right now on msnbc, heavy rain and heavy winds from tropical storm beryl as it makes landfall overnight, making for a memorial day mess for parts of florida and georgia. full coverage for you. bain bandwagon? the debate continues over president obama's campaign against bain. but do democrats support that strategy? and honoring our fallen troops on this memorial day 2012. hi, everybody. great to have you with me today. i'm thomas roberts. right now, tropical storm beryl is battering parts of florida and georgia after making landfall overnight. drenching rain and 50 mile an hour winds are pounding parts of the southeast. now, some areas could get as much as a foot of rain today. the weather channel's jim

cantore has the latest from st. simons island in georgia for us. jim? >> reporter: good morning, thomas. winds still gusting at over 35 miles per hour here. this time from a different direction. storms onshore, that means our winds are coming from the southeast out of the water. so really nothing to block it. basically what we have here on the beach, where all the debris has come up. i'd say about 150 to 200 feet from where it was. and pretty much all the way to the dun line through here. at the time of high tide last night. we may see more of that today at high tide, about 1:00 this afternoon. but all in all, i think we really dodged one here, at least on st. simons. the further south you go, cumberland, amelia island, towards jacksonville, that's where the worst of it is, and certainly we continue to hear about the power outages this morning. but the good news is a lot of the power outages are coming online pretty quickly, which leads me to believe this is probably branchs that have been on lines as opposed to whole poles that have snapped off, because we just didn't have that ferocious of winds.

the strongest wind gusts have been right on the beaches this morning as we will continue to get. there is still moist tower come with this thing. some rain bands will produce locally heavy rains as far north as savannah. still tropical storm warnings up on the northern georgia and florida coast as the strong wind bands will continue now that beryl has come ashore. back to you. >> jim, thanks so much. and we'll keep you posted on that storm this morning. speaking of gathering storming, moving to politics now where democrats are getting behind the president's strategy to go after mitt romney over his time at bain capital. "the washington post" interviewed party leaders who say they are onboard. something reiterated by robert gibbs on "face the nation" yesterday. >> i don't think you need polling to understand why people have a visceral reaction to mitt romney's time as head of bain capital. and let's be clear. this is the central and only point that mitt romney brings up that in the words of his

campaign would make him an economic saviour for this country. >> joining me now, nbc news political analyst and former pennsylvania governor ed rendell. great to see you this morning. and listening to robert gibbs, i want to get your reaction to find out if it's visceral or not about mitt romney's time at bain capital. i know you have expressed some concern over this line of attack. >> sure. i think it's a proper line of attack. it's appropriate as robert gibbs said. it's been the whole reason that romney says he should be elected president. he can solve the economy. proof of that, not his time as governor of massachusetts because their job creation numbers were terrible, i think 47th in the country, but because of what he did at bain capital. so did it net job? did it lose jobs? but even more importantly, i think the second issue -- that's the first issue, did it get jobs, produce jobs. the second issue is, is it the type of value system that you want the president of the united states to have? and i give you one example,

robert. amped. there were 350 workers. it went bankrupt, went out of business. sometimes you and i know it's inevitable. sometimes private equity fails. the workers lost their jobs. but the investors took $100 million out. the workers also lost most of their pension and retiree health care benefits. did anybody think to ask the investors, hey, guys, let's take $80 million out in profit. that's a thighs profit. and let's leave $20 million so these workers can have their pensions, or at least a substantial pension, workers who worked for the company and gave their all. that's a value question, and i think that's worth asking. >> when we look at it from that type of standpoint, governor, this was all about business and the bottom line. bain can say that there was a byproduct in certain instances where there was job creation. however, this really was about profit making for the uber rich, the investors that had deposited their money with bain. but as we look at the democrats

that near virginia, in colorado, is there a risk of alienating the independents out there, as robert gibbs brings up this visceral reaction that people could have to this, especially to the business-minded independents? is that something that the campaign should be a little more worried about? >> well, sure. and that's why it has to be done right, and that's why i said the original ads which had the second worker calling bain and mitt romney vampires, that's inappropriate, just as it was when republican governor rick perry called it vulture capitalism. but if governor romney had said i know how to create wealth, that was my job at bain capital, nobody could have argued with him. but i think what the president is saying and what democrats are saying, don't tell us you know how to create jobs because that wasn't the motive for bain capital. it was to create wealth. we're not certain you netted out job creation, number two. and number three, some of the value choices you made. i mean, i don't know about you, thomas, and i'm not a goodie two

shoes. but if i had the choice of taking $80 million out, a lot of money in profit for me and investors, but leaving $20 million in so people could have some form of pension, some security in their old age, people that worked hard for the company, i think i would have made that choice. >> i also want to get your take on something else, because mitt romney has an event in las vegas where he'll be appearing with donald trump tomorrow. but here was george will's take on that. i want you to hear this and get your reaction. >> the cost of appearing with this bloviating ignoreamus is obvious, is teems to me. he is redundant evidence that if your net income is very high your iq can still be very low. >> george will will not be appearing on the next season of "celebrity apprentice." but what do you think about that and mitt romney's appearance with donald trump tomorrow in las vegas? >> well, i think bloviating

ignoramus is great. but i think that voters know that candidates appear with a whole slew of different people. nobody will vote for or against governor romney because he appears with donald trump. does it enhance the idea that governor romney is the rich man candidate? sure, because donald trump is not shy about talking about his wealth and the things he's done. but i don't think in the end it makes much of a difference. you know, is it important to raise money? obviously, yeah. too important in american politics. and thanks to citizens united, which i believe is the worst decision since dread scott, money, i think, has a possibility of dominating this fall election. but i think in the end, he's not going to lose votes or gain votes because he appeared with donald. >> sir, great to see you this morning. >> thanks, thomas. have a great day. this morning, president obama will mark memorial day in virginia and washington, d.c.

the commander in chief will thank those who sacrificed their lives for freedom. nbc's kristin welker is at the white house for us this morning. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. well, president obama and the first lady will be attending memorial day events at arlington national cemetery, and at the vietnam veterans memorial wall to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the vietnam war. the president and first lady will also be spending time with veterans today as well as gold star families. those are families who have lost loved ones to one of the wars. now, mitt romney will also be marking this memorial day. he will be attending a memorial day ceremony out in san diego with senator john mccain. by the way, senator john mccain was very critical of president obama's foreign policy over the weekend. he called it feckless, saying that the obama administration should be doing more to stop what's happening in syria right now. the obama campaign has of course

been out defending its foreign policy, talking about the fact that they are drawing down the wars in iraq and afghanistan. you know, today is an important day to remember that the veterans vote is going to play a big role in this 2012 election. president obama lost the veterans vote back in 2008. recent polls show that he actually has a narrow lead over mitt romney, but both candidates have been courting veteran voters because that vote could make a big difference in some swing states like virginia. president obama has been out talking about the fact that he has enacted a number of policies that he says has helped veterans find work. right now he is pressing congress to pass tax breaks for companies that hire veterans. that's part of his to-do list. and of course, mitt romney has also been out talking about the ways in which he would help veterans. so as both candidates are marking this memorial day, it is also important to remember they

care a lot about courting the veterans vote as well. thomas? >> kristen welker at the white house. thank you. still ahead other another high profile politician takes center stage in the uk hacking scandal. why former british prime minister tony blair is in the hot seat this morning. and one racer can't catch a break, repeating history at the indy 500. plus, the politics of afghanistan. defense secretary leon panetta responds to mitt romney and republicans critical of the exit strategy there.

welcome back, everybody. right now in great britain, former british prime minister tony blair is being grilled in court. these are live pictures of that questioning taking place right now. and he is testifying about his links to rupert murdoch and the phone hacking scandal that has embroiled murdoch's media

empire. blair was under scrutiny about his media ties, including an active courting of the embattled media tycoon. >> with certain parts of the media, the press becomes not merely politically partisan in their comment or editorial line, but in their news coverage. then it becomes all the more important, and that's why i used the word "crucial," that you try and prevent yourself becoming an object of that attack. emfmi emphatically, this is not confined to the murdoch media. to syria now, united nations special envoy kofi annan arrived this morning to meet with syrian president assad. now the united nations on sunday condemned the killing of more than 100 people in the town of hala on friday. hundreds of people were treated for heat related illnesses at

the indianapolis 500 on sunday. the temps there reached 91 degrees on the speedway. that's one degree short of an all-time high. organizers relaxed the rules to allow ice and coolers in the stands, and set up misting stations and air conditioned buses helping the people there to cool off. it was this crash, though, by driver mike conway in the final lap that handed scottish driver dario franchitti his third indy win. conway wasn't hurt but crashed in forly the same spot as two years ago. in san francisco, an icon there marking quite a milestone there. the golden gate bridge is turning 75. thousands of people flocked to the bridge on sunday for a fireworks celebration. nearly 2 billion vehicles have travelled over the famous span since it opened to traffic may 28 in 1937. beautiful bridge it is. tropical storm beryl is the strongest storm to hit the u.s. in may in over 100 years.

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and welcome back, everybody, to msnbc. our some memorial day coverage. a live look at arlington national cemetery. a beautiful day in washington, d.c., where the president will be there at 11:30 a.m. for services there. it was a different picture last night in washington, d.c., when a storm came in, and the annual national memorial day concert at the nation's capital was cut short because of that bad weather. natalie cole, trace adkins, and jessica sanchez took to the stage to honor the troops. natalie cole was the last to perform before they had to go ahead and cancel the rest of the

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as the nation pauses to remember the fallen this memorial day, a recent pugh research study shows that 33% of post-9/11 veterans say that neither of the wars in iraq and afghanistan were worth the actual cost. and i'm joined now by colonel jack jacobs and the recipient of the congressional medal of honor. jack, great to see you. i want to get straight to these results. what does this study say to you, approximate telling you about the gap between those on the ground and those reflecting on 33% on the two wars saying that the cost

wasn't worth it? >> well, i think you make a good point about the difference between actually fighting in the war and what you're thinking there and what happens when you have got a few minutes to actually think about it. when we fought in vietnam, we didn't care what was taking place back in the states. and all of the politics involved and so on. we were fighting for each other, fighting to accomplish the mission, fighting for the country. and the same thing is true of the troops who have been in our wars more recently. but once you come home, once you have 10 or 15 minutes to think about it all, you realize often that huge political mistakes were made, huge military mistakes were made, and you really question the intelligence, the focus, the objectives of the people who actually make the decisions to send you off to war. and that's what's happened in this case too. >> jack, as we look at a new report from the associated press, it says that the newest generation of vets are the most mentally and medically troubled. is the current administration, the obama administration, moving

in the right direction to address these concerns and what it means for returning vets and their future? >> well, the person who runs the -- who is the secretary of veterans affairs, rick shinseki, a former army chief of staff and himself wounded in vietnam, has done a great deal to improve the care of veterans, the people who are under his care. we have lots of veterans from former wars, including world war ii. and so we've got a lot to care for. and there are great improvements in care, but not nearly as much as what needs to take place. and a large bit of this revolves around the failure to take care of troops revolves around money. and quite frankly, an environment in which the defense department and all government is trying desperately to cut costs. i think you're going to not necessarily see any improvement in the care of veterans in the next couple of years or so, and it all revolves around money. there's focus there.

people want to do a good job but can't get themselves organized as they are currently funded. >> jack, as we look back on the vietnam war, and here we are decades later and how history remembers that war itself and what it did to a generation of young men, what do you think that history will look back upon what has happened in iraq and afghanistan, how history will reflect on this come 40 or 50 years time? >> well, i view afghanistan and iraq as being completely different. we did good work in afghanistan at the beginning when we sent the taliban packing, and then we ignored afghanistan and then went to iraq. and that was a big mistake. in the interim, afghanistan then deteriorated. now trying to make it into something better than it was is going to be extremely difficult. so i think those two wars are going to be viewed differently. but in general, i think the history is not going to be very kind to the way the united states used its scarce american resource of the military

instrument of power. we tried to do it on the cheap, with as few people as possible, because we didn't want to go into the well of having a draft. we wanted to have an all volunteer service. and we managed to do it, but at enormous cost. enormous cost to the country and to the troops themselves. and you're going to see the results of this in years to come, when all of the people who have served in the military during these wars get a little bit older, and a lot of the manifestations of the difficulties in fighting these wars will become apparent as the veterans age. >> jack, as we talk about memorial day and what it means to certain people, what does it mean to you? >> well, people ask me, what do i think on memorial day? and i happen to be in indianapolis today, where i was at the race. and you could feel the patriotism and feel how much the country really regards its troops. we had lots of them marching down pit lane, and it was really

a sight to behold. and you could actually touch the patriotic feelings. that's on memorial day. but i think about the troops every day. and people who have served in combat don't wait until memorial day or veterans day to think about people with whom they served who served the country and have now gone, who aren't here to talk about what they did, actually did it -- all of us veterans, all of us, represent those men and women who served us and didn't come back, or who served and suffered terribly. we should think about the veterans not just on veterans day but every day. >> colonel jack jacobs, great to see you this morning. thank you, sir. >> my pleasure. florida and georgia residents are waking to drenching rains this morning. tropical storm beryl made landfall in northern florida just after midnight. look at the winds in these images. the storm could bring as much as a foot of rain.

powerful winds already knocked out power to parts of georgia. todd santos has been following and is joining us now with more. >> right now we are talking about a 50 mile per hour tropical storm moving to the west at 8 miles per hour. the issue for the folks on the coastline is they have closed a number of beaches even on the south carolina coast. it doesn't look like much on the satellite picture, and many of you may step outside and say it doesn't look bad at all. however, rip current risk is one of the biggest issues on the coastline. and as the thunderstorms make their way onshore, you'll see the gustier winds. and you can see the winds approaching the low country of south carolina, and it's really a chance to get gusts upwards of 50. and just a couple of hours ago, a gust up to 48 at the jacksonville naval station there. the system right now is still a tropical storm, and it is over land. would not be surprised about 30 minutes from now or early in the afternoon that we could see some slow weakening. as we get into tomorrow morning, you're still dealing with at that point a tropical depression.

but still also the heavy rainfall. and it's coming into the area of the country where we badly need at drought relief, maybe just not so much on the holiday where folks have outdoor plans. beyond that, through wednesday and thursday, and it may have a chance of restrengthening as it gets off the outer banks. but notice the track for tuesday and wednesday, still some of the beaches impacted with the heavy showers and the thunderstorm potential. the system is likely to hold itself together, because what's going to pull it out of the way is not enough to really tear it apart. it will be one that we're dealing with the next couple of days. and down through central and southern florida, a lot of folks there will be dealing with this system. mainly on the thunderstorms that roll onshore from the west coast of florida, believed even deal with some isolated severe thunderstorms. something to keep in mind there. up towards the midwest, chicago down through central wisconsin, even iowa and kansas city, chances for thunderstorms throughout this piece of the country. make sure you have a way to get your warnings today. would not be surprised to see a repeat of yesterday with strong wind and hail producing storms.

that could cause some issues with severe thunderstorms. even some tornadoes yesterday. make sure you have a way to get your warnings there. northeast, doesn't look like much right now. a few light showers in the new york tristate. could see more this afternoon even up towards boston. so everyone out there keep your eyes on the skies and stay safe today. >> thank you, todd. there is some new information about to talk about in the case of a connecticut man lost at sea on his honeymoon. it happened seven years ago. you'll probably remember that george smith went overboard while on his honeymoon in 2005. the fbi investigation into his death is still open. "greenwich" magazine has exclusive details about new evidence that may lead to an arrest. explain to all of us -- you said yourself this is a story with a lot of twists and turns. what's the new evidence that may lead to an arrest? >> well, good morning. there is a bunch of new evidence going on here.

one of the probably biggest and most exciting pieces that really is going to hopefully help push this case forward is the existence of a videotape that is in the possession of the fbi. on that videotape there are certain individuals that make very self incriminating statements following the death of george smith. >> crystal, when you talk about videotape, this is not surveillance video from the actual ship. this is something shot after the event itself? >> no, that is correct. this is a videotape that the gentlemen made of themselves. and in their room, sort of passing around a flip phone. >> so lots of people remember this. this was a beautiful young couple on their honeymoon. this was such a horrific incident. there was, you know, correlations, though, or kind of scandalous questions brought up about what this couple was doing that night, how much both parties had been drinking, and things trying to make them look somehow as if he deserved this in some way, shape, or form. the family has disputed that. the wife has moved on.

even gotten a settlement. how is the family responding to this new information that you're working on? >> the family is obviously thrilled about this new information, and they have been working very carefully with a greenwich based attorney, mike jones, who in large part has been responsible for helping to push this forward and making sure that this evidence does get into the right hands, which now it has. and, yeah, there's been a lot of misconceptions, a lot of inconsistency with this case. and i think that's what we tried to do and why we tried to get in the game at this point, put all of that stuff to rest, and really start talking about what did happen and helping to put the pieces of the puzzle together. and, you know, exonerate the people that should be exonerated and put a little bit of a light on people who maybe should be looked at more closely. >> when you talk about the family, explain the relationship between george smith's parents and his wife. >> at this point, i think everybody's sort of moved on. i think it's, you know, as you said, jennifer has moved on.

she is also living in connecticut. i don't -- you know, i think they are just living their own lives. >> if you were to guess, hazard a guess as to when we may hear of an arrest or arrests are made, what timetable would you suggest? >> i really at this point don't know. and the people that i have spoken with, the hope is that because of this tape, and because of the fact that they are trying to get the case transferred from the connecticut fbi to the new york fbi, which is a good sign on a lot of levels. one, it shows that two of the targets that they are looking at do indeed live in new york. so it shows they are trying to push it forward in that way. and that this tape is out there, and the information is out there that this tape exists. so hopefully, you know, i would say hopefully soon. >> it's certainly a case that gripped the attention of the american people. and i can imagine for the smith family, it will be nice if they can find some forward motion and see justice in all of this. but we'll continue to watch.

kristin, thank you for your coverage this morning. this memorial day, we take a look at the efforts being made to help our returning vets find jobs when they come home from war. how does it look on the front to find jobs when they get back to the states? a full examination after this. [ male announcer ] you sprayed them. thought they were dead. [ laughter ] [ grunting ] huh? [ male announcer ] should've used roundup. america's number one weed killer. it kills weeds to the root, so they don't come back. guaranteed. weeds won't play dead, they'll stay dead.

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america's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at an historic rate. a staggering 45% of the 1.6 million vets from the wars in iraq and afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service related. joining me now is lieutenant

colonel rob waldman, a retired fighter pilot and author of the book "never fly solo." we appreciate you joining us. and i want to ask as a combat veteran who left the military and successfully then pursued a career in business, how did your experience as a fighter pilot help you in your business career, and how did those people that were looking to hire you view that background for you? >> well, the thing about being a fighter pilot is i realized that you can't survive on your own. you need wingmen to win. the men and women in your life who help you dodge the missiles of adversity and change. obviously, i was in combat. my wingmen were very critical to allow me to succeed in working as a team to win. and when i decided to leave the military and join the business world, i went out and found a ment mentor. i remembered dwight hawkesworth in georgia. former fighter pilot, businessman. i picked up the phone and found somebody to help me in my transition. so realizing that you can't fly solo in this complicated business world transition that you're experiencing as a veteran

is so important. find a mentor. it's what i did. and that was step number one to allow me to accomplish success and transition to the business world. >> when you talk about this transition, explain to everybody, did you then initiate the dreams that you had wanted to do that maybe you put on hold to be a fighter pilot for your country? did you come back and embrace those former dreams, or did you have to reinvent exactly what business avenues you wanted to pursue coming back? >> it was a little bit of both. i love flying jets. the excitement, the thrill, the teamwork. it was the coolest job in the world. but what i wanted was more creativity, the ability to make more of a difference socially and personally. so i think that having that mindset was important to me. i love the business world. and i just wanted to get in sales and do some other things that were important in my life. but i think you have to take control of your own career. i got a mentor. i hit the books. i studied the business world.

veterans in transition need to realize that they can't expect the companies who they want to get jobs with to track them out. or to track them down. they have to find the jobs. they have to study the environment. i call it getting a mini mba. so hit the books. contact a mentor. learn the business of the civilian world that you're about to enter in. do the same things that you did to allow yourself success in the military to allow yourself to succeed in the business world. >> rob, when you talk about finding that mentor, what is the best advice for finding the right person that fits the direction of where you want to go? obviously, you're talking about trying to find those mentors that are outside of the military services. but then again, they could be somebody within the military services that you admire as well with the right contacts and connections. >> well, using your network. i call it wing working. that's so important. social media, linkedin, facebook. reach out to those folks and find organizations who have veterans or former military in that organization.

reach out to them. you know, this concept of volunteerism, this concept of patriotism, of giving back, it doesn't end when you take off this uniform. that's what's great about america. we have people who are really out there making a difference and not necessarily wearing a uniform for their country. >> you also said you wanted to be more creative. did you ever imagine yourself becoming an author? you ended up penning a book. >> well, it was a great gift. i have a lot of philosophies, overcoming fear, courage, working as a team. and the more i spoke about it to businesses the more i realized i wanted to get it down on paper. and it was a great opportunity for me. you never know where your career is going to go. and just being open to that is important. the entrepreneurial world is very, very -- a huge asset for a lot of these veterans in transition. the corporate world is one inspect. being an entrepreneur, getting

into franchise businesses, starting your own company, also very good as well. >> rob, congratulations on all the success that you have had and created for yourself after serving your country. thank you, sir. >> you got it. and thank you to the troops who have served as well. for many military families, memorial day is a reminder that loved ones are still fighting a war in afghanistan. and on sunday, defense secretary leon panetta defended our timetable for withdrawal. take a listen. >> you've got 50 nations in nato that agree to a plan in afghanistan. it's the lizman agreement. that is the plan that has been agreed to. and it's a plan that is working. and very frankly, the only way to get this accomplished in terms of the transition that we have to go through is to be able to set the kind of timelines that have been set here. >> i want to bring in hotline senior editor sean sullivan and "washington post" political

reporter felicia somez. felicia, i want to start with you. foreign affairs has become a larger part of the presidential campaign certainly in recent months. and we have heard mitt romney and other republican leaders take issue with the how of exiting afghanistan. how do you think this will all play out on the trail and as we ramp up to the debates this fall? >> what's interesting to note here is that there are many issues on which republicans can ding the president for having failed to live up to his promises. on the economy, for instance, the unemployment rate is certainly not where the white house would like to see it. but when it comes to afghanistan and iraq and foreign policy in general, these are areas where the president i think can rightfully make the case he has lived up to the expectations that he set out when he first took office. 30% of respondents in a recent poll have said that they do not believe that the war in afghanistan has been worth fighting. i think that is a point that backs up the president's claim here that the defense secretary is claiming that this timeline

is worth keeping to, this 2014 date. and i think public opinion is definitely on the side of the white house here. the question may come down the line when it comes to defense cuts and those have been sort of an issue that's been more put in light here because of congress and what they've done. but that's maybe an area that mitt romney could have a bit of leeway. but overall, i think it's an area that definitely favors the president. >> is afghanistan this political positive for the promise with the surge and the success of promising to leave that nation, certainly twith the u.s. experiencing its full share of war fatigue? >> the president views it that way. you look at public poll after public poll, and the reality is that the public does not have an appetite for this war. this war has been going on, you know, since the months after the september 11, 2001, attacks, well over a decade. you know, a lot of money spent on this. and the public is certainly in

line with the president and the administration to end this operation by 2014. we saw the president at the nato summit earlier this month. he has international support. so i think the public is very much in line with the president and the administration on this issue. and a large part of the public would like to see this operation end perhaps even sooner than the 2014 timeline that the administration has set out. >> felicia, let's talk more about the politics of washington and the pentagon. dig deeper on something you brought up about the budget cuts, the sequester. take a look at this. this is the picture that secretary panetta painted on sunday. >> if sequester takes place, it would be disastrous for our national defense and very frankly for a lot of very important domestic programs. >> so let's talk about this in the short-term. before the election, is there going to be any forward movement on this issue on the hill? >> it looks like there won't be any movement on that, thomas. from both sides of the isle, harry reid on the democrat sides he has drawn a firm line and

believes if there is no alternative drafted by both parties on capitol hill he would allow the sequester to go forward. he is sort of digging in his heels and saying, we need to create some alternative. otherwise, this is going to happen. on the republican side, they are saying this is absolutely not going to happen. and the house speaker, john boehner, i think has been in a tough spot because when it sequester very first came up around last august during the debt ceiling deal, boehner sort of said, if the super committee fails, that of course was the group of 12 lawmakers that failed to reach agreement in november, if they didn't come up with an agreement he would feel morally bound to abide by this cut. in the past couple of months he has changed his tune and said we must not let this go through. but to answer the question about november, i don't see anything or hear anything from people on the hill suggesting there will actually be some kind of bipartisan meeting of leaders to move this forward. i think this is something that's going to happen along with taxmagetton and the other things

that will be in the lame duck session this fall. >> real quickly, do you think that there's room for compromise or do you agree with felicia on the date line that's projected? >> i think that's pretty much spot on. >> all right. sean sullivan -- sean, what a brief, good answer. i like that. >> have to be brief on a holiday. >> sean sullivan, thank you so we'll be back after this. stick around. down here, folks measure commitment by what's getting done. the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery.

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welcome back, everybody. today on memorial day, we honor the men and the women who have given their lives in service to our country. but this holiday is also a time to pay tribute to the soldiers who are fighting in wars abroad right now. eric leion is a first lieutenan serving in the war in afghanistan and joins us this morning. eric, great to have you here, and first of all, i want to start by saying thank you for being with us, thank you for your service to our nation. explain to all of us, i know

you've only been in afghanistan for a short time and this is your first memorial day serving, but what does it mean to you and your fellow troops as we remain a country at war? >> first of all, mr. roberts, thank you for the opportunity to be here with you, it's very much appreciated. our mission over here, specifically, it's to provide troops. we are part of the withdrawal element for afghanistan. where right now where the rubber meets the the road, we're sending equipment, vehicles, and supplies back home to the united states. it puts us at an interesting point given the current policy back home. >> first lieutenant, i've got somebody kind of special here with me on set, it is your wife melissa, you can peak over this way, melissa, if you want to get a better look at your hubby there. i know you guys haven't seen each other in a couple of months, and you do skype. what does it mean to you to see eric?

you haven't had an opportunity to see or talk to him for five weeks. >> it's so great, hi, babe. >> hey, honey, i don't have a video feed, but it's great to hear your voice. >> i'm so proud of him and it's so special to see him right now and it means a lot. >> when we talk about, and we've been trying to work on this for everybody at home, we've been working on this reunion throughout the hour, making sure we got the shot just right, melissa's been sitting here, graciously waiting patiently to have this time together. and eric, she's been hearing me do interviews with a lot of our special guests that we've had today. melissa, i want to ask you as eric has been away for over two months, this is his first time abroad serving in afghanistan, we're talking about the troop drawdown there can coming oming end of 2014. what kind of stress does this put on you. you're a new wife, you've only been married under two years, the stress this puts on you and your relationship as a young

wife who's back here at home? >> i mean, obviously, it's difficult. it's difficult being a newly married couple in general, so it's stressful at times, but it's nice being able to talk to him and, you know, when we can get to talk on the phone, it's just -- i think we realize the importance of having such a strong relationship, especially when he's overseas, so i keep that in mind and it makes the time go by a lot faster. >> eric, you have to know, you have a very proud wife back here in the states. she was telling me all about you in rotc, went to nyu, and then you were commissioned for the army. tell us about the experience of afghanistan, what you've seen over the short period of time that you've been there and also about when do you believe you'll be coming back home? >> well, to answer your question, memorial day is a very special time, even over here. and it's special to us, because it's a time to remember and honor our fallen brothers and

sisters. you know, back home, i think of barbecues, but over here it brings on the true meaning of the holiday. let's see, being separated from my wife, that definitely is a challenge, but at the same time, it helps our relationship grow, the soldiers i'm, we're all new york national guard and i think that's a very special bond we share. i would really like to tell the public back at home it's amazing. i work with active duty reservists, sailors, civilians, civilian contractors, afghans. the amount of teamwork over here towards the common purpose is incredibly impressive, sir. >> and eric, do you know when you're going to be coming home? do you have any timetable yet that we can give melissa a big surprise if with we have a date? >> it should be some time next year and as soon as i know for sure, without a doubt, she'll be the first to know. >> all right. well, we hope you guys get to skype a little better, eric, so you can see your beautiful wife next time face-to-face. but i know, melissa, this has been fun for you. >> wonderful, thank you so much. >> and he looks good, right?

>> he looks great. >> thanks! >> eric, thanks again, appreciate your time and your service. melissa, thank you for allowing us to share in this happy memorial day reunion. and again, our thanks to this lovely couple. so we're going to move on. because if you're looking to stay amused this summer, there's plenty of options now open for business. get this, there are 400 amusement parks open for the summer season this memorial day weekend and more than 135 new rides making their debut, including 20 new roller coasters. my next guest is a travel expert who's written a book on this very subject. peter trubco joins me now with more on this. peter, before we talk about planning some of those family trips to some of those tysites, want to talk about some of the roller coasters. this looks nothing like the rickety old comet i liked. >> the sky rush is actually a

very tall swing, 200 feet high, 75 miles an hour, absolutely amazing ride. it's brand new to hershey park. of course, they are well known for the industry as far as having really great rides, as well as great chocolate. it's a great place to go. and a lot of people love these new type of rides. there's also a similar one called sky screamer over at six flags great adventure. another 240-foot monster, and they're really great to ride. >> peter, for those families that are watching this and maybe looking to get away over the summer, and i know there are a lot to talk about, but break down a top five of recommendations from you. >> well, obviously, you can't start a list without mentioning, of course, disneyland, and of course, disney world. you combine them both with the four parks over at disney world in orlando, and of course the two over at disneyland. believe it or not, 37 million people actually will go this year to these parks. that's a pretty high figure. so, obviously, you've got to go to disney theming, is what it's

all about. but also, universal studios in california, as well as in orlando, florida, you've got islands of adventure, and of course the wizarding world of harry potter is doing extremely well. great rides there, like, of course, dragon challenge, the hulk, and of course, their 3-d ride. that's another great place. everyone knows about those parks. number three on the list is actually, i believe, bush gardens is a fantastic location, both in tampa, as well as in williamsburg, virginia. and they have a new ride there which is a fantastic ride and one that everyone should go on. and while we're going down, if you're a roller coaster enthusiast, i'm a pilot myself, a frustrated pilot. i don't do that much more flying anymore. there's also cedar point in sandusky, ohio. amazing ride. absolutely amazing. >> all right. so for all the kids out there and the adult kids out there watching too, we give them a good list, peter trabucco, i've got to bolt. e mile credit cards.

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