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Original Cast Is Back For New Star Wars Movie; L.A. Clippers Owner Banned For Life; Despite Violence, Iraqis Head To Polls; Pro-Russian Separatists Take Over Government Buildings In Luhansk; Water Shortages in Sao Paulo Leading Up To World Cup

Aired April 30, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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


KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Now triumph on the court in all for the L.A. Clippers as the NBA says it will force Donald Sterling to sell the team over his racist remarks.

Pro-Russian militants continued to hold buildings and checkpoints. And now Ukraine's acting president says his country's military is on full alert.

And Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo all back for Star Wars Episode VII.

It was a day of celebration for the L.A. Clippers both on and off the court.

Now fans cheered them on to victory in last night's playoff game. And earlier, the NBA won praise in the court of public opinion for swiftly punishing team owner Donald Sterling. Now he has been banned for life just days after an audio tape surfaced of him making racist comments.

Now NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the league will try to force Sterling to sell the team.

Now the controversy has cast a shadow on the NBA playoffs, but as Stephanie Elam tells us, hat shadow appears to be lifting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rousing show of support as the L.A. Clippers took to the court and then took home the victory against the Golden State Warriors in game five of the play-offs.

The team, warming up in shirts that read, "One Team, One Goal, It's Time", a symbol of their support after NBA commissioner Adam Silver came out strongly against team owner Donald Sterling.

ADAM SILVER, NBA COMMISSIONER: I am banning Mr. Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers organization or the NBA.

ELAM: The harshest punishment in the history of the NBA. Sterling, who admitted the racist rant that surfaced is his own, was also fined $2.5 million, the maximum allowed under the NBA constitution.

Before game five, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said now the healing can begin.

DOC RIVERS, L.A. CLIPPERS COACH: I've been proud of the ownership. We're all in a better place because of this.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRSPONDENT (voice-over): The commissioner's bold action igniting resounding praise from players, owners and fans alike.

Charlotte Bobcats owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan saying he applauds the commissioner's swift and decisive response. LeBron James echoing the sentiment, as did Magic Johnson, adding he wished he could be at the game.

Diehard Clippers fans also relieved by the NBA's response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basketball is our sanctuary, where, red, white, and blue, everybody, all races, come together as one and cheering a team on to a victory.

ELAM: Many NBA teams showing solidarity online with the slogan "We are one." The fans on their feet, loudly cheering and proudly wearing Clippers gear, waving signs of support.

The energy inside the packed stadium electric, the sentiment clear -- we root for the team, not the owner.

The players later expressing their gratitude to Silver, their coach, and their fans.

CHRIS PAUL, CLIPPERS PLAYER: When we ran out for warm-ups, one of the most emotional things I think I've ever been part of. Almost brought tears to my eyes just to feel the support.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Sterling still owns the L.A. Clippers, but the NBA will try to compel him to sell.

Now Commissioner Silver says he expects to get the three-fourths majority necessary from NBA owners to force the sale. But there is no telling how long that could take.

Now Sterling could fight back with a lawsuit. Now it is clear his association with the team is hurting it. More than a dozen companies have halted their sponsorship with the Clippers. So far, two have come back after Silver announced Sterling's punishment.

Now the NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal says he supports the NBA commissioner. Now he is part owner of the Sacramento Kings and should mention an analyst on TNT, which like CNN, is owned by Time Warner.

Now Shaq spoke to World Sport's Lara Baldaserra.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAQUILLE O'NEAL, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I'm extremely proud of Commissioner Silver. You know he was as aggressive as he possibly could be. You know, a lot of the owners, including the owners of Sacramento Kings have zero tolerance for comments like that, you know, we hope the other owners feel as strongly as we do.

This issue, you know, transcends basketball. I think the punishment was just right.

LARA BALDESARRA, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Donald Sterling is now toxic. This guy is toxic to a team -- advertisers, they're not going near the team, players don't want to play for him, fans they don't like him. Can this franchise possibly survive until he sells? And I'm talking about be competitive as a franchise?

O'NEAL: Realistically, the players and the fans, we own the game. The owners are just custodians. Most players don't play for the owners. I had one of the greatest owners Dr. Jerry Buss, but you know as a youngster growing up I always want to make a name for myself, do certain things for my family and win for myself.

This is the first time that, you know, the Clippers have been mentioned in a legitimate chance of winning a title, and you know, this has definitely put a black eye on their season. But, you know, you just have to go out and play.

You know, it'll be a great story that they go despite everything that goes on, they fought throughout all the adversity and they won a title. That'll be a hell of a story.

BALDESARRA: How would you have played for a man like Sterling?

O'NEAL: It would have been tough, but again, you know, I would have looked in the stands and seen all the little kids that believed in me in me, all the hard work of moms and dads that pay their last cent to buy tickets. I would have done it for them. I would have had to turn it on and try to somehow make it a positive story, despite all the stuff that's gone on they were still able to overcome everything and win. That's the story.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Shaquille O'Neal speaking with Lara Baldesarra.

But Shaq has also been addressing his own controversy. Later in the show, we'll tell you why some people accused him of cyber bullying.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still to come, Ukraine's acting president says the country's forces are on full combat readiness. This, as pro-Russian separatists take over more buildings in the east. We'll take you live to Ukraine after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And you're looking at a visual version of all the stories we've got in the show today.

Now we started with the lifetime ban handed to L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling by the NBA. And a little bit later in the program, we'll tell you the shocking story of an execution in the United States gone wrong.

But now to the situation in Ukraine. Now the Ukrainian military is on full combat alert due to a threat from Russia, that's according to Ukraine's interim president Oleksandr Turchynov. Now he was speaking to regional state leaders in Kiev.

In the meeting, he admitted Ukrainian authorities are not in control in the eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Now pro-Russian activists, they continued to seize buildings across the region. Earlier on Wednesday, the self-declared chairman of the Donestsk People's Republic told CNN that separatist forces had taken over the police department in the city of Khorlivka (ph).

Now the violence in those divided Ukrainian towns has been sporadic, at times it's spontaneous, but some incidents appear to be targeted.

A gruesome discovery near the flashpoint town of Slovyasnk shows just how some Ukrainians are paying the ultimate price. Our senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: As the daily tallies turn from protest sizes to how many dead and injured, outside the seat of unrest Slovyasnk, the river keeps yielding grim news.

First, the naked bodies of a pro-Kiev politician and an activist grabbed by suspected pro-Russian militants nearby 12 days ago. And then, Monday, a third body, still to be identified.

Well, police have told us the bodies were found about two meters out into the river, weighed down with plastic bags of sand. The third one, though, not found until later, because it was weighed down with a military style backpack.

Here, away from the surreal synthetic sense of revolt, there was a chilling repeated brutality, a pattern that's changing how Ukrainians will live with each other, each man killed, we're told, by a large knife wound to the chest.

They wouldn't talk at the morgue, but investigators told us off camera all three bodies had torture marks from knives and were being treated as one case.

Death has enraged both sides, though. Days earlier, we saw Alexander Lubanesk (ph) mourned after being shot at a checkpoint during an army raid. He was buried where he always lived, a sprawl of farmland rich in beauty, but not in opportunity for a man who would have turned 22 this day.

His father was a Soviet soldier.

"We're all fighting for our land," he tells me. "There will be no fascists here. The don bass (ph) region won't be put on its knees. Some fight for their wallets, others die here. He was fighting to live with dignity, born when the Soviet Union collapsed and then he died. What did he die for?"

Alexander's (ph) brothers and friends stop the interview. We're intruders to a grief they never expected, so public, so incendiary, so central to Ukraine's bid to stay whole.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Slovyasnk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: The death toll as rising tension remains high. Let's go live to Eastern Ukraine right now. Our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon joins me live from Luhansk where pro-Russian activists seized more government buildings on Tuesday. And tell us what's happening there.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're in front of one of those buildings, Kristie. This is the regional main administration building. It was the first of the series that were seized overnight. And as you can see right now, it is fully under the control of the pro-Russian camp.

We were inside a few hours earlier. We were allowed in only if we agreed not to film the police that are actually inside the building, a handful of them. They're also on the outskirts of this road controlling traffic, but not really doing anything to try to take the building back under their own control.

Some employees were inside earlier in the day. They had a process in place where they could show their IDs, then they were given a slip of paper that allowed them to move through the checkpoints that have been set up inside the building itself.

The spokesperson, the press person for the headquarters of the southeastern army, as he called himself, said that the reason that they decided to take over this and other key buildings here to include the television station and the police station, among others, was because they had given the local government ultimatum to conduct a referendum and that deadline had passed.

It just goes to underscore how potentially lawless this situation here is becoming. And also how little control the central government in Kiev actually has. The acting president coming out earlier today and effectively admitting that the government had lost control in certain key areas in eastern Ukraine, but at the same time saying that he was building up Ukraine's forces.

Now interestingly you don't see that buildup around these various locations that are in the control of the pro-Russian camp. Yesterday, we spent some time along the border between Ukraine and Russia, there you do get a sense that it is perhaps a nation that is getting ready for war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: Amid eastern Ukraine's fertile farm lands, in a Soviet era abandoned tractor warehouse, the men are called to attention. They are part of a troop buildup that began in March after the speed of Russia's annexation of Crimea caught Kiev by surprise.

"There are possibilities it could also happen here at the border with Russia," Lieutenant Colonel Vadiliy Pulavoy (ph), the number two in charge, tells us.

These border guards, the first line of defense deploy from their base in central Ukraine. Half of them are still in training.

Border crossings throughout have been reinforced with massive concrete barricades and sandbags. a gaping trench snakes through the landscape.

In that direction, this trench extends all the way to the sea of Azov. It's about 100 kilometers, or 60 miles. And trenches similar to this one are being dug by Ukrainian Authorities all along the border with Russia as they continued to get ready for a war Ukraine hopes it will be able to avoid.

Perched on a hilltop but not visible from the road, a paratrooper unit that also deployed in March. We spot their men in the field, but are not allowed to film.

Camouflaged into the landscape is a small unit of Ukrainian paratroopers. And less than a two minute drive down the road, one of the barricades set up by the pro-Russian camp.

The threat from within Ukraine's borders more immediate and menacing. As we were out filming, Kiev lost control of yet another government building, this time in Luhansk, the police doing nothing to stop the pro-Russians as they smashed windows and declared themselves the authority.

For the people living along the border, it was a boundary in name only, now potentially these scenic tranquil hills could become just one of many front lines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And of course, Kristie, the concern when you talk to a lot of people that aren't necessarily staunchly in either camp is how confusing the situation is. And all that they're able to see is their realities being destroyed, their own lives hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, both sides polarizing themselves and their positions.

Again to bring our viewers back to where we are in front of that main administration building in Luhansk, you can see people there filling sandbags, really fortifying themselves into this and various other positions throughout the country.

Of course, the great concern on many people's minds right now is how is that worst case scenario avoided? How does -- or how does one somehow bring these various political parties back to some sort of negotiating table so that there can be a peaceful settlement to all of this and not even more bloodshed, Kristie.

LU STOUT: You know, diplomacy so far has yielded nothing. That promised sweeping anti-terror operation that the Ukrainian government announced earlier this week again has yielded nothing.

We're looking at that administrative building behind you there in Luhansk. The pro-Russian activists, they still continue to hold that building. I mean, Arwa, just how close are we to seeing parts of eastern Ukraine, like Donetsk, like where you are Luhansk, completely slipping out of the control of Kiev?

DAMON: Well, it's difficult to put an exact timetable on that, Kristie, but one does really get the sense that the pro-Russian camp is gaining ground and gaining control at this stage. The people here saying that they undertook this operation to capture all of these other buildings in Luhansk because they wanted to see a referendum taking place. They're hoping to see that materialize on May 11.

Speaking to some of the other pro-Russian leaders in other cities, they also want to see a referendum happen. The logistics of that are going to prove to be incredibly challenging if it can in fact happen at all.

And the issue also at this stage is that it seems that the key international players who do perhaps have pressure points that can be used within the Ukrainian battleground are either unwilling to use them or not - - choosing not to use them at this stage. If we just look at the example of the OSCE monitors who were detained and are not being released at this point, it goes to show you just how little control anyone really has over this situation here.

LU STOUT: That's right, thank you very much indeed for reminding us of those OSCE monitors still being held captive there in eastern Ukraine.

Arwa Damon reporting live from Luhansk, many thanks indeed for that report.

You're watching News Stream. Still to come right here on the program, sin the United States the state of Oklahoma is looking for answers after the execution of an inmate was botched. Why one death penalty opponent is accusing the state of torture.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now Syrian opposition activists say at least 25 children were killed in another day of violence in Aleppo.

Now this YouTube video purportedly shows the aftermath of a bombing at an elementary school in the country's largest city.

Now activists say, government forces were dropping barrel bombs, which are typically stuffed with crude explosives and objects like nails to maximize impact.

Now CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of this video.

Now amid turbulent times in a rise of violent attacks Iraqis went to the polls this Wednesday for the first time since the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Now voters are still turning out despite attacks on police earlier this week.

More than 21 million people are registered to vote and they will decide whether or not to give Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki a third term.

Now he is under pressure to curb a growing wave of suicide bombings and assassinations.

Egyptians are set to go to the polls next month to elect a new president, but the vote will be taking place in what some say is increasingly a climate of fear. Islamists are facing an ongoing crackdown, hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters were sentenced to death this week. It was the second mass trial in Egypt in two months, drawing sharp criticism from both the UN and the EU.

Now most of the defendants from Monday's trial, they remain in hiding. But CNN's Reza Sayah managed to talk to one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In my country, I would be imprisoned for 25 years or hanged.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On a grainy video call from a secret location, Hossam Shabib (ph) can't stop telling me how much he misses Egypt and his family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I miss Egypt. I miss my wife. I miss my children.

SAYAH: For more than a month now, Shabib, a medical doctor, has been hiding from Egyptian authorities. Coming back home means facing a death sentence in the notorious mass trial where Shabib says he and hundreds of others were falsely accused of killing a police officer. His aging father wonders when he'll see his son again.

"I can't stop my tears from rolling," he says.

Ismail Sarwat (ph) was also sentenced to death. He too is hiding. This is his worried son Mohammed (ph).

Ahmed ElVorani (ph) is also on the run. This is his wife, this his baby girl.

"My children are waiting for him to show up," she says. "Every time they hear a motorbike they think it's him."

These days in Egypt hundreds are in hiding, many others afraid to speak out because of what rights groups call a growing climate of fear.

The fear in silence followed the ouster last year of former President Mohamed Morsy. Within weeks, security forces had killed more than 1,000 Morsy backers and arrested thousands of others in the first signs of a crackdown on dissent.

Soon, authorities outlawed protests without government permission and set up hotlines for Egyptians to report anyone they deemed suspicious.

Be careful what you say in public is the warning that quickly spread.

"We used to say, god is watching," says Hanaa Gamel. "Now we say security is watching."

The arrests and convictions kept piling up. In January, when three young men put up posters against the new constitution they were arrested and convicted of disturbing the peace. Journalists locked up with little or no evidence, rights groups say hundreds of children have been illegally detained. Many allege torture, claims the government denies. The arrests and the new laws, they say, have all been aimed at bringing stability.

When secular activists spoke out, they too were arrested, including many faces of the the 2011 revolution.

HANY EL GAMAL, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: They are trying to frighten ordinary people.

SAYAH: Fear of prison and a death sentence has kept Hossam Shabib (ph) underground and cost him his medical practice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no justice in our country.

SAYAH: Until he sees change, Shabib says, he'll stay in hiding from a country he fears is returning to a police state.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And Reza joins me now live from Cairo. And Reza, is it just going to get worse? Will the crackdown against the opposition intensify even more as we approach the election?

SAYAH: Well, I think that's what many people are wondering. And I think what's clear is that there's a campaign underway to stifle dissent and stifle anyone who criticizes this government and that's really having rights groups sound the alarm.

What's concerning for these rights groups is that there's really no response here from authorities, but clearly many observers, many international observers say moving forward, this is a country where the leadership is going to be judged based on how it's -- upholds democratic values and basic human rights, basic due process rights. But when you have these types of mass arrests, these trials where hundreds of people are simultaneously sentenced to death, when you have a secular activist, a journalist seemingly only doing their job thrown in jail, rights groups say these are troubling signs that these democratic values, these basic human rights are being undermined and that's not a good sign for a country that back in 2011 promised democratic values. Many concern these are indications that Egypt is returning to an autocratic state, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And as these mass arrests and detentions go on and the international outcry continues, especially from human rights groups, does Egypt run the risk of losing that much needed military aid package, annually it's quite a sizable sum, from the United States?

SAYAH: The aid certainly seems to be at risk, but it's not clear what Washington is going to do. What is clear, there seems to be disagreement within the Obama administration, within the U.S. congress. When you look at things from Washington's point of view, they see Egypt as an important ally. Obviously the peace treaty is Israel is critical. Washington sees Egypt as an ally that can help maintain security in this region.

But at the same time, the United States is a country that obviously champions democratic values. And when you see basic democratic values and human rights being undermined by the leadership here, that raises some concern.

At this point, most of the funding is still on hold. At the same time earlier this month, the Pentagon released 10 Apache helicopters, again sending mixed messages, indications that Washington really doesn't know how to approach what is a delicate situation here.

LU STOUT: We have this major challenge to human rights ongoing, this crackdown likely to continue, especially ahead of the big election next month. Yesterday your report really, really struck me and our audience of children getting caught up in the crackdown. In recent days we know that a youth group has been outlawed. Why is the government going after them?

SAYAH: Well, this is not just any youth group, this is the April 6 youth movement. This is a movement that played a critical role in the 2011 revolution. They were banned in a court after a lawyer brought up a case against them, accusing them of undermining the leadership, taking part in protests. They can certainly appeal that ruling.

But again these are more troubling signs that the leadership here, the judiciary along with the security apparatus is stifling dissent and freedom of speech. And one of the the things April 6 Movement fought for back in 2011 is the right to speak up, political freedom. At this point, they seem to be a target. Certainly this is a group that's not going to back down. We'll see how they fight this ruling in the coming days and weeks.

LU STOUT: Thank you so much for highlighting the issue for us. Reza Sayah reporting live from Cairo, thank you.

Now an inmate's execution has gone wrong in the United States. And now Oklahoma has put a hold on other lethal injections as it investigates. Do stay with News Stream for more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream and these are your world headlines.

Now the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers has been banned from the NBA for life and fined the maximum $2.5 million. The NBA commissioner says the league will try to compel Donald Sterling to sell the team over racist comments that he made on an audio tape that surfaced days ago.

Now the Clippers went on to win their playoff game last night, defeating the Golden State Warriors.

Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov says the country's forces are in full combat alert due to a threat from Russia. Now speaking to regional state leaders in Kiev, Mr. Tuchynov admitted Ukrainian authorities are not in control in the eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Teenagers who survived the devastating ferry disaster in South Korea have paid tribute to classmates who died. In Ansan, where the teens went to high school, about 70 survivors gathered at a memorial site on Wednesday. More than 300 students from the school were on a field trip two weeks ago when the ship sunk.

Australian officials leading the search for Malaysia airlines flight 370 have dismissed claims from a marine exploration company. Now GeoResonance says it has used special technology to locate what could be plane wreckage in the Bay of Bengal. Now that is far from the official search area in the southern Indian Ocean.

Now Malaysian officials say that they are trying to assess the credibility of the information.

Now the U.S. State of Oklahoma has delayed this man's planned execution. Now after this man's lethal injection went terribly wrong. Both Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner had been scheduled to die on Tuesday for a number of crimes, including rape and murder. But the head of Oklahoma's corrections department said that Lockett's vein exploded after he received the lethal injection.

It was the first time Oklahoma had used this particular three drug cocktail in an execution.

Now officials say Lockett later suffered an apparent heart attack.

Now Oklahoma's governor has ordered a full investigation. And CNN's justice correspondent Pamela Brown has been following the story from Washington. she joins us now -- Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, authorities are looking into what caused that botched execution, whether it was the way the drugs were administered or the combination of drugs. And the inmate who died had recently lost a court battle to find out the source of the drugs used in his execution. Last night, witnesses say they watched in horror as he seemingly struggled to talk well after he was given the lethal chemical cocktail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was struggling to talk but those were the words we got out, "Man, I'm not -- and something's wrong."

BROWN (voice-over): They may be the last words spoken by Oklahoma inmate Clayton Locket, uttered during his botched execution. Lockett's vein exploded during the lethal injection, prompting authorities to quickly halt the procedure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was my decision at that time to stop the execution.

BROWN: The first drug in the lethal injection cocktail is supposed to render a person unconscious but witnesses say Lockett was still conscious seven minutes after that first injection. At 16 minutes, he seemingly tried to get up and talk. It was then that prison officials closed the blinds, shutting out the media gathered to witness.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't know what was happening on the other side of the blinds. We didn't know if he was still dying or if they were still pumping drugs in him.

BROWN: 43 minutes after the first injection, Lockett died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The inmate suffered what appears to be a massive heart attack and passed away.

BROWN: Lockett and Charles Warner, the inmate set to be executed after Lockett Tuesday, both convicted of rape and murder, were at the center of a court fight over the drugs used in their execution. Oklahoma's high court initially stayed their executions only the lift the stays last week, saying the men had no right to know the source of the drugs intended to kill them.

UNIDENTIFIED MAEL: They wanted to hurry up and get it done with as little transparency as possible. There should not be another execution in this state until there's a full investigation into what went wrong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallon ordered an investigation into the incident and issued an executive order granting a two week delay in executions.

And interesting to note here, Kristie, Oklahoma is one several states that has been fighting to keep information about the suppliers of lethal drugs confidential.

LU STOUT: All right, Pamela Brown reporting live from Washington, thank you.

Now time for your global weather forecast. And an update on those extreme storms in the United States. Let's get details now with Mari Ramos. She joins me from the World Weather Center -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kristie. Well, severe weather is not over just yet across parts of the southeast in particular. But it looks like it may be getting to the end of this nasty weather that has plagued the region for so long. First it was the tornadoes, now it's the flooding.

And I want to show you and start you off with this. This area that you see in red is the area that has the flash flood warnings. They say that this is a danger to life, extreme danger to life to people in this area, because the water has been rising so quickly.

I want to show you pictures of what it looks like on the ground.

The rain began just about 12 hours ago, severe rain and thunderstorms that pounded the area. And this isn't just one storm system that moved through, it was cell after cell that poured through the same area. About 12 inches of rain have fallen in this region. That's over 300 millimeters of rain just a period of a few hours.

At first people though, OK, this is just a rain storm, it's going to go away. But no, the rain kept coming causing significant flooding across the region and killing at least one person.

Let's go ahead and role the next piece of video, because these are some still images that have been coming out.

Any area that was low lying was flooded very, very quickly. Homes, businesses -- look at those cars, very scary situation here. Authorities are still searching some areas that have been flooded in this region.

And this next image right there, that's a highway, that was I-10 flooded, not by the ocean, but by the rain, the water that was pouring from the sky, portions of that roadway remain closed, but they are beginning to reopen even though if you come back over here to the weather map, the rain does keep falling.

And notice that the rain stretches all the way northward. So we have those flood watches stretching all the way up into New York State and even into Massachusetts, because we are expecting all of this to continue trailing farther and farther toward the east. Notice all of that moisture still continuing here in areas to the south.

There's a river here near Pensacola that could crest later today at the highest level its had ever recorded in that area, even when they've had hurricanes hit this region, they haven't had this much water in some of those parts.

Now, large hail, severe winds and even a few tornadoes are possible. And an area from Washington, D.C. all the way back to the Florida panhandle again.

Now we don't have the same -- we have all the same ingredients but not with the same intensity that we had before earlier in the week when we had those severe tornadoes across some of these areas. So we're starting to see a little bit of relief across the region. Remember, we had all of that activity that moved across the south and east as we head -- especially those right there, the deadly tornadoes.

And now just over toward the Carolinas has been the latest activity in the last 24 hours, Kristie. But definitely starting to see an improvement in the weather, but we have to get through today, still, and possibly into tomorrow morning before the rain and the tornado threat finally ends.

Back to you.

LU STOUT: That's right, relief is on the way, but just a little bit. Mari Ramos, thank you very much indeed for that.

Now turning now to the search for flight 370, an Australian company called GeoResonance says it detected specific metals in the Bay of Bengal that are consistent with the makeup of a Boeing 777. And it wants authorities to look there for the missing plane.

Let's bring in CNN's aviation analyst Miles O'Brien. And Miles, what have you learned about this company, GeoResonance, and its claims about the missing plane?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, Kristie, I know of no bonafide experts in the world of satellite imagery who say it is possible to do what they did. The technology that they're using allows mining interests to find precious metals on the surface of the planet. It might have some efficacy maybe in shallow water identifying the wreckage of a plane by perhaps detecting wave patterns, but the idea that this satellite could peer down through thousands of meters of water and identify a plane wreck, no one who I know in the space business has any idea that this technology exists.

LU STOUT: Now you and the people that you've talked to, the experts completely dismissing this claim from GeorResonance. And nevertheless, Miles, there are still some people out there asking why not look into the claim anyway? What are your thoughts on that?

O'BRIEN: Well, two thoughts. First of all, you know, in a perfect world with unlimited resources, sure. But we have limited resources. Adn the evidence that we have points us in the direction of the southern Indian Ocean.

There are ways to check out this claim without moving the flotilla, as it were.

Number one, why don't they point their satellite at a known wreckage site, somewhere in the world. There are ditching sites all over the place that we could identify, and see if they can really spot it as they claim.

And number two, why don't they aim their satellite at the southern Indian Ocean site? That would be a good place to perhaps disprove that the wreckage is there.

Unfortunately, I smell a company that's trying to get some notoriety in the midst of all of this. And I think that is just playing with the emotions of the families.

LU STOUT: Indeed, indeed.

Now GeoResonance, this company says that the data it picked up is in the Bay of Bengal. But let's focus on the evidence, OK. So Miles, you know, remind us about the pings and the hard science that led official investigators to the more southern search zone in the southern Indian Ocean.

O'BRIEN: OK.

Well, a lot of people have been talking today about the Inmarsat circles, OK, which identified circles on the globe where the plane might have been based on this satellite communication. Remember, the technology that derived those circles is well know, well understood. It's just basic mathematics and a little bit of physics. There's nothing secret or black box about it, although it woudl be nice if Inmarsat released more of its data. They have it. So that raises some questions.

You know, secondly, I think that this idea that they want to focus on this wide area in the Bay of Bengal is somewhat implausible. I think it was too wide an area that they claimed to have searched. So why not just prove what they can do, show us what the technology is. And don't just say it's some sort of black box device that is proprietary.

LU STOUT: All right, Miles O'Brien always, always appreciate your clarity and your concise insight. Thank you so much. Take care.

Now Shaquille O'Neal, he has taken to Twitter to say something sorry -- to say sorry for something that he posted on Instagram. And you can see here, he's apologizing to a man named Jahmel Binion. And to (inaudible) man who was born with a rare genetic disorder. And the condition, it causes missing teeth and abnormal hair growth.

Now Shaw posted a selfie mimicking Binion contorted fatial expression, and that prompted an open letter from an organization for people who suffer from this disability. Now it told Shaq that Binyon (ph) suffers from ectodermal dysplasia.

Now the letter also reads, quote, bullying is never acceptable. However, to be called out on a celebrity's social media and made fun of is especially reprehensible.

Now Binion, he also launched this Facebook campaign to raise more awareness. It's called "Hug Don't Judge." Good advice for all of us.

Now coming up next right here on News Stream, the main cast has been confirmed for Star Wars Episode VII. And we'll tell you who got a spot on the couch when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching News Stream. And let's return to our visual rundown now. In a few minutes, we'll tell you about another setback in preparations for the World Cup, but now to the story about a galaxy far, far away. Now of course, I'm talking about Star Wars.

On Tuesday, Lucas Film released a picture that fans have been waiting years, even decades for: the cast of Star War Episode VII. Yes, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo all are back.

Let's take a look at who is joining them.

Now, there's the veteran Swedish actor Max Von Sydow. now among his many films he has in recent years received critical acclaim for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Now you might not recognize this face, but you definitely know his work. Andy Serkis, he played Gollum in the Lord of the Rings Films, those are perhaps the most well known newcomers.

Now Lucas Film says Oscar Isaac, Damhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver, and John Boyega will also join the cast.

Now the only new actress in the film is as close to an unknown as you can get, Daisy Ridley has only had a handful of roles in TV shows and short films.

Now let's bring in our regular contributor from New York. Nicholas Thompson is the New Yorker.com. He joins us now live.

Now Nick, I'm pretty excited about this. The original actors will be back some three decades after Return of the Jedi. Do you think it's a good move?

NICHOLAS THOMPSON, NEW YORKER.COM: It's certainly a good marketing move. I was certainly very excited when I first heard it, but it's also a little bit terrifying for old Star Wars fans. I mean, this was a very important part of my youth, and I'm going to guess your youth, and a very important part of a lot of people's youths. And these characters who we left 30 years ago as supernatural Jedi knights, people sort of encased in their youthful vigor have now gotten older.

We have to remember the Mark Hamill during filming is going to be older than Alec Guinness who played Obi Wan was during filming of the first Star Wars.

So we're actually going to see time at work when we watch this next movie. And that might -- that's going to be interesting.

LU STOUT: You know, it'll be interesting. And I'm glad that you said it, it could be scary, because many are wondering, you know, do we really need another Star War sequel. I mean, is there a risk here of diluting the brand with just another one?

THOMPSON: I think there's absolutely a risk of diluting the brand. I mean, so they had three movies. The first two were utterly fantastic, the third was fine. And then they had three other movies that were not so great. And I think the brand lost a little bit of their magic by creating those next three movies. And now, if they bring the original cast back and the seventh movie is terrible it's going to change the way that new people come to the first two movies, which were so magical.

So it absolutely could dilute the brand.

I mean, financially it's surely a good move. They're going to sell lots of toys. There's going to be, you know, fast food tie ins, there's going to be everything. This is one of the most sellable brands in history. This is certainly going to help that.

But the way people think of the franchise, it could actually create a problem.

LU STOUT: You know, and there's also the issue of satifsying the very hardcore fan base. I mean, how do you put together another Star Wars movie when there are just so many persnickety and rabid fans out there with very high expectations?

THOMPSON: Right. This is actually I think one of the hardest things for the script writers. They have to please all of these rabid fans. And they also have to make sure everything is accurate and ties into the storyline that these fans have been following very closely.

So the fans have very clear views about what Han Solo should be doing, what Leia should be doing, how these different characters should interact. And they're going to try to write a script that plays to these, you know -- these, you know obsesses, but that also isn't too constrained by them. And that's going to be a little bit hard, because every time they think about some plot twist. Oh, you know, let's do this. But, oh, wait, there was this moment 36 minutes into Star Wars where R2 did that and that actually means we can't do that.

So, being a scriptwriter on the show is going to be a tricky task.

LU STOUT: That's right, the pressure is on to deliver the goods. Nick Thompson, New Yorker.com, thank you.

THOMPSON: Thank you, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, Microsoft says it will release the Xbox One in China. It will go on sale in September. Now Microsoft says it is working with a Chinese partner to provide local content for the Xbox One.

Now the announcement comes a few months after China lifted a ban on selling video game consoles.

But as this picture shows, game consoles had been readily available in China for years despite the ban. Now this is a shop in Shanghai, it's selling a Nintendo Wii as well as various Playstation models, including the PS4. Now those are likely gray imports.

But this one is official and legal. It is a Nintendo 3DS. It's sold under the brand name IQ. It's a joint venture with a local company.

Now with the World Cup just over one month away, bringing more than half a million visitors to Brazil, it is not a good time for a drought. But Brazil's reserves are running dry. And there are concerns that the shortage could even affect electricity supplies. Here's Shasta Darlington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Every day a new record low. After a prolonged drought, the main reservoir supplying Sao Paolo, Brazil's biggest city, is at less than 12 percent capacity and declining.

I should be completely underwater where I'm standing now. Instead, if you look around I'm surrounded by parched earth and there are still seven months to go before the rainy season starts again.

The city is rationing water for residents who live out by Sao Paulo's international airport.

"Sometimes we go two days without water and then taps turn on for one day," he says.

Eric Dale Maida (ph) owns a motorcycle mechanics shop. He had to suspend his wash service and let one employee go. Revenues are down 20 percent.

In the Guarolio (ph) suburb, residents say their rooftop water tanks usually get them through.

"I don't wash clothes on the days that we don't have water," she says. "And here I'm storing water just in case we run out."

Sao Paulo water customers who cut consumption by 30 percent get deep discounts. Now the city says it will also fine those who use more water.

The director of the Sao Paulo water company says it's using other reservoirs and previously untapped ground water.

"We have a certain volume of water left, but only for a couple of months," he says.

But he insists they won't extend rationing to all of Sao Paulo. The city hosts the opening game of the World Cup in June. Nonetheless, hotels tell us they have contingency plans. They'll rely on extra water tanks and mobile water trucks if necessary.

The water situation could also have an impact on the country's power supply.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We may face some electricity problems, because our system is mainly a hydroelectric more than 85 percent of our system is hydro.

DARLINGTON: While some analysts say alternative energy sources will take the pressure off, others believe Brazil could be hit by blackouts as well as widespread water rationing before the end of the year.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, if you've ever had an embarrassing moment caught on camera, you're going to want to stick around for this next story. How one man's graduation celebration went from a flip to a flop. We'll show you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now, college graduations are always a time for celebration, but for one student at Michigan's Davenport University, the party fell flat, quite literally.

Now he may have passed all his classes, but as Jeanne Moos shows us, he failed at his last big farewell move.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was pomp and unfortunate circumstance - - graduation at Davenport University in Michigan, grads dealing with those pesky tassels, the litany of hard to pronounce names.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sanao Folosh (ph) -- Felis (ph).

MOOS: A sea of caps from which...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Robert Jeffrey Blank.

MOOS: Bobby Blank tried to stand out with a back flip that backfired.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, OK. I don't know. I don't know. We're just going to give it a minute.

MOOS: Instead of landing on his feet, he landed on his face.

BOBBY BLANK, DAVENPORT UNIVERSITY ALUMNI: My hands were holding my diploma and my cap, so they didn't do a great job of catching me, hence the loud thud. But I'm OK. I'm still standing.

MOOS: Now Bobby, here's what you meant your back flip to look like.

Off comes the cap. This guy even got a pat on the back while all Bobby got was startled stairs.

By blowing his back flip, Bobby graduated to internet immortality. And if he'd stuck his landing it would have been just another stunt.

Like the grad who stripped off his gown to reveal a Superman outfit. Or the guy who did the worm. Or the NYU grad who took off his pants and ran onto the field when graduation was held at Yankee Stadium.

At least Bobby didn't end up in handcuffs or pull a Patch Adams wearing a graduation gown like a hospital gown.

Davenport University had no comment on Bobby's back flip, but they didn't seem overly concerned.

BLANK: It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, so I know I apologize to the people behind me that may have taken away from their shine in the light.

MOOS: Bobby says his gown and having his hands out holding things prevented him from getting the full rotation. But just to prove that he can do it.

Take it from a preschool graduate...

BOY: I don't want to grow up.

MOOS: Grads will be grads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you're going to be successful in everything you do.

MOOS: Well, maybe not everything.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And before we go, we have some sad news to report. Now media reports say that British actor Bob Hoskins has died. Now he retired in 2012 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Now Hoskins is perhaps best known for playing the detective in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He also appeared in Mermaids, Hook, and more recently Snow White and the Huntsman.

Now Hoskins first gained fame in the 1978 British TV miniseries Pennies from Heaven. He was 71-years-old.

And that is News Stream, but the news continues at CNN. World Business Today is next.

END