Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Some Military Events Canceled in the U.S.; More Victims of Terror Attack in Tunisia Set to Return Home to UK; Economic Crisis in Greece. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 03, 2015 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead of the 4th of July, Independence Day celebrations in the United States fears of an ISIS inspired attack, cancel some military events. Following the deadly terror attack in Tunisia, more victims from the U.K. are set to return home. And economic crisis in Greece, there is a stark warning on the sheer scale of this financial mess. And a string of shark attacks along the U.S. east coast has some beachgoers nervous. That will be important especially with July 4th just around the corner.

Welcome to our viewers at the United States and around the world, I'm George Howell. This is CNN Newsroom.

Good day to you. We start this hour with those concerns among U.S. security officials over potential terror threats against the United States, all of this playing on the eve of America's July 4th Independence Day celebrations. The U.S. air force has already canceled a big 4th of July celebration at an air base in England.

And on Thursday, there was a lock down at Washington's navy yard.

CNN's Jim Sciutto has been working his sources and has more from Washington.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, the alert at the navy yard here in Washington started with a phone call just before 8 o'clock in the morning from an employee who heard noises, thought it might be gunfire. It turned out to be construction work.

But this shows the level of concern here today. This is really across the country. Concerns about attacks by ISIS supporters tied to the July 4th weekend. Added here was the fact that it was a military facility, they're on a higher level of alert.

And it is a military facility that two years ago had another shooting event, but it shows you the difficulty of these decisions as they are happening. It is hard to keep on alert for all these things in so many places and we saw this repeated overseas, at a U.S. military base, on a British military base in the north of England. There, the base commander is making a decision that the risks of holding a July 4th celebration outweighed the rewards of doing so.

We're told by the U.S. military that this was a base decision, by base commanders there. It is certainly not a U.K. wide or a European wide decision to cancel July 4th celebrations. But again, it is a very difficult decision to make with the threat level with very nonspecific threats.

I speak to counterterror officials all the time. They say their concern is this broad call by ISIS to its supporters around the world to time their attacks to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But heightened concern in the U.S. about other holidays. As it happens, July 4th falling within the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, great concern here, difficulty responding to these threats, but it really is a measure of that nervousness. George.

HOWELL: CNN's Jim Sciutto there. And cancelling the celebrations in England is a big disappointment to thousands of people. They were hoping to see a scheduled aerial performance by Britain's Red Arrow flying teams as well as fireworks there.

The U.K. is preparing to honor the victims of last Friday's terror attack in Sousse, Tunisia. Thirty of the 38 people who were murdered at that luxury beach resort were British citizens.

At noon, local time, the U.K. will observe a nationwide moment of silence. Nine more of the victims' bodies were flown to a royal air force base in England on Thursday. Foreign Secretary Philip Hannan says there will be two more repatriation flights in the coming days.

ISIS is claiming responsibility for the beach resort attack and now, the U.K. is deciding how best to deal with that terror group. It already conducts air strikes in Iraq which it calls ISIL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FALLON, BRITISH DEFENCE MINISTER: We know that ISIL is organized and directed from Northern Syria. That's why prime ministers said during the debate last September when -- on taking military action in Iraq, that, and I quote, "There is a strong case for us to do more in Syria."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Let's bring in CNN Military Analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona now, joining us via Skype from California.

Rick, always good to have you with us. So it was just a little more than two years ago that the British parliament rejected Prime Minister Cameron's bid to attack the Assad regime over chemical weapons --

[01:04:56]

RETIRED LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: They were also (INAUDIBLE) operating in North Africa, they're operating again in Central Asia, they're operating in Afghanistan. But more importantly, we're seeing them seeing doing this lone wolf attacks in France, in Great Britain, and we're very worried about what's going -- what might happen in the United States.

So I think, not only the British, but a lot of the countries in the coalition are looking out what that need -- what they need to do to change their calculus, to change their strategy toward ISIS. What is work -- what has not worked in the past has to change.

HOWELL: Rick, we learned in Thursday that the senior ISIS leader Tariq al-Harzi was killed last month, this is according to U.S. officials. How significant is that death?

FRANCONA: Well, you know, anytime you kill one of these leaders, it's a good thing. But what happens is, they're easily replaced. The good thing is, that when they're replaced, they're normally replaced with someone who doesn't quite have the skill set or they would have been in charge.

So you constantly whittle away these organizations by taking out the leadership. This is a good tact, it worked very well against the al Qaeda, in Afghanistan, it worked very well for us in Iraq. So I think if we start taking out the leadership, that's going to continue to work for us. But these are small steps. What we need to do is find out where the leadership is and go after them with a vengeance.

And I think its incumbent upon us to deal ISIS a blow, a real military defeat, because as long as they appear to be successful on the battlefield, their recruitments efforts are going through the roof.

If you look at what happened last week, their recruitment is up because of the success they had in Kuwait, in Tunisia and in France. So we better address this.

HOWELL: Rick, another question to bring up is this concern among officials here in the United States about, you know, a possible terror attack here with the 4th of July just around the corner. So you know, what are officials looking for? I mean, is there a heightened sense of alert from, you know, people that you know, sources that you stay in contact with?

FRANCONA: Yeah, everybody is very concerned because the issue is the lone wolf. Someone who is radicalized over the internet, and we see this time and time again. People are reaching out. They've got a whole effort. ISIS is very good at this. They seek out people in these chat rooms, in these groups and they assess their vulnerabilities. It's almost like an intelligence operation where you find someone who has a weakness and you try and exploit it, and these are the people you try and reach, new converts to Islam who want to be part of the global effort.

And if you want to be part of the zealous radical fundamentalist Islamic effort, you go with ISIS because success brings success. And that's what they're worried about. How do you detect this? Almost impossible to detect. So that's everyone's fear in the United States right now, is someone's going to pop-up out of the blue, who's never been on the radar and conducts an operation. Very, very difficult to detect, almost impossible to stop.

HOWELL: Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona joining us via Skype.

Rick, thanks so much for giving us your insights on, you know, what's happening there.

ISIS is claiming responsibility for last Friday's attack in Tunisia. And the group is also taking credit for what happened at this mosque in Kuwait City last Friday, a deadly suicide bombing. All of this has many countries across the Middle East increasing their security today.

We are midway through Islam's holy month, and ISIS supporters are promising "many surprises during Ramadan." Last week, an ISIS fighter from Bahrain threatened an attack on his home country.

Let's go now to the country of Nigeria where authorities are looking into a series of brutal raids and have killed well over 100 people in Borno State. They say Boko Haram militants are to blame for those attacks.

Our CNN producer Brent Swails joins us now by phone from Abusia.

Brent, good to have you with us. How is the government planning to handle what happened there, these attacks?

BRENT SWAILS, CNN PRODUCER: Well, George, the military says it's already responding to these (INAUDIBLE) attacks with air strikes and they're sending in more troops now to assess the damage.

What we do know is that Boko Haram has launched three separate attacks, actually, this week, killing an estimated 145 people. Now, all of them took place in Borno State in villages near Lake Chad. One local law makers says that is mosque that were (INAUDIBLE) where people were just finishing Ramadan prayers, preparing to break there path. We were expecting the group to be more active during Ramadan heeding the call of ISIS for more attacks during the holy month.

But the location here, George, is also important. Nigeria's military has spent the past month focusing in on Boko Haram, strong (INAUDIBLE) lethal force, that's along the border with Cameroon. And what's had been quite successful there, one intelligence source I've spoke to believes that many of the militants have now fled the island of Lake Chad where they've regrouped enough to obviously carry out more attacks. George.

[01:10:03]

HOWELL: Producer Brent Swails live in Abusia by phone.

Brent, we'll stay in touch with you again as the government does what it can to stamp out the Boko Haram problem in Borno State. Brent, thank you.

Turning now to the U.S., one of the New York prisoners who was on the run allegedly pointed his shotgun at border patrol agents before his death. We're learning other new details of what officers discovered when they caught with Richard Matt.

CNN's Gary Tuchman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is one of the busier roads in Franklin County, New York, a road that has regular police patrols during portions of the three-week long manhunt.

Richard Matt and David Sweat spent a lot of time in the wilderness, but we know that in the last day of Matt's life he wasn't in the wilderness, he was very close to hundreds of motorists here on State Highway 30. This is where he spent the last day before he was killed.

This trailer, which is only about 100 feet from this road. But it can't be seen from the road, although the road can be seen from the trailer. It's been abandoned for years, a State inspection sticker on the window is from 1998.

Inside, it's the dilapidated and smelly, broken benches and tables, a sink area full of spider webs and insects, silverware still sitting in a mason jar, a teapot on the stove. All in all, a very disgusting scene.

I don't even know if this door has been opened since this all happened. Take a look. Nothing. But there are a couple blankets in here.

On closer examination, there's sleeping bags and on the side of the closet a bunch of newspapers from 1994. Right across the street from this trailer lives Jon Chodat.

JON CHODAT, LIVES ACROSS FROM TRAILER: To my knowledge, he had been staying there a few days. And on the day after his birthday, on Friday, he decided apparently to shoot at a passing camper, probably to slow them down and maybe, you know, commandeer it and take them somewhere, but they kept going.

TUCHMAN: The driver of the camper called police and the trail got hot.

Police were told that camper had been hit by what appeared to be a gunshot and authorities had a big clue. Ultimately, they headed in the direction of the trailer. By that point, Matt had already headed back into the woods. He made a fatal mistake when he coughed, tipping police off to where he was hiding.

This is where police found Richard Matt and shot and killed him, about a five-minute walk from the trailer. And this was his final hiding place, only 200 feet from the people traveling on Route 30.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Malone, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Now, onto Greece where Prime Minister Alexis Cyprus is promising the country's banks will reopen soon. He says the long lines at the cash machines are embarrassing. But he blames he Greece's European creditors. My Cyprus says he expects to have a bailout plan soon after Sunday's referendum.

Meanwhile, Greece's finance minister has some harsh words for his own country's European leaders -- lenders, I should say. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YANIS VAROUFAKIS, GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: Think of what's going on in the last five months, as an investment into achieving an agreement that is mutually beneficial for everyone. Why is the Greek economy stagnating so badly in the last few months? Why are the banks closed? It is because the Euro group has decided to blackmail our government into extending and pretending further like the previous governments were. And we're not going to do this.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And the Euro group will say, the banks are closed, the Greek economy is in the situation is in, because the government in Athens is incompetent or inexperienced, or maybe even both.

VAROUFAKIS: Richard, the reason why we we're elected was because the Euro group for five years has failed miserably. The institutions have imposed a program of fiscal consolidation that will go down in economic history, global economic history, as the greatest failure ever. This is why I'm sitting in this office now.

So, perhaps all sides should take a step back and reconsider their own contribution to the last five years of this disaster. And maybe, they should take very seriously the very simple proposition that it is time to stop extending this crisis into the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Thousands of Greeks are rallying against the government ahead of Sunday's bailout referendum. Communist party supporters say whichever side wins, the Greek people will suffer.

Here's a look at how we got here and some of the public sentiment from the streets of Athens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are very confused.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one can promise Greece that things are going to get better fast.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The situation is very difficult.

[01:15:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're saying now you will not pay, there is not the money in Greece?

GIORGOS STATHAKIS, GREEK ECONOMY MINISTER: Exactly.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's very painful for the Greek people and it can have a significant effect on growth rates in Europe.

GEORGE PAPANDREOU, PRIME MINISTER OF GREECE: It has becomes therefore a vote, basically a yes or no, to being in the Eurozone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe that there's no solution within the Eurozone and within this European Union. I'm sure about this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, hopefully, next Sunday we are going to vote yes, because we want to remain in the European Union. That's where we belong.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I came here to say no, because I'm also here and I cannot leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe that Europe is incomplete without Greeks, and I think that all Greeks are going to be thinking, wondering about this decision.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a government, and what is this Greek Government to make the decision, not the people of Euro group.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Greek people, the majority believes in the Euro and it believes in the Eurozone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: A lot of emotions and a lot of different opinions about this vote that's coming up in Greece. We'll, of course, continue to follow what's happening there.

And we will take you live to Greece later this hour to meet a man who is traveling the country, asking people about Sunday's referendum. We'll have that story coming up here on CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Now, we have some video to show you from China, where a magnitude 6.4 earthquake has killed at least four people.

Xinhua News Agency reports another 48 people are injured from this earth quake. It struck the Xinjiang region and caused several aftershocks. And you can see from these pictures, the quake left cracks in the walls of some building. Emergency workers are still assessing the situation. But again, a pretty strong earthquake there in China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

You're watching CNN Newsroom. It has been a week of political highs and lows as anger spills out over Presidential (INAUDIBLE) Donald Trump and it extends beyond the U.S. border.

The current president though is enjoying an incredible winning streak. Details on that next.

Plus, it's been a summer of shark attacks along the U.S. Carolina. But will authorities keep beachgoers away this holiday weekend?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hello, everyone. This is your CNN Weather Watch. I'm Meteorologist Karen Maginnis. And the heat continuous across a good portion of Europe. If anywhere there is a break, it looks like that's going to be for London. Those temperatures though is still rather steamy, 29 degrees. The expected high coming up for Friday.

But elsewhere, we look from Berlin all the way to Rome and towards Madrid. Look at Madrid, 39 degrees expected. Is there going to be any relief? Well, at least in the short-term, there will not be.

We go through the weekend and those steamy temperatures are going to remain. London is even going to see those temperatures sore once again.

How about across Middles East? Well, typically, this time of year, we see those searingly hot temperatures. And in particular, we saw Pakistan, Karachi in particular, where numerous deaths were reported because of the oppressive heat.

Well, we look across Middle East, Baghdad, expecting 48 for a high, plenty of sunshine there. Abu Dhabi is looking at 43 degrees.

[01:20:07] And what about moisture? Well, very little of it is expected. We're looking at mostly dry conditions, might see isolated dust storm here and there. Otherwise, we're looking at mostly readings in the 40s.

Have a good day. I'm Meteorologist Karen Maginnis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom.

Just a few minutes ago, Russia successfully launched its Progress 50 spacecraft. The unmanned ship will deliver more than three tons of food, fuel and supplies through the international space station. The launch comes just five days after the SpaceX. Falcon 9 rocket exploded minutes after blasting off. Progress 60 is scheduled to dock at the station early Sunday morning.

Another candidate has thrown his hat into the ring into the 2016 U.S. presidential race. Former Virginia Senator Him Webb announced his campaign in Thursday, becoming now the fifth Democrat to join the contest.

And another Democrat is gaining ground in the race for the White House, its Bernie Sanders. He is eating away at Hilary Clinton's lead in the polls while bringing in cash from his campaign. Sanders has raised $15 million from about 250,000 individual donors.

U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump is losing more business over his derogatory comments about undocumented immigrants. America's largest mattress manufacturer Serta says it is dropping Trump home that collection. Both Univision and NBC have canceled their plans to broadcast the Ms. Universe pageant, which Trump partially owns.

Earlier, CNN spoke with the CEO of Reelz Channel, which picked up the rights to air the pageant. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STAN HUBBARD, CEO, REELZ: I think those kind of comments are completely ridiculous. I think most of America thinks the same way. I also think that when you are a giant corporation, you have a lot of entanglements that an independent network doesn't have.

An independent network like Reelz was able to look at this pageant, look at these contestants, look at that community, look at that community, look at this American tradition and get our arms around the good parts of it and bring it to television on July 12th.

The agreement that we made was with the pageant officials, not with the Trump organization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Trump is not backing down from his claims, calling some Mexicans illegally entering the U.S., drug dealers, killers and rapists.

In less than two years time, the U.S. President Barack Obama will soon say goodbye to the White House. His two presidential terms have been full of ups and downs, to say the least. But lately, it seems the commander in chief is on quite a winning streak. From the growing economy to Supreme Court victories, Barack Obama is having one incredible month.

Our Jonathan Mann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is in the waning years of his presidency...

OBAMA: The pastor...

MANN: ...his hair has grayed, and a lot of attention has turned to the campaign that will choose his successor. Even so, U.S. President Barack Obama has had quite a streak.

The U.S. economy is growing, adding 223-thousand new jobs last month, according to the latest jobs report. While the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent, the lowest it's been in more than seven years. The recession that he inherited when he was elected is very clearly

over. Add to that a victory in Congress giving the president fast track powers to negotiate new trade deals.

Probably the biggest initiative of his presidency, the enormous health-insurance reform called the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Its opponents have fought it every step of the way, but for a second time the U.S. Supreme Court upheld key provisions.

[01:25:04] Obamacare includes a guarantee that sick Americans can no longer lose their health insurance because of illness.

OBAMA: Someday our grandkids will ask us if there was really a time when America discriminated against people who get sick, because that is something this law has ended for good.

MANN: And a huge victory for same-sex marriage. Obama had been slow to embrace the cause, but he did, and he celebrated the Supreme Court's landmark decision to recognize a right to same-sex marriage nationwide.

OBAMA: This ruling will strengthen all of our communities by offering to all loving same sex couples the dignity of marriage across this great land.

MANN: Obama joked with reporters when he was asked at a news conference whether he thought last week was his best week.

OBAMA: No, my best week, I will tell you, was marrying Michelle. That was a really good week. Malia and Sasha being born, excellent weeks. There was a game where I scored 27 points. That was a pretty good week. I've had some good weeks in my life, I will tell you.

MANN: The court victories...

OBAMA: Hello, Wisconsin.

MANN: The economy, all had an impact.

A new CNN/ORC poll found that for the first time in more than two years, 50 percent of Americans approve of the job he's doing. They also have a positive view of his handling of race relations.

His final term ends in less than two years and time is running out to achieve his remaining goals. But after a remarkable month, he's checked more of them off the list, and his legacy seems more solid than ever.

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The sister of a man accused of shooting up a South Carolina church has taken down a fundraising page she apparently set up after the brutal attack happened. Amber Roof was raising money for her honeymoon. The page was titled

"A Fresh Start for Michael and Amber." It goes onto say that her wedding day was "full of sorrow, pain and shame," tainted by the actions of one man.

Ten percent of the money raised was supposed to go to the mother, Emanuel Church where nine people were shot and killed.

Survivors are plucked from the sea after a ferry capsizes in the Philippines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

In that video, you can hear the anxiety in people's voices. We'll have a live report with the very latest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Plus, fears and concerns and confusion in Greece. People lining up to get their cash ahead of this weekend's bailout referendum. More on the Greek economic crisis as this broadcast continuous worldwide on CNN International on CNN USA.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:01]

HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, you are watching CNN Newsroom. Good to have you. I'm George Howell at the CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta.

The headlines this hour. A British air base used by the American air force has canceled a big 4th of July celebration. This, given the rising security against western targets by ISIS and its sympathizers. The U.S. air force officials say there wasn't a specific threat against the festival. They say their decision was based on "the current local threat assessment."

Flags around the U.K. have been lowered in honor of the 30 victims from the Tunisian terror attack, those British citizens who were brought back to the country. Their bodies will continue to be repatriated in the coming days. At noon, local time, the nation will observe a moment of silence.

In north eastern Nigeria, at least 145 people are dead after Boko Haram militants raided three villages in Borno State. One local official says some of the people killed were observing evening prayer in a mosque. Nigeria's military says it conducted air strikes after the attacks.

Columbia's government is offering a $38,000 reward for information after two explosions in downtown Bogota. The explosions happened outside the offices of a pension fund management company. The defense minister says it is without question terrorism. At least eight people there were wounded. Divers have found more bodies after a ferry capsized off the central

Philippines. Minutes after leaving port, the boat flipped over killing at least 42 people, 11 people are still missing and most of the 187 passengers and crew on board were rescued.

David Santos with the CNN Philippines joins now on the phone.

David, good to have you with us. Talk to us, if you could, just about the search effort for people. We're looking at a video right now and you can see -- you could really hear the anxiety, you know, as -- after this happened. What's the latest of trying to find people?

DAVID SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, George. Well, the search operations are still ongoing for the remaining missing passengers of the sunken ferry here in Ormoc City. Throughout Thursday morning, local time, at least three more bodies have been retrieved from the sunken vessel, that is motorboat Kim Nirvana. They're -- the bodies belong to two female adults (INAUDIBLE). Now, that's brings a death (INAUDIBLE) at 41, that is based on a count by the local rescuers.

There are about a dozen people still believed to be missing and now, the subjects of the ongoing search operations. Now, all of the ferry's 16 crew members, including the boat's captain, have been accounted for. We've been told that they are now under the custody of the local police, perhaps as part of the initial investigation on the incident. However, they have not been allowed to speak to journalists.

Now, there are more than 100 passengers who have survived the tragedy are also recuperating in local hospital. Well, based under accounts, George, many of the passengers panicked when the boat tilted to one side when it was maneuvered in (INAUDIBLE) while leaving the Ormoc port.

HOWELL: And David, we know that investigators are still going to be looking into what caused that boat to, as you say, tilt to one side. But what more have you learned, if anything, at this point about that investigation?

SANTOS: Well, investigators are still -- or other are looking into one possibility, that is that the boat capsized because the weight, both of the vessel's passengers and cargo shifted to one side leading to its sinking. Now, George, the weather has been very gloomy here in Ormoc and the sky overcast to the day the seawater in the Ormoc Bay are indeed very choppy.

There have been attempts by the coast guard personnel to overturn the capsized ferry in the hopes of -- well, possibly finding anymore survivors or in the worst case scenario, retrieve bodies trapped underneath the vessel. Well, as rescue teams continue to scour the immediate (INAUDIBLE) of the wreckage site, which is about 200 meters from the docking area inside the Ormoc public court. Paramedics and ambulances are also on standby just in case there will be anymore survivors who will be found.

[00:35:40] HOWELL: David Santos with CNN Philippines.

David, let's certainly hope that they do find more survivors. David, we'll stay in touch with you as this investigation and rescue effort continues.

Switching now to Greece, the International Monetary Fund has a grave warning for that country. It says the country needs an extra $55 billion over the next three years just to stay afloat. Greeks will vote on Sunday in a referendum on their financial future. The question, should Greece accept the bailout terms offered by European lenders?

The latest public opinion poll shows 47 percent of Greek say they will vote yes, then 43 percent say they will vote no.

George Georgopoulos is an economics professor at York University in Toronto. He has been traveling around Greece, gauging the mood there ahead of Sunday's referendum and now joins us live from Sparta.

George, good to have you with you us. So you've talked to people who have this important vote ahead of them, but it is also important to point out that they will be voting on a referendum that doesn't really exist at this point. We won't see another possible referendum or rather we won't see another possible bailout package until after this referendum vote. So what's the feeling about this vote coming up?

GEORGE GEORGOPOULOS, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, YORK UNIVERSITY: Yes, there's a great deal of uncertainty. It's not even clear what the question is. There seems to be two views on this. So there is a group that wants to vote no to the current bailout proposal and they quickly quality that by saying still wanted to stay in the Euro, and still want the Euro currency, we want to stay, we need you. Then there's the other group who are voting yes, but they're voting yes to stay in the Euro.

So it's unclear what that is, it's unclear what's going to be happening afterwards. Regardless of what if it's a yes or a no. And as you mentioned, the IMF just came out with a report saying that Greece (INAUDIBLE) $55 billion over the next two years just to stabilize financial, and this is not feasible.

And so, some have argued this point out that there really needed to be debt relief immediately, and this is something what (INAUDIBLE) was asking for. So that may actually involved him a no campaigner, and perhaps leave more people to vote towards no.

HOWELL: So we just mentioned, George, this poll and it really does show sort of a split in opinion with this situation in Greece. But when you talk to people, do you also get a sense that, really, the opinion is divided there, 47 percent saying yes, 43 percent saying no? Do you get that sense when you talk to folks?

GEORGOPOULOS: Absolutely. It's pretty close. And I think it'll get even closer over the next few days, its 50, 50. What I have gotten a sense of is that small and medium sized businesses really had a tough time of (INAUDIBLE) over the past few years. They're leaning towards no. They just can't see themselves carrying on over the next years under this condition. So if there's any consistency, it's there with the small, medium sized businesses, they're leaning towards no.

Yet, it's close, very close call. I do believe there's another poll coming out this morning here in Greece, we'll get a better idea. And of course, it will change over the next day that the campaigning is really going to pick up, "campaigning," is you want to call it that, this evening and obviously tomorrow. So it's pretty close.

HOWELL: George Georgopoulos joining us live via Skype in Sparta.

George, we'll be interested to see how people choose to vote on this issue. Again, opinion is split and it is a very important decision even though Greeks will not be voting on an actual bailout. That bailout has expired. So after the vote, there is a potential for a bailout. George, thank you for your time.

Shark attacks are on the rise along the eastern cost of the United States as a holiday weekend approaches. We'll hear more on that situation, next.

[00:40:02]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell. BP has reached a historic agreement to settle flames from the giant deep water horizon oil spill. It was five years ago when the world watched as oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico day and night, day and night for weeks on end.

BP has agreed to pay five U.S. States for the damage that was caused, a total of $18.7 billion. Most of the money will go to the State of Louisiana, which suffered the brunt of the damage. The deep water oil -- deep water horizon oil spill was the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Eleven people were killed in the initial oil rig explosion.

U.S. beaches will likely be packed this weekend as Americans celebrate the 4th of July, and there is one risk of a different kind though, for those that will be hitting the surf at risk of sharks. There have already been 10 attacks this summer on the East Coast and many beaches this holiday. It's still a case of enter at your own risk.

Jennifer Gray reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Another shark attack in the waters of North Carolina has beachgoers on alert, and with 10 attacks here along the Carolina coasts in less that two months, those fears aren't easing up.

Sharks are like any other wild animal, always looking for food, that's why sometimes they can mistake humans for food. The uptake in bites is alarming and experts are trying to sort out what's going on.

Neil Hammerschlag has been tagging and studying sharks for 15 years. He says this is the time of year many of his tagged sharks from Miami are near North Carolina.

NEIL HAMMERSCHLAG, MARINE BIOLOGIST: Some of the sharks like the tiger sharks that we tagged off Miami and the Bahamas are in the North Carolina area right now there now. And -- but we think they're there predominantly to feed on nesting loggerhead turtles.

GRAY: In fact, on his website, you can see the shark spez (ph) right off the coast of the outer banks, but he says a reason for an uptick of sharks could be from a number of factors.

[01:45:12]

HAMMERSCHLAG: If there's a bunch of small fish or that are coming in shore or aggregating or following any nutrients in shore or currents, certainly, the big sharks can be following, you know, those fishes in shore, which might have them interacting with people more.

GRAY: Researchers want you to know shark bites are still extremely rare, because sharks aren't necessarily swimming around looking for you.

GEORGIENNE BRADLEY, DIRECTOR, SEA SAVE FOUNDATION: Sharks are not the huge killers. When you look at the number of people who are actually injured by sharks every year compared to the number of people who are injured by deer or even toasters, the number is very low.

HAMMERSCHLAG: The fact that bites are so rare, and the fact that they're nonfatal just shows that humans aren't on the menu.

GRAY: But with warmer weather bringing more people to the oceans, experts caution, always be aware of your surroundings.

BRADLEY: The shark bites that you see along the coast are due to murky waters, mistaken identity, laying on top of surfboards; humans often look like seals, pinnipeds, one of the key items on a shark's menu.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: What was CNN's Jennifer Gray reporting there.

Strong storms and oppressive heat dominate the weather in the United States. Let's turn to our Meteorologist Karen Maginnis at the World Weather Center with more.

Karen, good to have you with us.

MAGINNIS: Yes. Thanks, George. And yes, strong storms roared in across the Deep South all the way from the Carolina's down into Georgia. We had a report of a tornado, that's in the north central section of the State. Take a look at some of the damage associated with these cells that moved across the region. We d have damage out of Wilson County, Tennessee where trees were

toppled and no injuries were reported there. But nonetheless, you know, one tornado report did wreak havoc across the region. Let's go ahead and move on and show you what the broad picture looks like.

Quasi stationary frontal system is going to be responsible and has been responsible for the triggering of the thunderstorms that erupted all the way from near Charlotte to Charleston towards Atlanta then in Nashville and moving back over towards the south central United States.

And it looks like that monsoon season has kicked up just a little bit across Arizona, typical for this time of year. But the temperatures, even though they've backed off a few degrees, they are still running above normal. It has been dangerously hot.

Now, this is kind of a forecast radar image, and we look again across the deep south and there you can see some of the strong storms that are expected as we head on into the Friday afternoon forecast. Lots of people are trying to move on and get ready for the big holiday weekend, and it is going to be very tricky in the forecast all the way from the mid Atlantic region following right along that frontal system that is just so stubborn and has been the trigger mechanism for all of that severe weather including the tornado that did touchdown in Tennessee.

All right. How much precipitation? Well, so much so. We could see some localized flooding in some areas from near Oklahoma City towards Little Rock and into Memphis. Now, these have been some areas, George, as we well know, that have seen very heavy rainfall over the previous month and now, another round in storm. Back to you.

HOWELL: Possibly strong storms. And you know, bad news as far a cloud cover and maybe rain on the 4th?

MAGINNIS: Yeah, it's certainly possible for a good portion of the southeast, yeah.

HOWELL: Karen Maginnis, thank you so much.

Slowly but surely, a plane that is powered by the sun alone is on a verge of creating history in the Pacific. The Solar Impulse is closing in on Hawaii on its grueling and somewhat dangerous flight from Japan. The plane is attempting to circle the globe. Pilot Andre Borschberg has been at the controls now for more than four straight days setting a world record. And remember, this is being done without a drop of fuel.

Earlier Borschberg told CNN how he stays focused in such a testing environment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRE BORSCHBERG, SOLAR IMPULSE PILOT: I did a lot of yoga and meditations every morning everyday to, of course, keep the body a little bit in the -- in good conditions. But more important to effect the mind shed, the right attitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Historic for sure and could be a sign of what's to come in the future.

Still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, want to see a bunch of foodies get mad, just add one little ingredient to their favorite deep, guacamole, peas. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:50:00]

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hey. I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sport headlines. The first major story of the 2015 Wimbledon tournament came on Thursday evening when Rafael Nadal crashed out in the second round. His tormentor today, the Jamaican- German Dustin Brown, a six-foot five-inch man with dreadlocks and a pierced tongue who was too much of a handful for the Spaniard. Brown hadn't even seen some of the court before, but he had beaten Nadal in Halle last year and he proved it was no fluke. He will face Victor Hanescu in the third round.

To the women's side where Petra Kvitova is in no mood to let go of her title, the Czech lefty who also won here in 2011 was ruthless against Krumm (INAUDIBLE). Japanese opponent (INAUDIBLE). Kvitova creamed a 6 to 6 love romping to victory in less an hour. Kvitova is the second-seeded this year and she's made a breathless start to the tournament, Jelena Jankovic is up next.

Now, this has not exactly been a vintage year for Tiger Woods. Three rounds in the 80s and a couple of missed cuts have seen his world ranking tumble to 220. But at the Greenbrier Classic on Thursday, a dramatic improvement. Tiger shot a 4-under round of 66 and he was around the featured seven birdies. It should be stressed that this is one of the easiest courses on the tour. It's a pretty week failed, but it may well boost his confidence ahead of the open championship.

That is a look at your sport headlines. I'm Don Riddell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. "Trust us," with those two words, the New York Times spark a fiery debate over, yes, guacamole. The newspaper suggested adding a new ingredient to the mix. And as Jeanne Moos shows us, the Times has a gotten a little piece on social media every since.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Holy guacamole. Why would anyone take perfectly good guacamole and add peas?

You won't even try it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't like peas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, that's good.

MOOS: The food fight started when the New York Times ran a recipe for pea guacamole, and tweeted, "Add green peas to your guacamole. Trust us."

Instead of trust they got mockery. "Put Miracle Whip on your New York pretzel, trust me." "Add cilantro to your cannoli."

President Obama tweeted, "Respect The New York Times, but not buying peas in guac."

This anti-peas sentiment is bipartisan.

JIMMY FALLON, THE TONIGHT SHOW: You ever tried peas in your guacamole?

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We don't do peas in guacamole, my man.

MOOS: Leave guacamole alone was the battle cry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Peas don't belong in guacamole. Sound the alarm and ring the bells.

MOOS: Chipotle tweeted, "Let there be peas on earth but not in guac."

Just give peas a chance --

Peas have their defenders. Former Congressman John Dingell asked, why would anyone add guacamole to perfectly good peas?

[00:55:04] Pea guacamole seems to have originated at the highly regarded Manhattan restaurant, ABC Cocina.

IAN COOGAN, CHEF DE CUISINE, ABC COCINA: Can you close your eyes and say, "Oh, there's peas in there?" Maybe not so much, but there are nuances. Again, its a little lightness, a little sweetness that I think is very pleasant.

MOOS: TV hosts were taste testing madly.

TV ANCHOR: Try it, try it. You are going to love it.

MOOS: But we took our taste test to the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

MOOS: You're making that up. Can you tell they're in there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, no.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It tastes the same.

MOOS: Do you even taste the peas? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

MOOS: Go ahead and sing your pea guacamole protest anthem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can make it but please call it something else.

MOOS: Peacamole perhaps or maybe --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guacamol-pea.

MOOS: Spoken like a true appeaser.

Jeanne Moos, CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a pea person.

MOOS: That's good to hear.

New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: No peas in guacamole. It's just boggles the mind. We thank you for watching this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

My colleague Natalie Allen is next with another hour of news from around the world.

You're watching CNN, the world's news leader.