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Storm Left with States Without Power and High Temperature; Jayson Williams on his First TV Interview; Families in Colorado Springs had a First Look at their Homes after the Wildfire
Aired July 01, 2012 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN HOST (voice-over): A deadly perfect storm. Hundreds of thousands without power. And the temperatures, they've hit record levels and are still climbing.
And gaining ground on a fast-moving fire. For one family an emotional return home, are what's left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is pretty much just collapsed tonight basement at this point.
LEMON: Plus, a CNN exclusive and a very candid discussion with a man who once had it all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sweating up in here.
LEMON: Jayson Williams on his rise, his fall, and why he says prison saved his life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us.
So, I'm going to get up to speed now. Hundreds of thousands of people are spending tonight in oppressive darkness caused bay brutal heat wave and widespread power outages. Crews are working overtime and they could at a four days, trying to restore electricity in Ohio, Virginia, and several other states.
More On the Record breaking heat in a moment here on CNN.
In Colorado, families are getting their first look at what remains of their homes after a deadly wildfire tore through the neighborhoods of Colorado Springs.
On CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," the Colorado governor described what he saw as he flew over the pike national forest. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D), COLORADO: It was like your worst nigh nightmare of a movie set, trying to show what the apocalypse or Armageddon would look like they were. At first, from a distance, we flew a helicopter in. This was as the fire was going on. There was a fire storm going on. I thought it was trees burning. As we got closer, it was homes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: To Mississippi now, where that state's only remaining abortion clinic will stay open at least for the time being. The clinic owner told us tonight that a Mississippi federal court judge has issued a temporary restraining order, which will keep the clinic open until at least July 11th. A hearing is set for that date. And the clinic was facing closure under a new state law.
In a few minutes, we'll go live to Jackson, Mississippi, for the latest.
Exit polls in Mexico project that 45-year-old Enrique Pena Nieto will win the presidency.
(VIDE CLIP PLAYING)
LEMON: Some 79 million people were registered to vote. Many cast ballots after waiting in long lines. If Pena Nieto wins, well, his institutional revolutionary party will return to power for the first time in 12 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: But until today, we did not have the kind of roadmap.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Hopefully diplomats' plan for Syria won't be a road map to nowhere. Secretary state Hillary Clinton praised the new plan today while admitting it may fail. Activists say 69 Syrians were killed today. Syria also faces trouble on its northern border. Turkish jets were scrambled three times Saturday when Syrian helicopter approached the border.
Want to talk more now about the heat wave and those power outages. Records are falling by the day and the tens of thousands of people waiting for their power to return are going to be waiting a while.
Here's CNN's Brian Todd.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the life savers, power company teams scrambling to bring transformers back online. But for millions in the Midwest and mid Atlantic these crews can't work fast enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hate it. It is horrible. We can't -- all our phones are dead right now. In case of an emergency we can't make a call or anything.
TODD: In the wake of devastating storms, 20 states are dealing with excessive heat warnings word advisories. Temperatures over 100 degrees are scorching much of the southeastern U.S. More than a million customers still have no power. And means huge numbers are at risk.
DOCTOR CHANDRA AUBIN, BARNES HOSPITAL: Heat stroke defined when you start having neurologic problems. Some people come in confused, agitated, ultra mental status. And once you get to that point it can be very severe.
TODD: Businesses and state officials are working furiously to make sure people don't get to that point from passing out free ice to offering cooling centers like Burke Center Library in Northern Virginia.
What is the biggest challenge for you right now running this library kind of on extra hours? You are usually not open on Sundays, right?
SAM CLAY, DIRECTOR, FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES: Correct. Our community libraries are not open on Sundays. So, the challenge for us is one, getting the word out and working with the counties to market and then, to get staff.
TODD: Virginia's governor calls it a dangerous situation for his state and a multi-day challenge. Some people in the hardest hit areas, he says, may not get power back in more than a week from when the storms hit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was CNN's Brian Todd reporting. And he also says that Monday commutes could be as rough in many areas rougher than they were last week because of the power outages. Traffic lights that are out and traffic could be a mess. So be careful.
The high temps really busted records all over. Close to 2,000 record highs were broken or tied over the past week.
And our meteorologist Alexandra Steele is in Atlanta for us -- Alexandra.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi Don.
I want to give you a little perspective on this heat. Now, the breast and depth of it, people from the Carolinas all the way to Kansas and Colorado, 45 million people being impacted. And the degree to which it's being impacted, these are the hottest temperatures these places have ever seen period. They're not just a record for the day or month.
Since the 1800s, since records have been kept, you can see 111 in Dodge City, 109 through the Carolinas. Records broken today as well in Tennessee and Georgia, still also 107, 106.
The pinnacle of the heat was yesterday and today. So it's kind of downhill slide, albeit just kind of a few degrees. But why is it happening? Well, this dome of high pressure has been in control, high pressure, all you need to know kind of thumbs up weather, but it's rising air. We watch air rise from the backside and compress. This air sinks and warms. And the position of this with the clockwise flow on Wednesday and Thursday brought the heat to really the center of the country eastward. Through the weekend, the axis of this heat has been in the southeast. And then, we're going to watch this high pressure move eastward. It will still stay in the southeast and mid-Atlantic.
Now, the degree to which we will see it, will be as extreme. No 100s per se for tomorrow, 95 in Atlanta, 98 in Memphis, 97 in Denver. So, right out of 100-degree range all you can see on Tuesday we're still there in KC at 101.
But temperatures, for the most parts we head until Tuesday, out of the 100s. Still though, in the mid to upper 90s. And this will last through Wednesday and even into Thursday.
So not really out of the woods with intense heat, but the real extreme nature kind of is gone from yesterday and today.
LEMON: All right. Alexandra, thank you very much.
A federal judge steps into the battle of a Mississippi abortion clinic. Emotions are high on both sides. We go live to Jackson, Mississippi for the very latest, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Under a new law that took effect today, Mississippi's only remaining abortion clinic would be forced to close, but that's not going to happen. At least not for the time being.
We go now to CNN's George Howell. He has been following the story for us in Jackson, Mississippi, with more on these new developments. What's the latest here, George?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, good evening.
We know this clinic got a temporary restraining order, meaning it will open tomorrow. The clinic will be open until at least July 13th when a hearing is set on this case. This temporary restraining order, it basically protects the clinic from this new state law here in the state of Mississippi that became effective today that effectively would have shut the clinic down. It was described by the governor of this state as a first step toward ending abortion in Mississippi.
The sponsor of the bill that did become law, Sam Mims, he describes it as a health regulation. The law, Don, basically says this.
First of all, any physician here in the state who performs and abortion must be a board certified ob/GYN. That's first. And then secondly, that any physician operating in a clinic here must also has special permissions with local hospitals to admit patients if necessary.
Don, I have a few statements that I'd like to pass along. First of all, from the Dianne (INAUDIBLE) who is the president, the owner of this clinic who says, first of all she's jubilant. Also that she says, quote, "it means the constitutional rights for women to make their own decisions for the time being is intact."
I also have a statement from the person who sponsored the bill, Sam Mims. Representative Sam Mims here in the state and he says that he expects the state department of health to go to the abortion clinic when they are allowed to by the federal court and also that he will be talking with his attorneys tomorrow to decide the next plan.
So that's where we are now. This clinic will be open July 11th. Again, that's the day the hearing will happen.
LEMON: George Howell, thank you very much.
What is it like to watch your home town burn? Next, you'll see for yourself through the lens of a CNN iReporter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We want to take you now to Colorado where 11 wildfires are actively burning across the state.
To give you an idea of the epic scope of these fires, our iReporter Cody Muth (ph) sent us this footage of a massive line of fire in Colorado Springs. Look at that. He said he witnessed the destruction of hundreds of homes.
Cody joins me now. He's on the phone.
Cody, you grew up there. What has this been like watching all this happened here?
CODY MUTH (PH), CNN IREPORTER (via phone): You know, Don, it's been it's been unreal. This is definitely something that, you know, Colorado Springs has never witnessed or expected to ever see. And you know, for me it's, you know, I've never seen anything like this ever occur in my lifetime.
LEMON: So we're looking at the pictures here. Describe to us what we're looking at and what you see. This almost looks like a volcano, Cody.
MUTH (PH): It does. You know, the fire it just, you know, came down the mountain earlier in the afternoon. And you know, the winds just got a-hold to have and it just swept it down the mountainside. And it literally just hit the city with brute force.
LEMON: Yes, like I said, it looks like lava. Since you grew up there, I wonder if it's any different for you, maybe if it helps to strew through a lens when you watch standing there and maybe feeling helpless as at least. Maybe it feels like you're doing something by providing these pictures for people.
MUTH (PH): You know, I hope I am. You know, everybody's trying to do their part with, you know, this whole situation. You know, we've really seen the city come together in all this. And you know, was just hoping that through these pictures I could, you know, get word out about like what was going on and what our situation was here and, you know, how this fire was impacting Colorado Springs.
LEMON: How's everybody dealing with it there?
MUTH (PH): Much better. It was definitely a very trying time for a lot of people. A lot of people didn't know if they'd lost their homes or there was not a lot of information going around on, you know, not necessarily what had been destroyed and, you know, how far and how extensive the damage was. And you know, that was definitely something a lot of people were affected by, just not knowing. There was a lot of uncertainty there.
LEMON: CNN iReporter Cody Muth (ph). Cody, we thank you.
We really appreciate our iReporters here on CNN. They provide us, as you can see, with some just unbelievable work and video sometimes. So again, our thanks to Cody Muth (ph), a CNN iReporter.
You know, it could be weeks before some of the fires are fully under control. They're scorching western states such as Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. They're straining firefighting resources and firefighters themselves. But many of those battling the fires know they're appreciated just by looking out of the windows of their vehicles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Grateful, so grateful. Can't even imagine how hard they're working and how tired they must be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure, they've been waving to us. It's been great to see them. And great to help them start their days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: They deserve every woo, applause, and everything. They deserved it all. So congratulations to the folks for doing that and thank you, firefighters, for helping out.
You know, from health care to fast and furious, it was a big week for both lawmakers and for the media and some say both got wrapped up in the art of the spin.
Plus, this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The winds, with the dryness, you don't want this to get out of control. That's why he's doing what he's doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Trying to gain ground on a fast moving fire. We'll take you to the front lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You don't have to be in front of a television to watch CNN. You can do what I do. You can stay connected. You can do it on your cell phone or you can do it from your computer at work. Just go to CNN.com/TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Thanks to the Supreme Court's decision on health care reform, the last few days have been an education on both the constitution and beltway politics.
Earlier I spoke with Noel Sheppard from newsbusters.org. News Buster describes its mission as exposing and combating liberal media bias.
Now, before this thing passed, it was all about the individual mandate. Then after it was about the tax angle. And I asked Noel, who missed the boat?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NOEL SHEPPARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWSBUSTER.COM: It's been really enjoyable the past three months watching all of you folks on this incredible roller coaster. You know, three months ago before the oral arguments, you had people in the media saying that this was clearly going to be upheld. Anthony Kennedy was going to be the swing vote. You even had your own CNN legal analyst, Jeffry Toobin, about two or three days before oral arguments saying that this was going to be an 8-1 vote with even Alito and Roberts and Scalia voting in favor of upholding the mandate. Kind of strange because three days later, four days later after the oral arguments, Toobin was back on saying this - the health care is dead. Obamacare is dead. Kennedy is going to go -- go ahead.
LEMON: Listen. We have two different memories of what happened. Every single network, just about everyone except for one person who's not on this network who I saw, said that the individual mandate would be struck down, Noel. I don't remember him coming on CNN. Maybe I'm wrong. I didn't see all of it. I do not remember Jeffrey Toobin or anyone else coming on CNN saying that the individual mandate would be upheld. Most people were startled and surprised that it actually was.
SHEPPARD: No, Don, actually you're confusing the pre-oral arguments phase with the post-oral arguments. Prior to the oral arguments in March, the media were pretty much unanimous that this was likely going to be upheld and that Anthony Kennedy was going to be the swing vote.
LEMON: OK. I have no idea. I get you. I understand that. But that's ancient history now after that.
SHEPPARD: Well, but it's been fun to watch. LEMON: Can we keep it to this past week? I understand what you're saying. But you know, as time moves on and people learn things, they change what they think about things. Had it not been for the way the oral arguments went, people would think different. But the oral arguments did happen. Once they happened, most people said it was going to be struck down. So I don't understand your point here.
SHEPPARD: Right. But the importance of that is how the media responded on Thursday. If this had occurred three months ago, the media response on Thursday would have been much more of a disappointment because the expectation prior to March was that it wasn't going to be struck down.
So after March, when we all got this vision that it was going to be struck down, at that point in time, Thursday ended up being, you know, a jubilation. The media were enthralled, almost orgasmic --
LEMON: Oh, no, no, no, no. It was not a jubilation. I watched it and I saw some anchors on conservative networks, I thought they were going to cry. It was not jubilation. And I watched CNN. And CNN, there were no happy people on CNN. So don't say that people say, my God, like what happen? Who dies?
No, there was no jubilation. Come on. You're looking for things.
SHEPPARD: There was no jubilation?
LEMON: Not on this network. I don't know. Maybe on other liberal networks, yes. Maybe you are correct. Not on this network. Certainly not on more conservative networks.
SHEPPARD: But Don, obviously I don't just analyze CNN. I love you and I love CNN. But there are a lot of other networks I have to watch. And the evening news broadcasts on Thursday -- you know, ABC, CBS, NBC evening broadcast were all jubilant. They were talking about almost making Roberts a hero.
LEMON: No, OK, so listen. Here's the thing, Noel. I heard some of that analysis. And when someone on an evening newscast leads into a story saying that justice Roberts is the man of the hour, it doesn't mean they agree with what justice Roberts did. It means that's all people are talking about on the left and on the right, is justice Roberts.
So, if you were talking about him, whether it's in a good way or bad way, it means he's the man of the hour. It doesn't mean that he necessarily agree with what he is doing. That's not jubilation. That's fact.
SHEPPARD: No, because the previous day and for the previous three months, they were talking about how he was a conservative shill. So all of the sudden because he came out with the ruling which the left liberal media likes, he's suddenly a hero.
But he was a goat for the previous three months and he has been a goat since the citizens united ruling. So obviously what it means is for a Supreme Court justice or really anybody in America today, you're going to be a hero if to you something that the liberal media likes, but you're a goat if they don't. And it can flip-flop in 24 hours.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Noel, for that.
Let's take that conversation a little bit deeper. Is it a tax? Is it a penalty? Is it? I don't know. Is it splitting hairs? We're going get into it. "No Talking Points" is next. You don't want to miss it. And don't forget to take us with you wherever you go. You can stay connected and watch CNN live from your phone, from your cell phone, or from your desk top. Just go to CNN.com/TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is time now for "No Talking Points."
OK. From penalty to tax. From mandate to moon walk. Boy, did President Obama have a reason to celebrate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN HOST: Well, do to you see President Obama's reaction to the Supreme Court ruling? You know, it's interesting. He didn't want to gloat, but if you watch his body language closely, you could see he was feeling pretty good. Here he is today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an NBC news Special Report.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Funny. But it is real speech. The president called it a, quote, "a victory for the American people." Not once did he mention the word that made his sweeping health care reform bill constitutional. The word tax. Not to worry, though. The Republicans did it for him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: The president said he would never raise taxes on the middle class. This is a middle class tax increase.
GOV. NATHAN DEAL (R), GEORGIA: We now know that that piece of legislation created the largest tax increase in the history of the United States.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Obamacare raises taxes on the American people by approximately $500 billion.
REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R), WASHINGTON: The court ruled today that, in fact, the affordable care act is a tax. It is the largest tax in America's history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. But Democrats like the former speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi say, uh-uh. It's not a tax. It's a --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: It's a penalty. It's a penalty that comes under the tax code.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So let's see if we can get someone to pin it down with the White House chief of staff Jacob Lew.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC ANCHOR: But you do concede. He wanted to use the word penalty. You concede the law survived only because justice Roberts found this to be a tax.
JACOB LEW, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: You know, I think if you look at the decision, which is a very complicated one, you know, there are arguments that support different theories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was George Stephanopoulos on ABC. A little more prodding now, this time from FOX News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE ANCHOR: This is going to raise taxes for those families.
LEW: That's not what the Supreme Court said. What the Supreme Court said was this is constitutional. They said it didn't matter what Congress called it. It is a penalty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE ANCHOR: Wait a minute, sir.
LEW: It's a penalty for people who choose not to buy insurance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE ANCHOR: They called it a tax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So it's only fair. Democrats are just following the president's lead from all the way back in 2009.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase. What it's saying is we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So what is it? Is it a tax, or is it a penalty? Here's the chief justice's opinion. Here's what he said. He says a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax. Reasonably characterized as a tax. Does that mean the bill is a tax? No. He's not explicit.
And therein lies the problem. He's made room for both sides to spin their political webs. Mitt Romney was for the plan when he created it in Massachusetts. Before he was against it when the president implemented it. And he's even admitted it was a tax on the people of Massachusetts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: -- was able to put in place a plan that helped gets health insurance premiums down and gets all of our citizens insured. If we can do that nationally, we help not only in Michigan and the auto industry, but the entire nation.
One thing I'd never do would be impose a States plan on the entire nation. That makes no sense. I'll repeal Obamacare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Here's tonight's "No Talking Points" point. It's all a play on words, folks. And let's just be honest with each other. Come on, let's just be honest.
Whether you are for it or against it or whether it's a tax or a penalty, it depends on whether you're a Democrat or a Republican. If you're a Dem, of course, it's a penalty. If you're a Republican, it is a tax. The largest one in history.
Who cares? Who cares? Who cares? The constitution gives us the right to penalize and to tax. So instead of shouting over each other with accusations, shouldn't with bed discussing and debating whether the health care bill with this constitutional, shouldn't we be debating whether it is good for the American people?
And that's tonight's "No Talking Points."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Half past the hour. Let's get you caught up on the headlines now.
Utility crews are trying to restore power in areas struck by Friday night's deadly storms. Close to a million people are facing another hot night in the dark. A lot of those outages are in the same places suffering from blistering temperatures. Twenty states issued heat warnings or advisories today in about 1600 high temperature records have been broken around the country.
Mississippi's only abortion clinic will remain open for now. The clinic owner says a Mississippi federal court judge has issued a temporary restraining order allowing the clinic to remain open until a July 11th hearing. The clinic was facing closure under a new state law. Exit polls in Mexico predict that Enrique Pena Nieto will win the presidency. A 45-ytear-old former governor apparently will win an election that was primarily focused on the economy and security. Seventy nine million people were registered to vote. Officials called this, quote, "the largest and most complex Election Day in Mexico's history."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was our garage. You can see the gutter is still left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Families are getting their first look at what remains of their homes after a deadly wildfire tore through Colorado Springs. Roads were opened for several hours allowing families to see what's left of their homes, and if they haven't been through enough, police say there have been at least 24 burglaries in the evacuated neighborhoods. Good grief.
Colorado Springs is under a red flag warning tonight, which means there's a chance a fast moving fire could flare up again.
CNN's Martin Savidge got up close and personal with the Waldo Canyon fire from the fire lines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're taking a look now. This is a spike, really. It's smoke that's now appeared on a ridge very close to a populated area. This is a real concern. You don't want fires starting up there because it is so close to so many homes.
So the sky crane, which is a fire fighting helicopter, has been circling the area. We think it's getting ready to prepare to drop on that. It may not look like a lot of smoke, it may not look like a real severe problem, but with the winds, with the dryness, you don't want this to get out of control. That's why he's doing what he's doing.
Now, at the same time he's done that, on the street level we've had what appears to be a spot crew that's shown up. And they may go off to try to investigate just to see if it's getting worse up there or whether he's handled it.
Again, it just shows you how nervous they are. It's been a couple days of decent weather. The fire has been 45 percent contained, but you don't want to get complacent. There's another drop. He'll go back, maybe refuel, come back again. We'll see. Keep an eye on it.
Martin Savidge, CNN, Colorado Springs.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: And on the grounds, to the sky. Helicopter, air tankers, and military planes dropping water, in hopes of containing the Colorado wildfires.
But, what it's like to be high above the flames? I spoke with major Neil Harlow from the Wyoming Air National Guard. He's assisting with the wildfires.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAJOR NEIL HARLOW, WYOMING AIR NATIONAL GUARD (via phone): The point of attack is come up with by the forest service. We're just another tool they use on how it fight this fire. So, they give us the call and then we're ready at a moment's notice. We're standing by at the aircraft on alert, ready to launch within minutes. So, it's almost like a NASCAR pit stop. We come in, we get slurry loaded, we get fuel, we take off. We go rejoin with the lead formation pilot from the forest service. And he takes us in. He has the plan. He puts us on target where we can drop our loads.
LEMON: I think that's interesting you're saying like a NASCAR pit stop. Get them in, get them out, and you do it very quickly. As we look at this video, especially the aerial ones that we look at, we're seeing a lot of smoke coming out of the area from the sky in Colorado. Does that impact your efforts at all?
HARLOW: If it impacts the visibility, it can make our job extremely tough just because it has to be done visually. If we can't acquire the spot we need to be on the ground, it makes it hard. So, sometimes we have to go into an area expecting to drop in one spot. Smoke can drift in on us. Several times we came in on Tuesday for a line they had picked out that they wanted to re-enforce. And then, the wind would shift and bring the smoke in and drop visibility down. So, we have to go around and try it again. Sometimes it would take three, four attempts before we can get our loads in the direction we wanted.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Now to the big stories in the week ahead from the race to the White House to Wall Street. Our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We're going to begin tonight with what's happening in the world of politics.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser from the CNN political desk.
What do Americans think about the Supreme Court's ruling on health care? And where does the race for the White House stand? We'll have answers tomorrow in our new CNN/ORC national poll.
Wednesday, Mitt Romney takes a break from his break from campaigning to March in a July 4th parade in New Hampshire.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN MONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Wall street will be closely watching health care stocks along with broader market this week following the Supreme Court's historic decision Thursday to uphold the affordable care act.
Also coming up, we'll get the latest construction spending data as well as auto sales. And all eyes will be on the June jobs report that's set to be released Friday morning ahead of the opening bell.
And keep in mind in honor of the 4th of July holiday, U.S. markets will close at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday and remain closed for the holiday on Wednesday.
A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's' A.J. hammer. Here's what we are watching this week.
The battle of the big summer blockbusters. Spiderman versus Batman. Which one will come out on top? It's a "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" countdown showdown, you don't want to miss.
LEMON: All right, guys. Thank you very much.
Next, my very candid and revealing interview with former NBA Star Jayson Williams.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A CNN exclusive. He had it all. Basketball, money, fame.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good luck to you, Mr. Williams.
LEMON: Until he lost it all. Jayson Williams on his rise, his fall, and why he says prison saved his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It was an interview that was enough to make him sweat, and it's because we cover topics that wouldn't be easy for anyone to answer, especially answering them in front of a national audience because you imagine on national television.
I sat down this weekend with former NBA star Jayson Williams.
Williams had just signed an $86 million contract with the New Jersey nets when in 1999 a freak collision with a teammate broke his leg. His career was over, but his life changed on a cold February night in 2002.
Williams, hosting friends inside his New Jersey mansion, was showing off his gun collection. He was holding a shotgun when it went off and killed his chauffeur, Costas Christofis. He was sentenced eight years later, I should say, and last night sat down exclusively with me to talk about his experience.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: I know that you're, you know, a bit leery, a bit nervous about coming on. I said, just be yourself, express yourself, and let people know how you're feeling.
You signed an $86 million contract. You're on top of the world with the New Jersey nets. What really became part of what we call a dramatic fall happened when you broke your leg, right? Did you think then, my goodness, this is over? Or did you think you had more to go on to?
JAYSON WILLIAMS, FORMER NBA STAR: Well, you know what happened, Don? I lost my way. As soon as I got hurt, when you take away your structure, here comes destruction. And I was a guy who woke up every morning with the same time with my dad, we fed our animals, we work construction together, then I went and played against Charles Oakley, Michael Jordan, all the great one. But once you take away the structure, then all of the destruction came in, I just had too much free time.
LEMON: You were always an affable guy even after that you had a career, I think, NBC, you were going to go on and become a commentator. But what I really want you do and I think what most people want to hear, take me back to that night. You were in your mansion. I believe you had the Harlem Globetrotters over to your house that night. Then you were in your bedroom and all of a sudden with the gun. What happened?
WILLIAMS: Well, Don, I can just say I was terribly reckless. To go back to that night, we went to a globetrotter game. I had my adopted grandchildren with me. We went out to dinner. Some of the globetrotters and some others went back, and when you are a young man -- I'm making no excuses, nobody wants to see your Picassos on your wall, if you have any, of your artwork. They want to see your guns. And I recklessly showed a gun to somebody and went to snap it close and the gun went off and it killed Mr. Christofis. And, I tell you, if I can take it all back and just be much more careful in the whole situation, I'm so sorry for all the pain that I've caused.
LEMON: Have you spoken to his family?
WILLIAMS: I've spoken to his family.
LEMON: What did you say to them?
WILLIAMS: I have spoken to his family only through written statements where I would love to sit down with his family, his sister, but that would be a private event. That won't be a media event. That would be just between me and his sister.
LEMON: What would you say to the family?
WILLIAMS: I'm terribly sorry, I am and how much pain I caused his family. And I'm just terribly sorry. It's difficult for me, Don -- I've caused so much pain.
LEMON: Does this -- how often does this replay in your mind? Do you think about this every single day and often?
WILLIAMS: All day long, you know. All day long. I'm not making any excuses for, you know, I take full responsibility. I understand the damage I've caused, collateral and everything else. I think about this all day long.
LEMON: I want to take you back to that moment, and that was a moment in 2010 when you were sentenced in the New Jersey courtroom and you had the handcuffs. And this, I mean, you know, this one for everyone I think is really tough to watch when you think that you're at the top of your game. Listen to this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Williams.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With regard to the gag order, this sentence eradicates all prior orders.
LEMON: He says to you, you know, I want to finish this up so that you can go and serve your sentence. Then he says good luck to you, Mr. Williams. And it looks as if you are -- your whole life is falling apart at this moment and you know it.
WILLIAMS: Well, that was ten years ago. And once you're going through a court case for eight years, you have a relationship with the court clerk. You have a relationship with the court, the lawyers and everybody else. You're seeing everybody for eight years. And I think after that, at that time right there, I honestly thought that the judge honestly thought I can, you know, showed remorse, I showed repentance and reform my life.
LEMON: Yes. Did you think you were untouchable at the time?
WILLIAMS: I think so. I think at a time where you think that you're bigger than everybody else, and you know, and when you lose your way sometimes, those are the things that happen, when you just lose your way. You know, I lost my way, Don.
LEMON: You lost your way.
WILLIAMS: I lost my way.
LEMON: I want to read something here you said in this statement from Steven Farman, the deputy attorney general involved in the prosecution. He said Mr. Williams has a dark side. Nobody knows the real Jayson William. There is a real Jekyll and Hyde like divide.
Does that dark side still exist or did it ever? You know what? Hold that thought. We need to take a break. I'll ask you that on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: From first round draft pick to felon. More now on my exclusive interview with former NBA star Jayson Williams.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: You're a little nervous. Don't be nervous. I know this is hard for you, but don't be nervous. You're doing a great job.
As you were sentencing on February of 2010, you made a declaration and you said I will work endlessly to improve myself and make positive contributions to society. It is almost like you were shadowing to where you are now. Is that so?
WILLIAMS: Well, I think the first thing I had to do when I got to prison was examine myself. And then I had to be remorse for which are law is, then I repented, then reformed. But the first thing was examining what causes me to get this trouble all the time? What's my dark side? And it was alcohol.
LEMON: Is that what it was?
WILLIAMS: It was definitely alcohol.
LEMON: You said it took eight years -- almost eight years between when the incident happened and then you went to prison in 2010. And during that time you crashed your car, you got on probation, you had a DUI, you had a divorce, you had all these things, why did you have that moment of clarity within that time?
WILLIAMS: Well, it was a difficult time in my life. Like I said before, you know, the collateral damage that you cause, but sometimes people that you think are around you should be telling you the right thing. And as an athlete, you can't make excuses. It was all my fault. I was an alcoholic at the time, I think. I think I was a functioning alcoholic.
LEMON: Were you drinking that much?
WILLIAMS: I think I was drinking that much.
LEMON: Were you drinking a lot?
WILLIAMS: I definitely was, Don, you know. But when you have structure and you get up every morning and you have to be somewhere, but once you retire and you lose your way and you don't have the right people telling you the right things. But I'm a grown man, I take full responsibility.
LEMON: You had yes people around you, people who depended on you for their --
WILLIAMS: No excuses, Don. I was a grown man.
LEMON: Just before the break, I said to you, when the attorney general Steven Farman said. He said Mr. Williams has a dark side, no nobody knows the real Jayson Williams. There's a real Jekyll and Hyde like divide. Is he right?
WILLIAMS: I think he's incorrect. I think I'm a Christian first. I think like I said before, there's times I lost my way, but when I was drinking at times I think maybe I did have a dark side. I know I did. But I think I'm a good man who has done a lot of good, and I have to continue.
LEMON: And you were in real prison, like you weren't in a celebrity prison. You were in Ricers, and then you went to New Jersey state prison in New Jersey.
WILLIAMS: That's right.
LEMON: So you were in real prison.
WILLIAMS: That's right.
LEMON: Yes. And what was the profound moment there?
WILLIAMS: Any time a 22-year-old correction officer can tell you to bend over or get naked or do anything and you lose your freedom, I think right then you realize that you are in prison. It's just not being, you know, 6'10" and being a famous athlete is going to help you. It's just at that point right there when you can't do anything. It is somebody is telling you what you do and what's done.
LEMON: Searching you for contraband and all that.
WILLIAMS: That's right.
LEMON: I've got to ask you this because we have this whole thing now with Penn State and Jerry Sandusky. And you had an issue when you were a child. Do you think that affected your behavior? You were molested. Did you think that affected your behavior growing? Did you deal with that as a child?
WILLIAMS: I definitely did. Coming from an interracial relationship with my mother being white and my father being black, there were times when I didn't want to cause any more drama to them so I kept a lot of things to myself. And until I got to prison, I just couldn't keep a memoir or journal, I just started writing letters to my father and it flowed, and when it started flowing, those things started coming out on to the paper. I never meant this to be a book. I was just sending these letters home. And those are one of the letters that came into play with me. And I'm sweating up in here.
LEMON: It's actually cold in here.
WILLIAMS: It's very difficult to explain about child molestation in two or three minutes, but I'm willing to talk to all groups and anybody I can help. I'm just trying - you know, sometimes I wake up, Don, I want to save the world, and then I want to save my community. And sometimes I got to wake up and save myself.
LEMON: The book is called "Humbled: Letters from Prison," and it's fascinating. I've read some excerpts from it and it is amazing. You sent those letters to your father just you got home and it is becoming a book. Congratulations.
WILLIAMS: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Thank you. I appreciate it. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Thank you, Jayson Williams. And thank you for watching.
Good night, everyone.
