cnn's business correspondent zain asher took a trip down to asbury park and joins us this morning. >>s not just a big weekend for businesses it's also a big weekend for the city of asbury park itself. remember one-third of the city's revenue comes from beach tourism and memorial day weekend is unbelievably important to that. also these businesses are seasonal and if they don't make enough revenue through memorial day they will have a tough time through the winter. >> you feel like you're walking on the ocean. >> reporter: new jersey restaurant owner marilyn schlossberg always worries about the forecast. >> when we're open for business the first thing i look is at the weather. >> reporter: the weather nearly destroyed her business. >> the window frames all blew in to the other side so every surge of water that came up after that ended up in here. >> reporter: the rebuilding began almost as soon as the waters receded. she landed a $250,000 loan from the small business administration and was able to reopen here in april. but it's been a challenging year to say the least. schlossberg surv

back in asbury park.s one and done and the president, not so much. >> yeah, that's exactly right. i think the image of the high five andrea, they may very well be the most lasting image of this day with the president visiting the jersey shore for the first time in seven months. obviously optically, politically there's so much to be read into everything we've witnessed there. chris christie has gubernatorial election before 2016. the thing that struck me, hearing the president's remarks which were abbreviated because of the not so desirable weather here was the fact that he sounded more like a candidate, candidate obama than we have heard pretty much at any other time since the election took place. if only in his cadence, more than the content. he really did sort of send out a postcard to america. the chamber of commerce has got to be thrilled. the president said remind people that we are back open for business, we need their business to succeed. so ultimately this isn't just our issue, it's america's issu

our downtown really kept asbury park thriving immediately following the storm.s literally two weeks that we were able to get most of our business community in the downtown up and running, and then slowly but surely throughout the rest of the winter months and moving into the holiday season our boardwalk started to come back alive. we started with the music venues and continued from there. >> so the boardwalk here at asbury park and this kind of recovery an rebuilding, is it at all symbolic of the same rate of rebuilding and recovery of the residences, a lot of the houses in the area that are just a stone's throw away? >> i think so. the pace is a little bit different and the damage is a little bit different. we were very spared in our residential community. mostly restorable damage. fortunately for us, not for fort nat f fortunate for some of our residential towns, our residential community was less touched than the water front community. but our residential community is really supporting the business community on the water front that really took a little bit of

so all over asbury park, it's a day of celebration. celebrating the start of summer 2013. >> sounds like a party at asbury park. mayor, thank you for taking time out. good luck. >> we look forward to seeing you here. >> no worries, i'll get there. thanks. >>> what's getting done on capitol hill with all of the distractions? we'll get the big three next. ♪ [ slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium-rich tums starts working so fast you'll forget you had heartburn. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums are you flo? yes. is this the thing you gave my husband? well, yeah, yes. the "name your price" tool. you tell us the price you want to pay, and we give you a range of options to choose from. careful, though -- that kind of power can go to your head. that explains a lot. yo, buddy! i got this. gimme one, gimme one, gimme one! the power of the "name your price" tool. only from progressive. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health co

as the mayor of asbury park told me we survived sandy. rain at this point is just a nuisance. >> peter alexander life from what looks like the stone pony, thanks. >>> president obama is set to meet with china's new president in california next week and topic number one might be the quiet silent theft going on involving some of the u.s. military's top secrets among them we learn today chinese hackers now have their hands on details about some of the most advanced weapons systems. our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has more. jim, good evening. >> brian, defense officials claim these cyberattacks by the chinese government and military strike at the very heart of some of the most critical u.s. weapons systems. the chinese reportedly hacked into front line air defense systems like the navy's aegis and the army's thad systems and the most costly u.s. weapons systems ever, the air force f-35. two years ago the chinese revealed the first stealth fighter jet, which bears a striking resemblance to the u.s. f-22. the fear is the chinese wil

this is a look at asbury park, where the president will speak in the next hour. the president is accompanied today by governor chris christie and will also meet with victims of the storm. today's images will likely recall president obama's visit to the region in the wake of the disaster last year. when he spent time consoling families who had just lost everything. the president played a similar role on sunday in moore, oklahoma. >> our fellow americans are praying with you, thinking about you and they want to help. and so i'm just a messenger here today. letting everybody here know that you are not alone. that you've got folks behind you. >> as he's grown accustomed to playing the role of consoler in chief, it's clear that president obama has internalized certain lessons from his predecessor, understanding the importance of setting foot on broken ground, rather than surveying damage by air. while president obama was on the ground at the shore two days after sandy hit, the two-week period between hurricane katrina's deadly landfall and president bush's first visit

then it was on to asbury park.he crowd gathered at the convention hall there. >> it is my privilege to introduce the president of the united states of america. >> let me first of all say thank you to governor christie for that introduction and the great work he's done here. thanks to the hard work of an awful lot of people. we've got wonderful shops and restaurants and arcades that are opening their doors. and i saw what thousands of americans saw over memorial day weekend. you are stronger than the storm. after all you've dealt with, after all you've been through, the jersey shore is back and it is open for business. >> so nbc news white house correspondent peter alexander joins us now from asbury park. the governor once again praising the president. the man that he may try to replace in the white house come 2016. how will that play out for chris christie? >> reporter: well, i think chris christie thinks it looks good for him happening out with the president. he has a gubernatorial election to worry about before w

come on down to asbury park. jersey people and as i said earlier today, you know what snooki, you're invited too. >> have deep fried oreos. that's what they were showing yesterday and they looked good. good to see you again. >> thank you and we hope to see you down here at asbury park and the jersey shore. >> at some point i'll get there when the sun is shining. thank you mayor. >> thank you. today's tweet of the day comes from robert who is says chris christie is about to renew his bromance with president obama. with unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters... my individual health profile. not random statistics. they even reward me for addressing my health risks. so i'm doing fine... but she's still going to give me a heart attack. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. >>> rutgers university still daling with the mess from coach mike rice's firing from player abuse because now word that the school's president is stand big

well, live in asbury park, launched bruce springsteen's career. it is not going to launch chris christie's but certainly isn't hurting him in this state to be seen with president obama. since the two of them started their so-called bromance as you put it after superstorm sandy hit here chris christie has helped bring more than $3 billion in federal funds to the state for recovery efforts and has seen his poll numbers go up in the state by 15 points. the latest polling has him at 69% approval. not bad for a governor facing re-election as you point out in a blue state. there are advantages for president obama to come to town here, too. given the controversies he is facing in washington, d.c. especially the focus on the ways government isn't working lately this is a way to highlight how government has worked in helping new jersey recover after the storm. fema a bright spot in his record for overhauling the emergency management systems there. >> you made that point in the coverage of the president's trip to oklahoma over the weekend. one other questio

. >> live pictures, asbury park, the governor chris christie speaking. listen in. >> you can just feel it. everybody is ready to welcome america back to the jersey shore this summer and so am i! two days after sandy hit us, the president of the united states came to visit new jersey to see the damage for himself and to pledge his support and the support of the federal government to help us recover and rebuild. so now, seven months late, we know this, that we made great progress. but that we still have so much more to do. so many more of our families who need to get back in their homes. so many more of our businesses who need to get back up and running and employing people still. so many, so many of our citizens who just want their lives to go back to normal. so while i'm thrilled that the progress we've made in the last seven months, we've got a chance to show the president some of that earlier today up in point pleasant. i also made sure that he understood there's still a lot more work to do for the people of our state and i am not going to let anything

this is a look at asbury park, where the president will speak in the next hour.ernor chris christie and will also meet with victims of the storm. today's images will likely recall president obama's visit to the region in the wake of the disaster last year. when he spent time consoling families who had just lost everything. the president played a similar role on sunday in moore, oklahoma. >> our fellow americans are praying with you, thinking about you and they want to help. and so i'm just a messenger here today. letting everybody here know that you are not alone. that you've got folks behind you. >> as he's grown accustomed to playing the role of consoler in chief, it's clear that president obama has internalized certain lessons from his predecessor, understanding the importance of setting foot on broken ground, rather than surveying damage by air. while president obama was on the ground at

there they are on the jersey shore, asbury park, to be precise. the president checking out washington's billion dollar investment in the post sandy recovery. remember this is where it all started, this partnership of convenience, less than a week before that presidential election last november. just a short time ago, the president said new jersey has made it back from those dark days of late october. >> you are stronger than the storm, after all you've dealt with, after all you've been through, the jersey shore is back and it is open for business. and they want all americans to know that they're ready to welcome you here. >> jessica yellin is there, our chief white house correspondent. is there any way to tell -- are these two gentlemen actually bonding? as we mentioned, is it strictly a partnership of convenience? we have the president, he has money for hurricane relief, chris christie has the republican credit -- some republican credit, at least. >> reporter: well, i would say it's -- now they share a political goal, brooke. the governor sells h

he will visit asbury park, which has restored its boardwalk after it was destroyed by superstorm sandy. president obama will be joined by new jersey governor chris christie. they went on a similar tour just after sandy. that event seemed to pay political dividends for both men. >>> and yesterday the president marked memorial day by paying tribute to the nation's fallen war heroes. heoopart in the time honored tradition of laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns and urged americans to remember those still fighting for the country and talked about the shift taking place in the war zone. >> a transition is under way in afghanistan, and our troops are coming home. fewer americans are making the ultimate sacrifice in afghanistan, and that's progress for which we are profoundly grateful. >> in keeping with his own tradition, the president also walked among the graves of the war dead from iraq and afghanistan. >>> coming up, every airline ticket could soon cost you more, but the airlines are against the plan. >>> plus, skyrocketing prices as barbecue season gets into full swing. which cut

. >> reporter: marci gonzalez, abc news, asbury park, new jersey. >>> still to come thinking about putting your house on the market, we have some encouraging news. >>> a teenager credited with averting another columbine. hear what he says tipped him off. >>> but first, jcpenney's unusual ad. what do you see when you look at this? >>> it seems americans are in a home buying mood as home prices see the biggest boost in years. in april they jumped nearly 11% from the year before and that's the largest gain in nearly seven years. phoenix, san francisco and las vegas had the biggest price jumps with increases of more than 20%. >> well, that big news from the housing market and word that consumer confidence is at a five-year high propelled the dow to a fresh new high. it'll open at a record 15,409 after gaining 106 points yesterday. other indices up, as well. >>> if you want to make money on wall street, turns out the day of the week to do it is tuesday. yesterday was the 20th tuesday in a row that the dow closed higher. while some analysts say this is just a coincidence, numbers show that over

. >>> president obama is tour asbury park, new jersey.e new jersey story after sandy caused billions of damage. he's touring the rebuilding effor efforts. sharon epperson is tracking it for us, gold is down about right now, we've seen gold in about a $30 range in this session. we did get up to the 1400 level, but unable to sustain the gains at that level. for a goal to get above in order to do upward momentum. we also will keep an eye on these forecasts that come out. jpmorgan the latest to slash its forecast. >> thanks, sharon. triple-digit gains on the dow jones industrial average. we're off our best levels, but a strong broad market rally today. josh rejoins me now on the -- >> and off the session highs, but still strong up triple did you get 124 points. in terms of what's working today, financials in part, especially the brokers, td ameritrade and schwab in part, as more retail investors will get involved. health care another sector -- and finally bob pisani has been talking about the interest rates sensitive sectors, though those two

. >> reporter: marilyn completely rebuilt her asbury park restaurant. she's now hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. >> we're not trying to build a mansion here and retire, we're trying to get back to work. >> reporter: amidst the fresh wood, upgraded amusements, refurbished vacation homes and newly painted facades set reminders of the heart ache. >> life for the tourists when they come down, they are not going to notice any change from last year to this year. to the homeowners, it's very unfortunate. >> reporter: savannah has been visiting seaside heights since she was only 3. while she's glad the boardwalk is back in business, other memories are gone, like the iconic roller coaster ripped apart by sandy. >> it will change my memories, but at least i can rebuild them again. >> reporter: for so many tourists, the sandy beaches, blue waters and promise of family time is something no storm can take away. and the boardwalk here in point pleasant beach looks beautiful, but much work is still left to be done, depending on the town and the broker you tal

jessica yellin, cnn, traveling with the president in asbury park, new jersey. >> coming up on "earlyession here. the bizarre blond wig, the twitter rant. how amanda bynes has gone from tween star to troubled actress. you'll find reviews , written by people just like you. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. see, i knew testosterone could affect sex drive, but not energy or even my mood. that's when i talked with my doctor. he gave me some blood tests... showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% testosterone gel. the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy increases testosterone when used daily. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or m

he's expected to speak at asbury park about 2:00 eastern. monitor that for you. >>> also in the news firefighters struggling. it is a rough one. they are trying to get the upper hand on a huge wildfire in southern california. it is fast moving and forced the evacuation of 6,000 people. it's from white rock campground. very popular. it's very popular the end of memorial day weekend. so this was quite an emergency to move them all out. it's already charred about a thousand acres and the forest service says the fire is about 5% contained. >>> the widow of a kentucky police officer killed in an apparent ambush held back tears as she talked about her husband and this happening just minutes ago. officer jason ellis was shot to death early saturday morning while he was simply clearing debris off of a road. police say that they think somebody put the debris there on purpose. then lay in wait and shot ellis when he got out of his car. today his wife thanked everyone for their support. >> it it just means a lot. i can't say how much that it has meant

the president and governor christie will be in asbury park to see the rebuilding and recovery effortsally damaged that boardwalk last fall. >>> red cross certainly taking some heat for unspent funds that were donated for superstorm sandy relief efforts. month are than a third of the $300 million donated to help storm victims still sitting in the bank seven months after the storm hit. red cross says it is holding on to the money to help address needs that weren't immediately apparent after the storm. critics are calling on the red remaining ve thatzvf $110 million to local relief organizations. >>> nbc bay area news at 11:00. we'll be back at 7:25. thanks for being with us today. enjoy your day! along the jersey shore. >>> and amazing rescue. an infant stuck inside a pipe is cut free. the baby pulled to safety and rushed to the hospital today, tuesday, may 28th, 2013. >>

i was born in asbury park. every morning the crack of dawn we'd get up and fish.d down the boardwalk and my first job on second avenue putting little kids on the kiddie rides, ring the bell, ring the bell. man, i love the old jersey shore. i love the whole jersey shore. i know you guys are coming back. all my love to you. ♪ it's my life >> danny devito, another proud son of this area. >> a southie from danny devito. >> from a bunker. >> undisclosed location. >> the witness protection program. >> the jersey shore is home to so many people that you know and so many really great down to earth people and a lot of those have gathered here this morning! >> so much to be proud of and they're really hoping this will inspire people to come here and participate. we have a visit from the cast of "the jersey shore" snooki and the whole gang coming up in a few minutes. >> and giada de laurentiis will take us from a walking tour of all the fabulous food. >> and funnel cakes, and also coming up, this crowd is waiting for a great concert, kicking off our toyota summer concert ser

he joins us from asbury park. what was the biggest message president obama delivered to residents there today? >> reporter: i think the mention wasn't just to the residents but actually to anybody who was watching this heavily covered, well choreographed event together with president obama and chris christie. sometime he almost sounded like a one-man jersey shore board of tourism. saying we've got the arcades going. we've got the boardwalk going. come on down and join us. this is the stuff that chambers of commerce dream of situations. like today. in many ways, if you allow me to mix sports, we saw them throw in the football alongside chris christie. please note he was one for one. a pretty good quarterback rating. if we can mention basketball for a moment. it was sort of like a three-point play for the president and frankly, for christie. he got to focus on the things they want to be focusing on. the best use of government. effective government. bipartisanship. the two side by side and at the same time, focusing

governor chris christie from taking in the newly rebuilt point pleasant boardwalk, and, in nearby asbury park the president praised the recovery efforts. >> you are stronger than the storm. after all you've dealt with, after all you've been through, the jersey shore is back, and it is open for business. and they want all americans to know that they are ready to welcome you here. >> woodruff: the visit came seven months after hurricane sandy battered the garden state and caused $38 billion in overall damage. now, governor christie is busy touting the state's comeback, part of a $25 million marketing campaign aimed at enticing tourists to return for the summer. but as he told new jersey public television on friday, there is unfinished business, as well. >> i'll go to bed tonight feeling really good about the fact that all these boardwalks are done, the businesses are open and people can come to the shore and bring their families. but also feel for those people, that 10% or so of people who are still affected. >> woodruff: the president shared that sentiment today just 48 hours after he visited

joining me live from philadelphia is asbury park senior political analyst bob engle, the author of "chris christie mpt the inside story of his rise to power." g good to have you here. when he was on david letterman, he poked fun at himself, ate a doughnut. he peld a press conference, asked about losing the weight. he said, be assured there is a plan. whether it will be successful or not, you'll notice. are people noticing and is that why he copped to us? >> as a matter of fact, mike simons and i, the co-author of the book, were talking about it the other day. he seems to look a little slimmer than he used to. >> when we talk about him revealing this in "the new york post," the governor said i've struggled with this issue for 20 years. for me this is about turning 50 and wanting to be there for my children. for someone who's written about the governor, do you think that's the fact or do you think that that's just a consideration in the larger picture of possibly running for 2016 presidential ticket? >> i'll take him as ath his word he's concerned about his health and that he hears a lot fr

. >> the president will finish his trip with a speech, in asbury park on the recovery efforts.ack to you. dagen: if he's interested, governor christie can sing any bruce springsteen for the president there in the park, literally, i think he knows lyrics to every song. thank you so much for that. peter barnes at the white house. more trouble at sea. this time for royal caribbean. a scheduled seven night cruise aboard the grandeur of the seas cut short after a fire started in the rear of the ship around three yesterday morning. the fire was extinguished after two hours and no injuries reported. the ship never lost power and sailed into the port yesterday afternoon. all 2200 passengers are expected back in baltimore today where the ship began its journey after being flown on chartered flights from the bah ha mas, a full refund, and vowture for a future trip. the cause of the fire under investigation. shares of royal caribbean down 1.5% today. from the high seas to high-tech, -ell, sort of high-tech, more like lower-tech. a fully functional version of an apple 1 version computer to

. >>> the famous boardwalk in asbury park, new jersey, is back open for business.fer more than $3 million in damages from superstorm sandy last october. the mayor of asbury park call the boardwalk the bread and butter of the town and he says he's opted mystic that the town is ready to host tourists this summer. >>> members of occupy the farm have retain a plot of land in albany owned by uc berkeley. . >> the multiuse property is owned by the reejens of the university of california and is not open to the public. >> a couple of dozen people ignored warnings from police and returned to the field and planted broccoli and kale seeds. last week they put in plants witness school then plowed under. so far police have not moved in this time but are documenting the protesters who are there. >> this is just the newest phase of the battle. so, yeah, carry on. right. keep calm and carry on. keep farming and carry on. >> we've gone through the process to have the land developed and to have a market here, and i think that's what the majority would like. >> some albany residents f

. >>> asbury park hard hit by hurricane sandy and it officially opens today.eds? i'm talking with the mayor. richard engel tells me what world leaders are telling him about u.s. foreign policy. don't go anywhere. i'll be right back. [ female announcer ] doctors trust calcium plus vitamin d to support strong bones. and the brand most recommended by... my doctor. my gynecologist. my pharmacist. citracal. citracal. [ female announcer ] you trust your doctor. doctors trust citracal. >>> two commuter trains going opposite directions just outside of new york city collide at rush hour. we are live at the scene. >>> more fallout from the irs controversy, calls for criminal charges and prison time. >>> gun fire, chaos and a brazen jewel heist. what seems like something right out of the movies is playing out in real life at the cannes film festival. >>> if you haven't bought your powerball ticket left you still have time to formulate the winning strategy for the $600 million prize tonight. >>>

and then we're looking at asbury park. we're talking about the rebuilding after superstorm sandy.end. clark howard will be along to tell us how to prepare for natural disasters. it's difficult because folks think they have everything in place, but then the storm comes. it wipes away everything. their documents to their homes, driver's license, all of that. he's going to tell us how to preserve the value of your home by way of video, use of cloud so when the storm comes, at least you have that. and then he's going to talk about other things you need to do so the process is a little easier if and when devastation hits you. >> it's horrible. i spent a lot of last week down there seeing how they are doing after sandy. >>. seven months later still tough. >> you were a victim of that. >> not as many. >> losing some things. >> we lost our building. now we have one we like more. some people lost everything. we're going to look at that. we'll see you at the top of the hour. >>> it's been seven months since superstorm sandy hit the east coast but a lot of the pain has not gone away. we'll t

we've had the chance to catch up with some of the people here in asbury park. one woman described it monumental. another said i hope the president shows everybody we're back open for business. tourism here is a nearly $40 billion industry. >> all right, peter alexander along the jersey shore, thank you. >>> the president's trip comes as we learn more about a surprise visit by senator john mccain over the weekend to war-torn syria. the conflict there is escalating and appears to be involving other countries more and more. nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, is in beirut, lebanon, for us this morning. richard, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. the violence is spreading. in fact, overnight, three lebanese soldiers were killed along the syrian border. senator mccain has long been pushing for the u.s. to become more involved in syria. and now the senator has gone to syria himself to express support for the rebels. the visit lasted just a few hours. no big delegation, secret and low-profile. but still, a high-risk trip to an area

yesterday, it was asbury park where the governor walked the boardwalk and talked to business owners stillncerned about the economic impact of hurricane sandy. >> literally i spend hours every day doing paper work to go back to work and i really need to be in my restaurant training people and hiring people and feeding people. >> still a long road. nbc stephanie goss is live in seaside heights. it looks gorgeous so far. >> it's beautiful. there isn't any wind. this weekend has been a little rough on the jersey shore but don't be fooled how quiet it is right here this morning. 7:00 a.m. is a little early for the people of seaside heights. it's going to be packed here later on today. we were here in the days following sandy and hard to reconcile what this boardwalk looks like now to the images we saw in those immediately days after the storm. some of the iconic images of destruction came from this area where i'm standing and everyone remembers that roller coaster that flew off the pier and sat in the ocean and it was there for months. they just recently took it down and there was a huge push

it was on sunday and monday but as barry parker still a great to be whether it is raining -- but asbury park is still a great place to be but it is raining or shining. the enthusiasm, the spirit of the people of this town, you can just feel it. everybody is ready to welcome america back to the jersey shore this summer and so am i. two days after sandy hit us, the president of united states came to visit visit new jersey into the damage for himself. and to pledge his support and support of the federal government. to help us recover and rebuild. seven months later, we know we have made great progress. but we still have so much more to do. so many more of our families need to get back in their homes. so many more of our businesses who need to get back up and running. whoany of our citizens just want their lives to go back to normal. i am thrilled with the progress we have made in the last seven months. we got a chance to show the president some of the earlier today up in point pleasant. i also made sure he understood there is still a lot more work to do for the people of our state and i am not

the about the ins asbury park. you're stronger than the storm.omancey. laughing high-fiving. >> winning each other prizes at boardwalk games. >> obama: seven months ago, i promised you your country would have your back. i told you we would not quit until the job is done and i meant it. >> stephanie: i thought what is -- partisanship in this country come to. i was so impressed he actually said i'm honored to introduce you to the president of the united states of america. barack obama. you're like going huh i don't remember anyone -- that seems quaint somewhat. >> republicans are tearing their hair out. >> stephanie: the entire title. you don't just say -- president obama, here's that one. here is obama. >> obama: we've got wonderful shops and restaurants and arcades that are opening their doors and i saw what thousands of americans saw over memorial day weekend. you are stronger than the storm. >> stephanie: yeah, well. stronger in the storm. not fair enough. >> okay. >> sometimes i don't think chris matthews knows what he's saying. >> i don't kno

. >> al, we were down in asbury park.are busy looking what is ahead that we don't just stop and say how remarkable it is that a republican in new jersey sitting with 70 plus approval rating, he is up 10, 15 points among women. this is a guy that has anything to do -- figured out how to unite new jersey and not an easy thing to do. >> i don't no, because it's a blue state. i kept looking. when they showed him consoling the sandy victims was there a picture of obama in there? that would be good for new jersey but not so much for iowa. >> haven't it something, john, you have a guy 70% plus who everybody in the republican party should be embracing and those on the far right love kicking him around on talk radio, online. it seems to me that it only makes him look more irrelevant. >> right. and his challenge over the next four years is to make them more irrelevant by replacing this kind of ideological argument. by saying he passes any conservative tests by virtue of his toughness and aura and willingness to get things done. he

it was on sunday and monday but as barry parker still a great to be whether it is raining -- but asbury park is still a great place to be but it is raining or shining. the enthusiasm, the spirit of the people of this town, you can just feel it. everybody is ready to welcome america back to the jersey shore this summer and so am i. two days after sandy hit us, the president of united states came to visit visit new jersey into the damage for himself. and to pledge his support and support of the federal government. to help us recover and rebuild. seven months later, we know we have made great progress. but we still have so much more to do. so many more of our families need to get back in their homes. so many more of our businesses who need to get back up and running. so many of our citizens who just want their lives to go back to normal. i am thrilled with the progress we have made in the last seven months. we got a chance to show the president some of the earlier today up in point pleasant. i also made sure he understood there is still a lot more work to do for the people of our state and i am

the president is scheduled to deliver remarks at at asbury park convention hall at 1:30 p.m. eastern. you can watch live coverage on our website, c-span.org. >>> on friday joint chiefs of staff chairman general martin dempsey addressed the families and loved ones of fallen soldiers at the annual tragedy assistance program for survivors seminar. the event known as taps, brings together survivors and leading professionals in the grief and trauma field and serves as a 24-hour resource for anyone who suffered the loss of a loved one who served in the military. >> my name is bonnie carroll and i am a hugger. [laughter] we, we come to this family because we have lost someone who served in the military but far more important than that, we are hear today because we are bonded forever by our love for someone who served in the military. we wear a lot of pins. you know, we have different gold star pins. we have got different unit pins but what we say here at taps is our pin is a photo button worn over a broken heart. that is what brings us together. this is our family reunion. this is o