these beaches had been closed for people to get into the water, and we talked to a life guard just the other day about the strong rip currents that they are concerned about. take a listen. so i see the white caps out there. is that safe for a person to get into the water? >> no. it is not. the thing is with closing water completely, you let somebody knee deep they want to get waist deep. you let them waist deep they want to go in. >> reporter: what is a rip current? >> it's a channel of water pulls out to sea, too much water close to the shore, rip current will pull you out to sea, it's gravity. rip current will pull you out 20 to 150 yards at eight to ten miles an hour. >> reporter: we saw a lot of people out on the beach yesterday, no one was allowed in the water. the life guards made sure no one got in with the concern about rip currents. >> george howell for us this morning, thank you. we'll continue to check in with you throughout the morning to get updates. let's go tote rob marciano tracking all of this from the weather center. >> good morning, soledad, we're looking at this thing holding together fairly well, 30-mile-an-hour winds, the radar is showing rainfall that is just about to get to george, mostly on the east side of this thing. the center is just, pretty much over valdosta, georgia, the rain shield from savannah to daytona beach. we saw heavy rain yesterday, about six inches in spots, not a tremendous amount of intense flooding but certainly some pockets of flash flooding, this is an area that could use the rain, they don't want it all at one time but they're getting it. we're going to get rain across georgia and up through the carolinas as this tracks to the north and east so the low country will be filling up with water, three to six inches with this system and we have qualified watches that are posted as far north as north carolina. here's the forecast track from this system, it will intensify once it gets over water but that won't be until during the daytime tomorrow and by then it will accelerate and move out to sea, push out to sea by this strong cold front which is going to bring some relief incidentally to the northeast which has been rather steamy the past couple of days. >> yes it has, rob. let's talk about this earthquake in italy, if we can. we know that eight people have been killed. it's a 5.8 magnitude quake, kind of the same region in northern italy where another quake hit nine days ago and that quake killed seven people, centered near bologna, felt as far away as milan. rob, what can you tell us about that? >> very close, it was actually four or five miles away from the epicenter from the one that hit nine days ago. you see the damage there. you have to remember why this is different from california or japan, where the building codes are much, much stronger. these are a little bit more old world buildings in an industrial part of italy so they come down rather easily. 5.8 magnitude quake. the shaded area that's all the people that felt it, likely over 1 million people from venice to the swiss border to the italian riviera. the orange area which is zoomed in, the epicenter from about nine days ago, about five miles from this epicenter, very close there, about over 60,000 people felt strong shaking in the area that is seeing damage right now, we're seeing some of that coming into the cnn newsroom. this is technically an aftershock from the one that hit nine days ago. >> i was going to ask you if it was a new earthquake or an aftershock. how do they determine that? >> pretty much if it's smaller than the one that was previous to it and close enough, it's an aftershock. if it's bigger, then it's a whole new earthquake. at this point it's so close it doesn't matter, a 6.0 and 5.8 within two weeks of each other and within ten miles of each other. it's a devastating event. >> it's so terrifying for people. our hearts go out to them. rob i appreciate the update. christine has the day's top stories. good morning. >> good morning to you, soledad. an emergency effort is on to save a peace plan in syria. today u.n. envoy kofi annan is meeting with syria's president bashar al assad. kofi annan says his goal is to end suffering and convince the government to cooperate with his plan. global outrage has exploded following a bloody weekend massacre that left over 100 people dead including almost 50 children. u.s. officials warn if atrocities continue military intervention is on the table. new york city police have turned to the sanitation department for help as they try to corroborate a confession in the 33-year-old disappearance of etan patz. 51-year-old pedro hernandez told police he choked the 6-year-old boy to death and disposed of his body in a trash bag. police asked sanitation for trash pickup and dumping records dating back to 1979 when patz went missing. hernandez is held on a murder charge and kept on suicide watch. a 15-hour stand yourself comes to an end as the suspect falls 150 feet to his death after falling off the crane. police say he claimed to have a weapon and refused to leave the crane's cab. witnesses say he eventually got sick because the cab doesn't have air conditioning. look out below, pieces from what's believed to be an air canada jet raining down on people in the toronto suburb, metal chunks damaged several cars including one that smashed right through a windshield. luckily no one on the ground was injured. the air canada flight bound for tokyo when the boeing 777 lost an engine. the plane with 318 passengers on board doubled back and landed safely at toronto's pierce airport. mitt romney set to clinch the gop nomination today. he'll be in las vegas for a fund raise ear longside donald trump, who continues to question president obama's birth place. romney didn't concerned about trump's association with the birthers hurting him politically. >> you know, i don't agree with all the people who support me and i guess they don't all agree with everything i believe in, but i need to get 50.1% or more and i'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people. >> the obama administration criticizing romney for not distancing himself from trump's comments. we get reaction later this hour when soledad talks to andrea saul, the press secretary for the rohment know campaign. kids her age are learning how to read while this pint-sized girl is spelling her way to fame, the youngest to compete in the scripps national spelling bee. >> i'm not really excited like ah! i'm more like it's fun. i want to be an astro biologist because i like astronomy and biology and i'm aiming to be in the swimming part of the olympics. >> lori anne's qualifying word, vacaro, meaning cowboy which she spelled correctly to win the prince william county, virginia, spelling bee. >> you got to love a girl with no ambitions. i want to be in the swimming part of the olympics and also want to be an astro biologist because i'm 6 and everybody else wants to be a firefighter. >> wide range of options. >> yes she does. still ahead on "starting point" we'll talk about this assassination plot that's targeting american diplomats. some are linking it to iran and u.s. officials fear could be part of a broader campaign to kill foreign diplomats. we have details on the plot and what officials are trying to do to stop it. trying to crack the curse, we'll introduce to you five men and their goat named wrigley, walking more than 1,000 miles trying to break a curse that's brought nearly 70 years of bad luck for the cubs. our "starting point" team, margaret mover, alicia me mendez and will cain. good morning, good morning, good morning. >> good morning! >> i didn't get the memo about cerulean blue. we're back after the break. 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[ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ helping you do what you do... even better. we love theme parks but with four kids, it can just be too expensive. yeah, so to save money we just de our own. oh no! what could be worse than ninety-foot swells?! typhoon! first prize! it's a cheese grater. wooooo... this isn't scary. are you kidding me? look at that picture of your mom's hair from the '80s. there's an easier way to save. wooohooo... geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. a plot to assassinate americans is being linked to iran. u.s. investigators are trying to get to the bottom of what is a pretty intricate plan to try to take out american diplomats and their families. according to "the washington post" the plot involves snipers with silencer equipped rifles and a car bomb. among the targets, u.s. embassy staff, and family members in ayzerbajan. joining us is fran townsend. good morning, nice to see you. "the washington post" headline says it is an assassination plot. what do you think is the odds it's iran? >> i think it's pretty good. here's what we know about iran's sort of modus operandi. we've seen them behind attacks against diplomats in india, in georgia, in thailand. you remember the magnetic attachable bombs using c4. iran does not want a full-on military conflict with the united states. what they prefer are these small scale one-off attacks. we saw, frankly, the most egregious up to this report was the plot to assassinate the saudi ambassador here in the united states. so we do see the iranians using these sorts of tactics, these methods as provocation without going so far as to launch a military attack. >> but why target the diplomats in eyazerbajan. >> i think the iranians are anticipating real effect of the increase in sanctions particularly those targeting the oil sector, the fact they pulled back on that makes sense. we're feeling heat from the american sections and the u.s. alliance with israel. certainly americans are not immune. we've seen in the 1980s the barracks bombing. this wouldn't be the first time, it's the most recent attack. >> you said last night if this is true this would constitute an act of war. what would that mean effectively? >> this came up with an attack on a diplomat on u.s. soil. this is frankly an extension of the debate that started then so any attack against an american official whether it's in the u.s. or someplace around the world really does constitute an act of war. when all that really means is, what then, which tools does the united states choose to use to retaliate against it? does it use military force? probably not because it would be a single attack, but it could, and frankly, that only goes to the fact of what are the tools that become available for the united states to use in retaliation. >> so if in fact it is considered to be an act of war, what do you think are the rules of engagement could then potentially change? >> that's right. the question becomes does the u.s. use this event in particular if they feel that there is sufficient intelligence and evidence to link the iranian government, that the iranian government was truly behind this plot, do they choose to use an overt and military response or we've seen this sort of cat and mouse game that's going on. we've got to believe that there's covert action being used by the united states and its allies against the iranians. the iranians have used these one-off attacks so you've got this low level, low intensity conflict going on. >> fran, what is the historical parallel for this? it's not just one way by the way. we see iranian scientists being bombed inside of iran. it essentially amounts to what seems like a shadow war of the tit for tat. is there a historical provocation anything in the past to look at and say how does this play out? >> it's interesting, these shadow wars go hot and cold. there will be a period where it's sort of intense, you mentioned the iranian nuclear scientists, i mentioned the ones around in georgia, india and thailand and all of a sudden it goes cold where you have some parallel process in place so the negotiations are ongoing. if the negotiations begin to fall apart will we see, right, exactly right, and i think we have to expect that, and there's no sort of you don't see any path to it suddenly just evaporating unless there's some resolution to the ongoing conflict. >> correspondent r enent reza ss there is a conflict. let's play a little bit of what he said earlier today. >> reporter: here's it doesn't tie the plot to the iranian government or groups tied to the iranian government, doesn't name a single iranian implicated in the plot, doesn't tell us who ordered the plot and acknowledges the obama administration hasn't tied the plot to the government. >> so he's saying there are many, many holes, there are lots of we do not knows at this point in the article. do you find it unusual? >> the reporter of "the washington post" is a well-known, well respected and very credible reporter on national security and intelligence matters, first. second, this is how you write a national security and intelligence story because many of the sources, much of what he's written is probably still classified. he refers to a six-page memo that one of his sources is seeing, which would be highly classified and so of course these people, it would be a crime for them to have spoken to him and released the information. they have to be anonymous sources so i frankly, and third, what he's reported is consistent with what we know about iranian activity in the past, and in the recent past, including the saudi plot which i've mentioned. for all three reasons i find the article to be incredibly useful, inciteful and credible. >> of iran targeting diplomats overseas. nice to see you. today's "get real" takes us to the ball field, the greatest moment from memorial day tributes. watch "cnn live" on your computer or cell phone at cnn.com/live. we're america's natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. and waiting in line. i don't have to leave my desk and get up and go to the post office anymore. 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[ male announcer ] get a 4-week trial plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. ♪ good job. >> margaret hoover is becoming will cain. there's a banjo in that song, that's the gourds "gin and juice." check out on the website at cnn.com/startingpoint and follow me on twitter @soledad obrien. alex and annie bush, target field, twins were playing the tigers. take a look. >> taking part in our race around the bases, and they're off, little stutter step there, putting on their shoes, the first one to cross home plate will be our winner. folks, what you're seeing right now is a reunion, master sergeant robert bush is returning from his sixth deployment overseas. he landed in minnesota from afghanistan about an hour ago. the girls had no idea their dad would be here at home plate waiting for them. master sergeant, there's not a lot we can do to add to this moment for you, but as twins fans, we want to say god bless you for your service! >> oh my gosh. i cried through the whole thing. i loved that so much. he was deployed for five months. his sixth deployment in afghanistan. he's, he serves with the minnesota national guard. his girls all smiles, they actually were great and happy and the father said he was an emotional wreck and could barely keep it together. >> the part about that i loved we to kill three hours that morning before the game that he couldn't even see them or go there or connect. he just had to walk around town. >> holding teddy bears and flowers. love those stories. >> i almost cried reading this story to be honest and now you see the video. round third base and see their dad. >> so cute, so cute. i love that. that was our "get real" this morning. ahead on "starting point," mitt romney said to unveil his trump card so to speak later today, wondering if teaming up with the donald could cost him some votes, brings us back to the birther issue. and five men and a goat walk into a bar -- i'm kidding. five men and a goat walk from california to chicago, to crack the curse for 70 years and they're bringing their goat, too, to "starting point." >> three months together walking together. these guys hate each other. we're going to ask them. >> will you stop? >> i'm excited there's going to be a goat on set. really, a goat? >> i don't know if it's going to be on set. they're in chicago. there he is. straight ahead. stay with us. [ male announcer ] great tasting tap water can come from any faucet anywhere. the brita bottle with the filter inside. there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning.. you can feel. introducing the all new cadillac xts, available with the patented safety alert seat. when there is danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all new cadillac xts has arrived. and it's bringing the future forward. welcome back to "starting point," everybody. let's get to headlines. christine romans has that for us. good morning. >> thank you. police in italy arrested a sergeant in the u.s. military on pedophilia charges. we're told the sergeant is from a u.s. military base in camp darby near pisa. we'll bring you more details as they come in. we're hearing the 911 calls for the if, time after a family became stranded on a steep and snowy side of a mountain for hours when their small plane crash landed. it took rescue crews hours to reach a california firefighter and his wife and daughter after their cessna went down in idaho. choppers eventually found them but couldn't land because of six-foot-high snow drifts and 60-degrees slopes. it was their daughter who called 911 for help. >> owyhee county 911, what is your emergency? >> i'm on an airplane and i crashed in the mountains. >> where are you at, hon? >> in the 29 miles east of -- west of mountain home, idaho. i need to you send a search party, please. >> the family spent the entire night in freezing whiteout conditions before choppers eventualitily pulled them up. the family is recovering in the hospital. trailblazers, war heroes and music legends, highlights the list of people who will receive the presidential medal of free doll. president obama presenting the honor to 13 people, including its first woman to serve as secretary of state, madeleine albright, former senator john glenn, will also receive a medal along with nobel winning novelest toni morrison and bob dylan who just finished his 35th album if you're counting. in this morning's hk hk take aspirin for persistent headaches you may be fighting skin cancer. people who took other anti-inflammatories at high doses for years at a time may have a reduced risk of skin cancer. the pills inhibit some of the same cell enzyme