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Memorial Day Politics; Will Sarah Palin Run?; New York State Senator Wants to Make Safe Haven Laws Better Known to Young Women; Veterans Groups and NEA Get Together to Provide Benefits for Military Families; California City Seeks to House All of Its Homeless Vets; Heat Wave Hits Texas and Other Southern States

Aired May 30, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Brooke Baldwin.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I got to end my week with you and begin week with you.

JOHNS: It's fantastic.

BALDWIN: I love it. Joe Johns, have a wonderful rest of your day. Safe travels home.

JOHNS: Have a good show.

BALDWIN: All right.

So, thank you so much for being with me on this Memorial Day. And I want to begin in Cordova, Alabama -- Cordova, Alabama, hit on the morning of April 27 by a powerful EF-3 tornado, and then the very same day, EF-4 tornado hits that same town that night. Cordova, Alabama, not exactly the town you see here in some of this video, some of these -- the aerial pictures here, satellite images.

A lot of folks have certainly lost their homes, but as we told you on Friday, Cordova Mayor Jack Scott is invoking a city ordinance that bars any single-wide trailer. And that is precisely the type of trailer being offered by the federal government to folks whose homes have been destroyed.

So, Mayor Jack Scott is apparently saying, emergency or not, the law is the law. And as we showed you back on Friday, a lot of folks in Cordova are none too thrilled about that 50-year-old ordinance. We are going to talk with one of those people here in just a moment live.

But, first, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE REED, RESIDENT OF ALABAMA: What I suggested doing was putting FEMA trailers right in my backyard. But because of the mayor, we can't do that. We can't help our neighbors because he won't let us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That is something that this room full of Cordova neighbors was aimed at changing, but heated exchange between the mayor and his constituents quickly resulted in yelling matches and drove some to tears.

JACK SCOTT, MAYOR OF CORDOVA, ALABAMA: If you don't want to listen, get out.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: But when asked about how much buying a home within the city costs:

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The cheapest one I found is $105,000.

SCOTT: You might have your sights set too high.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Many, like Danny Banks, say since the storm destroyed his home, he has no place to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been here all my life. I was born and raised here.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: He didn't want to leave Cordova, so he pitched a tent in his front yard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's rough down here, you know, having to sleep on the ground? It's rough having to sleep on the ground, but I'm not leaving my property until I get me something to live in.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: And others say they simply want to stay in their hometown until they can rebuild, but if the city doesn't budge on the ordinance passed during the 1950s, they say they'll have to find rental space in another town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been forced to move out because of this law, and we want to do something about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not Mountain Brook, and it is not Vestavia Hills. This is little Cordova. And I felt like we was basically being called trailer park trash.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Mayor Jack Scott says he wants to make it clear he's not trying to keep people from having a place to stay, but, rather, follow the city codes.

SCOTT: Why should I destroy a city ordinance for something like...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And that was our affiliate WBMA out of Alabama.

And I was going to talk to Danny Banks, who you just saw in that piece, the guy with the shades basically now living in a tent. There he is. He just dropped.

Danny Banks, if you are near a phone, pick it up. Call me. We would love to talk to you about your situation living in a tent, wishing you could live in a single-wide trailer. We would love to you talk to you.

Also, we would love to talk to you, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Scott, we have been calling you a number of times the past couple of days. You have not yet returned our phone calls, but I invite you live here on national television to pick up a phone and call me, Brooke Baldwin here at CNN.

Coming up next, this is the question for Sarah Palin. If it is not a campaign tour, then what is it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: This is not a campaign bus. This is a bus to be able to express to America how much we appreciate our foundation and to invite more people to be interested in all that is good about America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We will tell you more about where she has been today, where she is headed, and what exactly it is she is doing at all these American historical sites.

And on this day, on this Memorial Day, I have relatives. They're buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Perhaps you do as well. Thousands of Americans do. We are going to take you live there on this hallowed ground in just a moment to see how families are remembering their loved ones on this sacred burial ground on this Memorial Day.

Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In case you haven't heard, the word from Sarah Palin today is she's still kind of contemplating running for president -- her words, not mine -- still kind of contemplating running.

So, by now, you have heard all about the bus tour. It's a part of D.C. this morning, swung by Mount Vernon, hit Fort McHenry in Baltimore. And we are told it will make a stop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Jim Acosta is waiting right there -- Jim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin gave one of her clearest signals yet that she is thinking about running for president. She was followed by reporters over at the National Archives this morning, where she was making one of her stops along this bus tour that she is taking on this week. It started yesterday in Washington, D.C. She rode across the Potomac River on the back of a Harley- Davidson as part of the Rolling Thunder event, which is an event to honor POWs and soldiers missing in action.

At that event, she didn't say very much about her future intentions, but later on this morning, as she was touring the National Archives, a reporter asked her, are you running for president? And here is what she had to say.

PALIN: Oh, I think that any Republican candidate is very, very electable. I think Americans are ready for a true change, change to get our country back on the right track.

QUESTION: Does that mean you are interested in running? Are you going to run?

PALIN: You know, we are still kind of contemplating that.

ACOSTA: Palin's staff is keeping the details of this bus tour pretty close to the vest. They are not revealing to reporters exactly where they are going until almost the last second before they arrive, although we have heard from multiple sources that she is expected to not only take this bus to where we are right now here in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, but also later on this week to New Hampshire, which is obviously a key presidential primary state, further stoking speculation that she is very serious about making a possible run for the White House.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Jim, thank you.

OK, so, point taken. Palin has reclaimed the spotlight for now.

Let's go to Mark Preston, our senior CNN political director, and Paul Steinhauser, deputy political director.

And, gentlemen, please some non-Palin news today, deliver. Non-Palin, give it to me.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Non-Palin, well, yes, because you know what? Listen, Palin is definitely grabbing the spotlight this week, but there are going to be some other people making headlines.

And let's start with Mitt Romney, because, on Thursday, Mitt Romney is going to be in New Hampshire -- big surprise, right, the state that has the first primary in the race for the White House. He's going to be there to announce those famous words: I am running for president. We knew he was all-but-declared candidate. Come Thursday, he will be that declared candidate. This is his second bid for the White House, the former governor of Massachusetts.

And, Mark, winning New Hampshire pretty important for Mitt Romney. This is a state he has got to win if he wants to take the nomination.

But wait, there is more. And this will keep our coverage manager, Steve Brusk, pretty busy this week. We have got a big conference right here in Washington, D.C., a major -- major gathering of social conservatives on Friday and Saturday.

It is the Faith and Freedom Conference. And look at those six names there. Those candidates or probable candidates will be attending. And, of course, social conservatives so important, so influential in picking a Republican nominee, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes.

And, Brooke, you are right. There is an incredible amount of time being spent today talking about Sarah Palin, will she run or will she not run. But the fact of the matter is, Mitt Romney right now, according to the polls, is the front-runner.

There's also other candidates, such as Rick Santorum. He is the former Pennsylvania senator. He's going to officially announce that he is running for president on June 6. He is going to do it in Pennsylvania. He is going to do it near the coal mines where his grandfather used to work.

In addition to that, Michele Bachmann, who a lot of people think could give Sarah Palin a run for her money if they're going after social conservative voters, she let it slip that she is going to announce her own run for president out in Waterloo, Iowa.

And why is that important? Because that where is she is born. So, she has not given us a specific date. She did say, though, it will be in the month of June. And, today, Michele Bachmann happens to be in New Hampshire.

STEINHAUSER: And I will give you one more date. Two weeks from today, Monday, June 13, it's a very, very important day why? The first presidential debate in New Hampshire, of course the state with the first primary.

BALDWIN: Aha.

STEINHAUSER: And, yes, who is having that debate? Wait. We are, CNN.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: We are.

STEINHAUSER: We are, WMUR, and "The New Hampshire Union Leader," which is the big newspaper up there, so something to pay attention to two weeks from today. We expect, I would assume, Mark, a lot of the candidates to be there?

PRESTON: I think all of the big-name candidates, everything is going to be there.

And, in fact, what we think, though, Brooke, it's going to be probably the first real presidential debate, Republican presidential debate, certainly, of the 2012 election cycle -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, it's a big night. June 13, we have it down. You guys delivered. I appreciate it.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Gentlemen, have a great rest of your holiday.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: You know, all the reunions, the parades, maybe you are out and about barbecuing this Monday afternoon. You're enjoying this beautiful day.

But, look, it would be pointless if it weren't for the real reason we mark this day, this Monday each and every May.

And our own Chris Lawrence, he is live at Arlington National Cemetery. He's going to share one family's story paying their respects live from that hallowed ground.

Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Before we take you live to Arlington National Cemetery, want to get you some of the other day's top stories, starting in Libya, where an apparent major blow has happened today.

The leader, Moammar Gadhafi, CNN has now learned that eight army generals have defected. They are now in Italy. Gadhafi's military has been battling rebel forces in the country for weeks now. The opposition has said there cannot be any peace agreement as long as Gadhafi remains in power.

In Serbia, the lawyer for Ratko Mladic wants the former Bosnian Serb general to be examined by a team of medical specialists. He says the 69-year-old former commander is not healthy enough to face charges of genocide at the International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague. The chief prosecutor, meantime, denies that Mladic is in poor health, saying he has been -- quote -- "lively and joking" since being taken into custody just last week. He is accused of overseeing the massacre of nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys back in 1995.

Big news for Buckeyes fans today. Ohio State University said Jim Tressel, the head of the football program, head coach, has now resigned. The school fined Tressel some $250,000 back in March, suspended him after learning he failed to report that some of his players may have violated NCAA rules. Assistant coach Luke Fickell will now serve as interim coach next football season.

And President Obama spending much of his morning and much of his Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. He laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and then, speaking afterward, urged Americans everywhere to honor the courage, the selflessness, the devotion to duty shown by service members killed in the line of duty.

The president also stopped and spoke with a number of families visiting graves at Arlington's so-called Section 60. That is the final resting spot for many of the fatalities from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And that is where my colleague CNN's Chris Lawrence is right now standing by, Section 60.

It just takes your breath away when you are standing there in Arlington National Cemetery. I know you were there this morning when the president stopped by. And today there, especially where you stand, it is all about family, it is about service, and it is about gratitude.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke.

The thing you really have to understand after spending a day here is that a lot of these families celebrated Memorial Day the same way many Americans do at one time, picnics, barbecues, thing likes that. It was the death of a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan that changed Memorial Day for them forever.

And because their -- the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are so recent, there is no memorial for those who have fallen, like the World War II Memorial or the Veterans Memorial. So, because this is so near the nation's capital, this area of Arlington National Cemetery has sort of become sort of a memorial, where a lot of the families can actually talk with other families who are going through many of the same things that they have.

I want to bring in someone, if you can. I'm just going to grab this real quick, because -- OK. Well, I guess what we want to really get across is that, you know, for a lot of these families, it is a very, very tough time, because not only are they reliving what happened, but, you know, you are also just coming to the area and seeing the actual grave site.

We have with us here a gentleman who came to see his son.

And we are actually standing right -- right down the row from your son's grave site. How -- what does this Memorial Day mean for you, sir?

GREG MEDINA, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: Remembrance, sacrifice, you know, honor.

You know, and it is -- my dad told me -- he was in Vietnam -- and I remember when we went down to see my son's graduation -- sorry -- and he was telling -- telling us about everybody in his platoon, the guys that died. And this was Vietnam. And he is telling us what they are inspired -- you know, what they wanted to do in life. And he still remembered that.

And I asked him, I says, how come you remember that? And he goes, because to remember is to honor them. So by coming here and talking with the families, you know, remembered what they did and it honors their life and their sacrifice.

LAWRENCE: And just -- just to remind, for our viewers out there, your son, you told us, died in Fallujah in Iraq. This was 2004, right...

MEDINA: Yes, sir.

LAWRENCE: ... during the height of the violence there?

MEDINA: Yes, sir. Yes.

Actually, my son, Brian and David Branning walked into a courtyard. And they were ambushed (INAUDIBLE). It was -- I mean, it was actually a perfect setup.

But I think, because of Brian and David's entry to the building, it foiled them from getting everybody in the platoon, which is -- the stories I heard was incredible, why they were the only two that got hit. They had bullets ricocheting off guys. And these are armor- piercing rounds, and they just don't do that.

But for two guys to get it out of the whole squad is a miracle.

LAWRENCE: Do you...

MEDINA: So...

LAWRENCE: I don't want to make, you know -- normal, everyday Americans should not feel guilty about getting together with family and having a good time on Memorial Day and having family over for a picnic.

But for you and for the other families here, does Memorial Day mean something different?

MEDINA: Wow.

Once you go through this, and once you get that knock on that door, and once you see that uniform under the silhouette and underneath the porch light, your life changes. Your whole outlook on everything, world -- world events, current events, whatever -- you could have had one opinion about something going on in the world, but, as soon as that happens, everything -- everything in your life just changes.

And I don't think that anybody who hasn't been through this here will ever understand that change in how you feel. I mean, it is something that you can't explain and it is something that you can't try to tell anybody. It is just -- you feel the difference. And, yes, it is something that stays with you. It definitely stays with you. You know, look, when the president was here this morning, and he gave me a hug after I told him that, you know, thank you for getting bin Laden, you know, our family cried. Everybody cried.

I mean, that was the greatest thing. And I don't expect everybody to be able to feel -- I seen the jubilation on everybody dancing in front of the White House. But to actually feel -- feel it inside, you know, I think our -- (INAUDIBLE) "Taps." But they -- it is totally different, and it's totally different than what everybody else is feeling.

LAWRENCE: Yes.

And when you saw the president today, did he say anything to you as you were able to tell him briefly about your son?

MEDINA: I didn't get a chance to tell him about my son. I just -- I shook his hand. And I said, "Sir, on behalf of my family, it is an honor to meet you, and we would like to thank you for getting him."

We heard that news, and we all broke down cried. It was just, "Thank you very much."

And I took the armband off my hand and gave it to him. And I said: "I have had this on since he has passed. And I don't have the new one on me, but if you would accept this," and he took it, put it on. And I was like, great, you know, wow. Kind of really happy, you know?

LAWRENCE: Yes.

MEDINA: Yes.

LAWRENCE: Well, thank you so much. And thank you also to your son.

MEDINA: Thank you.

LAWRENCE: And I know there is nothing that we can say that can make things any better. But I am glad that you -- I am glad that people out there now have a better idea of who your son was and what this day -- in some small way, some sense of what it means to the families out here.

MEDINA: Well, being here in the cemetery vs. being, in the beginning row there, the pain is the thing, you know, the anguish, the questions, everything.

You know, I have had more time to deal with it here than they have down there, but they are starting their road. And it doesn't get any better. It just -- it gets a little bit easier to deal with, but it is not any different from here to there.

LAWRENCE: And, again, what -- what he is basically referring to, if you are not out here and if you take a look around, is, what he is saying that the folks here who have died in 2004, 2005, and as you go down the rows, those are the freshest graves. Those are some of the troops that have died in the last year or so.

So, again, you're -- but, all in all, I mean, all of these families are facing the same thing, Brooke. The wounds are very, very raw. It is a very different experience here in Section 60 than just about any other part of Arlington National Cemetery.

BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence, there are no words. Please, thank that father for us.

We will be right back.

LAWRENCE: We will.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Millions of you hit the road to celebrate this holiday weekend, and you are paying over a dollar more per gallon than you were actually this last Memorial Day.

Our Alison Kosik is tracking the pesky gas prices.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am.

BALDWIN: And, Alison, even though prices are up from last this year, they actually went down just a little bit the last couple of weeks, right?

KOSIK: Yes, you know what? The average -- AAA says the average price for a gallon of regular sitting at $3.79. It means, you know what? These gas prices are coming down almost as quickly as they went up.

In dollars and cents, that means it's down 20 cents in less than three weeks. The national average never -- never hit $4 a gallon, but I always question, why am I paying more than $4? Oh, because I pay top dollar here in New York.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Of course. Of course you do.

KOSIK: Of course.

BALDWIN: But -- but Goldman Sachs is predicting $5 a gallon. When?

KOSIK: Yes. Goldman is predicting that this could happen by July, by midsummer.

Now, these analysts say crude oil prices are expected to rise because global demand for oil is expected to grow.

What has happened is several new forecasts came out last week, for one, Goldman Sachs saying oil is going to hit $120 by year's end. Morgan Stanley, it will hit $120. J.P. Morgan Chase saying it will be $130.

But they point out what they're really talking about here is Brent crude. That's the European benchmark. That's sitting at $114 a barrel. We are at $100 a barrel still. If we see that European benchmark go up, it means that U.S. consumers are still going to see higher prices at the pump because our oil prices often track the benchmark there.

BALDWIN: Yes.

KOSIK: And just keep in mind, if we see any change between oil, we will see that change in gas. It is usually about two-week -- a two- week lag -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK.

Alison Kosik for me in New York -- Alison, thank you.

And coming up, I have got a -- I have got a story I think more than a few of you will have an opinion about, a state bill that would require some teachers to be trained on detecting hidden pregnancies among their students. And get this. It would also require students to learn a little bit more about infant abandonment programs available in this one particular state.

Stick around for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I would bet that you have heard of safe haven laws. All 50 states have them, and what they do is to allow someone, maybe a mother, to drop off an unwanted newborn baby at designated places like police stations or hospitals. It's totally anonymous and no one gets in trouble. Babies are transferred to foster care and put up for adoption.

So the idea of the law is to save unwanted babies to be left to die in trash cans or dumpsters or even worse, if you can imagine. But some lawmakers in New York say that some high-schoolers simply don't know about the law, and so now they want to propose a change in the education law to teach all students about it.

State Senator Eric Adams is here to talk about it. Senator Adams, thank you for coming on. I appreciate it. If I may, I was reading all of the articles and the headlines they essentially read something like "Senator wants to educate teens on how to abandon unwanted babies." Obviously that turned some heads, and senator, set the record straight and explain what you are hoping to do.

ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK STATE SENATE: Well, after the recent incident that we had last week on Sunday to be exact where a young mother put her child inside of a garbage chute eight stories high, and thank god the baby survived, because it fell on a pile of garbage, I started to speak to young students, and in high school and college, and I asked them did they know about the safe child abandonment act. None of them knew about it. A great bill and a great law in all of the states just about, and yet, it is not hitting the target audience.

So what needs to be done, is that we need to ensure that the target audience is receiving this information, and by allowing it to be taught at a health seminar or health classes in schools like Illinois is already doing, we can get the target audience that we need.

Senator, you mentioned the incident in Brooklyn in which the little baby lived. The baby died in a similar incident in Queens several weeks ago. Have you seen an increase in moms abandoning their babies? And why is it that you think that some of the young folks don't know about the safe haven laws?

ADAMS: Because I think that we should use this as a teaching moment. You and I and other adults utilize the various traditional mediums to communicate, and we may even dabble in the social network medium available.

But our young people don't sit down the watch the news at 5:00 or 10:00. They use other methods to communicate. We have to catch up to deal with not only this incident but any time we want to communicate with young people.

One of the things I want to do is that I have a team of new people in the music industry to help me to make a YouTube video and send it out to young people and speak to them directly. If we have a message to hit the audience, we have to reach them through their methods.

BALDWIN: And I want to get to another requirement or suggestion within this bill, but what about the folks sitting there and saying, hang on a second, this is not such a great message to teach kids how to abandon a child. You should teach a child to care for a child, to carry a child. And what do you say to those folks?

ADAMS: You don't have to do one without the other. The first thing you should do is to teach abstinence, and teach what to do if you are engaging in sexual behavior and teach what to do with the children and responsibility of having children.

But you also need to have a complete holistic approach to young people that are participating in sex and they may become pregnant. You should teach young men the responsibilities of giving them the support. So I am not saying abandon the traditional important lessons that you must teach young people, but they should know the laws in place to protect those children that are unwanted.

BALDWIN: OK. Senator, I do want to read another part of the Bill here, and this is SB-5480 and it says in addition it requires all health teachers to receive training to increase awareness of pregnancy concealment, and to identify students that may be concealing a pregnancy. Why do you want to teach teachers to look out for pregnant kids? And how do you even do that?

ADAMS: Well, there are some great courses that are already in place that teach early pregnancy detection, and it shows in many ways the young girl who puts the child inside of the garbage chute, the parents were not aware she was pregnant and neither was the teachers. It is important for the prenatal care reasons for why early detection is important, but to give the young person support. Far too often we put all of the pressure on the young girl when she is pregnant. We ignore the fact the role of the young man and ignore the role of the family and the role of the some of the other support systems that are in place. The early detection will identify the help that this young person needs so they don't have to go through a long, difficult period sometimes alone.

BALDWIN: Senator Eric Adams thank you so much, and we will follow it through and see if this Bill becomes a law there in the state of New York. Thank you so much, sir. Appreciate it.

When we come back on this Memorial Day, Air Force Lieutenant Tony Tillman and his family will join me. There they are, all four of them in Washington, D.C. They are here to talk about a program that will make summer fun for thousands of active duty families. Stick around for that.

And as we go to break for Memorial Day, I want to say thank you to my own memorial family and this is my brother Charlie and his wife Clarissa and he served 25 long months in Iraq, and they were both awarded the bronze star for achievement. I love you guys. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Memorial Day for the second straight year means a special marriage between the nation's military communities and museums. Take a look at this. In all 50 states also D.C. and Puerto Rico and the American territories, more than 1,300 museums are now opening up their doors to service members and their families free of charge. Look at that guy.

Now, that does begin today and lasts all summer long, and it is a program designed just for families like the Tillmans. There they are, and joining me live from Washington, you have Lieutenant Colonel Tony Tillman, Noeleen Tillman, and their two beautiful daughters, Sophie and Zoe. Thank you all for being with me on this Memorial Day.

Noeleen, my first question is for you. I know you are actually in a leadership position for the Blue Star families. Talk to me about this museum program and why the marriage with museums, specifically.

NOELEEN TILLMAN, ADVISORY BOARD, BLUE STAR FAMILIES: Well, it is a partnership between Blue Star families and the National Endowment of the Arts. It is a fantastic opportunity for military families to have exposure both to the fine arts, to science and technology, to bow tannic garden botanic gardens. We have over 51,300 museums have agreed to participate in this around the country. And we're very excited about this.

BALDWIN: And so Colonel Tillman, the families receiving support from the families, but it is also an opportunity for the military families to meet other military families.

ANTHONY TILLMAN: Exactly. I can't think of a better opportunity for you to get together with your family, and have some fun and it is educational. So, we really appreciate it the NEA and the blue star families for supporting us.

BALDWIN: And to you, Zoe, do you have any museums on the list this summer that you want to go to?

ZOE TILLMAN: Yes. I would like to visit the national -- the national air and space museum.

BALDWIN: Ooh, that is a good one.

ZOE TILLMAN: And I would also like to visit to Getty in California.

BALDWIN: Oh, OK. Listen to you. Sophia, where do you want to go?

SOPHIA TILLMAN: I want to go to the Getty, also.

BALDWIN: Like big sis. And mom, plans for a road trip this summer? And also, how much has this program grown this year versus last?

NOELEEN TILLMAN: Oh, my gosh, it has grown exponential. It was unbelievable the response that we had last year. It was kind of put together on a wing and a prayer. And it just took off, kicked off in San Diego last year. This year we have a great underwriter in the met life foundation that helped us to really make sure that it was well organized. And because of the partners at the NEA, we were able to blast it out and got so much response back.

So, we ourselves are going to take advantage of it. We are going to be doing a road trip up the California coast and marked off on our itinerary all of the different museums that we are going to have an opportunity to visit.

BALDWIN: And guys, let's put up the maps so we can show folks at home if you are curious how you can figure out what cities, and I have been to the website today and reading the blog and you click on a state and it will open up the participating museums?

NOELEEN TILLMAN: Absolutely. Once you -- so you click on the state, and you can see all of the museums that are participating which really is just about all of the museums in a particular state. And then just click on the link and it gives you hours, directions, takes you right to that particular museum's Web site.

BALDWIN: I noticed that D.C. has 27 museums in the District of Columbia alone. And what was great that I read on the blog, if you have a husband or wife that is deployed right now, that does not mean that you can't go. You as a family member can go this summer and again through Labor Day. So, the Tillman Family, enjoy your road trip up and down the California coast. I'm a little bit jealous. Happy Memorial Day.

(LAUGHTER)

NOELEEN TILLMAN: Happy, Memorial Day to you, too, Brooke.

ANTHONY TILLMAN: Thank you, Brooke. BALDWIN: Take care.

Joe Wilson is an Iraqi war veteran who spends his day at the Glendale Central Library not to study up on a new career but to keep a roof over his head. But unfortunately, when the library closes he is out on the street. He is one of the estimated 200,000 homeless veterans living on the streets each and every year. Here is CNN's Kara Finnstrom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How long were you living here in your van?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four or five months. This is pretty much it.

FINNSTROM: I see the kid gear back there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, this is my baby's bike.

FINNSTROM: Sid Williams was an Air Force medic during Desert Storm and Desert Shield. He says that years after his service, he was overwhelmed by post-traumatic stress disorder.

WILLIAMS: It is flashbacks and hyper-vigilance and dreams.

FINNSTROM: Haunted by the lives he could not save, Williams says he fell apart and struggled to keep jobs. Now, he has full time administrative work but is not earning enough to pay child support for four children and rent.

The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that one in every five of America's homeless has worn a uniform and it is an embarrassment that the VA has made a priority to end in five years. But Glendale, California, has set its own even more ambitious goal to house Williams and all of their veterans within 12 months. It's doable, city leaders say, because Glendale only has about 40 homeless vets in Glendale.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some nights I slept on the buses and the trains.

FINNSTROM: Jesse Hargrove, seen here as an army sergeant nearly 40 years ago, spent years on skid row. Last winter when he landed in Glendale, he says he got finally all of the help he need. Counselors helped him to get into his own subsidized home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody has done anything like that for me before, not even family.

FINNSTROM: Williams, who is in temporary VA housing receiving medical help right now, hopes he is as fortunate not only for himself, but for his children.

WILLIAMS: It would create a family situation for me to be able to -- for me to be able to manage. And so, I would be grateful, you know, for that. I would be very grateful for that. FINNSTROM: Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Glendale, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Hundreds of flights cancelled today because of some nasty storms. Ahead we will see who is in danger of more bad weather and who is in the clear for the remainder of the holiday weekend.

Also, some news in for Joplin. They have adjusted the missing list, and we will have that for you on the other side of the break. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Quick update before I talk to Chad about the weather. Quick update from Joplin, Missouri. Officials there, remember that city got hit by the EF-5 tornado a week ago Sunday and the number of folks unaccounted for, it's dwindled down to 29 persons unaccounted for in Joplin, Missouri.

And now to Chad Myers who is obviously watching the skies and watching people traveling. It is hot, friend.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is hot. I remember standing here about three days ago saying, what is up with that 1500 missing number and then finally they got it all together.

BALDWIN: And then it went down to 32 and now it's 29.

MYERS: So there's not 1,400 people -- they found a lot of them. And then they went somewhere else. I hope they didn't go to Laredo, Texas, because it's 107.

BALDWIN: Hello.

MYERS: If you're traveling anywhere across Texas, make sure your car is ready for it. Midland, 107, Amarillo at 104. And there is fire danger out there because the wind is blowing. It feels like a blast furnace out there as winds blow at 30, 40 miles per hour across parts of western Kansas.

Everywhere we go it's hot and it's going to continue to be that way. It only got down to 80 degrees in Dallas. You can't even cool your house down. Here are the winds. Back out towards pueblo, Las Vegas, New Mexico, 283, 12 miles per hour.

And that's the wind that could fuel a fire, if you smell smoke, you need to get out of the house and see what is going on. That smoke is blowing in your direction. We had a lot of fires yesterday. We had to evacuate towns yesterday. Won't see that tomorrow I don't think, but it's possible.

A couple tornado watch boxes possible today, one right now from Sioux Falls, west of Minneapolis, Grand Island towards north plat could see weather through here. But so far, Brooke, no big things to talk about in weather. A couple of airport delays, 15 to 20 minutes. Fleet Week in New York, so some LaGuardia flights are slow because of the planes going up and down the Hudson for the display. Otherwise, it's pretty good.

BALDWIN: Fourth of July hot.

MYERS: Yes.

BALDWIN: I don't look forward to it. Thank you very much.

I do have video I want to show you. We were all watching this earlier. It's incredible. It shows what a teacher does when she hears gunfire ring out near her kindergarten classroom. That is next.

Also, Candy Crowley joins me live for the Political Ticker. She's going to show a bit of Reagan legacy at the Indy 500. Stay right there.

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BALDWIN: All right. Let me take you to Washington, D.C. now with Candy Crowley off the CNN political ticker. And Candy, it was a poignant morning at Arlington National Cemetery in which the president took part in.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": On any day, Arlington National Cemetery is an amazing place to be, hard to walk in there without choking up. On Memorial Day, especially poignant. The president was there, as you note. He was at the Tomb of the Unknowns, giving his speech, and basically said what most Americans at this point feel, which is that most of us can't understand what this must be like.

He used his daughters as an example. I thought that was really interesting, saying, I love my daughters so much, I can't imagine what parents go through when they lose a child. And he said, we can never really fully repay this debt.

He also this morning had breakfast with some gold star families, families of those who have died in wars. And then also went over to section 60, which is where most of the Iraq and Afghanistan war dead are buried at this point.

Memorial Day brings out a lot of parades and commemorations. And Tim Pawlenty is in Iowa at this point doing the rounds, which he will do many, many times between now and the Iowa caucus next year. We have seen Michele Bachmann, she's not in the race officially, but she sure is acting like a candidate.

And finally, a blast from the past the Indy 500, the winner, the car had the insignia from the Reagan presidential foundation, which is celebrating the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birthday this year. Reagan was a NASCAR fan. At one point this was the Indy 500 but at one point he started the NASCAR race from Air Force One. He liked the car races. It was a blast from the past.

BALDWIN: He was starting a NASCAR race car from Air Force One? CROWLEY: Yes. You know, "Gentlemen, start your engines." He was on air force one.

BALDWIN: I had no idea. I learn something new every time I talk to you.

CROWLEY: Little trivia for you.

BALDWIN: Thank you so much.

We will get another Political Ticker update for you in half an hour. And you can always jump online, go to CNNpolitics.com, or go to @politicalticker.

And as we approach the top of the hour, we couldn't hold on to this piece of video. I want to show you something incredibly compelling. It's from inside a kindergarten classroom. This is Monterey, Mexico. Just outside of the window you can hear a deadly shooting happening. We bring in Nick Valencia. Let's watch the video together and then we'll talk. Roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOOTING)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You don't have to speak Spanish to understand that there are gunshots. This teacher is saying get down, let's sing a song. What did we miss?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN SPANISH DESK EDITOR: She's remarkably cool throughout this whole process, isn't she, Brooke?

BALDWIN: Yes.

VALENCIA: She's coaching her kids to duck down so they avoid gunfire. It's hard to make out from the video but one peeks out the window to see what is going on after hearing that gunfire erupt, and she begins to sing that song "Barney" to try to distract the children while the shootout is occurring outside.

BALDWIN: Do we know who is inside the schoolroom?

VALENCIA: This was shot on the BlackBerry of the school teacher. So she's doing exactly what the state government wants to you do in a situation like this, record it, upload video. And this has gone viral, Brooke, over a million views already.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: So, not only is this teacher thinking, OK, let me keep my students calm and sing a song, right, so you get their minds there. But she's also thinking, let me pull out my BlackBerry and shoot video?

VALENCIA: Right. And she's documenting this whole thing as it goes on.

One of the most important things that we need to realize, and viewers who aren't familiar with Monterrey, this is a financial...

BALDWIN: This context.

VALENCIA: Yes, this is a financial hub. This is the financial hub of Mexico and just a few years ago was voted to be the safest city not just in Mexico, but all of Latin America.

BALDWIN: Latin America.

VALENCIA: And now it's also prey to two warring drug cartels, who, of course, are taking advantage of the deteriorating security situation there.

BALDWIN: You're incredibly well-read in -- in all things Mexico, Mr. Valencia. What you have read, if anything, reactionary from this piece of video that you say has gone viral?

VALENCIA: Right. Well, people are scared, of course.

We get tweets constantly from citizens and residents of Monterrey who are saying, listen, CNN, you need to pay attention to this situation. It's ongoing and escalating, has been for about a year-and-a-half.

Two drug cartels, as we mentioned, Brooke, the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas, considered to be among the most violent of the cartels in Mexico, just using this as their battlefield. And, of course, sometimes innocent victims are caught in the crossfire. You saw right there, just outside five people were executed in this incident right outside of a kindergarten class.

BALDWIN: Oh, my goodness.

VALENCIA: Yes.

BALDWIN: Impressed by that teacher.

And thank you so much for flagging the video and hopping on the show.

VALENCIA: Thank you very much for having me.

BALDWIN: Thank you.