coming up on first look this memorial day. california shooting, the gunman's parents contacted mental health officials. he managed to convince the authorities he wasn't a threat. a parent of one of the shooting victims speaks out. >> none of us, i don't care who you are, are immune from this. i don't care where you live. this can happen to you. honoring the troops. president obama's surprise visit and message to our soldiers and the rest of us about how long we'll be in afghanistan. plus, the boat that hit the whale, forcing the passengers overboard before it hit the rocks. a huge day in the world of sports. we have you covered. and memorial day, a time to thank the men, women and

families that keep our nation free. we are learning more about the 22-year-old that killed six people, turning the gun on himself near the university of santa barbara. the manifesto he left indicates he had been planning the attack for quite some time. jennifer has the latest. >> reporter: chaos at a convoluted chain of events. people scramble as gunfire blasts through a deli window. this was the third murder scene left in the wake of alleged gunman, elliott rodger. >> tomorrow is the day of retribution, the day in which i will have my revenge against humanity. >> reporter: the video of what he planned uploading even as he was embarking on his killing spree.

earlier videos s alarmed his family who called authorities fore a mental health check. and in a 140-page men fanifesto told authorities it was a m misunderstanding, and all suspicion was dropped. >> he did not meet the criteria for an involuntary mental health hold. >> with no indication he was on immediate threat, there was nothing they could do, no way to predict the car naj. the first try his room mates, identified as three men from northern california. and shot in from of a sorority house, 19-year-old veronica weiss. >> she was nice, she just didn't deserve this, you know? >> and 22-year-old katie cooper, just weeks from graduating. and shot in the deli, chris martinez, a sophomore english

major. >> he was the most warm, loving, kind-hearted kid you could ask for. >> reporter: heartbreak on a scale that has no measure. jennifer, nbc news, santa barbara. >> a heartbreak that's all too common. president obama secretly flew to afghanistan sunday for a surprise visit with active duty troops, and tipped his hand at america's role in afghanistan. the site of this nation's longest war. tracie potts is in washington, d.c. good morning, he did not meet with the afghan president during this unannounced trip, why not? >> they talked on the phone, but couldn't arrange for karzai to come to the air base. he was on the ground for a few hours. he's done this three times before. it's been two years since he was in afghanistan. the president wanted to go there to personally thank the troops for their service. >> i'm here on a single mission,

to thank you for your extraordinary service. >> >> reporter: he was on the ground four hours and only spoke to the afghan president by phone after taking off from the air base. president obama promised many of the troops will be home by new year's. >> and our combat mission will be over. america's war in afghanistan will come to a responsible end. >> reporter: but we don't know how many will stay. it could be as many as 10,000. the president told karzai, they'll talk again before he announces that publicly. that could come wednesday when mr. obama delivers the commencement speech at west point. for now, he's focused on making sure these soldiers can be seen at v.a. hospitals when they are home. >> our combat mission comes to an end, but our obligations to you and your families has just begun. >> i hope they get that recognize rectified. >> the v.a. was on the minds of veterans this weekend. >> it took 18 and a half months

for my case to be seen by the board. it's frustrating. >> reporter: and it's not over. in fact president obama is expecting a report on that v.a. investigation this weekend. initial report. >> thank you so much. three people are missing after they were possibly caught in a massive landslide in western colorado. that mud slide is estimated to have been two miles wide, four miles long and up to 250-feet deep. a witness described a noise that sounded like a straigfreight tr. rescue crews are at the scene. and five boaters in california, had to jump ship after their boat hit a whale of all things. according to the sheriff's office, the engine was disabled when it collided with the whale five to ten miles from the shore. strong waves pushed the vessel toward a rocky coast. all five boaters made it safely,

the whale was unharmed and swam off. people are paying their respects to military veterans this weekend. in the nation's capital, thousands of motorcycles rumbled through the streets. it was part of the rolling thunder rally, which aims to bring attention to military veterans, particularly prisoners of war and those missing in action. every year the rally attracts motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the united states. the bacon cheeseburgers today will cost more. strong demand, disease and drought have put pricing pressure on the key ingredients from the bun to the bacon. for consumers, you can expect to pay 32 cents more than you did just a year ago according to usda calculations. and turn to sports, start with the nba western conference finals. >> here's jackson. he fought for the rebound, and scores. >> oklahoma city's big man was back on the court. an injured calf kept ibaka out

of the first two. they dialed up three pointsers to answer, but russell westbrook tops that, and the thunder have defense and fast break points. oklahoma city wins it 106-97. san antonio leads the series 2-1. in the nhl, rangers and canadiens, tied 2-2 in overtime. >> from markhoff, second time, and st. louii moving in -- score! >> three balls and two strikes to utley with a runner at second. and the pitch, and a called strike three. and josh beckett has thrown the 11th no hitter in los angeles dodgers history. >> reporter: josh beckett, the

6-0 win over philly, first no-hitter in the major leagues. scott dixon lost his chance on lap 167. the crash ends his day. castroneves had a chance to win his fourth indy 5 w, had to get past ryan hunter-reay on the final lap. >> he won't get there, florida's hunter-reay wins. >> the second-closest finish in history. and after finishes sixth, kurt busch flew to charlotte. the quest to complete the double and to finish both ended with a blown engine and 129 laps to go. jimmie johnson wins the coca-cola 600 to notch his first victory. now the green and the pga

tour, bounces back from heartbreak just days after calling off his wedding, rallies from seven strikes to win the bmw championship by one shot. and finally a dad caught the best souvenir in the minor league baseball game. there it goes. and right there, into his hand. first home run of the season, and as it sailed over the presences? who is this guy? that's dear old dad. >> couldn't dad get better seats. >> in this case, it paid off. >> or did his son tell him? >> this one's coming to you. early father's day gift. >> crazy story. you think behind the plate or the dugout. not out in right field. >> proud daddy. >> awesome. >> what do we have today? memorial day. >> some will smile, a summer-like day. others, difficult dodging in and out of the heavy rain. all of the bad weather in the middle of the country. the eastern seaboard is getting

warmer and warmer, hot in florida, and warm up through the mid-atlantic. some of the worst moved through san antonio. a strong thunderstorm complex just to the south of town. thankfully, a lot of rain in north texas, western oklahoma and colorado. this area's in a significant drought. lightly rainy in kansas city, over with before the parades later this morning. as far as severe weather, large hail and flash flooding for western and central sections of texas. warm beach day from florida right up the mid-atlantic. upper 80s throughout many areas of north carolina, south carolina, and mid-80s as far north as new york city. and stormy weather everywhere. a lot of chances of afternoon thunderstorms. and as far as, you know, we're kicking off the hurricane season on june 1st, noaa made the official forecast. an average to below average season. notice that six is the number of

average hurricanes per season. they're saying there's a 70% chance we'll get three to six of those. we haven't had a major hurricane hit this country since wilma in 2005. it's like one of the longest droughts ever, and hopefully continue this is year. sooner or later, it's going to catch up. >> it's going to catch up. hopefully not that time around. an interview, and pope francis making progress in a push for peace. [ dennis ] it's always the same dilemma --

who gets the allstate safe driving bonus check. rock beats scissors! [ chuckles ] wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-906-8500 now. [ dennis ] zach really loves his new camera. problem is...this isn't zach. it's a friend of a friend who was at zach's party and stole his camera. but zach's got it covered... with allstate renters insurance. [ female announcer ] protect your valuables for as low as $4 a month when you add renters insurance to your allstate auto policy. call 866-906-8500 now. what are you doing? we're switching car insurance. why? because these guys are the cheapest. why? good question. because a cut-rate price could mean cut-rate protection. you should listen to this guy. [ female announcer ] with allstate you get great protection and a great price, plus an agent! drivers who switched saved an average of $498 a year. call now and see how much you can save. just a few more ways allstate is changing car insurance for good. [ female announcer ] call an allstate agent

and get a quote now. from coffee to snacks and drinks. everything... mom! except permission to use the garage. thousands of products added every day to staples.com. even safety cones. staples. make more happen. even safety cones. honestly, the off-season isn't i've got a lot to do. that's why i got my surface. it's great for watching game film and drawing up plays. it's got onenote, so i can stay on top of my to-do list, which has been absolutely absurd since the big game.

with skype, it's just really easy to stay in touch with the kids i work with. alright, russell you are good to go! alright, fellas. alright, russ. back to work! nbr: scott - we're concerned. you just fed your lawn earlier this spring and now you're at it again. scott: (chuckles) indeed, a crucial late spring feeding helps defend the grass against the summer heat to come. nbr: we knew that - right guys? oh yeah! scott: feed your lawn. feed it! now to the final day of pope francis' historic mission to the holy land. in jerusalem, he visited two of the holiest places in jew day schism and islam. the wailing wall and the point of the rock. and he was squarely in the middle of the middle east peace process. anne thompson has more. >> reporter: pope francis' day

of deliberate acts with powerful messages started at the beginning of the day, flying to jordan, bypassing israel on the way in. the first pope to do so. in his meeting with mahmoud abbas, he recognized the territories as the state of palestine. and an unannounced stop at the graffiti-covered section of the concrete separation wall. and praying at the wall that they say makes them prisoners but israel insists is necessary for their security. that's why claire fought her way through the crowds to see the pope. carrying a poster asking him to save her house, which is surrounded by the wall. what do you see when you look out the windows? >> i see only walls and cameras and israeli towers. >> reporter: but perhaps the biggest surprise came during the mass in the square.

when francis invited abbas and israeli president to come to the vatican to pray for peace. they accepted. it's not just the divide between the palestinians and the slaelys that concerns the pope, but a divide within christianity itself. he prayed with the leader of orthodox christians on the site where christ was crucified, the latest act of unity between two churches once separated for 900 years. >> anne thompson from jerusalem. now to stories making news this morning. the white house may have outed the cia's top officer in kabul. according to a report from the "washington post," the officer's name was accidently included on a list of attendees to the president's surprise troop visit. the list was quickly revised. the white house declined to comment. ukraine may have the new president. exit polls suggest that billionaire petro poroshenko has won. he'll have his hands full.

there's complicate -- conflict along the russian border. cnbc talked to him about that in an exclusive interview. >> they said the ukraines don't have a legitimate president. today, starting from today, we have a legitimate president. >> he went on to say that nothing could stop them from achieving peace in ukraine. arizona officials say the 21-square mile slide fire that started tuesday is 25% contain ed thanks to calmer winds. some evacuation orders are likely to be lifted today. and south korea, looking for tips about the mysterious billionaire who owns a ferry that sank last month. there is a $500,000 bounty on the man who prosecutors say didn't spend enough on safety. the april 16th disaster left more than 300 people dead or missing. a new age scavenger hunt going down in the san francisco

area. an anonymous twitter user, hidden cash is hiding money and tweeting out clues. the account calls it a social experiment for good. nice way to pay it forward. and officially the tallest lego tower in the world. soaring 120 feet. just shows what you can make when you don't follow the manuals. how about tossing out the instructions. and the washington redskins invite senator harry reid into controversy, and republicans shoot themselves in the foot big time. scrambled politics is next. super destinations and do everything under the sun. 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. save up to 25% and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com. save up to 25% and earn bonus points what if it were more than something to share? what if a photo could build that shelf you've always wanted? or fix a leaky faucet? or even give you your saturday back? the new snapfix app revolutionizes local service. just snap a photo and angie's list coordinates a

top-rated provider to do the work on your schedule. the app makes it easy. the power of angie's list makes it work. download snapfix for free.

now for your first look at this morning's dish, unscrambled politics. the washington redskins president invited senator harry reid to attend a game. he opposes the name calling it offensive and derogatory. redskins bruce allen noted that the logo was designed by native americans. and an overwhelming majority of the native american don't find it offensive according to a poll. no word on in if he will attend. white house press secretary jay carney is a self-proclaimed fan of rock band guided by voices. so when they played in d.c., he introduced them at the sold-out show. and julian castro, his brother recommends finding a good mexican restaurant in washington, d.c. he will not be bunking with his brother.

that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. and first perspective here, political perspective, joined by david, and thank you for starting your memorial day with us. >> hi, francis. >> start with the tea party and how a video scandal could bring it down. two weeks before the primary, republican candidate from kansas city, chris mcdaniel, is really having a tough time distancing himself from the online attack video that included a likely illegal image of his opponent's bedridden wife. some supporters have been arrested. how damaging is this for the party overall? >> if it continues to be tied to chris mcdaniel's campaign, and so far several of his big supporters have been tied to this, it could be a big problem. this is election season, a primary season, establishment republicans are trying to circle the wagons and beat back the tea party challengers. they haven't been able to do that in the past few cycles. and so far the establishment has been successful. this was an area where they were focused, on that mcdaniel

campaign. but if the allegations continue to be at the surface, it's a problem. >> the video of his bedridden wife suffering from the late stages of dementia too. we are on rsvp watch with the redskins inviting senator harry reid to attend a game. amend -- amid his calls to change the team name. will attend on respectfully decline? >> this is a tough one. he's never backed down from a confrontation. neither has redskins owner dan snyder. the redskins are not going to roll over easy on the name change. they haven't been, and really calling harry reid out on this. it would be a circus if he attended. it's unlikely and unseemly if he did so. you never know, he's not one to back down. : you're right. to the president's surprise visit to troops in afghanistan in two years. he was firm in telling them, quote, for many of you, this will be your last tour in

afghanistan. all contingent on the afghan successor signing the security agreement that karzai refused to authorize. what do you think of the timing of the trip over the v.a. hospital situation. >> it had nothing to do with the time wise. but the president wants the images of his shaking hands, he shook hands with everybody in the rime, i believe. or offered to. and they're going to talk about foreign policy at west point this week. so they want to show the president being a commander in chief and having the authority over the military, and sort of thanking the troops for their service. this the a theme even despite the scandal with the v.a., not going away any time soon, they want to show the president in these kind of situations. he's talked a lot about veteran's issues, and his administration doing stuff for veterans. we have to see how he responds to the v.a. scandal and how quickly he gets a handle. >> and the visit, taking note of the bomber jacket as well. thank you so much. >> thanks, francis. all right. and now this story here, bill, check this out. sink or swim? was that the true test for the

boats racing in the schnooer war of regatta in key west? the teams had to build boats of plywood and duct tape. a sheet of mywood. two eight foot long two we by fours, a roll of duct tape, a pad of fasteners. >> he knew it was going down. >> it's impressive when you have that. so that's impressive, but how about this too? when it comes to -- you're a grill master, right? your domain? >> i have my own skills. i can hold my own. >> see if this is something for you or you at home. a smart grill, wi-fi and a smartphone, and this baby can fire up and cook your filet perfect temperature by sending you text alerts. >> so i don't have to leave the couch is what you're saying. >> exactly. accesses the recipe database. does everything for you. they hope to launch it by 2015. impressive, right?

>> not a bad idea. you have to put the meat on, take it off. and poolside, hang out with the crowd, need to turn it down, up. >> might be helpful. i'm still one of those, they tell that you touch your palm or whatever. that tells you the temperature. and morgan freeman, i love this. >> through the wormhole is his series on the science channel. that starts back up june 4th. they needed him to spend 30 seconds to promote it. >> in unusual situations -- you don't always get what you expect. >> you don't expect morgan freeman to have a voice of a 3-year-old. >> it's brilliant. you're talking about the king of narration, voiceover, audiobooks, and that. the morgan freeman. >> how do you make people watch the series, but this has over 9 million views. >> 9 million?

>> just watching him do helium. >> and you know people are going to watch it over and over again. so that's going to -- >> it's morgan freeman. >> it's morgan freeman. you said it all. >> you don't expect it. >> let's hear you on helium. do the weather forecast. >> we needed some balloons. >> all right, i'm francis rivera and you are watching "first look" on msnbc on this memorial day.

what's your favorite kind of cheerios? honey nut. but... chocolate is my other favorite... oh yeah, and frosted! what's your most favorite of all? hmm...the kind i have with you. me too. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase i make a lot of purchases for my business. like 60,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can.

i missed you, too.ou. hi buddy. mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly support military appreciation month. with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served. captain: and here's a tip. bellman: thanks, captain obvious. when you save money on hotel rooms, it's just like saving money on anything else that costs money. like shoes, textiles, foreign investments, spatulas, bounty hunters, javelins...

msnbc takes you behind the walls of america's most notorious prisons into a world of chaos and danger. now the scenes you've never seen. "lockup: raw". in a life full of restrictions, we've seen inmates take control of whatever they can despite the consequences. >> he wants this and wants it now. he's not going to get it now. >> come on down , blanco. >> takes two sides to see the wr