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The Internet Via Balloon; Samsung's Jay-Z Giveaway; From Krypton to Kansas; Montreal Mayor Arrested; Trouble for Canada Mayors; Alleged Hitman Takes the Stand; GM Recalls 194,000 Vehicles; Ford Reintroducing Knobs and Buttons; Nigella Lawson Photos Cause a Stir

Aired June 17, 2013 - 14:30   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour. Hello, everyone. The news just keeps coming here on CNN. I'm Don Lemon live from New York.

Technology, sports, politics and show biz news. We're hitting it all right now on CNN.

First, let's talk some high-tech, high-tech goes old school, high above the earth. Google launching 30 gigantic balloons, a test designed to bring internet service to the far corners of the earth. The 40-foot balloons will fly at 60,000 feet, about twice as high as an airliner. The plan is to create an airborne web network controlled from -- a mission controlled on the ground.

What everyone is talking about, Jay-Z at it again making more money, making millions and creating a buzz. Creating buzz for his new album even before it is released to the public. It sounds good, doesn't it? That's a portion of a 3-minute commercial that aired during last night's NBA finals promoting Jay-Z's upcoming release, "Magna Carta Holy Grail."

Samsung is going to give away a million copies to Galaxy phone users before the rest of us can buy it on July 4th. Krista Smith joins us from L.A. She's a west coast editor of "Vanity Fair." My little ole iPhone is no good when it comes to this. Why is Jay-Z doing this and why is he doing it with Samsung?

KRISTA SMITH, SENIOR WEST COAST EDITOR, "VANITY FAIR": It's so smart. I mean, first of all, to launch the commercial in the middle of the NBA finals where you're going to hit all boards, all audiences. It's -- I think that artists are always looking for something to break through the noise and he found it. I mean, it's two huge brands, Jay- z and Samsung joined together. It's like the big bang. It's great.

I mean, he's already won as far as I'm concerned. My 7-year-old was already talking about the commercial this morning. I happened to have been watching this because I was watching the finals. To see those titans of music, Rick Ruben and Ferell, you really feel like you're in the studio with them. You're already invested.

LEMON: Look at you, Rick Ruben and Ferell.

SMITH: Well, it's true. I mean, I -- you see Rick Ruben and this guy on the couch. You feel like, wait, I'm in there. Who doesn't want to -- I don't have a Samsung. I will tell you that. I do not have one, but I will think again about it. In that respect I think that they both kind of win in terms of branding. Jay-z looks cool. As he said, he's the wild, wild west, like who knows. Maybe this will work. Maybe it won't, but I'm going to try it, which is something he's always been on the forefront.

LEMON: I got to tell you. I was watching the finals too, sitting at a restaurant right across from the Time Warner Center. It was my dinner break. I'm like what's going on? What's this long thing that's happening right now? Why am I seeing Jay-Z? But one would thing from the outset that Samsung giving away these records, these songs, it's going to cost them millions. I think it's money made on both sides here. It's good for business.

SMITH: Absolutely. I think it's good for both of them and both of them can afford it. It's not like anyone is going to break the bank trying to do this venture. I think it's really, really smart for Samsung because it attaches them to the brand of Jay-Z. Otherwise people who didn't know about Samsung now know about it. They're both reaching different audiences.

Even last night it was trending on social media huge. They've already won regardless of the dollar amount. I think if you're -- I'll be curious to see how many -- how quickly the 1 million records get dropped. Like, does that go in 3 minutes? Does it go in 10 minutes? How long is that going to be? How quickly does that go when it actually drops 72 hours before?

LEMON: I got to tell you, Krista, every little bit helps. I had an iPhone for a long time, one of the first people to get an iPad. Every little bit helps. I have a friend who has a Samsung. He's been trying to get me over there, every little bit, I keep going, d8maybe I should. The screen is bigger. Maybe I should. They're giving away music. I don't know, right?

SMITH: Right. I think that's -- I think that's exactly what they were trying to do. Also, it's just another way that music is being disrupted again. You know, technology is disrupting the traditional marketing and sales. So this is a new way to -- let's see what happens. This is a new venture.

LEMON: All right, hipster, Krista Smith. We appreciate it. See you soon here on CNN.

SMITH: I try. I'm fronting, OK.

LEMON: He came from Krypton, but Kansas claims him too. Superman just conquered the weekend Box Office with $125 million in U.S. sales, nothing to sneeze at. Now he's headed for the hall of fame, for the Kansas Hall of Fame. The hall will induct Superman on Friday citing his solid work ethic and the small town values he learned in Smallville. He'll join Kansas greats like Dwight Eisenhower, Amelia Earhart and Marshall Matt Dylan. Congratulations, Superman.

The interim mayor of Montreal, Canada, has held his job only since November when the mayor had to resign over corruption claims. Well, today Michael Applebaum who vowed to end what he called an era of sleaze in city government was accused of taking bribes related to real estate deals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMANDER ROBERT LAFRENIERE, ANTI-CORRUPTION UNIT COMMISSIONER: One of the persons arrested is the current mayor of the city of Montreal. Michael Applebaum faces 14 criminal charges of fraud, breach of trust, conspiracy, and municipal corruption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It is tough time for mayors of Canada of the two largest cities. In Toronto, Mayor Rob Ford recently denied claims he was spotted in an online video allegedly using a crack pipe. Ford has called those claims ridiculous.

OK, so call it a college basketball edition of if you can't say it out loud, say it on Twitter. Oklahoma pitcher, Dylan Overton, is going pro, drafted by the Oakland A's. He has some parting shots for his coach, Sonny Galloway, who is also leaving the school. "Thanks for being two faced the entire time I knew you. I hope all the talking behind my back to my teammates comes back to you in some way."

Then this, "You really disappointed me and all my teammates. Good luck in Auburn." Reports say Coach Sunny Galloway tweeted a brief response, which was later deleted. It read, I'm sorry you feel this way and chose to do this, Dylan.' We'll follow up when more tweets go back and forth.

His nickname, The Executioner, John Madarano was one of Whitey Bulger's best friends. Today, Madarano, well, he took the stand against the alleged mob boss. While he was testifying, one man's actions got him kicked out of court. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Reputed Mob Boss James "Whitey" Bulger back in the courtroom. Today, his alleged former hitman taking the stand. Bulger allegedly ran an Irish Boston gang linked to brutal murders and extorting drug dealers, bookies, loan sharks to pay rent or tribute to the gang. Jack Nicholson played the character loosely based on Bulger in the 2006 movie, "The Departed."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Situation like this, I killed everybody, everybody that works for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, convicted assassin John Madarano confessed to killing 20 people, but served a relatively short prison sentence in exchange for his testimony today. CNN's Deb Feyerick live for us in Boston now. So Deb, you've been in the courtroom. What was it like watching these two men in the courtroom today? DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's fascinating. These are men who described their relationship as best friends, partners in crime, godfathers to each other's children, and yet they did not make any eye contact whatsoever. The prosecutor asked, why are you here testifying?

John Madarano said the reason is because when he found out that James "Whitey" Bulger was an informant, he says, quote, "it broke my heart. It broke all loyalties." So John Madarano's key role right now is to place Whitey bulger at some of the 19 murders. So far he's done that in at least eight cases. They were partners.

What they would do is Madarano was the one wielding the machine gun. He was the one who always seemed to be killing people while James Bulger was the one in the radio car, trail car. So if anything happened he would sort of intercede or steer the victim in the right direction.

So it was a very interesting dynamic to hear how these two were able to do what they did to gain supremacy back in the late '60s, early '70s in terms of taking over the streets of Boston -- Don.

LEMON: Deb, the jurors heard from another interesting witness, right?

FEYERICK: Absolutely. This was the bookmaker. This was Whitey Bulger's bookmaker. It was so interesting because it really looked like the two men had almost a fondness for one another. As court began today, they smiled at one another. They had been through a lot together. But as the testimony wore on, the bookmaker was very flustered.

He was questioned repeatedly on cross-examination, had a hard time coming up with dates, hard time coming up with certain situations. But there were certain key points in terms of his relationship with Whitey Bulger that there was no doubt, no doubt about Whitey Bulger extorting money, having him pay rent, and about a partner instilling such fear in these people that they really controlled -- this is how they were able to conduct their reign of terror -- Don.

LEMON: Deborah Feyerick in Boston. Deb, appreciate it.

Touch screens have revolutionized phones and computers. You can now find the technology in a lot of cars. One major U.S. car maker is going back in time to old school knobs and buttons, the reason why, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: If you own a 2006 or 2007 Chevy Trailblazer or GMC Envoy, General Motors says you should have the vehicle checked for a possible fire hazard. In the meantime, you're advised to leave the vehicle outside because it could catch fire when parked. Nearly 194,000 vehicles are covered in the recall. They also include the 2006 and 2007 Buick Rainier, the Saab 97-X and the Isuzu Ascender. General Motors says an electronics module in the driver's side door could corrode and short circuit. Ford Motor Company going old school again with dash board controls. Digital touch screen that dominates the auto industry has not been as successful with some Ford customers. Alison Kosik with the details. Alison, I'm all for it. We were just talking about it. Old school knobs and buttons are easier. You don't even have to look. They don't distract you.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly.

LEMON: Yes, yes.

KOSIK: You know why? Because, you know, I was thinking about this. Sometimes too much of a good thing is just that. It's too much, too much coming at you when you're driving down the road. We're talking about these touch screen dashboards with all the bells and whistles. Some Ford drivers are saying they're not all that. Ford is actually bringing back the old fashioned buttons, mixing actually a little of the old with the new.

Look at the Ford F-150. It's already got a combination of touch screen and traditional knobs. And ford even says it has an 86% satisfaction rating. So it's planning to have this sort of similar blend of buttons and knobs when it makes its vehicles in the future. Now there's a second reason for this change, though, Don.

There's more and more evidence out there that these touch screens in cars are causing us to be more distracted. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is developing guidelines to reduce the number of distractions. Look what it found. It found there's a sizable difference between tuning a radio with a knob and tuning it with buttons, that it's much easier to locate, as you said, to turn a knob without taking your eyes off the road -- Don.

LEMON: Yes. I'm wondering if it's the start of a new trend or if other companies plan similar changes because you know, you have the button now to start it. I like the old fashioned key where you feel the power.

KOSIK: I know. And you can't get away from that, right, where you have to hit on the brakes to start the car. At this point we're not getting any specifics from other car makers about putting in more knobs and buttons. There are many automakers who are changing the systems to cut down on the distractions in the car.

I want to give you one example. Because many touch screen systems in these new cars, they don't allow you to do certain things while the car is actually moving. You can't dial a full phone number, touch buttons on your GPS. Others won't even let you read your text messages or e-mails or play videos.

Now Nissan wants to limit the time you take your eyes off the road. So far all these guidelines are voluntary. Consumers are saying, we want these restrictions, in fact, 90 percent of Americans, Don, they say they're in favor of laws against distracted driving -- Don.

LEMON: Yes. Best car ever, mass transportation. Thank you very much, Alison Kosik. We appreciate it.

A celebrity chef known internationally for writing cookbooks and hosting television shows making news for a different reason now, a British tabloid published pictures that it says shows Nigella Lawson's husband choking her. Now he's responding to the story. We're live in London, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This is one of those stories where you're going to be left to wonder, does a picture really tell the whole story? Here's the story behind it. Husband of TV celebrity Chef Nigella Lawson describes it as just a playful tiff. Tabloid pictures appear to show him choking her. They're causing quite a stir in Britain today.

Matthew Chance is outside the London restaurant where the incident happened. Matthew, the restaurant employees say they didn't see anything. Tell us about the pictures that set all of this off.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The restaurant is right here in this very upscale neighborhood, Don, of Central London. It's called May Fair. The restaurant is just over there. They were sitting, the couple, at a table just outside under those black screens there, absolutely stunning pictures that have really shocked this country. They've gone all over the internet, of course.

We've got them here on the front pages, splashed all over this daily newspaper in Britain. You can see here Nigella Lawson, one of the world east most famous celebrity chefs, you're able to make out there there's a hand gripping her throat. That hand belongs to her millionaire husband who's an advertising executive, also one of the world's most prominent collectors of contemporary art.

He's tried to play down this apparent tiff they were having outside of the restaurant by saying this was just -- there wasn't any grip in his hand. He explains the fact that she's crying by saying it wasn't because she was feeling any pain or any hurt, it was simply because she doesn't like to argue with him.

And he doesn't like to argue with her. That's his explanation. The police so far have commented. They've said they're looking into the facts surrounding this incident to decide whether or not they need to investigate any further -- Don.

LEMON: You said he's put out a statement specifically saying that it was just a playful tiff that they were having. What is he saying about her children, about moving out of the house? There are reports about that.

CHANCE: Yes, there are. There have been somewhat conflicting reports. We've spoken to the publicist for Nigella Lawson. She's confirmed to us that she has left the family home. That's somewhere else in London. She's taken her two children with her.

But Charles Sachi has also issued a statement to the "Evening Standard," which is a London newspaper here saying, look, she hasn't left him. She's merely gone out to avoid the press attention, which as you can imagine is quite intense.

LEMON: OK. All right, thank you. We appreciate it, Matthew Chance. Again, what do the pictures really say? Was it a playful tiff? Who knows? We're left to find out until someone makes a full comment, until she says exactly what it is. Again, our thanks to Matthew Chance.

Coming up, we're just getting live pictures of the brand-new search, the brand-new search for Jimmy Hoffa, a former mobster gave the tip. And his lawyer says this one is for real. We're going to take you to the scene.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Phil Mickelson fell just short of winning the U.S. open golf tournament this weekend. He and his wife discuss their involvement in today's "Impact Your World."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL MICKELSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I'm Phil Mickelson. We can make an impact on children in need. Start smart is designed to get self- esteem into the kids as they go into school so they feel good and they're ready to learn. They meet at the school. They're able to receive five shirts, three pants, two pairs of shoes, backpacks, school supplies. The coolest thing about it is they get to pick out what they want. Integrating them in that experience is what I think makes it so much fun. Join the movement, "Impact your World," cnn.com/impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)