today the u.s.s. meredith is one of the sasun survivors and is unlikely the maritime meredith may still be outfitted for service. >> the meredith was used as a cargo ship, she's laying here in the sasun bay resort fleet waiting to serve again. >> when you climb aboard one of them the fact that they are commercially obsolete is obvious. we're told by the people who maintain them not to be fooled. >> rust is a superficial condition on steel. you will see although we have some superficial rust the steel is in good condition. the structural bolt connections. all that goes into whether it's a seaworthy ship or not are intact on these ships. >> reporter: when you go below it is remarkable how well preserved the ships are. there are even charts and logs still on board. things are still intact because a dehumidifier was used. below you get a feeling for how cramped and hot these ships were when they were in service. imagine if you will a world war ii vintage carrier with a full complement 2,000 person screw.

the u.s.s. iowa providing a hint of what to expect in days to come. >> the u.s.s. nimitz is coming in tomorrow and the fireworks for the golden gate parade. >> reporter: this two mile stretch will be closed to boat traffic tomorrow night for the fireworks show, but the minutes it's over, coast guard expects there to be a mad dash of thousands of boats towards home. >> a lot of boats want to see the fireworks, but a lot of people won't practice navigating in at knit the time. >> coast guard tips, wear life jackets and don't drink and drive, pay attention to surroundings and don't overload boats with too many guest. >> maybe a small chop, 1-2 feet can quickly swamp a boat that is over load. >> reporter: light wind averaging 10 knots kept decrease calls at bay, but crews say if fog rolls in or the wind kicks of, novist and even expert sailors could run into trouble. patti lee ktvu channel 2 news. >>> as patty just mentioned the u.s.s. iowa made its way out toking about the. coming up in 13 moats ne

the crowds following the u.s.s.a today, providing a hint of what to expect in days to come. >> the u.s.s.nimitz coming in tomorrow or the fireworks for the golden gate parade. >> reporter: this two mile stretch under the golden gate bridge will be closed to boat traffic tomorrow night for the fireworks but the minute it's over the coast guard expects there to be a mad dash of thousands of boats towards home. >> a lot of both want to come out and see the fireworks but a lot of people don't practice navigating at nighttime. they're daytime sailors and it could be a hazard on its own. >> reporter: coast guard tips on ways to stay safe. wear life jackets, don't drink and drive. pay attention to surroundings and don't overload boats with too many guests. >> even a small chop that maybe one or two feet, can quickly swamp a boat if it's overloaded. >> reporter: light wind averaging 10 knots helps keep accidents and distress calls at bay this afternoon, but crews say if fog rolls in or the wind kicks up, novice and even exp

and chase what matters. . >> more than 100 people crawl to the u.s.s. hornet in alameda today for a very special ceremony. ktvu's allie rasmus tells us world war ii veterans were honor for this historic mission, a mission with a strong bay area connection. >> reporter: for the 60,000 people who came to the u.s.s. horn yet to alameda every year it's a chance to walk through a piece of history, but the men at this table lived part of that history. >> i'm glad to come here and look at the hornet again. i remember everything that we did. >> reporter: lute colonel saylor was an army air corp. engineer and part of a mission that many historians consider a turning point in the war. >> was just another mission. we were just doing what we trained to do. i didn't think beyond that. >> reporter: it was april, 1942 four months after the bombing the pearl harbor, an aircraft carry like the u.s.s. hornet left alameda for tokyo, japan. >> we were several days out to sea before we knew we were going to bomb japan. >> reporter: the aerial bombing of tokyo came to be kno

the u.s.s. wasp is the largest ship here for new york fleet week. but 6,000 men and women in uniform from u.s. forces and coalition forces are invading the streets of manhattan and looking for a good time and also getting involved in community outreach campaigns. fleet week 2012 is a great opportunity for families to really be able to thank the service members, tour the ships and check out the assault vehicles. 22 ships began making their way up the hudson river on wednesday. the u.s.s. wasp being the largest but the tall ships commemorating the bicentennial of the war of 1812 and the star spangled banner, the united states chief of naval operations admiral john greenert up for fleet week highlighting his troop with a special group re-enlistment for 25 sailors, marines and coast guards and a promotion for six naval officers aboard the u.s.s. wasp, we talked exclusively to the cno. >> i find it very touching and emotional in its own right. to do it here in new york city 11 years after 9/11, the p

. >> and u.s.s. who are snet honoring the brave men that helped win the war. >> and the summer job reinvented. teams teens who are becoming >>> welcome back. 8:39 on a gorgeous saturday morning. a gorgeous shot to look at right here. live picture of alcatraz sitting out there in san francisco bay on this cinco de mayo. absolutely still water. more from lisa argen in just a little bit. >> this is the time of year that teenagers start looking for a summer job. question is that a good idea. here is 7 on your side's michael finney with out of the box thinking. >> reporter: summer jobs, it is money but could it be more? >> you don't have to work for mcdonald's wages. you don't have to work at a record store. you can start a business and build something that you love. >> reporter: in a down economy, people have a tough time finding minimum wage jobs so why not started a business instead? >> if you created a product or service on your own and you can make way more than any of your friends. >> reporter: he h

why the u.s.s. iowa voyage to los angeles was put on hold. >> plus it's that time of year again when law enforcement crack down on drivers that don't follow a basic law. >>> welcome back to the ktvu channel 2 morning news. time now 4:53. singer donna summer will be laid top rest today in a private funeral service in nashville, tennessee. the 63-year-old died last week after battling lung cancer. she was diagnosissed last year but only her immediate family knew she was sick. summer earned the title of queen of disco after releasing a string of dance hits in the 9170 -- 1970s. >>> hundreds of immigrants are expected to march through the street of sacramento. this is is the 16th annual immigrant day. bus loads of people will arrive in the state capitol this morning and they want to draw issues that effect them and plan to meet with state lawmakers throughout the day. >>> the historic u.s.s. iowa will be in the bay area longer. a storm brewing off the california coast prompted officials to delay the jou

is s -- u.s.s. cole, killing him and two guards. and one of the wanted terrorist in the arabian peninsula, 17 american sailor died and 40 wounded while they attacked it in the dock. this explosion blew a 30 by 30 foot hole in the ship. the target of someone dressed as an afghan army soldier, this shooting killing one n.a.t.o. soldier. the latest in the attacks and so far 12 n.a.t.o. soldiers have died in such attacks. a startling admission from two lawmakers about the state of the taliban in afghanistan. a direct challenge to president obama's own ajestment of the taliban just last week during the surprise visit to kabul. and saying the same thing, democratic senator diane feinstein and republican congressman mike rogers both agreeing, the taliban strength and resolve are growing despite the u.s. troop surge and our continued presence there. >> the taliban has a shadow system of governors in many provinces, they've gone up north, they've gone to the east, attacks are up. >> this is a huge problem and what we have found is maybe the

aboard the u.s.s. iowa, rob roth, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> college debt has never been higher but you may be able to lower your payments, maybe even stop them. >>> and at 10:45, a simple test to detect autism, how a child holds his or her head could be a red flag. >>> we're learning about a fatal accident on napa county's silverado trail, we'll explain what happened. [ mechanical humming ] [ male announcer ] we began with the rx. ♪ then we turned the page, creating the rx hybrid. ♪ now we've turned the page again with the all-new rx f sport. ♪ this is the next chapter for the rx. this is the next chapter for lexus. this is the pursuit of perfection. >>> most people agree the cost of a college education is soaring. and often the fact of paying them off doesn't hit until after graduation. >> congratulations and good luck class of 2012. >> reporter: it's all over. and now diploma day. time to start paying off those college loans. >> over 30,000. >> 40 to 50k. >> over 54,000. >> like 30 grand, man. >> repo

including the u.s.s.iowa and you can catch it right here after the 10:00 news. >>> san mateo was a place to show off your creativity and abilities at the annual makers fair. quite a show there, the fair is the place where any innovator, or food maker can show off their creation or creations. whether it be a tesla music contraption or low tech or high tech robotic invention. as you can see a lot of flame throwing devices just for fun. >>> animals ruled broadway today at bay area celebration of people and their pets. raised some serious cash for a well known organization. >> a costume change, get ready for a change to our weather. you have to change your clothes. mark tamayo has his five day forecast for the workweek ahead. if you want less, you can always have less, but i like having a lot more a lot more than having a lot less. and the more more i have, the more i like having more. and that's exactly what i get at embassy suites. more post-meeting celebrations, more complimentary drinks, more for my money

the u.s.s.a. have the food police gone too far? one high school is being fined $15,000 for forgetting to unplug a soda machine. trace gallagher has that story. don't miss it. >> it's ridiculous. it's soda pop. it's not going to kill us. it should be a choice we have. i never thought to use aspirin for muscle pain. but i tested it out, and bayer advanced aspirin relieved my pain fast. it helps me get back in the game. but don't take his word for it. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself at fastreliefchallenge.com. shannon: a mississippi prison on lockdown after a deadly riot. it began at adams correctional facility in natchez. many families of guards and inmates were praying they were all right. >> they said it's some kind of riot. me and my descrairt been out here since 6:00 trying to find out something. the teargas and all. i just hope he's okay. shannon: it took tons of reinforcement to get that situation under control. police blame gang activity for starting the riot. the food p

aboard the u.s.s. iowa, rob roth, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> college debt has never been higher but you may be able to lower your payments, maybe even stop them. >>> and at 10:45, a simple test to detect [ male announcer ] it would be easy for u.s. olympian mebkeflezighi to deposit checks at the nearest citibank branch. ♪ like this one. ♪ or this one. ♪ or, maybe this one. ♪ but when it's this easy to use citibank mobile check deposit at home...why would he? ♪ woooo! [ male announcer ] citibank mobile check deposit. easier banking. every step of the way. >>> most people agree the cost of a college education is soaring. and often the fact of paying them off doesn't hit until after graduation. >> congratulations and good luck class of 2012. >> reporter: it's all over. and now diploma day. time to start paying off those college loans. >> over 30,000. >> 40 to 50k. >> over 54,000. >> like 30 grand, man. >> reporter: they're certainly not the only ones with the repayment burden on their back. more than 30 mil

u.s.s. nimitz and crew of 3,000 sailors are expected to sale through the golden gate at 1:00 this afternoon. that aircraft carrier is one of the largest naval ships. golden gate bridge celebration from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. with the main event as john said. fireworks show that begins at 9:30 tonight. here is where it will all happen. the prime spot to see the fireworks is along the waterfront, from fort point to east marina green and golden gate around the marin headlands. everyone is urged to use public transportation, driving could be a nightmare. >> larkspur ferry service resumes this morning following a one-day strike. they say there will be ferry service with extended hours from 11:00 this morning until 11:00 tonight for the celebration. the union says yesterday job action was triggered when contract talks broke down friday night over working conditions. >> the work environment on some of these ferries is really bad. they are working around sewage issues and also -- the company has b

. >>> the u.s.s. is docked after sailing to the bay area for the golden gate bridge's 75th anniversary. it sailed around noontime, there it is and was escorted by a fire boat. almost 3,000 sailors were on board the ship. it is carrying more than 1,500 tons of weaponry and is due to leave on wednesday. >>> they are packing all the new supplies of the international space station and the crews will spend the next two days moving a half ton of supplies from the dragon capsule into the space station. the unmanned dragon is the first vehicle to dock at the space station and when it is empty it will be packed with 1,400 pounds of scientist particular experiments that will have to be taken back to earth. and this was not the only party in town. oh, yeah, the colorful sights and sounds brought hundreds of people to the mission district and they led yesterday's grand parade and there was so much more to see. this by the way is the festival's 34th year. >>> coming up loved ones celebrating the life of michelle l

he was wanted for his role in the bombing of the u.s.s. coal in yemen back in 2000. seventeen american soldiers were killed in that attack. >>> fairfax county police are hoping electronic message signs will help them find the driver who ran over a woman in the sleet. 21-year-old shalinda harrington was found dead on harrison street late friday morning. officers believe she got out of her car during some sort of altercation. it is not clear what the argument was about or whether airing to be knew the other driver. police are looking for a dark- colored suv with temporary tags. >>> prince george's county police are investigating a fatal hit and run in lewisdale. they say it happened around 9:00 saturday night on university boulevard. the victim is 28-year-old samuel diaz of hyattsville. police are looking for a silver suv with damage to the front of the vehicle. and anyone with information is asked to call police. >>> a man who has admitted to shooting and killing his own son is due in court today for a bond hearing. the incident happened saturday night at an apartment

. >> we learned the u.s.s. iowa will not be departing this afternoon. officials say high seas in southern california have delayed the trip. they'll be monitoring conditions before deciding when it leaves. the jeremiah o'brien will still take people to see the battleship. crews have been restoring it in richmond. it served the navy until 1990. >> there is a surprise twist to an oakland fire we reported yesterday morning as breaking news. that fire started around 4:00 yesterday morning inside a warehouse near the section of broadway. it turned out the huge flames were fueled by marijuana plants inside. it made it more difficult and more dangerous for the fire crews. >> when you have a large growing operation, you don't know how getting their electrical source. so we have to be mindful for that. we had pg&e cut off electricity to both buildings immediately. >> the flames smoldered for five hours while they shut off the power. neighbors they recall seeing people moving restaurant equipment into that building but they never saw anyone after that. >>> new thi

that's the u.s.s. miami. two firefighters were hurt. two others have been taken from the scene. the police chief said there was no danger to the public and no evacuations. we're also following another break news story. an entire shift of firefighters have fallen ill. >> it may have something to do with the call they responded to this morning. ken -- ken molestina is there live. >> reporter: i was able to speak to sources within the fire department. they say this all does in fact stem from that fire call that you mentioned at 11:25. firefighters with engine company 10 and truck 13 were called out to a fire on hayes street. we understand that at some point while on that fire they may have come across some kind of a home drug lab and possibly been exposed to some of the chemicals there. we understand once that fire wrapped up the firefighters packed up there' trucks, they came back here to their fire house, and it wasn't until hours later into the evening that they began to complain of illness. they began to fall ill, complaining of dizziness, some of them even vomiting. at that po

u.s.ed to stress that intelligence agencies have no information of an kind beingny imminent relative to the anniversary. anniversary of osama bin comes at a major e in new york city. this is a live picture of 1 world trade center. the building under construction the twin towers. became the city's tallest structure. l eventually reach 1,776 feet. obama's reelection campaign aims to lay new ground work in our region. two well-known democrats in virginia say they will be toying a key role in trying commonwealth for the incumbent. former virginia first lady adviser hosted a in falls church. the commonwealth is considering key -- considered a key battleground state for both campaigns. have no interest in being vice president. if he calls me and asked to sit down -- >> the new jersey governor made comments while visiting philadelphia. is popular within the republican party. mitt romney will choose a mate this summer before the national convention. are falling a developing prince william county r more than 14,000 customers the night in the dark following a power outage. sums type of equipme

we also have a schedule of the u.s.s. iowa. >> they will go to the new home in southern california and will attract many boaters. the anniversary of the golden gate will bring a lot of people out. they will be on out water this weekend and doing exactly what the coastguard zblugh they make sure we have life vests, flares and horns, both are in good condition. >> reporter: the coastguard also want to make sure that all the boats on the water are sea worthy. they are asking people not to drink and boat. >>> family of a man who drowned in alameda while rescue crews stood by and do did nothing is suing the county. he waded into the water off of crown beach in an attempt to kill himself. city officials say the firefighters did not act because they were not trained for water rescues. the sister and brother are accusing the city now of negligence in a wrongful death lawsuit. the friends will hold a memorial at the beach at 4:00 p.m. >> new details about the body of a woman discovered in a track can in pleasanton. the remains are

resolution urging the secretary of the navy to christen a ship as the "u.s.s. harvey milk." supervisor chiu: supervisor wiener? supervisor wiener: thank you very much, mr. president. colleagues, before us today is a resolution to support a great honor for one of the most iconic figures in the history of san francisco, as well as the lgbt community. this idea came from the community in san diego. as you probably know by now, supervisor harvey milk was a naval officer who served in korea. this was an important aspect of his life. i am told by those who know him that he talked about his military service and that, although, like many people, he was against the vietnam war, he remained proud of his military service. if you go to harvey milk plaza, in the muni station there is a series of photos of supervisor milk in various points in his life. one of those photos is a photo of him as an officer in the navy. supervisor milk wore a navy dealt with a master divert bought call. someone sent me pictures -- master diver buckle. someone sent me a picture of him wearing it at his headqua

i want to say right off the top u.s.s.ringing the nice pictures and the guys bringing the nice things and some guy from england who -- i don't know. [ laughter ] [ applause ] has a diseased mind. [ laughter ] we're so happy to be back. i'm jon stewart. our guest tonight is the author of a great new book on home gardening. [ laughter ] and -- [cheers and applause] -- anyway, we're excited to have the first lady tonight. first, real quick off the top. we've been out of office two weeks. when i'm on vacation the only news i keep up is the latest. obviously i read the huffington post my one stop source. the latest scoop involves miley cyrus and her side boob. next 20 that i crossing this story about how roger ailes said i admitted to him in a bar that i'm a socialist. now, i didn't doubt the story. [ laughter ] i know watching fox news makes you misinformed. but running it doesn't. but i couldn't remember so -- and this is true, i called him not on the phone. i sat in front of the mirror and said his name three times. so, sorr

that leader helped plan the attack on the u.s.s. cole.icide attack on the u.s.s. cole killed 17 american sailors. that very bold attack brought fame to osama bin laden. it also attracted more money and followers to al qaeda. >> i have done a lot of service for my country and i would hope my country would look after me. >> coming up for you at 5:45 the plea by an american now being held hostage in pakistan aimed at president obama. >>> final results from france's presidential election came in overnight. they show that francois nearly beat nicolis sarkozy. >>> the countries left coalition party celebrated early election results showing them coming in second place. the two major parties that backed the austerity measures lost. >>> today california voters can begin casting absentee ballots for the june primary. the departments across the state will send out the june 5th ballots today. voters you can mail them in or drop them off in specific locations. the last day to request a vote by mail ballot is may 29th. almost half of the voters did it

he was a key figure in the bombing of the "u.s.s. cole ats off of yemen. >>> in guantanamo, the self-proclaimed master mind of the 9/11 attacks and four alleged accomplices were arra n arraigned over the weekend. the proceedings stretched well into the night. an attorney for one of them says it's peaceful resistance. >> this will be a long, hard-fought but peaceful struggle. >> some of the victims' families arrived in guantanamo to watch the hearing while others watched at bases here in the mainland. the trial probably won't begin until some time next year. >>> overseas markets are tumbling this morning. president nicholas sew carkozy out and hollande is in. that makes people nervous. the parliamentary vote in greece put their austerity plan in jeopardy as well. >>> a small group broke away from the approved march route, authorities cracked down. >>> now to public back here. president obama is battling for his own second term. he officially kicked off his re-election campaign this weekend. outcome will depend mostly on the economy. >

we also have a schedule of the u.s.s. iowa. >> they will go to the new home in southern california and will attract many boaters. the anniversary of the golden gate will bring a lot of people out. they will be on out water this weekend and doing exactly what the coastguard zblugh they make sure we have life vests, flares and horns, both are in good condition. >> reporter: the coastguard also want to make sure that all the boats on the water are sea worthy. they are asking people not to drink and boat. >>> family of a man who drowned in alameda while rescue crews stood by and do did nothing is suing the county. he waded into the water off of crown beach in an attempt to kill himself. city officials say the firefighters did not act because they were not trained for water rescues. the sister and brother are accusing the city now of negligence in a wrongful death lawsuit. the friends will hold a memorial at the beach at 4:00 p.m. >> new details about the body of a woman discovered in a track can in pleasanton. the remains are

he was on wanted list in connection with the bombing of a u.s.s. cole warship in 2000. the drone that killed him was authorized by the cia and authorize bid government yemen. >>> the five men on trial for the 9-11 attacks refuse to allow the legitimacy of the military commission at guantanamo bay. one of their lawyers admit the suspected terrorists are puttingen a peaceful protest by refusing to answer the judge's question and by periodically praying during the 10-hour hearing on saturday. most legal experts believe it could be a decade before the trial and all the appeals are exhausted. >>> some other top stories now. fairfax county police are stepping up their efforts to track down a deadly hit and run driver. >> they are hoping electronic message signs on roads will help lead to an arrest. 21-year-old shalinda arrington was found dead on harrison street in mount vernon late friday morning. it is believe she got out of her car during some sort of altercation. police are look fig black chevrolet suv with temporary tags. >>> prince george's county police are also on the

reporter: saying g ththe g gp is decentrarararalizezezezed and to high profile attacks against the u.s.s. u.s.s.s. s s s secucurity offffy others a bng trained. the fbi hasas the original dedevice thanks to a doublblble agent who sourceseseses tell abc7 news worked for a nonu.u.s. intelligence agency >> the bureau exploiting ied improvisededed explosive device seized overseas similar to the devices used in the past. >> h h having the bomb in its origigininal state, before it gs off, u.s. expepeperts now are ae to figure out how the bomb works. how it might be dedetecteded. a heheck of a lolot easieieier n the bombmbmbmb i is intact. >>>>>>>> reporter: figigiguringw tototo d detect the newwww bomos critical. confnfidentitial securururity bn says the device probablyly would haveve passedddd t t t through t mememetal d detececector. secrcrcrcretary napolitano disagrees. >> a alll things c c c c c coons in highghgh likelihood it woulud have been detected. >> r r reporter: director m muer urged congress to renew wide rangnging surveillance autututuy to foil nut plotots. -- to foilil futututut

>> commander, looking back we're all aware of what happened on the u.s.s.ut in your book, what do you say maybe we're not aware of of things that happened while the attack happened or immediately thereafter? >> i think one of the great unsung things is that event was somewhat overshadowed by 9/11, and the opportunity for me to publish this book and get the word out that i was blessed with a great crew of heroes that morning who did a phenomenal job, it speaks to the training we have in our armed forces today, that even in a moment of crisis when we had no way to tell the crew what had happened or what was going on, they reacted by saving that ship and their shipmates, and in a larger perspective, our government reacted to it with a phenomenal effort to get the forces in place within a matter of 17 days so we could bring cole back to the u.s., rebuild her, and three weeks ago she deployed out for the sixth time since we repaired her. >> karen has a question? >> oh, i thought jim was going to get to go next. so here's my question, commander. based on where al

(cheers and applause) i believe that was aboard the u.s.s. "humility." (laughter) even i have to say in yesterday's press conference when confronted with his attack on romney's record obama did make a good point. >> i just recommend that everybody take a look at people's previous statements in terms of whether they thought it was appropriate to go into pakistan and take out bin laden. i assume people meant what they said when they said it. that's been at least my practice >> stephen: there you go. the president means what he said. but be careful if you disagree with the commander-in-chief he might seine you to the prison at gitmo he said he would close. (laughter) now, folks, on a completely different subject, obama's also waging a war on religion. he hasn't celebrated a single religious holiday since easter. oh, sure, he'll throw together an egg roll on the white house lawn but where was he on the celebration of april 24, the feast day of st. fidelis of singh mar-ingen who was beaten to death by calvinists in 1622 mo who also cut off his left leg. tradi

four people including firefighters, apparently injured as crews work to douse flames unbarred the u.s.s miami. we're told the reactor was not operating and is not affected by the fire. nonessential personnel have been evacuated. we'll have the latest developments on good morning maryland at 4:30. >>> if you ever wonder what happens when you puncture a can. we've got that coming up next. >>> coming up on night line, inside a boarding school for obese teens desperate to drop weight. >>> okay also the other trends today that facebook follows. that's right after you. [ boss ] okay, okay. let's...uh, skip the chitchat and get down to business here. now listen, i need all of you thinking of ways to improve our bottom line. so let's just sit here awhile and toss around some ideas. this isn't a conference call, hickle -- i'm actually in the room. [ male announcer ] with fares this low, why not surprise a few people? airtran is having a sale with flights all over the country starting at only $69 dollars. book at airtran.com before it's too late. because with $69 fares they're going to go fast. g

he was also wanted for bombing of the u.s.s. kohl in 2000. it's the latest blow totter i.r.s. group. earlier this week -- blow to the terrorist group. earlier this week a double agent foiled a plot to bomb an airliner. he handed the bomb over to the u.s. and ld told officials where to locate fahd al-quso. >> this was one of the most sow fest indicated operations we -- sophisticated operations we ever run. >> reporter: but the operation was nearly blown when someone leaked information about it to the associated press, forcing agents to wrap it up ahead of schedule. senator joseph lieberman, chairman of the homeland security committee says he believes the leak interrupted parts of the operation that were not yet completed. >> they did something really harmful to our national security, and hoip we catch them. >> reporter: defense secretary leon panetta says the leak not only hurt this operation but could make it harder to recruit future inform participants. >> to be able -- informants. >> to be able to do that effective, you have to protect them. >> reporter: the agent is probabl

the u.s.s. north hampton association participated in the wreath-laying ceremony. north hampton was assigned as a so-called doom's day ship during the cold war. >> the ship that we were on was the president's ship, the floating white house during the cold war administration. so we're having a special commemorative ceremony here today to have our ship's model displayed in the president's room. >> very patriotic, makes you feel proud to be an american. and we've still got a heartbeat left in us yet. >> earlier today, rolling thunder also participated in a wreath-laying at the navy memorial. >>> neighbors and friends pounded the pavement today in bowie, maryland. dozens turned out for the memorial day weekend parade. the procession began at bowie high school. people say they came out to celebrate america's heroes. >> definitely to give thanks to the veterans that supported our country. >> freedom is not free. you've got to remember all those men and women in our armed services. >> this year's event featured high school marching bands, pipes and drums, and the panquill

embassy bombings in africa, targeting the u.s.s. "cole" in yemen and leading up to and peaking tapt september 11 attacks. >> rose: also this evening, steve coll, the reporter who has covered afghanistan extensively has a new book called "private empire: exxonmobil and american power." tonight part one of that conversation which is about afghanistan. >> the united states should also have learned that no policy that is based on a misunderstanding of the facts or wishful thinking is likely to succeed. and there are a whole series of assumptions built into this transition policy about the ability of the afghan national arm about the degradation of the taliban and the ability of afghan political lead yooers to fashion a fair transition of power from karzai who-to-whoever comes after. all ofhese assumptions look quite shaky and you don't want to ask american men and women to make the ultimate sacrifice if you're not willing to confront the facts head on and think honestly about where they may lead you. >> rose: we conclude with kathy fres