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Obama Speaks in Asbury Park, New Jersey; Storm Chaser Rides Out Tornado in Kansas; Arizona Mom Arrested in Mexico. Changes to National Spelling Bee.

Aired May 28, 2013 - 13:30   ET

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


BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, when I was here seven months ago, Hurricane Sandy had just hammered communities all across these coasts and lives were lost and homes and businesses were destroyed and folks were hurting. And I remember something Chris said back then, he said, "We cannot permit that sorrow to replace the resilience that I know all New Jerseyans have." And it didn't. You didn't let it. You kept going. These towns have a special character, not just in the summer but all year round.

From the moment the hurricane hit, first responders worked around the clock to save lives and properties. And neighbors opened their homes and hearts to one another. And you came together as citizens to rebuild and we're not done yet. I want to make sure everybody understands that, because for somebody who hasn't seen their home rebuilt yet, or is still trying to get their business up and running again, after all of those losses, we don't want them to think that somehow we checked a box and we've moved on. That's part of the reason I came back, to let people know we're going to keep on going until we finish.

(APPLAUSE)

But if anybody wondered whether the shore could ever be all right again, you've got your answer this weekend.

(APPLAUSE)

From Seabright to Bay Head to Belmar to Seaside Heights, folks were hanging out on balconies and beaches. Shows sold out at the Stone Pony.

(APPLAUSE)

Kids were eating ice cream, going on rides, going eating some more ice cream. Guys were trying to win those big stuffed animals to impress a special girl. So like I said, the Jersey shore is back in business. The work's not over, though. Seven months ago, I promised you that your country would have your back. I told you we would not quit until the job was done and I meant it. I meant it.

(APPLAUSE)

Craig Fugate, the head of FEMA, he couldn't be here today. But I want to thank him and his team for their ongoing work. FEMA was here before Sandy made landfall. They're still here today. They're working with the governor's team and task force I set up to support families and communities who still need help. Since the storm hit, we've provided billions of dollars to families and state and local governments across the region, and more is on the way.

And even as my team is helping communities recover from the last hurricane season, they're already starting to prepare for the next hurricane season, which starts this Saturday because, if there's one thing that we've learned last year it's that when a storm hits, we've got to be ready. Education, preparation, that's what makes a difference. That's what saves lives. And anyone who wants to make sure they're ready for a hurricane or any other disaster, I want them to visit a website called ready.gov. Make a plan. It's never too early.

We've got to remember that rebuilding efforts like these aren't measured in weeks or months but measured in years.

That's why, this past Thursday, we announced billions of new relief aid for New York and New Jersey transit agencies. And that's why the Army Corp of Engineers is working to restore beaches and strengthen the shore's natural defenses. That's why I joined Governor Chris Christie and your representatives, trying to get a relief package to Congress. We're going to keep doing what it takes to rebuild all the way and make it better than before, make it stronger than it was before --

(APPLAUSE)

-- make it more resilient than it was before.

(APPLAUSE)

(END LIVE FEED)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama in Asbury Park in New Jersey, talking about recovery efforts seven months after Superstorm Sandy hit.

Take a look at this video as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SIREN)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: This is actually what it feels like, sounds like, looks like inside a tornado, packing winds as strong as 170 miles an hour. We're actually going to talk to the storm chasers inside of that tornado, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Imagine what it would be like caught inside a tornado. Professional storm chasers, they actually seek out that thrill, right? But Sean Casey got a lot more than what he bargained for. He was riding out a Kansas tornado inside a tank that is actually made to go inside of it. Check out this video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN CASEY: (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Filmmaker and storm chaser, Sean Casey, joins us from Salina, Kansas, on Skype.

Sean, great to see you. Glad you're OK.

(LAUGHTER)

SEAN CASEY, FILMMAKER & STORM CHASER: Yeah.

MALVEAUX: The IMAX movie "Tornado Alley." And I know you got in the middle of eight tornados in your life. This was different than any of the others. Tell us why.

CASEY: Well, this was a violent tornado. When we made "Tornado Alley," we encountered a weak EF-3 tornado. This was a stronger ER-4 tornado, picking up a lot of debris. Our vehicle, even though, you know, we had got into intercept mode and got as low as we could, we were being just blasted by all of this debris from sheet metal to, you know, those large hail -- those hay bales, we were being slammed by everything. And this was the first time that -- you know, usually I'm up in the turret. We have a turret with an IMAX camera.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

CASEY: This was the first time I abandoned my post.

(LAUGHTER)

My camera, it was lying flat down on the ground trying to get way from the window.

MALVEAUX: Tell us the moment where the door blew open and you had to literally get the door back. What happened?

CASEY: Well it wasn't -- it wasn't -- we have latches that go in and I -- probably wasn't latched as far as it should have been. I was actually laying down in front of that door and all of a sudden that door, when we had this wind shift that door blasted open. All of a sudden things were blasting into the TIV, rocks, a piece of wood we found in the TIV, this piece, a trunk of wood. I had to scurry from that position to get out of harm's way in the vehicle to get to another position. So in the heat of the moment, there was a lot of like crawling around in the TIV.

MALVEAUX: I want to share with our viewers here, your tweets here because it does convey what you were feeling emotionally here. You say, "TIV just hit by a strong tornado. We're OK. Filmed IMAX. Hit with lots of debris. Door open. Piece of wood entered vehicle. Turret door blew open, camera blown into TIV. Huge mess inside TIV. She didn't move at all though!"

It sounds like that was quite a mess there. Yet, the vehicle was able to stay on the ground. Tell us why. How did that happen?

CASEY: Well, you know, this vehicle was built to go into strong winds. You know, we have -- it weighs 16,000 pounds, all loaded up. We have two-inch thick armor for our walling. We have panels that lower to the ground so it blocks winds from getting underneath the vehicles, lifting winds. Then we have four spikes that go about three and a half feet into the ground to keep us in one spot.

So the funny thing was that the driver who controls all of the things that have to get down, that was his first day on the job. Four hours earlier, we were practicing in a sunny field in Kansas. So when we were being slammed by the winds, I was laying down. I was still operating the hydraulic spikes to make sure they were all in. Scary.

MALVEAUX: Oh, my god. Talk about baptism by fire.

Sean, glad you're good, OK. It's fascinating to even watch this video. I can't keep my eyes off of it.

Sean, thanks. Really appreciate it.

CASEY: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you.

Chaos in West, Texas. This is after that fertilizer plant explodes. While in the middle of all of it, there was a volunteer firefighter who made it out alive. You're going to hear from him, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Tomorrow will mark six weeks sense a fire and explosion after a Texas, fertilizer plant shattered the town of West. It is just one of the major stories that we are updating you on this week. 15 people died, including 12 first responders.

Ed Lavandera talked with one firefighter injured in the blast. He has the latest on the road to recovery for the firefighter as well as the town.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You OK?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Right in the middle of the chaos was firefighter, Robert Payne, which makes seeing him now, six weeks later, all the more remarkable.

(on camera): The explosion, do you remember it? ROBERT PAYNE, FIREFIGHTER: I don't remember it at all, no. No. I watch it in video, see how violent it is, how loud it is, no, I don't remember any of that at all. I don't remember anything really until the next morning, waking up in ICU.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): This was the blast site. Payne was trying to retreat and played it 35 yards away behind a fire truck, which apparently shielded him just enough.

The truck was left a mangled ruin. Somehow, Robert Payne survived.

PAYNE: When I visited with the guy that rescued me, Brad, he filled me in on a few things about where I was found and the fact that I was blown out of my boots. My boots were in one place, he described I think about 35 feet away.

LAVANDERA: Payne has nerve damage in his right arm, broken ribs, broken facial bones and bone chips in his leg, and he needs surgery to repair his right eardrum, but he's alive. 12 other first responders weren't so lucky.

PAYNE: Those are some of the firefighters that we lost.

LAVANDERA: The West mayor took us to the fire station. Names of the firefighters who died are still on lockers. There are two new donated fire trucks. And West firefighters just resumed handling calls again this past week.

(on camera): It's got to be hard for these guys to come in here.

TOMMY MUSKA, MAYOR OF WEST, TEXAS: They may not want to get back on the horse but they have to get back on the horse. When the whistle blows, we're in charge of the place and we got to get on the trucks and go.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The hard work is just beginning.

(on camera): This is the foundation from the building that blew up.

MUSKA: Yes. There's pieces all over this place.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Mayor Muska needs $4 million just to fix sewer and water lines and several hundred homes need to be rebuilt. But he does say one building won't be welcomed back, the fertilizer plant.

MUSKA: We don't have the ability to say you can't build here.

LAVANDERA (on camera): What do you think the town reaction would be?

MUSKA: The town reaction would probably be to the point where they wouldn't want to rebuild anyway.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Ed Lavandera, CNN, West, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: This is a living nightmare for one family. An Arizona mom of seven, sitting in a Mexican jail cell, accused of trying to smuggle marijuana, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The judge says there is not a delay in the George Zimmerman trial. Ruled that evidence like connect texts and pictures from Trayvon Martin's cell phone. Some of the banned information might ultimately come up at trial, if it's proven relevant and admissible. The judge also ruled there is going to be no gag order in this case. And the jury is not going to be sequestered.

Right now, in Nogales, Mexico, a mother of seven is in a jail cell accused of smuggling marijuana. Dinera (ph) Maldonado was returning home with her husband, Gary, when soldiers stopped their bus at a checkpoint and searched it. They said they found 12 pounds of marijuana. So first they said it was under Gary's seat. Then they said it was underneath his wife's seat. Gary says he thinks they were set up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY MALDONADO, ACCUSED OF SMUGGLING MARIJUANA IN MEXICO: It was either that the packages were already on the bus or never on the bus and we were just framed, set up, for those packages.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would someone frame you?

MALDONADO: It's about getting money here. So the military was the only one there at the checkpoint. So from what I hear, that's a regular occurrence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So we're going to be tracking her court appearance today. We're going to let you know as soon as we hear about anything on whether or not she's actually going to be set free or has to stay in jail and wait for a trial.

And good news today for homeowners. Chances are that your house, worth more than it was just a year ago. The Case Schiller Housing Index showed a 10.2 percent jump in the first quarter. Housing prices posted their biggest gains since way back in 2006. Now, big reason, foreclosure sales are down. Those usually sell off homes at a bargain and drives prices down all over.

Well, it's never easy, of course. Spelling bee, all those difficult words at the National Spelling Bee contest. But new rules making it even more stressful, if you can believe that, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: I love this time. The National Spelling Bee under way. If it is not nerve wracking enough just to spell the words right -- get this -- they're now adding vocabulary. Students have to know what those words mean.

Here's Casey Wian with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the winner --

(SHOUTING)

WIAN: -- there is a hero's welcome back home --

(SHOUTING)

WIAN: -- a limo, even a meeting with the president. For everyone else, the National Spelling Bee can be hell. The pressure builds. Competitors fidget. Parents can't bear to watch. For correct answers --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I-S-T, misogynist.

(APPLAUSE)

WIAN: -- applause. Mistakes bring the dreaded chime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: R-H-I-N-E, seraturhine (ph).

(CHIME)

WIAN: This year, the spelling bee will be even tougher. Contestants in the preliminary rounds of the national finals also will be required to know the meanings of words.

PAIGE KIMBLE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE: The reason for the change is all about extending the bee's commitment to its purpose, which long has been not only to help students improve their spelling, but also to increase their vocabulary, learn concepts and develop correct English usage.

WIAN: Don't tell that to 11-year-old spelling bee competitor, Sunat Mishra.

SUNAT MISHRA, SPELLING BE COMPETITOR: It doesn't make sense. I don't get the rule.

WIAN: Last year, he made it to the finals of the south Asian spelling bee. He's now studying in hopes he'll reach the national finals, where south Asian-Americans have won 10 of the past 14 competitions.

MISHRA: I check the pages, look for words. Then later, my mom asks me the words. And I have iapygian right here.

WIAN (on camera): Can you spell that for me?

MISHRA: I-A-P-Y-G-I-A-N.

WIAN (voice-over): It's a group of ancient people living in southern Italy. Not knowing that might knock you out of this year's competition.

The new rule is controversial in part because it was announced only seven weeks before the national finals.

MISHRA: Yeah, there is going to be a lot of last-minute studying and that's never good.

(LAUGHTER)

KIMBLE: The timing of our announcement of incorporation of vocabulary is absolutely fair. April is the first opportunity to engage all of the participants who have qualified for the national finals.

WIAN: Scripps and ESPN both reject speculation the rules change is TV ratings driven. Perhaps an effort to limit the number of competitors in the finals. Vocabulary tests won't be televised.

Sunat's parents have no problem with the new rule.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make the rules harder, it will be for everybody.

SCHARITA MISHRA, MOTHER OF SUNAT: The number-one person, he's going to be number one, no matter how many rules you will change.

(APPLAUSE)

WIAN: Casey Wian, CNN, Chino Hills, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: I love the spelling bee.

Well, that's it for me. Have a great afternoon. CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: An American mother behind bars in Mexico, accused of smuggling pot. But her husband isn't the only one who thinks she was framed.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.