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Six People Dead in Blistering Heat Wave; California Wildfire Threatens 4100 Homes; Protests against Stand Your Ground; One-on-One with Alex Rodriguez; Alex Rodriguez: One-on-One; Tsarnaev Tied to 2011 Triple Murder
Aired July 18, 2013 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: "CNN NEWSROOM" the best every day at 9:00 -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That is so sweet. It made my day. Thanks. Have a great day.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bye, Carol.
COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hot.
COSTELLO: Sweltering heat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too hot. I can't think.
COSTELLO: In many places it feels like 100 degrees as the nation's power grid struggles to keep up.
Also --
ALEX RODRIGUEZ, NEW YORK YANKEES: This has been a very difficult process and I'm just humbled by the opportunity to play baseball. I mean, I love this game so much.
COSTELLO: A-Rod in his own words.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What happens if there is a suspension? How disappointed would you be if you're not able to come back?
COSTELLO: Baseball fans, you'll want to hear this.
Plus, are you being tracked as soon as you get behind the wheel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With technology and with smart, good policing, you know, it allows us to keep our public safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do think they (INAUDIBLE) because they're -- I have not been charged with it, I'm not suspected of committing any crimes.
COSTELLO: And say good-bye to the Colonel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Colonel Alexander and I'd like to tell you a little bit about my Kentucky Fried Chicken.
COSTELLO: KFC dumped Colonel Sanders. It's going upscale.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Good morning, thank you so much for being with me. I'm Carol Costello. I know, you hear it all the time, it is dangerously hot. Be careful. But here's why. Six people have now died as a result of a blistering heat wave smothering the nation from North Dakota to Massachusetts.
In Minnesota, volunteers searching for a missing toddler were carried away in ambulances when the heat became too much. In Indianapolis, hundreds were evacuated from an elderly community when power went out. Another power outage in Chicago, 800 people with no lights and no AC. Many went outside for cooler air and did not find it.
And across the country, people desperate for relief took to beaches and pools and fountains to try to cool off, but here's the good news now, the light at the end of the tunnel, as they say, relief could soon be on the way.
CNN meteorologist Indra Petersons is in Central Park to tell us when.
Good morning.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. I wish I had better news. It's going to take some time before we see that relief, but that is the good news eventually by this weekend we will start to see that relief. But clearly we're talking about temperatures still 10 degrees above normal and then we're adding in that moisture. So today it's expected to be hotter than yesterday with even more humidity.
We're going to be talking about heat indices over 105 and it looks like it is spreading. That high pressure is building. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETERSONS (voice-over): It's the hottest weather of the summer with a heat wave scorching a huge chunk of the nation. Officials are blaming this heat wave for at least two deaths. An elderly woman in Maryland and in New York last week a Staten Island man died because of the sizzling temperatures.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very hot.
PETERSONS: In Indiana a senior center lost power. Hundreds had to be evacuated as it was too dangerous to stay inside. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's all old folks. So you have to take care of them.
PETERSONS: On average, more than 650 people die each year from the heat. The blistering heat inside a vehicle has already claimed the lives of 21 children this year. A meteorologist from Maryland shows us just how hot it can get inside your car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm completely miserable. I'm drenched in sweat, you can see my shirt.
PETERSONS: Working outside can be unbearable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, by the end of the day, you're just kind of sluggish, you don't think as well.
PETERSONS: In California, a farm was shut down after reports of an employee-heat related death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, real hot.
PETERSONS: The culprit a large high dome of pressure parked over the Ohio Valley and the northeast.
(On camera): 2:00 p.m. the hottest time of the day, and it's 94 degrees but it feels like 100 with the humidity and the ground itself over 130 degrees.
OK, it's almost 5:00 in the morning, this should be about the coolest time of the day and it's still 82 degrees outside and the ground's even hotter, currently 88 degrees.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This morning when I woke up and went outside, I couldn't believe how warm it already was.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PETERSONS: You know, one of the things we've looked at, Carol, is not only how warm it's expected to be or the high temperature for the day, but also how long we have to deal with this. And keep in mind, in New York this is now our fifth day of this heat wave. Many cities even D.C. we're talking about now being its fourth day and it's spreading.
Look at these heat indices. We're talking about the thresholds here, anywhere from southern New England all the way down through D.C. It's even spreading farther to the west and I want to point out, Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut, look for 105 today. It's going to be feel like that. New York 103, Philly 105, Detroit 105 and now spreading all the way into the Dakotas.
That is what we're dealing, that relief. Yes, everyone loves to know what's coming at toward our this weekend. It's all thanks to a cold front, but you know, that does mean severe thunderstorms in the forecast.
COSTELLO: Wow. Man, I'm going to Arizona for some relief, and that's a weird thing to say.
PETERSONS: Right?
COSTELLO: Right. Exactly.
PETERSONS: Very much so.
COSTELLO: Indra, thanks so much.
In Southern California, a wildfire is threatening 4100 homes now. A new weather front is pushing the fire towards Idyllwild just over 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles. About 6,000 people have been evacuated there and in the Fern Valley area.
Joining me now from California is CNN's Miguel Marquez.
Good morning, Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning there, Carol. Well, we are in the town center here in Idyllwild and it is all cleared out except for the media and the fire crews, as you can see, doing structure protection here. The good thing -- the good points are right now is that it has gotten cooler overnight. So that we know that crews are working up there overnight probably were able to get a pretty good night of work and trying to get some of that line built so they can contain this fire.
The wind has also not been very bad tonight so that allows them also to get up there and work as well. Smoky here in town, but we expect to get more information here shortly and we expect to see that containment figure of 15 percent go up here fairly shortly -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So will there be more evacuations you think then?
MARQUEZ: Well, I think everybody in this area that can evacuate has been evacuated. This fire blew out going directly east as the wind was blowing from the west to the east and then it turned around and that's why they had to do those evacuations overnight and literally every town in the area, Idyllwild is the biggest town in this area. It was entirely evacuated overnight out of precaution and they hope they can to get a hold of this fire. So that folks can get back here.
This is a big resort town above Palm Springs and the mountains here. So a lot of people come here to cool off from Palm Springs and it is -- it will be a happy day when this thing gets open again -- Carol.
COSTELLO: More than that. More than a happy day. Miguel Marquez, thanks so much.
For the first time since a jury cleared the man who shot their son, Trayvon Martin's parents are speaking out. On "CBS This Morning" the Martins responded to Juror B37's assertion that Trayvon Martin played a part in his own death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS' THIS MORNING: Did you hear that juror who that spoke out with Anderson Cooper and what did you think when you heard her say that she believes that Trayvon played a huge role in his own death?
SYBRINA FULTON, MOTHER OF TRAYVON MARTIN: I don't think she knows Trayvon. Trayvon is not a confrontational person. So instead of placing the blame on the teenager, we need to place the blame on the responsible adult. There were two people involved. We had an adult that was chasing a kid. And we had the kid, who I feel was afraid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Joining me now to talk about this is Jason Johnson, HLN contributor and political columnist for the "Chicago Defender."
Good morning, Jason.
JASON JOHNSON, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning. Good morning.
COSTELLO: OK. So tough question to post to Trayvon Martin's parents. And it's something that's really resonating and especially in the black community. We heard Attorney General Eric Holder say he had to sit down and talk with his 15-year-old son about this.
JOHNSON: Yes. I think it's offensive, but it's not new. You know, I think the Martin family has dealt for the last year with people trying to blame their son for not running fast enough or not running far enough or for somehow not scaring George Zimmerman.
So I think they're used to these questions. It's sad, but it's not surprising given the jury and given what they heard.
COSTELLO: The Martins were also asked what the president should do. Should president Obama do anything, say anything? It's been - it's five days since the verdict came down.
JOHNSON: Right.
COSTELLO: The president hasn't vocally, he hasn't said anything. Should he?
JOHNSON: I don't think he will. And here's the thing, I think of Cindy Sheehan, actually when she lost -- the president doesn't tend to get actively involved in these kinds of issues. And so as far as I'm concerned, they could ask Barack Obama, maybe he will meet with him because this is sort of a part of larger issue about guns, but I don't think the president is going to say much more than the statement that he said.
COSTELLO: But should he?
JOHNSON: I don't think he necessarily should. To be perfectly honest. Unless he wants to take this back to the fight about guns, I don't necessarily think he should. This is something that members of Congress should be active about and senators should be active about in the Department of Justice.
COSTELLO: OK. So Michelle Obama is going to be in Chicago today and she's going to be talking to kids about urban violence. So maybe she'll take it on?
JOHNSON: I'm sure she will. This is -- this is what's so interesting to me about what's going on in Chicago. We have had bloody cities before in this -- in the history of this country. We had Washington D.C., "Times" in Detroit, "Times" in L.A. and suddenly people are talking about Chicago like it's unique.
This is a larger problem about crime. And so if she wants to speak about crime, that's great. But shouldn't just be focused at young, black children. Crime is an issue that all of us suffer from.
COSTELLO: Jason Johnson, thanks so much.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Trayvon Martin's parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin will sit down with Anderson Cooper to talk about how the family is moving forward. The all new interview airs tonight 8:00 Eastern.
In the meantime, Juror B37 is nixing all future interviews but she does have one final thought. In a written statement sent to CNN, she said, quote, "My prayers are with all of those who have the influence and power to modify the laws that left me with no verdict option other than not guilty. In order to remain within the instructions. No other family should be forced to endure what the Martin family has endured."
And this morning, that is something dozens of protesters are trying to prevent. They spent the night camped out at the office of the Florida governor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do we want?
PROTESTERS: Justice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When do we want it?
PROTESTERS: Now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do we want?
PROTESTERS: Justice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When do we want it?
PROTESTERS: Now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The calling for the repeal of the Stand Your Ground law which says someone doesn't have to back down from an attacker. George Zimmerman's defense lawyers never cited the law in his trial, but jurors were told to consider it during deliberations.
CNN's Victor Blackwell is on the phone -- you're live. I thought you were going to follow along with the protesters again today and be on the phone, but I'm glad to see you in person - Victor.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. We'll do that at 10:00 when these protesters go in and mirror what they've done for the last two days. That's at 10:00 they'll go in and make their appeal.
I'll take you back to Tuesday when this Dream Defenders, that's the name of their group, they walked into Governor Rick Scott's office here in Tallahassee and asked to meet the governor. They were told by his receptionist that the governor was not here. So they said we will wait and they have been waiting for 47 hours now inside that reception area and then outside in the hallway.
They said that they're prepared to wait for weeks, if necessary. This is why they demand to be with the governor. They want him to reconvene the state legislature pass a Trayvon Martin act that includes a repeal of Stand Your Ground. A ban on zero tolerance policies in public schools and they want to have a serious conversation about racial profiling.
The governor has not responded to our requests to find out if he's going to speak with them. They say they have not heard from the governor either. I want you to listen to (INAUDIBLE) Nichols, a member of the Dream Defenders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANARO MICKLES, DREAM DEFENDERS: He's not going to meet with us until we show him that he doesn't have a choice. We need to get as many people here as possible. We heard that a lot of people have done protests and they still haven't met him. But this isn't a protest. This is citizens petitioning their rights. Her constitutional rights. So we don't plan for him to give in easily. That's why we want people to understand that we're not going to leave until we have shown him that this fight is for real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The governor was in New York on Tuesday. He was in Panama City and Pensacola yesterday. He's in Tampa, at least later today. But this meeting is not on the schedule, at least for today -- Carol.
COSTELLO: all right. Victor Blackwell reporting live for us this morning.
At 12 minutes past the hour, other stories we're watching right now in NEWSROOM. North Korea is calling on panama to release the ship and crew it detained after weapons were discovered hidden under tons of brown sugar. The missiles were apparently en route from Cuba. Guidance on the stalemate. Panama is asking the United States nations for guidance on the stale mate which reminds many of the cold war crisis a half century ago.
Edward Snowden may soon be out of that transit terminal in Moscow. The NSA leaker has applied for temporary asylum in Russia and his lawyer says Snowden is likely to leave the airport in the next few days to formalize legalize papers.
The attorney says Snowden would receive a certificate showing the asylum request is being considered which would allow him to leave the airport's transit area.
Nelson Mandela turns 95 today and there's even more reason to celebrate the milestone given the news that the former South African president is improving. His health is improving. Mandela's daughter said her father is gaining strength and maybe going home any time now. He's been hospitalized since June 8th for treatment of a recurring lung infection.
Now a one-on-one interview with perhaps the most polarizing player in all of baseball. A-Rod. Alex Rodriguez hasn't played a day in a Yankee uniform this season. He is under investigation for his ties to an alleged Miami steroid dealer and, yes, the Yankees still have to pay him a cool $100 million. Still, Rodriguez could finally make his Yankees return next week, maybe Monday. As I said, this past nine months have been full of challenges for A-Rod. And he's finally talking about the past, the future and the dark clouds hanging over head -- Jason Carroll joins us now. What did he say?
CARROLL: Well, he had a lot to say. It took him a while to get him to talk, but, certainly thankful that he did decide to speak. No secret that a lot of Yankee fans out there, carol, say that Rodriguez is not worth the money. He had a disappointing season, medical issues and allegations that he used performance enhancing drugs. Rodriguez says he's innocent of the allegations and he wants to speak out to those who have been supporting him all along.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODRIGUEZ: You know, every day is a new day. Yes. Obviously, in this process, there's a lot of challenges.
CARROLL (voice-over): Alex Rodriguez knows a lot about challenges. He has recovered from hip surgery, the second of his career. And the New York Yankee third baseman is back on the field, for now, with the double-a team the Trenton thunder. Getting back in the game, the real game may be his greatest challenge, one he hopes to overcome with help from fans.
RODRIGUEZ: I mean, the support has been overwhelming and it's fueled me. I mean, this has been a very difficult process and I'm just humbled by the opportunity to play baseball. I mean, I love this game so much. I hate all the noise but, you know, hopefully that goes away soon and we can get back to playing baseball.
CARROLL: Part of the so-called "noise", Major League Baseball's investigation into allegations linking Rodriguez and other players to this Florida clinic, shut down for distributing performance-enhancing drugs.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: A-Rod!
CARROLL: Rodriguez denies being treated by the clinic, a possible suspension from the team, a $114 million contract and his legacy hang in the balance.
(on camera): A lot of pressures, a lots of allegations out there. How are you managing to deal with that while also trying to manage the physical part of trying to come back?
RODRIGUEZ: That's a good question. I mean, that's never easy and it's not fun.
CARROLL: What's harder? Is it the mental or is it physical? Which one is harder?
RODRIGUEZ: I think in this case, it's both.
CARROLL: What happens if there is a suspension? And how disappointed would you be if you're not able to come back?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, I'm going to focus on the positive, you know? Obviously, that situation I can't comment on at the moment, but I'm really looking forward to coming back to New York. I feel like I owe the Yankee fan base my A-game. I don't think they had last year.
CARROLL: No negotiations going on, no sort of plea deals -- nothing like that? No deals being made?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, I don't think there's anything going on right now. That's as far as I'm going to take it. I think it's important that we have a process. I think we have good system with Major League Baseball and let's let the process play out.
CARROLL: If something is not ruled in your favor, would you want to continue to fight?
RODRIGUEZ: You know, I'd just rather not get into any of that right now. I mean, it's premature and we'll let the process play out. That's my responsibility right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well, the question now is, will Rodriguez be suspended? That answer will come once Major League Baseball concludes. No time period on that as of yet and an MLB spokesperson telling CNN, "We're in the midst of an ongoing investigation and simply cannot comment."
Rodriguez's rehabilitation period ends this Sunday. If he does not get injured, he says, he will be ready to play with the Yankees this Monday. We'll see.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A question, Jason. So --
CARROLL: I'm sure you have a few. COSTELLO: I do. You know, I'm a big baseball fan. Fans think he's killing time because he wants to collect the $100 million left on his contract. He's batting .179 in AA, Jason.
CARROLL: Rodriguez says that's not true. What he says he wouldn't be working this hard, coming back from hip surgery, working in AA teams, getting out there and doing what he says he needs to physically do to get back in the game. He says simply not true.
And he is also worried about his legacy. You know, his father played baseball, as you know. He loves the game. He feels at home out on the field. And he really wants to show fans out there, those who -- again, who have been supporting him all along that he can play and the way that he's trained to do and he can have a better season, at least a better season than he had last year.
And he's really out for proving that.
COSTELLO: We'll see. I know I'm so cynical and I feel so bad about that.
CARROLL: You are.
COSTELLO: But -- I know.
CARROLL: Well, it's not just you. A lot of fans who feel the same way you do.
COSTELLO: I know, I'm not alone, sadly.
Jason Carroll, thanks so much.
CARROLL: You bet.
COSTELLO: Coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll talk to baseball editor for sportsillustrated.com, Ted, about A-Rod's return.
And 72 hours before the Boston marathon attack, one of the suspected bombers was jumping around like he was, quote, "on top of the world." Just ahead on THE NEWSROOM: more from the man who taught Tamerlan Tsarnaev how to fight in the boxing ring.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Anger still raging over the "Rolling Stones" decision to put the only surviving Boston bombing suspect on its cover. Critics say the photo glorifies Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as a rock star. Boston's mayor says the survivors it's the survivors who deserved to be in the spotlight, not this guy.
Now, at least four retailers are refusing to sell the August 3rd edition of the magazine. But that may not hurt the magazine sales, as you know. The issue is already selling on eBay. Yes, you can get five copies right now for $99.99. That's more than four times the newsstand price.
In the meantime, the editors of "Rolling Stone" are defending their decision. This is what they said on NPR.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
WILL DANA, ROLLING STONE: We thought it was the apt image because part of what the story is about is what an incredibly normal kid he seemed like to those who knew him best back in Cambridge, his fellow students and the teachers there. And we were trying to sort of draw this contrast between the person everyone thought they knew and the person he became.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, that statement is not making some in Boston feel any better, especially since there are so many mysteries still surrounding the bombing.
And then there's this -- authorities are not being exactly transparent. Officials in Florida will not release details of the autopsy of Ibrahim Todashev. He's the friend of the dead Boston bombing suspect. Todashev was killed by an FBI agent about a month after the marathon attack.
Law enforcement says that Todashev's death came shortly after he implicated himself and Tamerlan Tsarnaev in the 2011 triple murder outside of Boston. The investigation into that case has cranked up since the marathon bombing.
National correspondent Deb Feyerick has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the attack on the Boston marathon accelerated the investigation into a triple murder that happened a year and a half earlier. I had a chance to speak at length with one man who knew several players involved in both crimes. His insights may surprise you.
(voice-over): With the terror attack on Boston, three people in John Allan's world were about to collide. Three people who trained in boxing and martial arts, all three are now dead. And key among them is bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, seen working out at Allan's Wai Kru gym days before the attack.
(on camera): Were you surprised at his demeanor 72 hours before those bombings on Boston marathon?
JOHN ALLAN, GYM OWNER: Unbelievable -- just him entering the ring. I mean, you know, like jumping over both legs, feet at this shoulder height, clearing the ring, hopping in, jumping rope. Like, yes, like he was on top of the world.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Allan trained both Tsarnaev and another Russian speaker, Ibragim Todashev.
ALLAN: Ibragim and Tamerlan were, you know, polar opposites as individuals. Tamerlan was very flashy and flamboyant. Ibragim was a bit more reserve, but he was hot-headed. There were a few times that Ibrahim and Tamerlan prayed to mecca in the gym, which wasn't abnormal for Ibrahim to do it because he did it from day one, but it was abnormal for Tamerlan.
FEYERICK (on camera): So they were getting closer?
ALLAN: It seemed so, yes.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Allan says Todashev and Tsarnaev trained together in 2011. That same year, Tsarnaev's friend Brandon Mess who also trained at the gym was murdered in a near beheading, along with two pals. Sources say Tsarnaev and Todashev were involved in the murders.
(on camera): Do you believe that Tamerlan and maybe Ibrahim had anything to do with those triple murders in Waltham?
ALLAN: I don't know. I know for a fact that Tamerlan was, probably, if not daily, but several times a week hanging out with Brandon Mess, at his house, at that house where he was murdered.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Allan says Tamerlan's reaction was strange, almost dismissing his friend's murder.
ALLAN: At first I took it for nervous energy. You know, because Tamerlan was always, always put up a mask, you know, a front. He always appeared in control.
FEYERICK: Shortly after the murders, Todashev moved to Florida. Tamerlan went to Dagestan, where he reportedly became radicalized. Allan says he gave FBI agents Todashev's name. Todashev was shot by an FBI agent after allegedly implicating himself in the murders.
ALLAN: That's a bizarre story and situation. It's very hard to believe.
FEYERICK (on camera): Todashev was killed May 22nd. His autopsy report was completed six weeks later. However, the FBI has asked the Florida medical examiner not to release details of that autopsy, citing a, quote, "active investigation," unquote -- Carol.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Deb Feyerick, many thanks.
When we come back to NEWSROOM: how police are tracking you, even while you're driving.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: As you can see, the bell is ringing on Wall Street and good morning to you, I'm Carol Costello and that's one of the stories we're watching right now in THE NEWSROOM at 30 minutes past the hour. Bell ringing, but right now, we're not poised to see too much action. Many investors still waiting for Bernanke, Ben Bernanke, the Fed chair, to sit down for a second day of questions on Capitol Hill.
