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Presidential Hopefuls and Possible Contenders Out in Full Force; Comparing Vacation Days Around the World; Troops Armed With Saint Bracelets; Talk Back Question; Sprucing Up To Sell; Worship In Tornado Disaster Zone

Aired May 30, 2011 - 12:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I'd like to get you up to speed.

At Arlington National Cemetery today, Americans gather among the marble headstones to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service for our country. An hour ago, President Obama paid his respects by placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Later, the president spoke of sacrifice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The grief so many of you carry in your hearts is a grief I cannot fully know. And this day is about you and the fallen heroes that you loved, and it's a day that has meaning for all Americans, including me.

It's one of my highest honors. It is my most solemn responsibility as president, to serve as commander-in-chief of one of the finest fighting forces the world has ever known.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: President Obama today nominated General Martin Dempsey to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dempsey served two tours in Iraq and is currently the highest ranking Army officer on the Joint Chiefs. He would replace Admiral Mike Mullen, who retires on October 1st.

People in southwest Michigan are spending their Memorial Day cleaning up from a tremendous thunderstorm. Seventy-five-to-80-mile- an-hour winds brought down hundreds of trees and cut electricity to 100,000 customers. A fast food restaurant in Battle Creek took a direct hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MOMAN, BURGER KING EMPLOYEE: We had a lady freaking out. She's screaming, and all we hear is our manager scream, "Get in the women's bathroom!"

And our back entrance door busted out; glass, ceiling tile, lighting, hanging down. The roof caves in, in the dining room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The splintered lumber and chunks of concrete have not been cleared, but some in Joplin, Missouri, are already rebuilding from this month's tornado. At a Memorial service on Sunday, President Obama called attention to Home Depot worker Dean Wells. He led people to safety until a wall of the store collapsed on top of him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNA MANICINI, DEAN WELLS' DAUGHTER: That's who he was. He helped anybody an everybody, and he died doing it.

PAULLA WELLS, DEAN WELLS' DAUGHTER: He was always helping other people. And I miss him, but I'm glad that if he had to lose his life, he lost it the way that he lived it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Yemen slides closer to chaos. Witnesses report 20 people killed during anti-government protests on Sunday. Over the weekend, Islamic militants joined the fight, taking over a town near the coast. Yemeni soldiers are now in a fierce battle to retake the town.

A new diplomatic push to end the fighting in Libya. South African President Jacob Zuma is in Tripoli today, pressing Moammar Gadhafi to end three months of fighting with rebels. His visit comes on the same day that Italy reports eight Gadhafi generals have defected.

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is about to speak at a GOP picnic in Dover, New Hampshire. That is happening this hour. Now, she plans to announce next month whether or not she will make a run for the Republican presidential nomination.

And presidential hopefuls and possible contenders, well, they're out in full force here on Memorial Day. Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty is spending the day in Iowa. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's bus tour takes her to mount Washington, to Mt. Vernon, Virginia, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. And Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is in Dover, New Hampshire. Businessman Herman Cain is in Hampstead, New Hampshire.

CNN's Jim Acosta joins us live from Gettysburg, where Palin, I believe, is going to be arriving today.

Give us a sense of the impact of her tour. Do you believe she's testing the waters on perhaps even running?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think that's safe to say, Suzanne, that she is testing the waters. As a matter of fact, earlier this morning, at the National Archives in Washington, she did tell reporters, when she was asked the question, "Are you running for president?" She said, "We are contemplating that." So that is a clear signal that this bus tour is at least, in part, a testing the waters sort of swing up the East Coast. And I can tell you, standing here at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, there are already some Palin watchers here, and we're still a good two hours out from her expected arrival at this national park. And as I just mentioned, earlier this morning, she was at the National Archives.

As you said, she went to the historic sites at Mount Vernon. And everywhere she went, not only were the national media in tow, but there were Palin watchers wondering what she's going do, what she's going to say. And somebody asked her at the National Archives, "Do you think you could beat President Obama?" And here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, I think that any Republican candidate is very, very electable. I think Americans are ready for a true change, a change to get our country back on the right track.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, obviously, that was a very coy answer, but she is not the only one who thinks that the Republicans have a good shot at next year. And if you look at the polling, she is fairly well positioned, Suzanne, to make a decent run at this.

The Gallup folks just released a poll last week, a national survey that took into consideration the fact that Donald Trump is out of this race, that Mike Huckabee is out of this race, and she finished a very respectable second place behind Mitt Romney. And that's given the fact that as of when that poll was taken, she wasn't really being seriously considered as a candidate inside Washington. Therefore, she wasn't really getting that kind of national coverage and attention.

That has very much changed in the last 48 to 72 hours. She is being covered this week like a potential presidential candidate -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And it seems to me like there are a lot of political overtones connected with this trip. Yes?

ACOSTA: Absolutely. Now, she was asked at this stop earlier this morning, "Is this a campaign bus tour?" And she said, "Oh, no, this is not a campaign bus. This is about remembering America's history, remembering America's past," that sort of thing.

But you also have to keep in mind that wherever she goes, she's going to generate attention. She's going to attract followers.

I was talking to a gentleman earlier this morning who said, "Yes, I'm out here to see Sarah Palin." And he said Pennsylvania is not one of those places where you would normally expect to see Sarah Palin do well. He was speculating that perhaps a lot of this has to do with trying to go after those Independent voters who maybe have some questions about her. A lot of polling has shown that recently, and so it doesn't hurt to ride around in a bus, Suzanne. That's all about American history. Who could argue with that?

So we're going to have to see how all this plays out over the next several days. But from what we understand, this tour is going to make its way to New Hampshire at some point, which is, as you know, a key primary state. So we'll all be watching.

MALVEAUX: OK. I'm sure all eyes on Sarah Palin. Thank you, Jim. Appreciate it.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today we are asking: Why aren't we doing more for our veterans?

Our Carol Costello joins us with that question.

And Carol, I mean, it's unbelievable, just the last hour, the kinds of responses you got.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heartbreaking. It brought tears to your eyes.

As we're honoring our fallen troops on this Memorial Day, we should at some point turn the corner and think about the young men and women who will soon come home from the war zone. They won't have an easy time of it.

Overall unemployment is high these days, but the jobless rate is nearly 22 percent for veterans between 18 and 24. You would think that after handling one of the toughest assignments in life, fighting a war, that getting a job would be easy. But it's not.

Veterans are finding that what they did over there, whether it be saving lives as a medic, or transporting heavy artillery, doesn't certify them for a job as an EMT or a truck driver back home in civilian life. Senator Patty Murray, chairwoman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, says vets are afraid to list their military experience on job applications, and that's for good reason. Employers are not exactly eager to hire them, and many vets don't know how to play up their skills.

Murray finds that more than sad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D), VETERANS AFFAIRS CHAIRWOMAN: If we don't make sure that we help those men and women who are coming home today get a job, help with their physical and mental injuries, get through the benefits claim process, 20 years from now our country will have on its conscience a high number of veterans who we've lost because of suicide, who are homeless on the streets, and who have been lost. And I don't want to see that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: As a culture, are we in denial about the plight of our veterans? We love to see those happy homecomings, but then we just go on with our lives.

So, the "Talk Back" question today: Why aren't we doing more for our veterans?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: And so many of them are just looking for an opportunity, for a chance.

COSTELLO: For a chance. And a lot of employers don't want to higher veterans because, frankly, they think they have psychological problems and why take the chance. So they put the application at the bottom of the stack.

MALVEAUX: It's a shame.

COSTELLO: It is.

MALVEAUX: All right, Carol. Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: We want to remind you that you can explore CNN.com's interactive tribute to troops who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Go to CNN.com/casualties and you'll find troops from your area of the country. You can also leave your own messages and stories about loved ones who have died in combat. That is CNN.com/casualties.

Ahead "On the Rundown," Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder weighing heavily on America's troops.

And they fought for our country. Now they're just fighting to get a job. The race to find employment for those who are returning.

And, plus, American workers put in more hours than people in other parts of the world. So why won't they take a vacation when they have the chance?

And then, evacuating neighborhoods as Texas wildfires light up again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have no building. We have no -- the chairs we used was something that was salvaged out of the building. As far as material things, they're gone. But we have the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And a congregation celebrates mass with no church standing after that tornado in Joplin, Missouri. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It's a day set aside to honor the country's fallen men and women in uniform, and it's a day marked by ceremonies and salutes, parades, as well as patriotism. The outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was asked about his hopes for those serving our country today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: I just would send them a message of how special they are. And in particular, this Memorial Day, the losses that have occurred over the course of these wars, over 6,000 now, and the sacrifices of their families. And that through those losses, we as a country can commit to them, commit to our veterans, to commit to those who have sacrificed so much that we make sure that we take care of them for the rest of their lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Well, leave it to the lawmakers. They made a big deal about banning discretionary spending on projects in their own districts known as earmarks, but it seems as if they found a way around their own legislation.

Our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash reports that millions of dollars are still being funneled into pet projects.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Redstone Arsenal in northern Alabama, home of Army rocket and missile programs. It could get $2.5 million added to a defense bill to develop unmanned vehicle technology thanks to Congressman Mo Brooks, who represents the district.

(on camera): So, that is probably going to go to your district and help your constituents.

REP. MO BROOKS (R), ALABAMA: I can't say that it's going to go to the 5th Congressional District, but I will say this -- if that is a service that we can offer to America, I'll be tickled pink.

BASH (voice-over): In this press release, Brooks boasted about getting more jobs for his district.

(on camera): That sounds like an earmark, which the House banned this year. So, what's this all about? Watchdog groups worry it's a backdoor way around the ban.

(voice-over): The House Armed Services chairman cut hundreds of millions of dollars from a variety of defense programs and put the money in a newly created pot dubbed "The Mission Force Enhancement Transfer Fund." Lawmakers are using it to pay for projects and policy proposals. To some, it's a pet project slush fund. TOM SCHATZ, CITIZENS AGAINST GOVT. WASTE: This money has never been in this bill before. It's certainly suspicious that it has occurred for the first time after earmarks have been placed under a moratorium, and it looks like a work-around.

BASH (on camera): But it's another form of pork.

BROOKS: Well, no, I disagree. I don't think that it's pork because you're not able to allocate where it goes.

BASH (voice-over): That is a big difference. With traditional earmarks, lawmakers guaranteed funding for projects back home. Here, the Defense Department has final say over the money. But in some cases, there appears to be little doubt lawmakers' districts would benefit.

Betty Sutton secured more than $30 million for a defense corrosion prevention program and projects. It so happens the University of Akron in her Ohio district has the first corrosive engineering program in the country. Sutton declined a CNN interview request.

Then there's the Tea Party-backed freshman Steve Palazzo. He scored $19.9 million for Navy ship design and feasibility studies, and sent out this press release promising much of it will directly benefit south Mississippi shipbuilding. He also declined to talk to CNN and aides said the Navy would ultimately decide how the money is spent.

Senator Claire McCaskill, a long time earmark opponent, says she knows the way things work and doesn't buy it.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: Somebody's going to call the Defense Department and say -- this is what it represents, this is what I wanted for. If it looks like a duck and it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it's a duck. It's an earmark.

BASH: Other lawmakers in both parties secured millions that could benefit their districts and rejected CNN's request for interviews to explain. Most said through spokesmen the Pentagon will make it a competitive process.

The congressman who did talk to us said if he can still help his district in this post-earmark world, no apologies.

BROOKS: None whatsoever.

BASH (on camera): Thank you.

BROOKS: I'm doing my job.

BASH: Until the Pentagon ultimately decides, we won't know for sure if lawmakers successfully steered pork to their districts. Regardless, some deficit hawks say members of the House Armed Services Committee should have used the hundreds of millions of dollars they found in Pentagon savings to help pay down the sky-high deficit, not for even more government spending. Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So, are spending your Memorial Day like we are, at work? Or do you have the day off?

Well, we're going to look at vacation days around the world. And you may be surprised at how American workers compare.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. Many of you are starting to think about vacation. I know I am.

Well, France mandates its workers get 30 days off a year. Germans get more than four weeks of vacation. The United States, there is no mandate. Now, typically, Americans get two to three weeks off a year, yet barely half of us take all of that time, while almost 90 percent of French workers use every bit of it.

So, let's look closer at some of the vacation policies in Europe and Asia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Fred Pleitgen in Berlin, Germany. And the Germans have four weeks of paid vacation, or about 24 days. Add in a couple of holidays, and you come to about 30 days of paid vacation for every German, every year.

Now, by and large, the people here do tend to take their holidays. However, as the job market becomes more competitive, some people are leaving some holidays behind.

Now, the interesting question is whether or not the German economy is still efficient even when people take a lot of holidays. And you can see in the past couple of years that even with the international financial crisis, Germany's economy remained robust.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in Seoul.

South Koreans are one of the hardest-working people in the world. To be considered a workaholic here is almost like a badge of honor.

According to recent figures from the OECD, in 2009, South Koreans worked an average 52-hour workweek. That's compared to a 34-hour workweek in the United States. So you would assume that vacations would be very precious. But not so.

According to government figures last year, almost half of all vacation days were simply not taken. Forty-eight percent of days off were worked through. Now, one of the reasons for this could be that it is quite a hierarchical society. It is frowned upon to actually arrive at work after your boos or to leave work before your boss. And even if your work is done, it is considered a good idea to stay and be seen to stay so that you can get ahead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the image that the world has of the Japanese worker -- serious, buttoned up, and a very hard worker.

I'm Kyung Lah in Tokyo.

Well, guess what, everybody? That stereotype is true.

According to Japan's government, the average Japanese worker gets 18 paid holidays a year. But half, 50 percent of those workers, take only eight of those 18 days. That's less than half of their paid vacation.

The reason why, there's this longstanding notion in corporate Japan that if you take all of your vacation days, you are lazy. You're considered a better employee if you leave those vacation days on the table. Little wonder that there is a legal term here in Japan called karoshi (ph), which means death by overwork.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So don't work too hard.

For all of you who need to know about planning vacations, where to go, how to pack, the do's the don'ts of vacation, head to our Web site, CNN.com/travel. It's all there.

Well, we are honoring the fallen, helping those survivors as well. A look at some of the issues that our military veterans face as they return from the battlefield.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: More now on our top story this Memorial Day, ceremonies honoring America's fallen servicemen and women.

President Obama spoke just this last hour from the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery after taking part in a wreath- laying ceremony as well. And he just tour a took of an area that is called Section 60.

Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence, he joins us live from that section.

Chris, can you, first of all, tell us about the president's visit there and the significance of Section 60? CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes. First off, Suzanne, Section 60 is where most of the Iraq and Afghanistan war dead are buried here. So the wounds are very, very fresh and still very raw for a lot of families here.

The president just left about maybe five minutes ago. A motorcade pulled up and he got out.

He managed to spend a good deal of time here trying to meet as many of the families as possible. Also, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, was here.

It was hard to see or to hear exactly what was being said by the president and with some of the families, but we had a chance afterwards to talk to some of them. And some of them said it was just a matter of telling him who their loved one was, why it was important to remember that loved one. And the president seemed to be able to get through the crowd and sort of try to at least touch base and hear from some of them.

So, again, the president just left about five minutes ago, but a lot of these folks are going to be here, Suzanne, for the rest of the day really.

MALVEAUX: And Chris, I understand you've really been able to talk to quite a number of people there who have lost their loved ones. Can you give us a sense of the mood today?

LAWRENCE: It depends on the family. Some are very somber, some are very private. One person, sitting alone at a grave. There was a big group that was over here about an hour ago, and they popped champagne and they all had champagne glasses out. So it really depends on the individual family.

But the interesting thing is as you walk through here, you really get a sense that every grave is a different story, every grave is a different family. We were talking -- I know the gravestone here says, but we were walking to this service member's mom, who said his nickname was Tuck. Everybody called him Tuck. And she told us really and explained why Memorial Day is so important to her personally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY CHURCH, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: First time you come back where you see young men and you think, oh, that's him. You know? I live in the country now, and I see a helicopter going over and I think that could have been him fly flying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Chris, can you hear us? I don't think Chris can hear us. But Chris, thank you so much for that very moving story.

As we honor those who died in service to this country, we also want to look at issues that are facing those who survived war. The Veterans' Administration is dealing with a lot of cases right now involving post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Our Elizabeth Cohen is back with us. Elizabeth, first of all, explain to us what this is.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Post traumatic stress disorder is not just something that happens in the military, but it happens probably more commonly in the military. And that is very simply that a person experiences a trauma. And Suzanne, that could be watching your buddy get shot. That could be being shot yourself. There are a number of things that can happen.

And obviously, that's a horrible thing to go through and people process it in different ways. But when the processing goes on for a long time or when the processing -- when you find it difficult to sort of function in daily life, that's when they start to think about classifying that as post traumatic stress disorder.

MALVEAUX: How common is that among veterans?

COHEN: You know, it really is really quite common. Let's take a look at some of the statistics that we got from the Veterans Administration. Among veterans or people currently in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, you're looking at a percentage like 11 percent to 20 percent of the folks in that conflict have experienced PTSD.

When you look at Vietnam veterans, that number is even higher. It is 30 percent. So, you can see that this is a relatively common disorder and something that the VA has to deal with quite frequently.

MALVEAUX: Is it different for women?

COHEN: No. I think one of the differences for women is that you can experience PTSD after an assault or after sexual harassment, as well as after seeing someone, for example, get shot. So, there's some statistics that are very telling and very sad about what happens.

Let's take a look at this. When you look at women who have gone to the VA for help, 55 percent of those say that they have been harassed. And one out of four say that they've been sexually assaulted. So, more than half of the women who go to the VA say that they were sexually harassed in the military, and one out of four say they were sexually assaulted. As you can imagine, getting over that is extremely difficult.

MALVEAUX: Is there treatment?

COHEN: There is treatment. There is talk therapy, there is a variety of different kinds of talk therapy and there's also a variety of different kinds of drugs. Some people benefit more from one than the other; a lot of people benefit from the two combined. And now there is actually an app people can download --

MALVEAUX: Really?

COHEN: There is, and people can try to keep track of their symptoms and communicate with their counselors back at home. I think that hopefully that is something that can help people - and it was interesting, what I've learned.

One of the things that they try to do when they treat people with PTSD is they often have to explain to them that it wasn't their fault. That a lot of times the service member takes things upon themselves, like, I saw my buddy get shot, if only I had done this, maybe that wouldn't have happened. And part of the therapy is telling them it is not their fault.

MALVEAUX: Wow. OK, Elizabeth, thank you so much. Great information.

I want to look as well as financial concerns of veterans on this Memorial Day. Going from the armed forces to the workforce can obviously be a struggle for many. CNN's Alison Kosik, she's joining us live from New York.

Alison, tell us about -- we've heard these stories, heartbreaking stories from veterans that come back home and they are faced with this job market that's really unforgiving.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you're absolutely right about that, Suzanne. It is especially tough job market for veterans. To give you an idea, look at this. The national unemployment rate sitting at nine percent. But for veterans between 18 and 24 years old, it is at 22 percent. Sure, young people overall are having a tough time finding a job. And the unemployment rate for young non-vets is very high as well.

But what this shows you is that being a veteran doesn't really give you a leg up in the job market. Listen to what some veterans had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard because number one, we've never worked in corporate America, so we don't really know how to package ourselves pretty much. And so, we don't have the right tools to help prepare us to exit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Personally as a veteran I thought it would be easier just because we have veterans' preference over, for example, government jobs. Thought it would be easier to get one. And right now, haven't been too lucky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trying to break into the private sector now has become a challenge with someone like myself that had to spend time rehabilitating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And reintegrating back into society clearly not easy for many veterans. Many need time to recuperate and heal, Suzanne. Others don't know how to go about translating their skills they had on the battlefield into private sector jobs. That's really key, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So, Alison, are there programs in place to help folks who are in that situation?

KOSIK: There are. In fact, for one, Congress is taking up the issue, proposing a couple of bills. One called the Hiring Heroes Act requires job training for all servicemen. The other called the Veteran Employment Transition Act. That gives tax credits to companies who hire vets.

There are also some really helpful Web sites out there, too. The WoundedWarriorProject.org offers career skills training and all-around support for your life, like dealing with stress, rehab, connecting with other vets. You can see the other Web sites there. They're really informative, very helpful, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK, Alison. Thank you very much. Very useful information.

More powerful storms now are pounding the Midwest. Find out who was in the bull's eye last night and what areas need to be on alert today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The Texas panhandle wildfires are still the big concern. Two are burning around Amarillo. Ten homes and 11 buildings -- out buildings have been destroyed. After battling the fires all night, fire crews say that both fires are about 90 percent contained now. Now, they are allowing people who evacuated in the middle of the night to go back home.

Want to bring in our own Chad Myers. Chad, obviously a lot of these wildfires out in Texas causing some big problems for people.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And although those may be 90 percent contained, there may be more today. The rule of thumb is if you smell smoke, get out of your house and figure out where it is coming from. You shouldn't be smelling smoke. If you smell smoke that means the wind blowing to you, which means the wind could be blowing the fire to you.

Let's go back. Palo Pinto County, this is just a couple of months ago. Texas is literally and was on fire in April. Didn't get a lot better in May, but they got some rain up in Terrant (ph) County and Dallas and up near the Red River. But it has just been a disastrous year with over a million acres burned. Many, many structures lost.

And it is not -- it hasn't rained. It just hasn't got any better for the people of Texas. All of the storms that should have been in Texas because it was a drought didn't fire there. There wasn't enough humidity to make storms there!

All those storms, guess where they fired? Joplin, Tuscaloosa and points east. Because that's where the humidity was. That's where the flooding was, in the Mississippi River basin. So you get, you know, drought makes droughts, and floods make floods. And that's what we're seeing. We're still seeing that potential today. So, let's get to it. Walk you over here. Extremely critical weather conditions all the way from Dodd City all the way down to Amarillo, down to Lubbock and Roswell. So, again, if you see or smell the smoke toward your house, it's time to at least figure out where it's going. Wind gusts right now, that was a 37-mile-per-hour per hour gust in Amarillo. And 41 right now in Dodd City.

Look at the temperatures out there. 94 in Asheville. 95 in Jackson, Mississippi. 92 in New Orleans. It cooled down to 79 degrees in Dallas last night. It just isn't cooling down anywhere. If you're traveling today, a few of you are, Denver, 45-minute delays. LaGuardia, that's not unusual for 45-minute delays there. But why YZ? toronto picking up a little bit of a delay.

Look at the high temperatures yesterday. Midland, Texas, was 107. Dodd City, 106. This is the area that's dry and hot and windy. That dry, hot and windy not making any better today.

So, for the rest of the afternoon, we will see severe weather across from Denver, into Texas, into Kansas, into Nebraska. South Dakota, North Dakota, maybe up even into parts of southern Canada. Severe weather today, wind and hail likely. Couple of tornadoes, but probably way out there where towns are few and far between. We hope.

MALVEAUX: Some good news. All right. Thank you, Chad.

American troops charging into battle, now wearing their faith on their wrists. We're going to tell you about the saints bracelets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. NEIL HARPER, U.S. ARMY: Lieutenant Colonel Neil Harper from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, currently serving (INAUDIBLE). I'd like to give a shout out to my lovely wife Michelle and my two great kids, Ashland and Anthony. I'll be home soon. Love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Some American fighters are going to battle with a little extra protection. Saints bracelets. That idea coming from Cynthia Lemay. She is the wife of our weekend managing editor, Jim Lemay here at CNN. Now even Hollywood is getting on board. Our Reynolds Wolf reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): For a soldier going into a battle zone, it never hurts to ask for a little help from above. Saints riding into the fight on the wrists of America's warriors. We caught up with the woman behind the Battle Saint Bracelet.

WOLF (voice-over): A solemn march. A loud ovation. And a last good-bye for these deploying troops. The Atlanta Airport is the final stop on their way to war, so that's where you'll find military moms like Cynthia Lemay.

CYNTHIA LEMAY, CREATOR, BATTLE SAINT BRACELETS: Where are you guys headed?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Afghanistan.

LEMAY: Afghanistan?

WOLF: Lemay knows the pain of deployment all too well.

LEMAY: Our son right now is in Afghanistan. My nephew just got back from his third tour in Afghanistan. And we also have several other members that are in harm's way.

WOLF: While she can't be on the front lines protecting her son, she can ask for a little help from above.

LEMAY: We've put together these saints bracelets. My son's been wearing it since he went over and he's been in a couple of firefighters and attacks.

WOLF: This is the Battle Saint Bracelet. It's made up of 12 to 16 different saints, each with a unique military connection.

LEMAY: These are bracelets that actually have different saints on them, including St. Christopher, to protect you when you travel, and St. Barbara to protect you if you work with explosives, that have very specific meaning to the military and provide them specific protection.

WOLF: She started it as a way to feel connected and to show support for the troops overseas. And now the small memento has spread to Hollywood and beyond.

ZAC BROWN BAND (singing): May freedom forever fly. Let it ring. Salute the ones who died, the ones that give their lives, so we don't have to sacrifice, all the things we love. And little bit of chicken fried. Cold beer on a Friday night.

WOLF: You'll find them on the wrists of celebrities like Zac Brown, and the cast from "Brand Of Brothers." And now you can get them online, too. A token of support for those at home and those on the front lines.

SPEC. BRANDON KUHN, U.S. ARMY: I feel pretty proud to wear this and it makes me feel like I'm going to be a little more protected over there. Like I got somebody watching over me a little more.

LEMAY: When you have a loved one in harm's way, not a moment goes by when you don't think of them. So we wear these every day. We think of our loved ones and all the other service men and women who make so many sacrifices every day.

WOLF (on camera): The Battle Saint Bracelets cost $5 on battlesaint.com. All the proceeds go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides support to a wounded military and the families of those lost in the line of duty. Reynolds Wolf, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Today's "Talk Back" question, why aren't we doing more for our veterans? Phillip says, "out of sight, out of mind. All we see are the happy home comings. I'm a Navy brat and my family has been in the military since World War II. I will never forget." More of your responses up ahead.

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STAFF SGT. AMANDA FORD (ph), U.S. MILITARY: Hey, there, this is Staff Sergeant Amanda Ford in Baghdad, Iraq. I just want to give a shout out to my husband currently located at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and I also want to say thank you to all those serving in the military. And words cannot express the gratitude I feel for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice serving today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: America's veterans unfortunately are coming home to high unemployment rates and homelessness, which brings us to today's "Talk Back" question and our Carol Costello with your responses.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very moving responses today. Our "Talk Back" question, why aren't we doing more for our veterans?

This from Jackie. "Because once a soldier is not on the Defense Department's payroll, they are forgotten. My dad, a Vietnam vet, passed away this year and I had no idea what he went through over there until he passed. I broke down after finding out. He should have gotten help, but there was no follow-up on him when he got out of the service."

This from Sean. "The short answer is that most Americans don't really care about veterans unless they actually know one or have a family member who has served. For most people, just putting a magnetic yellow ribbon on the back of their car is about all the support a veteran can expect."

This from Steven. "Simply put, the VA are masters at damage repair and propaganda and the public buys it. I'm 100 percent disabled and they won't provide a doctor for me claiming personnel shortage. When is the press going to take a proactive role in this?"

This from Nicholas. "As a vet myself, there is one word that sums up the problem -- Republicans. They have fought against providing psychological help for those who need it and they cut health and education benefits. They also tried to do this for the 9/11 rescue workers. Disgusting." And this from Marc. "These veterans deserve more than I possess today, for without their sacrifice and selfishness, I would not be nor possess what I have now. This is a no-brainer. So let's get off our high horse and give them what they need."

Please continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your responses.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.

COSTELLO: Spring home selling season in full swing now. So, how to showcase your home to the fullest. Well, "Smart Is The New Rich" author Christine Romans says to dazzle those perspective buyers, you've got to start with the little things.

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STEPHEN SAINT ONGE, HOME AND STYLE DESIGNER: Now, when I drive up to this house, it's a great, classic American house, but it needs some attention. Obviously the garage is, you know, chipping and needs to be painted. Putting, you know, scraping and putting a fresh coat of paint will really help out with that. Plantings, cleaning out the leaves. You know, getting a leaf blower and blowing all this out. Cleaning out these flower beds. And just cleaning it up with mulch and some simple flower plantings is not going to cost a lot of money, but that focal point of drawing you into the house is really going to be key.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, AUTHOR, "SMART IS THE NEW RICH": Forget that old adage its what's on the inside that counts. In real estate, it's what's on the outside.

SAINT ONGE: You've got a great backyard.

ROMANS: Home and style designer and author of "No Place Like Home," Stephen Saint Onge helps homeowners who want to sell. He helps them redesign the inside and outside in a buyer's market.

SAINT ONGE: People tend to notice is, they notice the things that are not quite nice -- as nice looking. Like maybe it's a plant that's dying or something like that. So I would just get a nice, new plant. A flowering plant. And maybe stagger a few out here.

ROMANS: Plants won't break the bank, but a lot of sellers assume they need to make big, expensive renovations to sell their home. In fact, a quarterly report on remodels released by Harvard University projects annual growth in remodeling this year at only 0.2 percent. But the returns on some home improvements can be worth the invest.

ROMANS (on camera): The best returns on your renovation dollars are things like outdoor improvements. The front door, for example. Let's say buying and installing a fiberglass front door. It will costs you about $1,000. You'll get back 60 percent when you sell. Sixty percent of your money. Make it a steel front door, you get back more, 102 percent of your money. A new garage door, you'll get back nearly 84 percent of your money. And a new wood deck? That recoups about 73 percent. All good investments.

ROMANS (voice-over): And if you can't afford any of these things, small outside touches still matter.

SAINT ONGE: So outside your house my first impression driving up, you're in a neighborhood, so obviously people are going to come here, they're going to see front lawn. So you know cleaning up a lawn is always key before a showing.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: A deadly tornado destroyed their church, but it could not kill their spirit. We're going to take you back to Joplin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY STILES, PRESIDENT OF THE CONGREGATION: We have no building. We have no -- the chairs we used were something that was salvaged out of the building. As far as material things, they're gone, but we have the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Turning to their faith in the tornado disaster zone. Members of a Lutheran church in Joplin, Missouri, gathered to worship near the ruins of their sanctuary. Here they are in their own words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We open this service in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The church was gone, which was completely devastating. All of it -- I mean the whole community was gone. It looked like a bomb had exploded here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us open -- sing the opening him "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee."

In less than 20 minutes, lives were changed. Some for eternity. People still alive were changed. Billings and houses were changed. Joplin was changed. And it will never be quite the same for any of us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our church is our family. We are not just a building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So now we know what has happened. The question now is, what will happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Lord, listen to your children praying. Send us --

JUDY STILES, PRESIDENT OF THE CONGREGATION: When God talked about people gathering, he didn't say we had to gather in a building. The church is the people. We have no building. We have no -- the chairs we used were something that was salvaged out of the building. As far as material things, they're gone, but we have the people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can rebuild this church, and we will rebuild this church. And we will rebuild it right here. We still have our belief and we still have our future and I still have my belief in God and I will never, ever not have that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amen. Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: What an amazing story. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Joe Johns, who's in for Ali Velshi. Hey, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Suzanne.