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Weekend Early Start
Flash Floods Kill Two; Weather Outlook; Obama Heads to Oklahoma; The Race To Save Sarah; Seaside's Businesses Reopen
Aired May 26, 2013 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN world headquarter in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND.
Flash floods have swallowed much of San Antonio, Texas. Now word that two women are dead and authorities warn that count might go up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Twinkle, twinkle little star.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And a little girl fighting for her life in the final stages of cystic fibrosis, but the only thing keeping her from a new pair of lungs may be her birthdate. The race to save Sarah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just look at it, and tears come to my eye every time I drive up and down Route 35 and look at those houses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: This Memorial Day weekend, the Jersey Shore is open for business, but Sandy survivors are still strugglers to get back to normal, and some families still have no home to come back to.
It is Sunday, May 26th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.
Let's begin with that flooding I told you about in Texas. This is what it looked like yesterday afternoon. More than 10 inches of rain fell, more than 200 people were rescued as flash floods swept through San Antonio. Two women lost their lives. Rescuers had actually reached one of them when that woman was ripped out of their grasp.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF CHARLES HOOD, SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT: Our crews were actually working, trying to extricate a lady, and she was lost in Lyon (ph) Creek. So at this time we're not confirming, but we are doing a body recovery in the Lyon Creek area. Again, that water was reported over four feet above the markers. And again, talking to some of the rescue crews that were there, we actually did a debriefing for them after the fact because you can imagine how emotionally spent you are to try to rescue somebody. You're face to face with them, and then you're washed away or they're washed away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: There's also word that a teenager at this hour is missing. He reportedly was trying to cross a creek when he disappeared. We get more on the flooding and the respond from Jacqueline Ortiz of our affiliate WOAI.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUELINE ORTIZ, WOAI REPORTER (voice-over): Emergency crews spent many hours rescuing drivers who became stranded after they drove into flooded areas. On the lower level of I-35, crews checked all submerged vehicles to make sure no one was in them. At Bassie (ph) and McCullah (ph) a viabus (ph) became overwhelmed by floodwaters. Our Sky 4 flew over the scene and showed that a hatch on the roof of the bus was open. That hatch looked to be the only escape route.
On the west side, floodwaters swallowed one car at Highway 190 and Penn (ph) Road. You can barely see the roof of it there in the center of your screen. At 90 and 151, another driver was forced to leave this car in the water.
Lyon Creek turned into a raging river after all the rainfall. And it wasn't just people escaping the rushing water. Look at this. This lizard and some cockroaches hitched a ride on a crouch as it floated on Zolado (ph) Creek and I-35..
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: That report from our Jacqueline Ortiz of our affiliate WOAI. And that -- it's always the first warning that you hear from experts, when floodwaters start rising, do not try to drive through them because you never know how deep they might be. Emergency workers rescued, as I said, more than 200 people from the floods. Many of those were stranded in their cars. And also that bus you see there, three passengers and the driver were pulled out there.
Heavy rain in Texas was just one of the trouble spots that we warned about yesterday. Our Karen Maginnis is with me again this morning to talk about what it looks like for San Antonio today and the rest of the country.
Karen.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're looking at weather conditions across San Antonio that have improved dramatically. We aren't seeing any precipitation in the area, but that's not to say there won't be as we go through time.
Look at this observed precipitation and kind of the bulls-eye for the heaviest of the wet weather right around the metropolitan San Antonio area. And in that corridor between Corpus Christi and San Antonio along Interstate 35. Late in the day, in Victoria, also Goliad (ph) and Refusia (ph) counties, those are some of the areas that got some late day heavy downpours, but not to the extent of that eight to 10 inches like we saw right around San Antonio. They are comparing this event to 1998. In 1998, they lost dozens of people, but that was about a four-day event.
Now you're looking at pictures coming out of KENS in Bear County. This is in the San Antonio region. And there you can see the trees, but the ground is just covered with water. It rose very, very quickly. But the response from the teams and the first responders there in San Antonio was nothing short of amazing.
Two fatalities, as Poppy just mentioned. We do have at least one person reported missing. And they were saying that they responded to 600 or more emergencies, but about 250 of those were considered water emergencies.
Well, for this afternoon, we're expecting about a 30 percent chance of showers or storms that will keep those temperatures in the 80s. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more information.
Poppy.
HARLOW: Yes, thank you, Karen. The last thing we need is more rain. And also, as you know, coming up next hour, we're going to talk to the mayor of San Antonio about the condition there. That's in our 7:00 hour.
Karen, thank you.
Well, President Obama heads to Oklahoma today, nearly a week after that deadly tornado that claimed 24 lives and left the city of Moore devastated. The president expected to speak this afternoon just around 2:15 Eastern Time. He'll then take a tour of the damaged areas. He'll head back to Washington just as the residents of Moore prepare to hold a memorial service to honor the victims and reflect on this tragedy.
Let's bring in our Nick Valencia. He has been there reporting all week.
Nick, you have done a great job on a very difficult story. I know that you attended a graduation ceremony yesterday and that was - that was really, I think, the highlight of the week there. This went on despite the devastation.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we saw the most smiles we'd seen since we got here. Three area high schools, Poppy, graduated yesterday. It was a very emotional day for the students, as you can imagine. Some of them have lost friends, they've lost family, they've lost hopes. And for at least one student, he said it was a much-needed break from the stress and depression that he'd been going through all week. He told us that it was the most normal he'd felt since the storm hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE SPRADLING, STUDENT: I know a lot of kids lost family members. I mean, I know tons of people that lost their homes. So that's one of those things that they thought about moving it back to where they could go to funerals and stuff like that.
VALENCIA: So - but you're glad it's today.
SPRADLING: Yes, I'm glad it's today. It means - it means to me that we're not going on different routes. We're staying on the same path that we were meant to be on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: And, Poppy, I want to share with you this very poignant message from the valedictorian - a very poignant message from the valedictorian at South Moore High School. It says, "we are damaged but we survived. We are hurt but we are resilient. We are graduating, but we are not done with our successes." That message is very indicative of the character of Oklahomans here who are still struggling to put their lives back together again.
Poppy
HARLOW: Absolutely, Nick, and I know the president will be there today to meet families. We hear he's going to meet with some first responders. What are the people there telling you they want to hear from President Obama today?
VALENCIA: You know, residents here are pretty self-sufficient, Poppy. You haven't heard a lot of complaints or frustration or people asking where is the government to come help us. Oklahomans have gone through a lot of tragedy and a lot of devastation in recent years. You know, you had the 1999 tornado that hit here that devastated the community, Oklahoma City bombing, scores of other tornadoes that have damaged the area. They're just picking up the pieces by themselves. You know, really hard work. Putting on the gloves and getting ready to pick up the debris.
We've met a lot of people here that - they haven't complained to us at all. In fact, you know, some people have invited us into their homes. They ask us how we're doing. It's incredible.
HARLOW: Wow. Wow, that is - that is absolutely incredible. Speaks to their character.
Give us a sense, Nick, of the cleanup effort there. How is it going as they dig through all - all of that rubble.
VALENCIA: Yes, check this out behind me, Poppy. I mean you have this pile of debris here. These houses, this community was just leveled block after block after block. We were spending some time yesterday with one family that was bringing their couches, their damaged property from outside of the house and putting it on the sidewalk. We don't quite know what's going to happen to the debris next, but a lot of people are doing the same thing, going in their houses, bringing the debris out, putting it on the sidewalk. You know, just one step at a time. It's a lot to do here. You know, when you look at the damage and devastation, if you don't take it one small bit by bit, it's a little overwhelming. So that's what residents are focusing on right now. Poppy.
HARLOW: And it's that moment, Nick, when you find something, right? When you find, you know, the photographs.
VALENCIA: Yes.
HARLOW: We've seen a lot of that, the photographs in the rubble.
Nick Valencia, thanks so much.
Well, we head overseas now. For a second time in less than a week, a soldier has been attacked, and it looks like it's because of his military service. French police are searching for a man who stabbed a French soldier in the neck yesterday. This happened outside of Paris. That suspect then fled. France's defense ministry says the suspect wanted to, quote, "kill a French soldier who is in charge of French security." The 23-year-old victim is hospitalized, but he is expected to recover.
And there are new developments in that investigation into the absolutely horrific killing of a young British soldier in London. His name, Lee Rigby. As you know, he was hacked to death in broad daylight on Wednesday. British police say they arrested three more people on Saturday. They're being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Police are not releasing their identity right now but say they had to use Tasers on two of them. So far there have been eight arrests in this case. The two men who allegedly attacked Rigby remain hospitalized and under armed guard.
Back in the United States, a troubling story. A 17-year-old high school student will be in court today answering charges related to an alleged plot to set off bombs in his high school. Investigators, this is in Albany, Oregon, they say that Grant Allan (ph) Acord had built six types of bombs, including pipe bombs and napalm. Those bombs were found in his home, and the teen will be charged, we're told, as an adult for attempted aggravated murder. Police say they acted on information that Acord was building explosive devices. We have been attempting to reach his attorney for comment.
Meantime, crews, cranes, bulldozers are part of the sights of summer on this Memorial Day weekend. This is after Hurricane Sandy. Seaside towns, hard hit by Sandy, trying still to rebuild. But find out why many families may not be able to return to the homes that they lived in for decades.
Also, the parents of a 10-year-old girl are challenging the rules of organ donation as they fight to save their daughter Sarah's life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANET: Hi, Sarah.
SARAH: Hi, mommy. JANET: What you doing?
SARAH: Nubby.
JANET: Why are you with "Nubby"?
SARAH: Because of my CF.
JANET: What does "Nubby" do for you?
SARAH: It, like, clears my lungs.
JANET: Yes. So you can breathe?
SARAH: Yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: That was 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan and her mom Janet. And as you saw, Sarah is very sick. She may only have a few weeks left to live. Sarah was born with cystic fibrosis. It clogs her lungs and her digestive system. She needs a new lung. She needs a lung transplant immediately. But as her parents only recently learned, Sarah's age makes that incredibly difficult. Now the Murnaghans are trying to change the rules that govern lung donation for young children, if not in time to help their daughter, then in time to help others like her. Our Zain Asher has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARAH MURNAGHAN (singing): Twinkle, twinkle.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ten-year-old Sarah Murnaghan wants to be a singer.
S. MURNAGHAN (singing): How I wonder what you are.
ASHER: Her mother says if she gets a new pair of lungs in the next few weeks, her dreams could one day be a reality.
JANET MURNAGHAN, SARAH'S MOTHER: I'm not going to telling her she's dying, because she's 10.
ASHER: Sarah was born with cystic fibrosis, an illness that's damaged her lungs beyond repair.
S. MURNAGHAN: I used to go to school before. I got a lot to do. Got to go to school and at least try and act like all the normal children.
FRAN MURNAGHAN, SARAH'S DAD: We knew at some point she would need new lungs. We had hoped it would be much, much further down the road. But over the years, her disease has progressed.
ASHER: If Sarah was 12 years old, she'd have a higher chance of receiving adult lungs. But since she's 10, she primarily has access to children's lungs, which are in shorter supply. J. MURNAGHAN: That's insane. It shouldn't be about their age. If she's the sickest person, she should qualify.
ASHER: Under the rules, the only way Sarah could receive an adult lung is if the other patients in her region who are aged 12 and older turned it down first.
DR. STUART SWEET, BOARD MEMBER, UNITED NETWORK FOR ORGAN SHARING: It tugs at my heart. It's not a perfect system. There is no perfect system. It's the best we can do right knew.
ASHER: Dr. Stuart Sweet is a board member at the United Network for Organ Sharing. He helped write the pediatric transplant rules.
SWEET: So if I change the system to give Sarah an advantage, there's another patient, very likely an adolescent, who then gets a disadvantage. And I'm not in a position, and I don't think the system should be in a position to do that on a case-by-case basis. We built a system that we try to be as -- tries to be as fair to everyone as possible.
ASHER: With the clock tick on Sarah's life --
J. MURNAGHAN: But it's so hard to get pediatric lungs.
ASHER: Her mother is still working on a solution. Her options, though, are limited.
J. MURNAGHAN: Maybe it's too late for Sarah, I don't know, but it's not -- it's not right. I'm going to fight for the next person's kid.
ASHER: Sarah still has hope.
S. MURNAGHAN: I'm not going for easy. I'm just going for possible.
ASHER: The possibility of living of maybe one day realizing her dreams.
S. MURNAGHAN: (INAUDIBLE) if you try it.
ASHER: Zain Asher, CNN, Philadelphia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Well, Sarah's parents are urging transplant officials to change the policy that they believe limits young children's access to adult donor lungs. They have set up a petition for that at change.org. You can search Sarah Murnaghan at the top of the page. Sarah's mom also has a FaceBook page devoted to her daughter's fight for survival. It's at facebook.com/janet.murnaghan. And you can find out more information, learn about these transplant rules at www.unos.org. And at 8:15 Eastern Time this morning, we're going to be joined by Sarah's parents. They're going to talk to us about this fight to save their daughter.
And just ahead, we'll take you to a town on the Jersey Shore that is still feeling the effects seven months after Superstorm Sandy. They're feeling it this Memorial Day weekend. Just a few mementos are all that any family has left from the ruins of their homes. We're going to find out what some of them are doing to try to keep the impact of another Sandy of hitting them like this again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Well, it's been nearly seven months since Superstorm Sandy slammed the East Coast, and full recovery is still a ways off, even on this Memorial Day weekend. I was in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, and a town right near there, Mantoloking, to see how the residents are doing. And what we found is that many residents are saying good-bye to homes where they lived for years. They raised their families there and they built countless memories there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW (voice-over): The iconic boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, coming to life again after Sandy.
MAYOR BILL AKERS, SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY: We said it would be done by Memorial Day weekend, and it's going to be done.
HARLOW: Mayor Bill Akers says 85 percent of the Boardwalk's businesses will open by this weekend. All they need now --
AKERS: People. I mean, you need good weather and you need people.
HARLOW: The owner of Lucky Leo's is depending on it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where I make 100 percent of my money is right here on this Boardwalk.
HARLOW: But the problem is, many of the people have no homes to come back to. Just down Ocean Avenue in Mantoloking, not one house spared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just look at it and tears come to my eyes every time I drive up and down Route 35 and look at those houses.
HARLOW: Famous for images like this.
BILL METLER (ph): The supports gave way, the porch dropped down and it tilted the house towards the ocean.
HARLOW: For Bill and Louie Metler, it's just too much.
LOUIE METLER: If we could have rehabbed it, absolutely we would have done it.
B. METLER: Yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes, absolutely.
L. METLER: Yes. Yes.
HARLOW (on camera): It's too broken (ph)?
L. METLER: It was -- it's too broken. HARLOW (voice-over): This week, they watched their home come down.
L. METLER: Just how sad it is that it's being destroyed, that we couldn't save it.
HARLOW (on camera): Of the 520 homes here in Mantoloking, 56 of them washed away the night Sandy struck. Many, many more so damaged they are uninhabitable, being torn down one after the next after the next. All in, Sandy took about 40 percent of the homes in this town. Now, a beach so eroded it offers little protection from future storms.
MAYOR GEORGE NEBEL, MANTOLOKING, NEW JERSEY: Most people will want to rebuild and will rebuild. I think the reluctance will exist until we can guarantee them safety from a similar storms.
HARLOW (voice-over): Mayor George Nebel is fighting for 20 foot high dunes, a protective wall beneath them and quadrupling the width of the beach.
L. METLER: It has to happen. This town will not survive another series of storms like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those rocks are all new.
HARLOW: Stan Witkowski (ph) feels guilty. Guilty his home survived.
STAN WITKOWSKI: So many of my neighbors lost so much. Most of our neighbors are not here. Many homes are not here. They'll never come back.
L. METLER: Oh, God, we look young there.
HARLOW: Like the Metlers, after decades of memories -
L. METLER: Oh, that's (INAUDIBLE) one of my favorite pictures of you.
HARLOW: A few saved from the rubble.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: As far as that town where the Metlers live, Mantoloking. Their mayor told me so many homes have been destroyed that their tax base has actually fallen by half a billion. And when you look at the whole state of New Jersey, it incurred $37 billion of damage from Sandy. The state will get somewhere between $20 billion and $25 billion from the federal Sandy aid that was approved by Congress. And we're going to be live tomorrow morning starting very early tomorrow morning from Seaside Heights, New Jersey, that Boardwalk. Governor Chris Christie was there on Friday. We're going to bring you the latest on how businesses are doing post-Sandy, how they're getting back on their feet during this critical Memorial Day weekend.
Meantime, flash floods sweep through San Antonio. Look at that video of that bus trapped right there. Many people were trapped in their cars as they waited for help to arrive. We're going to talk to you about exactly what to expect there today. Also, we're going to tell you about a group going the distance to honor the memory and help the families of fallen heroes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Well, this week's mortgage rates changed just slightly. Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Welcome back, everyone. Thanks for starting your Sunday morning with us, and a special welcome to our troops watching on the American Forces Network on this Memorial Day weekend. I'm Poppy Harlow. It is half past the hour. It's 6:30 a.m. here on the East Coast. And here's what we're following.
Flood waters starting to go down. That is good news in San Antonio, Texas, this morning. But heavy rains there caused very severe flooding yesterday. Two women were killed when they were swept away by the rushing water. Emergency workers rescued more than 200 people from flooded homes and a lot of stranded cars.
It was a bittersweet day of celebration in Oklahoma City, yesterday, West Moore, South Moore and Moore High Schools all held back-to-back graduation ceremonies at the Convention Center there. All three schools are in the tornado devastated town of Moore, Oklahoma. Despite the tragedy of last week, students were optimistic about the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll remember it by, well, the happiness that all my relatives are here. It is graduation, yeah, and a lot of sadness and loss from the tornado, but also other happiness that we get to kind of start over and rebuild. It's nice to be able to just begin again, and even though, yes, it's gone, it's just - it's a new chance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know a lot of kids who lost family members. I mean I know tons of people that lost their homes, so it's one of those things that they thought about moving it back to where they could go to funerals and stuff like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm glad lad it's today,?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm glad it's today. It means to me that we're not going on the different routes. We're staying on the same path that we were meant to be on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And later today they will be visited by President Obama. The president will get a firsthand look at the damage of the tornado and Oklahoma, he is going to head to the heart-hit town of Moore. He will meet with families there that were affected, he'll also meet with and thank those first responders. Earlier in the week the president pledged to help storm - the storm damaged town recover saying their country will be with them every step of the way.
And a benefit concert is being organized to help the people of Moore, Oklahoma. Country music star and Oklahoma native Blake Shelton, he is the one putting that together. The concert is raising money for the Oklahoma United Way's Tornado Relief Fund. It is scheduled for Thursday night.
The next night, Friday night in Boston, Boston Strong, that benefit concert will be held to help the victims of the Boston marathon bombing. Some of the headliners for that show include Aerosmith, "New Kids on the Block," Jimmy Buffett and many, many others.
For too many families across the United States Memorial Day means much, much more. It's about so much more than the start of summer. This is about honoring those that have fallen, paying tribute to those loved ones that fell on behalf of our nation, to our heroes. Members of a group called "Carry the Load" are walking 2,000 miles this month to raise money for the families who lost.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
LT. CMDR. TRAVIS MANN, U.S. NAVY: The second year of the national relay will start from West Point, New York, and head down to Dallas, Texas. It's 2,000 miles and we do that in 27 days with a mission to get the word out about Memorial Day. We got about 348 legs, each leg is about five miles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here for my son. My son was Sergeant Thomas Robert Bagosy (ph) or as I called him Tommy. And he was a United States Marine Corps.
KATE BAGOSY, PARTICIPANT: He was stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina and he served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tom actually took his own life on Camp Lejeune, May 10th, 2010.
I think that a lot of people think of Memorial Day as a start of summer, and we don't really remember what the actual meaning is, so I think that it's really great to get out there and just show everybody and be like, look, there are people who are dying for your freedom so that you can celebrate and enjoy your summer and your barbecues.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we don't belong to a club nobody wants to belong to. It's nobody wants to lose anybody to become part of this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We kind of want Memorial Day to turn into memorial May. When you're seeing those families walk legs with us and you're watching their children and you're holding their hand on a five-mile leg and talking to them about their dad, that to me is tough, but in the same breath it also lets me know that they are not forgotten.
KATE BAGOSY: Tom was a very good man. And he was brave. He went to war and he went back again and he knew what he was getting into.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was a great Marine, he was a wonderful father and a good husband to his wife, and I miss him, so this is my way of saying hey, Tom, I'm still here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His dog tag, he'd used it to carry it in his boot when he died so it's close to my heart.
MANN: As our legs get tired and our feet are sore that pales in comparison to what people have done overseas.
Hey, how are you doing, thanks for coming out? I'm Travis Mann.
Great to meet you.
Thanks for coming out, guys, this is awesome.
You want to carry one of the flags.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I don't mind.
MANN: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's cool.
MANN: Now, when it gets heavy, you just let me know, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. OK.
TOMMY GALLARDA, TIGHT END ATLANTA FALCONS: It's across America that people have served, it's not just from one specific part of the country. It's from all, you know, our cities, small towns, you know, that have gone overseas or, you know, wherever they have been, you know, locations at, so I think it's all of America coming together. It is showing that as they go through these communities that, you know, it doesn't matter which leg that you're at, it's just that you can come out and, you know, show respect and really thank them for what they are doing and it doesn't matter exactly where you're from, but I think it's just - it's just something to show your respect to that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Carrying this flag during this parade. I call it a parade. It's a small parade, but I just think that it's -- I don't know. It's just one of these things that I feel like I'm doing something for Tom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: What a beautiful way to honor their memory. Hats off to all of those who serve and have served from all of us here at CNN.
Well, it's called Flags In, a tradition that dates back to just after the Civil War. Last week members of the third U.S. Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, were at Arlington National Cemetery. They were honoring fallen colleagues by placing American flags near each of their tombstones. In all they planted more than 220 flags. Well, as you celebrate this holiday weekend, we hope that you will take the time to log on to cnn.com and join us in honoring military members who have lost their lives in service. Every hour we're going to spotlight a U.S. casualty from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We'll honor the memory of 100 soldiers in 100 hours. They are sons, daughters, mothers and fathers, and we are eternally grateful for their sacrifice.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Good morning to our nation's Capital. Good morning, Washington, D.C. A beautiful sunrise there. It's 6:40 A.M. Eastern time. The sun is coming up just on the White House there on Pennsylvania Avenue, and Washington, it's looking like it's going to be a gorgeous Sunday for your Memorial Day weekend. 73 degrees. That's the high, and it will be sunny all day long.
Speaking of Washington and politics, Rand Paul will be on the ballot in 2016, at least in Kentucky, the freshman senator from the bluegrass state is not saying if he'll run for the White House in three years, but he recently teased supporters by confirming that he plans to seek re-election in 2016. Paul just got back from a tour of New Hampshire, Iowa, in South Carolina, as you know, three states pretty important in the presidential nominating process. He's also posted stories online noting that Kentucky law allows candidates to run for the White House and the Senate at the same time.
Well, one member of the Gang of Eight senators who got a bipartisan immigration bill out of committee warns that measure may not survive long on the Senate floor. This is New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez. He says that he and his colleagues still do not have the 60 votes needed to overcome a possible filibuster. That bill would be the first overhaul of our nation's immigration policy since 1986. What it would do, many, many things. Some of them, it would create a 13-year path to citizenship. It would raise the cap for visas on highly skilled workers and strengthen border security. Menendez said debate likely will begin on this June 10t.
All right, a packed week ahead. I want to show you what's coming up. Of course, maybe you have work off tomorrow, I don't, but it is Memorial Day, a day to remember those who have fallen on the battlefield. There will be many, many different ceremonies held across the country and when we look ahead at the rest of the week, on Wednesday the Democratic National Committee is going to hold this, they're going to hold an annual LGBT Gallup fund-raiser, some of the headliners there include Jason Collins, he is the pro basketball player who came out publicly last month, also first lady Michelle Obama is expected to attend that fund-raiser.
And now let's take a look at what is coming out on Thursday. That is the benefit - benefit concert for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, "Boston Strong," an evening of support and celebration. Some of the acts, Aerosmith and James Taylor.
And then on Friday, let's see if we can head to Friday here, on Friday James Holmes, you know that name, the alleged Aurora movie theater shooter, he is due back in court. The judge is set to decide whether or not to accept Holmes' insanity plea in that shooting, and then moving ahead here to Saturday, it is the beginning of a new month, June 1ST. It is also officially the start of hurricane season, and experts expect an above average number of tropical storms and hurricanes this year coming on the wake, of course, Superstorm Sandy. They say there's a strong likelihood of 7 to 11 hurricanes this season, as many as six major hurricanes.
Also this week, we expect to hear from the Supreme Court. Tomorrow we could get the first of several expected landmark decisions from the high court. Our Athena Jones looks at the cases.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From now until the end of June the Supreme Court is expected to rule on big issues. Affirmative action and same-sex marriage.
TOM GOLDSTEIN, CO-FOUNDER, SCOTUS BLOG: It's almost unimaginable, the number of things the Supreme Court is going to decide that affect all Americans in the next month.
JONES: First up could be whether public schools can consider race when admitting students. Abigail Fisher sued the University of Texas, arguing she was rejected because she is white.
ABIGAIL FISHER, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAINTIFF: I hope the court rules that a student's race and ethnicity should not be considered when applying to the University of Texas.
JONES: The school says race is one of many factors it uses to achieve diversity on campus. Court watchers say Anthony Kennedy could side with conservative justices to overturn or limit a major Supreme Court decision from ten years ago that allowed affirmative action. The justices are also dealing with another hot-button issue, same-sex marriage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the founding of this country, the marriage was between one man and one woman, and you guys don't want to accept it.
JONES: Considering whether California's proposition 8 ban is constitutional, and in a second case if the Defense of Marriage Act can deny same-sex couples the same federal benefits as heterosexual ones.
EDITH WINDSOR, DOMA PLAINTIFF: I think it's going to be good.
JONES: That case was brought by Edith Windsor, a New York woman who had to pay higher estate taxes after her wife died than someone in a heterosexual marriage would have.
GOLDSTEIN: I think it's likely in the Defense of Marriage Act case that the Supreme Court will invalidate the federal law that says we won't recognize state same-sex marriages, but in the California proposition 8 case, the justices seem unlikely to require under the Constitution every state to recognize same-sex marriage. The ruling may not be a huge gay rights victory at all, but I doubt it's going to be a significant loss either.
JONES: Another case involves the kind of genetic testing that led actress Angelina Jolie to undergo a double mastectomy. The court is considering whether human genes, so-called products of nature, can be patented. Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Our thanks to Athena for that. We'll be watching very closely.
Meantime, a British soldier attacked and killed in broad day light. One of his alleged attackers then bragged about what he did and why he did it. It is the crime that has stunned the world. Now there are new arrests in this case. We're going to take you live to London straight ahead.
And before we go to break, CNN is paying tribute to all the lives lost in all of this country's wars and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Benjamin Hall was just 24 years old when insurgents attacked his unit in Afghanistan. The Virginia native died in July of 2007. You can see him right there. Thanks to Benjamin. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: I think our Anthony Bourdain would tell you this, a pretty good way to understand a culture is to understand their food, their cuisine. Our editorial producer Nadia Bilchik went to her native South Africa and gives us a very cool introduction to the native fair from one of the country's most famous restaurants.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Right now I'm in Soweto, the historically black township just outside of Johannesburg and while this may look like an ordinary house, it's anything but.
Wandie!
WANDIE NDALA, CHEF AND OWNER, WANDIE'S PLACE: Wow, welcome.
BILCHIK: What a pleasure to meet you!
NDALA: Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming.
BILCHIK: The owner of the most famous restaurant in Soweto, with our pleasure.
NDALA: Thank you, you're welcome.
BILCHIK: So you mounted this grand establishment, but it started off as an illegal shabin (ph).
NDALA: Shabins we the only source of entertainment for black people. When we wanted to enjoy ourselves as black people together, because we used to be chased away from the city, this one started very small, right here.
BILCHIK: I want to come and see.
NDALA: Why not? Thank you. Welcome.
BILCHIK: Thank you.
NDALA: Sure.
Remember, we talk about hemp and corn. This is the one. This is the one.
BILCHIK: So, that's hemp and corn traditionally South African ...
NDALA: South African.
BILCHIK: And ...
NDALA: Morocco.
BILCHIK: Oh, that's Morocco.
NDALA: See?
BILCHIK: It really looks like spinach, doesn't it?
NDALA: Yeah.
BILCHIK: And the tripe, that's actually intestines.
And do people know they are eating cows and testines?
NDALA: They know. And some of them tell this is nice. Some of them tell this is the first time I eat this in my entire live. But it is beautiful.
(CROSSTALK)
NDALA: I've been ...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
NDALA: That might (inaudible) "One of my first stays ever." Daniel. Munich. Look at that. Beautiful, so many people, so many.
They want to show that they are - they want to put a stamp, mark that they are really - they are here, they we're here. You see, it's unbelievable for other people to -- to say I'm in Soweto. It's unbelievable. Come and then enjoy the experience of Soweto.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARLOW: Makes me want to go, and I know for you being from South Africa, living through Apartheid, Nadia, this is so personal, so important. This restaurant was legally not allowed to operate before 1990.
BILCHIK: Absolutely. It started off as he says the shabin, a tavern. And there were blacks only in the tavern, and now as you can see people from all over the world actually come to Wendie's. But I love, of course, the cow's intestines. He also serves the pony(ph) worms, which were kind of a large caterpillar.
HARLOW: Wow!
BILCHIK: So, all kinds of different things ...
HARLOW: What do those taste like?
BILCHIK: It's crunchy, rather crunchy and then the Militap (ph), which is the staple food of South African with a tomato sauce called chakalaka, but amazing story, and he says himself without Nelson Mandela he would not be operating ...
HARLOW: Right.
BILCHIK: .. .this famous restaurant.
HARLOW: Of course. Of course. Wow, what a change of the times. I know a lot of famous people have gone there. Thank you for bringing us this story. I appreciate it, Nadia. All right. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: There you see them. Thousands of runners returning to Boston on Saturday to finish what they had started and at the same time to show support for the victims of last month's Boston marathon bombing. They ran the final mile of the race from Kenmore Square right there to the finish line, and on a dreary Boston morning, look at that weather, not so nice, but the mood was anything but.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARROD CLOWERY, BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING VICTIM: It's just unbelievable, the people of Boston, it's just unbelievable. All the love. Even you guys with the cameras, I just want to hug and kiss you all. I can't believe what's going on here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Wow. Look at that spirit. Well, now, I want to take you to a pair of races that will be run at a considerably faster speed. Today marks the 72nd running of the Formula One, Monaco Grand Prix covering 162 miles through the streets of Monte Carlo. Marc Weber won last year's race, later on we'll see the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500. Last year Dario Franchitti became a three-time winner of that iconic race. Only three other drivers have won the race four times.
And now to this, Robbie Rogers retired in February at the same time announcing that he is gay. Now the MLS player has joined the L.A. Galaxy after a trade from Chicago, and if he plays tonight versus Seattle, Rogers will become the first openly gay male athlete to compete in an American professional sport. Of course, you'll remember last month NBA star Jason Collins announced that he's gay, but he hasn't played in a game since then.
And actress Amanda Bynes is speaking out about her recent arrest in New York City, taking to her Twitter page to call the police's version of events, quote, "all lies." Bynes was arrested for allegedly throwing a bong out of her apartment window. She says she was sexually harassed by the cop alleging that an officer touched her inappropriately while he was in her apartment. Police say they are, of course, investigating that claim.
This weekend Memorial Day unofficial start of summer. That means movies. On top of the box office this weekend, "Fast & Furious 6" expected to crack the nine-digit mark with $100 million in sales. Next up is "The Hangover Part III" at $65 million followed by "Star Trek Into the Darkness," "Epic" and "Iron Man 3." Here's a look at what's coming up new at the movie theater.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILCHIK: New at the movies, the wolf pack is back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been on a lot of adventures together, but it seems like you haven't learned anything.
BILCHIK: Zach Galifianakis and the rest of the cast return for "The Hangover Part III." This time the adult comedy takes us on a road trip.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never seen this before.
BILCHIK: Also back, the crew from "Fast & Furious" in the franchise's sixth suspense thriller.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on, girl?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talking snail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a slug. No shell over here, baby.
BILCHIK: From the makers of "Ice Age" comes the animated film "Epic," aiming for a family friendly audience. A team of whimsical characters fight the forces of evil. I'm Nadia Bilchik with your movie minute.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Well, our summer movie special with Nischelle Turner airs tonight at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, 4:30 Pacific right here on CNN. Thanks so much for starting your morning with us. We've got much more ahead on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING." That starts right now.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow. It is 7:00 a.m. out here on the East Coast, 4:00 a.m., bright and early on the West Coast. Thanks so much for starting your morning with us.
And we begin this hour with deadly flooding in Texas. Two women have died after being swept away by flash floods in San Antonio. In one case, emergency workers reached a woman in her 60s, but then they say the raging water ripped her right out of their grasp.
In all, rescuers were able to get more than 200 people out of places like trapped cars and buses, flooded homes. Coming up in about 10 minutes, we're going to talk live with the mayor of San Antonio and learn more about what's happening there.
But right now, I want to bring in our Karen Maginnis in the CNN severe weather center.
Good morning, Karen.
Tell us how it looks today because I know yesterday you were telling us you were seeing that record level for the river.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And we did. We saw lots of records yesterday.
Poppy, something has changed between the last time that we spoke and now, and that is a cluster of thunderstorms has moved out of West, Texas, San Angelo, and is making its way towards San Antonio, and what we're expecting over the next several hours is that this activity will start to move on in towards San Antonio. As it does, we may see brief but heavy rainfall here, to the tune of one or two inches of rainfall.
Now, this is not going to do any more damage than is already there. We've seen the worst of it. A lot of the floodwaters have receded. Some have not, we understand that, but here we go, looking at this cluster along Interstate 10. San Antonio, I think it will be in the next one to two hours. It will be right on the edge of the precipitation that's expected to move across that region.
Here's kind of a different view, and I'll point this out. It is this cluster here and it's moving towards the South and Southeast, and so we're upping those rain chances for San Antonio to about an 80 percent likelihood.
Now, after this moves through, it does appear that the rest of the day should be mostly dry, and we might see an isolated shower. That will be just about it. Six to 10 inches of rainfall yesterday, the bulk of that -- that's not really a 24-hour rainfall total, although technically it is -- but that essentially came over the course of about 12 to 15 hours.
And there you're seeing the end result of what happened after 10 inches of rain falls across this region, has nowhere to go. A number of rivers out of their streams, especially along the interstate 410 that is officially the perimeter of San Antonio. Two reported fatalities, one person missing, and, Poppy, I'll be here throughout morning, and we'll continue to update as San Antonio braces for another round of rainfall.
HARLOW: Yes, please do let us know what you hear. Thanks so much, Karen. Appreciate it.
Well, President Obama heading to Oklahoma this afternoon nearly a week after that deadly tornado claimed 24 lives and left the city of Moore in ruins. The president is expected to speak this afternoon there, just around 2:15 Eastern Time, and then he'll tour the damaged areas. After that, he'll head back to Washington just as the residents of Moore prepare to hold a memorial service to honor the victims and reflect on the community's tragedy.
I'm joined now from Moore, Oklahoma, but our Nick Valencia who has been there reporting through all of this.
Nick, thank you for being with us this morning.
And I know that you attended some of those graduation ceremonies that happened in the convention center in Oklahoma City yesterday. What was that like?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a very emotional day. It was the first time we saw a lot of people smiling, hugging. It's as if they had, you know, taken the day to forget about what happened just a few days before.
A lot of these students, Poppy, that were graduating, they lost friends. They've lost family members. They've lost their homes.
So, it was really was for a brief moment in time a return to normalcy. We spoke to one student who was talking about how he'd just been so stressed out and really devastated with depression throughout the last week and how much he was looking forward to that day of graduating and just for a very brief moment putting what happened earlier this week behind him.
You know, 24 people were killed. Thousands of homes were destroyed, and many of these residents here were impacted. It's tough to talk to somebody who doesn't -- either has been impacted directly or knows somebody who has been impacted so everybody here has been affected one way or the over -- Poppy.
HARLOW: You know, Nick, I note president is coming today, and I wonder if people are talking about that at all, if there's anything that they say they need, they want from the administration. What the mood is there right now?
VALENCIA: Well, earlier this week, the governor of Oklahoma declared a state of emergency for more than 20 counties, and President Obama has also already declared Moore a disaster area. But these residents -- believe it or not, Poppy -- they are really in high spirits for what happened to them.
We spoke to residents that asked us how we're doing, if we're doing all right, offering us free food. We're actually going live from somebody's garage, and around us here, the front of these homes that we're looking at in front of us, they have superficial damage and even when you go inside these homes, they are completely wrecked inside.
The backyards of homes we're looking at, combination of 10 people's backyards to sort of mix into one photos, mementos, and you see behind me here, you know, the front of these homes leveled, destroyed, block after block, these piles of debris. You can see behind me here. This is really just how these blocks in this Moore neighborhood look.
It's going to take a long time for residents to clean this up.
HARLOW: Yes. You know, hearing that they are asking you how you're doing is amazing. I mean, it absolutely speaks to their character and so much to clean up and so much pain to go through still. I hope the president's visit brings them some comfort.
Nick Valencia for us this morning, thank you.
VALENCIA: Absolutely.
HARLOW: Well, a 17-year-old Oregon High School student will be in court on Tuesday. He'll be answering charges related to an alleged plot to set off bombs in his high school. Investigators in Albany, Oregon, say that Grant Alan Acord had built six types of bombs, including pipe bombs and napalm.
The bombs were found under floorboards in the boy's bedroom. That's what authorities are saying, and the teenage will be charged as an adult for attempted aggravated murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HAROLDSON, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, BENTON COUNTY: The planning in the process, because we have to prove intent, and as part of the planning and the process we have diagrams. We have the research and the studies and the goal, and the goal was to model the Columbine shootings with some adjustments that would make it a greater success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: The D.A. would not comment on when that alleged attack was expected to be carried out. CNN has been trying to reach Grant Acord's attorney for comment.
Now, let's go to London where there are new developments in the investigation into that grisly killing of a young soldier who was also a husband and the father of a 2-year-old.
Our Erin McLaughlin has been following the story from there.
Erin, good morning. Good afternoon to you there in London.
I know from overnight, there were several arrests in the case. What can you tell us?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Poppy.
Well, on Saturday, three additional arrests in connection with the Woolwich murder investigation. We understand the arrests were made on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Two of the individuals actually had to be tasered before being taken into custody in an investigation that is complex and rapidly developing.
Since Wednesday some eight individuals have been taken into custody. Of those eight individuals, three of them, two women, and one man, have been released from police custody. The man was released on bail.
Now, as for the two suspects that were arrested at the scene of that grisly murder -- well, they remain in stable condition in two separate hospitals under armed guard in London -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Erin, tell us a little bit more about this MI-5 connection or whether or not MI-5 there in London solicited one of the key suspects in this attack to -- to work for them, essentially to be an informant for them. I know that's what one of his friends told the BBC.
But do we have anymore? Is MI-5 reacting at all to that?
MCLAUGHLIN: That's all what his brother-in-law told CNN yesterday as well, Poppy, saying that MI-5 approached one of the suspects by the name of Michael Adebolajo. He's one of the main suspects. They asked him to work for them. It's a request that he purportedly deny.
Now, plenty of questions here in the U.K. as to what MI-5 knew about these two suspects, when they knew it and what they did with that information. Now, government sources telling us next week, MI-5 will give a report to the intelligence and security committee here in the U.K., no doubt answering some of those questions, Poppy.
HARLOW: But no response from MI-5 yet?
MCLAUGHLIN: Not at the moment.
HARLOW: And in terms of these new arrests that were made on Saturday, what we're hearing is that police there in London had to taser two of the men. Do we know why?
MCLAUGHLIN: We don't. In this investigation, authorities have been incredibly tight-lipped with the information. We don't note identities of those suspects, and we don't know exactly why they have been arrested. So, all we know at this point, Poppy, is that they were in fact tasered.
And, then, of course, we also learned yesterday that in France, a French soldier was stabbed right outside of Paris. Police are saying because he was a soldier.
Any indication this could be a copycat crime?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, at the moment, French President Francois Hollande is saying there is no link or that they do not see a link between that attack and the attack that took place on Wednesday. As you mentioned, a soldier while on patrol in a suburb west of Paris was attacked from behind by another individual. He was stabbed in the neck but either a knife or a blade cutter.
Now, the defense minister in France says that he was attacked because he was a soldier. And we understand in this case the prosecutor has actually turned over the investigation to counterterrorism officials.
So, we'll have to see what comes out of that investigation, Poppy.
HARLOW: Absolutely. Erin McLaughlin, great reporting. Thank you for joining us.
Well, listen to this: overnight hackers attacked the Web site of change.org. It's actually the world's largest petition platform. A spokesperson for the site says several petitions were modified, among them petitions to allow gay Boy Scout leaders, after that vote we saw last week. And one was to end the prosecution of a Florida teenager at center of an underage sex case.
Change.org says they believe they were modified because they were, in the, quote, "featured section", and not because of the cause that they were promoting.
Well, hundreds of people rescued yesterday, from flash flooding. Large parts of San Antonio are under water. Look at that bus there. You see what people were dealing with. What the city looked like this morning and how are they coping.
Next, we're going to bring you a live interview with the mayor of San Antonio, Julio Castro.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Good morning, Washington.
A live look at our nation's capital this beautiful Sunday morning there. It is going to be a gorgeous day in Washington. Great for Memorial Day weekend. No chance of rain. Temps in the low 70s. Get up. Get out, and enjoy D.C.
All right. As we told you earlier, a very different weather situation in Texas, especially in San Antonio. Hit with deadly flash floods yesterday.
At least two people died when they were swept away by the floods. Emergency crews were able to rescue more than 200 others that were stranded by the flooding.
And I want to spring in the mayor of San Antonio. He's on the phone with us this morning, Mayor Julian Castro.
Thank you for joining us, sir.
MAYOR JULIAN CASTRO, SAN ANTONIO, TX (via telephone): Good to be with you. HARLOW: Talk to me about the condition. We're looking at these pictures, and they came from yesterday of the flooding in the streets. We saw buses stranded. We saw many, many cars stranded. This just came on so roughly and rapidly.
How are the streets looking this morning? Are they still flooded?
CASTRO: Fortunately, today, it's looking a lot better because there wasn't much of any rain last night. At one point, late yesterday, the National Weather Service had been predicting that there might be one to two inches of rain, but that didn't happen.
So, today, it's looking a lot better. Most of the streets are clear, with the exception of a couple of the highways that go through low water crossing areas that are still being worked on.
HARLOW: As you look at the damage and the sun rises this morning, you know, earlier where you are than we are. But what are you seeing, any estimates on the extent of the damage at this hour?
CASTRO: We don't have a damage estimate yesterday. Of course, they'll be forthcoming in short order. But there's some property damage to homes, of course, damage to structures and to cars and that type of thing but a damage estimate hasn't been put together yet.
HARLOW: And the pictures we're looking at look like somewhat rural areas. In terms of the city, the more populated areas, the homes, was the damage there on the flooding really widespread across, or was there a specific part where it, they were hardest?
CASTRO: It was, I guess that that's what it described. It would be in pocket across the city, you had significant property damage. Some damage to homes, the cars, and then, in the public infrastructure along certain streets, and two of the highways that have very significant flooding. But it wasn't -- I wouldn't say that it was widespread, evenly throughout the city.
HARLOW: OK.
And do me a favor, compare this to the 1998 flooding, because I think when people hear, flooding in San Antonio, that's what they think of. Is this bad as '98?\
CASTRO: It's not quite as bad as 1998, just to give you a sense of it. We recorded year about 10 inches of rain in 15 hours. In '98, that was 11 1/2. So, at some point, you're splitting hairs, but we've also invested in a significant amount of infrastructure, flood control project since 1998 and that's helped us a lot.
HARLOW: All right. Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio, thank you for joining us this morning. Good luck to you, guys, as you repair the damage. Thank you.
CASTRO: Thank you.
HARLOW: Well, did President Obama forget to salute? The president boarded Marine One but didn't return the salute of a marine standing guard. We're going to show you next what he president did when apparently, he realized his forgetfulness.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Now, you may have heard about this. It has to do with what President Obama did not do when he boarded Marine One a few moments ago. He did not salute the marine standing guard. The salute has become a tradition for presidents since Ronald Reagan.
So, after Mr. Obama got on the aircraft, he then came out, see him coming out there, and he shook hands with that marine, there you see it.
We should point out that to not salute is not breaking protocol. It's not violating any rule. It's just what we see when the president boards Marine One.
So, he came back out and shook the marine's hand before boarding back on. That happened on Friday.
All right. As we celebrate this Memorial Day weekend with barbecues and beach time, some of us will be working, but overall it's important not to forget the true meaning of the weekend. In his weekly address on Saturday, President Obama asked Americans to set aside some time this Memorial Day to, quote, "honor and remember all the men and women who have given their lives in service to this country that we love."
And in a few hours the president will be leaving Washington, and he's headed to Oklahoma. He'll be in the city of Moore today, that city that was devastated by last week's deadly tornado. Oklahoma is not the only disaster area on the president's agenda this week.
Here's our political editor, Paul Steinhauser.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey. Good morning, Poppy.
President Barack Obama teams up Tuesday with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to survey the Jersey Shore. The visit comes seven months after superstorm Sandy slammed into the coast causing billions in damage.
The first get-together between the Democratic president and the Republican governor made big headlines. Remember, at the time the presidential election was just over a week away. Christie, a major supporter of GOP nominee Mitt Romney, was criticized for praising the president during the storm response.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: And I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and for the compassion of our state and for the people of our state.
STEINHAUSER: Seven months later, some Republicans are still angry with Christie, and in memories last the teaming up with President Obama could hurt Christie request f he runs for the presidential nomination in 2016.
Wednesday, the first lady is in the spotlight. Michelle Obama teams up with Jason Collins for a Democratic Party lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender event in New York City. Collins is the NBA player who made headlines recently by revealing that he's gay -- Poppy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: (AUDIO GAP) Steinhauser there -- Paul, thank you. Appreciate it.
Well, thousands of runners going back to Boston. They are going to finish what they started -- honoring the victims of last month's bombing. That's next.
But, first, let's check in with Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a look at what's coming up on his show, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." at the bottom of the hour.
Good morning, Sanjay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, if you ever find yourself in a place where tornadoes are a danger, you're going to want to hear what I learned this week in Oklahoma, what to do, what not to do. It could save your life.
And Coca-Cola says they're going to be a leader in terms of promoting healthy living. Some people are skeptical about this, but the chairman and CEO agreed to answer my questions. We've got it all coming up, 7:30 a.m. Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Floodwaters starting to go down -- thank goodness -- in San Antonio, Texas, this morning. But heavy rains there yesterday caused massive flash flooding. Two women were killed when they were swept away by the current. Emergency workers were able to rescue more than 200 people from flooded homes and strand vehicles.
Meantime, President Obama will head to Oklahoma later today. He'll be touring the town of Moore which was hit so hard by Monday's tornado. The president will meet with families affected by the storm. He'll also take time to thank first responders there. The president has promised support for the state in its rebuilding and recovery effort.
And it was a dreary, wet day in Boston on Saturday. More like a morning in November than a morning in May.
It couldn't have been brighter, because you're looking at thousands of runners who ran the last mile of the Boston marathon from Kenmore Square to the finish line. They returned to compete what they had trained so hard for, so long for, and also to honor the victims of last month's bombing.
The One Run event was organized by Boston running clubs and also local businesses. Our congrats to all of them. Just a wonderful, wonderful thing to see there in Boston.
All right. Well, I'm going to see you back here at the top of the hour, 8:00 Eastern Time. First, though, stay around, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a fascinating show coming up for you, looking at tornado safety, also talking with the chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola. That's next on the show.
But before we say good-bye, CNN is remembering our fallen heroes on this Memorial Day weekend. Kun Young Kim, a marine from this area, the Atlanta area, killed back in April 2006 during combat operations in Iraq. You see him there, Kun Young Kim, 20 years old. Our thanks to him for his service this Memorial Day weekend.
