Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Chemical Plant Explodes In Louisiana; Ferocious Wildfires Scorch Colorado; Midwest Cleans Up After Brutal Storms; Brutal Storms Hammering East Coast; Flight Cancellations Due To Weather; Supreme Court Rules Genes Cannot Be Patented ; Obama to Meet Newtown Families; Boehner Defends NSA Surveillance; Pressure on for Surveillance Details; Child Singer Sings National Anthem in Full Mariachi Traje; Man Confesses to Killing 30 Across America; Zimmerman Trial Jury Selection Resumes; Reputed Boston Mobster James "Whitey" Bulger Standing Trial

Aired June 13, 2013 - 13:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: We have breaking news right now. A burning chemical plant near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the Williams Olefins plant. It is near Geismar, Louisiana. Something triggered an explosion. That fire is still burning. Well, so far, police and firefighters are only saying that there are some injuries, some people who are hurt. They are not saying how many or how badly. They don't have that information yet. But this plant produces chemicals used to make plastic.

Now, emergency officials, they have evacuated a two-mile radius around that plant. They are telling people who live nearby to stay in their homes as a precaution.

This is CNN NEWSROOM, and I'm Suzanne Malveaux. We are following this story, storms, strong wind gusts could hit Colorado today. It is bad news for fire fighters who are struggling to contain a ferocious wildfire. This is near Colorado Springs. Now, officials now say that the black forest fire has burned down 360 homes and destruction far from over.

I want to bring in Victor Blackwell. He is in Colorado Springs. Victor, how many homes are we talking about here in the path?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, it's tough to answer because of the wind. The officials here say that the wind is making the storm so unpredictable the fire fighters on the front lines who are preparing for this, digging out lines, they prepare for the fire to go in one direction and then it goes in another or in two directions. But I can tell you this that in the last 18 hours, this situation has intensified dramatically. Consider these numbers. Yesterday, last night, in fact, the sheriff told us 92 homes had been destroyed by this fire.

This morning that number is up to 360 making this the most destructive storm as it relates to property in Colorado history. The people covered by this evacuation order last night, that number was 10,000. Today, that number is 38,000. So, when you ask about properties that are in danger, I can tell you, inside that 93 square mile area that's being covered by this, the 93,000 acres instead, that are being covered by this evacuation order, 13,000 homes. Of course, no one expects all of those homes to burn but that's the number of homes that could be in danger.

MALVEAUX: Victor, I assume that fire fighters are really gearing up for those high winds that's expected there. What are they doing to prepare for this afternoon?

BLACKWELL: Well, they're continuing the water drops that we've seen now that some of the smoke has cleared out. Early this morning, it was so hazy that it was difficult to get planes up. But we know they've got about four to eight choppers. We saw that DC-10, the tanker 911, dropping retardant and water. But the people who have been pushed out of their homes, they're scattered all over. Some of them are in hotels. Some of them are with friends and family. There's a shelter that's opened. Actually, one had to be evacuated because of poor air quality so they were moved to another shelter. I spoke this afternoon with a family of seven living in a camper in a Walmart parking lot waiting to find out if their home is one of the 360 that have been destroyed and if the fire is moving in that direction -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Victor, thank you. Be safe as always. On the east coast, the threat today, it is rain, wind, hail, potential tornados as well. It's the same storm system that pounded the Midwest last night. Setting off tornados, dangerous straight line winds, luckily no one was hurt. Chicago got hammered with hail and lightning. Look at this. This is the Willis Tower, took a direct hit. Many of you know the landmark building as the Sears Tower.

I want to bring in our Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center. Chad, you used to live in Chicago.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

MALVEAUX: I know that building well. That is very dramatic.

MYERS: Yes.

MALVEAUX: I imagine people were pretty afraid when they saw that.

MYERS: You know, and if the storms didn't bump into each other last night, Chicago would have had a much bigger hit. No question about it. But the storms were bumping into each not allowing one storm to be what we called super cell tornadic thunderstorm and that was the great news. I know it looked ugly. I know the skies were green. That's the hail in the sky. Think about looking at an old coke bottle. You look down in the bottle, you see the green on the top of the bottle. That's the same kind of refraction that you get from the hailstones in the sky. That's why your sky was green last night, almost an aqua at some time. That weather has now pushed offshore.

We talked about that derecheo (ph) that was possible yesterday. It never really developed into anything as significant as the one last year but the weather has slid off down the Jersey shore. What we're worried about for the next couple of hours as this all moves on by is that regeneration of weather here just to the south of Washington, D.C., here's West Virginia, and into Virginia. The new threat for severe weather today is slightly south of D.C. The tornadic threat from the tide water back towards Raleigh in the 5 percent.

Now, there is still a slight chance all the way back even into West Virginia and into Mississippi so that's kind of where it is there. Here is your hail probability, the core there right over tide water into the piedmont of North Carolina, same story here. But we will see severe weather, some severe weather, whether it's hail, wind, all the way back, Mississippi, Alabama, here in Atlanta for sure reaching (ph) to Charlotte and all the way back up into Raleigh. That's the bull's eye today if we're ever going to see severe weather. Not as severe, though, the potential, as yesterday. Still there but not like yesterday.

MALVEAUX: All right, Chad, we're going to be watching. Stormy weather disrupting air travel as well. CNN correspondents, they tweeted out these pictures of passengers. This is Chicago's O'Hare Airport. They were sleeping on cots last night. That's right, more than 360 flights cancelled at O'Hare just yesterday alone. The storms has also caused more than two dozen flight cancelations at Chicago's Midway Airport.

And big decision here. U.S. Supreme Court ruling on an issue that's been in the headlines recently, quite frankly, because of actress Angelina Jolie. What we're talking about here is the gene mutation linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Now, you might recall Jolie revealed that she had undergone a double mastectomy because the mutation put her at higher risk of the disease. Well today, the high court ruled that human genes cannot be patented.

I want to bring in our Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin to talk about that angle, also our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Jeff, I want to start with you first here. So, this particularly involves a case with a company that identified the brac one, brac two gene mutation. So, explain, not in legalese but in simple terms here, what did the court decide?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, what the court said, unanimously by the way, in an position -- in an opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas, they said, look, this brac gene is part of the body. It's like an elbow and you can't patent an elbow. You can't patent something that everybody has and occurs naturally in the world. What you can patent is what you do to it and how you test it. But the actual part of the body itself, which the patent office had granted a patent on, you can't do it. So, anyone, any company can now go to that gene and come up with its own tests for breast cancer or for anything else. That's the gist of the decision.

MALVEAUX: That was a very good explanation there, Jeff.

TOOBIN: Well, thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Pretty simple.

TOOBIN: That's why I'm here, you know? MALVEAUX: The elbow -- the elbow analogy, I like that.

TOOBIN: The elbow.

MALVEAUX: So, Sanjay, so if you want to get tested, right, genetic testing here, how would that impact you? Would it actually be cheaper now? Is there more competition? What does this mean for people who actually want to undergo these type of tests?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think both those things. I think it's likely, not right away but soon, it'll probably become cheaper and it will probably become more accessible. There is an interesting nuance here just to build a little bit on what Jeffrey said because I think this is important. But the headlines you'll read from myriad, the company that was at the heart of this lawsuit was that the Supreme Court upheld the patenting of CDNA. And I had a lot of people who will read that CDNA is complementary DNA and the science which Jeff again explained is they're not saying you can -- you know, when they are looking for the gene, they are looking for a specific gene but then in order to make it useful to them to study it, they got to make a copy of it, a template --

MALVEAUX: Right.

GUPTA: -- if you will. And that's the CDNA. That -- they have to do that. They have to actually use their techniques to create that copy and then from there they can make the testing for the -- for the gene mutations. Other companies will now be able to create their own templates and make their own testing. It was the gene itself that they were trying to patent. Your gene, mine, anybody who has a mutation of that -- of that breast cancer gene, that's what they were trying to patent and they can't do that.

MALVEAUX: And, Jeff, I want to bring you back here because this was a unanimous decision which is really pretty rare in the Supreme Court. Why did that happen?

GUPTA: Well, you know, in fairness to the justices, about 30 to 40 percent of their decisions are unanimous every year. It tends to be the high profile constitutional issues that are -- that are the one where you get all the 5-4 decisions and the big decisions that we're all waiting for by the end of the month, the future of affirmative action, the future of the voting rights act, the two same sex marriage cases about the defense of marriage act and proposition 8 in California. We didn't get a decision on those today. And we will probably get them either next week or the following week. Next Monday is the next day the court sits and you can be sure that those will not be unanimous.

MALVEAUX: Oh, yes, those are going to be hot. All right, Jeff. Thanks. Jeffrey Toobin in New York and, of course, Dr. Sanjay Gupta here in Atlanta. Good to see you.

GUPTA: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: For more on Supreme Court rulings, go to CNN.com and coming up, the fallout now over the secret government surveillance of phone and Internet traffic now creating some pretty unusual alliances. We're talking about the political impact up next and Rob Lowe moving back to the west wing. Only this time, he is playing John F. Kennedy. The resemblance, uncanny. A sneak peek up ahead.

Then a Hispanic boy slammed for wearing a Mariachi outfit while singing the "National Anthem" at the -- at an NBA finals. Well, he is speaking out. You're going to be hearing what he is saying plus you can hear him sing, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the people were talking bad was because of what I was wearing. And it's not my fault. It's what I love. And I'm just --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Just a short time ago, we learned that President Obama and Vice President Biden, they're going to meet with Newtown families. That's happening today. Now, the families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, they are in Washington today and they are on the Hill lobbying for tougher gun control legislation. Well, tomorrow marks six months since that shooting, 20 students and six teachers were killed when Adam Lanza opened fire in that school.

The fall out over the secret government surveillance of phone and Internet traffic creating some rather unusual alliances. Now, since Edward Snowden blew off the cover of the program, there are some Republicans who have sided with the White House in defending it. The partisan lines blurred in the debate over privacy versus national security.

I want to bring in our Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger. And, Gloria, good to see you as always. I want to you listen first to what House Speaker John Boehner said in defending the surveillance programs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOEHNNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I have made it very clear this program does not target innocent Americans in any way, shape or form. These programs have helped keep America safe. They have enhanced our ability to go after terrorists who want to bring harm to the American people. And frankly, I am a little surprised that the White House hasn't stood up and made clear on an ongoing basis over this last week just how important these programs are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, how is the White House receiving this? Because on the one hand, it seems like he is in lock step with the administration but, on the other hand, he is criticizing them for not bringing it up more.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, what he is saying is I think we ought to hear from the president again and honestly I think that's a reasonable request given the fact that you have heard from lots of other people including the head of the national security agency who's been testifying. The other point that I think he is making which is very important is that he believes the American public needs to know a little bit more about just how this program works and just how it's helped them thwart terror attacks. We heard from the head of the NSA yesterday said, you know, it helped thwart more than a dozen attacks.

Today, he met behind closed doors with the House Intelligence Committee and the chairman of the committee just said, "We're going to declassify more of this within a week." Because they believe they have to let the public in on the secret here about how this works and how it really helped keep them safe.

MALVEAUX: So, politically, Gloria, how is this playing here? I mean we have seen recent polls showing that Americans is pretty much split in whether or not they support these programs or not. So, does it behove either side to really talk a lot about these?

BORGER: Well, they have to talk a lot about it because it is important to us. It is important to our security. But, in looking at all of these polls as I did this morning pretty closely, it seems to me that it kind of depends on how you ask the question to the American public like lots of polls.

But, if you say to the American public, "Do you like the idea of the national security agency keeping all of your phone traffic, et cetera." The public says, "Nah, you know, I don't really don't like that so much." But, if you ask the question and say, "OK, is it OK for them to do this in order to stop terrorism? Then the American public says, "Yeah, that's fine."

So, what this tells me is that the public needs to know more about what your government is doing because the very base of this, Suzanne, is a question of, "Do you trust your government?" And, if the government wants to say, "Look, we're not doing anything untoward. We are not snooping in on your calls" as the president says. You have to kind of lift the veil as much as they can and let the public know why they're doing what they're doing.

MALVEAUX: All right. We will see if the President has more to say on this. Gloria thanks. Good to see you as always.

BORGER: Thanks, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: A new movie centered on the life and death of President John F. Kennedy now in production and we are getting a first look at the A-list actor that has been tapped to play JFK. You have seen him a lot in movies and T.V. shows, of course, but he has never played president.

He is Rob Lowe and in character as President Kennedy you see there striking that famous pose from the official presidential portrait. The two-hour movie called Killing Kennedy slated to air in November on national Geographic Channel. An 11-year-old singer's rendition of the national anthem bringing controversy and then applause. Well, some people criticized him on social media because he is proud of his Mexican-American heritage. I bet you want to see this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: I love this kid. An 11-year-old Sebastien De La Cruz singing the national anthem at Game 3 of the NBA finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. Of course, he wowed the audience and made his family proud. But, it is what happened online that has people upset. Our Nick Valencia, he has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIEN DE LA CRUZ, 11-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO SANG THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AT GAME 3 OF THE NBA FINALS: Oh, say can you see -- NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After 11-year-old Sebastien De La Cruz sang the national anthem at this week's NBA Finals, he was targeted with taunts but not from the crowd at the game, on social media. Wearing a full mariachi traje, it was De La Cruz's clothes, not his voice that caused the controversy.

"Why do they got a Mexican kid singing the national anthem?" Daniel Gilmore tweeted. "How are you singing the national anthem looking like an illegal immigrant," tweeted Andre Lacey of Augusta, Georgia. Matt Cyrus added, "Who let this illegal alien sing our national anthem.

A popular social media blog highlighted more than two dozen other hateful tweets. Some immigrant rights groups said the antagonism towards the rising sixth grader highlights a deeper issue for Latinos in the United States. But, despite the insults, De La Cruz who was born in San Antonio, Texas has stayed resilient.

DE LA CRUZ: I think that the people who are talking bad was because of what I was wearing and it is not my fault. It is what I love. And, I am just proud to be a mariachi singer and like it is their opinion actually. And, if they don't like mariachi, that's their problem, but I love it.

VALENCIA: While the barrage of tweeter insults made national headlines, for De La Cruz it has not been enough to derail his pride in his performance. In fact, it seems to have broadened his perspective. "Please do not pay attention to the negative people," De La Cruz tweeted. I am an American living the American dream. This is part of the American life." Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Good for him. Coming up in "CNN Newsroom," authorities say that this man could be responsible for the murders of 30 people across the country. Why they say he confessed and what they're going to do about it? Up next. And, then he is accused of killing 19 people decades ago. He is described as a hands-on killer, James ""Whitey" Bulger facing murder charges. Coming up, a look at the man, who allegedly ran a criminal under world in south Boston while being in bed with the FBI.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The biggest wildfire in Colorado has now grown even bigger and more destructive. The numbers, they are staggering. Just take a look at this. The black forest fire near Colorado Springs has burned down 360 homes so far. 15,000 acres are scorched and evacuation area is now affecting 38,000 people.

We are following breaking news. A burning chemical plant, this is near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, now something caused an explosion a couple of hours ago. This was at the Williams Olefins Plant. This is in the town of Geismar. The fire, it is still burning. We are told at least seven people are hurt. We are told that no one has been killed from this. We are going to get more details as we follow the breaking news story.

In four days now, the jury selection process. This is George Zimmerman's murder trial out of Sanford, Florida. Now, Attorneys, they are trying to find folks, who can hear the case against him without being prejudice. They have been questioning potential jurors about their knowledge of this of course this high profile case.

The "Orlando Sentinel" says the last juror called for questioning this morning was the most opinionated so far. The potential juror is quoted as saying, "She believes that Zimmerman is innocent." She thinks he was just defending himself when he shot Trayvon Martin last year and proceeded to give a detailed list of possible evidence in the case to justify her beliefs.

The man who allegedly ran the Irish mob in Boston for almost 20 years, he is now on trial. Many people say, "It is about time." Prosecutor say, James "Whitey" Bulger was hands on killer who preferred to do his own dirty work. Now, he is charged with murdering 19 people. The trial officially is now under way. Our Debra Ferrick is in Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBRA FERRICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He grew up on the mid street of Boston. And, by the time he was a man, everyone in south Boston or Southy knew what he had become. Three words that describe Whitey Bulger.

TOM FUENTES, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Stone cold killer.

FERRICK: James Bulger, an Irish mobster, so feared, so ruthless. Some relatives of the 19 people he is accused of killing decades ago still Harbor a vivid hatred of the man known to everyone as "Whitey."

TOMMY DONAHUE, VICTIM'S SON: I said it before, I describe him as a scumbag. I think he is the lowest of the low. He is a mass murder like i said before. He has destroyed hundreds of families. He doesn't give a crap about anybody, no one but himself.

FERRICK: For more than two decades from the '70s to the early '90s nothing happened in Boston's criminal under world without Bulger getting a piece of it. He is accused of shaking down gamblers, loan sharks, drug traffickers as well as legitimate businessman. John Shea, nicknamed Red, ran his drug operations.

JOHN "RED" SHEA, WORKED FOR WHITEY BULGER: That guy, he wanted to be as strong and as powerful and as rich as he could be. He made tough guys shake.

FERRICK: There was something else about Bulger, something that made him even more lethal. He cut a deal with another Southy from the same projects. John Connelly, an FBI agent who recruited him as an informant. Their deadly alliance would ultimately tarnish generations of federal agents.

GERARD O'NEILL, CRIME REPORTER: 1976 Connelly tipped him off about a rival and Bulger killed him. So, Connelly had to realize right away how serious and deadly this arrangement was.

FERRICK: Bulger was supposed to be ratting out the Italian mafia, but he used his FBI contacts to gain information that he allegedly used to kill 19 mob rivals, possible informants and others.

FUENTES: He would personally get involved in cutting the fingers or hands of the victims and extracting their teeth.