this is msnbc live on this memorial day. monday. a college town in california waking up today and asking why. this morning chilling new details about the man behind the isla vista killing spree. his parents' desperate attempt to stop him that came moments too late. president obama arrives back in washington after a weekend trip in afghanistan. and ahead of a critical address at west point this week. plus before your back yard barbecue, colonel jack has a little food for thought this morning about why we mark today memorial day.

>> it's okay. you're talking to an old soldier, too, you know. >> you know, the spirit and the bravery of those kids, you just can't imagine. and good morning to you. i'm richard lui. we start today with the victims of the deadly rampage friday night near the campus of uc santa barbara. members of the community searching for answers this morning. elliot rodger killing six people and wounding 13 others before taking his own life. the chancellor at ucsb has declared tuesday a day of mourning. we're joined live from isla vista, california. we now know the names of all the victims. what's the latest on who they are and of course the important condition of those that are still in the hospital? >> reporter: yeah.

that's right, richard. well, we're here right now outside the deli mart which has become a place for the people to mourn. this is where christopher matthews martinez was shot and killed. a memorial here continues to grow. we've heard from chris' father and his friends. they say he was an aspiring law school student. we learned more about the three young men killed inside the suspect's apartment. we know that two of them were his roommates. it's unclear if the third one was also a roommate or just a friend visiting. all three of those victims were from the bay area in and around san jose. there were also two young girls, sorority sisters shot and killed during the rampage while elliot rodger was allegedly driving around town shooting at people. katie cooper was known as a gentle soul who loved to dance.

the other veronica weisss with we're told told she's a huge lover of math. we now know uc santa barbara is going to be having a day of remembrance tomorrow. there will be no classes tomorrow after this three-day holiday weekend. there'll be a memorial service tomorrow afternoon so they can take time to remember all of the victims. all six murder victims we now know were students here at uc santa barbara. 13 others were injured in this. some of them were shot. a few of them were actually hit by the victim's car. at last check, six of those victims were still in the hospital. two of them in serious condition. richard? >> and joe, the suspect, the student of santa barbara city college, not ucsb. and we look at the vigils over the weekend. you've been talking to neighbors and members of the community. these days are difficult tr the

community adds they try to make their way back. how is this situation impacting what many would call an idyllic community? >> reporter: this truly is a college community. it's one mile by one mile. it's basically an entire community that is for students, college sororities and fraternities. it's within walking distance of the campus. saturday night they had a vigil. it started in the heart of the campus. then they walked silently marching to a park here in the isla vista community. then they spent an hour or two sharing memories about the victims. and they were holding candles throughout the entire thing. it was incredibly powerful. they've been doing everything they can to support each other during this process. >> a town close by you know so well, la jolla, it must be such a shock for the entire community

there. joe fryer there with the latest on that tragedy. joining us now is retired atf special agent jim cavanaugh. we heard about the list of victims. and that's the concern right now. and when we understand the list now that we have the details of those killed as well as those in the hospital, it matches up perfectly with all of the videos and what he had posted just hours before what had happened. how was elliot rodger able to remain under the radar after authorities had perhaps seen videos before and had visited him in april? >> yeah. very interesting, richard, of course. but i think really he was on the radar for years. you know, he was getting therapists treatment since he was a young 8-year-old. his parents certainly knew his condition. they reported it to the police a month ago that he had posted some videos about maybe suicide

and killing people. so what we're failing to do in america is to form the right structure within our police and mental health professionals to form the right little structure to read the warning signs and take the action to stop these guys. it's like the same lesson over again, but collectively, the citizens, we have to support the police and mental health authorities to do this. the state government in washington needs to help us set it up. we could do it. >> when you talk about this tragedy triangle, what leg of the tragedy triangle here are you focusing on? >> well, if you look at the three -- this is my own formula for it. but mental health issues, seeing a psychiatrist. secondly repeated contact with police. and explosives. what we're looking for is the

threat to kill himself or others. and this shooter, killer has all of that. and the threat for suicide comes in april when the parents notify police. the patrols that go out there to check on welfare, they don't have this guy's history and background. they're not a special unit. they haven't looked at all his vide videos. they're not a unit of forensic psychologist that would look for the triangle. they don't know about all that. they're just seeing if the guy is okay. we can form a better unit. we could interrupt more. we won't get them all. it's only important for the fact he did exactly what he said he was going to do. >> the two dozen-plus videos, the 1,000-word manifesto. jim cavanaugh, thank you for your perspective on it today. >> thanks. capping off his three-day

visit to the holy land, pope francis stopped at some of the most hallowed sites for jews in jerusalem. he left a note there with the our father prayers in one of the cracks between the stones. that's a tradition going back hundreds of years where the messages are believed to actually reach god. he then visited the holocaust memorial. where he kissed the hands of half dozen holocaust survivors. he started his day by visiting the dome of the rock where muslims believe hew ma'am med ascended to heaven. claude, a lot of firsts in his visit as we have listed out. what has been the reaction from christians, from jews, and muslims alike here?

>> well, of course the pope has pleased a lot of palestinians yesterday. he stopped by the separation wall that israel erected to spralt with the best bank. but an unscheduled stop, again a first from pope francis. he went to the wall. and he then went on to the state of palestine. not many heads of state had had said that in the palestinian territory to recognize palestine as a sovereign and independent state. so far he's pleased a lot of muslims and palestinians alike. and today really was the time for the jews and the state of israel. and of course he's made some concessions to them too.

through the holy side that you just mentioned, he also made -- he visited the grave of the founder of modern dune cities. >> and of course another one of the headlines you've been following that he invited leaders to meet on the issue of peace. we'll get to that later. thank you so much. and now just moments ago, air force one and president obama arriving at andrews air force base after his surprise visit with troops in afghanistan during a four-hour memorial day weekend visit to bagram air base. he met with troops and wounded soldiers. he talked about the end of the war saying the united states is at a pivotal moment. >> for many of you, this would be your last tour in afghanistan. and by the end of this year, the

transition will be complete and afghans will take full responsibility for their security and our combat mission will be over. america's war in afghanistan will come to a responsible end. >> nbc's peter alexander joins us from washington. we were both listening to that. the president expected to offer more details ahead on what he means by "over," the end of the combat mission in afghanistan. whap do you expect to hear? >> that's right. he's going to be speaking at west point. he's going to be speaking at the commencement ceremony there on wednesday. that's probably the next likely chance to hear about the additional clarity of the american presence in afghanistan right now. the real question is what's going to happen to those troops that are there right now. gave a pretty good hint about that. his exact language about those remarks yesterday was there would be a limited military presence after 2014.

that would put to rest any of the conversations about the zero end strategy, the suggestion there may be no more american troops at that point. it remains clee there will be some. he heads overseas to poland and then to normandy for the 70th anniversary of d-day. those are two more opportunity where is we may learn more about the strategy for the white house going forward overseas. >> and peter has more reporting on the conversation he had with the outgoing president of afghanistan as well as what happened in terms of the security gaffe. stick around for that. thank you for that. >> sure. while the president was overseas this holiday weekend, most americans kept it a little closer to home. still the number of people who hit the road was at a post-recession high this year. slightly lower gas prices, but air travelers, they found sky high prices. gabe gutierrez is life at the

busiest airport in the world. when are they expecting the big rush as they expect to get home? >> reporter: good morning. we're starting to see traffic pick up. it had been picking up over the last few minutes here at atlanta's hartsfield-jackson. busiest airport in the world. this airport sees about 250,000 travelers every day. they're expecting about that much when all is said and done today. so far no major problems here. no major tieups in security lines. if we look at the handy tool we news to look at problems throughout the country, no major delays. just a handful. a few in the new york area. and there are also some weather issues that could pop up later in texas. but so far no major problems. still most travelers during this memorial day holiday will be hitting the roads. about 88% of travelers will be driving. and as you mentioned, those drivers will be seeing roughly

about the same gas prices as they did last year. the national average is about $3.66 a gallon. compare that to last year when it was $3.63 for a gallon of regular unleaded. but most parts of the country will be seeing slightly lower gas prices. back here in atlanta, not any major problems. airfares will be up about 6% on average this year. richard, back to you. >> all right. good to hear there's no delay there is. amazing it's the busiest airport in the world. it's often quite calm in atlanta. appreciate that. it is no holiday for 1200 firefighters out west battling the slide fire in arizona. they are slowly making progress this morning containing about 10% of the blaze and igniting controlled burns to keep the flames from reaching homes. that fire now about 20 square miles large. meanwhile, there is a fire ten times that size scorching parts of alaska.

the funny river fire burning south of anchorage threatens 100 structures and residents are facing evacuation orders. 30% contained there. meteorologist bill kairns joins us right now. bill, we're going to get to what memorial day travel looks like. but first what's happening in alaska, huh? >> it's amazing there's a fire this big. 245 square miles. funny river fire, what a bad name for a fire too. it's only 49 degrees for a high in anchorage. it's not like it's that's warm like arizona where it's blistering hot out there. but that's kind of the deal that we have right now. it's only 49 degrees for the high. it's been very cloudy and is going to continue to be that way. so that doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon. as we go through the day today, looking at temperatures for the most part highs only in the 50s or 60s. so the firefighters have

favorable conditions, but they're in rugged terrain. we'll watch that, richard. >> is it common in this part of the country? this is a very large fire. >> alaska gets big fires. alaska is big. there's a lot of wilderness there. the other area i want to show you the forecast we've been dealing out with in the west. the arizona area's had plenty of issues. 103 in phoenix. you can see the difference with the firefighters fighting the blaze out there. the rest of the west looks great today. you feel for the guys on the line today on the holiday. >> i'm going to have my barbecue in boise. salt lake too. >> stay tuned. forecast coming up. troops in ukraine are fighting to regain control of a key airport in the eastern part of the country. up next, we're live in kiev with

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russian-state tv is reporting heavy gunfire in eastern ukraine airport. journalists report the airport is on fire and today more than 50 armed men claiming to be part of the donetsk republic seized in ukraine. the latest move by pro-russian separatists follows elections in ukraine on sunday. three months after pro-moscow president viktor yanukovych fled

kiev. poroshenko hopes to meet with russian leaders in the first half of june. he spoke to steve sedgwick. >> we should bring the peace. we should bring law and order. we should don't allow to build up somalia style objects, territorial objects which can be dangerous for the whole global security. >> nbc's ammann mohyeldin has the latest. what's the latest with the airport in donetsk? we had the issue of 50 armed men getting into the area and the latest information about being able to hear helicopters overhead. >> well, we're still working to confirm that on the ground. certainly it is a fluid situation with initial reports coming out from the airport at least from the donetsk area.

there was at least an attempt to seize the airport. that's a strategic location. it is an international airport with a lot of major flights coming into the city. so it is an important gateway, if you will, to the entire eastern part of the country. if it is now fully controlled by the separatist rebels, it would be an indication of their growing strength not only being able to take over local government buildings like plaole stations but it would be one more sign how lawless the eastern part of the country is becoming. >> there was a problem with folks getting to the polls. how is this result being looked at right now for poroshenko? >> the leadership here in kiev has been down playing the regions in which these polls were not allowed to be held nap is particularly in three important cities and much smaller towns in the eastern

part of the country close to where the airport was seized this morning. the officials here are saying the vast majority of the country still was able to go out and vote including eastern parts of ukraine. and that gives the results of the elections an amount of legitimacy. a lot of the international community says the voting process that took place was drebl. it was a smooth process. no major disruptions whatsoever. but there is a lot of people questioning -- there are a lot of people questioning some of the disruptions that happened in the eastern part of the country. >> quickly, this newly elected president poroshenko, how is he viewed? is he good for east/west relations? >> well, certainly he's a man who favors the west. he wants to integrate with europe.

he wants to push ukraine into the west. that's what he says. a lot of people we've been speaking to are happy with him, but there are those who say he does not represent the complete change the country wants to make. he's a billionaire. he had ties to the previous regime in the past. so there are some questions around him. but he struck a powerful tone with the voters. so he does have his popularity. >> ammann mohyeldin, thank you. up next, colonel jacobs joins us. but first messages from our troops overseas. >> giving a shoutout to my parents here at bagram, afghanistan, wishing you a happy memorial day. love you, guys. hope to see you soon. mine was earned in korea in 1953.

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live pictures of what is hallowed ground in this country. arlington national cemetery. in just a few hours president obama will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in honor of memorial day. what is now called the tomb of the unknowns. today is the federal holiday for americans to remember those who died and served. veteran edward gorman. the 70th anniversary of d-day is two week ace way. gorman talking about his experience with colonel jack jacobs. >> when they talk about a pool of red, you see a whole --

hundreds of yards of shoreline. >> it's okay. you're talking to an old soldier, too, you know. >> you know. >> joining us now msnbc military analyst colonel jack jacobs. colonel, he reached over and he grabbed you and he said, you know. what memories did it bring back for you? >> well, there's an incredible bond among people, many of who didn't know each other, many who fought for this country. when i was talking to him, i couldn't help but thinking about my time in battle 45 years ago with friends of mine at a time when it was extremely difficult and when we were working very, very hard to defeat the enemy and save and take care of each other. two things that are sometimes mutually exclusive in the crucible of battle. and i also when i was talking to

him thought about my father who served in world war ii in the philippines. and startlingly, he, my father, and ed gorman were at the same post as communications guys. near joplin. after you got your training we split you up and threw people off to the various theaters. my father went to the pacific. etd gorman want to europe. >> was it like talking with your father? >> it was a great deal. reminded me a great deal of my father. when he got older, he talked about his experiences in the war and coming home. when he didn't -- years before he hadn't, but when he got older he did. >> as we looked a today, this memorial day, we can't help but thank you for your service and edward gorman and think of the family and the energy and the sacrifice that you've given. as we remember this holiday, there's also something that makes it a bit different.

it's something you've been talking about. and it's also personal for you, too, here. you've known eric shinseki for 40 years. and as this is sort of the backdrop of what we are talking about today, what do you expect to happen in that arc of shinseki and what will be happening with him going forward? >> well, he's nothing if not a soldier. and he'll stay in his post as long as he thinks it's required or until he's relieved of it. >> he are not resign, you're saying? >> if he says that he's resigned, it's because he's been asked to resign. i don't think that's going to occur until after the inspector general's report is completed and delivered. >> what does that say about who he is? >> he's a rough, tough soldier and he won't quit ever. you can argue about his organization. a lot of the problems with the veterans administration are the result of things not capable of being fixed by anybody.

some of them are the result of rick shinseki trying to do the right thing. no good deed goes unturned. to receive the benefits that everybody else did. and that overloaded the system he had not yet prepared for it. so there's a lot of blame to go around. but he was just trying to do the right thing. >> you know his character though. does this sync? >> it does. i was his faculty adviser when he was a student at the national war college. it does sync. he's the guy for whom everything about veterans about his comrades is important. and he views that everything he does, he's on a mission. and don't forget he's a wounded veteran. twice wounded himself very badly wounded in one tour in vietnam. he's a tough guy. and he'll persevere until he's asked to leave. >> all right. that's the story today, right? >> yes, sir.

>> thank you so much, colonel jack jacobs. and thank you for your service and all you've done. right now congress is on memorial day recess and they're on track to break their own record as least productive in history. up next with a growing number of unfinished business, can any legislation get through congress this summer? also ahead, get ready to fork over more cash from beef to pork, even alcohol this summer. why you'll pay for for your summertime barbecues. but first on this memorial day, here's a live look again at arlington national cemetery. ♪

it's back to work tomorrow for the house and senate after the long holiday weekend. the question that we're looking at now as we get ready to head into the summer campaign season, what if anything, will congress accomplish between now and the fall midterms? joining us now lee munncil and

kate nosera. lee, starting with you, it seems to be all about the midterms as we look at the next bunch of months. let's begin with the house committee. about to hold some hearings on benghazi. democrats as we all know, they are considering whether to boycott the hearings. they did that for awhile. they decided to participate. so what do you expect from these hearings beyond what we have seen so far which is this highly charged partisan politics? >> well, we've seen a lot of documents on benghazi. there's been a lot of different hearings held by various panels on both sides. the select committee on benghazi, we may hear different things as far as which witnesses they can get, what source of questions they can ask. trey gowdy has a background as a prosecutor and is going to be trying to get answers on things he doesn't feel like the answers have been sufficient on yet. so that's going to be kind of the focus of that panel trying to get more information.

>> let's shift over to another issue that has sort of been the drip, drip, drip for the last year and a half. we got the summer in front of us. that's immigration reform. we are now past primary, some of them. do we expect something to happen now sno. >> i don't, no, from where i stand on the house side. it doesn't seem john boehner sees any way forward to even get something small done. some republicans wanted to approve a provision that would allow young undocumented in the military. that wouldn't even put that in the defense bill. that may come up for a vote on the house floor. >> this is when they were supposed to moderate on it, right? past the primaries. >> right. and so i think june is really kind of the deadline for the administration and senate leaders have been saying june is really when all of the primaries

will be done. if nothing gets done by june, it's administrative action. >> you're saying executive order. okay. thank you so much. leigh, in the wake of the deadly rampage in california, i want to play a bit of what of the fathers of one of the victims said. listen to this. >> why did chris die? chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the nra. they talk about gun rights. what about chris' right to live? >> so as we look forward, gun reform a possibility? >> it will certainly be discussed as far as legislation that'll be a lot more difficult. certainly after newtown there was a big push for gun reform that only went so far. and that was lot of legislative appetite for it at that time. so it's just going to be really, really tough to get any sort of gun reform legislation through this time around.

>> okay. what's the headline you're going to write, leigh? at the end of the summer it's going to be what got done? >> very little or nothing. >> that's your headline? >> fairly safe bet at this point. >> that's a safe headline, i must say. what about to you here, kate? >> i would say we're headed into campaign season and here's what the republicans want, here's what the democrats want. pick your side, voters. >> so you don't have a headline. >> i certainly don't see it happening. >> thank you. leigh munsin and kate nocera. today is the unofficial kickoff to summer, but will the sun show up to your barbecue? bill kairns will show up here. who calls you a butt of sunshine? >> not one. we need rain in the drought stricken areas. you'll love what the forecast has for you. especially the parades out there. kids get disappointed.

can't sit out in the thunderstorms. the east coast is looking fantastic. some showers in new england. they'll exit through the day. warm in the mid-atlantic. it's going to be one of the warmest in the season. great beach day from the gulf. middle of the tocountry is wher the severe threat is. this includes a big chunk of west central texas. a plot of the big cities get away with it. but we'll watch out for large hail with those storms. maybe even some flash flooding. this an area that got some rain in the last couple days. a possibility of another two i thinks or so from dallas to central texas. your memorial day forecast. look how warm and beautiful it is. we're at 86 in d.c. we're going to be mid to upper 80s from atlanta, raleigh, charlotte. very warm in florida. all the stormy weather in the middle of the country.

not bad out west either. very warm in places like phoenix. after -- it wasn't the best of saturdays in the northeast. and okay sunday. but from about hartford southward, this is ideal for memorial day plans. travel looks great too. getting those parades and barbecues in, it's nice. >> very common. but looks great all across the country. sunshine as we expected from bill kairns. thank you. get ready to pay more for your summer barbecue. all getting out there to enjoy grilled meat. from booze to burgers and everything in between, we've got bad news. there's a jump in prices to look out for. power plant in the country to combine solar and natural gas at the same location. during the day, we generate as much electricity as we can using solar. at night and when it's cloudy, we use more natural gas. this ensures we can produce clean electricity

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tasty bacon cheeseburger. politico crunching numbers. it'll cost you $3.89 now. that's up from $3.57 this time last year. and that could climb even higher. peter is an economist at the university of maryland. always good to see you. we look at these higher prices. is this because of the record drought we have been seeing in many parts of the west right now? or more consumer demand? >> well, it's a bit of both. but the drought's been very important. and it's something that because of climate change, we cannot expect to go away. ranching in the southwest where they graze on grass which is free is becoming more and more difficult. and i think we can expect rising meat prices for awhile. also demand in china is growing. they're eating more meat. even if they don't import it, they do import some meat from the united states, they're demanding more on grains. pushing up global prices. >> do you expect this climb to

continue? >> i think generally the trend is going to be upward. i think it's time to re-evaluate the ethanol program in light of that and maybe encourage some switching of vehicles to help out. >> you look at some of the solutions that may help mitigate the price increases here. let's turn it upside down for a second. some folks saying higher prices means higher demand. as you know so well. and that's good. because that means the economy is moving forward. >> well, it's not higher demand in the united states so much as it is abroad. the chinese because we are importing so much from them have a lot of cash and they're bidding up the price. they're bidding the products away from americans. when i was growing up my father was a door to door salesman, we ate steak every week nop now some steak is a luxury. not very often. >> these higher prices good or

bad? >> they're bad. they indicate weakness in the u.s. economy. they're a symptom of climate change which is not adequately addressed on the global level. these are negative fallouts. >> all right. thank you so much as always. >> take care. right now as nigeria continues to search for the kidnapped school girls, the united states congress is pushing five new bills to traffic child trafficking. up next, we'll talk live with a trafficking victim to see if the new tactics will work. dad!! i missed you. i missed you, too. hi buddy. mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly support military appreciation month. with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served.

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as u.s. troops help search for the missing girls in nigeria, washington is taking steps to curb human trafficking right here in the united states. last week the house of representatives passed a package of bills with bipartisan support to shut down human trafficking. the issue is gaining bipartisan attention right now after members of boko haram abducted

more than 200 nigerian school girls more than a month ago. >> the idea that our children in this country, in this day, could be taken and sold off into modern day slavery is terrifying. and we must confront this issue head on, not just as republicans, not just as democrats, but as dads, as moms, as sisters and brothers. >> now, in the united states as many as 300,000 children a year are victims of commercial sexual exploitation according to the justice. thelma t. pedigrew. she joins us now live from philadelphia. t., thank you for joining us today. the bills, they're waiting for the senate to weigh in on this. with the bipartisan support, it

seems very positive. do you expect anything to come from these bills? >> definitely. i think with the advancement in regards to the recognition that congress has given to this issue, any type of highlights or aware niz about what's going on is great. so the five bills are amazing, the bills are something of an incredible advancement for the work that we've done. >> which of those stand out to you as a former victim and now a survivor? >> well, a lot of the advocacy i do is primarily to contribute back from my experiences and the experiences of young people i've worked with. and of course we've had a lot of cross system involved for people who have become vulnerable and sexually trafficked. the improving youth and foster care act identifies and responds to child trafficking within the

foster care system and really promotes stability for young people in foster care. >> go ahead. >> i was saying in addition the second bill i really greatly support and have had an opportunity to work closely on is the justice for victims trafficking on, and this focusses primarily on the core of the issue, which is demand. >> as you were describing those two bills, what brought to mind which many folks don't often realize, i'm quoting here the democratic senator from minnesota who says 83% of the victims are from the united states. when we look at those two bills plus the other three here, is this the right thing to be doing to bring attention to people like yourself who have gone through this sex trafficking industry, this trafficking industry that we often think is over there but it's really here? >> yes, definitely. it is an amazing opportunity for us to bring awareness.

a lot of people think that this issue is outside of the united states so they think that this happens in cambodia or indonesia, things of that sort. but often we lose sight of the victims here. so as we focus on the girls back in kenya and bring our girls back, we also need to #saveourchildren. so understanding that this is needed and it's also to be able to shape this and change the view and the lens and understanding these young people, you know, we see this on the streets as we look at it from our stereo typical view as prostitution. often these young people aren't even of age to consent to sex so this cannot be something that we claim is prostitution. this is something that's amazing for our local advancements here. >> that's right, they are victims in this situation. >> they are victims. g >> you brought this up, nigeria

and what is happening there. when we look at how this was not talked about and now is part of the news stream. the flip side is we have this report of women being treated as property. >> exactly. again, as we pay attention to the issue there in kenya and something we need to fight globally, it's about reminding ourselves that this is something that happens globally and local live as well. >> thank you, thelma pettigrew. a message from our troops serving overseas on memorial day. >> memorial day to me means sacrifice. i would like to thank all of

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. it's the top of the hour. here on msnbc, families of six young people murdered by a suspected madman are searching for answers this morning. >> and in parts of the west crews are using every resource they have, even fighting fire with fire. but what they really need is is an assist from mother nature. ukraine, does the troubled country have a new leader? and a very special anniversary at arlington national cemetery. president obama arrived home after an unexpected memorial day weekend to afghanistan where he visited troops. the commander in chief's fourth

visit to afghanistan was part presidential pep talk and part policy speech on the way forward. >> i'm here to say thank you, and i'm here to say how proud i am of you. but i'm also here that after more than a decade of war, we're at a pivotal moment. and by the end of this year, the transition will be complete and afghans will take full responsibility for their security and our combat mission will be over. >> nbc's peter alexander joins us from washington. we're listening to what the president just said and we follow that arc to wednesday as he discusses the mission in afghanistan. >> he'll be speaking at the military academy and white house officials say we can expect to hear more in the coming days, likely in that speech and others when he heads to europe early in june about the future of united states presence in afghanistan,

specifically yesterday they dropped some hints, even though the white house suggests the president hasn't made his decision just yet but said there would be a limited military presence in afghanistan beyond 2014. that would put to rest about the number zero for the number of troops that may be there after that point. >> pete, also part of this, the president when he was in afghanistan, a security gaffe? >> that's right. there are reports right now that the white house inadvertently may have blown the cover of its highest ranking spy in afghanistan. the white house provided reporters with a list of the 15 senior officials that would be meeting with the president during a briefing. the white house became of an error and took a name off. neither the white house nor the cia is commenting on the specifics of what happened.

>> take us to today, memorial day, what the president plans to do. we've got arlington national cemetery to watch. >> he has a series of responsibilities today, even after a 33 hour, 15,083 mile trip. he will be visiting with veterans, military families and gold star forms and he will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier to honor those lost. this marks 150 years since the first burial took place there. obviously this is the most sacred monument to america's veterans, to those who have passed away fighting on behalf of this country, and the president will be there to honor their service again today. richard? >> pete, thank you. nbc's peter alexander with the latest for us from washington. >> pope francis is about to wind up his three-day visit to the

holy land. today he paid a poignant visit to the western wall in jerusalem there. he prayed and left a text of the "our father" prayer. that's a tradition going back hundreds of years where the messages are believed to reach god and he went on to kiss the hands of a half dozen holocaust survivors. and the pope visited the dome of the rock where israelis believe homemade climbed to heaven. where is the hope right now? >> reporter: richard, right now he's having lunch at the notre dame center, which is here in jerusalem. later on he has a particularly sensitive visit left before he leaves and tonight he's going to

visit the room in mount zion where people believe jesus had the last supper. this attracted many protests from orthodox jews who did not like that because they feel that israel is holding out authority for the pope to hold masses there and they feel they are slowly taking over, even though both the vatican and israeli authorities have denied that. we're watching out for protests but so far so good. >> so many people around the world, claudio, "pope invites the leaders to meet," putting

himself in the middle of the peace process. >> reporter: when he calls for peace and reconciliation, as he's done so many times in the holy land, he means business. these are not just words. he's ready to use all the tools at his disposal to restart this peace process that is now at a stalemate. >> claudio in jerusalem for us, thank you. >> the community of u.c. santa barbara is waking up still shaken by this tragedy. we now know there were warning signs but was there anything that could have been done to stop him? let me start with this here, joe, this hour. that's of course the details on

what happened last night. what's the latest on that as well as the victims that are in the hospital still? >> reporter: last night they actually had a mass here near the campus, about 150 people showed up. they put up pictures of many of the victims, those who had been identified by that point saying "in loving memory" and they had a picture up of the suspect that just said "in memory" but they made sure to mention elliott roger throughout much of that mass. we know three of the people who were killed were inside the suspect's apartment. they were stabbed. at least two of them were the suspect's roommates. we know christopher michael martinez was shot and killed outside the deli here and two young women, sorority sisters were killed here. a few others were injured, most

shot but four of them were actually hit by the suspect's car. one or two of them suffered broken legs but all expected to survive. six victims are being treated for injuries, two of them in serious condition. >> in that close-knit town, what have you heard about who roger is? >> reporter: most of the people we talked to did not know him, but we did talk to one person who asked not to be identified. he was a neighbor and he said he seemed frustrated and angry that he was having trouble getting women to like him and getting other men at the university to respect him. he said he had gotten into a fight last year and that may have sparked a lot of the anger

he had been feeling. a lot of this has been documented in the 140-page manifesto and the postings online. some of the postings were put up this year, and others had reached out to him, tried to express some concerns and say, hey, things are going to be okay and tried to interact with him. definitely there is some long documentation, at least online, of some of his frustration. >> that documentation, those videos you're alluding to that he wrote after that, his parents are aware of this. and are they cooperating with police? >> reporter: that's our understanding is that they have been talking with police. their attorneys have come out and issued some statements. we're under the understanding that the family had been made aware of some of these manifestos on the day of the shooting and were trying to get

in touch with him at that time. we're getting reports this is something they've been deeply concerned with and trying to get him help. my understanding is they are working with authorities. >> they were aware of that final video that described what he was going to do is what you're telling me? >> reporter: i'm not 100% sure of how much they knew about the vid video. they had been contacted about some of the information put out there. it might have been the written manifesto. i'm not sure if they had seen the video that had been posted earlier in the day. >> joe, thank you. the memorial day weekend is wrapping up, which means a whole lot of people will be heading home. the number of americans who got out of town this weekend had the a post-recession high this year. drivers are finding slightly lower gas prices but air

travelers have found sky high prices. gabe, expecting a bit of a rush last you and i spoke. things looked okay, which is fairly ti lly typical at atlant despite being the busiest airport. >> reporter: we're expecting traffic to pick up here. on an average day it sees 250,000 travelers. last memorial day weekend, it saw 2.6 million travelers. thankfully we're seeing a lot of green this morning, just a handful of delays, some of those notice new york area. here in atlanta no major delays to speak of. triple a expects 36 million travelers will travel 50 miles or more from home. the vast majority, about 88%, will be hitting the roads. they are seeing about the same

gas prices as they saw last year. the average per gallon of regular unleaded is $3.66 a gallon, compared to last year where it was $3.63, but many parts of the country are actually seeing lower gas prices. back here in atlanta, air travelers are seeing a 6% increase in airfares this year compared to last year. if it's not one thing, it's another. >> a massive wildfire in alaska is causing mandatory evacuations. the funny river fire threatens 1,000 structures. that fire is 30% contained. meanwhile, firefighters in northern arizona appear to be turning a corner on lts so-called slide fire there. they have now contained 25% of the blaze and controlled burns have kept the flames from reaching homes. bill karins joins us right now.

when we look at the weather condition, we have alaska. you and i have been talking about the fire in arizona all week. where did this alaska fire come from, if you will? >> there's always a lot of fires in alaska but they're not near a lot of structures. again, the weather conditions up there today, it will be a little breezy, about 60 degree, not as hot and windy and dry as arizona. even on this memorial day, they'll be out there working the fire lines. as far as the stormy weather goes, one strong storm continues just to the northwest of victoria texas. they are at a horrible drought, they are welcoming the rain from lubbock up to amarillo. you don't want severe weather but you want the rainfall.

there is rain from boston to cape cod. it will not ruin your plans. this morning and this afternoon will be dry. let's get into your forecast for memorial day. it's going to be a very warm beach day from the east coast to the gulf. you chose wisely if you headed wisely to the beach to cool off in the mid-atlantic states. there lab lot of people in the midwest doing the old duck-and-cover drill from texas all the way to minneapolis. >> new this hour is the 25% con it and in arizona is the fire. the conditions there are getting better there in terms of weather, huh? >> it's not quite as windy. it's still very hot for firefighter there is, only 25% contained but they're starting. >> they'll take it. it was 0% contained for a good week there. bill karins, appreciate it. hawaii becomes the third state this year to boost its minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

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so hawaii has become the latest state to heed president obama's call to raise the minimum wage. they're going to $10.10 there, the governor signing the bill into law heading into the holiday weekend. the increase will be phased in over four years. the president's efforts to raise the minimum wage nationally have run into republican roadblocks. last week hundreds of workers picketed there, demanding an increase in the minimum wage and the right to unionize.

a good memorial to both of you. jared, we'll start with you. hawaii, we've got connecticut, vermont and maryland, they have all increased the minimum wage there to $10.10 or more and at least 30 other states are attempting very similar action. so is the story here that absent of federal action, states and cities and localities, they're going to take it upon themselves to raise the minimum wage? >> that's precisely the story for many states and localities. not for all of them. by the way, it's not just the minimum wage. congress really, anyone who has been paying attention knows they haven't been doing much at all about anything. and on the minimum wage it's particularly notable because this is an issue that most persons -- and i'm not just talking about most democrats -- think its time has come. so it's turned out that states

have been able to do this on their own to some extent and over 30 have done so where you are don't see this is in southern states. and the federal minimum wage is largely becoming a southern minimum wage. >> put on your economics hat, as you always do, jared -- >> it's the only hat i have. >> it's a very good hat. isn't this local and this, therefore, is the right way to approach it, as some critics of a national minimum wage increase might say? >> not necessarily. when you're talking about labor standards, any kind of regulation that affects the whole labor market, i think for competitive reasons it's often good to have one level that covers the whole nation, that way nobody's at a competitive disadvantage. now that said, when you have all these different minimum wages across all these different states and towns, you can look in the data for precisely that. do we find that a play with a higher minimum wage place x next

to place x has a worse outcome on jobs, for example, we don't find that to be the case. so all of this hasn't been problematic but i still think national standards make sense. >> walmart says it doesn't oppose a minimum wage hike here. the gap also announcing plans to raise the minimum wage. mcdonald's ceo said they could handle a minimum wage hike to $10.10 an hour but so far they have nod moved on that. are we likely to see other businesses move on this? >> i think we will. this issue has mushroomed up in the last year, year and a half, particularly with the fast food one-day strikes and walk-outs. as this becomes a political issue, you'll see corporations moving and employers moving on some of this. some of the big once but, as

jared pointed out, it's not going to be everybody and may not happen in all parts of the country. but as it's discussed more, people are move more. >> more than 3 million americans work in minimum wage jobs and more than half of those jobs are in the food industry, which we've been talking about. i know businesses say raising the minimum wage will force them to raise prices. what's the counter issue? >> you have those who have to rely on government support to get by. that's something that when americans hear that, they're uncomfortable with that information. it becomes a question of fairness. and people also look at the comparisons between, say, what minimum wage workers or fast food workers get and what ceos make, these huge multiples that have grown over time and we've seen that across industries.

i think that becomes the other side of the coin. and the job loss argument has not been proven precisely. i think there's a certain limit you can raise the minimum wage to without big job loss. >> michael fletcher, jared bernstein, thank you, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> coming up, a tense standoff in ukraine. ukraine's newly elected president says he will not negotiate with terrorist. we'll bring you the very latest next. ♪ make every day, her day with a full menu of appetizers and entrées crafted with care and designed to delight. fancy feast. love served daily.

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[ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ reporting heavy gun fire at the airport in eastern ukraine in the city of donetsk. journalists report the airport is on fire. more than 50 armed men claiming to the men of donetsk people's of republic took control of the conflict. the newly elected president, petro poroshenko, said he would not negotiate with terrorists

and vowed to stop pro-russian separatists. >> we should bring the peace, we should bring law and order. we should don't allow to build up somalia-style territorial objects which can be dangerous for the whole global security. >> let's go live to kiev. >> reporter: good morning, richard. a tense situation unfolding in the country. at about 3:00 a.m. local time, several armed gunmen belonging to the so-called people's republic of donetsk entered the major international airport in the eastern part of ukraine and demanded the ukrainian military and troops stationed there leave the area. that led to a gun fight of sorts. for the time people all flights in and out of the airport have been suspended.

a spokesperson for one of the security agents here said troops belonging to the ukrainian government launched a count counteroffen counteroffense. it's going to be one of the major issues that now petro poroshenko, the front-runner in yesterday's elections as president will have to deal with. now mr. poroshenko won with an overwhelming majority. one of the issues he will have to deal with is this growing separatist movement backed by russia and certainly one at that has become increasingly powerful over the last several months, said it did not recognize yesterday's elections and prevented the voting from taking place in several cities in the eastern part of the country.

nonetheless, the authorities here in kiev are trying to downplay the significance of that saying the overwhelming majority of ukrainians went to the polls, participated in these historic elections and now have elected petro poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate maker and poised to the country's next president, he will not only have to deal with the growing separatist movement in the east but he'll have to try to save ukraine's collapsing economy. he plans on forging closer ties, wants closer support from the americans in fighting this terrorist movement in the eastern part of the country. he's waking up to a new reality today and has a very, very tough road ahead of him. it's one many ukrainians understand will be a difficult path for the country both economically, politically and also on the security pront. >> coming up, president obama alludes to the promise saying we

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. we're going to stay strong by taking care of our wounded warriors and veterans. it isn't just a promise, it's a sacred obligation. >> that was president obama making an indirect reference to the scandal that continues to rock the v.a. on this memborial

day. it was a major topic on talk shows yesterday. take a listen. >> we've got to move away from a world war ii concept into the 21st century, not tear the v.a. system down. what we want to do is, number one, give veterans the options to go where they want to get their health care, when they want to get their health care and not be forced into a system that has to have the numbers to survive. >> joining us live, nbc military analyst, retired four star general barry mccaffrey. general, this is a topic that you've talked about. i want to get your reaction here about what the chairman of the house veterans affairs committee was saying there, the solution is giving veterans the option of where to get their health care. what do you think? >> absolutely. there's no question. the v.a. is the second biggest department of government, they do a tremendous job once you're inside the system, but they do a better job if you're in chicago than if you're in north dakota.

they need health care cards, like military tricare for retirees, where can you go to this very sophisticated u.s. system. and also i agree that you don't want to tear down the 1,700 health care delivery sites of the v.a. you want them still there. so we'll move forward and solve this. secretary shinseki is a remarkabl remarkable, wounded veteran, good manager, but there needs to be a shake-up, there's no question. >> congressman, if they were to implement this choice, how might that be done? >> well, they've already -- about 10% of the care, richard, is already done in a private -- non-v.a.-care private sector. 10% of veterans go to their private doctors. they just launched a few months ago a $26 billion initiative to allow more veterans to go and use the private sector. but would i just say as the vietnam generation gets older,

that's a lot more of them are using v.a. health care right now the last thing we need to do is privatize the v.a. that would be wrong and it would leave 9 million veterans out in the cold every year and trying to push them in the private sector would be too much of a burden on the private sector. we need to make sure we strengthen the v.a., not dismantle it. >> absolutely. >> as the general is saying, are you up for a mix of private and public? >> there's already a mix right now, richard. i think there are a lot of republicans pushing to make it a complete choice or free choice. that means taking all the funds away from the v.a. on a limited capacity, absolutely. on a triage right now, if there's veterans waiting more than 14 days to see a primary care physician, absolutely. but to say that's where we're moving permanently, i don't think it's wise where we're seeing an influx of veterans using that system. >> general, i want to get back

to what you were talking about, and that's a shake-up in the v.a., secretary shinseki, alluding to his perhaps stepping down. what conversation will that happen if that does happen with the secretary here? how will the president approach it? as colonel jack jacobs was saying, he's not going to step down, he is going to have to be asked to do this. >> i don't think he should resign. he's a remarkably dedicated and adept american and a hero to many of the veterans. that veterans system has extremely high patient satisfaction rates. they have cut in half the claims back log. so they're moving in the right direction. but at the end of the day congress, and i think congressman murphy with service in combat will agree, is very carefully restricted and protected v.a. facilities in their state and didn't, et cetera. we need a fresh look at it.

so i don't think losing shinseki and then having a new v.a. secretary tortured by the senate for another year is the answer. i think taking a cold, hard look at it and trying to be objective going forward is what we need to do. >> congressman, do you agree? a cbs poll says 45% of the public want him to resign. >> i agree with general mccaffrey. i think heads need to roll and i think some heads have already rolled. the the v.a. is broken into three systems. one is the health care system. that person was forced to resign one week ago by general shinseki. secondly, the person at the phoenix v.a. is basically was basically fired, he's on suspension. it's basically suspension with intent to relieve. so there are folks that are already their heads have rolled but there's others. as you know, richard, this is through nine states, 26

facilities. general shinseki is getting to the bottle of it. anyone who cooked the books did wrong and needs to be held accountable and let go. and anyone who cooked the books and resulted in a veteran dying needs to be put in jail. >> absolutely. and, by the way, shinseki fired 3,000 people in that v.a. system last year. so he's hard nosed when he needs to be. he's just not a drama queen, you know? he's a soldier. >> general barry mccaffrey and former congressman patrick murphy, thank you both for your service as we remember that. >> senate house republicans give democrats a deadline for immigration reform. we'll tell you about that next. but first on this memorial day, a message from our troops serving overseas. >> hello. i'm with the 455th maintenance

squadron here in sunny afghanistan. i wanted to give a shout out to my family and hope everyone has a safe memorial day holiday and we'll be seeing y'all soon.

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ask your doctor about experiencing cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. expecting immigration debate to heat up this summer with potential changes to the country's deportation policy, the l.a. times reports that secretary jay johnson is expected to recommend key changes to secure communities a controversial program where immigration violators are identified by local police, then placed alongside violent criminals on the priority list for deportation. johnson is expected to meet next month with house democrats on that issue. but can anything get done on a broader immigration bill this year? last week the president arguing at a series of campaign fund-raisers that if democrats do not hold the senate and make gains in the house, immigration reform may not happen. now, at the entrance to the indy 500 on sunday, a pro-immigration group of law enforcement, faith leaders and business owners ran

this ad aimed at getting house republicans to act. >> america is a nation of laws, but it is also a nation of immigrants. we need to solve this challenge now. >> and immigration advocates like jorge ramos are pressing house speaker john boehner to bring a bill to the floor. >> why are you blocking immigration we reform? >> me? blocking? >> yes. you could bring it to a vote and you haven't. >> there's nobody more interested in fixing this problem than i am. >> you can do it, mr. speaker and you really haven't done it. >> i appreciate your opinion. thank you. >> joining me now, victoria defrancesca soto, and teresa camar as well.

as we look at the president as deportation in chief here because of so many deportations under his watch. are these secure communities a bad idea? >> can you stopped for a minor traffic violation and all of a sudden if they find you're undocumented be immediately processed with hardened criminals and get set for deportation. what jay johnson is looking at not on is decoupling the secure community from regular police officers but saying we recognize if you are sentenced, unfortunately you can't post bail so they're going to actually look at posting bail for individual immigrants so instead of being processed with mass deportations you can go ahead and spend type at home. and finally but not least, it's usually 30 to 80 people all brought before a judge all of a sudden. they're going to decouple that so can you get a fair hearing instead of doing it under a mass

umbrella. >> victoria, how much pressure is there for the president to get something done when it comes to immigration reform because really the focus has been on congress so far. >> there's a tremendous amount of pressure, richard. first of all, he made a progress in 2008 that immigration reform would happen and it hasn't happened because of political reasons. but we're also coming up on the 2014 mid-term elections and the republicans are within striking distance of getting the senate. if latinos don't turn out because they're apathetic because of the lack of immigration reform, that is going to be a lock on the senate. we saw it before and the house flipped. so the president has a lot of pressure on him right now going into the mid terms. >> maria teresa, isn't it the

president who gained 70 plus% from latino persons? >> the president is on both of them. that's one of the reasons they called out john boehner the other day. let them actually have the law go ahead and go into effect after his term. that's putting them on notice saying, yes, the president needs to figure out how to talk about the current i.c.e. legislation but more importantly how can the members of congress act saying we're going to remove this saying you don't trust president obama, put it into action after he goes out of office. >> is it going to happen? yes or no? >> not this year. >> no, not this year. 2016. >> coming up, americans

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well, with memorial day weekend comes memorial day travel. according to triple a, 36.1 million americans expected to travel over this long weekend. that's 600,000 more people than the last year, 31.8 million people will travel by car and 2.6 million by air. gabe gutierrez is live at hartsfield jackson international airport in atlanta. gabe, you're counting all of them, aren't you? >> reporter: hi, richard. things have been going pretty smoothly here. here in atlanta they seem to know how to handle this rush. this airport handles 250,000 travelers on any given day. last year on memorial day weekend they saw about 1.6 million. by the end of today they expect that. no major delays today or anywhere else around the company. if we look at the misery map, we

see a whole lot of green. some delays in the charlotte area. about 36 million travelers will be heading 50 miles or more from home and they won't have to be dealing with major increase in gas prices this year. what they will be dealing with, though, if they're traveling by air, a 6% increase in airfare when compared to last year. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you very much at the world's busiest airport. let's bring in heather hunter, the public relations director for triple a. big numbers of people getting out this year. what does this tell you? >> this year we expecting a big year for travel, we're expecting 36 million americans. those travelers will be going by all modes of transportation, 88% by car and about 2.6 million by

air. so had is a really strong memorial day and a great sign for summer travel. >> those are good numbers. i'm going to look at the gas prices as many travelers think about where they should go and if they're going to go. the national average $3.66, that was $3.63 a year ago. how are gas prices as we see them trending down a little affect the travel? >> we don't expect travel to be affected by gas prices this year, since prices are pretty similar to last year. but they're still at a level most americans find too high. what we're finding, though, is that people will pull back in other areas, look for cheaper hotels and other ways to save money, perhaps looking for a hotel where your breakfast is included to help offset those gas prices. >> i want to go to the president. he traveled to the baseball hall of fame last weekend. i want to share it with all of you some of what he said.

take a listen. >> last year alone travel and tourism were responsible for $1.5 trillion in economic activity across the country. think about that. $1.5 trillion, supporting nearly 8 million jobs in communities like this one. and when tourists come from other countries and spend money here, that's actually considered a type of export. >> all sorts of ties here the president is making here to travel and a good economy. what do you think at triple a when we see more people traveling? do you think the economy, therefore, is also improving? >> travel and tourism is a major product of the economy. many people benefit when there are more people out traveling, from those that work at restaurants to theme parks. so this is a really positive sign. for memoriam day weekend, we're actually seeing a 20% increase at triple a and people booking cruises. so it is going to be a very

strong summer travel season and there will be many beneficiaries of that. >> heather hunter with triple a, thank you. have a good memorial day. >> thank you, you too. >> and that does it. craig melvin picking up our next coverage. later this morning, the president and first lady will pay their respects to our service members at arlington national cemetery. we will bring you his remarks live on this memorial day, and we will leave you with a message from our troops serving overseas on this memorial day. >> hi, i'm from the 455th expedition and communication squad room. i want to say hi to my family and friends back home. have a safe and happy holiday weekend. we're going to miss you and go yankees.

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[ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ good morning to you on this memorial day. i'm craig melvin. in just a couple of hours at 11:00 eastern, president obama will mark this memorial day with a visit to arlington national cemetery. he will be laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. mr. obama will then be making some remarks as well. first lady michelle obama will also be in attendance there. you can already see a crowd has gathered there on this memorial day. all of this comes after a busy holiday weekend for the president. he caught everyone off guard with that surprise visit to afghanistan yesterday. during of four-hour stop at bagram air base, he met with troops and spent time at a hospital and met with wounded

soldiers. and he talked about the end of the war in that country, saying that the united states is at a pivotal moment. >> for many of you, this will be your last tour in afghanistan. and by the end of this year the transition will be complete and afghans will take full responsibility for their security, and our combat mission will be over. america's war in afghanistan will come to a responsible end. >> peter alexander is live at the white house this morning. peter, the president is expected, we're told, to offer more details on the end of war in afghanistan. >> reporter: he'll be giving that address wednesday at the military academy. the white house said we can expect to hear more detail about exactly what the u.s. intention is, the president's intention is, in terms of how many american troops remain in afghanistan at the end of 2014.

more than 30,000 american troops serving there right now. obviously a lot of this relies upon the bilateral security agreement being signed by afghanistan's leader to let us stay. hamid karzai hasn't signed it. the president believes they will likely sign it. president obama dropped a hint saying there will be a limited american presence after 2014. that will seem to rule out the zero option that had been discussed at occasions in the past. >> we know that president obama did not meet with president karzai face to face yesterday but we're told he did have a phone conversation with him. at this point do we know anything about that conversation, any details? >> yeah, this has obviously been a tricky relationship between

these two men. president obama did reach out to president karzai. they are leading the operation there is with the u.s. as a heavy lift. the u.s. is waiting for the next leader's signature before it can move forward with any formal decisions about what will happen after 2014 if it were to go the way they anticipate. and if signed, the u.s. believes there will be some troops that stay. >> what more do we know about president obama's memorial day. >> we know of course at 11:00 the laying of the wreath. what about after that? >> reporter: as we speak, a few minutes from now the president will be hosting a breakfast as he commemorates this memorial

day with veterans and military families. monday them will be gold medal members. this is 150 years they mark this year since the first burial took place there. roughly 400,000 soldiers, service members, are buried at that location. obviously this is the most sacred mondument the country ha to honor the lives of those lost. and president obama after getting the opportunity to thank troops presently serving will come back here to thank those who have served and have given their lives in the past. >> peter alexander, we will see you at 11:00 when president obama lays the wreath. >> now to the tragedy still unfolding in santa barbara, california, that mass murder. six people killed saturday night when suspect elliott rodger went

on a killing spree and then he killed himself. more than a dozen were hurt. there was a number of warnings signs and the community today still has many unanswered questions. joe fryar joins me live now. joe, what do we know about the conditions of those injured? >> reporter: most people were shot by the suspect or shooting as he drove by, but a few of them were actually hit by the suspect's car. at least one or it would have the victim suffered broken legs. at last check, six victims still remained in the hospital, the worst of them, two patients, were in serious condition, craig. >> joe, i know at this point police continue to pore over this manifesto, they're still looking at some of these videos. do officials at this point know

any -- do they know more about the days that led up to friday night? >> reporter: you know, at this point they haven't been able to piece together exactly what happened in the days before. we have seen a pattern over the last year that was documented online with various postings by the suspect, whether they were written or video postings he put online. some were taken down and others were put back up. we still don't have a good timeline of the final days leading up to this. investigators haven't held a news conference since late saturday so they haven't been able to detail the latest in the investigation, since they really laid out the timeline for us on saturday night. they laid out kind of where this started. there were ten different locations, 12 different crime scene, but they're still working to piece together what happened in the moments before this tragedy began. >> i know you spent some time in the community. we continue to learn more about the victims of this tragedy. what more can you tell us about

them? >> reporter: yeah, well, we now know that all six of the victims were in fact students here at u.c. santa barbara. this all started when the suspect stabbed and killed three people in his own apartment. we have the names of those three victims. all of them were from the bay area in and around san jose. they are george chen, who was 19 years old, and two others, who were roommates with the suspects. after the stabbings happened, that's when the rampage happened around this isla vista community. first he went to the sorority, knocked on the door. no one answered but then authorities say he opened fire outside the authority and happened to hit two girls who were members of a different sorority. they have been identified as ka katie cooper, described as a

gentle soul who loved to dance and the final victim who was killed was shot here at the ivy deli mart, christopher michael martinez, he was a sophomore, he dreamed of going to law school and following in his father's sto foot steps. there have been vigils in honor of these victims. >> joe fryer, thank you. >> firefighters are beating back that so-called slide fire in arizona. crews are reporting 25% of that fire is now contained. meanwhile there's a mass of wildfire scorching parts of alaska. it's burning south of anchorage, threatening 1,000 structures. people in that area are facing mandatory evacuation orders

because of the whipping winds. that fire is about 30% contained. meteorologist bill karins is standing by for us. what's it looking like right now? >> no holiday for the firefighters. it's very difficult to contain these fires, takes weeks to get them contained. anchorage today will be about 60 degrees. yesterday it was only about 49 but it was windy. of course that causes the fire to spread more than the temperatures do. it will be breezy once again. the middle of the country has been getting wet. we've had round after round of thunderstorms, especially in texas, but it's actually welcomed. we don't want to rain out your barbecue or parade, your fun run or whatever you're doing on this holiday weekend. but you're in a horrible drought, especially north texas and oklahoma so we'll take it.

as far as the rain goes this morning, we're watching a couple of strong storms trying to fire up just west of san antonio again. so from san antonio,waco to austin, you'll dry out this afternoon. wet weather around lubbock, that's very welcomed rain. and then our friends in new england, we've had some showers that dove down on us last night. it's still wet from boston down to askcape cod. that will be clearing out for this afternoon. who has concerns for this afternoon and this evening barbecues? that will be texas and the middle of the country also additional chance of storms, denver, kansas city, st. louis, chicago to minneapolis. look at the east coast, though. it is absolutely gorgeous, from new york city down all the way to florida, back across the gulf. if you chose to go to your beach house or someone else's beach house or the hotel, you're happy with yourselves. >> and then there are those of us who chose to be here.

>> yes. i'm driving to the beach later, you and i, aren't we? >> i would love to, bill karins. >> you have baby duty later. >> yes, i do, every day, brother. >> right now ukrainian forces are reportedly launching air strikes, hoping to regain control of a key airport in the eastern part of that country. we are in kiev with what ukraine's president-elect says is his number one priority. >> and right now control of the l.a. clippers is in the hands of donald sterling's wife, shelley. but what happens next? our friend faith jenkins is here. we'll talk about that.

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we should don't allow to build up somalia-style objects, territorial objects which can be dangerous for the whole global security. >> that's chocolate tycoon petro poroshenko. he has been elected ukraine's next president. poroshenko promises to negotiate annd to the pro-russia insurgency in the east and also to start talks with moscow. it will not be an easy task. this morning more than 50 armed money claiming to be members of the donetsk people's republic took control of that city's airport leading to a fierce gun battle with ukrainian forces. e violence in ukraine. >> reporter: good morning. a very tense unfolding this morning. in donetsk this morning according to several forces we've been speaking to, armed gunmen belonging to the so-called people's republic of

donetsk stormed the airport there and demanded ukrainian troops stationed there leave the area and effectively give control of the airport to the separatists, but that led to a huge gun fight. according to sources we've been speaking to for the last several hours, it has continued to unfold. one source says he's heard heavy gun fire in and around the airport and a spokesperson for within of the security agency says there's counterterrorism operation under way to dislodge the separatists that have taken over the airport. nonetheless, it gives you an example of the kind of increasing lawlessness that has gripped the eastern part of the country. meanwhile here in kiev, authorities are quickly downplaying the significance of the fact that yesterday there was no voting taking place in the eastern part of the country that was prevented by these pro-russian separatists. the new president-elect, petro poroshenko, says that the majority of ukrainians went to

the poll, they elected him, he has a wide mandate and legitimacy to elect and he will tackle the issues and lawlessness going on in the country but he also plans to save the country's collapsing economy. he's asking the united states for help and the european union. a lot of people will be turning to him as the elected president as a stabilizing force to return to normalcy. craig? >> i want to bring in the professor of international studies. nina, thanks so much for coming by. what can we expect from petro poroshenko? >> we know he's a very good negotiator, we know he's a man

respected by many parties. vladimir putin, the russian president when poroshenko got elected or slightly before it was clear he would be elected, he said we do not need any mediators to talk to poroshenko, which is a very good sign. putin is saying he can talk to this man who has a very good reputation in business circles and a very good negotiator and also a man who has been in politics, in ukrainian politics for quite some time. i think that's why he got elected because he's not an extremist in any way. >> he's previously served in some pro-russian governments, has he not? >> yes, but being in a pro russian government when it was a legitimate government and was functioning in ukraine, that doesn't speak against you. in fact, i think that's why vladimir putin knows he can talk to poroshenko. also poroshenko was very big during the orange revolution when there was the first ukrainian revolution in 2004 and he was a great, great supporter of that. so he really distinguished

himself as a man who can speak very many political languages, but at the same time actually is a pro-western, although understanding that russia is a neighbor and needs to be can communicated with as well. >> what can we expect from him with regard to the obama administration and his relationship with the west? >> he speaks english, look at him, he already spoke english which is a very good sign. his nickname in ukraine is "the chocolate king", not a chocolate czar, which is a very western direction, not a russian direction. i think it's going to be a good relationship. >> it seemed like there had been a great deal of talk about the possibility of a runoff going into yesterday's election. he managed to capture more than 50% of the vote. what happened? >> well, i think that's exactly his ability to speak to very different parties and also i think ukraine is so tired. i mean, they've been at it since

november, and finally they really need a leader who can talk to putin, who can talk to obama, who can talk to the west and also respected by the ukrainians. i was talking to people in kiev and crimea in fact, some people actually took a bus to go -- ukrainians who went to ukraine to vote and they said that whatever the outcome, we're really tired of this disarray and we really would like ukraine to become a normal country. >> one of the story lines that i think has gotten a bit lost in part because of the violence and of course the elections yesterday, the economy in that country, i don't think a lot of folks fully appreciate how bad shape it's in. >> it is, but it was in bad shape for a long, long time. we didn't notice it, we didn't concentrate on it. one of the reasons the whole protest movement started in november was because vladimir

putin offered a great bailout for then president vic for yanukovych. the economy was in bad shape. it's almost like new york and bloomberg. the hope for this man is that since he's been such a great businessman that maybe he can then actually extend it to the whole ukraine proper. >> the world is watching. professor, thank you so much for coming by. >> thank you. >> up next, medal of honor recipient craig jacobs brings us the moving story of one veteran. but first a message from overseas. >> hello, from bagram airfield. i'd like to wish a happy memorial day to everybody back home. i'll see you soon. ups is a global company, but most of our employees

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a live look at arlington national cemetery this morning, hallowed ground where some of

this country's bravest men and women are laid to rest, as we take this day to remember our fallen heros, it is also a time to honor our veterans as well. colonel jack jacobs talked to a veteran of world war ii, its 70th anniversary is less than two weeks ago. >> reporter: memories of world war ii still haunt ed gorman. >> it's the time of the year that still gets to you. >> reporter: gorman was an army operator assigned to the joint signal corps. just 20 at the time, gorham and was among the 150,000 allied troops who took part in the normandy invasion. >> the rockets went off and the bombs started, the ships open fired. >> reporter: scared? >> oh, yeah, oh, yeah. but at the same time, you know,

so much going on. you don't have time -- you know. god bless you, you know. you don't have time to be scared. >> reporter: after coming under heavy fire and hitting a mine just offshore, gorman's unit finally made it to omaha beach. what did you see when you got ashore. ah -- phew. >> i've seen it, too. >> you know what it's like. you see it and at the same time you don't see it, if you know what i mean. because you are concentrating on your job and what has to be done. and as we were laying wire late dusk and into the dark, we were tripping as we were going and you look down and you saw what you're tripping over.

>> reporter: you weren't prepared for that, were you? >> no. no. that's when, you know, it was true life. >> reporter: the bloodiest fighting occurred at omaha beach, resulting in more than 2,000 american casualties. >> when they talk about a pool of red, you see a whole -- hundred yards of shoreline -- >> reporter: okay, you're talking to an old soldier, too, you know. >> you know, the spirit and the bravery of those kids, you just can't evaluate it. but we broke through. >> reporter: d day would be the turning point of world war ii, but gorman's heroism and service didn't stop when he retired from

the army. he's made it his mission to be an advocate for veterans. and gorman founded the blue star support group in wood bridge township, new jersey, helping military families. >> i call him my second father. >> reporter: a beloved member of his community. >> in the year 2014 to be staff sergeant edward gorman day. >> reporter: gorman is as humble as they come, a member of an elite group of veterans whose magnificent veterabravery serve world. >> i take my hat off to you. >> we all salute him. colonel gorman there, it was odd at first to see so much emotion after such a stretch of time, the fact that he still gets that emotional when he talks about what happened that day. what did him recapping those memories, what did that do for

you? >> well, i think the emotion get concentrated and more intense over time. you realize that you've made it through the last 50, 60, 70 years, as he has, and all of his buddies who didn't come back, they're forever frozen in time as 19 and 20-year-old kids. i think that idea, that concept makes it more difficult to deal with over time, not less. so time doesn't heal all wounds. and when i was talking to him, i was reminded of my father, who like he did when he got older told all the stories that he hadn't told when he was younger. and the two of them actually, though they didn't know each other, they were at the same post in the united states before they were shipped out. out of missouri near joplin, because my fathers was also a radio wire guy. my father went to the south pacific and ed gorman went to europe. never saw each other.

they were there at the same time, too. >> we don't talk about this a lot here, and i guess i'm going to put you on the spot. we always introduce you as jack jacobs, military analyst and medal of honor recipient. i don't know if a lot of our viewers and listeners know precisely how it was you came to get the medal of honor. would you mind -- >> i'm not going to talk about it. today we have this sophisticated electronic mechanism. >> you never talk about it on the air? >> no, no, i'd rather talk about ed gorham and and his generation. my generation and his generation, each had those who sacrificed so we could enjoy freedom. i'd rather talk about those guys. >> wednesday you're going to be at west point where you still teach, president obama is also going to be there. we have reason to believe the president is going to be using this opportunity, this

commencement address, to lay out a foreign policy vision, perhaps a new foreign policy vision, spend some time talking about some national security objectives well, the los angeles times saying "the white house has signaled for weeks has wanted to use the west point remarks to articulate foreign policy issues that are adrift. >> indeed most foreign policy speeches are imminent and forgettable. but this is a time for the president and place, too, because this is a nexus of education for the army. it may take this time to actually put some meat on what has really been a skeletonized approach to foreign policy. >> what would you like to hear

from the president wednesday? >> i would like to hear two things principally. number one, what are our national security priorities? not just scatter shots, saying we want to just take care of everything and be happy and safe but real priorities, which he may or may not do. he may not have even decided what his priorities are. and, second, just as important, having articulated what he wants to accomplish and this nation wants to accomplish, how we're going to do it in an era of vastly constrained resources. we're going into the next couple of years where we're going to have a military service that will be smaller, an army in particular, will be smaller than it was before the start of the second world war. how are we going to get all this stuff done, take care of ourselves and our allies in an era when there are threats worldwide, the threats are fragmented, they're everywhere, and we appear to be weak. >> colonel jack, thank you so much and i would encourage all of our viewers and listeners to go to the interwebs and google

jack jacobs. >> and we'll see wednesday what the president will have to say. we'll be broadcasting. >> that's right, you're reporting wednesday. we're getting our money's worth out of you. thank you and thank you to all our servicemen and women for their sacrifice. we'll be right back. this is msnbc. ♪ ♪ mine was earned in korea in 1953. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal.

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my mom works at ge. i missed you, too.ou. hi buddy. mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly support military appreciation month. with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served. there are new reports that billionaire steve ballmer, the former microsoft ceo is in talks to by the los angeles clippers. it's reported shelley sterling

met with ballmer yesterday afternoon. sources confirm that donald sterling will let his wife negotiate the sale of that team. here to help us untangle the latest developments, msnbc legal analyst faith jacobs. always good to see you. >> thank you. >> let's start with this move on friday, donald sterling ceding control to his wife. is this an attempt to avoid a protracted legal battle? >> i think that's what they hope. the sterlings, i'm sure they've looked at the ncaa constitution, they've hired a lawyer to look at it as well. if they believe a sale will take place and it's going to be them selling it or the nba selling it, it's just a matter of time and money and they want to get the most money they can. why not sell when you have as

asset that's at its greatest value. as long as the sterling name is attached, the asset is going to dimini diminish. why not get rid of it now. they're going to make a billion dollars off the sale of this team and go forward from there. >> you make some really good points and some stuff i haven't thought about. this is one thing maybe you can clear up. if they do get divorced and shelley sterling said she's going to divorce donald sterling, what then happens to the proceeds of the sale? >> i've heard people talk about if they start a divorce proceeding and if it could delay things. the way the nba looks at this, donald sterling is the primary owner of the team. if they take the team away from donald sterling, that will also terminate the interest of all other owners of the team. even if they go through a divorce proceeding, what's the end result? division of assets and division

of money. that's not going to stop the nba from selling the team in the interim. how they divide the money, let a divorce judge decide that but in the meantime the nba will go forward and sell the team. >> shelley sterling will still have a sliver of the team. >> she can get a portion of the proceeding but i don't think a judge will say she can't sell the team. a judge is looking at marital assets. >> shelley sterling could come out of this pretty nicely. >> they both are going to come out of this pretty nicely. they're going to make a lot of money. i've heard people say that not only is the team worth -- it could be worth more than a billion dollars. at the end of the day there is money to be made, craig. whether or not people like it, the sterlings are going to make money out of this. >> steve ballmer, an estimated

net worth of $20 billion. if they can secure a deal with him, it would seem they that an would make fair amount of sense in. >> it would make a fair amount of sense. the nba is done with the sterlings and adam silver has said that as well. they're looking for them to go forward, sell the team to someone else, get the team out of their name, everyone can go their separate way, there couldn't have to be protracted litigation and everything can be done. >> if ballmer buys it, we don't get the happy ending with magic johnson and oprah buying the team. >> that's another thing. if the sterlings sell it, they get to negotiate the sale price and they get to choose the person to sell the team to. why wouldn't the nba agree?

there are only so many billionaires to go around to buy the l.a. clippers. so there you go. >> appreciate the insight and perspective. thank you very much. today is the final day of the pope's visit to the holy land. we'll get the highlights from his trip and a report from jerusalem and we'll talk about the historic significance of this trip. oud honey! [ female announcer ] charmin ultra strong has a duraclean texture and it's four times stronger than the leading bargain brand. enjoy the go with charmin ultra strong.

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pope francis is winding up his historic three-day visit to the holy land where he's dealt head on with freedom and religious issues. a visit to the holocaust museum and he kissed the hands of a half dozen holocaust survivors. we have more now from jerusalem. >> reporter: pope francis is spending his last day in the holy land visiting the many

holwho will -- holy and hallowed. he met with two chief rabbis here and moved on to say a prayer in front of the western world before he placed a note in the wall with the spanish version of the "our father" written on it. then he went to visit the holocaust memorial. and that's where his trip took yet another unscheduled detour with the prime minister of israel benjamin netanyahu invited him to visit a memorial center for victims of terrorism nearby, which the pope accepted. and once there, netanyahu told him that the security barrier, the wall that separates the state of israel with the west bank was erected to prevent further terrorist attacks from taking place, clearly in response to the very strong and powerful symbolic gesture that the pope made yesterday in bethlehem when he stopped the pope mobile to pray in front of the separation wall right after a graffiti that said "free

palestine." the pope will travel back to the vatican later on today where in a month's time he will meet both the palestinian and israeli presidents whom he invited yesterday to the vatican for what he called an "encounter of peace." >> claudio, thank you. i want to bring in father thomas reese, senior analyst for the national catholic reporter and author of "inside the vatican, the politics and organization of the catholic church." thanks for being with me on this memorial day. during this three-day visit, the holy father faced a lot of potential f potential pitfalls as he waded into a host of controversies. among them he acknowledged, quote, the state of palestine. how do you have think it all went? >> i think it went very well. all the events on the schedule

went very well. and then when he went off schedule, he made news, he made history. this was a trip that was primarily to meet with the ecumenical patriarch and to move forward the whole effort of christian unity, but he was also there to encourage and give hope to the christians who were caught and suffering from extremists, both jewish extremists and muslim extremists, but he was also there to call for peace, the work for peace. and that extraordinary invitation that he made to the president of israel and the president of palestine to come to rome to pray together for peace. this was -- this was unscripted. this was a surprise to everyone. and the invitation was immediately accepted. and, you know, in his reaching out to the -- to israel, to the muslim community, all of it i

think went extraordinarily well. >> let's talk a little bit about the invitation as you indicated there, the invitation extended to the presidents of both. the real power of israel lies in the office of the prime minister. why not extend the offer to the prime minister of israel? >> well, i think this probably had a better chance of succeeding. frankly, you know, he's creative in his ideas but he's also pragmatic. this is a chance to get the two sides together. you know, he didn't say come to the vatican to negotiate peace, no. because that would have caused more problems. he said come to the vatican to pray together for peace. this is a first step. you know, and negotiations for people in the middle east need a lot of small first steps. i think this is an opportunity for them to come together. and then, you know, in a side

room they can have some discussions that they wouldn't normally have under any other circumstances. i think that's what he's looking for. >> father thomas reese, thanks as always, sir. >> absolutely. >> coming up -- >> i don't believe you have jurisdiction in this matter. >> i'm afraid i do, son. >> we're going to preview the latest "x-men" movie and take a look at the other hot move he's this summer prp entertainment editor chris witherspoon is here. first another message from our troops overseas who cannot be with their families this memorial day. >> from bagram, i want to give a memorial day shoutout to my family and friends, grace, taylor, i love you all. i can't wait to see you. to taki. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills.

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big news in the entertain memen and the music world as well i guess, kim kardashian and kayne west, they tied the knot in italy and extravagant weekend in europe tying the knot. and kimye as they are known were treated to a pre-wedding event at the versailles palace in froons and the main and the main event took place at a lavish event there. it is said that that is where they conceived their daughter. they are off to a four-day honeymoon, because next week, they have to get to another wedding, kayne west's stylist is apparently getting married. and for those of you who care about things, jay-z and beyonce not in italy at that wedding. more to come. we pivot now. another hollywood headline this weekend. x-men stormed the box office and

"days of future past" won big in the holiday weekend bringing in more than $90 million. and second is "godzilla" while the adam sandler and drew barrymore disappointed earning $14 million.are headed to the m this summer, you are not alone, because producers are try to outperform the $4.76 billion of last summer. and we are not going to talk about kim and kayne, and i know how much you want to talk about that, but let's talk about the summer movie season here, and what are the mo i movies that are a must-see? >> well, the x-men movie is incredible. with hugh jackman and halle berry and made already $260 million worldwide and doing really well in the box office. huge win, and besides that great

come disand "22 jump street" starring channing tatum and jonah hill that came out in 2012 did well and made $138 million in the box office and might do well here, and he helped to pen and write this movie, so it is a good movie and close to his heart and targeting the college demographic. >> i heard that the adam sandler and the drew barrymore movie was flat out awful. >> yes, and the audience did not buy into it, and now he does not have the loyal following, but he is getting projects green lit from warner brothers. >> and you can star in flop after flop, but the checks keep coming, and isn't that funny how it works. >> well, people will show up across the world to see his movies, but regardless of how they do here in the states, they will do big in the overseas so i think that it will go well overseas. >> and old school characters coming back. >> yes, "the ninja turtles." >> yes, i love the leo, and

donnatella and the gang. >> and what about this one? >> "malifice neshgs esh"malific" i saw it and it is dark and twisted, but it is p.g. and adults will love the movie and you can relate to the story line starring angelina jolie. >> and any getting oscar buzz? >> well, there is one that is a james brown bio-pic coming up august 1st about the godfather of soul, and the director of "the help" is going to be in this omovie as are viola davis coming back to star as the aunt, and chadwick bozeman who played in "42" and the jackie robinson

movie coming back to star in that, and he is starring in this movie as james brown and many folks are saying that this is the movie that he is going to be a household name because he is that good. >> thank you, chris witherspoon. up next, we will continue with news with richard lui, and the continuing of the laying of the wreath at the unknown soldier's tomb. keep it right here on msnbc. music stops ♪music resumes music stops ♪music resumes [announcer] purina pro plan's bioavailable formulas deliver optimal nutrient absorption. [owner] come on. [announcer] purina pro plan. nutrition that performs.

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[ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ live pictures from a beautiful morning at the tomb of the unknowns inside of arlington national cemetery. that is where the president and the first lady will participate in a program about an hour from now which we will bring to you life right here on msnbc. a very good morning to you on

this memorial day. i'm richard lui. the president will make those remarks from arlington just hours after he returned from a surprise trip from afghanistan early this morning where he met with the troops this weekend and promised to take care of them back home. >> and we will take care of the wounded warriors and the veterans -- >> all right. some technical difficulties with the audio there, and this comes as the outrage of the state of the veteran affairs continues to unfold. in this week's walt street journal senator john mccain said it is the height of shame and tragedy that on this memorial day the nation is seized with the unfolding scandal of the government to fail to meet its highest responsibility to veteran veterans and wounded warriors. and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general dempsey weighed in on whether eric shinseki

should step down. >> well, if the allegations are proven and i suspect some of them will, and you have to be held accountable. and rick shinseki has said they will. >> including him? >> yes, and at some point the chief executive, the chairman, whoever it is, they have to take responsibility for the entire organization and the performance. >> joining me is the first african-american female pilot in the marine corps whose father also served in the marines, and jack abrams who is also a retir retired military officer. and we have had technical difficulties with the audio, but the president said that we will help our wounded veterans and warriors heal, and it is a not just a promise, but a sacred duty. you say that your father served

in veietnam and received insufficient care from the v.a. leaving him paralyzed. what do you feel about what the president is saying and what is unfolding at the moment with the v.a. care? >> we are hearing what we have heard before that the veterans will be taken care of, and since especially the iraq and the afghanistan wars have been going on, we are seeing that, but what i want to see is money and resources put behind that with common since things like if someone is living in wyoming and three hours away from the medical care and they have an appoi appointment three times in a week, let them get get health care in their own community versus driving three hours one way. you know, we can do better. >> and when you say they should have to have the choice, i guess is what you are saying of care in their own area, are you suggesting then that there is a mix there of private/public as have been debated since this entire story developed? >> absolutely. if our health care system as it is right now standing with the

v.a. is not substantial enough to take care of the load of the millions of veterans with the addition of the recent ones along with the ones that we already have, then we need to make bridges with another system and up till we can get the v.a. more on board, period. >> we mentioned that your father had to get on the waiting list and there was that the delay of time, and do you make any relationship between his passing and that waiting list or they are not associated at all? >> you know, it is really tough. what i nknow for sure is if my dad had received the mri when he said he with was in excruciating pain, they would have done the radiation, and they would have found the tumors on the spine and able to give him the treatment well before he became paralyzed and went into the wheelchair. they know for sure, and now whether he would still be here today, and unfortunately, he was exposed to agent oorange back in vietnam and that is where the

cancers came from, but you know, adequate and timely care is huge. >> so, colonel, we have heard now, the story of captain vernice and her father, and what does the president need to do, because he is going to have a commencement speech wednesday, and should he cut this off and nip it in the bud and move on? >> well, i'd be surprised if he does not mention it, but he is going to mention it the same way he did in afghanistan saying that we have an obligation to take care of the veterans. what actually he is going to do is entirely, because remember, he can't do a great deal without the concurrence of the congress. at the end of the day, if you are going to give more money to anybody or anything, it has to be because the house and the senate appropriations committee agree that the money needs to be appropriated. i'm not convinced that any amount of money is going to fix

this. i like the idea of a public/private partnership and i certainly like the idea that in circumstances in which the veterans can not get the care in the interim at the veterans administration, and plenty of them who can't because of the geographic reasons and others that they need to be be permitted to go to their local do doctors to get treatment rather than get an appointment to get an appointment to get an appointment to be seen. that needs to be fixed, but we need to have a public/private partnership like we will find in medicare and medicaid. >> and thank you so much. we will have more coverage coming up as the president is expected to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns, and we will have complete coverage of that so stick around. joining me is congresswoman barbara lee, and i want to play a little bit of the president's weekly address.

listen to this, andly get your reaction. >> let's keep working to the make sure that the country uphold upholds the sake ret trust to the all who have served. in recent weeks we have seen again how much more the nation has to do to make sure that the veterans get all of the care they deserve. as commander in chief, i believe that taking care of the veterans and their families is a sacred obligation. >> congresswoman, you are a daughter orf a veteran, and when you think of this, do you think that the americans have full faith now that the administration is taking care of our veterans as best they can? >> no, the american public really understands now that first of all the v.a. is an archaic system structurally and needs to be reformed. the veterans deserve better. yes, i'm the daughter of a veteran who served in two wars, world war ii and korea. and let me tell you that the system has not been reformed. of course, the president has put more resources, congress has into the v.a., but it is

structural, systemic, and we need to really look at how to the reform this system so that our veterans don't have to wait. they will get the care they deserve, and they can move forward and go on with their lives. let me say that congresswoman jackie spear and myself for the last two years, we have held fix-it town meetings near the bay area, and the oakland office has a tremendous backlog and we have worked the veterans and hundreds and thousands of veterans and my office caseload is full of veteran disability cases and veterans trying to get in to get their medical care, and i have learn ed thed that t system through trying to help the veterans is just totally archaic and it needs to be restructured and reformed and this is the moment to do that so that this is never ever go g ino happen again. >> behind you as we look at the bay area, of course, we have the ft. point there so well known in the bay area, and that is where there is a v.a. hospital, too,

and when you think of the constituents go g ing to the hospital, and your father and his experience and how does that form your perspective on what needs to be happening right now, and what are they telling you? >> well, let me say it, it makes me double my efforts of what i can do as an appropriator the. in the last couple of years i have gotten language into the bill for the backlog and hoy to prioritize the cases that need to be prioritized quickly so that the veterans can get their treatment. so as a legislator, it is really informs the direction that i have to take in terms of the appropriating funds, and in terms of making this a priority. there have been so many cases that i have reviewed and i have to give you one example of how this system is broken. many veterans submit paperwork to the v.a., the medical records and oftentimes the v.a. loses them. then the burden is on the veteran to go xerox, mind you, their medical records once

again. they have to pay for that. and then take it back again to the v.a. where who lost it in the first place, and so there are cases like that that really just some structural reforms would help. first of all, diminishing and reducing the backlog and most importantly, making the veterans get the mental health care and health care they so deserve. >> thank you, congresswoman on this memorial day. >> thank you. and still ahead, we will talk about the deadly rampage in california which is already reigniting the gun debate. >> chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the nra. >> and is also opening up a powerful conversation on social media. show 'em the curve. ♪ do you know what this means? the greater the curvature, the bigger the difference. [sci-fi tractor beam sound] ...sucked me right in... it's beautiful.

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the chancellor of the university of california santa barbara declaring a day of mourning there after a stabbing and shooting rampage near the college campus. the suspect 22-year-old elliot rodger killed six people and wounded 13 others before taking his own life. investigators are combing through a 141-page manifesto written by the suspect called "my twisted world" and including social media posts that included an ominous warning on youtube account. >> tomorrow is the day of retribution, the day in which i will have my revenge against humanity. against all of you. >> nbc's joe friar joining us live from isla vista, california, and covering that story for us, and joe, as you know a lot of attention paid to elliot rodger and the relationship perhaps with the victims and his own roommates

who were a part of those who lost their lives allegedly stabbed by rodger and what do we know about how he knew them? >> well, yeah, we are learning more about that relationship. with one person who lives in the same building where the stabbing happened where they all live said that the roommates are actually selected and not hand chosen so that the suspect elliott rodger was selected to live with the roommates. at this point, we know that he also had tension with at least one of the roommates. earlier in the year, he reported one of them of stealing $22 worth of candles, and so there was tension. the three roommates who have been stab theed and killed have been identified. george chen, 19, and weihan wang and cheng yuan hong who were both 20, richard. >> and the non-roommates, if you will, that he focussed the anger, an unfortunately the tragedy in the end, he described in the man fifesto, and the vid,

descriptions of women at times blond women specifically. what do we know about the relationship of the other victims and rodger, himself? >> well, what we know is that after the stabbing happened, investigators say that he went to the sorority house here which he mentioned in one of the manifestos and on the alpha phi sorority house, and knocked on the door, but nobody answered and then he went inthe house, and killed two of the women there who were from a different sorority, and so those were the women victimized in the tragedy. >> of the college town that you know, and in the aer rea of the isla vista, california, la jolla, and it is idealistic sites across the country, and many of them had to mourn, and you were there, and tell us

about the tempo and the feeling that you saw there? >> yeah, they are really trying to support each other, and there was a mass last night at one of the chur canches here in isla vis tashgs and ta and the fathe we are looking for answers, but we don't have them yet. and then saturday night, thousands showed up for a powerful candlelight vigil. they marched down the street, and went into the park to spend at least an hour or two at the microphone sharing memories of the victims, and so they are leaning on each other, and tomorrow is a day of mourning and remembrance, and there is actually no classes at the college and a memorial service will be held in the afternoon. >> isla vista, california, our nbc's joe fryer, thank you. the shooting has sparked conversations across the kun coy in the now trending #yes all women and it is in response to disturbing misogynistic comments

by elliott rodd errodger and the posting which is reigniting the gun purchasing laws in this country. and now joining me is erica soto lamb and holly from the gree e owe.com. let's listen to this. >> why did chris die? he died because of irresponsible politicians and the nra. they talk about the gun rights. what about chris' right to live? when will this insanity stop? when will enough people say stop

this madness! we don't have to live like this! too many have died! we should say to ourselves, not one more! thank you. that's it. >> erica, not one more. and is there not going to be one more as the lawmakers redouble the efforts to help the cause? >> this is the objective of the organization that i work for, gun safety and moms demand action. it is no longer a urban problem, but it is a problem for all americans, and it is something that we see it, and we need to know as parents that when we send our children off to college, they are going to be soft. when we go to the movie theaters and church and shopping malls. gun violence is affecting all american americans and that is why we are asking all americans to vote with gun sense, and do more and ask the elected officials to help us from gun violence and keep the guns out of the wrong hands. >> and will this translate? >> yes, we are calling for no

more names. and more americans are hearing the call. these events are tragic, and the mass shootings account for the small amount of people who are killed with the guns in this country. everyday 86 people are killed and 8 or more of them will be teenaged, and we can prevent those deaths. >> and now, there is also yes all women which is something that has started online because of the tragedy? >> yes. it is connected to the response of people when you say that we really need to talk about the masculinity, and the men interject and say, not all men are rapists and not all men abuse women, but it is a response to say that not all men are abusive to men, but all women in the course of their lifetime have to deal with sexual harassment and assault and abuse. it impacts all women. one of the things that the case shows is that the mixture of the lethal misogyne which is the hatred of women which he

expressly expressed in the manifesto -- >> in times. >> yes, resulted in actual v violence. so we need to talk about mental health, an gun safety, but we have to talk about misogyne, because it is reinforced by the institutions, and he is not held accountable for the beliefs. so if he is expressing clearly that it is not a surprise to hisp friends and family that he has these feelings, and now why is that acceptable? why are we allowing him to go buy guns and not get the help that he really needs. >> yes. >> and the combination of guns and women is dangerous. i don't know if most people know that american women are 11 more times to be killed with a gun than women in any other developed country. >> two more times more likely to be the victim in a school shooting. >> most of the school shooting victims are women. >> women, and guns and mental health. >> yes. >> and certainly, that is a topic brought up since this case came about on friday. when you look at erika here, the issue of mental health, there

has been progress? >> yes, there has. my organization released a report on how to close the gaps of the national instant background system with people submitting records. the virginia tech shooter was able to buy a gun because he was not in the system, but since then, states have been pressured to submit the records, and we have tripled it, but still a dozen states who have submitted less than 100 records of those who are dangerously mentally ill. >> and where is this going to end up zerlina as we look at the pain that mr. martinez is going through? >> well, there is no political will to move the ball on gun safety right now, and we are in the election year, and the republicans are not going to act on any issue here, and if you are a democrat and someone who is sick and tired of people dying everyday of the senseless gun violence we need to turn out in november to make sure that the legislation is passed and

also, too, one of the things about the mental health that i want to make the point is that too often with white male shooters we blame it on the mental health, and we are not looking at the structural factors so misogyne and the women hatred is the core of the incident here, and we need to take it more seriously, and say, oh, there was something wrong with him mentally and it can't be fixed, because we can fix it. >> and legislatively, this is getting more attention in the last cycle as you both well know. thank you, both. and up next, the pope inserts himself into the collapsed middle east peace process. we have more on that unexpected move. and crowds are gather agent the arlington national scemeter here in anticipation of the president's speech coming up live right here on msnbc. it is time for the "your

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it is the final day of the h historic three-day pass by pope francis to israel. he visited the western wall, and the holiest place for jews to pray. we have more on the pope's visit to the holyland. >> pope fran scis is spending t last day in the holyland vis visiting the many holy and hallowed sites here in jerusalem. he went to visit tchief rabbis and met to say a prayer in front of the western wall before he placed a note in the wall with the spanish version of the "our father" written on it. and then he went to the holocaust memorial where the trip took yet another unscheduled detour with the prime minister of israel benjamin netanyahu invited him to visit the memorial center for

victims of terrorism nearby and the pope accepted and once there, netanyahu told him that the security barrier and the wall that separates the wall of israel with the west bank was erected to the prevent further terrorist attacks from takes place in addition to the strong and powerful gesture that the pope made in bethlehem when he stopped the pope mobile to pray right in front of the opposition wall to stop and pray in front of graffiti that said "free palestine." in a month time, the pope will be meeting with both the palestinian and the israeli presidents who he invited yesterday to the vatican for what he called an encounter of peace. claudio lavanga, jerusalem, nbc news. >> thank you. >> and now, the pro russian

rebels who seized the donetsk airport. and now the new president is go vow i vowing to begin negotiations with moscow. steve sedgwick sat down one-on-one with the newly elected president. >> it is not a question of the bilateral relationship of ukraine and rush sharks but it is -- and russia, but it is a question of the global security. the whole global security str k structure was destroyed, ruined, and that is our responsibility to keep the world stable and predictable. >> russia says it is ready for the dialogue with ukraine's new president. coming up, president obama surprises troops in afghanistan sunday, and today, he is paying tribute to the fallen at arlington national scemetery a half hour from now. we will take you live to remarks later. what are you doing? there's no dip in that bowl. they're new pringles tortillas. so good, they don't need dip.

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as you can see a beautiful day there in arlington national cemetery. the president and the first lady will participate in a brief wreath laying ceremony and the president will speak. that is going to be under way in less than half an hour and we will have that live right here on msnbc. the president arriving back in washington after honoring the troops in afghanistan though. the surprise visit to bagram sunday included e meeting with the top commanders. the president met with the top cia chief in the kabul who according to the washington post the white house mistakingly provided on a list to news organization organizations. peter alexander is joining us live from the white house. peter, good morning to you sh, has the white house mentioned anything about the disclosure that we mentioned? >> yes, it is a good question. both the white house and the cia

are not commenting here, and to give you a better understanding of how this went on. it is a list of the 15, 16 senior officials that the president was meeting with and briefed by in the visit, the four-hour visit to afghanistan the there, and sent out to the reporters sent out to the president, and distributed through what they call the pool reports sent out to 6,000 recipients total. this was a name that was not intended to be on there, and it appears that the white house followed up, and that name was then missing from the list. it is obviously concerning given that this is according to the washington post the highest ranking spy in afghanistan. you will remember in pakistan, there was a time when the last three station chiefs have been exposed. one of whom had to get rushed out of the country, because he was the target of death threats there, and nbc news is not reporting the name nor are most media organizations given the high nature of the security situation here. >> and peter, another thing that we need to talk about is that

the president was in afghanistan and did he have the chance to speak with the outgoing president hamid karzai? >> it is a good question, but no, he did not have a chance to visit with him in person, but however we are told that the president on the way out of afghanistan spoke to 15 to 20 minutes according to aides to hamid karzai, and of course, the white house says that the visit is about troops and american troops and not politic, and they are in the middle of a big runoff between the two men who were fighting to replace hamid karzai, and this is significant, richard, because the white house, the administration, really, they are wait foing fore afghan leadership to sign what is called the bsa, the bilateral security agreement, and they have to sign that which deals with the relation shi of the u.s. to afghanistan in terms of the troops staying there, and until that is signed, there is going to be a limited number of troops there until the end of

2014, and so until both men who say they will replace karzai say they will sign a limited agreement with the u.s. and of course, peter will be around in the next hour, so stick around for his next repor report. and now, the president reaffirm ed th reaffirmed that the care of the veterans and the families are a solemn dedication. and he drew a roar from the crowd when he said that -- >> well, okay. still some technical difficulty with that, and of course, we will get that piece of sound for you later. join g joining us now is chris kofinas and strategist joe watkins, and under george h.w. bush that he served for. and joe, let me start with you, watching the president taking part in the traditional memorial

day services, and we have been showing you live pictures, and this is in the backdrop of the v.a. scandal, and did the trip to the afghanistan help him to get in front of the issue? >> well, it shows great courage to meet with the troops where they are, and i think that it is a really is always a boost for those troops to see the commander in chief in person. so i think that is the case. we are guards to the scandal, we are still finding out what happened. i think that the president has been wise to not move in the knee-jerk fashion. i don't think that the way that you handle the scandals is by immediately firing the secretary. if you look at general shinseki, he has had a great record with the exception of this. he has lowered the homelessness of the veterans by 20%, and so i think that you have to hold accountable at the end of the day, the people responsible for what happened certainly with the falsifying of the records, but you don't start by firing out the secretary. you have to find out what happened first. >> well, paul wyckoff who was on

the "today" show this morning, and he had this to say. >> extremely frustrating. our members are outraged nationwide and they have lost faith in the v.a. and secretary shinseki and the president. he has to work hard to regain the faith of the millions of veterans who depend on the v.a. it is crossing lines like i have never seen before. the president took too long to get to this. >> so what does he need to do here, chris? he has the speech today that he is going to do at arlington cemetery, and then wednesday at west point, and all of america is going to be watching the comments, and according to the recent poll of nbc, 45% of wants shinseki gone? >> well, to be honest, i'm not shure that the speech -- he is going to acknowledge it obviously, but that is not where most people are looking for in terms of action. the president, you know, clearly an investigation launched at the direction of the president, but

depending how quickly they get done, and my hope is very quick ly will determine who is immediately held accountable. but this is, you know, this is one of those dangerous issues that a president faces that crosses the partisan lines there. is real outrage out there among people, and it is not democratic or republican, because people rightfully have a special place in their hearts for the sacrifice that yvette rans make, and the fact that they have been mistreated or worst at the v.a. is deeply troubling. so i think that the president is being methodical about it, but the time is ticking of how quick ly he needs to response in a forceful way and that depends how quickly the study is done and the investigation. >> but chris, about the democrats specifically, because as we go through the midterms, it could be a touch point for the republicans of the candidates they are up against. >> sure, the republicans try to politicize it, of course sh, an

that is not surprising, but the difference here is that the problems with the v.a. have been endemic for decades. it has been better in many respects under general shinseki, but there are real structural ish republicans will try to politicize this -- >> i don't believe they will. >> but it is dangerous to politicize in an election the care of veterans. they think that can come close to the line. >> for me, it is not a political issue. you don't try to win cheap points by beating anybody up when something like this happens, you try to get to the bottom of it to fix it and make sure that no more americans who served our country die, and so we want to find out what happened, and make sure that the people that did, that made bad mistakes are held accountable, but this is not a matter of going out wildly and then pointing the finger at the democrats or trying to beat up the president. we want to make sure that the brave men and women who serve this country get the justice they deserve, but we want it in

a thoughtful and intelligent way and fix the problem more than anything else. >> and both of you can agree on that statement. thank you both on this memorial day. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. and in 20 minutes or so, president obama is expected to lay a wreath at the tomb of the en knowns, and we will have a complete coverage of that. and up next, the travel season has officially begun. we will have the insider guide of where you want to be vacationing. and what are the must-see movies of the summer? our picks are next. side by side. but... chocolate is my other favorite... oh yeah, and frosted! what's your most favorite of all? hmm...the kind i have with you. me too.

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live pictures on this memorial day of wrightsville, north carolina. the beaches are sunny and 81 degrees. memorial day is the official kickoff to summer and you can tell i was going there myself. and it also kicks off the summer movie season. and with us is kim serafin from

"in touch weekly" and wendy, what are some of the deals that you are seeing out there? >> well, the top destination this summer in the u.s. is myrtle beach, south carolina, and modesto, florida, ocean city, maryland -- >> well, why those places? >> well, destin is on the emerald coast and as close to white sand beaches, and it is the closest to white sands in the united states. the water is emerald green. >> stop talking, all right. >> you are there already in your dreams. and myrtle beach is a great family vacation, and golf and the boardwalk and ocean city, maryland, has a three-mile boardwalk and salt water taffy and all of the stuff that you love. >> well, thank you for joining us here on msnbc, and that is

going to wrap it -- no, kidding. but kim, take me outside of the united states. oh, movie -- why did i do that? my mind was really, really gone. >> this man is other worldly, so i could talk about that. >> and well, okay, let me come back to wendy, because my executive producer is saying, come back, richard. she is talking about the movies, and wendy is talking about travel. >> yes, inside of the united states, because there are places in europe and asia. >> save me. >> and there are great places of value for the money, and lisbon, portugal, and so many great airfares to dublin and it depends what you want to do. >> well shgs, i was gone for a d there with the vacation iing.

and now, over to kim talking about the movies. she the seep your ed for for "in touch weekly" and thank you for smiling and going with me. let's talk about "x-men" the new sequel is out, and i am looking forward to it, and we are seeing new "captain america" and spider-man" movies as well? >> yes, this one will make $1010 million by the end of the week -- $110 million by the end of the weekend. and the comic book has been around for many years, and this is bringing in jennifer lawrence, and so many a-list actors in the movie, from the earlier films and the later films, past and present, and if you have not seen it, go see it, because it is one of the best "x-men" movies as well. >> and the sequel to "jump

street 21" and so many more. >> and it is too bad that the adam sandler and the drew barrymore movie did not do well. but it is going to be amazing to see "million ways to die in the west" is the seth mcfarlane movie, and this going to be interesting, because "ted" did really, really well, but it did not have seth in front of the camera, but it is going to be interest, because he stars in the movie and plays a cowardly farmer, and he has charlize therri theron in it. and "jump street 22" and channing tatum and jonah hill go back to college again as a jock and art history major, and this is going to be a funny movie to see. >> yes, and "jump street" taking us way, way back in the machine.

thank you, kim serafin. >> thank you so much. and on this memorial day, those who care for the wound ed warriors and the president remembers the fallen at the tomb of the unknowns. in a moment, we will have live coverage of his remarks coming up. ugh. heartburn. did someone say burn?

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life pick can churs frchurs arlington scemetery. today is a day to pay tribute to the unsung heroes and those who care for the servicemen and women after the return home. right now, there are an estimated 5.5 million military caregivers in our nation. joining me now is leyla mcdowell washington correspondent for arise tv and pamela stokes

eggleston who is a part of the blue star family caregivers. i want to start with you, pamela, your husband did two tours in iraq and in the second tour he was hit with an ied and he had to undergo 60 surgeries and returned with ptsd, and i read in leyla's piece that you suffered secondary pstd, and can you describe the care for your husband? >> yes, many difficulties and i'm interested in looking at the difficulties and using them as a soundingboard. from the darkness you go into the light. i'm interested in looking at the present moment. my story is the here and now, today. through the hardships of my husband's pstd and traumatic brain injury, i developed secondary pstd, but i want to see how i can help my fellow

military family care givers to take better care of themselves. that is the point to take care of self-care and self-preservation is paramount in taking care of others, and your wounded warriors, and so i like to use yoga, and i work with my organization called yoga to sleep. i also developed the caregivers em p empowering caregivers experience through my hardships and challenges and blessings as a veteran care giver. >> and pamela, you have heard the critics who are saying that perhaps the v.a. should be privately run, and as a care giver yourself, what needs to change? >> well, i -- that is a great question, and i'd like to state that my husband's benefits with the v.a. and my working with the v.a. have been absolutely fantastic. i think that when you have any type of bureaucracy and when you are dealing with people in any situation that you are going to have ups and downs, and i'm

interested in moving on to the present moment, and interested in the positive proactivity as i like to call it, so in looking to move forward we have to look to the solutions and not blame and address the issues with the wounded warriors and the military caregivers. >> leyla, you spoke with the other military caregivers and one woman that you spoke with said this quote -- the biggest challenge is working with the overworked v.a. staff who makes mistakes. jason was on a medication with the wrong instructions on it causing him to the sleep all day and it took weeks of arguing to get it fixed. of the care givers that you spoke with, what were some of the situations that you learned about? >> well a lot of them talked about the overworked staff which they said argues for more resources for the v.a., and the other problem for these care givers is that most programs whether they are nonprofit, privately run or public when they deal about the veterans

they don't think about the h hidden caregivers and in particular the post-9/11 caregivers who are dealing with the traumatic brain injuries or the ptsd, and there are thousands of cases of those, and it creates specific hardships for them, and they do develop the secondary ptsd and four time times at risk for depression. many of them lose money, and wages and a good two-thirds of them work because a vast majority the are under 30, but they lose work and money, because they are caring for the loved one and lose their job. they are asking for income supports and for the programs that provide the services for the veterans, to think about providing services for caregivers. >> thank you, both, for stopping by today. >> thank you. >> thank you for having me. >> that does it for me. i'm richard lui, and craig melvin is taking over from here

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[ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ you are looking live right now at arlington national s cemetery where president obama is about to the lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns on this memorial day. we are expecting to hear from the president within the half hour. mr. obama just returned this morning from afghanistan where he surprised the troops on the fourth trip as commander in chief. he was at bagram airfield four hours yesterday. i'm craig melvin and americans today, it is about remembering those who served and died our nation in the armed forces. the president and the first lady will pay tribute at the tomb of

the unknowns and laying a wreath. we will show you that. before that, this morning, they hosted a breakfast at the white house, and peter is at the white house to join us. tell us about that. >> well, he had a chance to thank those who were serving in afghanistan and this morning he thanked those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and visiting the families and this is a tradition. the white house aides said that the president insisted that he would be back to participate in this event as he did earlier today. the president as he arrives in arlington national cemetery will make the remarks at the memorial amphitheater at arlington national cemetery, and this is against the backdrop of the scandal and the controversy surrounding the v.a. situation right now and the potential mistreatment or misconduct within many of the hospitals

across this country. the president may or may not allude to the it specifically, but we know that the vice president may have in a short time ago as we heard from vice president joe biden who chaired an event said that the president has many obligations, but we only have one sacred obligation which is to care for the service members and to use the language to make sure we get it right, he said that we are behind right now, and we have to get to the bottom of this, and obviously, a backdrop that the administration is uncomfortable with, and a lot of people believe it goes to the heart of the criticism of the administration right now which is their competency to help big government serve americans and certainly on the day like this, there are a lot of questions to know just how well this government, and this adm administration is able to make the family members serve on behalf of this country. >> and peter, stay with me for a few moments as we await president obama to lay that

wreath. mr. obama last night in afghanistan did not mention the v.a. scandal specifically, and as you noted, we do not of course expect him the talk about it right now at this particular event, because it is not the venue for it, but wednesday, the speech he is going to be makein at the commencement speech at west point, at any point what to expect from president obama with the regards of the national security or the foreign policy doctrine being laid out there? >> yes, craig. the aides have said that in the quote to the use their language coming days we will hear from the president about the second term foreign policy for this administration. they will likely lay out the details of what the plan is going forward in afghanistan. right now roughly 32,000 or so american troops are still serving in afghanistan. the white house is really waiting or hopeful that one of the two individuals in afghanistan in the runoff to take place there june 14th will sign what is referred to as the

bsa, the bilateral security agreement, which is basically going to allow for the u.s. to leave a residual force in afghanistan if necessary. it appeared that during the president's trip that he dropped a hint that it appears to be what the white house or the president's goal is which is to leave in his language, a limited number of troops in afghanistan which would seem to rule out the idea of that zero option that the u.s. had been threatening in some of the toughest moments in the relationship with the current president hamid karzai in that country who is staunchly opposed to extended presence of the american troops in afghanistan. >> we should note here that president obama has arrived at arlington national we are told, so we are expecting the laying of the wreath to happen at any moment. pete alexander at the white house, and stay tuned for us. i want to bring in colonel jack jacobs, and also msnbc

contributor coming in as well, so thank you both for coming in this morning. walk us through the laying of the wreath and walk us through what the ceremony means to the folks who are there and those who are watching? >> well, the highlight of the ceremony is the president's laying the wreath at the tomb of the unknowns, and subsequent to that, the playing of "taps." it is extremely moving, because you are at the top of the hill overlooking the large majority of the cemetery where thousands upon thousands of gallant men and women have been laid to the rest. for many of us who have attended that ceremony many times in the past, a lot of these people are friends of ours. people we knew years ago and people with whom we served and people who fell in our company, and for many other of us, our

relatives who also served. it is a short ceremony, but it is very, very moving. it does not matter how many times you have seen it or been there, it never fails to move you. after the laying of the wreath, then there is some very short remarks, and i don't know whether they will do it before or after the sar mceremony this, but short remarks by the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. >> general dempsey. >> yes. and some others. the secretary of defense will also speak for about four or five minutes, but the real highlight of the ceremony is the laying of the wreath and the playing of "taps." >> and we saw, patrick murphy, a shot there of general shinseki taking his place to preparing for the sceremony there, and as peter indicated all of this happening today against the backdrop of the scandal that we continue to talk about, the va

scandal. what is the most immediate action, patrick murphy, the most immediate action that you might expect on the hill when all of the members of congress get back to work? >> okay. the most immediate action is to make sure that if there is one veteran who is waiting over 14 days to see a primary care physician, that person is called and put in touch with a doctor they can see right away, whether it is to the v.a. or through the private sector. jeff miller, the chairman of the house veteran affairs committee has written a letter offing that as part of the solution. general shinseki or secretary shinseki now announced that they will have these public/private partnerships expanding that friday. so you will see the execution of that in a treeage moment. them they are going to go after and into the investigation of whoever was cooking the books in this instance, that they are

held accountable. as you know the director of the phoenix v.a. was suspended. the head of the veteran health administration has been asked to resign. he has. and so heads are beginning to roll, and general shinseki is doing the face-to-face audit with every facility to make sure they are getting on top of it. >> as we wrap up here, our conversaticon v versatio versation, it appears that i saw president obama in the background, but when we see the president approach, we will stop talking so that we can hear the parade of colors, and we can also hear the music. >> craig, can i mention something real quick? >> go ahead, patrick. >> colonel jack is right about the solemn moment, a nd after te ceremony, president obama will probably go to shing 60 where the iraq and the afghanistan veterans who were killed in action are buried and kquietly,

but he goes there. and that is what you will see off camera. >> and we can see the first lady michelle obama walking in, and also vice president joe biden and his wife, jill, making their way. and as well to the their positions. there is secretary chuck hagel, and we expect to hear from him toward towards the end of the ceremony as well, but all of, this of course, it is all going to start with the actual laying of the wreath by president obama at the tomb of the unknowns. colonel jack for folks who are not nfamiliar with the tomb, wht is it? >> the remains of veterans of each of our wars, and none of whom could be identified or in that tomb. the only remains in that tomb that are not -- that are identifiable are those of the war in vietnam where we could identify, but the previous wars, all of those remains are unidentified. i think that on the tomb, my

recollection is here lies the remains of an american soldier known but to god or something similar to that. and this holiday used to be decoration day. it started right after the civil war so that we would not forget the sacrifice that people made to keep the union together. >> there is the commander in chief, and president obama making his way now. let's listen into the bit of the memorial day program here. >> present. >> present. >> arms.

♪ [ playing national anthem ] ♪ [ playing "star spangled banner"

♪ >> order. >> right shoulder. >> present. >> present.

[ no audio ] [ drum corps ] ♪ [ "taps" ]

♪ >> order. >> right shoulder.

[ no audio ] all right. you saw the laying of the wreath there, colonel jack, and now we see the dais making their way to where they will be making the speeches, and we should say that your memory is fantastic, because while you were watching

it, we pulled it and on the white sarcophagus "here rests in american glory a soldier known only to god." that is what is etched on the tomb of the unknown soldier. >> if you look at the tomb from where the president was, it stares you in the face, and you can't take your eyes off of it. it is really very moving. and that tomb is guarded day and night, rain or shine or snow by the old guard who march slowly back and forth and the changing of the guard as the same in other places like this, but you can get up there, and go up there to see it, and you marvel at the really solemn, and i know it sounds like the oxymoron solemn pageantry, but it is. >> that is a very accurate way

to describe it. folks who have not been to the arlington sem mare may not know the bit of history that i learned from you and perhaps i sho u should have paid more attention to it in school, but the land of the cemetery itself, the land on which it rests. >> at the top of the hill overlooking everything is the old custus estate that he got from his wife, and he put it together after the civil war, and i mean, he fought for the confederacy, because he viewed himself first and foremost as a son of virginia. and was crushed by the loss of his piece of property as he was almost anything else. >> patrick murphy, as we watch all of this unfold here, and we get ready for some remarks here from the chairman of the joint

chiefs of staff, and the defense secretary and president obama, himself. one of the things that in addition to being struck by the solemnness of all of this, here is a holiday that so many people have the cookouts and go out and the boats and crack the beers, but this is really what is it about. >> it is really what it is about, craig. you are absolutely right. i know that similar ceremonies are happening all over the nation, and i was at one on the 24th and ashton street in philadelphia, and that is memorial for patrick warner who i was named after who was killed in action in vietnam in 1969, and i know several of them across the nation, but there in arl arlington is the crown jewel, and as colonel jack said that after the civil war, general

ulysses s. grant and general lee really began that solemn tradition, and over 400,000 interments at arlington national ceremony and you know down nearby is the eternal flame for president kennedy as well. >> i just got some sound in from vice president joe biden. vice president biden and again, an hour or two ago, and he made some comments or remarks about the v.a. scandal to a certain extent, and we want to play what the vice president just said a few moments ago and then we will talk about it. >> before every other obligation that exists in this country is to equip those of you who we send in for harm's way is to care for you when you come home and your familyies. we are behind right now. the v.a. is having problems, and we have to get to the bottom of it. we have to get to the bottom of it, and it is true that we

vastly expanded the eligibility of the v.a. going all of the way back to my generation of vietnam veterans and agent orange, but it is not a reason for any misrepresentation along the line. >> vice president joe biden in what we think are some of the first comments that he has made specifically about this v.a. scandal, and again, those comments were coming an hour or two before the ceremony at arlington national. colonel jack, a great piece in the washington sentinel talking about how the scandal is in more than a chickens coming home the roost, because it is something that has been brewing at the department of veteran affairs for decades. is that true? >> yes. the original idea was to take care of the veterans when we had lots and lots of veterans and every family had made some contribution to the evident of

defend ing t defending the country, and we did not have any of the medical systems that we currently have like medicare and medicaid. the medical establishment wasn't as sophisticated as it is now, and we felt the obligation to take care of the veterans and to keep taking care of them as long as we could do so in an environment in which nobody else could take care of them. things are changing now, and we have a much larger group of veterans now, and we have been franchised as the president said. an enormous group of people going all of the way back to the vietnam war and exposed to agent orange and ptsd and so on, and the bureaucracy, itself, is incapable of handling this load. i question whether or not it is ever capable of handling the load which is a separate issue altogether. there are two issues here, you know, one is the malfeasance that the vice president is suggesting is being investigated and the second overall e question of how do we deliver the best medical care that we can to the veterans.

>> you sound somewhat cynical about the agency's ability to do that, period, regardless of the manpower or the money or the resources at the disposal, and is that accurate? >> i think it can't. i really do. i have watched it myself, and i was a part of the v.a. establ h establishment myself. once you are over 40, and almost 50 years now, i am surprised that it cannot do what it is striving to do and what it is supposed to do, i don't believe it is capable of it. >> we will take a break and have more of the ceremony, and congressman murphy, we will come to you on the other side of the break to get some e remarks from you, and the president is expected to make some remarks at arlington cemetery, and when we have that, we will bring it to you live right here on msnbc. do you know what this means? the greater the curvature, the bigger the difference. [sci-fi tractor beam sound] ...sucked me right in... it's beautiful. gotta admit one thing... ...can't beat the view.

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but before the president takes the podium, we will hear from defense secretary chuck hagel and we will hear from the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general martin dempsey, and we will listen in, and right now, this is the chaplain, chaplain michael brainyard right now sh now, and he is a command chaplain with the united states military. >> and may give comfort to those who continue to grieve, almighty god, let them know that their loved one did not die in vain, and that we will never ever forget. lord, help us now as we recommit our lives to the service of the great nation, and to all of the brave men and women with who proudly serve in uniform, especially those in harm's way this date. let them know that they are not alone. we, your people, ask these thing s in your holy name, amen. >> amen. >> please join the united states navy band in singing our national anthem.

♪ ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪

♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave? ♪ please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, general dempsey. pla [ applause ] >> thank you, very much. mr. president, general haigle, secretary shinseki, veteran rans

and families and those victims of the fallen soldiers and especially those survivors of the good grief camp. everyday, but especially on memorial day arlington's gentle rolling hills remind us that on this hallowed ground that so much history and so much valor rests. looking out on the gleaming white headstones i am reminded of a seldom sung stanza of the ball lard "america the beautifulf" and it goes, oh, beautiful for patriot dreams, our alabaster's dream ungleamed by tears. here in arlington and other cemeteries around the world, we honor the patriot dreams of america's sons and daughters, those who were willing to fight in every climb and in every place and who were willing to

risk and give their lives for our nation's ideals. here, we remember, we grieve, but we are also inspired, because here, we celebrate the timeless strength of america, undimmed by human tears. we know that we are a better nation for the sacrifice of the men and the women who served. memorial day gives us, the living, the chance to bow our heads and honor the fallen heroes, and with we remember their devotion. we respect their dedication to the national purpose. to secure the blessings of liberty and it is the responsibilityf a grateful nation to look back and incumbent to also look forward. america's sons and daughters are out there, still, today, on the frontiers of the common dense. they are in afghanistan and on mountains and plains around the world. they are across the shining seas, and they are in the spacious skies. in the footsteps of generations before, they will marshall the day with courage and commitment

to make a difference for each other, for us, and for people they have never even met, but with whom they share a dream of a better future. i am inspired each and everyday by the men and women of the uniform and their sense of purpose and character. they represent the best of the great country, and on this memorial day, let us remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice thor this -- sacrifice for this great nation, and stand firmly for those who protect her, and rededicate ourselves for the ideals of the freedom and the ideals of the country, and it is patriot ideals that are undimmed by shedding tears. and may god grace those who have fallen on behalf of this great nation. ladies and gentlemen, listen now as the united states navy band performs "america the

beautiful". ♪ ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪

♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ for purple mountains' majesty above the fruited plain ♪ ♪ america america ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪

♪ ♪ o beautiful for pilgrim feet ♪ ♪ whose stern impassioned stress ♪ ♪ a thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness ♪

♪ america america ♪ ♪ god mend thine every flaw ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ america america ♪ ♪ america

[ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, secretary hagel.

>> thank you, good morning. mr. president, mrs. obama, vice president biden, dr. biden, s secretary shinseki, general dempsey, major general buchanon, ladies and gentlemen, first, i want to acknowledge and add my welcome to the families of our military men and women who are here today and who are watching this all over the world. i want to particularly welcome the families of the fallen who are here with us this morning. we admire you. we are grateful. we will never forget your sacrifice sacrifices and the sacrifices of your loved ones. ladies and gentlemen, i very much appreciate the opportunity to be here sh, to be here this

morning in this place, as we observe this very sacred, very sacred day in america, memorial day. we gather to remember those who sacrificed everything in defense of our nation. this memorial day has a special meaning, given that next week marks the 70th anniversary of the d-day landings at normandy, and a day that perhaps was america's bloodiest day in all of world war ii. a day with more than 10,000 allied casualties. such a staggering toll is difficult to comprehend. as we commemorate the fallen, i think of the wisdom and the humility of our then supreme allied commander dwight d. eisenhower. not long after the first anniversary of d-day, he said that any battlefield commander, no matter how accomplish ed or

celebrated he might be would sadly face the fact that his honors cannot hide in his memories the crosses mark iing e resting places of the dead. they cannot soothe the anguish of the widow or the orphan whose husband or father or son or daughter will not return. when general eisenhower spoke those words, our nation and the military were approaching a period of great transition. victory had been achieved in europe, and the war would end in the coming months, soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines were coming home, and getting on with their lives and our country began to ask itself, where do we go from here? today as we conclude 13 years of war, the long nest the h-- the our history, america is approaching another period of transition. as always, these times of change and uncertainty require exceptional leadership.

they e demademand leaders who a strong in the face of challenges, who are wise in the face of complexity, who are prudent in the face of uncertainty and who are as humbled as the courageous individuals they lead. our commander in chief is one of those exceptional leaders. the president was in afghanistan less than 24 hours ago. and on behalf of all of our military men and women and their families across the world, i want to the thank him in his personal commitment to those deployed in harm's way. ladies and gentlemen, i'm honored the introduce to you now t the president of the united states. >> thank you, thank you. thank you, thank you so much. please, be seated.

thank you, secretary hagel for your introduction and for your lifetime of service. from a young army sergeant in vietnam to our nation's 24th secretary of defense. vice president biden, jill, chairman dempsey, major general buchanon, patrick helman and chairman branniard, and to the men and women around the world, and to the outstanding veterans and most of all to the gold star families here to remember the loved ones that you have lost, michelle and i are humbled and honored to commemorate this memorial day with you. every year this ceremony marks another page in the life of our nation.

this year in particular as we recognize the 150th anniversary of this holy space, arlington national cemetery. 150 years ago, war raged on hillsides and farmlands not far from where we gather today. the nation ill-prepared for war found itself overwhelmed with the task of burying so many of its sons. so we declared upon this hill, a final resting place for those willing to lay down their lives for the country that we loved. on a spring day in 1864, private wi william crisman of pennsylvania was the first american to find

eternal rest on these grounds. over that century and a half, in times of war, in times of peace, americans have come here. to pay tribute not only to the loved ones who meant the world to them, but to all of our heroes known and unknown. here in perfect military order lie the patriots who won our freedom and saved the union. here, side by side lie the generals who defeated fascism and laid the foundation for an americ american. and here lie those who fought in vietnam and won a long twilight struggle against communism, and here in section 60 lie the men and women who gave their lives to keep our homeland safe over

more than a decade of war in iraq and afghanistan. earlier this morning, i returedd from afghanistan, and yesterday i visited with some of the men and women serving there, 7,000 miles from home. for more than 12 years, men and women like those i met with have borne the burden of the nation's security. now, because of their profound sack sacrifice, because of the progress that they have made or so we are in a pivotal moment. our troops are coming home. by the end of the year, our war in afghanistan will finally come to an end. [ applause ] and yesterday at bagram and here today at arlington, we pay

tribute to the nearly 2,200 american patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice in afghanistan, and we will honor them always. today in small towns across america in cemeteries throughout our kcountry and around the word and here on these solemn hillsides, the families of our fallen share stories of the lives they have led. our hearts ache in their absence. but our hearts are also full, full in knowing that their legacy shines bright in the people that they loved the most. throughout unimaginable loss, these families of the fall en

have tapped a courage and resolve that many of us will never know, and we draw comfort and strength from their example. we draw strength from the promise of their children. today michelle and jill are with 200 brave boys and girls whose parents gave everything they had in service to the country, and they were mothers and fathers like staff sergeant michael cardanis who gave his life in afghanistan four years ago. the years since have been hard for michael's family, and yet with the love of their mother, his three daughters have displayed a strength long beyond their years. the old over the three is a mentor to other children who have lost their parents. mary elise, the middle girl, was

used to her dad carrying her everywhere and now as the older sister, she shepherds mariano who is just learning what it is for her dad to have served the country. the three children are here today, and we say to you and all of the courageous children that your parents' bravery lives on with you. you will never walk alone. your country will be there to help you grow up into the young men and women that your parents always knew that you would be, and this is our pledge to you. [ applause ] we draw strength as well from the love of the spouses of the fallen. sergeant first class joseph gant was a young man, but already a

veteran of world war ii when he met clara edwards on a train he headed to california. he spent two years courting clara before she finally agreed to marry him. then when joseph deployed to korea, he told his young wife to remarry if he didn't come back. she told him no. she had a hard enough time to getting her to say yes in the first place, and he had wait ed two years for her, and she would wait for as long as it took for him to come home. when joseph went missing in action, clara waited. she waited 63 years. meanwhile our country continued to work to bring home the missing from all of the wars and then last december, last december, his remains finally

identify identified, joseph returned home to be laid to trest. clara never remarried in the 63 years, and now 96 years old, she was there to welcome him home, and we are honored to have clara gant here with us today. clara. [ applause ]

we also draw strength from the parents who have given their sons and daughters to america. earlier this year in my state of the union address, i spoke of the remarkable story and grueling recovery of sergeant first class cory rimsberg who was severe lly injured by a massive roadside bomb. and as he stood there in the balcony, it reminded the nation of how blessed we are to be protected by patriots like him. but that is only part of the store ri. today, i want to close with the story of cory's brother in arms, roberto sanchez, who was killed by that same explosion. rob was not a big guy, but his mother wendy remembers that he was larger than life. always surrounded by friends and melting hearts with the devastating smile.

rob admired the army from a young age, dressed up as a soldier the first time he went out for halloween and for many halloweens after rearranged gi joes on his bedroom floor. when he watched the twin towers fall that awful september day, rob found his calling to serve his country. a proud army ranger who took care of his fellow soldiers just as he did his own family. he would tell wendy, mom, i'm your superman. in october of 2009, rob was on his fifth deployment and rob and cory were finishing a mission with their fellow rangers in kandahar. that's when the bomb went off. that's when this american family made a sacrifice, the depth of which few of us will ever truly

comprehend. in the years since wendy has dug deep to get strength to live without rob. she finally met cory, sharing their memories of rob. she runs half marathons and she and her husband pour their hearts into raising their youngest son logan who wants to be just like rob, which knows she'll probably send another son in the military service. today she's watching from home near indianapolis in an mesh that has been made safe by those like her son. she's reminded although he's going, he'll always inspire her and always be her superman. for the parents who have lost a child and husbands and wives who

lost a partner, for the children who have lost a parent this day and this place are solemn reminders of the extraordinary sacrifice they have made in our name. but today reminds us as well for these family and for their comrades in arms, their service to our nation endures. there are few who truly understand what it means to send a child into war or watch a battle buddy give his life to save others. on this memorial day and every day, these are families and veterans we're sworn to look after. so here on these hallowed grounds we rededicate ourselves to sake kred obligations and all who wear america's uniform and families who stand by them always, that the troops will have resources they need to do

their job and our nation will stop searching for those who have gone missing and held as prisoners of war. that as we've been reminded in recent days, we must do more to keep faith with our veterans and their families and ensure they get the care and benefits they earn and they deserve. these americans have done their duty. they ask the country does theirs now and for decades to come. [ applause ] the fallen patriots gave their last full measure of devotion. not so we might mourn them, but we do, not so that our nation might honor their sacrifice, although it does. but gave their lives so we might live ours so that a daughter

might grow up to pursue her gree dreams and wife may live a long life free and secure. so a mother may raise her family in a land of peace and freedom. everything that we hold precious in this country was made possible by americans who gave their all. and because of them, our nation is stronger, safer and will always remain a shining beacon of freedom for the rest of the world. may god bless the fallen and all those who serve, may god watch over their families and may god continue to bless the united states of america. [ applause ]

ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the playing of taps and the benediction. [ playing taps ] ♪

>> and there you have it, president obama on this memorial day in arlington national cemetery, reminding us of the missing and reminding us of the fallen and families that have been left behind. before the president we heard from general martin dempsey and defense secretary chuck hagel as well. a look there at just a few of the folks that president obama was talking about, the sons and daughters and mothers and fathers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country on this memorial day. we remember them. and that is going to do it for me. i'm craig melvin, enjoy your memorial day. we leave you with one last shot from arlington national cemetery, that tomb of the

unknown soldier. ♪

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