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Severe Weather Coast To Coast; 6,000 Ordered To Evacuate For Wildfire; Six People Dead In Blistering Heat Wave; Trayvon Martin's Parents Speak; Protesters Back At Florida Governor's Office; Dow Hits New Mid-Day High; Judge Demands Ohio Suspect Look At Her; Editors Defend " Rolling Stone" Cover; "The Rifleman" Bulger Meet In Court; Privacy Groups File Suit Over Police Scanners

Aired July 18, 2013 - 10:00   ET

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


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ALEX RODRIGUEZ, YANKEES THIRD BASEMAN: I'm just humbled by the opportunity to play baseball. I love this game so much.

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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHR: A-Rod in his own words.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happens if there is a suspension? How disappointed would you be if you're not able to come back?

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COSTELLO: Baseball fans, you'll want to hear this. Plus, are you being tracked as soon as you get behind the wheel?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With technology and with smart good policing, you know, it allows us to keep our public safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they've gone too far because they're -- I have not been champed with, I'm not suspected of committing a crime.

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COSTELLO: And say good-bye to the Colonel.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Colonel Sanders and I'd like to tell you a little bit about Kentucky Fried Chicken.

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COSTELLO: KFC dumps Colonel Sanders. It's going upscale. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Good morning. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Carol Costello. We start this morning with severe weather from coast to coast, stifling heat, struggling America. It claims six lives. Hundreds more suffered with no power after it hit Chicago. Out west, a raging wildfire burning in the mountains of Southern California. Nearly 6,000 people ordered to evacuate and the fire is now closing in on homes.

We have team coverage for you this morning. Meteorologist Indra Petersons is following the heat wave from New York's Central Park where it feels like 102 degrees already this morning and CNN's Miguel Marquez is in Idyllwild, California near the epicentre of that terrible wildfire. Miguel, I want to start with you. Good morning.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning there, Carol. This is the epicenter. This is also the town center of Idyllwild. This is area that was evacuated overnight for one reason. The fire mainly is over in that direction. All day long, it had been blowing east of here then the wind changed direction and started blowing back here towards this town.

This town, Vern Valley, other small towns near here were all evacuated. About 6,000 people in total. I can tell you overnight. They did make some progress according to the Forest Service, but this fire is growing. It's now at 22.8 thousands of acres burned. It really blew up over the last 24 hours or so. They're hoping that will go up later today. They were able to cut a lot of line and prepare areas that do burnout operations later in the day.

And if the weather holds then they'll be able to do that, but that's the big question. This isn't wind-driven as they say, low humidity, very, very low. And it will help it burn more and that's what firefighters are dealing with out here at the moment. People hoping that this town and the towns around here can be protected. So far, a lot of homes protecting those homes, they've been able to do that. If the wind conditions stay in their favor, they believe they'll get their hands around the fire and get it out -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, we'll keep our fingers crossed. Miguel Marquez in Idyllwild, California, thanks. You know, always hear it's not the heat. It's the humidity, well, out west, they want the humidity. Out east, they certainly don't. Indra Petersons is in New York Central Park. I know it's like 85 degrees, but it feels like 102. Thanks to that humidity.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I mean, it is unbelievable and right now, we're just 10:00 in the morning. We're already having temperatures at 88 degrees and currently 95. It's feeling like 105 in so many places. It's not just about how warm is it, what's the high temperatures. It's also about how long do we have to endure the heat. Look at this, today in New York. We're talking about our fifth day dealing with the heat wave, as far as where it's extending, unfortunately, looks like it is building.

So we're talking about places like Hartford, Connecticut, 105 degrees, going to feel like New York as 103, down to Philadelphia also heat indices of 105. But it is spreading. Today, we're looking at this going all the way farther to the west. And Minnesota, it's built even further. That dome of high pressure has now expanded all the way into the Dakotas so unbelievable amount of people dealing with this.

People forget this is the number one killer of all weather-related events. People do underestimate it. We do have relief on the way. The big question is when is that and when are we going to get it? We'll see later today and northern portions of Minnesota eventually we'll see that spread by the weekend into the northeast. That is something we need when I say a cold front, yes, a little bit but also severe thunderstorms with 80-degree temperature.

COSTELLO: Indra Petersons, thanks so much, reporting live from Central Park.

For the first time since the jury cleared the man who shot their son, Trayvon Martin's parents are speaking out on CBS this morning. Trayvon's mother relived the moment she heard the not guilty verdict read aloud.

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SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER: I was in a bit of shock. I found certainly he would be found guilty of second degree murder, manslaughter at the least. But I just knew that they would see this was a teenager just trying to get home. This was no burglar. This was somebody's son that was trying to get home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were stunned by the verdict?

FULTON: I was stunned, absolutely. I -- I couldn't believe it.

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COSTELLO: We'll have more from Trayvon Martin's parents at the bottom of the hour. Plus, tonight, they'll be live with Anderson Cooper. So stay with CNN throughout the day.

The fight against Florida stand your ground law goes on. For the third day, student activists are refusing to leave the Florida governor's office. They want action following the acquittal of George Zimmerman. They want the governor to call a special session of state legislature and repeal that conversational stand your ground law.

Joining now me on the phone, Victor Blackwell from Tallahassee, Victor, I know you're following the protesters. They are marching once again this morning. They're marching once again this morning. Tell us more?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, the "Dream Defenders," the group that's been here since 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, they're actually right now in the reception area outside of the governor's office. At 10:00 a.m. sharp, they went up to the receptionist and asked if they could meet with Governor Scott. They were told for a third day that he is not here. They said they will not leave until they have that meeting. This again is the start of the third day. But they told me they are prepared to be here for weeks. Right now they're starting the third day by telling stories of why they're here. They're here for more than just stand your ground -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I thought we were going to hear from someone. I apologize, Victor. How much outside support is this group getting? Because they say they're going to stay in the governor's office for weeks but you know how that goes sometimes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do. Having covered protests before, but I can tell you that there are members of the state legislature who are supporting them. The chair of the legislative black caucus Representative Allen Williams Who represents Tallahassee was here yesterday and has been here several times bringing supplies. There have been people who dropped off breakfast. There are people who dropped off meals. The local churches are supporting them.

Youth groups from across the state are coming to support them. So there is support. How long that lasts or how long those groups will be here we'll just have to see. But the people who are at the center of this protest have been here since the start and they say they're not leaving until they have that meeting to talk about stand your ground and also to talk about tolerance policies in schools and racial profiling. Jabari Nichols said he's going to be here for the long haul.

COSTELLO: All right, we'll get to that sound eventually. Victor Blackwell, thanks so much.

All right, we have to take you to Wall Street now. The Dow Jones, it's going crazy again. It just topped a new intra-day record. Christine Romans, wow, maybe we'll hit 16,000.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Maybe not today, maybe the next couple days if Ben Bernanke doesn't say anything to kind of knock stock investors for a loop here. At this point, we're really not expecting that. Look, here's what is happening, Carol. The path of least resistance is still higher in the stock market. We had a jobless claims number better than expected, a housing market that is recovering.

The fed chief a labor market recovering. A new mortgage rate number, mortgage rates fell just a little bit, although as I said, I'm expecting them to climb in the months for-to-come. If you're in the market for refinancing, now is the time to do it.

Overall, you have a stock market that continues with a slowly healing economy. You can look at your 401(k) and be happy because you should have 11 percent, 12 percent, 13 percent on your 401(k) if you're not close to retirement and mostly in stocks. That's what I see here. I encourage people to look at your 401(k) and make sure you rebalance. If you have too many bonds or stocks for your age and risk, that's something to sort out.

You know Carol, a lot of people tell me, I never look at my 401(k), that's good, except you want to make sure that it is balanced appropriately for your age and risk. When I see record highs again, I'd like to point out, it's time to look. Look, 3-1/2 weeks, the Dow is up more than 800 points. That's rare and that's something you will see in your 401(k) -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Christine. Appreciate it. I always hate when you give me homework assignments. I know you're going to call me later and say did you look at your 401(k)?

ROMANS: I've been saying that for three years. Frankly, if you did something for three year and had a lot of stocks you're all right.

COSTELLO: No. I followed your advice, I look at it. Thank you, Christine. Appreciate it. James "Whitey" Bulger's number two the rifleman is expected to testify. Why his testimony could be critical in the case against a former mob boss.

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COSTELLO: It's 13 minutes past the hour. Time to check some top stories, we'll find out from a federal judge in Manhattan today whether the developer of world trade center can collect $3.5 billion in damages. The suit was filed by aviation companies whose equipment was used in the 9/11 attack.

Ariel Castro struggled to keep his head up and look the judge in the eyes during his arraignment. He's been charged with more than 900 counts of kidnapping and rape. Of course, those charges apply to the Ohio women he held allegedly for a decade. After several requests to look at her, the judge, rather, the judge started to lose her patience.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Castro --

ARIEL CASTRO: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You must look, can you open your eyes, please. At this time, it is my duty -- sir. Please keep your eyes open so I make sure you're listening to me and understanding what I'm saying, OK?

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COSTELLO: Castro pleaded not guilty. The judge set bail at $8 million and prohibited Castro from contacting his alleged victims. The trial is set to start August 5th.

Anger still raging over the "Rolling Stone's" to put the only surviving Boston bombing suspect on its cover. Critics say the photo glorifies Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as a rock star. At least three retailers are refusing to sell the magazine. In the meantime, the editors are defending their edition. They say it falls within the journalism and "Rolling Stone" commitment to serious and thoughtful cover of the most important political and cultural issue of our day.

And this picture is going viral. He is shoes and tripod on fire. Is it real? It is. He said the lava did not like the fires, he did with an accelerant. The images were captured by his friend. The was known as "the rifleman" a partner to James "Whitey" Bulger, but Stephen Flemmi s also a rat, and he's set to testify that Bulger was as a rat, too. Susan Candiotti is in Boston following it all. Good morning, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. We do expect sparks to fly here this day. Stephen Flemmi, if he's not the star witness, he's certainly one of the star witnesses, and this will be the first time that he's expected to face Whitey Bulger in at least two decades. Okay. Why is this such an important witness? We've been hearing his name. It's come up time and time again, a big hitman. The government calls him the worst of the worst.

Even a defense attorney is calling Flemmi, quote, "a psychopath without a conscious. As you said, who is he? His nickname "The Rifleman, the earned that nickname in the Korean War because of his precise marksmanship, let's see. In this case, he's known for the government to tell it, killing with precision. He was a partner, as you mentioned of Whitey Bulger. He was a former FBI informant. He has killed a ton of people.

Now he's expected to call Whitey Bulger, an informant, a rat. And that is what Whitey Bulger does not like to be called in any way, shape or form. Now gruesome details are expected to come out through the mouth of Steven Flemmi, talking about two of his victims in particular. One of them, Deborah Davis, Flemmi's own girlfriend who he killed in 1981 or so.

And number one, Deborah Hussey, his stepdaughter, ordered to make these comes the part that will make your stomach turn, after he would kill the victims, the government has acknowledged, he would rip out their teeth and cut off their fingertips to prevent the police from identifying them. This is expected to be tough testimony for the jurors to hear, for anyone to hear -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So Whitey Bulger objects to being called a rat but not a killer? That's just so strange.

CANDIOTTI: Go figure.

COSTELLO: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: Yes, we've seen those sparks fly before, as you said, expletives flying when a previous witness testified, seven weeks, when they saw them together. The words were flying between him for that brief moment in time, but no mistrial, the trial has gone on. We're waiting to see what will happen this day.

COSTELLO: All right, Susan Candiotti reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.

Still ahead in the NEWSROOM, is the government tracking you while you drive?

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UNIDENTIFIED MAE: With technology and smart policing it allows us to be safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do think the government has gone too far. I'm not charged with or suspected of committing any crime.

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COSTELLO: Seems as though every time we turn around lately, somebody's watching us or at least it feels that way. Now we're finding out that more and more police are using cameras to read our license plates and the data they're collecting may surprise you. CNN's Dan Simon has more for you.

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DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With cameras mounted on a police cruiser --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're looking at is a license plate directly across the street.

SIMON: Cops in California can capture and record license plates as they drive down any street, an efficient method to catch car thieves or pull over vehicles that show up in a criminal database.

LT. JEFF TUDOR, SAN LEANDRO POLICE DEPARTMENT: With technology and with smart good policing, it allows us to keep our public safe.

SIMON: But when a low activist petitioned the police department to get a hold the records on his car, he said he was stunned by what he saw.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do think big brother's gone too far. I have not been charged with. I'm not suspected of committing any crime.

SIMON: Mike found what he says is an egregious violation of privacy, 112 instances images where police got pictures of his car and more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This picture shows my car in the driveway of my house and clearly shows my daughters and myself getting out of the car.

SIMON: Anytime a police officer drives a car it's recording. Data can be accessed to solving crimes everything from following leads on amber alerts to collecting tickets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innocent people should not have their records used by law enforcement.

SIMON: There are three cameras on the roof, one on the left, one on the right and one on the side. They capture plates instantaneously. Those plates are then crossed check against suspect vehicle so if a car comes across as being stolen, the officer will be instantly alerted. But in this new era of digital rights and privacy, some say there needs to be more transparency and limits on what information can be gathered and stored on citizens, doing nothing more than driving their cars. Dan Simon, CNN, San Leandro, California.

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COSTELLO: Coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM, they sat there nearly every day of the trial, now the parents of Trayvon Martin are reacting to the not guilty verdict. We'll be back.

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COSTELLO: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for being with me. Checking our top stories at 27 minutes past the hour. More than 4,000 homes in the path of a raging wildfire in the mountains of southern California. It's already torched more than 35 square miles. 6,000 people have been ordered to evacuate . Nearly 3,000 fire personnel are at the scene, desperately trying to control the inferno. At least eight buildings damaged.

Also this hour, Rick Perry expected to sign a controversial abortion bill. The bill which bans abortions past 20 weeks has inspired protests at the state capitol. Perry and other Republican lawmakers said the bill is more about protecting women's health than less about abortion.

South Africa is celebrating a milestone as Nelson Mandela turns 95. There's even more 320,000 during the trial of George Zimmerman and an approximately $33,000 were spent on sequestering the jury for 22 nights in addition to the hotel cost. The jury had two dinners out the hotel and one dinner brought.

The group had several evenings and weekend excursions which included bowling, shopping, manicures and pedicures and trips to the movies. Taxpayers did not pay for all of those costs, however.

Just a few hours ago, parents of Trayvon Martin made their first comments since the verdict. Trayvon Martin batted away the claim by juror b-37 that he played a role in his own death.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you hear that juror who spoke out with Anderson Cooper and what did you think when you heard her say that she believes Trayvon played a huge role in his own death?

SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER: I don't think she knows Trayvon. Trayvon is not a confrontational person. So instead of placing the blame on the teenager, we need to place the blame on the responsible adult. There were two people involved. We had an adult that was chasing a kid and we had the kid who I feel was afraid.

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COSTELLO: Trayvon's father said he'd like to ask the jurors, quote, "how could you let a killer of an unarmed child go free?" The family's lawyer would not rule out the possibility of a civil suit. Benjamin crump said for now the main focus is on the government violations of civil rights and clarifying the laws that the jurors had to consider. Tonight, Trayvon Martin's parents will talk with Anderson Cooper. That's 8:00 eastern time right here on cnn.

That Zimmerman Verdict is as one of the reasons these protesters are marching into the Florida's governor's office in Tallahassee. They want that stand your ground law repealed. And they're not alone. As new questions come up over whether or not this law's being applied fairly. John Zarrella has more for you.

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JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The outcry is not going away. At churches in Florida's black communities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got to change that stand your ground law, that's a must. If you don't like the law, that's why people put in stand your ground.