neither presidential candidate has ever served in the military. so we want to know do you need to be a veteran to be a good president? tribute to the fallen on this memorial day. we remember the sacrifices of our troops and their families. newsroom begins right now. good morning to you. i'm carol costello. it's going to be a wet and soggy memorial day across parts of the north florida and southeast georgia. tropical storm beryl is to blame. you're looking at a live picture from jekyll island, georgia. the storm moves up the coast. we learned a short time ago beryl caused major damage at the jacksonville airport after making landfall and canceling 12 outgoing flights and forced jacksonville officials to cancel holiday activities and thousands are without power this morning. meteorologist rob marciano is tracking beryl. oh, darn! >> bad timing. but good news to this and get to that in a second.

the damage in jacksonville is where it made landfall last night shortly after midnight and came on shore with near hurricane force winds. it was almost classified a hurricane and some folks may argue that. 73-mile-an-hour wind gusts at buck island and kings bay base 65-mile-an-hour winds and across north georgia a tremendous amount of rainfall. continue to see that happening. there is a live shot with the winds still coming in about 30 to 40 miles an hour and that will continue throughout the dah i today. eventually we will see some more weakening. right now westerly movement about 8 miles an hour. the center of it is pretty much between jacksonville and valdosta, georgia. right around there. you can see the circulation certainly and around the circulation we will continue to see rainfall. some of it heavy at times so a flash flood watch issued for this area because we could see the typical amount of rainfall we get with these systems. it's a slow-mover. eventually recurve back out to sea. hug the carolina postline but not even start really until

tomorrow night. and it may intensify a little bit there. but wait and see. until then the main thing is going to be not only battering waves and wind along the immediate shoreline but the rainfall will continue to dump heavy amounts here. keep in mind this all looks nasty and bad news. here is the drought monitor which indicates that northern florida and southeast georgia, extreme critical drought there. so any sort of rainfall we get will take -- you don't want it all at one time but beggars can't be choosey. localized flash flooding but the rainfall is a good thing. this is our second tropical storm of the season and it hasn't even started yet. june 1 is the first day of hurricane season. >> thank you, rob. >> you bet. texas republicans give mitt romney the magic number he needs tomorrow. voters head to the state with 152 delegates up for grabs and romney needs about half of that to clench the party's nomination. university of texas and texas

tribune poll shows mr. romney with an eight percentage point lead over president obama. the latino vote could be critical in texas in november, though. we are focus on that as we cross the state this week, we will be going to san antonio and laredo. we start today in houst. that's where cnn's juan carlos lopez is. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. >> tell us what you're doing there. >> reporter: well, we are following -- we are following the vote. we are looking at what this election looks like. it's been a very important year for latinos in texas. 20% growth in the last ten years. texas gained four congressional districts and that growth was due mainly to latino hispanics the fastest growing minority not only in the states but in texas. we weren't supposed to be here today. texas was supposed to be the crown jewel of super tuesday on march 6th, but there was a redistricting battle. it hasn't ended but now the

primaries will be tomorrow and we will see what happens. republicans still a republican -- texas still a republican state. we will see what rolla teen knows play but it's a very interesting prospect for them in this state with 36 congressional districts. >> i know nationwide, president obama leads latino voters by a large margin. is that true in texas? >> reporter: yeah it probably is. remember, i was saying this is still a heavily republican state. if we look at the most recent nbc/"wall street journal" poll it says president obama has 61% of the latino vote versus 27% for mr. romney. the last republican to do well with his ppanics was george bus who gained 45% of the latino vote depending on who you ask and what republicans need to win. he's at 27% in this poll. who knows if he'll make it and

different issues he's talked about especially immigration but hispanics care about health care. >> juan carlos lopez reporting live for us in houston this morning. astronauts unloading thousand pounds of food and supplies to the international space station. the first commercial flight for the space station and expected to return to earth with a splash down into the pacific on thursday. on earth, music, fireworks and appearance by the "uss nimitz" help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the golden gate bridge. it's only been closed three times due to weather since it opened back in 1937. happening right now. memorial day observances around the country and in our nation's capital. live pictures of the u.s. marine corps war memorial. a short time ago, a touching tribute was held for fallen war

veterans with a wreath laying ceremony at the national world war ii memorial. 50 years later, vietnam war veterans are being honored. many receive the homecoming they feel they never had and the tributes will continue the next 13 years. white house correspondent dan lothian is following today's event. dan, president obama will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the vietnam memorial wall later today but it's extra special this year. tell us why. >> reporter: it is. it was spelled out in the proclamation the president issued last week with regards to remembering the vietnam war. it's not just a one-day event, but looking at a program that stretches over 13 years, and it will be a joint program between the federal government, local communities, and private organizations as well, to honor those who paid the ultimate price, sacrificing their lives in that war in vietnam. more than 58,000 service members died in that war and more than

1,600 are still listed as missing. the president remembering those who fought and died for this country and those who are still serving as well. at 11:00, the president will be laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. that is at arlington national cemetery a short time thereafter, about 20 minutes after that, the president will be delivering some remarks and then shortly before 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, the president will visit the vietnam war memorial on the national mall and will be delivering remarks there. a chan to look back at those who fought and died for this country, but also not only those long ago wars, but also those who fought and died in iraq and who are still fighting in afghanistan. carol? >> dan lothian live at the white house this morning. the spirit of dan wheldon was riding with his friend dario franchitti as he took his third indy 500 win.

takuma sato tried to pass him in the final lap but franchitti got the flag. franchitti hugged the winner of the wife of wheldon. >> yesterday was about paying tribute to dan for the whole month really and the fans and the teams and the drivers got behind that and the emotion of the day was incredible. but i think it was a fitting tribute to dan and all of the fans were wearing the white glasses and the crews as well. the banners in the grandstands. i think he would have been very proud. he loved this track like no other and i think the fans have a special connection with him. so, yeah, it was very bittersweet day yesterday. >> he in the victory lane. he took a swig and swallow from a bottle of milk. he got a hug and kiss from his wife, the actress ashley judd.

>> a mystery is unfolding following a nicki minaj concert. a young girl is found strangled and two american men are held by police as they try to figure out what happened. ♪ mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. 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 the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

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13 minutes past the hour. checking top stories on this memorial day. tropical storm beryl is causing -- well, it's leaving thousands without power in northeast florida and southeast georgia. jacksonville, florida's airport has minor damage and the outbound flights have been canceled and the region is bracing for serious flooding. a relative of pedro hernandez tells cnn they told police in the '80s that hernandez had said he had killed a boy in new york. hernandez has not entered a plea due to a pending psychiatric evaluation. in syria the brutal massacre

of 108 people in houla is reigniting national anger toward the government. kofi annan is in syria with a meeting with the president assad and opposition members. ann is shocked and horrified by the traffic incident. the syrian regime denies involvement. led to london and check in with zain verjee with more on the meetings in syria. before i get to you, zain, i want to read something that the general martin dempsey, the chairman of joint chief, said when asked if america should -- military action, should america intervene with military action in syria. this is what he said a short time ago. we don't have that. he would like to keep all options open but military action is something the united states is loathed to do. zain verjee this incident in syria was beyond horrible.

>> reporter: yeah. the pentagon has been saying, too, all military options should be considered and that should be one of them and the pentagon's job is to give the president the kind of options that he needs. carol, this is what a lot of syrians are calling for after what happened in this place called houla. the focus of grief and outrage. look at the numbers. 108 victims. 49 of them were children under the age of 10. i mean, one of them was even like a 9-month-old baby. basically what they are saying is happened all of this shelling and a bunch of thugs came in and they went house-to-house and slaughtered men, women, and children. now, a huge amount of diplomatic pressure off of this. the special envoy kofi annan is there in damascus and meeting with bashar al assad on tuesday. the syrians say we have nothing to do with this. it's al qaeda. al qaeda, the terrorists, did this, not us.

they also say they will investigate what happened in ohula. human rights watchers saying that is a total -- they will not investigate their own crimes. the u.s. president barack obama raelg turning up the heat now on syria and he wants countries like russia and china to just get on board and put pressure on bashar al assad and get him out. >> there has been pressure on assad, and he has made promises that he has not kept. so what more can you do? >> reporter: that is the big question and the difficulty with syria. you know? one of the big challenges, though, diplomatically is that russia and china don't want to pile on the pressure on syria. and russia in particular has strong historical relationships with syria and is close to bashar al assad. the hope seems like we saw in houla and in other parts of syria will just continue to pile on the pressure on the asarsad regime.

they don't seem like they are going any. president obama is looking for pressure and possible military option because the syrian people want those strife. >> two americans arrested in tokyo. police questioning them about an irish woman's death inside that hotel. what more we are learning about this case is just ahead. >> announcer: with nothing but his computer, an identity thief is able to use your information to open a bank account in order to make your money his money. [whoosh, clang] you need lifelock, the only identity theft protection company that now monitors bank accounts for takeover fraud. lifelock: relentlessly protecting your identity. call 1-800-lifelock or go to lifelock.com today. [ female announcer ] introducing coffee-mate natural bliss.

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a mystery happening half way around the world involving two american men being held by police in coke yo atokyo and qu about the strangling death of this irish exchange student. she was found in a hotel room with one of the men she had met at a nicki minaj concert. this is her celebrating her birthday days before that. here is more on the investigation. >> reporter: unfolding international murder mystery here in tokyo. a young irish exchange student who just celebrated her 21st birthday found unconscious and unresponsive at this tokyo district hotel. she later died. tokyo metropolitan police say 21-year-old furlong was killed

by sufficieocation. police say two american men arrived at the hotel around 1:00 a.m. by taxi. three hours later, a hotel guest complained of a loud noise coming from a room. when hotel workers got to that roochl they heard someone saying in english, "she's not breathing." police say furless long was unconscious. a 19-year-old american man the only other person in the room. the furlong family spokesman, a priest, tells cnn by telephone from ireland that this loss is incomprehensib incomprehensible. >> devastating to the local area because this section of the parish to which she belongs is a small end of the parish only 300 to 400 families in total. all of those 300 or 400 families

would know each other quite well. in something of any nature happens it has a impact and especially a young person especially. everyone knows and everybody involved are concerned. >> reporter: police arrested the two american men in these cars being transferred from the police station to an undisclosed location. police say they are both entertainers, a 19-year-old dancer, a 19-year-old is considered a minor here in japan. and 23-year-old james blackstone. he is a dancer. neither men have been directly charged in furlong's murder. rather, they are being held for fondling furlong's friend in the back of a taxi. meanwhile, police are trying to investigate who may have killed furlong. kyung lah, cnn, tokyo. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you this morning is military service necessary to be a good president? on a day we honor our troops for

their service to our country, we still have men and women dying overseas. one of them just last week. the 3,000 coalition death in afghanistan. john mccain blames president obama's foreign policy, on iran, syria, and afghanistan. >> it began in iran when we failed to stand up in 2009. in libya, we, quote, led from behind. with iran, clearly we are kicking the can down the road. how many times have we seen north korea and iran, these different negotiations that have taken place? in afghanistan, obviously, the taliban believe that we are leaving. >> still, the president defeated osama bin laden, public enemy number one. a poll includes that most americans approve of obama's handling of foreign policy. does mccain have a point? if anyone knows war it's mccain who has seen battle firsthand

and brings up an interesting point one we read about in "the washington post" this morning. for the first time in modern history, neither man running for president has any military experience. it made us wonder if that really matters any more. it doesn't guarantee a win. after all, mr. obama beat mr. mccain in 2008. yet some of our most successful presidents have had military experience. among them, george washington, jfk, dwight eisenhower, and ronald reagan. the talkback question for you this morning is military service necessary to be a good president? facebook.com/carol/cnn. i'll read your comments later this hour. when you have diabetes...

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wins and rain from tropical storm beryl are leaving thousands without power in northeast florida and southeast georgia. jacksonville's airport also reports minor damage. a dozen flights have been canceled. the region also bracing for some serious flooding. former british prime minister tony blair denied he had ever been cozy with rupert murdoch. he testified at an inquiry into phone hacking at murdoch newspapers in britain. blair said his government had decided more issues against murdoch businesses than in favor of them. blair's testimony was briefly interrupted by a protester who called the prime minister a war criminal. back here at home. we are remembering the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice serving their country. president is spending memorial day honoring fallen troops and take part in a wreath laying at the tomb of the unknowns and later mark the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war with a ceremony at the vietnam vets memorial. republicans have made it a campaign issue attacking president obama over gas prices but in recent day, prices have

been going down, not up. today, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is around $3.64. aaa says that marks 12 straight declines. it's also an 18 cent drop from a month ago. republicans say regardless, the need to solve the problem is still there. top democrats on capitol hill say the gop's attempts to capitalize on gas prices have fizzled. this memorial day many of you are taking advantage of lower prices at the pump. aaa says nearly 31 million americans are traveling by car. a slight increase from last year. cnn's alison kosik is live outside of a gas station in new york. oh, you look lonely. i thought it would be packed with cars! >> reporter: you know, you just missed the morning rush, carol. i'll tell you that much. we are in new york city where the prices are a little elevated than what you'd see across the country. you mentioned $3.64 is the national average. here we are paying $4.13 but this is traditional. you see the higher gas prices in

hawaii and new york and california. so this is pretty typical. what is the trend going to be? what analysts say is you're probably going to see the trend stay around where it is, maybe dip a little lower so that $3.64 a gallon for that national average is something you can sink your feet into for a little while. what is keeping it going down even more is right now what is happening refineries are switching over to the summer grade of fuel and making that fuel cleaner and more environmentally sound for the summer months and it costs more so why you're going to see prices not dip too much from here. carol? >> that's good news. alison kosik, thanks. new mom beyonce makes a dazzling return to the stage! oh, man! she just had a baby too! she still has the moves and the voice and a very important person in the audience. a photographer accuses justin bieber of roughing him up. justin bieber.

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almost five months after the birth of her daughter blue ivy, new mom beyonce returns to the stage. ♪ ♪ i'll be your baby i promise not to let you go ♪ >> amazing. she is performing four sold-out shows to open the resort in atlantic city. among the fans watching her on saturday night, the first lady michelle obama and she had her daughters with her. pop star justin bieber reportedly has a run-in with the photograph and the photographer fights back by going to the police! nichelle turner is in los angeles with the scoop. i would be embarrassed to admit that justin bieber beat me up! maybe it's just me! >> reporter: you know what,

though? for a lot of these photographers if there is money involved, then, you know, they will -- >> i get it now. because i think i could take justin bieber on! >> exactly. >> reporter: this is turning into a memorial day, though, that justin bieber would rather forget. now the los angeles county sheriff's department confirms to showbiz tonight that a man has i accused the pop singer of physical battery after an incident sunday afternoon in california outside of los angeles. deputies say the man who is a photographer said he was taking pictures of bieber and his girlfriend selena gomez outside a shopping center when the alleged altercation occurred. bieber and gomez left the scene before deputies arrived. the man complained of pain and he requested medical attention. now, he was transported to a local hospital by the fire department where he was treated and released. we don't have a lot of details as to what started this whole thing but the matter is now being investigated. we have reached out to justin

bieber's reps for comments but, carol, of course, we have not heard back from his camp just yet. >> can't wait. >> he looks so little in that video there! >> he doesn't look like a violent lad. lady gaga just decided to cancel the show and not deal with it, huh? >> absolutely. her little monsters in indonesia not too happy as she canceled a show in jakarta. the plug was pulled on the june 3rd concert citing security concerns after hard liners die known ased her dance moves and costumes too riske. there were worries the concert, the crew, the concert-goers even gaga herself may be in harm's way if the show were to have gone on. many muslims in indonesia has the highest muslim population in the world say gaga revealing outfits and dance moves are forbidden by islamic law. she is disappointed and posted

the following message on her twitter account. i am so very sorry to the fans and devastated as you if not more. you are everything to me and i will try to put together something for you. according to newspaper reports in jakarta, more than 25,000 tickets were sold in the first two hours when seats for this concert went on sale in march. there were a lot of people looking forward to seeing gaga. >> nichelle turner, thanks so much. she will be back with us next hour with more showbiz headlines. coming up, "men in black 3" takes down the "avengers" but was its bay due impress sniff. the vatican called them radical m radical feminists and now the nuns in the united states are ready for a showdown. helps transform dry, thinning skin, by strengthening its moisture barrier,

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40 minutes past the hour. checking top stories. tropical storm beryl is causing damage and leaving thousands without power in northeast florida and southeast georgia. the renal is bracing for some serious flooding. the mayor of jacksonville, florida, canceled memorial day ceremonies. to michigan upper peninsula. containment still stands at 48% on a wildfire. the crews say they bulldozed lines should keep the fire growing from the southern edge

and say the northeastern edge is contained. 22,000 acres have burned. argentina, a celebration as the sioux falls becomes one of the seven new wonders of the world. it joins the amazon rain forest and vietnam's halong bay and jeju island in south korea and komodo in indonesia and table mountain in south africa. the showdown of catholic nuns and vatican is on. sisters meet for a reprimand for the group in the vatican's words, radical theme. translation nuns spend too much time on the poor and not enough on same sex abortion. >> keep up the good work. >> reporter: letters of support are what comfort this sister campbell at a time when the vatican rebuked american cathly

nuns not speaking out more on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. >> it's this kind of support for our work that is so touching. >> reporter: in april, the vatican released findings of their doctrinal assessment which criticized the women religion a group that represents the majority of the 57,000 nuns across the country. the document says this about the group. it is silent on the right to life from conception to natural death. a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the united states. the report also found, quote, radical feminist themes incompatible with the catholic faith in some of the group's work. the group said it was stunned by the findings. the report singled out for criticism sister simone's group network. a liberal catholic lobbying group of nuns. the sister says it's politics at play since the nuns supported the new health care reform law

something catholic bishops opposed. >> our church is being torn apart for political reasons, i think. it's anguish, it's anguish. where it goes, i don't know. >> reporter: in the report, the vatican appointed a bishop to oversee the nuns's activities. lcl board of directors are set to meet this week and come up with a response. >> i don't think it will change their corps mission. which is helping the poor. i think what we will see is some compromise as they move forward on this and it will be a long and painful process. >> reporter: worshipers say it's time for both sides to take pause. >> i would hope that the u.s. nuns would look at it as an opportunity to reflect on where they are succeeding and where they need to grow. >> i think a lot of people are taking a hard line on both sides. i think it needs a little fairness, just take your time and find out exactly what is going on. >> stay strong.

you are an inspiration. >> reporter: until there's a plan for a way forward, sister simone says she will continue to pray for direction. >> we are not alone. we don't stand alone. barbara is "newsweek" news bureau chief and in rome this morning. welcome. barbie, can you hear me? >> reporter: yes, i can. >> good. you scared me there for a minute. the nuns could do one of three things. agree with the vatican or offer to negotiate or say we are break away from the vatican and go our own way. what is your best guess? >> well, i think the least likely scenario they will break away from the vatican. a catholic nun needs the catholic church to remain true to her vows. what you're going to have is probably a type of an effort to negotiate with the vatican and probably up to the vatican whether or not they are willing to negotiate with the nuns. they may, you know, their

document from the congregation of the doctrine of the faith is that, a document, it's not a call for dialogue. so, you know, it's going to be up to the vatican to open up the door of dialogue and see what the sisters in the united states, part of the lcrr are willing to do. i think the nuns are on the front line when it comes to dealing with the poor and dealing with really serious poverty situations in the united states and their focus has been on that. now whether or not they are going to be able to take a step back and introduce some of these -- what the doctrine, the faith document wants them to do is going to be up to them to decide if there is room in their ministries to do that as well. in their work, if they can also include that sort of ministry. >> how much power do the nuns have? over the vatican. i mean, we assume that nuns are powerless but they really are not, right? >> well, the nuns have a big voice within the public catholic community and in many ways, they

are -- they are the middle ground between the priests and the people. they do not have the equivalent of the pope in rome. the pope is the spiritual guide of the priest and the clerical community. the nuns do not have one mother superior. they have different orders they have different mother superiors and those mother superiors are the members of the lcrr are the ones that guide them so they don't have a supreme leader if you will so they have to come together in the context of each of their orders and decide what to do in response to this. but it seems that they have little ground, if they want to stay as par of the catholic church. not much room for dialogue and not much room for argument when it comes to the doctrinal issues that the vatican wants them to adhere to. >> we will see what happens. thank you. still ahead, we asked you to talk back on one of the big issues of the day. the question for you this morning is, is military service necessary to be a good

president? facebook.com/carol -- cnn. i'll have your responses on the other side of this break. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. 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 the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally.

we asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question is military service nes f necessary to be a good president? michael says it is necessary for anyone who wishes to profit from public service and good for

every citizen to give back to their country and a proportion to what their country has given them. this is tracy. i used to think so but obama has done more for veterans than any other president. this from peter. george washington unlike mccain discouraged foreign entanglements. ron paul is still running for president and he has had military experience peter, geor washington unlike mccain diskorpblged foreign intanglements. this from mark. mccain still seems angry that president obama beat him in 2008. whatever the president is for mr. mccain and others are against him. this from carol. i remember those who have fought and are fighting for the country, and stop the blame game

at least for one day. i will read more of your comments in the next hour. we are following a lot of developments in the next hour with the "cnn newsroom." let's check in with rob. >> while you were sleeping, beryl came through last night, almost a hurricane and made landfall in jacksonville, florida. it's still spinning and causing wind, weavaves and heavy rainfa. that's all coming up. "cnn newsroom" will be right back. we're america's natural gas

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in the past week four people died trying to conquer mt. everest. part of the problem, deadly traffic jams, groups of climbers trying to climb the highest peak at the same time. and the climb is tough and in short weather windows near the summit, and it makes for a more dangerous challenge. ken cool says the conditions are not all that different, but says the clouds are new. >> it has become more dangerous. what happened this year, the number of people and the way the weather transpired this year, lots of people ended up trying to climb on the 19th of the month and again on the 25 and the 26th of the month. it was no more dangerous this year than in the past but it's just unfortunately the traffic

picked up when the four deaths occurred on the 19th. there was a number of people trying to climb up. it looked horrendous in the picture, but in reality nowhere near that bad. >> he took a gold medal to the summit on friday. the indy 500, one of the closest in recent history, and a really close call for one driver. willpower cannot avoid him. conway goes sideways into the outer wall and conway would be okay. but a tire from the crash breaks through and becomes a track hazard. caution flags flew seven other times on the race, and franchitti goes to to take the

flag. his third win at the indy 500. and then taking the opening way, ginobili led the way with 26 points. check out a few of his points here. spurs have now won 19 straight games dating back to the regular season. game two in the series tomorrow night in san antoniantonio. talk about power hitting. todd fraser hits a home run and the bat flies out of his hands. take a closer look here. see that? it seems that that makes contact with the ball after fraser dropped it. this is one of nine home runs. the reds go on to win 7-5. egg heads at m.i.t. have taken slapping out of the dining room. what is that, you say? let's catch up on the story with

jeanne moos. >> reporter: who among us has not been guilty of assault on a catch up model. has it caught up with catsup. >> look at it slide. amazing. >> reporter: our long national nightmare is over. mechanical and engineering students at m.i.t. have come up with a slippery coating that makes everything from catsup to mayonnaise leap out of the bottle, and they call the stuff liquid glide. >> it's different types of plastic and metal. >> look how annoyed tony gets at the dreaded catch up clog. sure, there are techniques ranging from the good fellas bottle roll to the heinz 57 trick. >> tilt the bottle at a

45-degree angle -- >> and simply slap it on the sweet spot, but liquid glide could make those tactics a obsole obsolete. it's totally nontoxic. >> this is stuff that people already eat in some foods. it's perfectly safe. >> reporter: they have already applied for a bunch of patens. >> reporter: what are the secret ingredients? >> well -- >> reporter: it would not be secret if they told. they asked folks at heinz if they were in contact with the liquid glide inventers, and all they said was they love the idea of making it easier to pour out heinz catsup. there are traditionalist -- >> i don't feel the catch up would have the same satisfaction

to it if it poured out that quickly. >> reporter: well, guess what the young inventers are thinking at m.i.t. do you think this will turn you into millionaires? >> yeah. >> reporter: they have this, already, no more banging or sucking up the catsup, this could mean their last gasp. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> the next hour of "cnn newsroom" starts right now. happening now in the news room, beryl shuts down beaches and rip tides and power outages and 79-mile-per-hour winds, and the tropical storm ruining holiday plans. kidnapped at the vatican. a 15-year-old disappears 30 years ago and now somebody

inside the vatican says the teenager was taken for sex parties. what really happened to her? megan mccain bullied. now mccain says she is being bullied on the internet. they are calling her fat, and worse, they are suggesting that she kill herself. we will tell you how she is fighting back. remember the sacrifices of our troops and their families. good morning to you. i am carol costello. first this hour, tropical storm beryl is ruining plans along the north florida and southeast georgia coast. you are looking at a live picture from jekyll island. storms knocked out power to thousands and cancelled flights to the jacksonville, florida airport. yesterday beachgoers were trying to enjoy the fun while it lasted. >> if you have decided to leave early because of the storm? >> i have never been in one, so

you don't know what to expect. >> i never been through a tropical storm. in new york we don't have tropical storms. makes me want to go back to new york now. >> the reporter with our affiliate has the latest from jacksonville. >> reporter: there is a bit of a lull here, and the rain and wind certainly quieted down. earlier today they were coming at us hard. now not so much. the rain quieted down, but the wind picking up just a bit. want to show you what it looks like here. look at the surf coming in, and those waves are not typical for the coast of florida, and they are coming in hard here at jacksonville beach. tens of thousands said to be without power here in jacksonville. the memorial day festivities were cancelled and indeed there was a jazz festival this weekend and that was cancelled because of tropical storm beryl.

that caused some folks here hundreds if not thousands of dollars in economic impact. the mayor did declare a state of emergency, asking people to remain inside. that state of emergency remains in effect when the -- as the cleanup begins here in jacksonville. there will be crews going around to make sure folks are okay, and at this point there have been no significant injuries reported which officials here say is the good news. that's the latest from jacksonville, and now back to you. >> let's head to the weather center with rob marciano. where is beryl now? >> about 60 miles to the west of jacksonville, florida. has weakened, and has 40 miles per hour winds. at one point last night we had 70-mile-per-hour sustained winds, and that's below hurricane force. you see quite a bit of rainfall circulating around. the rainfall is good. we need the rain here desperately. the folks living here don't want it all at one time, and there

are flash flood watches out and warnings around jacksonville proper, and on top of that there is a threat for sustained tornados. we have one tornado warning in effect right now and it may have expired through duvall county there. it was heading towards the north, 25 miles per hour, and they do not have a watch out yet with the system. it's weakening in intensity, but will be dumping rain. 73-mile-per-hour wind gusts last night at buckeye hrupbd, and 65 miles per hour in kings bay, and the rainfall will continue to fall here. the slow movement out to see. take a good day and a half before it gets over savannah. the further offshore it gets, the more it will likely strengthen, and affect less people. if it hugs the coastline like the forecast says it will, that could be problems for the people who live along the carolina coastline. bad timing for the memorial day

weekend. this is the second time we have seen a tropical storm in may but the first time we have seen a landfalling tropical storm since 1959, and this is the strongest may landfalling storm we have seen in over 100 years. and the season is supposed to be a quiet one, so somebody tell that to mother nature. this friday is the official beginning of hurricane season. two young american men could be key players in a murder mystery in japan. they are being questioned about the death of a irish exchange student. nicola furlong was at a nicki minaj concert. the two americans are 19 and 23 years old, and police say both are entertainers. the men have not been charged. back in this country, thanks to a make my day law, a colorado couple will not face charges for

shooting and wounding a woman who stragerred into their home. she was drunk. they felt threatened and now she could face prison time. >> reporter: big trouble for zoe ripple. it was early on wednesday morning when the startled couple inside shot her. the boulder county district attorney says this sort of thing happens all the time, confused, drunk students entering the wrong homes. >> investigators say her blood alcohol level that night,.20, more than double the legal limit for drivers. she lives here on university, and somehow just under a mile away she got into the bedroom of this home, that's when the homeowner pulled out his gun and pulled the trigger. >> somebody was shot? >> yeah, somebody was shot! >> ripple is still in the

hospital with the gunshot wound. the bullet fractured her hip. this sort of thing happens in boulder once a month. >> we prosecute probably 12 to 15 of these a year on average, and that's about one a month. we had another one last night ironicly, with somebody being intoxicated and go into a property that is not theirs. >> reporter: her attorney calls this case disappointing and completely out of character for her client. >> as you heard, the woman suffered a fractured hip in the shooting but her lawyer says she can walk, and then she will face the courts. today, we are remembering our fallen heroes. you are looking at a live picture at arlington cemetery. president obama and the first lady will be there in the next hour to lay a wreath at the tomb

of the unknowns. more than 600,000 u.s. troops have died in war since the first memorial day observance in 1868. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. you know the memorial is right behind me. when you see it in person, it's just so stunning. it's dedicated to the marines that lost their lives during that fierce battle during world war ii, and we are talking about iwo jima. hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists rode from arlington in honor of those

missing in action. this is sergeant army bergdahl. on friday, at arlington national cemetery, american flags were placed at more than 260,000 head stones to honor every service member laid to rest there. we want to go to another live look there again at the tomb of the unknowns. president obama and the first lady will be there, and the laying of the wreath will be followed by remarks there at the arlington national cemetery. back to you, carol. >> we hear arlington cemetery is offering another way to honor the fallen this year. can you tell us about it? >> reporter: sure. nice gesture from several flower farms both in california and ecuador. they donated some 50,000 roses. what that enables is that people who come here to arlington national cemetery, if you lost a loved one you can get one rose

to lay along that grave site and a second rose to take home with you so you can remember that loved one. a nice donation for those families that lost the loved one to war. >> rene marsh, thank you so much. astronauts unloaded food and supplies to the space station. it's the space "dragon." it's returned to return to earth with a splash down in the pacific on thursday. and the 75th birthday of the golden gate bridge. it has become one of the most iconic symbols. only closed three times since it opened due to weather, way back in 1937. a man that confessed to killing a new york boy 33 years ago is now on suicide watch. police blew off information about the case years ago, and

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just about 13 minutes past the hour, and we are checking our top stories now. we are remembering the men and women that made the ultimate sacrifice serving their country. president obama will take part in the wreath laying ceremony at the tom of the unknowns and he will mark the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war with a ceremony. tony blair denies he was ever cozy with murdoch. blair says his government had decided more issues against murdoch's issues than for them. tropical storm beryl is leaving thousands without power

in northeast florida and southeast georgia. jacksonville airport reports minor damage and a dozen outbound flights have been cancelled. the region bracing for serious flooding. a relative of the man charged with killing a missing new york city boy three decades ago apparently tried to warn police years ago. pedro hernandez is on suicide watch after confessing to choking aton to death. we agreed not to identify the relative, but the family member says there's no indication anything came out of the report. and joining me now the president of investigative insuconsultant. mr. hernandez is in belleview and undergoing psychiatric test, and his lawyer says he is skits

frannic and bipolar and has huh hrao huh hraous nations. >> the anniversary date was friday. sometimes people who are not in the spotlight take the position to get back in the spotlight, and this may be the case. there are reports the fbi have gotten involved in this and they have doubts this individual was involved. >> is there any way to prove he did it? the store where he abducted him is gone now. and the garbage bag that he says he put the body in is gone. where do you start? >> you need to go back and look at the evidence 33 years ago. we don't have the technology as we do today with video cameras and technology, and also some of the investigators that were involved in the case are no longer around. they will have to take the case

file and go back through it and try to corroborate the evidence that is there, and to see if he can tie the pieces together. >> so i would assume they are going back in there and interviewing members of mr. hernandez' family to see what kinds of stories he told through the years? >> that's correct. they will have to do that. we have technology of layered voice analysis, 6.50, and if we had an opportunity to analyze the interview, we may be able to determine what is going on with the individual. >> let's talk about the layered voice analysis. you worked with natalee holloway's family, and you used this on joran van der sloot, and what did you find out? >> he was fabricating the story, and we were able to target in on some of the information and discredit some of his statements.

we not only used it on him, but deepak and also van der sloot's father. >> but, if mr. hernandez is havi having h having hallucinations. >> by his voice and by the rhythms that come up, it's like a tool being used as a polygraph where it's physical and they have to wire you up. we can take any transmission, and i can tell you if you are lying or if you have a illness or what is going on with you. >> you have this as an investigator, but did the new york city police? >> this was brought over by the israelis ten years ago, and the

president, lynn robins and i both used this to assist law enforcement and prison systems to identify sexual predators so we could take the interview and look at it and assist the police and identify what this individual's problems are. >> back to the case at hand. what percentage do you give police on ever proving that mr. hernandez had anything at all to do with etan patz' death. >> they can go back and see if he is involved, and if not, then, his defense attorneys are already saying that this would be a case where he would plea insanity if it went forth. it may have been premature as to the arrest of not corroborating a lot of information yet in this case. so i think that needs to be done, and going back to the case file before the formal charges

are brought against him. >> why do you think new york city police decided to arrest mr. hernandez at this time? why didn't they wait until they had all their ducks in a row? >> it may be based on the information they have and because of the anniversary of 33 years has come out to hurry and bring this case to a head and get what has got to go on. but again, they need to corroborate the evidence that they had 33 years ago with what they have today. >> thank you so much for coming in this morning. appreciate it. >> thank you. tough and outspoken, but even mccain is having sleepless nights because of internet bullies. why she says people are harassing her. ight. do you have any idea where you're going ? wherever the wind takes me. this is so off course. nature can surprise you sometimes...

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john mccain's daughter is finding out how tough it is to be a moderate republican these days. last week megan mcclain criticized right wing bloggers and said many republicans treated her like a freak because she is not conservative enough. now she is talking about the backlash she is getting in the interview. some people called her fat, clueless and anti-american and suggested she kill herself. she writes quote you would think by now having gone through a

presidential election with my father in 2008 i would be numb to this kind of name calling, but i am not, it hurts, it rattles me. end of uote. the question for you this morning, is military service necessary to be a good president? on a day we honor our troops for service to their country, we still have men and women dying overseas. one just last week. john mccain's blames obama's foreign policy on iran, syria and afghanistan. >> it began in iran when we failed to stand up in 2009, and in libya, we quote led from behind, with iran, clearly we are kicking the can down the road. how many times have we seen north korea and iran, these different negotiations that have taken place? in afghanistan, obviously the taliban believe that we are

leaving. >> still, the president defeated osama bin laden public enemy number one and a recent wall street journal poll shows most americans approve of mr. obama's handling of foreign policy. but does mccain, a pow and war hero have a point? that brings up an interesting point, one we read about in the washington post this morning. neither man has any military experience, and it makes us wonder if that matters anymore. mr. obama beat mr. mccain in 2008, but yet some of the most successful presidents have had military experience, among them, george washington, and jfk and eisenhower and reagan. so the question, is military service necessary to be a good president? i will read your responses later this hour.

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just about 30 minutes past the hour, and checking our top stories. tropical storm beryl is pounding the coast of georgia. and so far up to three inches of rain have fallen in some areas and about 15,000 people are now without power. in syria, the brutal massacre of 108 people is reigniting international anger towards the government. international envoy is now in syria with a meeting with the president al assad. he is shocked and horrified by

the incident and the syria regime denies involvement. tony blair denied he had ever been cozy with murdoch. blair says his tkpwufrt had decided more issues against murdoch's businesses than in favor of them. political buzz is your rapid fire look at the topics of the day. three questions and smart answers. with us today, leaning to the right, steve liens to the left. he is a democratic strategist. >> this is the first election in modern american history in which neither candidate has any military experience. so the question is, does being a veteran make for a better president? >> yes, all things being equal and all other factors being equal, being a veteran would be

a benefit to holding the office of the presidency. but rarely are all things equal and policy wise equal. and we look at the president like a head legislative position, and in truth most presidencies are defined by things out of their control and things they cannot anticipate. having somebody in that office that served and understands what soldiers and military leaders are up against would definitely be a benefit. >> steve? >> i tend to agree with will. i think it's a little more beneficial to have a president who has military experience. i think barack obama has done a terrific job dealing with terrorism. but you know, we are not going to have many presidents in the future who have had military experience because we have the all-volunteer army today. i think it's a good case to go back to a draft by having the

voluntary military. >> interesting. and giuliani railed on romney in 2008, and he says hey, that was just ego talking. >> he had a reduction of unemployment of about 8 -- i think it was 15%. i had a reduction of 50%. they had a growth of jobs about 40,000, and we had a growth of jobs of 500,000, so i was comparing to what i thought was a far superior record, and that's all part of campaigning. >> so he still kind of slammed him. should president obama use the gop to attack romney? steve? >> you know, i don't think he has to use the gop to attack romney. i think what he should do is use romney to attack romney. what he has said in the campaign, he supports the ryan

budget making, and privatizing medicare and making seniors pay $6,000 a year more, and that's where obama ought to go, and go at romney and forget about what the rest of the republicans have said. >> will? >> i think president obama should use the gop for a phebgees number. they can't penetrate the governorship of massachusetts. here is why. it's a hard thing to criticize from the left. what are you going to do, go in and say mitt romney was a poor job creator. what is he going to do? criticize health care assistance? you can't criticize that governorship from the left, but if you use the right to do it for you, you now proxied the criticism of the entire service. >> on to the third question,

megan mccain, senator mccain's daughter, got slammed, and she said people responded by calling her fat and telling her she should die. the question is, when will these fishio visi vicious attacks stop? >> this will never -- this is the way that it is. when we venture into public debate and discourse. it's the way it has always been. we constantly invoke jefferson versus adams, and how horrible -- >> but this is megan mccain. she is not running for everything. >> as somebody who ventured into the public arena to participate in the debates, you know and good this is part of the game. when people can say things to

you anonymously and immediately, and the world is full of anonymous tough guys, and get used to it because this is the way it is. >> steve? >> the problem is megan mccain is a freak in the republican party, and any moderate is a freak in the republican party. they purged every moderate elected official they have. they may have one or two, and they just beat senator lugar from the far right. we're not a good country when a moderate can't be in the democratic party or republican party. it's not good for the country. our reapportionment system now has every system being strongly left democratic or strongly right republican. we need to get back where we can have a big tent and be a moderate in the democratic or republican party. when we come back -- the

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oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us. what? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. "men in black 3" invaded the box office against the "aveng s "avengers." we have the scoop. >> you know they say nothing lasted forever. but this was a good while it

lasted. it was a good run for the "avenge "avengers." "men in black 3" put the third installment to the alien fighting franchise on top. it's expected to take in $70 million at the end of the memorial day weekend. it could bank more than $200 million worldwide after today. according to the hollywood reporter, it's slightly under performed here at home. many expected it to earn more than $80 million domesticly this weekend. they are short of the "avengers" movies. it cost $230 million to make.

let's talk about kwrjustin bieber. what is up? >> he had a hard weekend. it's hard to imagine that he put the hurt on somebody. a man accused the pop singer of physical battery in calabasas, california. that's outside of los angeles deputies say the man who is a photograph said he was taking pictures of bieber and his girlfriend, selena gomez, outside a shopping center when the alleged thing occurred. the man was taken to the a local hospital by the fire department. we don't have details as to what started the whole incident, but the matter is being invest gated. we reached out to justin

bieber's representatives and have not heard back. >> thank you. watch "showbiz tonight" 11:00 eastern on hln. ♪ [ male announcer ] aggressive styling. a more fuel-efficient turbocharged engine. and a completely redesigned interior. ♪ the 2012 c-class with over 2,000 refinements. it's amazing...inside and out. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. the key is to have a good strategy.

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42 minutes past the hour, and checking the top stories now, and live pictures where tropical storm beryl is pounding the southeast coast of georgia, and further south in jacksonville, florida, a dozen flights had to be canceled at the airport because of minor damage there. so far up to three inches of rain have fallen in areas and 15,000 remain without power. and upper peninsula, there is some progress to report on the duck lake fire, but not much. containment stands at 48%, and they bulldozed the lines that should keep the fire from growing. so far 42,000 acres have burned. let's head out to national arlington cemetery in virginia. you can see the people there waiting for the president to come out. he will be out in about -- we're thinking about 15 minutes to lay

a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. we will have it for you live. now to italy, where a 30-year-old mystery may soon be solved. a 15-year-old disappeared in 1983. since then, her case has ins instigated conspiracy theories. one official claims the teenager was kidnapped for sexual reasons. earlier this month italian authorities opened the crypt of a mob boss, and they found dozens of boxes containing remains that did not belong to the mob figure. those remains are being tested for a possible match. now, her family is urging the vatican to open a serious investigation. this doesn't even sound real. >> reporter: no, it's a very complicated case.

that's definitely -- there's no question about that. the mobster, the member of the italian criminal gang was buried in the church in 1997, for no reasons anybody is clear about. there are allegations his family gave money to the vatican to make sure he was buried in a private place, but the family of the victim believes there is something more to it. they want answers. they believe the vatican is holding back information, and they know a lot more than they have been forthcoming with at this point. >> why hasn't the vatican agreed to get more involved? >> reporter: because they don't have to. the vatican is its own sovereign nation. what happens there stays there. they don't have to be accountable to everybody else. there are 220 people who live inside the vatican and only a

handful of people are clerical people, and usually they can take matters into their own hands. they have their own criminal justice system and judges and own method of dealing with things. they have not had to be very transparent to deal with these things. there is so much pressure outside the vatican city, because this case is really underscoring that difference in that wall between the vatican and the country. and, you know, for 30 years people wanted to know the answer, and it's really getting, i would say gaining steam now. they are really making progress in terms of getting the vatican to agree to open the tomb in terms of listening to the family members and things like that. there was a demonstration this sunday, and the brother of the missing girl marched with a number of followers to st. peter's square, carrying signs of the girl hoping the pope would make a reference to her, and he did not say a word about the young girl. >> when will the dna test come

back? >> caller: we are expe >> reporter: we are expecting there should be some information coming out of the tests. they were able to determine many of the bones were ancient and had been buried in a previous era in that crypt. and if they are not hers, who bones are they is another question they want to know the answer to. back in the united states, we are breathing a little easier at the bump. we are not at the $4 gas range analysts expected by now, but why? hello bobby. do you know you could save hundreds on car insurance over the phone, online or at your local geico office? tell us bobby, what would you do with all those savings? hire a better ventriloquist. your lips are moving.

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analysts had us bracing for it, $5 for a gallon of gas. thankfully that didn't happen. alison kosik is outside a gas station to explain why. >> reporter: good morning to you, carol. a lot changed since we beat that drum saying $4 and $5 a gallon gas around memorial day. tensions with iran cooled off. you remember early last year, iran was threatening to close the straight, and raise the fear

of premium with oil and that pumped up gas prices as well. now the threats have gone away and that is why you are seeing gas prices lower. and also supplies are plentiful. they are at their highest levels since 1990. that's also why we are seeing gas prices lower. finally, part of it is the economy. here in the u.s., we are seeing the recovery losing momentum, and you look at the job market and the economic growth is slowing down and it's not just here in the u.s., and europe, at least 12 countries there are fall into a recession, and you are seeing the global growth kind of slowing. that means when everybody is sort of trading oil right now, the expectation is that demand is going to be less and so you see oil prices coming down. you remember oil prices actually make up about 66% of gas prices. those are kind of reasons you are seeing gas prices lower on this memorial day. though here where we are right now, you say the national average is $3.64 a gal, and in

new york city, $4.13 a gallon. >> it's way worse in california. >> reporter: yeah, and hawaii. >> and hawaii. i can't even say relatively low, because the gas price at $3.64 a gallon is high, but not too bad for the millions of people hitting the road today. >> reporter: exactly. if you look at where we were for gas prices this time last year, gas prices are down 30 cents. we are making headway that way. but there's a tradeoff once again. i talked about the fact that you are seeing the recovery kind of slowdown a little bit, which is affecting the gas prices. it's a tradeoff. do you want to see the economy be sluggish or pay more out of your pocket to fill up your car? everything is down to a tradeoff, isn't it? >> yes. alison kosik, thank you so much. still, and we asked you to talk about on one of the big questions for the day.

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we asked you to talk back on one of the big stories today, and the "talk back" question this morning, is military service necessary to be a good president?. this from charles. and this from vern, the best military minds are on the president's side. if you are going to be managing a workforce, one should previously have done the job you are managing. and my president doesn't need to have military experience, but he does need to be able to

understand goconflicts, and precede with integrity and intelligence. thanks as always for your comments. finally this morning, baseball players and fans swear by superstitions and one of the most powerful is the curse of the billy coat on the chicago cubs. back in 1945, the owner of the billy goat tavern was asked to leave a world series game because his pet goat was stinking up the field. and legend has it, the owner said the cubs would never win a world series again, and guess what? they haven't. they hope to break the curse by doing a good deed. >> i am with a group of four friends. we are hiking from mesa, arizona, and we are trying to crack the curse of the goat for the cubs. we started february 25th in

mesa, and walked through the southern desert in arizona and new mexico, and went through the texas panhandle and oklahoma city, and tulsa, and the ozarks in missouri, and through the cardinal country in st. louis, and we are in 88 days into it, and we could smell chicago and they could smell us coming, and it feels good and a journey almost done. >> we traveled close to 1,900 miles. it's going to be about 2,000 when it's all said and done. we raised over $13,000 so far. >> the target is $100,000. we feel like it's a possibility. >> a lot of that comes in the form of people stopping by and doing $5 and $20. >> a guy named heath donated $125, because his kid wanted to

pet the goat. we probably have five or six people ask us if they can buy him. and he is not for sale. >> we found him on craig list. >> don't let that goat in there, and i hope they never win a game. >> my mom had leukemia, and a couple months later she took part in a sibling bone marrow transplant and lived for years off that. >> this is far bigger than sports. >> it's an experience a lot of people don't get to get. we have been fortunate to have the time to do it and be able to experience this journey with each other, and with the goat. >> the guys and their goat have made it all the way to chicago and just in time, the cubs have lost 12 straight games. the guys and the goat will be on

"starting point" tomorrow morning. i am carol costello. thank you for joining me. the news continues right now with ashleigh banfield. americans have short memories, but today is the day that we go ahead and prove them wrong. today americans remember and honor the men and women who fight and die so that others might live in freedom. arlington national cemetery is the focal point of the national observance. president obama is just about to place a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. as we take a look at live pictures right now of arlington national ceremony, you can see guard is set up and waiting for the president. it's a busy day for the president as well, beca