mohammed is watching from neighboring lebanon, and he joins us live. good to see you. what can you tell us about the latest violence? >> well, syrian opposition activists told us today that they are begging the international community for their help, for their intervention, after this barbaric massacre, that's what they're calling it, that happened yesterday in the town in homs province. now, they described intense shelling, mortars raining down on the town, and then as you mentioned, they said the pro regime militias went in and started indiscriminantly slaughtering men, women, and children. we have seen gruesome, stubbing videos today. what we have heard from opposition activists corroborate what we have seen on the videos. women and children in blankets on the floors of rooms in houses. we have seen horrible videos of children which they appear that their heads have been bashed in, their lifeless bodies strewn across floors in the houses. horrifyi horrifying. we know the u.n. monitors in syria, some are in the town, that they're gathering information. we have seen video of one of them looking at some of the bodies there, and we heard earlier in the day from general robert mood, the head of the serious mission in syria. he spoke about the massacre. here's more of what he had to say. >> the death toll, 32 innocent children. lots of women and men, but in particular, the children. that is unacceptable attack on the future and on the aspirations of the syrian people. whoever started, contributed to it. >> opposition activists are telling us this is part and parcel of the syrian regime's crackdown against them, a crackdown that claimed the lives of about 9,000 people, and one activist we spoke with earlier said he wasn't believe that 7 billion people on the world are watching what is happening there and nobody can do anything about it. he begged the international community to help the people of syria. >> i know u.n. kofi annan envoy is headed to syria. we'll wait for that. mohammed with the latest for wrus. just a few days ago, i spoke with ban ki-moon. he told me it's not too late for syria's leaders to do what is right and stop the violence. watch. >> president assad, i have clearly said, lost humanity and he has to have -- he has not listened to the wills and aspirations of his people. what he has to do now before too late, he has to stop all the violence. and he needs to begin political negotiations for political resolution effecting on the urgent aspirations of the syrian people as far as a political resolution wrrg that's the only way. >> he told me he's very concerned and very frustrated that the violence and killing continues despite both sides agreeing to a cease-fire. our best guess is as many as 10,000 people have died in syria in the past 15 months. >> the butler did it. that's what italian police believe what happens after pope be benedict's butler was arresting. paolo gabriele is his name. he's 1 of few in the pope's inner circle. the documents he leaked were sent to an italian journalist, and they're in a book that is now a best seller. john allen said this is a huge embarrassment for the vatican. >> it's not so much the content of the documents. the problem is these are all real highly confidential documents which apparently had been leaked by somebody who has the closest access possible to the right hand of the pope. >> gabrielly has worked as the pope's butlic since 2006 and is one of few to have access to the pope's private desk. on to portland, oregon, where police say no charges have been filed in the case of three children found abandoned in a shed. they were found thursday in an area with a lot of homeless people. their mother was found yesterday. she's bib interviewed, but she's not in police custody. the three children under the age of 3 years old are in good condition now. they're in possession of child custody. now to the case of etan patz, the little boy who went missing 33 years ago. a man named pedro hernandez has been charged with killing 6-year-old patz. that's hardly the end of the story in this case. hernandez was charged with second degree murder and histernally is raising questions about his client's mental health. susan candiotti is following the case for us. >> more questions than ever are surrounding around accused killer pedro hernandez. he remains on suicide watch, placed on the watch on friday after saying that he wanted to die, according to a law enforcement source. at his arraignment on second degree murder charges after he a allegedly confessed to strangling etan patz 33 years ago, a judge granted the defense request for a full psychiatric evaluation. he showed no emotions. he appeared on a video feed from the hospital as his defense attorney said that his client had a long history of psychiatric illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and suffering from hall hallucuations. >> police say they remain convinced by the details that he gave them in a three and a half hour long video-taped statement. however, authorities acknowledge they have no physical evidence linking hernandez to etan patz's death and no motef. susan candiotti, cnn, new york. thank you. a bold new beginning in space travel for the first time ever, a private spacecraft has linked up with the international space station. cue the applause. on this memorial day weekend, how president obama and mitt romney are targeting those who have served. 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[ female announcer ] only flood insurance covers floods. visit floodsmart.gov/risk to learn your risk. welcome back. well, it's a official. outer space will never be the same again. for the first time, an astronaut at the international space station has entered a space ppt craft made not by the government but by a private company. >> this is mission control, houston. official hatch opening time. 4:53 a.m. central time. >> they were up early. don pettitte entered dragon, a space capsule created by spacex. he said it was, quote, like the smell of a brand new car. should be, it's brand new. dragp was delivering more than 1 1,000 pounds of cargo. in five days, it's supposed to fall into the pacific ocean off the coast of california bringing back used gear and trash. >> vice president joe biden delivered the commencement address at the u.s. military academy at west point. he thanked cadets for their willingness to serve the country in the post 9/11 world. and he laid out the framework for president obama's precedency. >> we have taken out, you have taken out more than half of al qaeda's senior leadership. and in a mission that will go down in the annals of intelligence and special operations, some of america's most gifted security professionals tracked down osama bin laden after the trail had gone cold. and in one of the most incredibly daring raids, they delivered justice. >> biden called today's grad wits leaders of the 9/11 generation. a jenrisigeneration he said wil down in history as the finest the nation has produced. >> today's speech included plenty of points that president obama likes to make on the campaign trail. the no accident. dan lothian reports the obama campaign is making a serious push to win the votes of military veterans. >> president obama rarely misses an opportunity to talk about the help he's offering to military veterans and their families. >> we will serve our veterans the way they served us. >> it's about policy and politics. this reelection campaign is actively courting veterans who have traditionally support eed republics. lanching a grass roots effort, veterans and military families for obama. >> letting the people know the president's record. >> in 2008, president obama lost the veteran vote to senator john mccain, 55% to 45%, but the demographic are shifting. a recent poll showed mr. obama with a 44% to 37% lead among this group over likely opponent mitt romney. team obama is looking for voters like josh. he's a recent dprajwit of george washington university law school who serve would the army in iraq. he's a proud veteran and a loyal republican. >> the first presidential election i could vote in was 2004 and i voted for president bush. >> he's looking to both the right and left. he likes mitt romney, yet president obama's foreign policy has gotten his attention. >> he's impressed me with the way he led the draw down in iraq. and in afghanistan as well. >> the killing of osama bin laden has also won over some former critics. that's the sales pitch democrats are making. republicans say this outreach is honorable, but they're skeptical of an election year appeal to veterans. >> they deserve, you know, support every day of the year. but not just when it's convenient. >> taking nothing for granted, anthony principi is pitching mitt romney to veterans and their families. >> we'll be doing our work as aggressively as we can to make sure the veterans understand who romney is. >> republicans are using proposed defense budget cuts and concerns about america's military strength to raise doubts about the president's policies. on the military time's webl site, one veteran posted, i simpry can't vote for a president who advlths deep military cuts to those who gave so much to our nation. another wrote, this is one president that i could never endorse. >> they already have a job lined up. he's one of the lucky ones because the unemployment rate among veterans is 9.2%, well above the national average. that could be a factor on election day. dan lothian, cnn, the white house. >> i have a question for you, do you want to feel more fulfilled? happier? then have kids. researchers say people with kids are happier than those without. and that dads may actually benefit from being a parent more than moms. why? that's ahead. >> but first -- >> in this week's smart is the new rich, a blueprint for success. christine romans talks with a small business owner who has seen amazing growth in his business despite being a handful of women in her field. >> in tough times and in a tough business, aerial design and build has foun a blue print for growth. >> there was a big need for a construction company that catered to mid-sized projects. >> the construction firm has grown from revenue of $400,000 a year to $4 million. and from two employees to 12 in just two years. so how did she and her partner do it? they said the first thing they did was think bigger. >> it feels like it has its own individualuality and it's its own person now. it's no longer just attached to my name and gealy's name. >> they got help for that from count me in, a nonprofit founded by nel. >> what she was missing was the push or the permission and the vision to grow it much bigger. she certainly has the capability. >> second, learn to say no. the construction business is fiercely compet tsk, even more so since the recession. that's put the squeeze on profit margins for contractors. >> they want you to knock off your price and knock off the extra. >> do you have to turn down business sometime? >> sometimes. >> what a privilege. >> the first time, it was hard. >> you can't get bigger without some help. >> my advice would be to people who really want it grow their business, start by hiring even a part time employee and then a full time employee so you can focus on marketing and doing what you're best at. >> does that help bring in more business? >> absolutely. a lot of our employees have a lot of connections they had in the last few years they made in industry. >> you don't advertise. it's world of mouth. it's face-to-face, doing business with people. >> absolutely. we have a reputation of being on budget, on schedule, and providing quality workmanship. i think people like to hear that, and when we achieve that, they are very thrilled. that leads to more word of mouth. >> christine romans, cnn, new york. in america, we believe in a future that is better than today. since 1894, ameriprise financial has been working hard for their clients' futures. never taking a bailout. helping generations achieve dreams. buy homes. put their kids through college. retire how they want to. ameriprise. the strength of america's largest financial planning company. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you, one-to-one. together, for your future. ♪ want to be happy? have a kid. not everyone will agree with that, especially some parents of teenagers, but new runge has found that parents are happier than those who don't have kids. don lemon spoke with psychologist wendy walsh about the approach these researchers took. >> what's different is about how they did the study. with hundreds of people of both genders with children, without children, they put electronic pagers on them and contacted them five times a day over a 12-hour period for weeks. and asked them how they were feeling. they showed less depressive symptoms, higher rates of happiness and life satisfaction, but the big one, don, they had greater meaning of life. they had a good feeling that their life had meaning. hint, hint. time for you to be a daddy. >> it's called responsibility. you have to do something. your life should have some meaning. you're caring for this life, right? who can't take care of itself. >> yeah. yeah, it makes you think every you do in the day, there are little eyes watching now. it gives you a big sense of responsibility, and that gives some meaning. >> that's why i don't have any. i don't juan themp watching me and imp taitating. this study said it's dads who are more satisfied and happy as parents. why not the moms? i think i know the answer, because the moms take on more of the responsibility, is that it. >> well, no, it's not actually just dads. the dads had greater levels of happiness than men without kids, than women, but i think that has to do with a lot of it is you know, men aren't doing -- not all men, some are, but most men aren't doing the heavy lifting of parenthood that might not make you feel so happy when you're in the middle of poop and spewing vomit, it happens, so they might report lower levels of happiness at those moments. >> leave it to wendy to say that. a lot of men, there's an intense protective nature. protecting family, especially kids some sort of primal fulfillment? >> it is. and evolutionary anthropologists said parenthood is one of those important human needs. it's on our hire arco of needs. we're here to produce. so when men go into the protective mode, men often parent differently than women, that can give them a great sense of fullfulment. >> i've heard parents say this, i'm not saying my own did or didn't, but oh, my gosh, you guys drive me crazy. why did i ever have kids? some parents are downright miserable because of their kids. and so are parents still happy even if they have a brat at home? >> listen, i have two very challenging children. one as you know is special needs in the autism spectrum, and i had moments where i was like, ah, but this morning, i gave her a tight hug and say when do i stop and tell you how much i love you? at those momements, i feel happiness. i would still rather have these kids than be alone. it's wonderful. >> good for you. does it matter, this is serious because i was part of a blended family after my dad passed away. does it matter if it's your own blood or if it's adopted? the same sort of bond? >> well, studies in this particular research study, parents who were married and who were married to the person who also had the same biological connection to the child tended to report higher levels of happiness, well being, life satisfaction, and meaning in life. obviously, life is a lot tougher for single parents and blended families have their own challenges, but parenthood still won out. >> thank you. enjoy your memorial weekend. >> thank you, you, too. all right, don, wendy, thank you very much. stormy weather and a long holiday weekend, loads of fun, right? at to that rip currents. we'll tell you where, next. >> and a reminder, we want all of you to stay connected to cnn even when you're on the go. grab your mobile phone, go to cnn.com/tv or if you're on a devtop or laptop, you can watch cnn live. we're back after this. but did you know they're good for you too? they're high in vitamins and potassium. and idaho potatoes are now certified to carry the heart checkmark from the american heart association for foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. so they're good for my family, and for yours. heart smart idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. of how a shipping giant can befriend a forest may seem like the stuff of fairy tales. but if you take away the faces on the trees... take away the pixie dust. take away the singing animals, and the storybook narrator... [ man ] you're left with more electric trucks. more recycled shipping materials... and a growing number of lower emissions planes... which still makes for a pretty enchanted tale. ♪ la la la [ man ] whoops, forgot one... [ male announcer ] sustainable solutions. fedex. solutions that matter. you know who you are. you can part a crowd, without saying a word. you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts. well, muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. zyrtec®. love the air. 29 minutes after the hour. coming up on half past. let's get a look at the latest headlines now. you're looking at the bodies of more than 90 people, many of them children under the age of 10. witnesses say in a syrian village, these vim victims were killed by artillery fire and soldiers who went house to house, killing entire families. u.n. monitors have confirmed the death toll today. a huge embarrassment for the vatican. pope benedict's butler has been arrested for leaking secret documents to the media. paolo gabriele is one of few in the pope's inner circle. the documents were leaked to an itannial journalist and now appear in a book which is now a best seller. >> now to the case of etan patz who disappeared 33 years ago. a man named pedro hernandez has been charged with second degree murder in the death of the boy. he confessed of the 33-year anniversary of patz's disappearance. police acknowledge there is no physical evidence or motive linking hernandez to the crime. >> a private space craft has linked up with the international space station. astronauts have entered the "dragon" the name of the space capsule that was made by private company spacex. dragon is delivering 1,000 pounds of supplies. the space capsule was unmanned, but they're hoping to send astronauts along with supplies in the future. incredible video of a powerful tornado snaking out of the sky and touching down in kansas. storm chasers shot this video of the twister. one woman was reportedly pulled from the wreckage of her home after a twister flattened her house. we know that the storm has injured at least one person near russell and did a substantial amount of damage on the ground. in meenearby