- i was able to walk through it when it was first being built. and the vision of these waterfalls is about loss and absence and a void that really can't be filled. and so you have this reflecting pool that people can look into, and they hear the sounds of the water, which is such an alive sound when you think about it. and around the railing, you can't quite see it from the picture, but all the names of the people are etched in there. and they were able to connect the firefighters and the police and people, how they knew each

other, this incredible algorithm, bringing people together to show that these individuals and these families will forever be united. when you walk along that plaza, the sense that something profound happened is really incredible. you know, there's a quote downstairs. it's a wall with individual pieces of blue paper reflecting all of the people who died on that day. and there's a quote that says "no day shall erase you from the memory of time." it is one of the most moving tributes and one of the most moving museums i have ever been in. you'll spend a lot of time there reflecting on what it all means, carol. >> i can't wait to visit. deborah feyerick, thanks so much. cnn will bring you live coverage of the september 11th memorial museum dad. that starts at 10:00 a.m. eastern right here on cnn.

my goal was try and help find one person alive. i found none. not one. but what i did find was a symbol to help the families. as the buildings had fallen, the debris was like an atomic bomb. our job was to go in there and try and see if anybody was hurt or maybe we can save somebody. i was damaged at that point. but i looked to my right. and there stood the cross. and that made me drop to my knees. for a short time, but it allowed me to become renewed. it gave me hope. it's something that came from the debris, from the

devastation. evil destroyed that building, and faith arose out of it. [announcer] a healthy dog is a playful dog. give him the calorie smart nutrition of beneful healthy weight.

with wholesome rice,real chicken,soy, and accents of vitamin rich veggies. plus a taste he loves. beneful healthy weight from purina. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. i'm d-a-v-e and i have copd. i'm k-a-t-e and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way my volunteering. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs

for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. breo is not for asthma. breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking breo. ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com

checking some other top stories at 17 minutes past the hour. 50,000 gallons of crude oil now cover a los angeles street. 50,000 gallons. a 20-inch section of pipe burst overnight, coating the ground. the fire department says the oil is knee high in some spots. they're now using sand to clean up the mess. the captain and three crew members of that sunken south korean ferry are now facing murder charges. prosecutors say those charges were filed because the four didn't deploy life rafts or life

vests to help evacuate the passengers. more than 280 people were killed when that ferry sank last month. today the secretary of veterans affairs is in the hot seat on capitol hill. for the first time, he will be answering questions about what happened at the phoenix v.a. a cnn investigation found that managers there had a secret list to hide wait times. according to sources who say that at least 40 veterans died while waiting for care. cnn's drew griffin has been reporting on v.a. delays for seven months. he joins us now live from capitol hill. good morning, drew. >> reporter: morning, carol. we expect to see perhaps some fireworks, but in his prepared statement, eric shinseki has a rather bland response to the senators this morning, saying that he's waiting for an office of inspector general report to discuss that phoenix issue in detail. but there's a much, much bigger and wider -- i would call it a scandal here -- going on at veterans affairs regarding these wait lists. we are getting whistleblowers

now from all over the country who are reporting to us that the v.a. is telling them -- their supervisors are telling them -- to hide these extensive wait lists that have led to delayed care and by the v.a.'s own admission, 23 deaths across the country. the latest whistleblower outside of chicago at the hines v.a. facility. representing doctors and medical providers and professionals, she says the hines v.a. is also working off two appointment lists, and she says it has terrible results. >> but it's a very stressful environment. when you come in and you know ethically that there are things that should not be but that the director's office, the vision, the leadership in washington and the v.a. do not seem to care. >> reporter: you know, shortly

after ms. clarno came forward, we did get a memo that was apparently sent out by the director at the v.a. and hines sort of admitting that this practice may exist. this is from the director in a memo saying there have been instances across the v.a. where staff has taken steps to make wait times look better. carol, that's what this is all about. number one, the v.a. not owning up to the fact that veterans are dying because of delayed care, and number two, allegations now widespread, way beyond phoenix, that there were cooking of the books and hiding of these wait list numbers to try to keep it all secret or out of the public's eye. >> it's just unbelievable. secretary shinseki is going to begin his testimony at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. that's this morning. and you say his comments are rather bland, which i find surprising since the v.a. itself admits that 23 people have died because of these wait times. >> reporter: yeah, there's somewhat a disconnect, and i think the white house may be sending a signal that it's had enough with eric shinseki.

they have assigned deputy chief of staff to work with eric shinseki. that, to me, implies that either the white house does not believe that the v.a. is being -- that the white house is getting the truth out of the v.a., or that they don't believe that the v.a. has the manpower, if it will, to handle this crisis correctly. i want to read you in prepared statements what eric shinseki supposedly is going to say, carol. when he talks about how angered he is. he's going to say i'm personally angered and saddened by any adverse consequence that a veteran might experience while in a result of our care. that, to me, implies that he is really not knowing what's going on at the v.a. by the v.a.'s own admission. this stuff is happening. it doesn't sound like eric shinseki is owning up to that. >> what was it, adverse what? what did he call it? adverse? >> reporter: he called it adverse consequence that a veteran might experience while in or as a result of our care. >> no, i think he -- i'm really

very sorry, right, some veterans died because of these wait lists. drew griffin, i know you'll be following these hearings. we'll check back. thanks so much. still to come on the "newsroom," lebron james and the miami heat move on to the playoffs, but will they move off the court next season? rachel nichols talked with lebron. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. big talk from the nba players association, saying lebron might lead a boycott. i sat down exclusively with lebron to find out whether that's really going to happen. when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! he's a selling machine! put it there. and there, and there, and there. la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business.

the ready for you alert, only a laquinta.com! la quinta!

turn to roc® retinol correxion®. one week, fine lines appear to fade. one month, deep wrinkles look smoother. after one year, skin looks ageless. high performance skincare™ only from roc®.

we're just getting word about another setback for general motors. and i would say it's bigger than a setback. the auto giant is recalling nearly 3 million more vehicles. we're talking about five recalls. and that has nothing to do with the original recall, you know that involved those ignition switches. cnn's christine romans joins us. she's following these developments. they're going to recall 2.7 million cars in addition to the cars that they've already recalled. >> yeah, carol, this is five new recalls. let me tell you about the largest of them. the largest of these recalls is 2.4 million for some wiring issues with the taillamp. several hundred complaints. 13 crashes. two injuries. what's interesting here, carol, is gm knew of this issue back in 2008. it issued a technical service directive to the dealers way back in 2008 but did not issue a recall and is doing so today. many of these cars are things

like the 2004 to 2012 she havery malibu, the chevy malibu max, the pontiac g8, we can show you some of those cars. some of these cars -- many of these cars are actually prior to the bankruptcy of general motors. this is, carol, a new, more aggressive gm in the wake of that recall that you're talking about, the recall that has gotten so much attention from that company because of the -- you know, the steering wheel, the ignition problem where suddenly you lose power on the steering wheel and it goes from run to the accessory position. so look, this is gm recalling a bunch more cars. the biggest of these are for taillamp malfunctions. 2.4 million of these cars. and again, gm, in its press release, saying that it did issue a technical service directive back in 2008 but it just now issuing a recall for that largest group of cars, carol. >> so if you want to know if your car is involved, where do you go? >> you've got to go to gm, and gm will start alerting people. you know, they have very good records on who owns what and which car is yours. the company also saying it's

going to take a couple of million dollar charge. there are going to be costs to the company related to this, to these recalls. it will be a headache for some car owners. it will be a headache for some of the dealers. and it will cost gm some money, carol. >> all right. christine romans reporting live from new york for us. >> you're welcome. say it ain't so. in the middle of one of the most exciting nba playoffs we've had in years, we're learning there could be a players strike next season. and you guessed it. you can blame donald sterling. >> so, like, lebron, your guy, lebron, you think he would not play if sterling were still in there when the season started? >> i was just in the locker room three or four days ago. lebron and i talked about it. he ain't playing if sterling is still an owner. >> hmm. there you have it. rachel nichols is host of cnn's "unguarded." she joins me now. rachel, you also talked with lebron just before last night's playoff game. what did he tell you? >> yeah, i actually sat down with lebron, and he explained to me that his feelings aren't tied to a certain date the way roger

mason jr. suggested. it's not as if he's going to lead a boycott if conditions aren't met by the beginning of the season. it's more about having good faith in the nba. and right now he does feel there is a good-faith effort by the nba commissioner to remove donald sterling. he explained to me that as long as that good faith continues, he's willing to stay put. well, for now. take a listen. >> i think the most important thing that we understand is that adam silver is moving forward and that he's not just for the owners. he's for the players as well. and the direction that they're going in, we're all for it. you know, so we look forward to the next step, and we go from there. >> reporter: is there a point where you feel like boycott could be an effective tool for the players? >> well, i think at this position or at this point, the direction that adam is going and the nba is going, i don't think there should be a need for it. you know, we trust those guys, and we know that they're going to take care of what needs to be done for our league, and we understand it's not going to be, you know, tomorrow. you know, the system will not

work tomorrow, but the direction that they're going in, we're all for it. >> you heard lebron there say, we understand it's not going to be tomorrow. there's been some concern among some players about the pace of this. the nba has not yet even officially notified donald sterling that they intend to remove his ownership. once they do that, that kicks off a timed process. he has five days to respond. they have ten days after that to hold a board of governors vote. so they're waiting to gather their case. they're crossing their ts, dotting their is. right now most of the players including, as you heard there lebron, willing to sit tight while that process goes on. however, in the coming months, carol, if they feel like this is getting mired down in politics so that maybe there's a stall out here, that's when you're going to hear the boycott talk start again. >> rachel nichols reporting live for us this morning, thank you. still to come in the "newsroom," it's called the fight for 15. workers pushing to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. and it's taken on an

international flavor today. poppy harlow is in new york with that story. good morning, poppy. >> reporter: good morning, carol. this protest happening in 150 u.s. cities, 33 countries. they want the federal minimum wage to more than double, but we wanted to know, what do the men and women who run these companies think? should the federal minimum wage be raised? that's next. wondering what that is? that, my friends, is everything. and with the quicksilver card from capital one, you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you purchase. not just "everything at the hardware store." not "everything, until you hit your cash back limit." quicksilver can earn you unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you could possibly imagine. say it with me -- everything. one more time, everything!

and with that in mind... what's in your wallet? and with that in mind... when laquinta.com sends him a ready for you alert the second his room is ready, ya know what salesman alan ames becomes? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! a "selling machine!" ready for you alert, only at lq.com. c'mon, you want heartburn? when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast, with tums. heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact. and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum... tums! how did i know? well, i didn't really. see, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive... but when i started losing energy and became moody... that's when i had an honest conversation with my doctor. we discussed all the symptoms... then he gave me some blood tests. showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number -- not just me. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% testosterone gel.

the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy, increases testosterone when used daily. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are or may become pregnant or are breastfeeding, should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. so...what do men do when a number's too low? turn it up! [ male announcer ] in a clinical study, over 80% of treated men had their t levels restored to normal. talk to your doctor about all your symptoms.

get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. androgel 1.62%.

the battle to boost the minimum wage goes global today. workers in 150 u.s. cities are joining their counterparts in 33 countries around the world in a massive protest staged by fast food workers. they're calling on employers to pay them $15 an hour. poppy harlow is in new york this morning. and i know, poppy, you've spoken with several leading ceos on this issue. what have they told you? >> reporter: well, that's the big question, carol. can companies afford to keep these people employed, or will they at $15 an hour if we were to see that? just to give you some perspective, the average fast food worker in this country makes $8.83 an hour. that's actually above the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour. really important to note that we've been seeing an influx of states raising their minimum wages. 27 states in this country now have a minimum wage that is

higher than the federal minimum wage, or they have voted to pass it. for example, vermont just this week, they're going to be at $10.50 an hour by 2018. seattle's mayor is pushing for $15 an hour. but when it comes down to it, it is the executives of these companies who get to decide how many people they're going to hire and at what level, what minimum wage, they're just not going to bring on more employees. listen. minimum wage is a key topic right now in this country. should the federal minimum wage be raised? >> that's the toughest question you've asked me because i've thought about it for 50 years, and i don't know the answer on it. >> reporter: really? >> well, i -- in economics, you always have to say and then what. and the real question is, are more people going to be better off, you know, if it is raised. and i don't know the answer to that. but you do lose some employment, as you increase the minimum wage. you know, if you didn't, i'd be for having it be $15 an hour. >> reporter: do you think the federal minimum wage should be

raised from $7.25 an hour? >> i do think that there are fundamental issues and a larger gap between the haves and have-nots in america. and a plaud the president for taking a stance on raising minimum wage. i'm not sure that the rhetoric around $10 at the federal level or $15 at the state level in washington is the right number. i would hate to think that we'd have to raise prices. we may have to offer our people with a menu of a la carte benefits. i'm just saying may. we may not be able to afford to provide all the benefits if we had to go to $10 an hour. >> reporter: would it cost jobs if the federal minimum wage was increased significantly? that's another argument. >> i would hope not. but again, these are questions that have to be answered in realtime. >> we really do believe that people need to be paid a fair wage. and right now it varies state by state. you know, we are working through that issue with our operators. and there's a big issue. we hire a lot of teenage and

part-time employees, especially during the summer. so we're trying to weigh what the real impact of increasing the minimum wage will truly be. >> it will help some people who already have a job. it will hurt people who do not have jobs. >> and that is the key argument for those who do not want to see the minimum wage raised. that if you raise it, people are not going to employ, and then what do you do with all these workers? that falls on the government. government benefits. proponents say you have to pay them a living wage, carol. if you pay them more, they're not going to leave their jobs. there will be less turnover. and frankly they'll have proponents have more money to spend on your goods and services. quickly i want you to take a look at these numbers because they are interesting, from the bureau of labor statistics. 80% of those who make minimum wage are actually over 25. 20% are between 16 and 24. 35% have some college or associate degree. carol, this goes to the issue you and i have talked to a lot, and these are not all teenage

workers or very young workers taking home minimum wage. >> right. i just want to provide more food for thought. this was a study just released by johns hopkins. it shows since 1983, government benefits like food stamps are up 121% for single-parent families with incomes below $26,000. that means those people are working, right? benefits exploded 268% for married families with incomes below that level. so you have many, many more working families who are getting food stamps and who are perhaps on medicaid than you did in 1983. so there's got to be some solution. and i know the cbo said that if you raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, 500,000 jobs would be lost. but on the other hand, 900,000 people would be lifted out of provrty. so the struggle is is which it better? >> that's the question. the cbo also went on to say it could cost less jobs or it could cost up to 1 million jobs. the reality is you don't know until you do it. i think we feed to watch the

states very closely, what's happening in washington, d.c., for example, they're going up to $11.50 an hour by 2016. seattle, again, pushing for $15 an hour. vermont going to $10.10. what happens in those states and particular industries when you do that. we're not going to know that for a matter of years until this all kicks in. but a key thing we can't forget is technology. you know, carol, you were here last week in new york. you go to the airport. and i know in the delta terminal, for example, you see ipads, and you order your food off ipads. ipads have replaced waiters, and it is happening more. and i think the real question is, where is that fine line when it comes to what technology allows us to do and the wages that people need to get by. you know, warren buffett, in our conversation, said even though he doesn't know if the minimum wage should be raised -- and i think a lot of us expected him to say it should because he's liberal and he's a proponent of president obama -- he said, you know, technology is improving, and it is not a bad thing that technology is replacing jobs, but this is the reality.

the reality we have to live with. and i think a lot of people are scratching their heads for the right answer. >> poppy harlow, many thanks, as usual. i appreciate it. still to come in the "newsroom," a search that ends on the west coast as deputies in washington state, find casey kasem. we'll talk about that next. [announcer] play close-good and close. help keep teeth clean and breath fresh with beneful healthy smile snacks. with soft meaty centers and teeth cleaning texture,it's dental that tastes so good. beneful healthy smile food and snacks.

...i got lots of advice, but i needed information i could trust. unitedhealthcare's innovative, simple program helps moms stay on track with their doctors to get the right care and guidance. (anncr vo) that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

casey kasem's family feared the radio host was taken out of the country. well, it turns out he's in washington state. just last week, a judge ordered an investigation into the whereabouts of the longtime "america's top 40" host after he left a nursing home while being treated for dementia. nischelle turner is in new york. so what's he doing in washington state? >> that's a good question. i think that is still trying to be figured out, carol. you know, for his children,

though, there is that good news, that casey kasem has been spotted in washington state, like you mentioned. the bad news, though, they still don't know his exact location. according to television station komo in seattle, sheriff's deputies in washington performed a welfare check on tuesday at an address provided by california adult protective services. now, they found casey and his wife visiting others at a home. the couple told deputies they were just on vacation. so after determining that casey was not in distress and that he was receiving appropriate care, the deputies left them there. casey kasem's daughter, carrie, who, of course, has been granted temporary conservatorship told us last night that we are grateful for local authorities for finding my dad. we are one step closer to bringing him home. she also said that kasem's exact location in washington is, quote, still being determined. that authorities have not released the address where they found him. and that the family still has, quote, grave concerns about his medical care. what we don't know is, you know,

who gave him the tip that he was actually in washington state before they got the address. and we also don't know why kerki kasem hasn't been given that address where he is or was because by law, she is his legal guardian until at least june 20th, which is that next court date, carol. >> so the drama continues. nischelle turner. >> yes, it does. >> live in new york. thanks so much. checking some other top stories for you at 46 minutes past, this morning the united states is taking a bigger role in the search for nigeria's kidnapped schoolgirls. the pentagon has mobilized drones and manned aircraft with no sign of the 200-some girls. in the meantime, four nigerian soldiers died in an ambush in the same village where terror group boko haram raided the girls' boarding school. malaysian officials now setting up a new plan to improve communications about flight 370. that news follows the suspension of the underwater search for the plane. the australian ship the ocean shield is heading back to port for repair parts. the bluefin 21 and the ship's

transponder were damaged when the drone was being hoisted on the deck. and we are about 15 minutes away from what will be a very powerful event in lower manhattan. the dedication ceremony for the national september 11th memorial museum. will begin at the top of the hour. president obama and the first lady will be there along with family members of those killed in the attack and first responders. when the ceremony begins, of course, we'll bring it to you live. when we arrived there, the second plane had struck the tower before we were ready to go inside to start to evacuate the people. we were there for about approximately a half an hour, you know, getting 200 to 300 people out of the north tower, and that's when the north tower started to collapse.

i was injured during the collapses. i was out of work for a week. and then i went back on the following tuesday right down to the site. it was very difficult work. i was using my hands to move debris around. i was in need of a pair of gloves. there were leather gloves that were donated on. once i put the gloves on, i noticed somebody had written in black ink, it said "thank you" on them. it could have been from a firefighter in california. it could have been from a schoolkid in indiana. i don't know. they were here in spirit. they were here with me. and they aided in the recovery effort. and that was their own little way of pitching in. and i, for one, appreciate that. those simple words, "thank you," circled. they helped me get through that day and a lot of other days, too.

bill clinton is firing back over comments made about his wife's health. this after republican strategist karl rove suggested hillary clinton might have suffered from complications. well, he implied it was brain damage following a 2013 hospital stay. >> first they said she faked her concussion. and now they say she's auditioning for a part on "the walking dead." she works out every week. she is strong. she's doing great. as far as i can tell, she's in better shape than i am. >> no, no, i didn't say she had brain damage. she had a serious health episode.

>> so there you have it. senior political correspondent brianna keilar joins me now to talk about this controversy. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, carol. you know, i mean, health is always kind of fair game, right? i think this is something that comes up a lot in campaigns. and even though hillary clinton hasn't said that she's running yet, that's sort of the feel that you're getting. so health is fair game, but insinuating that someone may be brain damaged -- and we don't have a recording of what rove said, but it doesn't necessarily seem to be fair game. according to the "new york post" gossip page, page 6, he did say she showed up after having this concussion wearing glasses that are only for people with a traumatic brain injury. and apparently he repeated that many times. so i think the sort of consensus on that is that it wasn't really fair game that he did it, but i also think a lot of people aren't surprised this kind of thing happens in politics. you know, and she's probably going to get a little more of it. one interesting thing, i did speak to a neurologist to say, hey, you know, let's do a little fact check on this.

and he told me that she's no longer wearing these glasses. the ones you probably recognize, they kind of looked pretty thick. they had a prism on one side here. she was wearing them for the benghazi hearing that, you know, we saw her. he said that a lot of times when patients have a concussion, their recovery is complete, and those symptoms are temporary. and he has no reason to believe, looking at the fact she's not wearing those glasses now, that that's not the case for her. >> you know, it is fair to point to her health, right? especially if she runs for president, but i don't know. karl rove, maybe he should just -- even newt gingrich said this was a ridiculous thing to say. >> reporter: you think he's just not concerned about her health and, you know, he wants her to be in her best shape to run. i know, i sort of sense your skepticism on that, too. no, that's definitely fair game. but i think one of the things this highlights is, you know, health in a way can also be a proxy for talking about age.

and i think that's going to be an issue for hillary clinton. she is going to be 69 come election day in 2016. that's old for a candidate. it really is. second only to ronald reagan. so i think what you're going to see especially, carol, when you look at so many of the republicans who look like they might throw their hat in the ring, they're a lot younger. so it's possible that they may try to run an ageist campaign kind of against her. even the idea of, like, old ideas versus new ideas. >> but the things that they said about john mccain. >> reporter: oh, sure. >> people said awful things about him. so i guess you're right. this is just part of the game. >> reporter: yeah, and they said it about ronald reagan, too. this is what some republicans you talk to, hey, people tried to do this against ronald reagan. it didn't work. republicans just kind of need to get on with this. >> brianna keilar, thanks so much. we're just a few minutes away from the start of a dedication ceremony for the national september 11th memorial

museum. the special ceremony starts at the top of the hour. chris cuomo and ashleigh banfield are in lower manhattan near ground zero. we'll bring this ceremony to you live. "newsroom" continues after a break. four-wheel steering is why i get up in the morning. ♪ [ jim ] when my grandson grows up, it's his. but it's all mine now. [ male announcer ] that's how we run, and nothing runs like a deere. i'm j-e-f-f and i have copd. [ male announcer ] that's how we run, i'm l-i-s-a and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way of hosting my book club. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay.

breo is not for asthma. breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking breo. ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com first the cookie at check-in. then a little family fun. with breakfast for 4 and wifi. join us for the family fun package. doubletree by hilton. where the little things mean everything.

to prepare our kids to compete main today's economy?way woman: a well-rounded education that focuses on science, math, and career training for students who don't choose college. man: and that's exactly what superintendent of public education tom torlakson has been working on. woman: because every student needs the real world skills for the jobs of tomorrow. man: torlakson's career readiness initiative is helping schools expand job and technical training across the state because it makes a difference. woman: so tell tom torlakson to keep fighting for the career and technical training our students need.

remembering a day that changed america and refusing to allow the terrorists to write its history. about to get under way, the official dedication of the september 11th memorial museum in new york. rooted in the ashes of ground zero, this underground tribute takes ownership of that narrative, telling the story of courage, selflessness and so much sacrifice. this wall is a mosaic of nearly 3,000 squares, each one a different watercolor drawing for each life taken. president obama began touring

the site minutes ago. good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. i'd like to welcome viewers from around the world to this special edition of "newsroom." chris cuomo and ashleigh banfield are in new york to walk us through today's solemn milestone. take it away. >> all right, carol, thank you very much. ashleigh and i stood here in 2001. we were some of the reporters who were covering the events that day. and what we often talk about are the moments that matter. we've marked the anniversaries, five years, ten years, but today is special because the story of that day will be told in a way it never has been before, when the doors of the museum open. >> so often we see the images on television across this nation of what's behind us and what's above ground and how long it's taken, 13 years, to sort of get to this stage where the reflecting pools are here for the public to visit when they come to new york city in lower maer manhattan. what you don't see and haven't seen until today is what is seven stories below ground and

the 10,000 some-odd artifacts that have been collected from that horrifying day now on display for us to remember not only the heroism but the resilience of this country and the remarkable efforts of those who responded. >> and, you know, the museum -- it's a very involved situation. this has been going on for a long time. you're seeing one of the main symbols of 9/11 now, the truck from company 3 there, ladder 3. that was one of the symbols of just how violent the day was and the toll it took. but this museum being so deep underground, there's meaning behind that. when this happened on 9/11, some of the early reporting that ashleigh was doing was the false promise that we all believed that people were alive in the mall underneath the building. it went down so many stories, so deep. so there's significance below ground as we're here today and we're seeing what is really still in process. the museum opening its doors from underground means

something. i think many will feel it's the right place for it to be. >> and many still don't. and this is one of the controversies that perhaps if you live in new york city, you understand it. you feel it. if you don't live in the city, perhaps you haven't heard, but those who have family members and loved ones who died here and who haven't been identified, those remains still exist, and they have to be kept somewhere. and this memorial is actually going to house those remains underground. one of the problems is you do have to buy a ticket to go into the museum, and there are many families who feel that's a public memorial. these are our people, and they need to be remembered, and we need to be able to lay a flower for free. the families can, but the public can't. >> you're right. if you make the accommodation to the family, what about extended family? what about friends? what about those who feel that they want the search to identify the remains to continue and get them? it gets so personal and so intense, you know. today the mood here is going to be solemn, of course. the atmosphere is solemn as well. it's a very cloudy day here and gray, which is appropriate, but

it was not that way, you have to remember, as we're showing you the wall which has an elaborate day of remembering the color of the sky on that day. september 11th, 2001, was a beautiful day. the sky was perfect until it was ruined by the acts of the terrorists who flew the planes into the buildings that day. but today is more befitting, the solemnity of the occasion. these are always sad. >> that wall, what an incredible artistic display of the various different memories of the color of the day. and we are now just beginning this very solemn remembrance where the young people's chorus of new york city performs somewhere. the president has already toured this with the first lady and president clinton and mrs. clinton as well. they were toured by mayor bloomberg who actually is the chairman of the museum. so a befitting tour guide for such an incredible moment for them to see. >> we're going to let the occasion play out for you as much as possible as it moves

along, the program. we just want to tell you what you need to know to get into it and setting the scene, deborah feyerick is down on the ground. let's bring her in and see what it's like down there at this point. deb? >> reporter: well, chris, ashleigh, what makes this museum so special is just how real it is. and you hear the beauty of the song that's playing right now, "somewhere." that really strikes to the chord of what this day is all about. it wasn't just about 9/11, but it was about all the days that followed it. and when you walk into the museum, you see the faces, the horror of what was happening as people looked up into the sky and saw those planes crashing into the towers and then watching those towers collapse. you see images of faces projected onto the steel and to the concrete, and you hear the voices -- not only the voices describing what they witnessed, but also voices, the last phone calls made to husbands, to wives, to children and family members. and chris, you mentioned how there was so much hope on that

day, that people would make it out alive. and you look at those panels, and those panels on that blue wall, those reflect each and every person who died who was lost on that day. the words are from virgil, and it says "no day shall erase you from the memory of time." it is such a powerful feeling to be in that museum, to see what happened, how an ordinary day all of a sudden became a day remembered by tragedy. there are fire engines, as you mentioned. what an appropriate metaphor to see what was a beautiful machine ripped to shreds. that's how we all felt. and you can't you go through that museum, chris and ashleigh, without really getting choked up. it is a stark in your gut, in-your-face reminder of everything that was lost and also the bravery and the courage and how the world came together and was unified on that special day. it's quite extraordinary. and while, yes, it costs a lot of money to go in, i think people never forget the

experience of what is inside that museum. chris? ashleigh? >> all right, deb. right now we are watching the honor guard that's comprised of members of the fdny, the nypd and the papd, leading federal, state and memorial flags to the stage. let's listen in. >> set. halt! ♪ o say can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming ♪

♪ and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave ♪ >> halt!

♪ ♪

>> we are here today to help dedicate a great museum, one that rises out of the bedrock of our city, our history, and our hearts. in the years to come, the 9/11 memorial museum will take its place alongside the fields of gettysburg, the waters of pearl harbor, and the vietnam veterans memorial as a sacred marker of our past and as a solemn gathering place, a place we come to remember those who died and to honor acts of courage and compassion that saved lives and lifted spirits. the outstretched hands that rushed forward that day and in the hard weeks and months that followed. in the streets of new york, on the grounds of the pentagon, in the fields near shanksville, pennsylvania, from all across america and the world, kindness poured forth on a colossal

scale. for on a day when terrorists refused to see our common humanity, we saw only the humanity in one another. this museum, built on the site of rubble and ruins, is now filled with the faces, the stories and the memories of our common grief and our common hope. it is a witness to tragedy. it is an affirmation of human life. it is a reminder to us and to all future generations that freedom carries heavy responsibilities. and it is a reflection of our belief that the true hope of humanity resides in our compassion and kindness for one another. walking through this museum can be difficult at times, but it is impossible to leave without feeling inspired. each story here beats with a human heart which, if we allow it, touches our own. the stories are the proof that

what we do and the choices we make affect each other's lives and the course of human history. this morning, we'd like to share just a few of these stories the museum tells. ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce the president of the united states of america, barack obama. >> thank you. please be seated. mayor bloomberg, governor cuomo, honored guests, families of the fallen, in those awful moments

after the south tower was hit, some of the injured huddled in the wreckage of the 78th floor. the fires were spreading. the air was filled with smoke. it was dark. they could barely see. it seemed as if there was no way out. and then there came a voice. clear, calm, saying he had found the stairs. a young man, in his 20s, strong. emerged from the smoke, and over his nose and his mouth, he wore a red handkerchief. he called for fire extinguishers to fight back the flames.

he attended to the wounded. he led those survivors down the stairs to safety. and carried a woman on his shoulders down 17 flights. then he went back, back up all those flights, then back down again, bringing more wounded to safety. until that moment when the tower fell. they didn't know his name. they didn't know where he came from. but they knew their lives had been saved by the man in the red bandana. again, mayor bloomberg, distinguished guests, mayor de blasio, governors christie and cuomo, the families and survivors of that day, to all

those who responded with such courage, on behalf of michelle and myself and the american people, it is an honor for us to join in your memories. to recall and to reflect. but above all, to reaffirm the true spirit of 9/11. love, compassion, sacrifice. and to enshrine it forever in the heart of our nation. michelle and i just had the opportunity to join with others on a visit with some of the survivors and families, men and women who inspire us all, and we had the chance to visit some of the exhibits. and i think all who come here will find it to be a profound

and moving experience. i want to express our deep gratitude to everybody who was involved in this great undertaking. for bringing us to this day, for giving us this sacred place of healing and of hope. here at this memorial, at this museum, we come together. we stand in the footprints of two mighty towers graced by the rush of eternal waters. we look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent souls, men and women and children of every race, every creed, from every corner of the world. we can touch their names and hear their voices and glimpse

the small items that speak to the beauty of their lives. a wedding ring, a dusty helmet, a shining badge. here we tell their story so that generations yet unborn will never forget. of coworkers who led others to safety, the passengers who stormed the cockpit, our men and women in uniform who rushed into an inferno, our first responders who charged up those stairs. a generation of service members, our 9/11 generation, who have served with honor in more than a decade of war, a nation that stands tall and united and

unafraid because no act of terror can match the strength or the character of our country. like the great wall and bedrock that embrace us today, nothing can ever break us. nothing can change who we are as americans. on that september morning, allison crowder lost her son, wells. months later, she was reading the newspaper, an article about those final minutes in the towers. survivor s recounted how a youn man wearing a red handkerchief

had let them to safety. and in that moment, allison knew. ever since he was a boy, her son had always carried a red handkerchief. her son, wells, was the man in the red bandana. ♪ wells was just 24 years old. with a broad smile and a bright future. he worked in the south tower on the 104th floor. he had a big laugh, a joy of life and dreams of seeing the world. he worked in finance, but he had also been a volunteer firefighter. and after the planes hit, he put on that bandana and spent his final moments saving others. three years ago this month,

after our s.e.a.l.s made sure that justice was done, i came to ground zero. and among the families here that day was allison crowder. and she told me about wells and his fearless spirit. and she showed me a handkerchief like the one he wore that morning. and today, as we saw on our tour, one of his red handkerchiefs is on display in this museum. and from this day forward, all those who come here will have a chance to know the sacrifice of a young man who, like so many, gave his life so others might live. those we lost live on in us. in the families who love them still, in the friends who

remember them always, and in a nation that will honor them now and forever. and today it is my honor to introduce two women forever bound by that day united in their determination to keep alive the true spirit of 9/11. wells crowder's mother, allison, and one of those he saved, ling young.

>> my name is ling young. i'm here today because of wells, a man i did not get the chance to thank. it was very hard for me to come here today, but i wanted to do so so i could say thank you to his parents and my new friends, jeff and allison. >> thank you. i am wells crowder's mother, allison. my husband, jefferson, and i could not be more proud of our son. for us, he lives on in the people he helped and in the memory of what he chose to do that tuesday in september. wells believes that we are all connected as one human family, that we are here to look out for and to care for one another. this is life's most precious meaning.

it is our greatest hope that when people come here and see wells' red bandana, they will remember how people helped each other that day. and we hope that they will be inspired to do the same in ways both big and small. this is the true legacy of september 11th. ♪ >> i didn't realize what had happened. until that afternoon. i had no idea that our son, todd, was on an airplane. i thought he was in italy. i was off by a day. you know, we kind of define our history now, don't we, as pre-9/11 and post-9/11. well, here are some -- here are

some bits of a wristwatch. and its function is supposed to be to tell time. and it was a good watch. it did its job very well. but it doesn't tell what time it is anymore. but what it does tell is what time it was. it says it's the 11th. and so this marks the time that the successful counterattack on flight 93 ended. >> we are all grateful today to the memorial board, the staff and the families for creating

this really magnificent memorial. why don't we give them a round of applause. todd beamer's watch was recovered at the site of the crash of flight 93 near shanksville, pennsylvania. it was given to this museum by his loving family. we are honored to have his father, david, with us here today. todd was one of 40 men and women aboard that plane. strangers, all bound for san francisco. they would decide to take fate into their own hands at the probable, if not certain, risk of their own lives. when the hijackers took control of their plane, people began calling family and friends who

told them about the other hijacked planes. none of the passengers had been trained for this kind of scenario, let alone even considered such a nightmare. and yet after talking over what they had learned, they joined with members of the crew to storm the cockpit. and in doing so, they changed the course of history. it was later shown that their actions prevented the plane from reaching the hijackers' intended target, washington, d.c., a mere 20 minutes away. in giving their lives, how many lives had they saved? one of the first calls made from the plane had been from mark bingham who later helped form the plan they followed. he had called his mother, alice.

and alice later left him this message. >> mark, this is your mom. apparently it's terrorists, and they're hellbent on crashing the aircraft. there's one flight that they say is headed towards san francisco. it might be yours. so if you can, group some people and perhaps do everything you can to overpower them. try to call me back if you can. i love you, sweetie. good luck. bye-bye. ♪

>> good morning. when you walk through this museum, what strikes you is how your emotions can feel sad at one moment, and the very next moment, you feel utterly astonished and grateful at how people from all over the world responded. it was as if the entire world came knocking on our door, cried with us and asked us what they could do. people from over 90 countries died on september 11th, and so the world understood that while this happened on our soil, it happened to all of us. letters arrived from australia and jordan, gifts from india, ireland and kenya. and people from all walks of life and speaking every language came to help us dig out from

under and bandage our wounds. the world felt like a tightly-knit community, a smaller, more caring place. this is how good will begins. in the understanding that we are, underneath all our many differences, fellow men and women with a love and a sanctity for human life. here in this museum, we are reminded to pause and remember how many came to help us and that the true gift of friendship and fellowship can be born out of the night for which we all remain eternally grateful. >> i dedicate this song to my late husband, calvin joseph

gooding. ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet the sound ♪ that saved a wretch like me ♪ i once was lost, but now i'm found ♪ ♪ was blind but now i see ♪ 'twas grace that taught my

heart to fear ♪ ♪ and grace my fears relieved ♪ how precious did that grace appear ♪ ♪ the hour i first believed ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet the sound ♪ that saved a wretch like me

♪ i once was lost, but now i'm found ♪ ♪ was blind but now i see >> my name is florence jones. i went to work on september

11th. i did not plan on walking down 77 flights of stairs. i wasn't dressed for it. nor did i expect my boss to have to carry my shoes. i was one of the last of the 25 people to come out of the south tower. my number is 18. i had taken my shoes off on the 60th floor, and i walked in my stockings the rest of the way. after that, i still walked in my stocking feet 50 more blocks to get to a friend's office, barely in one piece. when i heard that the museum was looking for artifacts, i thought about my shoes. i had put them in a plastic container. and when i took them out, they still had had the smell on them from that awful day. and i knew i would never wear them again. so i decided to donate them here. i wanted my nieces and my nephew

and every person that asked what happened to see them and maybe understand a little bit better what it felt like to be us on that day. >> a simple pair of shoes, what could they possibly tell us about 9/11, about the choices and close calls, about the quarter-mile climb down a staircase filled with falling ceilings, crowded with colleagues and confusion, about making it out or not? ordinary, everyday objects that we find here in the museum, a wallet, a ring, an i.d. card, a

telephone are unlikely but powerful keepsakes which help us understand the events of that day in human terms. each piece carries with it another story, one that might have been our own, for don't we all own a pair of shoes we wear to work that could have been the ones we wore that day. for some, the last 38 steps they walked to freedom and to life were down a narrow outdoor staircase that led to the street. these stairs were also the last above-ground remnant found at the world trade center site. they became both a symbol of that terrible day and the months of painstaking recovery. workers removed the 56-ton

staircase from its concrete base as carefully as one would a sacred object from an archaeological site so that it could be placed in its new home inside the museum. today when you walk down the museum's last set of stairs that lead to bedrock, whether you walk slowly down the wide, elegant staircase or stand comfortably on the moving escalator, you will travel right beside the staircase. and as you do, imagine for a moment that these hard, concrete stairs were once, for hundreds of people, the last and long-sought path to survival. >> my name is kayla bergeron.

i worked in the north tower for four years. that day, everyone on our floor, people who knew each other and who didn't started walking down 68 flights of stairs together. it was orderly and calm. and for every step we took down, the firefighters and police were climbing up. when we got to the sixth floor, it felt the whole world -- it felt as if the whole world started to shake. it turned out that the south tower had hcollapsed. suddenly there was confusion. we were climbing over wires and desks. port authority policemen helped us find our way through. but my friend patty and i got separated from everyone. and we were long thinking, there's no way out.

then we heard a bullhorn said that if we could hear the sound, follow the light. we went this way and that way. and after what seemed like forever, we got to the outdoor veazey staircase. now, i had walked those stairs 100 times to go to the train, stop at the post office, never giving them a second thought. but now they were all that separated us from the devastation behind us and life in front of us. today when i think about those stairs, what they represent to me is resiliency of the people there that day trying to help each other and later the resiliency of our country. those 38 steps mean everything.

we will never understand why one person escaped and another didn't. how random it all seems and how powerless it makes us all feel. but what this museum does is allow us to see is that we absolutely can affect each other's lives by what we do at a time of crisis. how we are strengthened by what was done that day. september 11th brought out the largest emergency response in new york city history. 1,000 firefighters, 2,000 police officers, and 100 city and volunteer ambulances rushed into action.

when both towers fell, logic says no one could have survived and lived to tell the tale. the south tower fell, and no one survived. in the meantime, the men from the new york city fire department and port authority police were still inside the north tower attempting to rescue the remaining civilians. but when they reached the third floor, 107 floors of the north tower fell on top of them. lieutenant mickey cross remembered that he heard a huge roar, and then everything went dark and totally silent. buried in debris, he tried to protect himself by making himself so small that he might be able to climb into his helmet.

when he heard faint voices calling out, he realized he wasn't alone. he sent mayday signals, hoping someone might hear them. hours passed. outside there was nothing but piles of fiery wreckage. not only could rescuers not locate the north tower, they didn't even know where to begin. and yet they kept digging and digging and digging. it's my honor to introduce you to mickey cross and 11 members of the new york city fire department and port authority police department. all of them had been trapped together.

god bless them and god bless america. [ applause ] >> thank you. we were trapped way down inside a dark hole. and after a while, we saw the small beam of light about 30

feet above us. it was sunlight. it had broken through the smoke. and even though it only lasted for a little while, it was enough to let us know it was an opening. it turned out the rescue workers could see it, too. they finally came towards us, they couldn't believe we had survived and walked out on our own. they continued to look for our survivors. there had been 14 of us trapped in the stairwell, trying to stay alive. and searching for a way out. miraculously, we survived. once we got out, we saw complete devastation. the whole trade center was gone. what you could see were huge pieces of twisted steel and fires everywhere. and workers, never giving up on finding people. after our rescue, many of us joined the rescue and recovery teams at ground zero to do for

others what had been done for us. we had to. we had come together at ground zero to help each other out. there was a real sense of caring for one another. this is something we should never forget and never stop doing. thank you. [ applause ] >> i am marty rodriguez, and i am a member of teamsters local 282. i worked at ground zero in heavy construction for nine months. >> my name is pia hoffman. i'm a crane operator, and i worked at ground zero for eight months. >> my name is tony fervara.

i'm a detective with the new york city police department emergency service unit. i worked at ground zero for nine months. >> my name is steve butler. i'm a lieutenant with the port authority police emergency service unit. i worked down at ground zero for nine months, performing rescue and recovery. after learning losing my brother, tommy, a firefighter with squad company number 1, i was the first person to put his picture on this piece of steel which we call the last column. after that, many others followed with pictures and signatures. [ bell tolling ] >> the last column was part of the last area that was searched. >> it really tells three stories

of the building, the destruction and this cleanup effort. >> as the site was cleared and the beam came to stand alone, people that were working at the site were family members began affixing the photos. >> everybody was putting little sayings and notes on the column. we had a flag flying atop of it, and it was the icon on the site. the sheer size of it, the number of signatures, farewells not only to lost loved ones but also to this new family that developed on ground zero. >> we all became this family that worked together to try to make other families feel better. we were never going to fill in a hole, but if we made it a little smaller, that was all we could do. >> that column meant something to us. we completed the job, and we did a job well done. >> i think that last beam symbolizes the best of what

humanity can do. [ bell tolling ] >> of all the heartbreaking things we had to learn how to do after september 11th, the most necessary was -- and the most difficult -- was finding a way to honor every single person who was on those four planes, in the pa pentagon or the world trade center towers and those who died trying to save them. to give their families and us a place to come and remember them. now near where we are now, there is such a place filled with the photos, keepsakes and stories of

those we lost. these are our book of memory. in the area called memorial hall, there stands a three-story high wall connecting the footprints of the once mighty north and south towers. on it are written ten simple words by the great poet virgil that express what this museum is all about. "no day shall erase you from the memory of time." from there, you walk through to the wall of faces lined from floor to ceiling with smiling fathers, daughters, brothers, nieces, family and loved ones. in the same way we have photos in our own homes, these pictures are alive with the memories of the birthdays and weddings, barbecues and baseball games of those we lost.

what you will be looking at are the pages of the chapter in our history we call september 11th. >> where? oh. >> that's a good picture. >> it is. he'd be so proud of his daughter. just amazing just like you. >> seeing all these faces of different people. there he is. >> wow. >> this is hanna. this is you. this was a couple of weeks before 9/11 actually happened. this is our last family picture. >> i love this photo. >> yeah. that's him.

that's you. and that's your smile. that's you. you act just like him. mannerisms and everything is just like your father. you look like him. >> yeah. >> you act like him. >> you act like him and sound like him. >> there she is. i love that picture. you were 3 and you were 2. remember? through the years, i know all these names now. >> marian lecorey simone. although she wanted to look as pretty as possible, she was never above putting on a silly face. >> dancing on a bar because all

her friends were. all her friends were 30. and she was 50. she hung out with them. remember she told us she had gone to the biker bar the night before. then it was embarrassing, but now we're doing the same stuff. >> and when he heard the call on the radio, he told his partners, we've got to go. and he just ran up the stairs, and he just hailed a cab. he went straight to those buildings. and he did what he had to do. he had to go help people. >> he would do things spontaneo spontaneous. he would go, get up, let's do something different today. he just felt that life was too short. and i think i learned that on that day. >> robert chin. right there. that's uncle robert. >> that's robert. >> mama adopted you and named

you -- >> roberta hope chin because i was the new hope for the family. >> that's right. >> and i am his niece. >> yes, you're uncle robert's niece and namesake. >> this is a place where thousands of stories converge, where we can touch the face of history, our history. and yet while we come here to remember the past, it is the future, too, that stands with us in this hall. to truly honor that day, we must promise both to keep our memories of it alive and to search for ways to build something positive in the names of those we lost. they were the pride of their

families and the pride of their countries. their stories, their spirit and their examples can live on as our guides and our beacons by making their names and their lives stand for something meaningful in our world. what greater legacy can there be for the lives cut short than to live in the good works created in their names? >> my name is ada rosario dulch. and my sister wendy worked in tower 1 of the world trade center. i worked two blocks away as the principal of a high school that encouraged leadership and public service. that morning it was my job to protect our 600-plus students,

but i couldn't protect my sister. my whole life has been about educating children. after wendy died, i was with friends and said, imagine if we went to afghanistan and we built a school there. what a kick in the head to osama bin laden. kathy aullerton and countless others joined forces, and four years after 9/11, a school was opened in my sister's memory in the province of afghanistan. about 200 boys and girls came to study, and since then many, many more, all of them entrusted with education and their country's future. there can be beauty out of the ashes. it's hard work, but it can be done.

>> my name is jim. my younger brother, dave, was at his desk in the pentagon on september 11th. he was a civilian worning for the department of the army. after the attack, many wondered how will we remember those we lost? as family members, we needed to find a way to honor and remember them and in the process maybe find a way to heal ourselves. working together with friends, colleagues, families, supporters from around the world, we opened the pentagon memorial on september 11th, 2008. it is a place we remember 184 men, women and children, a place to provide solace and healing surrounded by the beauty of life. my brother, dave, and i had been young together, and we expected to grow old together, play a lot of golf and argue about who had the better-looking grandchildren. now there will be children born after 9/11 who only read about

that day in books. some of them might even think the people it happened to weren't real. but we are here to help them know that they were. my hope now is to create an educational center at the pentagon memorial where schoolchildren can come and spend some time getting to know their country's story and the very real people who lived it. >> we'd like to end our dedication ceremony on a note of hope that all the visitors to this museum, those who lived through the tragedy and those young enough to be learning about it for the first time will come away with a sense not of the worst of humanity but of the best. there are hard lessons -- hard history lessons to be learned here, but also shafts of light that can illuminate our days

ahead. to all those who have worked so tirelessly to bring this museum and its ideals to life, we owe you our deepest gratitude and appreciation, and special thanks to joe daniels, president and alice greenual, director of the 9/11 memorial museum. this museum is a testament to the resilience, the courage and the compassion of the human spirit that lies within each and every human being. so i think it's only fitting, then, that we bring our ceremony to a close with one of aaron copeland's most enduring and life-affirming pieces, "fanfare for the common man."

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> the new york philharmonic just capping off what can only be described as a spectacular start to a six-day dedication ceremony for the memorial museum here in new york city. we're so used to doing this on september 11th. it feels odd at this time, but it was such a spectacularly produced and beautifully and poignant ceremony and so fitting. >> right. i haven't seen an occasion about the day that has been more meaningful than this other than the obvious significance of what time was marked, the first year, the fifth year. you know, for people like us, as you may know, i mean, ashleigh